MONSON — The Monson Select Board discussed whether the town should continue to waive the rental fee for Memorial Hall at its June 25 meeting following concern from residents and the Memorial Hall Committee over the board’s decision to waive the fee previously.
This discussion occurred due to the Select Board’s vote to waive the rental fee for the Monson Memorial Classic Road Race during its June 11 meeting. At this vote, the board stated that the fee had been waived for this purpose in the past. The June 25 discussion was initiated after the chair of the Memorial Hall Committee informed the Select Board that the committee was “surprised” the board had waived the fee and “didn’t want us to waive them in the future,” member Patricia Oney said.
At the June 25 meeting, the board members each expressed that they were in favor of not waiving this fee in the future in order to help ensure that the costs of maintaining Memorial Hall were covered as well as that funds could be raised to improve the building.
While the board did not take an official vote, members agreed that the discussion of the Memorial Hall fee and the town’s policy around its use should be revisited in a later meeting. The board reaffirmed that its prior decision to waive the fee for the Monson Memorial Classic Road Race would not be altered.
During this meeting, the Select Board also voted to reorganize. With this change, John Morrell was voted in as chair, Peter Warren as vice chair and Oney as clerk. Morrell thanked Oney for her work as chair over the previous two years and congratulated her on her recent reelection to the board.
Prior to the board’s reorganization, Oney shared multiple updates with residents concerning ongoing concerns and projects within the town. During this discussion, she stated that the Select Board is taking over as the temporary Board of Health, as the board lost its members on June 30. This occurred because of resignations and term expirations, Oney said.
She highlighted that the temporary change was required by law and that, since the town’s inspections and issuing permits are run by a regional organization, they would not be impacted by this change.
During her updates, Oney also noted that the Select Board would be attending the Planning Board’s meeting on the Housing Production Plan in order to learn the board’s concerns about the plan. The Select Board will then place the Housing Production Plan on its own agenda for review, she said.
This joint meeting is scheduled for July 16 at 7 p.m. at 110 Main St., as stated on the town website.
