Selectmen appoint Goodrow

By Dan Cooper

Staff Intern

EAST LONGMEADOW The Board of Selectmen appointed a new member to the Community Preservation Committee and approved a license transfer at their meeting Feb. 27.

The board appointed Mary Ellen Goodrow, a teacher at Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham, to the committee. "I do not have previous experience with preservation, so it would be a learning experience for me," she told the board during her interview.

"I feel I'd be good for the position because I like being with people and I'm a good listener," Goodrow said. "I had a good experience growing up in this town. I know what community means."

Board of Selectmen Chairman James Driscoll and member Joe Townshend both agreed Goodrow was a qualified candidate.

The board also approved a Class II Used Car Dealer's license transfer from George Crosier, owner/president of Crosier Motor Sales Inc., to James Motors Incorporated.

"The existing lot has been there for 48 years," Larry Levine, attorney for James Motors, said. "We met with the Planning Board and got approval for a special permit. The size will remain the same but we're going to make the dealership more modern and clean it up," Levine said.

The Selectmen also held their monthly meetings with Fire Chief P. Robert Wallace and Police Chief Doug Mellis.

Mellis brought a gift of $500 before the board for approval. The gift was a donation from the Wu family in memory of their father. Mellis also updated the board on the recent incident at the Meadows.

Mellis said he has not received confirmation that all of the Meadows' bartenders are certified and trained.

The discussion on the Meadows' food service license, up for renewal, was tabled.

"We will not discuss their license renewal until we have concrete evidence that their bartenders are being trained and certified," Driscoll said.

Wallace requested a re-instatement of Thomas McGowan as a call firefighter to replace one approved for a leave of absence. The board approved the request.

Wallace also updated the board on the fire station maintenance project. "The station is done. The hallway just needs to be stripped."

The board then accepted the resignation of Judy Croci, chairwoman of the East Longmeadow Cable Access Television Committee. Croci resigned due to her commitment as a full-time teacher at Birchland Park Middle School and her family.

The board also agreed to post a position for a new director for the Council on Aging to replace Rosalind Clark, who has recently passed away. The board held a moment of silence in her memory at the start of the meeting. The position will be posted until March 14.

The board also agreed to hold interviews for the open positions on the town's Information Technology (IT) department on March 5. "We have seven candidates for the Network Administrator position and 14 for the IT director's position," Driscoll said. "We will narrow the field down and interview the top candidates for each position."

The next Board of Selectmen meeting will be March 27 at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall Hearing Room.