WHATELY – The warrant for a Special Town Meeting was discussed and voted on by the Selectboard in a mid-day meeting on Oct. 19. Seven articles will be decided by voters on Nov. 6 at 1 p.m.

Article 1 asks residents to appropriate and transfer the sum of $6,500 from the Community Preservation Fund – Unreserved Balance for the expansion of the existing ice rink, installation of a smaller rink, and for lighting for both rinks.

“This is out of the CPA (Community Preservation Act) funds,” Town Coordinator Brian Domina said. Discussion was limited when he and the Selectboard agreed to vote on the warrant as a whole, at the end.

Article 2 asks voters to transfer the sum of $4,509 from available funds to the Public Hearing Revolving Fund, to pay for unreimbursed expenses to that account.

“The fees requested by the land use boards, the Planning Board and Zoning Board, were covering the advertising costs. Whenever there was a legal notice in the paper, it wasn’t covering these costs, that have built up over time,” Domina said. “We’ve addressed this by asking the ZBA and Planning Board to adopt a requirement that all advertising costs be paid for by the applicant.”

Article 3 asks Whately voters to appropriate the sum of $107,911 from available funds, for the purpose of making certain accessibility improvements at Herlihy Park, including paving and striping the parking lots, and bathroom updates.

“Herlihy Park is dedicated to recreational uses,” Domina said. “Again, the idea here is to show the whole project cost. The local grant is for $45,000 and the (state) grant will pay the other 65,000.”

“Again the idea here is that ... we have the total project costs authorized and available,” Domina said. “The local cost is around $45,000. The grant will reimburse us the other $65,000.” Domina said the request for reimbursement will be tendered to the Community Preservation Committee in the next round of funding; he then lauded the arrangement. “At the end of the day, it’s a pretty good deal.”

Article 4 will request voters transfer the sum of $7,500 from available funds to pay for engineering and design costs for sidewalks on Chestnut Plain Road and at the elementary school, as well as other safety improvements to the roads.

The town received a $165,000 Complete Streets grant to finish the sidewalks along Chestnut Plain Road and to extent the sidewalk at the elementary school  and traffic calming measures at Williamsburg Road and Conway Road. The one cost the grant doesn’t cover is engineering costs, Domina said, making the warrant article necessary. “We have more than sufficient funds in Free Cash,” he said.

“People have seen a lot of work done on Chestnut Plain Road and the questions will come up,” Selectboard Chair Jonathan Edwards said, referring to the location of the work.

Fred Orloski clarified that the work will create a sidewalk on the east side of the road “to match what was done last year on the west side.”

Article 5 will request voters repurpose $9,618.75 of unexpended funds appropriated five years ago for the pumping station off Chestnut Plain Road, including the marriage of the water supplies of the Town’s Water District and Water Department.

“This amount of funds left ... originally appropriated just for the design of the two systems,” Domina said, “this just expands the eligibility for construction, if they would need those funds. It’s not an expansion of any new money.”

Domina previewed Article 6 as another repurposing of unspent funds. Article six will ask Whately voters to repurpose $4,700 of unspent funds appropriated at the 2014 Annual Town Meeting to make improvements on the athletic fields at Herlihy Park.

“The town appropriated $5,000 for a dugout foundation that never came to fruition,” Domina said, “because it was discovered to be too close to the property boundary.”

“Too close is being kind,” said Edwards.

Other minor improvements to the baseball diamond will also be carried out with the funds from Article 6.

Article 7, Domina said, “will focus on cleaning up zoning issues.”

Article 7 will ask voters to amend the zoning bylaws and zoning map to rezone a parcel of land near Route 91 from agricultural/residential to commercial, to promote additional uses of the property. The assessors maps identify the parcel as #12-0-24-2 on State Road.

“My understanding is this parcel was supposed to be rezoned at the Annual Town Meeting, but was left off the Town Meeting warrant,” Domina explained

“What is the parcel?” Orloski asked. “Where is it?”

“It’s where the exit ramp is, where Route 5 crosses Interstate 91,” Fred Sluter, chair of the Planning Board, said. “Just a little tip in there, across from LaSalle’s.”

“On the east side?” asked Edwards.

Sluter said, “Yes, just beyond the new house, built there two years ago.”

Sluter also appealed to the Selectboard to add several tasks to Article 7, housekeeping issues, including a change from aerial images to quad sheets.

“Is there a time constraint on this?” Domina asked.

“I would say we put it off to the next meeting if we don’t have all our t’s crossed and i's dotted," said Orloski.

The Selectboard voted 3-0 to approve the warrant without the additions Sluter requested.

The Special Town Meeting on Nov. 6 will take place at 1 p.m. at the town’s offices. Domina voiced the hope that the meeting will be staged outdoors, he said, “If it’s nice.”