CONWAY — About 90 Conway residents swiftly approved the purchase of a new fire truck, Highway Department vehicles and several bylaw changes during Annual Town Meeting on Saturday morning.
Article 24 on the Town Meeting warrant sparked the most discussion as voters raised questions and concerns over the proposed new definition for “dwelling units” that excludes recreational vehicles, tents and yurts.
The definition includes the requirement that a dwelling unit be “permanently affixed to a foundation in the ground.” Planning Board member Jeff Lacy told attendees that he and other board members settled on this stipulation to prevent dwelling units from “flying around.” Conway experienced a Category 1 tornado in 2017.
“We have to make sure that we in Conway recognize that building something into a foundation is incredibly expensive,” resident Mary Clayton-Jones commented. “I hear that we don’t want things flying round, but to this point, there are different ways to do this engineering-wise.”
Resident Nelson Shifflett proposed an amendment striking this sentence of the new definition, claiming that the Massachusetts State Building Code already requires permanent buildings to be attached to the ground.
The amendment failed, with 31 voters in favor, 44 against and five abstaining.
Other residents suggested changes concerning the definition of a foundation, such as adding the options of a slab and piers.
Public Buildings Committee member Peter Jeswald also proposed switching the term “in the ground” to “as defined in Massachusetts Building Code,” leading to applause from the crowd. However, he mentioned the amendment after a voter asked to call the question, preventing residents from voting the revision into effect.
“This is starting to go from a mudhole to a quagmire,” said Moderator Jimmy Recore.
Voters finally passed the original article with 46 residents in favor, 30 against and two abstaining.
New vehicles on the horizon
Without any discussion, voters approved using $150,000 from the Fire Truck Stabilization Fund to replace a fire truck that is nearing the end of its 30-year life expectancy. Of those in attendance, 83 voters supported the purchase, with one against and one abstaining.
The $150,000 will cover the difference between the $850,000 price tag and a $700,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture earmark.
With 85 in favor, four against and one abstention, residents also approved the purchase of a new dump truck for the Highway Department using $100,000 of free cash. According to Selectboard member Chris Waldo, electrical issues, rust, a leaking oil pan and issues with the oil-based hydraulic system of the current dump truck, which has been “out of commission” for about two years, necessitated the replacement.
Voters also supported using $230,000 of free cash to replace the town’s bucket loader. Like the dump truck, the Highway Department uses the bucket loader for winter plowing, according to Waldo. He mentioned the current loader’s “very troublesome” emissions system has “sidelined” the vehicle for about two years.
In response to Clayton-Jones’ question regarding leasing versus purchasing the vehicles, Waldo explained that equipment like the loader “is used heavily on a daily basis,” making municipalities unattractive renters for companies. Waldo said his calculations also determined that buying vehicles saves the town money compared to renting.
Other approved articles
Residents also passed the approximately $7.57 million town budget with an amendment raising the budget for schools from $4,048,706 to $4,055,084.11. Miscommunication via email between Town Administrator Véronique Blanchard and a Franklin County Technical School representative regarding the school’s capital assessment led to the change.
Along with the dwelling unit definition change, voters also approved a bylaw formally establishing the Finance Committee’s current operations, with a minor amendment requiring that the town moderator appoint “up to two” Finance Committee members with three-year terms at each Annual Town Meeting, instead of specifically two members.
Finance Committee Chair Alan Singer described the change as “minor but important,” allowing the committee to consist of five members instead of the six required in the original article, thus helping to prevent tied votes.
Voters also quickly approved an article adding public parking lots to the townwide winter parking ban.
The change, submitted by the Conway Police Department, expands the ban on street parking and parking on public roadways from Nov. 1 to April 1 between 12 a.m. and 7 a.m. to also include public parking lots. The bylaw requires that vehicles parked on public roadways and in public parking lots during daylight hours be removed in the event of “inclement” weather or a “stated snow emergency.”
At the beginning of Town Meeting, voters agreed to table the Planning Board’s proposed changes to the bylaw regulating driveways to allow more time to revise it.
Town Meeting dedication
Before attendees voted on the articles, Police Chief Donald Bates recognized Leah Gump, the lifeguard who helped rescue a female swimmer in the Conway Community Swimming Pool on July 22. Another swimmer, 21-year-old Chicopee resident Abdelaziz Ayay, drowned.
Leah Gump’s father, Jay Gump, accepted the Recognition Award on behalf of his daughter, who is currently training to become an emergency medical technician in Wyoming. She also received a letter of gratitude from the Healey-Driscoll administration.
“Leah did not hesitate. Without regard for her own safety, she entered the water and fought against both time and circumstances to bring the 24-year-old woman to safety,” Bates said. “In these critical moments, Leah’s actions were guided not by fear, but by determination — the determination to save a life. It’s easy to talk about heroism in the abstract, but it’s rare to see it in action.”
After Bates’ remarks, attendees stood and applauded for Leah Gump.
