NEWFANE SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES
May 2, 2013  – Video

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT:  Jon Mack, Gloria Cristelli, Chris Druke, Mike Fitzpatrick, Todd Lawley

OTHERS PRESENT:  Maureen Albert-Piascik; Mike Faher, Brattleboro Reformer; Myra Fassler; Justin Fitzpatrick; Gunther Garbe; Virginia Grabowski, Senior Solutions; Patricia Grace, Administrative Assistant; Mike Granger; Kelsang Jamkar;  Doris Knechtel; Rich Melanson, BCTV; Merle Tessier

The meeting was called to order by Chairman Jon Mack at 6:30 p.m.

MINUTES

A motion was made by Chris Druke, and it was seconded by Todd Lawley, to accept the minutes of April 18, 2013 as written. Gloria Cristelli suggested that the minutes be tabled until the May 16, 2013 meeting.  Chris Druke suggested that Gloria make notes as to what she felt was not included in the meeting minutes of April 18, 2013.  The motion will be tabled until the selectboard meeting on May 16, 2013, when Gloria will present changes to the selectboard members.  Acceptance of the minutes were tabled until the May 16, 2013 selectboard meeting.

SCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

Reconciliation:  Maureen Albert-Piascik stated that there is a restoration of records fund in the revenue reports as a number nine fund.  Maureen recognizes that reconciliation needs to be done by someone other than herself or another signer.  A discussion ensued.

Jon inquired as to how many accounts are set up and what and where the accounts are set up.  Jon requested the selectboard receive a monthly report, from the treasurer, on all the balances of each account and not a NEMRC report.

Maureen suggested that Alane Perkins be allowed to perform the reconciliations.  Jon requested that Maureen create a password to be allowed for access to “read-only” in the NEMRC system for all reporting options for the selectboard to access.   A discussion ensued. Maureen agreed to set up the account.

Chris Druke suggested that another line item be set up by Maureen in NEMRC for the HMGP buyouts for each separate grant, with a revenue and expenditure fund.  Chris will work with Maureen in getting the accounts set up.

Jon stated that the town does an audit every year and the audits have not indicated a material fault in the three years that he has served on the board.

ROAD BUSINESS

Todd Lawley read the Road Foreman’s/Road Commissioner’s Report.

A discussion ensued regarding the Williamsville Hall furnace repairs. Todd requested that Gloria post a notice on the town website for have residents drop off their Green Up bags to the town garage dumpster. Chris Druke moved, and it was seconded by Gloria Cristelli, to accept the Road Foreman’s/Road Commissioner’s Report.   The motion passed, with Todd abstaining.

NEW BUSINESS

Williamsville Hall Weatherization:  Steve Levine met with the Williamsville Hall Committee and they determined that electrical wiring needs to be upgraded in the ceiling before adding insulation.  Nancy Rysz will be looking into matching grants for insulation.  It was suggested that Joe Mandell or Kim Friedman be contacted to assist in grant writing.  Jon reminded Steve that any projects over $2,000.00 will need to go out for competitive bidding and should be done by the selectboard.  Jon requested a list from Steve of what needs to be done.  Todd Lawley made a motion, and it was seconded by Chris Druke, for the selectboard to approve $5,000.00 of the capital fund to be used for electrical upgrading at Williamsville Hall.  The motion passed with members present.

Cleaning of the Hall:  Gloria Cristelli made a motion, and it was seconded by Chris Druke, to allow the Williamsville Hall Committee to hire a monthly cleaning service and to have it paid out of the maintenance budget.  The motion passed.

Todd Lawley will assess the damage of the sidewalk by the monument and make a recommendation for repairs. This will be discussed at the May 16^th meeting.  Myra Fassler stated that other towns were getting restoration grants for sidewalks.  Jon suggested that Myra get more information on grant availability.  Doris Knechtel suggested that Windham Regional Commission may assist in writing a grant and Jon will contact them.

ROADSIDE MOWING BIDS

Two bids were received for roadside mowing.  Jon Mack read the bids results as follows:

Andrew Rockwell:  $54.00 per hour for 7 ft. sickle bar mower @ 86 hours – $4,644.00

Landfill mowing at $275.00 per mowing

Bruce A. Orchitt:  $77.50 per hour/91 hours including landfill – $7,130.00

A discussion ensued. Todd Lawley made a motion, and it was seconded by Chris Druke, to award the mowing bid to Andrew Rockwell, contingent on Todd’s conversation with Andrew.  The administrative assistant will inform the bidders.

UNSCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

Kelsang Jamkar spoke of his concern to have the town office staff, elected officials and selectboard members in working together.

OLD BUSINESS

Oak Hill Road Access:  Jon Mack read the letter from William Staats in response to the Zoning Administrator’s letter of April 11 regarding the construction and maintenance of the fence.  The Zoning Administrator is looking for direction from the selectboard in how to handle the situation.  A discussion ensued.  The selectboard suggested that Merle Tessier meet with the neighborhood association to request renaming the roads and renumbering the homes for E-911 access of emergency vehicles.  Merle will work with Todd Lawley on resolving the issue.

Record Restoration:  Gloria Cristelli handed printouts to the selectboard members with information on the records restoration account, which included the account balance.  Gloria is requesting the records restoration fund be used to pay the wages of Dedra Dunham in the Town Clerk’s office.  A discussion ensued. Mike Fitzpatrick made a motion, and it was seconded by Jon Mack, to use the restoration fund to keep Dedra for restoration of records work only.  Three votes in favor of the motion, two votes opposed. The motion passed.

Town Office Improvements:  Mike Granger handed out a report with photos showing the critical issues of the cracked floor joists. Mike suggested that the cribbing be done immediately and considered the fix to be an emergency situation.  He indicated that it should take approximately 4-5 hours to do the work. A discussion ensued. Todd Lawley made a motion, and it was seconded by Chris Druke, to authorize the Town Office Improvement Committee to hire someone to do the temporary fix to secure the broken floor joists. The motion passed unanimously.  Jon Mack suggested that the Town Office Improvements Committee replace the recent resignation of one of their members.  An update on improvements will be added to the agenda for the selectboard meeting for the May 16^th meeting.

12 Beech Tree Lane Issues:  A letter was received fromthe town health officer of a report on his site visit to 12 Beech Tree Lane.  The selectboard also received a letter  from the Saylor residents on their property concerns at 12 Beech Tree Lane.  Jon Mack suggested to Merle Tessier to keep the selectboard informed of the non-direct health issues concerns pertaining to the property.

HMGP Closeouts:  Chris Druke reported that the appraisals are almost done.  The listers worked with Stan Noga to help him on property questions.  The attorney will do a complete title search on all three properties for the next step in getting the closeouts completed.

Wiswall Hill Culverts:  Chris reported that the bids will go out to bid after reviewing the scope of work.  Todd Lawley suggested that the bid proposal be presented to the selectboard at the May 16^th selectboard meeting.

279 Dover Road:  LOMA is working with the town on this flood property.  More information should be available at the May 16^th meeting.

Chris Druke and Todd Lawley will be part of a site visit with State and other government officials and engineers at four bridge sites on May 3^rd to discuss flood related work needing to be completed at those sites.

Park and Ride Grant:  Gloria gave a report on the Park and Ride Grant.Mike Fitzpatrick and Todd Lawley plan to measure the Town Office parking lot to determine the lot size and boundaries to go forward in paving the parking area.  Todd stated that enough room needs to be considered for an alternate septic system. A discussion ensued about the number of spaces available to park.

Other Issues:  Todd Lawley made a motion, and it was seconded by Mike Fitzpatrick, to hire Alane Perkins to do the reconciliations.  The motion passed.  Chris Druke stated that it is necessary to tie the flood reports to the general ledger.

Newfane Economics:  Gloria Cristelli has sent invitations to area businesses to meet with Anthony Summers at Williamsville Hall on May 9^th at 4:00 p.m. to discuss economic challenges since Hurricane Irene.

CORRESPONDENCE

Shoreland Zoning Legislation Update:  Jon Mack received an email from VLCT in that the Senate Natural Resources Committee will not pass H. 526 this year.

PAY ORDERS:

Payroll                                                                  Total Pay Orders:

4/22/2013 – $5,389.40                                     $426,685.76

4/29/2013 – $5,350.40

Gloria Cristelli moved, and seconded by Todd Lawley, to approve the Pay Orders.  The motion passed unanimously.

ADJOURN

Todd Lawley made a motion, and it was seconded by Mike Fitzpatrick, to adjourn the meeting at

9:25 p.m. The motion passed.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Grace, Administrative Assistant

NEWFANE SELECTBOARD - MEETING MINUTES
April 18, 2013 - Video

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT:  Jon Mack, Gloria Cristelli, Chris Druke, Todd Lawley

ABSENT:  Mike Fitzpatrick

OTHERS PRESENT:  Jeryl Julian Cisse; Roberta Dunham; Mike Faher, Brattleboro Reformer; Gunther Garbe; Virginia Grabowski, Senior Solutions; Patricia Grace, Administrative Assistant; Kelsang Jamkar;

Joe Mandell, Phyllis Mandell, Faith Martin, Putney resident;  Rich Melanson, BCTV; Merle Tessier

The meeting was called to order by Chairman Jon Mack at 6:30 p.m.

MINUTES

A motion was made by Chris Druke, and seconded by Todd Lawley, to accept the minutes of April 4, 2013.  The motion passed unanimously, with those members present, to accept the minutes as amended.

A motion was made by Gloria Cristelli, and seconded by Chris Druke, to amend the minutes of March 21, 2013 to add the wording, published in the Reformer dated February 16.                The motion passed unanimously of the members present.

ROAD BUSINESS

Todd Lawley read the Road Foreman’s/Road Commissioner’s Report.

Chris Druke moved, and it was seconded by Gloria Cristelli, to accept the Road Foreman’s/Road Commissioner’s Report.   The motion passed, with Todd abstaining.

SCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

Town Office Improvement Report:  Gunther Garbe requested that the Town Office Improvement Committee be allowed to hire Phil Savoy, a structural engineer from Westminster, to assess the structure.  Todd Lawley made a motion, and it was seconded by Gloria Cristelli, to allow the committee to hire Phil Savoy, providing that the cost is under $2,000.00.  The motion passed unanimously.  A discussion ensued regarding other issues that need to be addressed in the building.

UNSCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

AT&T Cell Tower:  Jeryl Julian Cisse handed out copies of new technology of small cell tower systems, written by Christopher Campbell of Vermont Telecommunications Authority.  Jon stated that the PSB has given AT&T permission to build their tower in South Newfane.

Gloria Cristelli recused herself as selectboard member and spoke to the board as Town Clerk. She wants to use money from a preservation fund to pay the assistant Town Clerk, Dedra Dunham, for restoration of documents. An information packet was presented to the board by Gloria. It was noted that the town budget for the assistant town clerk has already run over budget by 53% for the year ending June 30. A discussion ensued.  Jon requested more information from Gloria on the restoration fund.  No action was taken.

NEW BUSINESS

Williamsville Hall Weatherization:  Will be postponed until May 2, 2013.

Marlboro Morris Ale Association:  A request was made by John Todd for approval to hold a dance at West Street on May 26, 2013 at 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.  A motion was made by Chris Druke, and seconded by Todd Lawley, to approve the event.  The motion passed unanimously of the members present.

Beech Tree Lane Issues:  Merle Tessier, Zoning Administrator, reported on property issues regarding health, safety and zoning, following a site visit upon a resident complaint.  Todd Lawley suggested that this issue be discussed in Executive Session, later in this meeting.

Reconciliation:  Jon stated that the auditor’s report suggested that an ongoing reconciliation be done.

Chris reminded the selectboard that a response to Sullivan & Powers that the selectboard will provide a check and balance system.  Chris also recommended that the person doing the reconciliation be allowed to get into the NEMRC system and the bank statements to do the reconciliations.  A discussion ensued.  The town treasurer will be asked to attend the next selectboard meeting to discuss the process for reconciliations by a second party.

County Tax – Informational:  Jon Mack stated that the county tax bill was received for the town in the amount of $14,444.00.

Fire-Proof Locked File Drawer:  The selectboard had requested the administrative assistant to get information on the possible purchase of fire-proof file cabinets for the treasurer and administrative assistant office.  A discussion ensued.  No decision was made.

Transportation Meeting Report:  Gloria Cristelli reported on the meeting that she attended at Grace Cottage. Jon asked if there was some action that was requested of the selectboard from this report.  Gloria stated that she feels that Newfane needs public rest facilities and to include a bus stop. Jon requested that the project needs research.

Posting the Audit Report:  An announcement will be posted on the Newfane website that the 2012 Town Audit report will be available in the town offices.

OLD BUSINESS

Wiswall Hill Culvert Bids: Chris Druke stated that there was another “kick-off” and an advertisement will be set up for the bids. Chris asked that Todd Lawley review the scope of work needed to be defined before the project is put out to bid.  A discussion ensued.

Hunter Brook Bridge Bids Opening:  Bids have been postponed until May 16, 2013.  A site visit is scheduled on May 3, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. with FEMA, VTrans, Todd Menees and SVE.

Grubbings Report Summary:  Gloria Cristelli reported that VTrans indicated that the town will need to come up with a matching percentage.  A discussion ensued.

Hickey Bridge:  Todd Lawley reported that the riprap needs to be over bottom of the abutments.  A discussion ensued.  Todd suggested that Todd Menees get more involved to resolve the abutment process decision.

Hazard Mitigation – Round 5:  Photos of floods, prior to Hurricane Irene, are being requested for evidence.  Gloria Cristelli was given several names of town residents who may have photos.

HMGP Property Closeouts Bid Opening:  An advertisement for attorney bids for the closeouts was printed in the Brattleboro Reformer.  No bids came in.  The administrative assistant contacted Attorney Richard Perra to ask if he would work on the HMGP property closeouts.  He has agreed to do so.

Newfane Economic Development:  Gloria Cristelli reported that she compiled a list of businesses for what can be done for the economics of the town of Newfane.

Town Vault Lock Change:  Jon stated that there are very limited statutes on this decision.  Jon read the opinion of the Secretary of State and referred to information received by VLCT.  No action was taken by the board.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT’S REPORT

Pat read her report, and it will be attached to this report.

CORRESPONDENCE

A letter from Henry Pinckney, on Town Office Improvements, was given to Gunther Garbe.

Jon reported that there is an Emergency Conference Call scheduled for Friday, April 19^th at 3:00-4:00 p.m.  Chris will be on that call.  Jon requested that if any other selectboard members are planning on being on the conference call, to inform the Administrative Assistant ahead of time so that the open meeting law is not broken.

SeVEDS will be holding a meeting in Brattleboro on April 25^th at 6:00 p.m. to get regional input from the community.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

Chris Druke moved, and it was seconded by Gloria Cristelli, to go into Executive Session at 8:35 p.m.  to discuss zoning and possible legal considerations.  Merle Tessier and Pat Grace were invited to attend.

Gloria Cristelli moved, and it was seconded by Chris Druke, to come out of Executive Session at 8:45 p.m.  The motion passed unanimously of the members present.

Chris Druke moved, and it was seconded by Gloria Cristelli, for the administrative assistant to contact the health officer regarding health issues that may pertain to potential litigation and to await a report from the health officer before the selectboard moves forward with this matter.  The motion passed unanimously.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Signing SVE Contract:  Chris Druke moved, and it was seconded by Gloria Cristelli, to accept the SVE Associates engineering contract for Hunter Brook Bridge design.  A discussion ensued. The motion passed unanimously of the members present.

PAY ORDERS:

Payroll                                                                  Total Pay Orders:

4/8/2013 – $5,350.40                                       $322,771.05

4/16/2013 – $5,586.56

Chris Druke moved, and Gloria Cristelli seconded, to approve the Pay Orders.  The motion passed unanimously of the members present.

ADJOURN:

Chris Druke made a motion, and it was seconded by Todd Lawley, to adjourn the meeting at 9:01 p.m.

The motion passed.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Grace, Administrative Assistant

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT’S REPORT

April 18, 2013

36 Golden Woods Road Update:  I sent a letter to the Town Health Officer last week for a follow up on the findings of his report, dated January 24, 2013, on the failed septic system and surfacing sewage, fire and electrical safety and other issues.  An email was received from the Town Health Officer stating that he will investigate the findings with the state agencies, who have agreed to take over the investigation.

Openings for Committees:  Pat and Al Weisbrich have expressed their desire to serve on the Planning Commission, by Pat, and as a DRB Alternate, by Al, for the Town of Newfane.  Those requests were sent to the two committees for review.  The positions will be discussed at the May 2 selectboard meeting.

Fireproof File Cabinets:  I have looked into the purchase of two drawer fireproof filing cabinets, one for the Town Treasurer and one for the Administrative Assistant.  These cabinets are manufactured by  Sentry Safe and are rated for 1 hour fire endurance and UL Classified for explosion and impact resistance.  The cost for the file cabinets are $1,025.00 each.

Town Audit:  10 copies of the completed audit from Sullivan & Powers were received at the Town Offices this week.  An audit copy, in pdf format, has been requested and it will be posted on the Newfane website this week.

VLTC Workshop: I attended the workshop for small towns on Selectboard Institute II on Saturday, April 13, 2013 in Rutland, VT.  Jim Barlow’s presentation on Open Meeting Law Compliance was very informative.  I also enjoyed the presentation by the VLCT Risk Management staff on prevention of embezzlement, bonding and internal financial controls.

Respectfully,

Patricia Grace, Administrative Assistant

NEWFANE SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES
April 4, 2013 – VIDEO 

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT:  Jon Mack, Gloria Cristelli, Chris Druke, Mike Fitzpatrick, Todd Lawley

OTHERS PRESENT:  Mark Anderson, Windham County Sheriff’s Department; Mike Faher, Brattleboro Reformer; Gunther Garbe; Virginia Grabowski, Senior Solutions; Patricia Grace, Administrative Assistant; Doris Knechtel; Rich Melanson, BCTV

The meeting was called to order by Chairman Jon Mack at 6:30 p.m.

MINUTES

A motion was made by Todd, and seconded by Chris, to accept the minutes of March 21, 2013.  The motion passed unanimously to accept the minutes as amended.                             

ROAD BUSINESS

Todd read the Road Foreman’s/Road Commissioner’s Report.

Chris moved, and it was seconded by Gloria, to accept the Road Foremen’s/Road Commissioner’s Report.   The motion passed unanimously.

SCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

Senior Solutions:  Ginny Grabowski had made a motion for Senior Solutions to receive an additional $200 at the 2012 Town Meeting, which was approved by the voters.  Ginny requested that the $200 be sent by the Town Treasurer. Todd made a motion, and it was seconded by Chris, to send a check to Senior Solutions in the amount of $200.  The motion passed unanimously.

Town Plan Approval – Planning Commission:   Tristam Johnson sent the Selectboard the meeting minutes of the Newfane Planning Commission of March 25, 2013.  Jon reported that the Selectboard needs to schedule a hearing to amend the Town Plan.  Pat will check on the time requirements for posting the warning.  Todd made a motion, and it was seconded by Chris, to schedule and warn the Selectboard meeting for either May 16 or June 6, depending on the time requirements of the warning of 30 or 45 days prior to the meeting date.  The motion passed unanimously.

Windham County Sheriff’s Dept. Report:  Corporal Mark Anderson gave his activity report, which provided 28 hours of service to the town of Newfane.  The departments records management system is being changed, slated to begin the first week in May.

UNSCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

Gunther Garbe reported on the first step of work that was done by the Town Office Improvement Committee. Approximately 100 photographs were taken in the Town Office basement.  A more detailed report will be given at the April 18^th Selectboard meeting.

NEW BUSINESS

Audit Response:  Chris reported on the general town audit and a single audit reports by Sullivan and Powers, with their recommendations to the Town.  Letters have been drafted in response to their recommendations for improvements on each audit.  A hardbound copy of the audit should be available for the town soon.  A motion was made by Gloria, and seconded by Todd, to approve the drafted response letters to be returned to Sullivan and Powers.  The motion passed.

OLD BUSINESS

SEVT LTRC:  Gloria reported that she received a letter stating that a youth group is available to work on projects for the town.  Jon had assigned Gloria the task of suggested ideas for projects and costs.

Wiswall Hill Culvert Bids:  This will be scheduled for the April 18^th Selectboard meeting.

Williamsville Hall Weatherization Plans:  Jon reported that Steve Levine and the Williamsville Hall Committee have started early stages of discussing projects for weatherizing the Hall. Some of the committee members will be attending the April 18^th Selectboard meeting to discuss possible projects.

Todd reported that there are issues with the Williamsville Hall furnace.

Hunter Brook Bridge Bids Opening – Postponed to April 18, 2013

Chris reported the issues with Hunter Brook engineering acceptance of FEMA.  A discussion ensued.

A motion was made by Todd, and seconded by Mike, to approve Chris to sign FEMA documents.  Chris suggested that Pat be the signor for the documents also.  The motion passed unanimously.

Treasurer Reports for the Selectboard Meetings:  Todd suggested receiving Capital Fund balances, at least on a quarterly basis from the Treasurer.  Chris suggested that check change corrections to the general ledger should be reported to the Selectboard.  Jon would like to know the loan status.  Vehicle loans will be tracked between the Treasurer and the Administrative Assistant.

Town Vault Lock Change:  Gloria recently authorized the Town vault lock combination to be changed by a professional locksmith.  Gloria stated that the town clerk and the two town clerk assistants are the only people who have the combination to the vault and she did not feel that anyone else should have the combination to the lock. Jon reported that he discussed the combination change with Jim Barlow, Senior State Attorney at VLCT.  Jim said that entire town offices are under the Selectboard responsibility, including the locks, thereto.  Jon also stated that the vault is a Town asset and that the Selectboard needs access to the vault for documents stored in it. The town clerk will look into state statues in this regard.  The topic will be resolved at the April 18 Selectboard meeting.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS – None

CORRESPONDENCE

Letters from Henry Pinckney on Town Office Improvements were given to Gunther Garbe.

Energy Siting Commission Public Hearing:  An email was sent by VLCT announcing a public hearing to be scheduled for April 4, 2013 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in Bennington, Brattleboro, Lyndonville, Middlebury, Montpelier, Newport, Rutland, Springfield, St. Albans, White River Junction and Williston to discuss permitting electric generation projects.

PAY ORDERS:

Payroll                                                                  Total Pay Orders:

3/25/2013 – $6,706.80                                     $417,248.84

4/2/2013 -   $5,662.64

4/3/2013 -   $2,569.54

Gloria moved, and Chris seconded, to approve the Pay Orders.  The motion passed unanimously.

ADJOURN:

Todd made a motion, and it was seconded by Mike, to adjourn at 8:15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Grace, Administrative Assistant

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT:  Jon Mack, Gloria Cristelli, Chris Druke, Mike Fitzpatrick, Todd Lawley

OTHERS PRESENT:  Priscilla Cotton, Ed Druke, Sr., Gunther Garbe, Patricia Grace, Administrative Assistant; Tristam Johnson, Doris Knechtel, Rich Melanson, BCTV; Carol and Donn Priem, Merle Tessier, Hendrick van Loon

The meeting was called to order by Chairman Jon Mack at 6:30 p.m.

MINUTES:

A motion was made by Chris, and seconded by Todd, to accept the minutes of February 21, 2013.  The motion passed, with Gloria abstaining.

A motion was made by Gloria, and seconded by Chris, to accept the minutes of March 7, 2013.  A change was discussed to ask the alternates to serve on the Planning Commission and Development Review Board.  The motion passed with minutes amended.

ROAD BUSINESS:

Todd read the Road Foreman’s/Road Commissioner’s Report.

Gunther Garbe suggested that the town use the property next to the school to use as a gravel pit.  Todd reported that the school purchased the property, and not the town. The school is using the property for recreation.  A discussion ensued.  No action was taken.

Jon reminded Todd that the culvert inventory needs to be done.  The treasurer has asked that Todd coordinate with her about the purchase of a new truck.  Todd will work on the loose slate on the walk at the Town Office.

Steve Ovenden had requested bridge information.  A discussion ensued.  Pat will confirm with Todd that the information had been sent to Steve.

A motion was made by Chris, and seconded by Mike, to accept the Road Foreman’s/Road Commissioner’s Report as written.  The motion passed, with Todd abstaining.

SCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC:

Town Staff Evaluation Process:  Tristam Johnson, Planning Commissioner, spoke on the lack of job evaluations and supervision of the town staff.  Tristam asked if the Selectboard was willing to take on the responsibility of the supervision and evaluations.  Tristam requested that a report be given of having done the evaluations of town staff at the next year’s annual town meeting. A discussion ensued.

Newfane Hill Common Committee:  Ed Druke, Sr. stated that he felt that the Newfane Hill Common Committee should continue to maintain the property.   Ed feels that more people are needed for serve on the committee. Jon has asked that the Selectboard be notified when the Newfane Hill group will schedule their next meeting. Ed has asked if the Selectboard would find someone to do the mowing at the triangle at the intersection of Newfane Hill and Upper Spring Hill Road. Pat will ask Marc Gray if he would take care of the mowing at that location.

Town Office Improvement Planning Committee:  Priscilla Cotton requested that the Selectboard appoint the committee as follows: Mike Granger, Piet van Loon, Dennis Wiswall, Gunther Garbe and Priscilla Cotton.  Their goal is to develop a plan for the Town Office improvements, which will be presented to the Selectboard.  Jon proposed that the committee be a minimum of five members and a maximum of seven members and be appointed by the Selectboard for the purpose of proposing a plan or plans for improving the town offices, including rough cost estimates for each project.  This plan will be proposed to the Selectboard for its consideration for a set period within six months.  A motion was made by Gloria, and seconded by Chris, to approve Jon’s proposal as stated.  The motion passed unanimously.

A motion was made by Gloria, and seconded by Todd, to appoint Mike Granger, Piet van Loon, Dennis Wiswall, Gunther Garbe and Priscilla Cotton, to the Town Office Improvement Planning Committee. The motion passed unanimously.  Jon gave Priscilla a letter from a former resident with suggested improvements.  Priscilla stated that the committee wants to work on the problem areas first.

Town Energy Coordinator: Ed Druke, Sr. stated that he would like the Selectboard to seek someone to fill the position for the Town Energy Coordinator.  The description was briefly discussed.

UNSCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC: 

Gunther Garbe expressed his concerns of the school board and the Selectboard meetings being held on the same nights and the expenses to be incurred for both the town and the school.  Jon answered that the school board and Selectboard are separate entities with separate roles and separate budgets.  A discussion ensued.

NEW BUSINESS: 

Treasurer Reports for Selectboard Meetings:  Jon suggested that the town treasurer provide the Selectboard with monthly reports of specific bank account breakdowns with the fund balances.  Timing of expense payments and the updates of the delinquent taxes is being requested on a monthly basis. This will be an agenda item for the April 4^th Selectboard meeting for any other suggestions of reports to be requested of the treasurer.

OLD BUSINESS: 

Town Meeting Follow Up:  Jon reported that the Town Meeting minutes should be approved within seven days of the Town Meeting, by the moderator and member of the BCA. Gloria reported that Fred Bacon and the moderator are doing a final reading of the minutes of 2013.

Chris Druke made a motion, and it was seconded by Todd, that the Selectboard allow Jon to disseminate the cell tower letter, published in the Reformer dated February 16, on behalf of the Town of Newfane.  The motion passed unanimously.

HMGP Update:  Chris Druke explained what Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and how it works.  There was a kickoff meeting with the three property owners at the Town Office and all the paperwork has been forwarded to the grant agencies. The property appraisal process is the next step to determine the market value of the property prior to Hurricane Irene.  A discussion ensued.

Property Bid Appraisal:  One appraisal bid came in. The bid was opened from Everett Real Estate Services, in the amount of $350.00 for each of the three (3) properties.  A motion was made by Todd, and seconded by Mike, for Chris to be sure the bid meets the criteria, and to authorize her to accept the bid on behalf of the Selectboard.  The motion passed unanimously.

Wiswall Culvert Bids:  Chris reported that the Town has received a federal grant for the culverts.  Chris suggested to advertise for contract bids to replace the culverts, according to the grant agreement and the scope of work. Todd suggested that Chris contact Dan Hull for the plans for the size of the culverts before placing the advertising.

Hunter Bridge Bid:  Opening of bids is postponed until April 4.

Lynch Bridge Bid Selection:  Five bids were opened at the March 7^th Selectboard meeting.  A motion was made by Mike, and seconded by Gloria, to award the bid of SVE in the amount of $55,105.00.  Todd suggested that the awarded bidder work with a town contract to be sure all FEMA requirements are met.  A discussion ensued.  Jon suggested that a special Selectboard meeting to be scheduled with SVE to discuss the contract and the requirements needed for FEMA approval for engineering the project.  It was suggested to invite Marc Pickering to the meeting with SVE. Chris will contact SVE to discuss what the Town contract conditions will be for the acceptance of their awarded bid. The motion passed unanimously.

Status of Audit and Single Audit:  Jon reported that the auditor is having issues in the receivables.  The single audit is due March 31, 2013 and the auditor is very close in completing the single audit.  Chris reported that the accounting details still has to be done on the buyouts. Chris would like to hire Merle Tessier to perform accounting support in tracking the accounting of HMGP and CBGP buyouts, including closeouts to comply with an audit.  A discussion ensued.  Mike made a motion, and it was seconded by Todd, to hire Merle Tessier, as-needed basis, at $20.00 per hour, for accounting support for up to $2,000.00, under the supervision of the Selectboard. The motion passed.

Statutes:  Jon reported that he spoke with the Attorney Richard Perra, the Secretary of State’s office and VLCT on State statutes.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT REPORT:

Pat read the Administrative Assistant report.  Chris made a motion, and it was seconded by Todd, to allow Pat and Mike Fitzpatrick, to attend the VLCT seminar in Rutland, VT on April 13, 2013 for Selectboard training.  The motion passed unanimously.

OTHER BUSINESS:

Todd reported that the Williamsville Hall has used over a half tank of fuel since March 1.  Jon will contact Steve Levine to suggest that the Williamsville Hall Committee work on a proposal to weatherization of the building.

CORRESPONDENCE:  None

EXECUTIVE SESSION:

Gloria moved, and it was seconded by Mike, to go into Executive Session at 8:25 p.m. to discuss employee matters.

A motion was made by Todd, and it was seconded by Mike, to come out of Executive Session at 9:15 p.m.  The motion carried unanimously.  No action was taken on the Executive Session.

PAY ORDERS:

Payroll                                                                  Total Pay Orders:

3/11/13 – $5,709.61                                          $47,356.79

3/18/13 – $4,908.76

Chris moved, and Gloria seconded, to approve the Pay Orders.  The motion passed unanimously.

ADJOURN:

Todd made a motion, and it was seconded by Mike, to adjourn at 9:25 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Grace, Administrative Assistant

March 21st 2013
Road Foreman’s/ Road Commissioner’s Report

1] Roads: The roads are getting pretty rough because we started into mud season and now we are back into winter conditions. We have posted most of the dirt roads, due to mud season. With several storms, the dirt roads have been very soft and the plows have dug into roads and left bumps. As soon as it gets warm enough to start grading, we will start on some roads. We hauled some stone to some of the roads in the muddy spots.

2] Equipment: The 2011 F350 has been to Durand Ford for a front drive shaft issue. It was covered under warranty. The 06 Sterling went to Patriot Truck Service for rear brakes. We were going to do it ourselves but I checked on the warranty and a lot of it was covered so we took it there. The 07 F350 went to Twin State Truck Service for a right front axle joint that was bad.

3] The self certification for the fuel tanks is done and sent to the state. We still have to have a test done on both tanks. I will be getting a hold of the company that does that. Pat did the work on certification and got it sent in. Thank you, Pat, for that.

4] New Truck Specs: I will be working on the specs for the new 4×4 dump truck so we can send it out to bid soon. We need to get this out to bid so we get the truck here before next winter. It takes several months to get the cab and chassis, then it has to go to the dump body company to have all the rest of the equipment installed. Last year we put the truck out to bid this time of year and we did not get it until November. We can put it in the bid that the town cannot accept it until after July 1st, due to the new budget.

5] We had a complaint about a mailbox on Dover Road getting hit. We went up and did what we could for the person. This person has a lot of health issues so we tried to help her out. We received a nice phone call back thanking us for fixing it until spring. The boards that hold the mailboxes to the post were all rotted and the mailbox itself is too close to the road. She said she plans on moving it back off the road as soon as good weather gets here.

6] Pat and I will be contacting John Alexander to set up a meeting to go over the state aid to the town this year and apply for a paving grant. I have not seen the paperwork for that yet but I want to get this done as soon as possible for two reasons; one, because I want to get as much money on the paving as we can and two, I want to send out the paving bids as soon as we can while the price of oil is still down a little bit. If we put it out to bid now before the paving companies get busy, we get our paving done earlier in August instead of October, plus, we can get our lines painted on the blacktop sooner.

7] I would like to thank the road crew for doing a great job this year with all the storms. There have had several big storms that last a long time, and they have stayed in and kept up with the storms and pushed the roads back. The last storm everyone worked 18 and 19 hours straight. There have not been many breakdowns with all the storms either. I think we have a good crew that cares about the roads.

Thank You
Todd Lawley/Road Foreman
Christopher Williams/Road Commissioner

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT:  Jon Mack, Gloria Cristelli, Chris Druke, Mike Fitzpatrick, Todd Lawley

OTHERS PRESENT:  Sgt. Mark Anderson (Windham County Sheriff’s Dept.), Patricia Grace, Mike Granger, Gary Katz, Tristam Johnson, Greg Record, Merle Tessier, Hendrick van Loon

The meeting was called to order by Patricia Grace at 6:30 p.m.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS:

A motion was made by Todd Lawley, and seconded by Chris Druke, to nominate Jon Mack as Chair of the Selectboard. The motion carried unanimously.

A motion was made by Gloria Cristelli to nominate Chris Druke as Vice-Chair of the Selectboard.  Chris declined. A motion was made by Chris Druke, and seconded by Mike Fitzpatrick, to nominate Todd Lawley as Vice Chair of the Selectboard. The motion passed, with Todd abstaining.

A motion was made by Todd Lawley, and seconded by Chris Druke, to appoint Patricia Grace as Clerk of the Selectboard.  The motion passed unanimously.

OTHER BUSINESS:

Jon asked Pat to look into the Judgment for Expiration, listed for discussion on Line Item #3, (see book 119, pages 449-451 – Expires 2014.)

Conflict of Interest Policy:  Jon Mack explained that each year, the Selectboard re-adopts the Conflict of Interest Policy.   Jon read the policy and it was signed by the Selectboard members.

Selectboard Rules of Procedure:  Jon Mack read the Selectboard Rules of Procedure and explained that it is re-adopted each year.

A motion was made by Chris Druke, and seconded by Todd Lawley, to accept the Rules of Procedure as written.  Piet van Loon requested that the Rules of Procedure include Robert’s Rules of Order.  It was noted that the document states that it includes Robert’s Rules of Order.  The motion passed unanimously.  The document was signed by the Selectboard members.

MEETING SCHEDULE:

Date, Location & Time of Regular Selectboard Meetings: A motion was made by Todd Lawley, and seconded by Chris Druke, to hold the regular Selectboard meetings at the Town Offices on 1st and 3rd

Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., unless otherwise posted.  A discussion ensued regarding a conflict of schedules with the Brookline-Newfane School Board.  The motion carried unanimously.

LOCATION FOR POSTING OF NOTICES & MINUTES:

A motion was made by Todd Lawley, and seconded by Gloria Cristelli, to post notices and minutes at the Newfane Market, WW Building Supply, Williamsville Hall (when open) and the South Newfane/Williamsville Post Office and the Town Clerk’s office.  The motion passed unanimously.

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER FORPOSTING OF NOTICES & ADVERTISEMENTS:

A motion was made by Chris Druke, and seconded by Todd Lawley, to name the Brattleboro Reformer as the official newspaper for posting of notices and advertisements. The motion passed unanimously. It was suggested that the agenda be sent to the Newfane website webmaster.

APPOINTMENTS

Road Commissioner:  It was suggested that Christopher Williams be asked to serve again as the Road Commissioner.

Emergency Management Committee:  It was suggested that the current five members of the Committee, Steve Jones, Todd Lawley, David Moore, Jay Wilson and Greg Record, to be asked to serve on the Emergency Management Committee.

Windham Regional Commission:  It was suggested to ask Jodi French and Hendrick van Loon to serve on the Windham Regional Commission.

Animal Control Officer:  It was suggested to ask George Friend to serve as Animal Control Officer.

Pound Keeper:  It was suggested to ask the Windham County Humane Society to serve as Pound Keeper.

Fence Viewer:  It was suggested to ask Greg Record, Ted Schreyer and Larry Robinson to serve as Fence Viewers.

Inspector of Lumber, Shingles & Wood:  It was suggested to ask Carleton Chaffee to serve as Inspector of Lumber, Shingles and Wood.

Weigher of Coal:  It was suggested to ask Carleton Chaffee to serve as Weigher of Coal.

Representative to Rescue, Inc.:  It was suggested to ask Win Clark to serve as Representative to Rescue, Inc.

Energy Coordinator:  It was suggested to ask Ed Druke, Sr. to serve as Energy Coordinator.

Town Service Officer:  It was suggested to ask Barbara Williams to serve as Town Service Officer.  It was noted that the appointment for this position requires sending a notice to the Department for Children and Families.

Tree Warden:  It was suggested to ask William Guenter to serve as Tree Warden.

Senior Solutions Representative:  It was suggested to ask Virginia Grabowski to serve as Senior Solutions Representative.

Windham Solid Waste Management District Representative: It was suggested to ask Johanna Gardner to serve as representative to the Windham Solid Waste Management District.

Green Up Day Coordinators: It was suggested to ask Laura Wallingford-Bacon and Thanice Petrak to serve as Green Up Day Coordinators.

Village Enhancement Committee: It was suggested to ask Charles Bergmann, Edward J. Druke, Sr., Chris Petrak, Thanice Petrak, John T. Spicer and Margaret Spicer to serve as the Village Enhancement Committee.

Planning Commission:  It was suggested to ask Merle Tessier and Tristam Johnson to serve as members of the Planning Commission.  There is a vacancy available to be filled for a term that will expire in 2014.  This will be listed on the Newfane website.

Development Review Board: It was suggested to ask David Cotton and Edward Nelson to serve as members of the Development Review Board.  It was suggested that John Mariano be contacted to fill a vacancy, which will expire in 2014. If there are open spaces, Ted Colligan and Rick Wilson will be asked to fill them.

DRB Alternates: It was suggested to ask Ted Colligan and Rick Wilson to serve as Alternates for the Development Review Board.

Conservation Commission: It was suggested to ask Sylvia Kinney and Thanice Petrak to serve as members of the Conservation Commission. There is a vacancy to be filled for a term that will expire in 2014.  This will be listed on the Newfane website.

E-911 Coordinator:  It was suggested to ask Merle Tessier to serve as the E-911 Coordinator.

Vermont State Police Citizen Advisory Board: It was suggested to ask Gary Katz to serve as Vermont State Police Citizen Advisory  Board.

Williamsville Hall Committee:  Steve Levine will be sending the Administrative Assistant the names of Williamsville Hall Committee members next week.

Newfane Hill Common Committee:  A discussion ensued as to whether this committee is still functioning.  Pat will contact Ed Druke, Sr. to get information on whether this is a functioning committee and will report back to the Selectboard.

Constable:  It was noted that George Friend had enough write in votes to be elected as Constable.

Elected Positions Not Filled at Election

Town Agent:  Jon Mack will pursue this open position and get back to the Selectboard.

Grand Juror: Jon Mack will pursue this open position and get back to the Selectboard.

Gloria Cristelli moved, and Chris Druke seconded, to appoint the various officers as discussed, pending their acceptance to the positions.  The motion passed unanimously.

OPENING OF LYNCH BRIDGE DESIGN BIDS:

The bids are for the design only of Lynch Bridge.  There are five bidders:

SVE- Brattleboro, VT – $55,105

GPI – Albany, NY – $69,386

GM2 Associates – Concord, NH – $98,055

Holden Engineering- Concord, NH – $73,192

Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Engineering – North Ferrisburgh, VT – $58,617

Jon Mack took a copy of each bidder to review.  Chris Druke made a motion, and it was seconded by Todd Lawley, to have Marc Pickering, of  VTrans, review the documents and for VTrans to make a recommendation to the Selectboard, as to why a suggested engineering firm be recommended, if they are not the lowest bidder.  The motion passed unanimously.

The contractors were told that the bid documents will be reviewed before making a final decision. Todd suggested that we invite Marc to the selectboard meeting, when the selectboard decides which engineering firm is selected. A discussion ensued.

SCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC:  None

UNSCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC:  

Merle Tessier handed Jon a State statute regarding requirements by the Town Treasurer for annual auditing.  Jon will ask the town attorney and Secretary of State to look into the process.  A discussion ensued.  Chris Druke has contacted Sullivan and Powers, town auditors.  The auditor is in possession of the general ledger through June 30, year end.  Chris stated that Rick Brigham, of Sullivan and Powers, will be in the Town Offices on Tuesday, March 12 to work on the single audit.

Marc Anderson, of Windham Regional Sheriff’s Department, reported on the activities provided to the Town of Newfane.  Marc has scheduled training time on March 27th at the Sheriff’s Department for

Marilyn Distelberg to work with Maureen Albert-Piascik and Pat Grace to do the breakdown of funds being returned to the Town from traffic violations.  Marc explained what is covered for service with the current contract with the Town.

Gary Katz thanked the Selectboard for their service to the town during the year.

Greg Record asked if the Town has a charter.  Jon responded that we’re not a chartered town.  The Village has a charter.

NEW BUSINESS: 

Posting Roads – Todd reported that some of the Newfane roads are expected to be posted soon because of mud issues.

OLD BUSINESS:  None

CORRESPONDENCE: 

A letter was mailed to the Selectboard regarding Town Office improvements.  Jon suggested the letter be discussed at the March 21st board meeting so that it can be discussed with the committee that will be working on improvements to the Town Offices.

EXECUTIVE SESSION:

Gloria made a motion, and Todd seconded the motion, to enter into Executive Session at 7:55 p.m. to discuss a previous contract.  The motion passed unanimously.  Pat was invited to stay for the Executive Session.

A motion was made by Chris, and seconded by Todd, to come out of Executive Session at 8:07 p.m. The motion carried unanimously.

Chris made a motion, and seconded by Todd, to have Jon contact the Town’s attorney for consultation regarding a contractual matter and report back to the board.  The motion passed unanimously.

PAY ORDERS:

Payroll      Total Pay Orders:

2/25/13  -  $5,445.45    $22,063.74

3/4/13  -    $7,117.31

3/7/13 -     $2,496.88    Fish & Wildlife:  $85.50

Gloria moved, and Chris seconded, to approve the Pay Orders.  The motion passed unanimously.

ADJOURN:

A motion was made by Todd, and seconded by Chris, to adjourn at 8:25 p.m.  The motion passed unanimously.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Grace, Administrative Assistant

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT:  Jon Mack, Priscilla Cotton, Gloria Cristelli, Chris Druke, Todd Lawley

OTHERS PRESENT:  Gunther Garbe, Rich Melanson, BCTV; Patricia Grace, Administrative Assistant

The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Jon Mack, Chair.

MINUTES:  

A motion was made by Priscilla, and seconded by Todd, to approve the minutes of February 7, 2013.

The motion passed unanimously.

ROAD BUSINESS:  Todd Lawley read the Road Foreman’s/Road Commissioner’s Report.

Todd will be contacting John Alexander for information on Structure Grant and Bridge Maintenance Programs.

A motion was made by Priscilla, and seconded by Chris, to approve the Road Foreman’s/Road Commissioner’s Report of February 21, 2013.  The motion passed unanimously.

SCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC:  None

UNSCHEDULED MEMBES OF THE PUBLIC:  None

NEW BUSINESS:  None

OLD BUSINESS:

Town Office Improvements:  Jon stated that the Town has approximately $15,000 in the budget and the Selectboard has proposed a $25,000 increase for the Town Meeting for Town office improvement.  Priscilla and Gunther Garber have been discussing improvements needed.  Gunther suggested having a general contractor/subcontractor for the projects.

Gloria moved, and it was seconded by Chris, to ask Priscilla Cotton to form a committee and report the purpose of Town office improvements and report back to the Selectboard at the March 21 meeting.  The motion passed unanimously.   A discussion ensured on funding the project.

Lynch Bridge Pre-Bid Meeting:  A pre-bid meeting was held for engineers on February 20 at the site with Marc Pickering, of VTrans, present to answer contractor’s questions.  The RFP was extended to two months.  Pat will contact Marc for his opinion on allowing an engineering firm to bid the project that did not attend this meeting.

FEMA Status:  Chris reported that FEMA representatives have recognized that the Adams Hill project was downgraded.  She suggested bundling the entire package for closeout.  An appeal process would follow the closeout, should the Selectboard not be satisfied with FEMA’s closeout.  Jon requested that

Chris find out how Christina Moore’s work can be included in the closeout.  A discussion ensued on getting money from FEMA on the Hunter Brook temporary bridge rental fees.  A scope change may be required on the temporary bridge project.  A discussion ensued.  It was noted that Chris has been working hard on the flood issues with FEMA. A decision has not been made for approval from FEMA on 279 Dover Road mitigation.  The buyouts are sitting in the hands of Ray Doherty for signatures on the remaining three properties for mitigation.  Dan Potter, of Southern Windsor Regional Commission, is currently working on getting the remaining 25%, being the secondary portion of the granting.  Chris stated that she has also kept Elizabeth McEwen, SEVCA Case Manager, up to date on the process of the buyout properties.

Traffic Violation Report Process:  Pat spoke with Marilyn Distelberg to get more information on training on the traffic violation report procedure.  Marilyn is waiting to schedule training with the Treasurer and Pat to see if other surrounding towns have interest in getting training as well. It was agreed that training will be scheduled sometime after the Town meeting.

VTel Tower Petition:  A petition came into the Town Clerk’s office to request the Selectboard to allow VTel to set up a cell tower at the court house.  Gloria reported that 75 signatures are required to proceed on a petition.  The petition had only 30 signatures, from members of the public.

Jon read a letter, from a local newspaper reporter, stating that VTel has recently signed an agreement to set up the tower on private property, rather than at the Sheriff’s office.  The property is located outside the Historic district.  VTel is willing to give the Sheriff’s Department $15,000 – $20,000 to assist the Sheriff in replacing his radio tower.

Treasurer’s Report:  The single audit and Town Report expenses were discussed.  The Selectboard requested that Pat contact Maureen, Town Treasurer, for an explanation of the Miscellaneous expense line item of $6,977.91, with a response by email to the Selectboard.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:  None

CORRESPONDENCE: 

Planning Commission reported that Daniel Torrey has officially resigned.  A fifth person will need to be appointed by the next selectboard.  Tristam Johnson, of the Planning Commission, reported to Jon that the Planning Commission passed the motion, and it was passed unanimously, to recommend Merle Tessier officially be the Zoning Administrator.  Tristam will forward a copy of their meeting minutes, indicated the vote.

Priscilla reported that no one is running for the Lister position.  It was verified that the Animal Control position is an appointed position.

Deb Luskin sent a letter requesting that white fog lines be painted on Grimes Hill Road and Depot Road, to improve visibility and safety.  Todd reported that the State pays to have only the yellow lines applied to roads and the Town pays for the white lines.  Todd will contact the Dummerston road agent to get

more information on the cost for having the white lines painted before the Annual Meeting.  It was noted that nothing was budgeted for this project for next year.  A discussion ensued.

Jon reported that the State of Vermont approved a 9-month extension to support the design of Lynch Road Bridge design.

Kim Friedman sent a letter to remind residents to attend the rescheduled Brookline and Newfane Joint Annual School District Meeting on Tuesday, February 26th at 6:00 p.m. at NewBrook Firehouse.

A copy of the final Stipulation was received from Fitts, Olson & Giddings, which closes the Fieldstone Lodge property assessment issues.

EXECUTIVE SESSION:

Todd made a motion, and Priscilla seconded the motion, to enter into Executive Session at 7:30 p.m. to discuss personnel matters.  The motion passed unanimously.

A motion was made by Todd, and seconded by Chris, to come out of Executive Session at 8:00 p.m. The motion carried unanimously. No action was taken during Executive Session.

PAY ORDERS:

Payroll      Total Pay Orders:

2/11/13  -  $7,079.91    $51,478.28

2/19/13  -  $5,225.63

Chris moved, and Priscilla seconded, to approve the Pay Orders.  The motion passed unanimously.

ADJOURN:

With no other business to come before the Board, a motion was made by Todd, and seconded by Chris, to adjourn at 8:31 p.m.  The motion passed unanimously.

Respectfully submitted,
Patricia Grace, Administrative Assistant

February 21^st 2013

Road Foreman’s /Road Commissioner’s Report

1]Roads: The roads are holding pretty well. We have been sanding them almost every day. A lot of the roads are getting pretty good frost heaves now.  But overall they’re in good shape.

2] Equipment: The ‘90 Mack needs to have some rear brake work done, we are waiting for parts. As soon as they come in, we will fix them in our shop. The 06 Sterling needs to have a complete rear brake job done on it. As soon as we get the parts and have a couple of good days, we will do that in the shop as well.  The ‘07 F350 plow just had quite a bit of welding done to it. The A frame and center pin are pretty well worn out.  I am looking around for a good used plow for that truck. The F350 is supposed to go next year, so if we find a good used plow until that time, that would be good. A new plow is around $4500.00.  That plow is about 10 years old. It was on the last one truck we had before this truck.

3] I will be working with Pat on getting a Self Certification done on the fuel tanks at the garage. We do have to have some testing done on the tanks and I have a call into Barrows to see who we have to get a hold of to do the tests. It is called a Cathodic Protection Test. Shannon used to do the self Certification for the town when it was due. We have the last one that she did so Pat and I will go over that and get it done.

4]  I have a call into John Alexander about the state aid to towns and Paving and Structures Grants. I also asked him what other grants the town received from VTrans this year, other than Stratton Hill retaining wall.

5]  We may have to get more winter sand if we keep getting storms . Right now the sand pile is getting low again. I will wait and see how much we use this weekend on the next storm. We have used quite a bit of salt as well with all the storms. We have cut back as much as we can with the salt and sand.

Thank You

Todd Lawley/ Road Foreman
Christopher Williams/ Road Commissioner

NEWFANE SELECTBOARD 
MEETING MINUTES 
February 7, 2013 – VIDEO

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT:  Jon Mack, Priscilla Cotton, Gloria Cristelli, Chris Druke, Todd Lawley

OTHERS PRESENT:  Corporal Mark Anderson (Windham County Sheriff’s Dept.), Thomas Colligan, Marilyn Distelberg, Gunther Garbe, V. C. Grabowski, Tristam Johnson, Patricia Grace

The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Jon Mack, Chair.

MINUTES: 

A motion was made by Gloria, and seconded by Chris, to approve the minutes of January 15, 2013. The motion passed unanimously.

A motion was made by Priscilla, and seconded by Gloria to approve the minutes of January 17, 2013 as amended.  The motion passed, with Todd abstaining because he was not at that meeting.

A motion was made by Gloria, and seconded by Priscilla, to approve the minutes of January 24, 2013. The motion passed unanimously.

A motion was made by Gloria, and seconded by Chris, to approve the minutes of January 31, 2013. The motion passed, with Priscilla abstaining because she was not at that meeting.

ROAD BUSINESS:  Todd Lawley read the Road Foreman’s/Road Commissioner’s Report. He also added that he had met with Todd Menees to have him work with Dan Hull on FEMA projects.  Chris will work with Dan Hull to keep track of the Hickey Bridge project.

Gloria made a motion, and seconded by Chris, to authorize Todd Lawley to purchase a sap tank to thaw the town culverts.  The motion passed unanimously.

Gloria made a motion, and seconded by Chris, to approve the Road Foreman’s/Road Commissioner’s Report.  The motion passed.

SCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC:

Traffic Violation Distribution:  Marilyn Distelberg reported on how the process for the distribution of money between the Village of Newfane and the Town of fines for traffic violations.  Marilyn reported that she has been working as a volunteer treasurer for the Village of Newfane for distribution of money from fines. Marilyn stated that Newfane Village hires the Windham County Sheriff’s Department for traffic enforcement only. Marilyn stated that other local towns have requested as to how she processes the ticket tracking. Marilyn has suggested having a detailed presentation, in the near future, for those who will be involved in the process, both with the Sheriff’s department and other town officials.  Pat will talk with Maureen, the Town Treasurer, to work out a schedule so they both can learn the details of the process with Marilyn on creating the spreadsheets.

Corporal Mark Anderson reported on the work that had been done by the Sheriff’s department for the town.

UNSCHEDULED MEMBES OF THE PUBLIC:

Gunther Garbe asked the Selectboard what plans are being made for the Town Office improvements with the mold, rotted sills and water issues.  Gloria will call Chris Parker to discuss sill repair.  Gloria was reminded that bids need to go out for that project.  This topic will go on the agenda for February 24^th.

Tristam Johnson came to get an update on the cell tower issues.  Jon stated that the deadline is February 11^th for getting comments to the PSB.

NEW BUSINESS:

Cemetery Issues:  Gloria asked about the process of transferring cemetery plots.  Todd stated Woodlawn Cemetery has their own commission, being Bob Litchfield, Greg Record and Win Clark.  Gloria stated that there is a $5.00 burial permit required for municipal monies to be collected that is not being paid. Gloria will follow up on the collecting the money.

SVE Hunter Bridge Design:  Pat reported that Peter Boemig has promised to have a Hunter Brook bridge design for February 8 for bidding purposes. Chris stated that SVE is prepared to go all the way out to the bid process, along with the RFP.  Todd suggested that a copy of the RFP be sent to John Alexander, of VTrans.  Chris will work on the process of the RFP.

Lynch Bridge RFP:  John Alexander produced an RFP draft, which Chris is reviewing.  We need to set dates and times to advertise, along with a date of when the proposal needs to be received.  Chris is looking into what is needed for project information.  A discussion ensued to have a special selectboard meeting at 6:00 p.m. on February 28^th for design only.  Tristam Johnson suggested that there be a Q&A date set before the proposal bid deadline.  Pat will contact Marc Pickering to ask if he would be available to answer questions at the pre-bid meeting.

Chris will finalize the RFP from VTrans.

VTrans Grants:  The Town Road and Bridge Standards were discussed.  Todd suggested that the gravel be changed from 3 inches to 6 inches.

Todd made a motion, seconded by Priscilla, to approve the new standards as amended to change the gravel requirements from 3 inches to 6 inches.  The motion passed unanimously.

OLD BUSINESS:

Cell Towers:  Jon read a letter that he had drafted on his opinion of the AT&T tower to the PSB, as written by an individual.  Thomas Colligan expressed his cell tower concerns and asked questions on length of lease and deconstruction of the tower, when not in use. A discussion ensued on the AT&T tower.   Thomas stated that he will write a letter to the PSB regarding the decommissioning of the unused tower.

Adams Hill Road FEMA Status:  Chris sent a letter to FEMA’s Ben Rose, letting him know that FEMA downgraded the anticipated amount on the Adams Hill project, approximately $86,000 to $90,000.  The binders for Adam’s Hill binders are close to being finished for close out.

Golden Woods Property:  The Town fire department and Zoning Administrator will be involved in the property issues, as a result of the report written by the Health Officer.  No action by the Selectboard was taken.

911 Issues on Oak Hill & Miler Rd.:  Merle Tessier, Zoning Administrator, has spoken with the State’s 911 Administrator, to be sure that the house numbers are correct.

HMGP – 279 Dover Road:  Chris reported that Dan Hull sent amendments to move the project forward to try to get the money.  Dan Potter, from Southern Windsor Regional Planning Commission, is overseeing the buyout subgrants.            

Vermont Youth Conservation Corps:  Gloria reported that the Vermont Youth group will have free funding to the town for 2 or 3 weeks for planting, of teams of 10 to 15 people, along with their supervisors.  Todd stated that work can’t be done on the Dover Road projects until after the buyouts are completed.  The town will need to provide materials to be used.     

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

Gloria report that there were 64 voters from the Leland & Gray district with 43 in favor and 21 opposed from the Town of Newfane, out of 1,269 voters.

CORRESPONDENCE:

A copy of the executed Stipulation from Superior Court was received from Attorney Laurie Rowell  on the Fieldstone Lodge issue.

EXECUTIVE SESSION:

Gloria made a motion, and Priscilla seconded the motion, to go into Executive Session at 8:21 p.m. to discuss personnel and contract issues.  The motion passed unanimously.  Pat left the building before the Executive Session began. Todd made a motion, seconded by Priscilla, for the Selectboard to come out of Executive Session at 9:02 p.m.  Todd made a motion, and Priscilla seconded the motion, for the Town of Newfane not to renew the contract for Storm Petrel. The motion passed unanimously.

PAY ORDERS:

Payroll                                                                                  Total Pay Orders:

1/22/2013 – $5,939.31

1/28/2013 – $5,324.21                                                         $501,936.07

2/4/2013 –   $6,321.98 & $2,562.70                                    $627.00 – Fish & Wildlife

Chris moved, and Gloria seconded, to approve the Pay Orders.  The motion passed unanimously.

ADJOURN:

With no other business to come before the Board, a motion was made by Gloria, and seconded by Priscilla, to adjourn at 9:30 p.m.  The motion passed unanimously.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Grace, Administrative Assistant

NEWFANE SELECTBOARD
SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES
January 31, 2013 

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT:  Jon Mack, Gloria Cristelli, Chris Druke, Todd Lawley

ABSENT:  Priscilla Cotton

OTHERS PRESENT:  Patricia Grace

The meeting was called to order at 3:00 p.m. by Jon Mack, Chair.

The Selectboard discussed to amend the expenditure portion of the budget.

Todd Lawley moved, and it was seconded by Gloria, to amend the budget and presented by Jon. The motion passed unanimously.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:06 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Grace, Administrative Assistant

NEWFANE SELECTBOARD
SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES
January 24, 2013 

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT:  Jon Mack, Priscilla Cotton, Gloria Cristelli, Chris Druke, Todd Lawley

OTHERS PRESENT:  Patricia Grace

The meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. by Jon Mack, Chair.

Finalize Expenditures, Revenue, & Capital Budgets

Chris made a motion, and it was seconded by Priscilla, to approve the expenditures for year 2014.

The motion passed unanimously.

Priscilla made a motion, and it was seconded by Chris, to approve the revenue section for year 2014.

The motion passed unanimously.

Todd made a motion, and it was seconded by Gloria, to accept the capital needs summary as presented.

There will be an asterisk in the Town Report explaining what happened to the surplus.  Jon will provide Pat with the wording to be used.

The Selectboard decided not to include the budgeted portion for the projected year of 2016-2017 in the Town Report.

Finalize the Warning for the Town Meeting

Gloria made a motion, and Chris seconded it, to approve the warning as written.

The motion passed unanimously.

Finalize the Selectboard report by adding the “thank you” paragraph

A discussion ensued for changes on the Report of the Selectboard. Chris made a motion, and it was seconded by Gloria, to accept the Report of the Selectboard as amended.  The motion passed unanimously.  Jon will send the amended letter to Pat for the Town Report.

ADJOURN:

A motion was made by Todd, and seconded by Chris, to adjourn.  The motion passed unanimously.  The meeting was adjourned at 6:15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Grace, Administrative Assistant

NEWFANE SELECTBOARD
MEETING MINUTES
January 17, 2013 - Video

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT:  Jon Mack, Priscilla Cotton, Gloria Cristelli, Chris Druke

ABSENT:  Todd Lawley

OTHERS PRESENT:  Mike Faher (Brattleboro Reformer),Gunther Garbe, V. C. Grabowski, Tristam Johnson, Patricia Grace, Rich Melanson (BCTV), Christina Moore

The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Jon Mack, Chair.

MINUTES: 

A motion was made by Chris Druke, and seconded by Priscilla Cotton, to approve the minutes of

January 3, 2013 as amended.  The motion passed.

ROAD BUSINESS:  There was no Road Foreman’s/Road Commissioner’s Report.

SCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC:

Lynch Bridge & FEMA Closeouts – Christina Moore reported on the closeout summaries. Christina will write the extension requests for PW1118 and PW2487.

Gloria reported that she will meet with Todd Menees on January 22 for an EWP project.  She will ask Todd Menees to meet with Todd Lawley to discuss the Hickey Bridge and Lynch Bridge improvements, following the EWP meeting.

Pat will contact SVE for a completion date on the Lynch Bridge design for bidding purposes.

The Selectboard requested that Christina Moore work on project closeouts and to shut down the design contract for Lynch Bridge.  Jon requested that Christina contact contractors to notify them of the project shutdown on the design/build contract. Christina will send the RFP to the Selectboard as a Word document.

Chris Druke stated that the Town of Newfane is still owed money for Adams Hill Road PW3041.  A discussion ensued on creating an extension for the project.  A discussion ensued of a scope change needed for the Lynch Road Bridge project.

Newfane Town Plan – Tristam Johnson discussed the draft Town Plan.  He stated that a public hearing is scheduled for March 25^th in the Town Offices to discuss the Town Plan for public approval.  Any changes to the plan are passed on to the Selectboard.

Excessive Weight Permits:  R. L. Cook Timber Harvesting was issued a permit on January 8, 2013.  A letter was sent by Pat to R.L. Cook and the list of bridges with weight restrictions in Newfane.

OLD BUSINESS:

HMGP – Jon will send a note to Todd to ask him to work with Dan Hull on the 279 Dover Road project.

911 – Jon will contact Todd Lawley on the 911 issues on Oak Hill Road/Miller Road.

Irene & Beyond Summit – Gloria attended a recent workshop in Norwich on funding.

Cell Towers – Jon and Gloria were on the conference call with PSB and AT&T hearing officer, hired by PSB.  The Selectboard will receive the consultant’s report. A discussion ensued.

Annual Report – The draft Warning from Deb Luskin was discussed.  Numbers on spending will be added.  Gloria reported that January 24 is the deadline for Articles to be added to the Warning.  Jon will check with VLCT for capital information.

Gloria requested that the Selectboard remove Article 3 of the Warning of the town official’s salaries. A discussion ensued.  Jon will send Pat the final Warning.

Post Office Hours – Chris reported that the Williamsville/South Newfane post office hours are being reduced.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

Fireproof File – Pat will research fireproof cabinet options for the Town Treasurer and Administrative Assistant’s offices.

CORRESPONDENCE:

There will be a Grant Writing Workshop with WRC.

There will also be a Boundary and Annexation workshop.

Reflectors – Gloria reported that Deputy Sheriff Badgley spoke with her regarding the reflectors set up by Baker Brook Road property owners. She stated that Badgley felt that this becomes a civil matter.

PAY ORDERS:

Payroll                                                                                  Total Pay Orders:

1/8/2013 – $5,748.38                                                            $35,424.92

1/14/2013 – $6,181.56

Gloria moved, and Chris seconded, to approve the Pay Orders.  The motion passed unanimously.

EXECUTIVE SESSION:

Gloria made a motion, and Priscilla seconded the motion, to go into Executive Session regarding personnel matters.  The motion passed unanimously.  Pat left the building before the Executive Session began. The Selectboard came out of Executive Session at 9:15 p.m.  Gloria made a motion, and Chris seconded the motion, to accept the Stipulation document regarding Fieldstone Lodge, sent in by Attorney Laurie Rowell. The motion passed unanimously.

ADJOURN:

With no other business to come before the Board, a motion was made by Gloria, and seconded by Priscilla, to adjourn.  The motion passed unanimously at 9:17 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Grace, Administrative Assistant

NEWFANE SELECTBOARD
SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES

January 15, 2013 

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT:  Jon Mack, Priscilla Cotton, Gloria Cristelli, Chris Druke, Todd Lawley

OTHERS PRESENT:  Patricia Grace

The meeting was called to order at 5:34 p.m. by Jon Mack, Chair.

The Selectboard discussed the “Capital” portion of the budget.

The Dental cost and General Insurance final figures are needed for expenses.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Grace, Administrative Assistant

NEWFANE SELECTBOARD
MEETING MINUTES - January 3, 2013 – Video

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT:  Jon Mack, Priscilla Cotton, Gloria Cristelli, Chris Druke, Todd Lawley

OTHERS PRESENT:  Gino Butler, Jeryl Julian Cisso, David Cotton, Mike Faher (Brattleboro Reformer),Gunther Garbe, Patricia Grace, Rich Melanson (BCTV), Sharley Sierastki, Erin Tatarczuk, Brian Urato, Jake Urato, Jay Urato

The meeting was called to order at 6:32 p.m. by Jon Mack, Chair.

MINUTES: 

A motion was made by Priscilla Cotton, and seconded by Gloria Cristelli, to approve the minutes of December 20, 2012 as amended.  The motion passed.  Todd abstained because he wasn’t present at the December 20^th meeting.

ROAD BUSINESS:

The Road Foreman’s Report/Road Commissioner’s report was read by Todd.

On a motion by Gloria and seconded by Priscilla, the Board voted to approve the Road Foreman’s/Road commissioner’s report.  The motion passed unanimously.

Priscilla reported that the Oak Hill Road access from Parrish Hill Road has a split rail fence blocking the access.  Jay Urato gave a history summary of when and why the fence was put up on the private property.  Todd will work with Merle Tessier on the 911 concerns .  A discussion ensued.

NEW BUSINESS:

Cell Tower:   We have received the official filingofthe AT&T proposal.  The binder from AT&T will be available for the public to read in the Town Offices with the Administrative Assistant.  Jon stated that the filing date was on December 20, which allows for a 21-day comment period to begin for anyone wishing to respond on the proposal to the Vermont Public Service Board. Jon read aloud a drafted letter to potentially be filed by the Selectboard to the PSB.  A discussion ensued.

A motion was made by Priscilla, and seconded by Gloria, to have the letter sent, with modifications to the draft letter.  The motion carried unanimously.

Amendments to the letter: Gloria made a motion, and seconded by Priscilla, to add a line in paragraph two to read, “A second point of conflict with the ordinance is that the proposed tower location does not meet minimum set back requirements”.  The motion carried.

Priscilla made a motion, seconded by Gloria, to add, “The proposed AT&T tower site location is at the end of a narrow private road, within a private development made up of twenty homes on two acre lots. Upon purchasing the lots of the “Oak Hill Development” the buyers are required to sign various covenants, which are a part of their deed, and are to regulate the use of their property to prevent any perceived adverse impact on the aesthetics of the development.”  The motion carried.

Tower at Sheriff’s Dept.:  Jon read the press release aloud from the Sheriff’s office on the replacement tower.  Jon stated that the Sheriff’s office sits on land owned by the county.  A discussion ensued.

Budget:  Jon stated that the recommended budget has been completed.   The MVP health insurance coverage has been worked out.

Fireproof Safe:  We will attempt to get the lock worked on for the current floor safe, before deciding to purchase a new one.

Annual Town Report:  The Selectboard has decided to dedicate the Town Report to a particular Newfane resident.  Priscilla will do the write the dedication and provide a photo to be used for the Annual Town Report.  Todd suggested that the cover of the report should include a photo of the newly completed Bridge #14. Jon volunteered to get a photo of the bridge.

Selectboard’s Report:  The draft of the Selectboard’s report for the Annual Town Report was discussed.  Jon will revise and send the report to Pat.

OLD BUSINESS:

SAM Registration:  The registration was completed.  Gloria will send this information to Pat so that more than one person has the information.

CORRESPONDENCE:

Stephan Morse:  Letter of resignation from the Newfane Development Review Board. David Cotton has two openings from the DRB and he will be making recommendations to the Selectboard.

Barrows Coal:  Barrows is requesting a representative signature for their contract for diesel fuel and gasoline business at the town garage.  Gloria moved, and it was seconded by Chris, to have Todd sign the document.  The motion passed unanimously.

VT Test and Consulting:  Jon has requested that the Windham Solid Waste Management letter be forwarded to Christina Moore.

PAY ORDERS:

Payroll                                                                                  Total Pay Orders:

12/21/12 – $7,727.16                                                       $54,313.81

12/31/12 – $8,279.13

Gloria moved, and Chris seconded, to approve the Pay Orders.  The motion passed unanimously.

EXECUTIVE SESSION:

Chris made a motion, and Priscilla seconded, to go into Executive Session.  The motion passed unanimously.  Pat left the building before the Executive Session began. The Selectboard came out of Executive Session at 9:47 p.m.  No action was taken.

ADJOURN:

With no other business to come before the Board, a motion was made by Gloria, and seconded by Priscilla, to adjourn.  The motion passed unanimously at 9:48 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Grace, Administrative Assistant

NEWFANE SELECTBOARD
MEETING MINUTES
December 20, 2012 - Video

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT:  Jon Mack, Priscilla Cotton, Gloria Cristelli, Chris Druke

ABSENT:  Todd Lawley

OTHERS PRESENT:  Mark Anderson (WCSD), Keith Clark (WCSD), Mike Faher (Brattleboro Reformer),Gunther Garbe, Patricia Grace, Michel Guife (VTel), Karen Marshall (Connect VT/SOV-AOA), Rich Melanson (BCTV), Stephan Morse, Karl A. Rinker (VTel/Rinkers), Merle Tessier

The meeting was called to order at 6:34 p.m. by Jon Mack, Chair.

MINUTES: 

On a motion by Chris Druke and seconded by Gloria Cristelli, the Board voted to approve the minutes of December 6, 2012 as amended.  The motion passed unanimously.

On a motion by Priscilla Cotton and seconded by Chris Druke, the Board voted to approve the minutes of budget meeting of December 10, 2012.  The motion passed unanimously.

ROAD BUSINESS:

The Road Foreman’s Report/Road Commissioner’s report was read by Jon.

On a motion by Chris Druke and seconded by Gloria Cristelli, the Board voted to approve the Road Foreman’s/Road commissioner’s report.  The motion passed unanimously.

SCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC:

Corporal Mark Anderson, of the Windham County Sheriff’s Department, reported on the police activities for the Newfane and Williamsville area for the month of November.

NEW BUSINESS:

Fieldstone Lodge:  Laurie Rowell suggested that this topic be discussed in Executive Session.

At 6:50 p.m., Chris Druke moved to enter Executive Session to discuss Fieldstone Lodge. Priscilla Cotton seconded the motion.  The motion passed unanimously.

Executive Session ended at 7:00 p.m.  No motion came out of Executive Session.

Sheriff’s Department Tower:  Keith Clark, Windham County Sheriff, gave a brief history and the poor condition of the old antenna at the Sheriff’s Jail Street office. A new VTel tower would allow for him to continue having radio communication with his deputies.  VTel President, J. Michel Guite, stated that VTel expects to be sending the Newfane application to the Public Service board within three weeks.    Tower designer, Karl Rinker, presented photos, a diagram and details of the proposed tower.  Karl also stated that two future carriers could rent service by using the tower.  A discussion ensued.

Mitigation – Dover Road Property:  Ray Doherty, State Hazard Mitigation Officer, has determined that the Furnell property is not eligible for funding under the HMGP program.  Jed Paquin, Project Manager at SVE, has been working on a survey for the property.  Pat will work with Jed’s survey to file an appeal.

Hazard Mitigation Plan Renewal: Gloria will spearhead the flood insurance project and the requirements for property owners by working with Dinah Reed.

At this time, a motion was made by Chris Druke and seconded by Priscilla Cotton to take a recess.   The motion carried unanimously and the meeting recessed at 8:15 p.m.

The Selectboard meeting reconvened at 8:22 p.m.

Hunter Brook Bridge #2 Damage: A letter was received from Thaddeus Betts, of SVE, after inspecting the Hunter Brook Bridge.  He found that all beams appear to be in good condition and there is no need to replace them.  A motion was made by Gloria and it was seconded by Priscilla, to not move forward with an appeal to FEMA for their denial of scope change.  A discussion ensured.  The motion carried unanimously.

Lynch Bridge Repairs:  Christina Moore had stated, in the solicited bids, that the Town of Newfane would provide soil boring.  Christina had not gotten prior approval of the Selectboard to authorize the process of doing the boring sample bids.  A motion was made by Gloria, seconded by Chris, to authorize seeking the boring bids.  The motion passed unanimously.

Golden Wood Road – Property Issues: Merle Tessier, Zoning Administrator, reported that he has been told that there has been four families living on the property and that there are four adults and two children living in a 12 foot by 18 foot shack.  Merle will work on any zoning issues at this property.  Jon Mack responded that he will contact Tim Schaffer, Health Officer, to be sure that Tim gets involved in the health issues at the property.

Town Report: Pat met with the printer of the Annual Town Report to get deadline schedules.  Pat will email the Selectboard those deadlines and the information needed from the Selectboard.

SAM Registration: Gloria feels that this may be an EWP issue.  Gloria will get more information on this and report back on January 3.

Energy Efficiency:  Gloria had attended a recent seminar to learn how to conserve energy.  There is a $5,000 incentive for energy efficiency for a municipal building.

OLD BUSINESS:

Cell Tower:  Copies were distributed to the board of the letter written by Will Dodge, representative of AT&T.

Chris made a motion, and it was seconded by Gloria, to rescind the prior motion, at the last selectboard meeting, with regard to waiting for an independent consultant on the AT&T issue.  A discussion ensued.  The motion passed unanimously.

Chris made a motion, and it was seconded by Gloria, that the selectboard will make a decision on January 3 on the AT&T cell tower issue.  A discussion ensured.  The motion carried unanimously.

PAY ORDERS:

Payroll                                                                                  Total Pay Orders:

12/10/12 – $4,505.15                                                            $96,038.87

12/18/12 – $3,515.48

Gloria moved, and Chris seconded, to approve the Pay Orders.  The motion passed unanimously.

ADJOURN:

With no other business to come before the Board, a motion to adjourn was accepted at 9:05 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Grace, Administrative Assistant

NEWFANE SELECTBOARD
BUDGET MEETING MINUTES

December 10, 2012

Board Members Present: Jon Mack, Priscilla Cotton, Gloria Cristelli, Chris Druke, Todd Lawley 

Others Present:  Maureen Albert-Piascik, Patricia Grace, Doris Knechtel

The meeting was called to order at 5:02 p.m. by Jon Mack, Chair.

Lister Candidate:  Priscilla reported that the potential candidate was no longer interested in the Lister position.

Town Budget:  The Selectboard continued with working on the budget.

A budget request was provided to the Selectboard members by Doris Knechtel.  A discussion ensued.

The Selectboard discussed line items with Maureen.  Pat will get a list, from Steve Jones, of all diesel fuel and gasoline that was provided to the Williamsville and South Newfane Fire Departments with dates and amounts for each delivery.

ADJOURN:

With no other business to come before the Board, a motion to adjourn was accepted at 6:50 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Grace

Administrative Assistant

 NEWFANE SELECTBOARD
MEETING MINUTES

December 6, 2012  – Video

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT:  Jon Mack, Priscilla Cotton, Gloria Cristelli, Chris Druke

ABSENT:  Todd Lawley.  Todd arrived at 7:12 p.m.

OTHERS PRESENT:  Jeryl Julian Cisse, William Dodge (AT&T), Mike Faher (Brattleboro Reformer),Gunther Garbe, Johanna Gardner, Marshall Glickman, Patricia Grace, Kathy Helm, Lynn Hilderbrand, Doris Knechtel, Gabe MacFarland, Joe Mandell, Rich Melanson (BCTV), Stephan Morse, Tine Reed, James Russell, Jake Urato, Jay Urato, Shelley Wilson and Dennis Wiswall

The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Jon Mack, Chair.

MINUTES: 

On a motion by Chris Druke and seconded by Gloria Cristelli, the Board voted to approve the minutes of November 15 as amended.  The motion passed. Priscilla Cotton could not vote because she wasn’t present at the November 15 meeting and Todd Lawley is currently not present to vote.

On a motion by Priscilla and seconded by Gloria, the Board voted to approve the minutes of November 20 as amended.  The motion passed. Todd was absent.

On a motion by Priscilla and seconded by Chris, the Board voted to approve the minutes of November 26 as amended.  The motion passed.

On a motion by Priscilla and seconded by Gloria, the Board voted to approve the minutes of November 27.  The motion passed unanimously.

UNSCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC:

Doris Knechtel presented a letter to the Selectboard of a resident that was interested in the open position of Lister.  The position will be discussed during the executive session, following this regular meeting.

NEW BUSINESS:

Cell Towers:  Will Dodge, AT&T representative, discussed the second balloon test and alternative locations for a cell tower in Newfane.   AT&T will file their application approximately the third week in December.

On a motion by Todd and second by Priscilla, that the Selectboard will not take any action until we have the report of the independent consultant.  After receiving the report from the independent consultant, the Selectboard will reconvene, discuss and make a decision at a regular scheduled meeting.  The motion carried unanimously.

Trash Left at Dumpsters:  A letter was pulled out of one of the trash bags to identify the violator, who had left the trash on December 7.  The Selectboard requested to have the administrative assistant to report the incident to the Sheriff’s Department.

ROAD BUSINESS:

Todd Lawley gave the Road Foreman’s Report.  The report is attached.

Renaud Bros. and Daniels Construction bids were received for the box culvert repairs on Baker Brook Road.  A motion was made by Priscilla and seconded by Chris, to have Todd award the lowest bidder.  The motion passed unanimously.  The box culvert bids need to be sent to John Alexander to allow a Structure’s Grant to be done.

A motion was made by Priscilla and seconded by Chris, to accept the Road Foreman’s/Road Commissioner’s Report. The motion passed unanimously.

OLD BUSINESS:

Jon will write a letter to A&D Klumb to inform them that Newfane has a Wireless Communications Ordinance and to request a letter of intent be sent to the Selectboard of a proposed tower at the Windham Sheriff’s office.

Hazard Mitigation Plan:  Gloria will research the benefits for this plan and she will contact Tristam Johnson, Planning Commission Chair.

2012 Audit:  Auditors are requesting segregation of flood expenses and non-flood expenses.  Chris will contact the Town Treasurer as to what she needs for the auditors.  A discussion ensued.

Hunter Brook Bridge #2:  A Scope of Change Request was rejected by FEMA and the Board will be filing a notice to appeal the rejection.  A motion was made by Priscilla, and seconded by Todd, to approve to retain SVE to do the estimation work on the damage to the bridge deck and the need to do the repair work to be provided to FEMA.  The motion passed unanimously.

CORRESPONDENCE:

Karen Mae Smith, VT Grants Management Specialist, sent an email to the administrative assistant to inform the board that Newfane is eligible for the 2% management costs.  A survey needs to be completed and sent to Karen, along with a Certificate of Liability Insurance.

Rescue Inc. sent a letter stating that they have added someone to their board.

Nancy Rysz letter was read.  A discussion ensued.

EXECUTIVE SESSION:  At 9:40 p.m. Gloria moved, and it was seconded by Priscilla, to enter Executive Session to discuss personnel issues, including hiring a lister and to invite Pat Grace.

Executive Session ended at 10:05 p.m.

Gloria moved, and Priscilla seconded, to hire Merle Tessier as the Zoning Administrator, effective immediately.  Jon will contact Merle for his approval of acceptance.

A letter will be sent to Katy Robinson to inform her to make arrangements with the administrative assistant to pick up her personal items from the office.

PAY ORDERS:

Payroll                                                                                  Total Pay Orders:

11/19/12 – $4,846.40                                                                 $64,274.60

11/26/12 – $5,087.15

12/03/12 – $5,796.60

12/05/12 – $6,754.61 – Officers and Part Time

Gloria moved, and Chris seconded, to approve the Pay Orders.  The motion passed unanimously.

ADJOURN:

With no other business to come before the Board, a motion to adjourn was accepted at 10:22 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Grace, Administrative Assistant

 NEWFANE SELECTBOARD
BUDGET MEETING MINUTES

November 27, 2012 

Board Members Present: Jon Mack, Priscilla Cotton, Gloria Cristelli, Chris Druke, Todd Lawley

Others Present:  Patricia Grace, Christina Moore, Marc Pickering

The meeting was called to order at 6:04 p.m. by Jon Mack, Chair.

LYNCH BRIDGE PROJECT:

The selectboard had solicited input from John Alexander, of VTrans, on an RFP that Christina Moore had prepared.   John Alexander responded in an email to the Administrative Assistant earlier today.  It reads:

“I do have some questions/concerns with some of the language in the RFP. My biggest is the “cost testing” that the third party will be conducting. I’m curious why phase’s one and two can’t be bid out first as a separate contract? The town could then re-bid phase three by itself, then the proposals for construction could be reviewed by the third party to determine if they are reasonable. I don’t think it would be fair to award the work (phases 1,2,3) if there is the possibility that the successful bidder could be eliminated from phase 3 that far into the process.

I would like more time to review this and comment on if possible.” A discussion ensued.

Marc Pickering, of VTrans, arrived at 6:20 p.m. Jon Mack stated that emails have been sent out to construction firms stating a time and place for the site bidder.  He felt that if this project is delayed, Newfane will have to take this back get back to the interested firms with new dates.

Marc stated that VTrans recommendation would be to go ahead with putting the design out to bid.  The engineering firm would do the hydraulic analysis and design the bridge.  VTrans cautioned the process of cutting the contractor out in Phase III because of competitive bridge contractors and the town would get a better price.  Marc suggested doing the design first, then doing the bridge, is going to make the whole process a lot easier and more streamline for the town, and the engineering firm would have their constructional engineer to oversee the construction, who will be familiar with the project.  A discussion ensued.

Marc recommended giving VTrans a few more days to look over the contract with more feedback on December 3, 2012 as a consultant to the town.  VTrans wants to have the opportunity to talk with Alec Lupey, Director of Services.

Priscilla Cotton made a motion, and Todd Lawley seconded it, to postpone all dates, listed on the proposal, until a future date.  The motion carried unanimously.

Budgeting:  The Selectboard began working on the budget.

Next Budget Meetings: 

Monday, December 3, 2012 – 5:00-6:30 p.m.

Monday, December 10, 2012 – 5:00-6:30 p.m.

279 Dover Road Survey:  Dan Hull requested approval of the Selectboard to approve a property survey on 279 Dover Road to proceed with the mitigation.  Todd made the motion, and it was seconded by Chris Druke, to approve the survey to be done by SVE on 279 Dover Road.  The motion passed unanimously.

AT&T:  Jon Mack drafted a letter to William Dodge on the cell tower issue.  Todd Lawley made a motion, and it was seconded by Chris Druke, for Jon’s letter to be sent with the corrections as discussed.  The motion passed unanimously.

Tax Sale:  Chris Druke reported the Town of Newfane was the only bidder on the Park City property at the Tax Sale.  Priscilla Cotton made a motion, and it was seconded by Todd Lawley, to approve payment to Sandy Shriver.  The motion passed unanimously.

ADJOURN:

A motion was made by Chris Druke, and seconded by Priscilla Cotton, to adjourn at 7:42 p.m.  The motion passed unanimously.

Respectfully submitted,
Patricia Grace

Administrative Assistant

 NEWFANE SELECTBOARD
BUDGET MEETING MINUTES

November 26, 2012 

Board Members Present: Jon Mack, Gloria Cristelli, Chris Druke, Todd Lawley

Absent:  Priscilla Cotton

Others Present:  Patricia Grace

The meeting was called to order at 5:03 p.m. by Jon Mack, Chair.

The Selectboard continued with working on the budget.  Priscilla Cotton arrived at 5:15 p.m.

Todd Lawley made a motion, and it was seconded by Gloria Cristelli, to continue with the Sheriff’s Department.  The motion passes unanimously, with Chris abstaining because of her relationship with the Sheriff’s Department.

Lynch Bridge RFP Design:  Priscilla Cotton made a motion, and it was seconded by Gloria Cristelli, to use the proposed design/build.   Motion passed unanimously. Todd Lawley suggested that John Alexander, of VTrans, be asked to look over the advertisement and RFP for review.

EXECUTIVE SESSION: 

A motion was made by Gloria Cristelli, and it was seconded by Priscilla Cotton, to go into Executive Session at 6:47 p.m. to discuss the Lister opening position.  The motion passed unanimously.

ADJOURN:

A motion was made by Todd Lawley, and seconded by Chris Druke, to adjourn the meeting at 6:53 p.m.

The motion passed unanimously.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Grace
Administrative Assistant

 NEWFANE SELECTBOARD
BUDGET MEETING MINUTES
November 20, 2012

Board Members Present: Jon Mack, Priscilla Cotton, Gloria Cristelli, Chris Druke

Absent:  Todd Lawley

Others Present:  Patricia Grace, Virginia Grabowski

The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Jon Mack, Chair.

Senior Solutions:  Virginia Grabowski spoke on the increase requested by Senior Solutions in the amount of $1,150.

Budgeting:  The Selectboard began working on the budget.

Executive Session:  A motion was made by Gloria Cristelli, and seconded by Priscilla Cotton, to enter into Executive Session to discuss an employee matter and Fieldstone Lodge legal issue with Patricia Grace attending the Executive Session.  The motion passed unanimously at 7:30 p.m.

The Selectboard came out of Executive Session to reconvene with the regular session at 7:55 p.m.

Chris Druke moved, and it was seconded by Gloria Cristelli, to accept the letter written and that the Selectboard will be signing on a personnel issue. The motion passed unanimously, with Todd Lawley absent.

Jon Mack received a resume from an accounting person to work for the Selectboard.  A discussion ensued.

ADJOURN:

A motion was made by Chris Druke, and seconded by Priscilla Cotton, to adjourn at 8:09 p.m.  The motion passed unanimously.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Grace
Administrative Assistant

 NEWFANE SELECTBOARD
MEETING MINUTES
November 15, 2012 - Video

Board Members Present: Jon Mack, Gloria Cristelli, Chris Druke, Todd Lawley

Absent:  Priscilla Cotton

Others Present:  Corp. Mark Anderson, Ernesto Chua, William Dodge, Mike Faher, Cynthia Fisher, Gunther Garbe, Ginny Grabowski, Patricia Grace, Bruce Hesselbach, Lynn Hilderbrand, Jan Knowles, David LeBlanc, Joe and Phyliss Mandell, Karen Marshall, Christina Moore, Earl Morse, Jr., Stephan Morse, Laura Sibilia, Merle Tessier, David Vivian

The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Jon Mack, Chair.

MINUTES:

A motion was made by Todd Lawley, and seconded by Chris Druke, to approve the minutes of November 1, 2012.  The motion passed unanimously with Priscilla Cotton being absent.

ROAD BUSINESS:

Todd Lawley gave the Road Foreman’s/Road Commissioner’s Report.

Chris Druke moved, and Gloria Cristelli seconded, to accept the Road Foreman’s/Road Commissioner’s Report as amended by adding “at the bottom of Spring Hill Road” to the location of the box culvert paragraph.  The motion passed unanimously.

A discussion ensued on road signs.

SCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC:

Corporal Mark Anderson, of the Windham Sheriff’s Department, reported the traffic and police report activities.

LeBlanc Road Issues:

David LeBlanc sent a letter to the Selectboard requesting to have the Town to resume maintenance on privately owned Purintan Road, to secure access from Wiswall Hill Road.  Todd Lawley responded that there are turnaround and road width issues for the town trucks.  A discussion ensued.

S.E. VT Economic Development Strategies:

Stephan Morse, board member of SeVEDS, is focused on the Windham County to improve economy, quality of work force and is asking the Selectboard to be financially responsible for supporting SeVEDS, by budgeting $3.00 per person.   A discussion ensued.

UNSCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC:  None

OLD BUSINESS:

Cell Towers:  Will Dodge gave a slide presentation on the AT&T cell tower proposal for the town of Newfane.  David Vivian, Site Acquisition Specialist with AT&T; Ernesto Chua, Radio Frequency Engineer for AT&T; and Karen Marshall with Connect VT and board member of VT Telecommunications Association were introduced. Many residents spoke of their concerns of the location at 66 Oak Hill Road.

Lynch Bridge Process:  Todd Lawley made a motion, seconded by Chris Druke, to Lynch Bridge replacement. The motion passed unanimously.  Christina Moore was asked how the Selectboard should proceed with the rebuilding of Lynch Bridge.  A discussion ensued.

Gloria Cristelli made a motion, and Chris Druke seconded, that the Selectboard go with the design-build bridge project.  The motion passed unanimously.

Chris Druke made a motion, seconded by Todd Lawley, to put the advertisement in the newspaper for bidding on 14 Lynch Bridge as drafted.  Motion passed with Gloria abstaining because she hadn’t read the draft advertisement.

Chris Druke made a motion, Gloria Cristelli seconded, to extend Christina Moore’s contract d.b.a. Storm Petrel, to expire on February 12, 2013 and not to exceed the amount of $10,000.  The motion passed unanimously.

Hunter Brook Bridge:  A discussion ensured as to which of the four choices should be selected for the SVE bridge design.  Chris Druke made a motion, seconded by Gloria Cristelli, to select the design that most closely matches the language in the PW.  Motion passed unanimously.  Christina Moore volunteered to work with Peter Boemig, of SVE, to select the design that most closely matches the description in the PW.

Junk Ordinance Violation:  The property owner has had most of the trash and junk removed from the Rt. 30 residence.

Reflectors in Right-Of-Way:  A draft letter was approved to send to the property owner, along with the State Statutes for right-of-way violations.

Check Reconciliation:  Gloria Cristelli spoke with Marilyn Distelberg.  Marilyn is willing to come in to discuss the reconciliation with the treasurer and a selectboard member.  A discussion ensued.  Gloria will set up a meeting for Marilyn, the treasurer and another selectboard member.

A discussion ensued about the flood money accounting system.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:  None

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT’S REPORT:  Pat Grace read the Administrative Assistant’s Report, which is attached.

5 Baker Brook Road:  Chris Druke drafted a letter to property owners of 5 Baker Brook Road in response to a letter received from them earlier this month.  Todd Lawley and Chris made a site visit to the property and they didn’t find any road maintenance that would cause the water problem at that location.  Chris is asking the property owner for written reports  from previous  engineering site visits on water issues.

CORRESPONDENCE:

Rubbish Removal Concern:  A letter was received from Fred’s Rubbish Removal in response to a complaint from Gloria Cristelli regarding clean up around the recycling bins.  A discussion ensued.

Improving Efficiency in Municipal Buildings Forums:  The meeting has been rescheduled to

December 6, 2012.

PAY ORDERS:

Payroll                                                                          Total Pay Orders:

$5,139.70 November 5, 2012                                       $289,070.04

$4,962.74 November 12, 2012

Gloria Cristelli moved, and it was seconded by Chris Druke, to approve the pay orders.  The motion passed unanimously.

ADJOURN:

A motion was made by Chris Druke, and seconded by Todd Lawley to adjourn the meeting at 10:00 p.m.

The motion passed unanimously.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Grace
Administrative Assistant

 NEWFANE SELECTBOARD
MEETING MINUTES October 18, 2012 - Video

Board Members Present: Jon Mack, Priscilla Cotton, Gloria Cristelli, Chris Druke, Todd Lawley

Others Present:  Mark Anderson, Gunther Garbe, Virginia Grabowski, Patricia Grace, Gary Katz, Doris Knechtel, Rich Melanson (BCTV), Piet Van Loon, Dennis Wiswall

The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Jon Mack, Chair.

MINUTES:

A motion was made by Priscilla Cotton, and it was seconded by Chris Druke to approve the minutes, as amended, of the October 4, 2012 meeting.

ROAD BUSINESS:

Todd Lawley gave the Road Foreman’s Report.

Jon had a question about Hickey Road bank stabilization as to whether it was substantially beyond what FEMA has obligated so far. A discussion ensued.  Jon requested that Todd contact Christina Moore for making sure that the scope is appropriate.

A motion was made by Priscilla Cotton, and it was seconded by Chris Druke to approve the Road Foreman’s Report.  The motion carried unanimously.

SCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC:

Sheriff’s Department Report – Corp. Mark Anderson reported on the issues that the department has been covering in the town during the month of September.  The recent burglary on Hunter Brook Road is still being investigated.  Substance abuse issues have been on the rise in this area.

Mark informed the board that anyone can go onto the website to get activity reports by using www.windhamsheriff.com.

Gary Katz asked the Selectboard if they would consider postponing the scheduled October 30^th Special Town Meeting, regarding the bridge issues and the purchase of the Monroe property.  Gary questioned the possible purchase price, in that he felt was set as high as $190,000 for the property because he stated that the property was only valued at $157,000 before the flood.  Another reason for Gary’s concern is the need for more homework to be done on the alternate project.  He also was concerned for potential litigation for the accessibility for the other 300 acres, if the bridge was not built.  A discussion ensued.

Dennis Wiswall spoke on issues with lost tax revenue for the town if the town purchases the Monroe property and the possibility of liability issues for the town.  Dennis also felt that there may be other issues with other property owners if the bridge does not get rebuilt.  Doris Knechtel requested that the warning be changed.  A discussion ensued.

Doris reminded the Selectboard that the town now owns twelve other parcels of property, with the potential of four other buyouts with the hazardous mitigation program.  A discussion ensued.

NEW BUSINESS:

Office Chair Approval:  Gloria Cristelli has requested approval from the Selectboard to purchase an office chair from Staples for the amount of $129.99.  She stated that she will assemble the chair when it arrives. Todd Lawley moved, and it was seconded by Priscilla Cotton, to purchase the chair for up to $136.99, which would include $7.00 for assembling of the chair.  The motion passed with Gloria abstaining.

Lance Lindgren Prehearing:  Gloria reported that she had a prehearing phone conference on October 18.  The case will be going to Rutland on November 15 to present the case to get assistance for the bank stabilization for the Lindrens.  A document needs to be signed by the Selectboard members stating that Gloria will be the authorized representative for the appeal.

Gloria reported that EWP denied the permit for the Benedetto property.  Gloria will try to find out if the Hazardous Mitigation Buy Out Grant would be able to buy out the Benedetto property because of their failed septic system.  Priscilla made a motion, and it was seconded by Chris Druke, to sign the documents stating that Gloria is the signor as the town representative for EWP.  The motion passed unanimously.

Alternate Project:  Jon stated that we are now into month 13 of the proposed 18 month deadline for the alternate projects.  An extension will need to be requested, whether it is for rebuilding the bridge or alternate projects.  There is $456,000.00 available from FEMA for the alternate project.  A letter from State Representative, Ben Rose, stated that the cost for improvements on South Wardsboro Road and Newfane Hill Road needs to be broken out.  The $3,500.00 Town Offices estimate for site and landscaping improvement would have to be deleted.  Any building 50 years or older has to be evaluated for potential impact.  A checklist needs to be followed.

Chris Druke expressed her concerns, to be sure that an attorney is hired, to guide the Selectboard for Lynch Bridge issues to protect the town.  Chris has done some research on the 308 acre parcel of land that surrounds the Monroe property. A discussion ensued.

Jon stated that the purpose of the October 30 meeting is to ask the voters to approve the Selectboard to allow them to negotiate a purchase price with Mr. Monroe.  Jon also stated that Mr. Monroe does not want to sell his property, but wishes to have the bridge rebuilt.  Jon reported that he has had extensive legal advice from Attorney Richard Perra.  Jon stated that nothing would be signed before all legal avenues are covered.  A discussion ensued.

Jon stated that the town would be reimbursed 90% by FEMA and 10% by the State to rebuild the bridge, should the town decide to have it rebuilt.  Jon also stated that Rich Perra has started the title search on the Monroe property.

Jon stated that it is a Selectboard decision, and not a town decision, to discontinue building the bridge.  The Selectboard would hold a hearing to vote it down.  A motion to amend the warning can be done at the beginning of the Special Town Meeting.

Gunther Garbe suggested changing the location of the Special Town meeting because of safety concerns with lack of lighting and parking at Williamsville Hall.  Gloria Cristelli made a motion, and it was seconded by Todd Lawley, to move the special town meeting to NewBrook Fire Station, pending availability, and if not then,  NewBrook Elementary School.  The motion carried.  Pat Grace will call Bob Litchfield to find out if the NewBrook Fire Station for the October 30^th meeting.

Budget Meetings:  The budget meetings for the Selectboard will be as follows:

Monday, November 12  -  Time:  5:00 p.m.  -  6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, November 13  -  Time:  6:00 p.m.  –  7:30 p.m.

Monday, November 19  -  Time:  5:00 p.m.  -  6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, November 20  -  Time:  6:00 p.m.  –  7:30 p.m.

Monday, November 26  -  Time:  5:00 p.m.  -  6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, November 27  -  Time:  6:00 p.m.  -  7:30 p.m.

Chris Druke made a motion, and it was seconded by Priscilla Cotton, to set the deadline of December 14th for social services requests.  The motion passed.

Lister Position:  Priscilla Cotton and Pat Grace will interview the candidates to fill the open part time position as lister. Doris Knechtel will assist with the interviews.  Priscilla and Pat will report back to the Selectboard at the November 1^st meeting for a final decision.

Cell Towers:  Jon reported that AT&T had done a balloon test on October 17 from 66 Oak Hill Road.  Jon also stated that there is a town ordinance for cell towers for the town.

A & D Klub Environmental, LLC sent a letter of intent to propose a 115 foot monopole tower to be located at 1 Jail Street in Newfane.  Jon has contacted VTel asking them to communicate with him.

Jon will contact Allen DeForge of Downs Rachlin Martin and A & D Klumb to remind them that Newfane has a town ordinance and they should keep the board informed as to what they are doing.

Town Audit:  Chris Druke reported that Sullivan and Powers are going through everything and asking a lot of questions.  They will be returning to the office next week to continue the audit.

Reconciliation:  Jon read the letter from Neil Pelsue, addressed to the Selectboard, regarding the duties of reconciliation.  Neil wrote to inform the Selectboard and he will no longer continue with the reconciliations. Jon stated that the town treasurer is using the NEMRC system.  Jon reminded the Selectboard members that they are responsible for hiring someone, independent of the treasurer, to do the reconciliation.  A discussion ensued for setting up a budget to allow NEMRC to come in to restructure our system.  Gloria Cristelli will ask Marilyn Distelberg if she would be interested in working on the reconciliation.  Chris Druke reported that Rick Brigham, of Sullivan and Powers, is gearing up in starting to streamline the records.  The treasurer didn’t segregate the flood money and it has been coming out of the general fund.

279 Dover Road:  Todd Lawley reported that Dan Hull will be looking at the elevation of the site for FEMA.  Todd will follow up with Dan.

By-Ways Program:  Jon is working on getting a meeting scheduled.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Junk Ordinance:  Gloria Cristelli reported that she doesn’t feel that any junk has been removed from the property.  A certified letter, along with the junk ordinance, was sent to the property owner at 542 VT Route 30 by the Selectboard on September 21, 2012.  The return receipt has been signed and returned to the Town Office.  Priscilla Cotton stated that she noticed that some of the junk was starting to get cleaned up.  Jon recommended that a letter be written to the property owner, stating that the junk issue has not been resolved, and that if it is not taken care of before November 1, the Selectboard will be pressed to take action.  A discussion ensued.  Todd Lawley suggested that a letter be written stating that we noticed that an attempt has been started and ask the property owner if she needs assistance in removing the junk.  Pat Grace offered to call the property owner to see what we could do to help and will report back to the Selectboard.

Piet Van Loon suggested that the Selectboard should follow through with another formal letter.  Pete also reminded the Selectboard that any fines for junk or zoning ordinances are processed through the court.

Reflectors:  Gloria reported that she was responsible to investigate the implication of the reflectors on Baker Brook Road.  Selectmen control the right-of-way and not the road foremen.  Gloria didn’t find anything that tells what the Selectboard can do to remove the reflectors.  Pat will call VLTC to find out what rights the Selectboard has of getting the reflectors removed.

Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies:  Jon has left a SVEDS 2013 Work Plan booklet with Pat for anyone to review.

PAY ORDERS:

A motion was made by Gloria Cristelli, and it was seconded by Priscilla Cotton, to approve the pay orders.  The motion was approved unanimously.

Payroll                                                                                  Total Pay Orders:

$3,384.07 – September 25, 2012                                         $397,856.75

$3,439.17 – October 1, 2012

ADJOURN:

A motion was made by Todd Lawley and seconded by Chris Druke to adjourn. The motion was passed unanimously.  The meeting was at 9:28 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Grace, Administrative Assistant

October 18^th 2012 

Road Foreman’s/Road Commissioner’s Report

   1] Roads: The roads are in good shape .We have been hauling gravel to some and grading and raking others. If it doesn’t rain too much next week, we will be replacing some culverts. The little bridge that was in bad shape on Adams Hill has been replaced with a 3 ft. culvert by A.S. Clark and Sons.

   2] Equipment: The 07 F350 will be going over to Twin State Truck service next week to have the rear differential looked at.  It is making quite a bit noise. The 06 Sterling is back and we are sand- blasting the dump body and then will paint it.  I have ordered a carbide blade for the grader. We get  two years out of a blade. That makes it less expensive than using regular blades on it.

   3] Complaints on Baker Brook Road: Christopher has had a lot of complaints about the reflectors, and a small stone wall on the same property being too close to the road.

   4] FEMA work:  Hunter Brook Road is now done with the gravel and culvert work. Joe Wright did that work. It will still need to have the two bridges work done but, otherwise, that road is done.

Adams Hill gravel work from Steve Jones to the Cersosmo’s gravel pit is almost done and that should be all the work done on that road.

Hickey Road bridge and bank stabilization work still needs to be done and Dan is working on that. That work should be a priority so we don’t loose that bridge and we don’t loose any more of the bank by Hickey’s house.

5] Depot Hill slide: Depot Hill has started to slide again. We went down and looked at it and marked it with paint. I will contact John or Mark from VTRANS to see if there is anything we can do before winter.

6] Bridge 14:  ReNaud Bros. is close to being done with that project.

7] The sign posts have finally come in so we will be putting up more signs. The truck signs on Parish Hill and Baker Brook Rd. are in and the “Trucks Entering” sign on Depot are up along with speed limit signs on Grimes Hill.

8] Box culvert at the Baker Brook Rd. and Lower Spring Hill Rd. intersection needs to have work done as soon as possible. The water is running under the abutment and one wing wall has a big crack in it. I will have John or Mark look at that as well. Then have Renaud Bros and Daniels construction look at it and give us an estimate on repairs. We have most of the money ($30k) left in the bridge repair fund.

Thank You

Todd Lawley/ Road Foreman

Christopher Williams/Road Commissioner