Published in the May 2, 2018 edition.
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The King Rail Reserve Golf Course lives another day.
In a surprising turn of events, Partridge Lane resident Harry LeCours made a motion seeking to amend Article 14, which pertains to the Golf Enterprise Fund. The motion sought to close King Rail on June 30.
LeCours argued King Rail should be closed and walking trails and a dog park should be opened at the site. He said National Development donated the golf course to the town as part of the MarketStreet Lynnfield development agreement.
“The King Rail Golf Course has a number of shortfalls,” said LeCours.
In addition to having an unpaved road, LeCours said King Rail’s parking is “woefully inadequate.” He said there is no practice putting green, no food service and said the “sanitary toilet facilities are extremely limited.”
LeCours noted King Rail doesn’t have a clubhouse and maintenance building. He claimed “the labor costs at King Rail are very excessive.”
“There needs to be a lot more managerial oversight in respect to how dollars are spent for labor in this town, particularly with the golf courses,” said LeCours.
In closing, LeCours said the town should no longer “continue to subsidize an unprofitable golf course.”
“There are more critical funding needs in our schools, roads and parks,” said LeCours.
Harvey Park resident Judy Berson said guests staying at the Four Points at Sheraton often use King Rail.
Lynnfield Golf Director Don Lyons said the town takes in between $900,000 to $975,000 annually for the golf courses it owns (Reedy Meadow off Summer Street is the other). He noted fiscal year 2017 was the first year King Rail was open since the road was finished.
“The actual income at King Rail is higher than Reedy Meadow,” said Lyons. “There are two specifically different golf courses that cater to different clients. The people who like the old Colonial think the golf course in the center is too easy and vice versa. We do a lot of kid programs at King Rail.”
While Lyons said “the parking lot is rough,” he said the golf course has “sufficient parking.” He said the golf course recently upgraded its trailer, which he said would be well received by women.
“We definitely hold our own in the area,” said Lyons. “Could the amenities be a little bit better? Certainly. But I don’t think it’s as tragic as Harry is saying. The customer base up there is good. I think the place holds its own. I would hate to see it go away.”
Sanjay Aurora, 8 Jordan Rd., said he enjoys both of the town’s golf courses. “I think they add a lot to the town,” he said.
Town Administrator Rob Dolan noted local officials decided to increase the fees for the golf courses recently.
“We are hoping that brings in between $45,000 and $50,000,” said Dolan. “We are also going to look at staffing as it pertains to year-round employees and seasonable help. I am looking forward to working with Mr. Lyons to tighten up the business plans.”
Finance Committee member Kevin Sullivan noted the town still had to maintain King Rail while it was closed.
After the discussion, Town Meeting voted to reject LeCours’ motion on a voice vote. Subsequently, Town Meeting voted to allocate $950,000 to the Golf Enterprise Fund by approving Article 14 by a 277-35 vote.
Budgets OK’d
Town Meeting approved Article 8, which allocated $54,808,362 for the fiscal year 2019 operating budget.
While Dolan proposed a $54,778,36 operating budget for FY’19, Town Meeting voted to allocate an additional $30,000 to the School Department’s budget in order to restore a nurse’s aide and a Lynnfield High School media center aide position to the budget. The positions were cut from the budget because of the town’s funding constraints in FY’19.
In response to a question from Durham Drive resident Ellen Crawford, Superintendent Jane Tremblay said the two positions as well as a middle school media center aide and a LHS Guidance Department aide were cut from the budget “simply because we had to hit a bottom line with our budget.”
“We had to make some really difficult choices this year,” said Tremblay.
Crawford said the nurse’s aide position is critically needed in order to help address substance abuse and other issues students are facing.
Main Street resident Frances Fleming, who works as the LHS media center aide, said eliminating the nurse’s aide and LHS media center aide positions would have a negative impact on school nurses and the media center. She said the two departments would be stretched very thin due to the reduction in staffing.
Chris Lambe, 22 Westover Dr., made a motion to reinstate the two positions back into the School Department’s budget. Town Meeting supported the amended school budget for FY’19 by a 191-134 vote.
Tremblay said both positions will be reinstated in FY’19.
Daventry Court resident Katy Shea made a motion seeking to increase the Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) line item from $200,000 to $300,000. She argued the town needs to do more to meet its OPEB obligations.
Town Administrator Rob Dolan said he understood Shea’s argument, but said, “The concern I have is the draining of our Free Cash.”
“We are at a point where I am concerned about our level of Free Cash,” said Dolan. “We are investing in OPEB, but we are also making sure we fund all of our community needs.”
Town Meeting voted to reject Shea’s amendment by an 244-81 vote.
Town Meeting approved the town’s capital budget, totaling $1,793,731, after passing Article 8.
Selectman Chris Barrett noted the revised capital budget for FY’19 added $3,000 to the library capital budget in order to replace damaged books. He said $37,000 was added to the DPW capital budget in order to make repairs to the library. The additional $40,000 was added to the FY’19 capital budget in the wake of a recent septic problem at the library that was caused by a person clogging a toilet.
Additional articles
In addition to thwarting the closure of the King Rail Golf Course and approving the two spending plans for the upcoming fiscal year, Town Meeting approved the following warrant articles:
Town Meeting approved the annual Town Report under Article 1. Article 2 was approved, which designated Robert MacKendrick, Jon Procurot and Betty Adelson as field drivers; David Crockett as pound keeper; and MacKendrick and Kenneth Burnham as wood measurers.
Article 3 was approved by Town Meeting, which set the pay rate for members of the Board of Selectmen and Board of Assessors. Selectmen Chairman Dick Dalton noted the pay for selectmen chairman is $850, while the other selectmen will each receive $700. The Board of Assessors pay rate for the chairman is $4,100, while the other two assessors will each receive $3,550.
Town Meeting approved Article 4, which allocated $56,049.24 from Free Cash in order to balance the FY’18 budget. Article 5 was also approved, which allocated $36,972.91 in order to pay overdue bills from a prior fiscal year.
Article 6 was approved by Town Meeting, which will allocate $2,486.09 to a dispatcher in order to resolve a contract issue regarding the application of EMT stipends to overtime wages.
Town Meeting appropriated $200,000 to the Stabilization Fund after signing off on Article 9. The approval of Article 10 will appropriate $200,000 to the Capital Facilities Stabilization Fund.
Voters approved a new General Bylaw called Chapter 10 under Article 11, which will set the maximum expenditures for revolving funds during future Town Meetings. Town Meeting approved Article 12, which set the maximum expenditures for revolving funds for FY’19. Article 13 was also passed, which will appropriate $758,857 to the EMS Enterprise Fund budget.
Town Meeting voted to indefinitely postpone Article 15, which sought to allocate $8,630 in order to pay for architect fees for the proposed King Rail Golf Reserve clubhouse project. The selectmen decided to pay the funds owed to the architect from Article 4.
Similar to the April 2017 Town Meeting, voters approved a ban on recreational marijuana dispensaries by passing Article 15. Town Meeting also approved Article 16, which would implement a temporary moratorium in the event the Attorney General’s Office rejects the permanent pot shop ban.
Planning Board Chairman Brian Charville noted the pot shop ban and moratorium were not included in the recodified Zoning Bylaw approved by Town Meeting last October.
Town Meeting voted to refer Article 18, which sought to approve a new zoning map, back to the Planning Board for further study. Charville said the Planning Board is working with a consultant to update the zoning map, and hopes to bring the updated map to October Town Meeting.
Atty. Jay Kimball, who submitted Article 23, requested that the article pertaining to the proposed Wills Brook Village development be referred to the Planning Board for further study.