Randolph, Brookfield, Braintree
Selectmen Tackle
Mutual Issues

In the past, selectboards from Randolph, Braintree and Brookfield would meet jointly from time to time to discuss landfill issues. Nowadays, they have enough common interests that they are staging joint meetings every six months.

Brookfield Selectboard Chair Jeff Kimmel said yesterday that the meetings serve as a means to help board members get to know one another, as well as an effective forum to address issues of mutual interest.

A four-hour joint session last Thursday in Brookfield saw the various board members discussing road gravel, radio communications, emergency management, as well as solid waste issues.

Gravel

Because the gravel in the pit shared by Braintree and Randolph is being depleted, other sources are being researched. Tut Doane of Braintree, who attended the meeting in his capacity as the town’s emergency management coordinator, said he is working with state and regional agencies to "take enough gravel out of the rivers to alleviate the threat of a 50- or 100- year flood.

Crushed tailings from the granite quarry in Bethel might also be a gravel source, it was suggested.

Radio Communications

Doane also spoke about efforts to improve radio reception for emergency services by erecting a repeater, possibly on Braintree Hill. Dead spots in Braintree are making difficulties for the fire departments, he said.

Brookfield Selectman and Fire Chief John Benson noted that another problem is that the fire departments’ frequency is located on the lowest end of the tower in Randolph Center.

It was suggested that the towns cooperatively purchase VHF equipment that would serve all three towns.

Emergency Service

Town officials have been cooperating on emergency management planning, but the lack of public knowledge about emergencies "is alarming," it was stated. It was suggested that a tri-town simulation involving citizens might help inform the public. Regular news articles are also being planned.

At a recent "table top" exercise, it was brought to light that many small towns do not have the staffing necessary to open an emergency operations center, in the event of a disaster. Emergency management coordinators of the three towns were asked to prepare a proposal for a regional command center.

There will be an "incident command systems" training session for selectboards December 14, 6 p.m., at VTC.

Solid Waste

Bob Ross of Ross Environmental reviewed the state’s criticisms of a draft of the Solid Waste Implementation Plan for the three towns.

The state would like there to be more recycling and more promotion of hazardous waste and "conditionally exempt generators" collection events.

The consensus of board members was to revise the draft to include promotion of these activities in town reports and websites. The revised SWIP will be available for public viewing on the websites and in each municipality’s office.

Transfer Station

The current transfer station contract with Casella Solid Waste Management was reviewed. The 10-year agreement expires at the end of 2007 or 2008. (The "effective" date on the contract is 1997, but Casella claims that operations did not start until 1998.)

It was the consensus of the meeting to charge the solid waste advisory committee (SWAC) with reviewing the contract and preparing a "request for proposals," or RFP.

Should SWAC not be able to take this task on, the members of the joint board will meet Nov. 9 to draft an RFP.

The next regular joint meeting of the three selectboards is tentatively scheduled for April 16 in Randolph.

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