Oxford selectmen tackle public access TV upgrades;

yard sale permit violations to be closely monitored

By Janet Stoica
Patriot Correspondent

Oxford – Selectmen began their June 19th meeting with a moment of silence in honor of three Oxford residents who recently passed away: Winifred R. Rogers, who had been a social worker and Oxford police officer; Paul Graves, who had served as an Oxford volunteer fireman and been on many town committees; and Lawrence Johnson, Sr., who was a former member of the Oxford Fire Department, retiring as a lieutenant.

A public hearing was held regarding a special permit to keep 10 hens that would be used for eggs for private use and to board up to 18 rabbits by Monica and Marion Royston of Huguenot Road. After hearing from the Town’s Animal Control Officer, who had inspected the kennels and found no deficiencies, as well as two abutters who had questions about noise (none), odor regulation (under control), and whether roosters would be part of the mix (none), the selectmen were satisfied that proper guidelines would be met and allowed the Special Permit for Animals.

Next, Mr. Kenneth Ng, new owner/manager of Happy Garden Restaurant  came before the board seeking transfer of an all-alcohol pouring liquor license as well as a common victualer’s license. Selectman Henry LaMountain addressed Mr. Ng, stating that the town had not had any pouring violations from the establishment and hoped that Mr. Ng would continue the practice as he did not foresee any reason not to grant the transfer. The Board members voted in favor of the all-alcohol transfer and also voted to transfer the victualer’s license contingent upon approval of the Board of Health.

The item taking up much of the remaining meeting centered on the town’s cable access channels for public, educational, and government (PEG) broadcasts. (Selectman LaMountain recused himself from all discussion on this subject). The public channel is controlled by the non-profit Access Oxford group, the educational channel by the school superintendent’s office, and the government channel by the town manager’s office. Issues at the forefront were the antiquated recording equipment used for selectmen meetings (video-cassette format), meeting monitoring/broadcasting cameras, and inferior quality of broadcasts.  Additionally, selectmen frequently receive negative public comments about the poor video/sound quality and the town manager’s job performance review is also based on his ability to remedy all broadcast/equipment issues in a timely manner.

Town Manager Joseph Zeneski noted that 3-1/2% of each Charter Cable customer’s monthly bill goes to pay for public access programming for a 2011 total dollar amount of $140,000. Dan Scotti, president of the board of directors of Access Oxford, addressed the board to present Access Oxford’s views on solutions. Mr. Scotti displayed the new broadcast/video cameras that will be used for future selectmen meetings. Selectmen Michael Voas and Dennis Lamarche, as well as chairman John Saad, then discussed the necessity of the board, town manager, and Access Oxford communicating more effectively to "get it done.” Access Oxford’s broadcast team was praised liberally for its dedication, countless hours of public video, and willingness to improve broadcasts. Selectmen ended the discussion with a commitment to bringing all concerns to a satisfactory conclusion for all parties.

Town manager Mr. Zeneski gave his customary report, which included re-appointment requests for Terrence Cummings as Second Delegate and Thomas Sullivan as Alternate for the Central MA Regional Planning Commission until 6/30/13. Selectmen approved both.

The board also received a resignation letter from Police Officer Michael Vigeant effective 6/7/12 and allowed Chairman Saad to sign the termination notice, to be forwarded to Civil Service.

Additionally, the board allowed a state license for Keno-to-go for Chucky’s of 484 Main Street; allowed Grace Flynn to use the Town Seal for Tercentennial Projects; voted to declare surplus materials of old office equipment; approved a General Entertainment Permit for booths on the Town Common for the Town’s Tercentennial Celebration; allowed a banner suspension at Joslin Park for the Town Celebration; and gave permission to the Oxford High Class of 2013 to open the latest time capsule. (Selectmen Voas abstained from voting on any matters concerning the Tercentennial.)

Selectman Lamarche concluded the meeting by advising the board of citizen concerns regarding weekly Yard Sale Permits and how it appeared that some permittees may not be adhering to the town guidelines for the allowed time frames of such events. Traffic congestion and zoning violations appeared to be potential problems and it was suggested that the situation would be brought to the attention of the Oxford Police Dept to review permit verifications.

Selectmen in attendance were: Chairman John Saad, Dennis Lamarche, Michael Voas, and Henry LaMountain. Jennie Caissie was absent. Also in attendance were Karen Crandell, Selectmen’s Clerk; and Joseph Zeneski, Town Manager.