Annual Report Westhampton Massachusetts 1991 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TOWN OFFICERS TOWN OF WESTHAMPTON FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1991 JEANNE BRIDGMAN This year's annual report is dedicated to a special Westhampton Couple, Jeanne and David Bridgman. They both retired in April from their elected positions. David was a Selectmen for 21 years, serving as chairman many times. Jeanne was the Town Clerk tor 25 years, serving in numerous capacities relating to that position. For three decades, the Bridgmans have served the townspeople in multiple positions. David served on the Recreation Committee for fifteen years, Finance Committee tor fourteen years. Board of Health for nine years, and as a Hampshire County Commissioner tor twelve years, an elected position that he still holds. In addition, he served as Fire Chief for nineteen years. Jeanne was an auditor for five years, a 4-H leader tor eight years, and Chairwoman of the House numbers Committee tor one year. DAVID BRIDGMAN At a testimonial dinner held at the Hotel Northampton in May, nearly 200 residents, area politicians, friends and family gathered to honor this special couple. They received many citations, plaques and gifts. It was a night flavored with humor and deep sentiment. Former State Senator and current U. S. Congressman John Olver, who has worked closely with the Bridgmans over the years, was one of several politicians to attend. He said, "Every little town has a couple that gives extraordinary service. The kind of work that Jeanne and David represent is a rare find." On behalf of everyone in Westhampton, we extend our gratitude and best wishes to David and Jeanne Bridgman for their unselfish devotion to our town. . TABLE OE CONTENTS Report of the Board of Selectmen. 1 Report of the Hampshire County Commissioners. 5 Report of the Town Treasurer. 9 Report of the Tax Collector.10 Report of the Town Accounting Officer.14 Balance Sheet.33 Report of the Town Clerk.35 Report of the Board of Assessors.39 Report of the Board of Appeals.40 Report of the Planning Board.41 Report of the Finance Committee.42 Report of the Animal Inspector.43 Report of the Board of Health.44 Report of the Hi 11 town Resource Mgt. Coop.45 Report of the Cemetery Caretaker.49 Report of the Council on Aging.50 Report of the Conservation Commission.51 Report of the Police Department.52 Report of the Fire Department.54 Report of the Highway Department.55 Report of the Sanitation Ispector.57 Report of the Building Inspector.58 Report of the Electrical Inspector.58 Report of the Plumbing Inspector.59 Report of the Arts Lottery Council.59 Report of the Recreation Commission.60 Report of the Civil Defense Director.61 Report of the Historical Commission.62 Report of the Westhampton Memorial Library.63 Report of the Library Treasurer.65 Report of the Westhampton School Committee.68 Report of the Superintendent of Schools.70 Westhampton School Financial Statement.73 Report of the Hampshire Regional School Committee...75 Hampshire Regional School District Reports.76 Salaries.85 Proposed Budget Fiscal 1993.86 Articles on the Warrant.88 < h i ' 9lf REFORT OE THE HOARD OE SELECTMEN 1991 has proved to be a challenging year for our town. Durinq the year your Boards and Committees have worked exceptionally hard to maintain town services to the level of your expectations. This has been very demanding and, at times, very frustrating, but in the face of adversity our town has survived the grueling pace. Please accept the Board of Selectmen's gracious thanks for a job more than well done! Our new Elementary School has had a successful start and we continue to give thanks to the School building Committee for their ongoing dedication to working out the finishing details. Last January, the town contracted with a new law firm, Kopelman and Paige. The attorneys are quite knowledgeable in municipal law issues and have assisted us tremendously already. Unfortunately, there have been many leqal issues this year involving the land taking for the new school and Board of Health issues resultinq in a dramatic increase in expenditure for this account. As of the date of this writinq, these cases are still in executive session pending resolution. January also brought resignations from Dave Goddard as Chair of Finance, Dan Pascone from the Finance Committee, and Jennifer Geary as Town Hall custodian. We reluctantly accepted ail. The current Chairman of the Finance Committee is Owen Bowman with Laurie Norris as a new member 1 of Finance. Our new custodian is Virginia Inman. The Board appointed Jim Tunstall to fill a vacancy on the Planning Board and later accepted Fran Loud's resignation from that Board. The Board of Selectmen would like to remind townspeople that it was January of 1991 when we started working with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for authorization to use the HRHS water supply for town buildings. We deeply regret the inconvenience brought to the Westhampton Water Co. for our inability to get "timely" action by this state agency. We would also like to extend our gratitude for the many extensions granted to the town as we struggled with the problem. Now, one year later, we are awaiting final approval by DEP and expect construction of the system by spring. In February 1991, the Board of Selectmen learned that Dave and Jeanne Bridgman would not seek re-election for Selectmen and Town Clerk respectively. We continue to miss their expertise and even- handedness in town government. Once again our town supported females in government and elected Diane Kwolek as Selectman. For the second time in Westhampton's history, two women serve on the Board concurrently. The Board reorganized with Lorraine Tunstall as Chair, Diane Kwolek as Clerk, and William McCloud as third member. This year the Board of Selectmen has concentrated on improving communications between Boards and departments. We established monthly "All Boards Meetings" 2