Night Two of The 2013 Fall Special Town Meeting(s) - Grinder Pump Committee Created, Town Meeting Will Meet Again on Monday

6:45 p.m. - Hello Chelmsford! We're live here at the Chelmsford Senior Center for the second night of Chelmsford's Fall Town Meeting. 

There will actually be two special town meetings tonight, one for Varney Park funding that will likely be over very quickly, and the remainder of Monday's Town Meeting.

There are a little over a dozen members of the Sewer Fairness Alliance outside and the Town Meeting Reps are entering the building. We will provide updates as they come! 

7:00 p.m. - We're underway. A cell phone went off during the moment of silence for Howard Hall. 

7:01 p.m. - Town Manager Paul Cohen is describing Article 1 of the "other" Town Meeting for Varney Park. The state is providing a 50/50 grant (if the town pays approximately $250,000; the state pays approximately $250,000.)

The funding will address issues relating to various issues such as the beach house and handicapped accessibility.

Of the town's $250,000; half of that will come from community preservation funding. 

7:07 p.m. - Town Planner Evan Belansky says this is just Phase One of the project of improvements for Varney Park.

7:10 p.m. - Article passes 118-7-0. Special Town Meeting is adjourned. Now back to where we left off....

7:13 p.m. - Town Meeting rep Ed Cilessi asks the article presenters about liability, they respond those repairing grinder pumps are invitees, much like other utility workers. 

7:16 p.m. - 1,362 units with pumping stations. Cohen's estimate per home divided by 1,362 comes to the approximate $10 per household in Chelmsford.

7:18 p.m. - The town of Gloucester and Marion aid residents with grinder pumps elsewhere in Massachusetts. 

7:24 p.m. - A motion to delay was shot down, can't do that during question and answer time. Currently five people in line. Petitioners will need around 120 votes if we have a full house, and it looks like we have good attendance tonight. 

7:31 p.m. - Presenters say grinder pumps require specialized generators to run when electricity goes out, they earn rebuke when saying seniors cannot manually start the generators. 

7:32 p.m. - TM Rep Bob Joyce asks if aid given to grinder pump owners will be returned, answer is that it is a mathematical calculation regarding betterment and bills that had to be paid.

7:35 p.m. - Follow up questions don't count toward the maximum two questions per questioner, says Moderator.

7:39 p.m. - "It's a question, but it's not major..." three people in line. Those who service grinder pumps need to come from Rockland, Mass. Here comes a fourth in line.

7:50 p.m. - Presenters say town said relief is not coming soon. Six people in line. 

7:53 p.m. - Presenters say they're open to options. Cohen says Selectmen set policy for town, and Selectmen are open to discuss options.

8:01 p.m. - TM Sam Poulton - would presenters drop the bylaw petition in order to meet with the Selectmen to create a solution to the problem regarding liabilities? 

Presenters - "We've been willing to do that all along."

8:06 p.m. - Town Counsel says a monetary solution is beyond the scope of this article. Marc Morency, your car lights are on. 

8:12 p.m. -- This line of questioners keeps on growing..... this much uncertainty from the Town Meeting reps can't bode well for the article.

8:20 p.m. - Only two more questioners, says Moderator DeFreitas.

8:22 p.m. - Question and answers over. Moderator is giving presenters three more minutes for rebuttal to five minutes of town's argument against the article.

8:29 p.m. - Motion to grant five more minutes to the town is granted. Presentation says Sewer Fairness Alliance claims are inaccurate. 

8:39 p.m. - Petitioners get more time, dispute point that town has given $2.7 million in assistance to grinder pump owners, saying town has saved far more by grinder pump decision. "We have two classes of sewer takers in this town." 

8:43 p.m. - Now onto debate, and we're debating the debate over who is first in line for questions.....

8:44 p.m. - Bob Joyce addresses the crowd. It appears there are seven in the "in favor" line, three in the "against" line.

8:48 p.m. - Joyce says go back to the drawing board. Next is Peggy Dunn. Dunn wants to commit to study committee, saying she is still not ready to vote due to uncertainty lingering after unclear question answers.

8:50 p.m. - There's a second, DeFreitas says Chelmsford rules do not need seconds. Dunn says this will be like Oak Hill Committee.

8:55 p.m. - First comment on amendment is opposed, saying nothing further can be learned, and money can be spent if money was spent at the last Town Meeting on turf fields.

9:00 p.m. - Poulton wants an amendment to the amendment saying the committee must come back to Spring Town Meeting. 

9:08 p.m. - Dunn says spring is too soon. It is unclear if an amendment to the amendment to the amendment can occur. 

9:10 p.m. - Town Counsel trying to figure out what the amendment to the amendment to the amendment is about. St. Louis Cardinals just scored, 1-0 down at Fenway.

9:15 p.m. - Nobody seems to be quite sure whether we're talking about the amendment (Study Committee) or the amendment to the amendment (Study Committee must be done by Spring). Amendment to the amendment to the amendment (Similar to amendment to amendment?) seems to be gone?

9:21 p.m. - Call to question by Nick DeSilvio. Joyce makes a motion to amend in the middle of moderator saying the vote is coming, he's out of order. Another person requests decorum, asking the body not decay into anarchy.

9:23 p.m. - Motion passes 111-45-0, includes amendment and amendment to amendment. Joyce asks for additional amendment putting nine members on the committee. 

9:25 p.m. - Joyce Amendment to Amendment passes 105-30-2. Now on main subsidiary motion. Immediate move to question, boos over Red Sox score.

9:27 p.m. - Okay, now we're on the tabling amendment (to establish the committee.) 123-14-0, it passes. Article 18 is done. Now onto Article 13.

9:30 p.m. - Five minute break. Chelmsford High School football falls to Central Catholic 46-19. 

9:35 p.m. - Red Sox game is on the overhead projector, but we can't watch the game yet. Onto Article 13 on home occupations. 

9:39 p.m. - Home occupation presentation: home occupations in residential areas have excessive traffic, off-site employees. This does not include hobbies, home offices. 

9:51 p.m. - Article 13 passes (119-3-2), onto Article 14 (signs and outdoor lighting)

9:54 p.m. - Article 14 addresses lighting of signs. It prohibits LED and electronic signs in residential areas, prohibits LED and neon signs everywhere except for windo signs and prohibiting electronic message signs in the Center Village District.

New definitions for types of signs would be created.

10:05 p.m. - Red Sox just scored. Still in questions for Article 14. Precinct 3 was the only precinct with perfect attendance. Everything is much quieter, the visitors' section is much more vacant now. 

10:14 p.m. - Christmas lights = okay under new zoning bylaw. 

10:17 p.m. - TM Brian Latina asks if church temporary signs can be prohibited. Town Counsel says content on signs cannot be regulated under U.S. Supreme Court rulings, but time and location of signs can be regulated. Political, construction, real estate and yard sale signs do not need permit under new bylaw.

10:22 p.m. Onto debate, amendment on the floor regarding LED lights. 

10:25 p.m. - Amendment passes with hand count, majority. Joyce has another amendment. Now it's 3-2 at Fenway. 

10:30 p.m. - Town Counsel has opinion Joyce amendment is beyond what town can do. "That's what we pay him for," says Moderator. Joyce is opposed to article. 

10:35 p.m. - Joyce believes town is worst offender of sign bylaw violations, saying proposed bylaw should be like Westford's that passed at their town meeting this week.

10:37 p.m. - TM Tom Christiano withdraws his call to question, which Moderator said would occur after Brian Latina speaks. Colleen Stansfield and George Zaharoolis allowed to speak in favor.

Latina against, saying when a government is above the laws it passes, that is frightening. 

10:42 p.m. Cardinals up 4-2, Nancy Araway is last speaker. Praises Zaharoolis, but offers amendment to strike section on time limits. 

10:46 p.m. - Christiano against amendment. Amendment fails 22-97-0. Main motion moves to question.

10:49 p.m. - 96-20-1 on Article 14

10:52 p.m. - Amendment regarding bike racks. 

10:57 p.m. - Joyce opposed to amendment and original article, saying it will lead to fewer parking spaces, citing Ginger Ale Plaza specifically. Zaharoolis says reduced parking requirements need specific criteria, so it won't be a problem. 

10:58 p.m. - Article passes 104-11-0. Moderator says the Town Meeting is beyond 11 p.m. Motion to adjourn is yelled down. 

11:01 p.m. - Joyce wants to adjourn, saying article is too complex and could turn Chelmsford from a town to a city. Others say Town Meeting can be finished tonight, Stansfield says it is complex, but it has been vetted. Christiano says we should finish tonight due to World Series.

Board of Selectmen chairman Matt Hanson asks adjournment should be moved to Tuesday instead of Monday.

TM Rep Jon Kurland says presentation will take at least half an hour. Evan Belansky says it can be done in ten minutes.

11:07 p.m. - Now there's discussion on moving to Article 17. The room seems divided. Amendment to amendment to change to Tuesday, point of order saying the town has already published Town Meeting will go on a Monday/Thursday schedule. Moderator and Town Counsel say Tuesday is okay. Now they say it can't be changed.

11:07 p.m. - Correction, it can be changed to Tuesday with 2/3rd vote.

11:08 p.m. - Hand count too close, now amendment to go to Tuesday. Amendment defeated 52-55-0? 
Motion to adjourn 68-39-3. 

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Link to Warrant on Town Website

Article 18 - Citizen's Petition: Grinder Pumps - Monday to 9:27 p.m. Tabled, creation of committee which will report at spring town meeting (see above)

Article 13 - Zoning Bylaw Amendment: Home Occupations. 9:30 to 9:51 p.m. (119-3-2)

Article 14 - Zoning Bylaw Amendment: Signs and Outdoor Lighting. 9:51 p.m. to 10:49 p.m. (96-20-1)

Article 15 - Zoning Bylaw Amendment - Off Street Parking and Loading.  10:49 p.m. to 10:59