Published in the August 29, 2018 edition
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The Board of Selectmen authorized Town Administrator Rob Dolan to apply for a Community Compact grant last week.
Gov. Charlie Baker signed an executive order creating the Community Compact program in January 2015. The selectmen signed onto the program in December 2016.
The program seeks to “champion municipal interests across all executive secretariats and agencies” in order to “develop, in consultation with cities and towns, mutual standards of best practices for both the state and municipalities.” By developing local Community Compacts, the program seeks to “create clear standards, expectations and accountability for both partners.”
Dolan said the Baker administration recently presented 70 “best practice” state grants that cities and towns can apply for in order to implement local initiatives. As part of a recent Community Compact grant, Dolan said the town completed a regionalization project with Wakefield that entailed purchasing new permitting software for the Building Department, Fire Department and Health Department.
The TA asked department heads last month to review the different Community Compact grants available and make recommendations. He brought two grants to the selectmen to consider.
“There were several finalists,” said Dolan. “We are going to apply for two and see what happens.”
Dolan recommended that the town apply for a grant pertaining to emergency management. He said the grant involves developing an emergency management plan in partnership with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), which would be used “to develop and enhance” the community’s “disaster and response capabilities.”
“I don’t want anyone to think we don’t already have an emergency preparedness plan because we do,” said Dolan. “However, it’s important to bring somebody from the outside in to review and coordinate interdepartmental training, and get everybody in a room to discuss the changing world that we live in. And the world has changed since the last time we went through this process.”
Dolan also recommended that the town apply for grant funds in order to update the Open Space and Recreation Plan.
“(Retired Conservation Administrator) Betty Adelson did a tremendous job while she was here to begin creating an Open Space Plan, which by regulation a town must adopt every seven years in order to qualify for an array of grants that can help our open spaces and recreation areas,” said Dolan. “Our plan is eight years old. Betty got us to more than halfway there. (Conservation Administrator) Emilie Cademartori feels we have a lot of things done, but we need someone to come in and help the committee finish the job.”
While the selectmen expressed its support for the emergency management grant proposal, the board felt other areas should be explored instead of the Open Space Plan grant.
Selectman Chris Barrett inquired if the department heads considered applying for a grant pertaining to evaluating school enrollment. Dolan said that grant was considered, but noted the School Enrollment and Capacity Exploration Committee is currently undertaking that work.
Selectmen Chairman Dick Dalton asked Dolan if the town’s Open Space Plan would be completed by the time the state awards Community Compact grants.
“Right now, the state is trying to put it out on a more aggressive schedule,” said Dolan. “Where we are with the Open Space Plan, according to Emilie, is it would be very hard to proceed in order to complete it with the amount of work that has to be done.”
Dalton noted grants pertaining to active shooter training, information technology and managing water systems caught his attention. He proposed discussing the second grant at an upcoming meeting.
“We only get this opportunity once a year and if we are all in agreement on the emergency plan, that’s fine, but I think we have a decent chance of getting a second one,” said Dalton.
Selectman Phil Crawford said a grant pertaining to paperless records is a grant the town should also consider. He joked that going paperless would reduce the amount of paper on Assistant Town Administrator Bob Curtin’s desk.
“I think people would know what Bob looks like after that,” said Crawford.
“They don’t want to know what I look like,” Curtin joked in response.
Crawford said there were other grants the town should consider as well.
After further discussion, the selectmen voted to apply for the emergency preparedness grant. The selectmen will be authorizing Dolan to apply for a second grant next month.
