Lenox, Massachusetts residents will gather tonight at Lenox Memorial Middle High School for a special town meeting. On the warrant are some major infrastructure proposals, including a $45 million borrowing plan to carry out federally mandated upgrades to the town’s wastewater treatment plant and $20 million in improvements to the Lenox public safety building. Other items include bylaws about noise, puppy mills, and cell towers. Tonight’s special meeting begins at 7. WAMC spoke with Town Manager Chris Ketchen.
KETCHEN: We're obviously looking at major infrastructure reinvestments in the town, starting with funding a federally mandated wastewater treatment plant upgrade, and also new construction for our police, fire and EMS operations. So, their facilities that they're currently in right now are inadequate and don't meet code, and we're looking at improving the capabilities of that entire operation. We're also looking at reviewing a planning board proposal for wireless zoning for telecommunications infrastructure, and then there's a number of other open space preservation projects and a couple of local bylaws that round out the content of the warrant.
WAMC: Now the wastewater treatment plant- That's a $45 million price tag there. Break it down for us, where would that money come from? And what kind of improvements would it be looking at?
So, we'll be looking at putting in a combination of wastewater enterprise funds as well as general fund money. The proceeds for construction will be provided through a general obligation bond issue that will be paid back over a set time period. So, it's a major, long-term investment for the town. We're excited about getting it started, because it's been on the books for decades.
What kind of investments will the town be making in the public safety building if it passes at the meeting tonight? And how much would it cost? Break it down for us.
So, we're looking at about $20 million worth of worth of construction, with contingencies included on that, as well as funding to bring the buildings that the town will still own up to code for some other some other purpose.
When it comes to that big investment in the public safety building, what would the funding source be and what would the impact be on the town of Lenox?
So, we're looking at entirely general fund supported repayment of the of the general obligation bonds we'll be issuing for that project. We're looking at probably a 25-year amortization period. So, we think we've developed a plan, both in terms of utilizing our robust lodging tax revenue as well as increases in our wastewater enterprise fund money, to make that a more manageable project.
Now, when it comes to cell towers, certainly- I'm speaking to you from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where there's been a lot of robust debate in the community about the role of cell towers when it comes to zoning. What is on the docket tonight when it comes to cell towers in Lenox?
So, I'll state the obvious- Towns don't build towers, right? But we do have a zoning bylaw proposal from our planning board, who has spent hundreds of hours over a year and a half developing a zoning bylaw amendment that is intended to increase the availability of wireless coverage throughout the community while making provisions to ensure that any new infrastructure meets the community needs in terms of the suitability for location and setbacks and other things related to the character of the town that folks are concerned about.
Chris, looking over the remainder of the warrant, any other things you want to make sure folks understand about this special meeting tonight?
Well, there's a lot of small things that I think every resident should be interested in. We're looking at preserving open space and improving some of our local recreational amenities. We're looking at doing some bylaw improvements around noise and puppy mill regulation, as well as some additional infrastructure around roads. So, it's really a pretty interesting warrant for those who look forward to participating as legislators when you attend a town meeting. So, we're hoping for a good turnout and we're looking forward to seeing what the residents have to say about these important issues.
