Advisory Board meets with recreation committee, library trustees
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

The Westminster Advisory Board met with the Crocker Pond Development Committee and the Forbush Memorial Library Board of Trustees on Wednesday, Jan. 23.

The Crocker Pond Development Committee requested a budget that was the same as last year, but with a few recommendations and compromises with the Advisory Board their request was lowered.

The town recreation area will be opening for is third summer in May.

Advisory Board member Brian Ruland asked why the Committee was planning on having exterior lights on at night.

Committee Chairman Joe Macchia responded that the lights were a request by the town's Police and Fire departments.

"You need lights for safety and protection," he said.

The board did not have a problem with that expense.

As part of the safety plan, the police have given two-way radios to those working at the recreation area. The radios allow staff and volunteers to talk to each as well as for each to talk to the Dispatch Center, Macchia said.

"We were planning to have a well system and a septic system on the land," Macchia said.

The delay in the installation is because no private companies want to drive over the bridge at the South Ashburnham Road entrance, because signs post the weight limit at 12 tons.

The town is trying to construct a road off of Route 2A, but has been denied by the Conservation Commission. The Selectmen voted to appeal that ruling to the Department of Environmental Protection.

The Development Committee members said the only other practical way to get the equipment into the area is to construction a temporary construction road and to ask the railroad for a temporary easement across their property. The town's Fire Department is suing the rail company for the cost of extinguishing brush fires along the rails this summer.

Macchia said at this point the Development Committee has everything in a holding pattern, but that the well, septic and plumping permits have all been received.

Advisory Board members did not have many alterations to the requested budget for the Forbush Memorial Library. They did ask the library trustees and the library director to make the one-time purchases and funding requests part of Town Meeting warrant articles, instead of part of the annual budget.

Some of the one-time purchases the library would like to make this year are carpet cleaning, additional bookshelves and bins, and adding some technology items such as an answering machine. The trustees are also asking for about $1,200 to remove some dead trees on the property.

The Advisory Board members did not have any objections to the proposed budget.

Also during the meeting, the trustees asked if there was planning for the funding of the proposed library renovation project. Board member Ken Burstall said there will have to be a discussion between Selectmen, trustees and his board before a determination is made.

Advisory Board member Keith Harding asked if voters approve a specific amount of money at the upcoming special town meeting, how the trustees were going to guarantee it covered the whole project.

Trustee Chairman Dana Altobelli said the voters would be approving or rejecting money based on the actual construction bids for the project not an estimated amount.

The estimated cost for construction and temporary relocation of the library is $2.5 to $3 million, he said.

"I need to know not a dime of this money is going to be wasted like it was (with the last renovation)," Ruland said.

Altobelli said the project design requires a minimum level of quality for the products being installed.