Dudley selectmen appoint Shane DiDonato

as Police Reserve Officer;
approve community grant applications

by Janet Stoica
Patriot Correspondent

DUDLEY - After unanimously approving minutes of their last meeting on November 5, Board of Selectmen members sailed through their agenda before attending the Annual Fall Town Meeting held at Shepherd Hill Regional High School. Their high school cafeteria meeting place became quite noisy as students and parents called and spoke to one other as they passed through on their way to their own meeting held on the opposite side of the dining hall. As Ora Finn, Town Clerk, and her staff checked in Town voters who were attending the Town Meeting, the Selectmen carried on with their Town business.

As there were no public comments, public hearings, or licensing/permit grants, the Board got right down to business, granting a Center Road parking waiver to the Dudley Congregational Church’s Annual Christmas Fair to be held on Saturday, Dec. 1, from 10 am-4 pm as well as permitting the Charlton-Dudley Youth Football & Cheerleading Squad to hold a Toll Booth collection at the Webster-Dudley line (French River bridge near NAPA Auto Parts) on Saturday, 11/24, and 12/1, between 9 am-12 noon.

The board also approved a grant endorsement application presented by Police Chief Wojnar for a full-time School Resource Officer (as opposed to the current part-time officer whose hours are contingent upon Police Department scheduling). Additionally, they granted permission to the Town Administrator, with reservations per Selectman Paul Joseph, for E-permit processing enabling online permits for Building, Planning and Zoning, Fire, Board of Health, Board of Selectmen licenses, Code Enforcement, Conservation Commission, and Town Clerk Licenses, etc.  The E-permits are dependent upon additional departmental controls and are offered through the Central Mass Regional Planning Commission.

The remaining agenda item included a complete review of the Fall Town Meeting Warrant and the board’s recommendations wherein the singular item of much discussion centered on Article 20 “to see if the Town will vote to approve the joint position of Treasurer-Collector into one elected position.”  Selectman Joseph expressed his opinion that the position should be an appointed post in order that the Treasurer-Collector be reportable to the board.  Other members were not in agreement and the board was not unanimous in its acceptance of the article as written. Adjournment was made in order to move into the high school auditorium for the Fall Town Meeting.