At tense meeting of selectmen, fingers are pointed and pointed back

SHARON — At a meeting of the Board of Selectmen Sept. 13, there was extensive, and at times heated, discussion among the selectmen concerning the King Hill Road drainage project that was completed last year.

First Selectman Bob Loucks accused contractor and Sharon resident Florien Palmer of double billing the town for work he had done. Selectmen John Mathews and Meg Szalewicz did not support the first selectman’s accusation.

Loucks also said Palmer has not yet been paid any money by the town for this project.

According to Loucks, Palmer presented drawings for the work on June 1, 2010. A week later, on June 8, a contract was signed between Palmer and Sharon Hospital.

In that contract, which was read to the meeting by Szalewicz, the hospital agreed to pay Palmer $40,000 to dig a trench, install bedding material and supply 36-inch piping. Required backfilling would be done by “others.”

According to Mathews and Szalewicz, the contract between Palmer and Sharon Hospital does not say anything about the hospital also paying for the drainage inlet and outlet that were part of the project drawings.

Loucks’ position was that the inlet and outlet were on the original drawing and, as such, were part of the “work.” The other two selectmen agreed the intake and outlet are shown on the drawings but restated they are not mentioned or referenced in  in the contract between  Palmer and the hospital.

Loucks then said that Szalewicz should recuse herself from the discussion. She refused. Loucks said Palmer had done work on Szalewicz’s property in 2006 that she had not paid for until this project came up.

 Szalewicz’s reply was, “Bob, it’s really sad we have to stoop to this level, because you are very vindictive and you have decided that Florien should not be paid for this. You are going in the back door and trying to find ways to remove me from the issue. I am just trying to do my job.

“At this moment I have not made up my mind, so I am open to all this information. What you suggested was that I should recuse myself because I owed Florien Palmer for excavation and work he did on my property in 2006. Then we had a leak on our drain last winter and that bill has been satisfied.

“I can come to the table and the town of Sharon and say I am voting my conscience based on the facts that are put in front of me and that I owe no one anything. I am not influenced in any way.”

Town truck at Town Hall

Sharon resident William Kelsey commented on a number of issues, stating as he had at previous meetings of the board, that it is not right for Loucks to take a town-owned truck home at night. Kelsey said he believes the truck should be made available to all town employees.

After discussion, a motion was passed that the town truck Loucks drives should be parked at Town Hall at night. Sharon resident Paul Rooney said that was a bad idea, due to potential vandalism. The Town Hall parking lot is not secured, he said, noting that Sharon does not have its own police force.

Other business

• The selectmen accepted the resignation of Historic District Commission member Rosemary Vietor. They also approved the appointment of Mary Robertson as a Board of Finance representative to the Long-range Planning Committee.

• Also approved at the meeting was allowing the use of the Green for a blessing of animals on Oct. 2 and use of the town Hall by the Millbrook Garden Club on Oct. 17.

• Discussion on seeking temporary eminent domain for the Mitchelltown Road bridge repair project was tabled until the town attorney reports back on continued attempts to negotiate with the landowner.

• Loucks said the town will not get free solar energy panels for three locations in the town this year.

They had been scheduled for installation in November 2011. The deadline for applications had been Oct. 1 but supplier DCS Energy moved the date up to Sept. 1. Sharon and other towns in the region missed the deadline.