HOLDEN — “Keenly aware Main Street is having problems with detours and delays,” Town Manager Peter Lukes told selectmen April 1 that he encouraged residents to let the town know when there are issues.
“Main Street is a state road. When there is a pothole, we encourage you to report it,” Lukes said. “We report it to (the state Department of Transportation). We’re not the responding entity, unfortunately,” so the town cannot fix road issues.
“We are expecting full resurfacing within the next month or so, which is why so much underground work is being done,” he added.
Lukes said most if not all of the work on the road will be done at night, although an exact timeline was not yet available. Work would resurface the road from Shrewsbury Street down Main Street to the center of town.
Selectmen Chair Stephanie Mulroy noted that the bridge by Val’s was also a concern.
“That’s another state project outside our hands,” Lukes said, adding that that project is “more than a few years out.”
Lukes also said the process of getting playing fields ready for athletic teams has been an issue due to weather. Using the fields when they are water-logged and muddy damages them, and it takes time for them to recoup.
“It’s not a Holden thing,” he said, but one facing the region, as weather drives all towns’ field use.
Lukes updated the board on the MBTA Communities conflict with the state. The conflict is also progressing through another community, Milton, which filed a response.
He said it is likely to be before the State Judicial Court later this year. Holden was the first to challenge the legitimacy of the regulations.
“I think Milton and the Attorney General’s office will settle it for us,” Lukes said.
Appointment
Board members indicated April 1 that they wanted a resident who did not win appointment as an election worker to come back and volunteer again.
Selectman Anthony Renzoni said he could not find any indication election worker appointees come in to meet with the board.
Questions at the board’s March 18 meeting led to a 2 to 2 deadlock on the appointment, with Stephanie Mulroy not in attendance.
The tie vote meant Nadia Kaminki was not appointed, although her appointment had been submitted by the town clerk through the usual process.
Board members Thomas Curran and Geri Herlihy had voted against the appointment, seeking to have Kaminski attend the board meeting to answer questions any members might have.
However, at the April 1 meeting, Herlihy said, “I’m happy to support anything that comes from the town clerk. I don’t need anyone to come in.”
Curran said that he had wanted her to come before the committee “because other appointees usually come to the committee.” But he added that “I’m fine supporting her if she wants to come back.” He said it was not the case that he wanted to inject national politics into the local process.
“It’s something we’ve never insisted on before,” Renzoni said about the request for the appointee to come before the board. “I want her to come in to apologize to her,” noting that “she failed to get appointment by a tie vote.”
“What happened at the last meeting was an embarrassment,” Mulroy said. “I would like to invite Mrs. Kaminski here if only to apologize to her.”
Mulroy addressed her fellow board members, saying “I believe both of you that it wasn’t ill-intended. I hope in the future we can have a little more transparency in how we do things and be consistent.”
