Selectmen set priorities for upcoming capital spending
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

The redesign of the busy intersection of South, Main and Leominster street is a top priority of the selectmen but the town must first purchase 4 Leominster St. FILE PHOTO

The Westminster Board of Selectmen agreed to make upgrades to the town's wastewater system and the purchasing of 4 Leominster St. top priorities for the town.

At their meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 10, the Selectmen debated a variety of proposed priorities for the future spending of the town's money over the upcoming years.

"I see a list (of pending projects) that's growing, growing and growing," said Board Chairman John Fairbanks.

The town needs to buy 4 Leominster St., the old gas station at the intersection of Leominster, South and Main streets, before the state will consider funding the redesign of that intersection, said the selectmen.

The purchase of this property is being proposed at the Special Town Meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 27.

Selectmen are also putting articles on the Town Meeting warrant that will support their listed priorities of a new senior center and finishing the library project.

There are three articles on the Town Meeting warrant dealing with the purchase of land or conservation restrictions for property in town.

The proposed purchasing of the Shenck property and the agricultural preservation restriction are partly supported by grants.

"We've already committed to this," Selectman Tom O'Toole said.

The selectmen expressed varying opinions on the land purchases and recreation area development that town officials are discussing.

"Historically we've bought everything we've had a chance to buy," Fairbanks said.

Fairbanks said he preferred to make recreational land purchases and uses a high priority for the town's money.

"To me it's an opportunity," he said.

O'Toole said the town needs to decide how much land the town wants to own and all three selectmen agreed there were benefits and negatives to the town owning large parcels of land.

All three selectmen agreed this was not the time to put substantial money into constructing a new police station, the old Town Hall or into a land acquisition stabilization account.

Selectman Nick Hay said he wanted to see what the road maintenance program was before supporting the funding as a priority.

"Why do we redo roads that are in good shape," Hay said.

O'Toole said it is important to fund the repairs and the maintenance to infrastructure continuously to prevent large problems.

Selectmen agreed to review the list of vehicle and equipment replacement annually with the Capital Planning Committee. The three selectmen agreed the schedule reviewed and maintained by the Capital Planning Committee served as a good priority list in the past.

In other business:

• Selectmen discussed the possibility of asking the Rotary Club to consider moving the proposed Veterans Garden from Academy Hill to the Bacon Street. The board said they should determine if the old Town Hall is the only location the library can move to during it's renovation and then determine if the building should be torn down.

Selectmen have tried for three years to find some to buy and preserve the historic building but have not been able to support any of the proposals.

"We've had a lot of great ideas but none of them have come with funding mechanisms," O'Toole said.

The building is on the National Historical Register.

Selectmen plan to ask the Historical Commission, the Town Hall Re-use Committee and other interested parties discuss the issue at their next meeting.

Voters will have a chance to discuss the issue at the Special Town Meeting.