The September 27 Select Board Meeting began at 7:03 PM. Select Board members Rita Pierce and Emile Mazur were ready to carry forth with the agenda. Prospective Select Board candidates Chad Wagenknecht and John D’Alesandro were in attendance.

Mr. Mazur read a letter from George Witek commending Ray LaBonte and his crew for the work they did on culverts. Mr. Witek writes ‘the culverts look like a ‘first-class job. Mr. Mazur said the Select Board often receives letters from residents commending Mr. LaBonte and the road crew for the outstanding job they do to keep the town roads in good shape.

The Select Board in looking into changing the days of the Transfer Station. Mr. Zavattaro has received requests to keep the current schedule as long as possible. Mr. LaBonte suggested that for the winter months maybe the hours should be changed and keep the Transfer Station open longer on Saturdays. Do we really need two days? Wouldn’t longer hours on Saturday be more convenient? Wouldn’t the town save money?

Mr. Wagenknecht, at the request of the Select Board, looked into lighting for the Transfer Station. The choice is between a standard light and a floodlight. After a brief discussion, the decision was to go with a floodlight. There would be more area coverage for the Transfer Station.

Mr. Wagenknecht reported to the Select Board he had contacted WMECO to do an energy audit on the Fire House. WMECO will provide suggestions on what should be done to improve efficiency. This service is free to the community.

The Savoy Karary Kats applied for a permit for a lottery cash calendar to sell lottery tickets. This one-time request was approved for September 27, 2005 to December 31, 2005.

The discussion on Discontinuance of Maintenance of Roads is ongoing. Mr. LaBonte said the roads need to be marked from the point where the roads will not be maintained during the winter to the end of the road.

Mr. Mazur said he had tried to get help from the community, but to date no one has been willing to assist with this task. Mr. LaBonte explained that Discontinuance of Maintenance of Roads is different from Discontinued Roads. Discontinued Roads have to go before the town for approval. The road then reverts to the landowners on those roads.

The question of posting the roads was raised. Mr. LaBonte said a sign, which cost $150, had been posted at the intersection of Adams and Center Road. Vandals have removed the sign. Mr. LaBonte said to continue spending money to post signs would not alleviate the problem. As soon as they are put in the ground, they get lifted. The Town needs to find some means to notify the public and community that certain roads are not maintained by the Highway Department during the winter months. People either do not abide by sign postings or the signs do not remain to warn people to stay off the roads. There have been occasions when people traveling these roads get stuck and need assistance to get out. Mr. LaBonte said tow truck operators would not come to Savoy to assist stuck vehicles on these roads. People then call the Highway Department to get then out of their rut. If tow truck operators will not go down these roads in the winter, the Highway Department should not have to endanger either the road crew or town trucks to try to get people’s vehicles out. The issue is still under review as to the best course of action so the town is not liable for individual’s folly.

The Tax Classification Hearing was easy to resolve. The Town will remain ‘residential’. The tax rate has been lowered from $13.19 to $13.06 as a result of new growth and a tight budget. By Brenda Smith