Current Issues and Thoughts
August 12, 2006

The next selectmen’s meeting is Monday, August 14, 2006, at 5:30pm. The next planning board meeting is Tuesday, August 15, 2006, at 6:30pm. The selectmen’s agenda is available by clicking the link to the left, and the planning board agenda is available on the town website.

This is another selectmen’s meeting with a light agenda. On Monday I will put up a post on the blog with some additional items, not on the agenda, that we can hopefully cover at least briefly at some point during the meeting. Here are some items of interest from the agenda:

1. At 5:30pm we will discuss the PEG Access program (the local cable TV public channel). This will include the budget as well as ways in which the program could be made more effective. I am looking for some fairly fundamental changes to the program in order to make it more useful and cost effective.
   
   
2. At 6:00pm there will be a presentation from DO-IT (Milford’s downtown improvements committee) regarding the large federal grants for the South Street project. This will be a chance to hear about this important new downtown initiative and DO-IT’s proposed role as coordinator. DO-IT will also introduce Karin Lagro, the new executive director.
   
   
3. We will review the Traffic Safety Committee’s recommendations for the intersection of Nashua Street and Tonella Road.
   
   
4. Lee Mayhew (interim town administrator) will present an update of his work on the Badger Hill situation. Almost two months ago, more than 60 Badger Hill residents signed a letter to the town requesting that something be done to study and address the unsafe condition of the Badger Hill roads (a long network of dead-end roads with a single access). Lee Mayhew had agreed several weeks ago to get all the parties together, get input from legal counsel, safety officers and others, and discuss potential solutions. Lee will report on progress. My view is that a second access road into the development was contemplated from the start of the project, is necessary for safety purposes and should be completed before any additional development occurs.
   
   
5. Our information packet includes a memo from the Assessing Department with an update on revaluations. The memo does not address the concerns I have heard from taxpayers, including (1) why the responses to taxpayers with the results of the “informal hearings” took up to two months to get out, versus the 3 weeks promised, and (2) why there was no response to the specific points raised by taxpayers.