Monday, May 2nd, 2022, Selectboard Minutes

Meeting   https//www.zoom.us/join         Meeting ID:  972 2791 1757   Passcode:  352680

BOARD MEMBERS:  Angela Sanborn, Ann Golob, Jeffrey Chevalier, and Katy Johnson-Aplin

Phone @ 6:10 Mike Fitzpatrick

OTHERS PRESENT:  (In-Person) Steve Levine, Janine Rose, Norbert Benaiche, Austin Rice B.C.T.V, and Wannetta Powling (Zoom) Jay Wilson, Jane Douglas, Edward Collins, Sheriff Mark Anderson, and Sergeant Chris Norton

CALL TO ORDER:

The meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm by Selectboard Chair Angela Sanborn.

 

ADDITIONS/AMENDMENTS TO AGENDA:  

None

 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

  • April 18th, 2022, Regular Meeting

Ann Golob made a motion to approve the April 18th Regular Meeting Minutes. Katy Johnson- Aplin seconded the motion. Motion passed 4/0.

  • April 18th, 2022, Board of Liquor Control

Ann Golob made a motion to approve the April 18thBoard of Liquor Control Minutes. Katy Johnson-Aplin seconded the motion.  – Motion passed 4/0

ROAD FOREMAN’S REPORT:

  1. The Arch Bridge cement footings are complete on the Williamsville end, and they hope to be forming up the south end by the end of the week.
  2. I have a meeting next week with Bill Jewell and Lial Will from the State of Vermont to address the little seasonal stream that goes through the gravel pit. Bill is also working on the archeological part of the permit process.
  3. The 30-day waiting period is almost up for the 254 Depot Rd. condemnation process.
  4. The new small truck that we started the replacement process 13 months ago is now complete, and we should be seeing it very soon.
  5. We need to secure our supplier of winter sand quickly. I had two towns contact me last week about who we have used. Derring out of Putney, VT is our current supplier. There will be an increase of $1 per yard for fuel expenses.

Motion made by Ann Golob and seconded by Jeffrey Chevalier to approve going with Derring out of Putney as the supplier of sand for the 2022-2023 winter.  Motion passed 4/0

  1. We have a contract from Dubois & King for The Newfane Village Scoping Study for you to approve. ” ’It’s almost $3000 over what we have budgeted, and I have sent a request to the village trustees to see if they will cover it. The village will be meeting on June 1st.

Motion made by Ann Golob and seconded by Katy Johnson–Aplin to approve contract from Dubois & King,     Motion passed 4/0

  1. We had a sinkhole open up yesterday afternoon around the culvert as you enter Loop Rd. from Route 30. We had Marc Pickering there this morning and have done a temporary repair; Marc is having the hydraulic study done, which will take several months to complete. We will then have to develop a replacement plan for that culvert.

 I would like to publicly thank the Town of Dover for using their Pavement Cutter and Ed Druke at W.W. Building Supply for bringing a brand new battery-operated Jack Hammer out for us to use.

8. I just wanted to let you know that fuel will be over budget with the considerable increase in cost.

Discussion: 

Angela Sanborn asked about plans to clean the ditches and culverts to avoid any future flooding that might happen due to blocked debris.

Jay Wilson responded that the road crew will start in the next couple of weeks, first on Parish Hill from the Green iron Bridge to the top of the hill by the farm.

Ann Golob asked how the residents on Duke Rd were managing to turn around now that the construction at the Arch Bridge is in full swing.

Jay Wilson responded that he arranged with the landowner at the bottom of Sunset Lake Rd to use some of their property during the construction.

 Katy Johnson-Aplin made a motion to accept the Road ’Forman’s Report. Jeffrey Chevalier seconded.

Motion passed 4/0

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT’S REPORT: 

  • I have attached the agreement for services for Rescue for the next three years. The current contract will expire on June 30th.

An invitation invited members to discuss with the Board of Trustees at the Brattleboro Station on May 19th @ 6:30 and the long-term effect of Brattleboro’s decision to drop services. If someone wants to attend, I will need to send an RSVP.

Ann Golob, Angela Sanborn, Katy Johnson-Aplin, and Jeffrey Chevalier would like to attend and asked if Wannetta would RSVP and confirm if four members could attend.

  • On May 11th, from 9-12, I will be taking the final VLCT training for Selectboard members, “Legal and Effective Meetings;” if anyone would like to sign up for this, you can let me know after the meeting.
  • The Zoning Administrator will be returning tomorrow with limited restrictions, following his procedure last week. We have had only a few people that have needed assistance – and have just one application waiting for review.
  • Regarding our Aflac employee benefits, I have been attempting to register Newfane for online billing statements (their system was not available to me today.) They will no longer send invoices thru the mail. If we do not register, we will forfeit our coverage.

I will continue to register for the online billing and update the Chair if there are any issues.

  • I have started scheduling Committee Members & Chairs to discuss their plans, news, questions, or concerns with the Selectboard. This will help to keep you informed as a Board and will better serve the residents of Newfane, South Newfane, Williamsville, and Brookside.

Conservation Commission, Development Review, Emergency Management, Health Officer, Listers -Assessor, Moderator, Planning Commission, Town Clerk, Treasurer – Delinquent Tax Collector, Tree Warden, Williamsville Hall, Zoning -911 Coordinator,

Ann Golob made a motion to approve the Administrative Assistant’s Report. Mike Fitzpatrick seconded. Motion passed 5/0.

COMMITTEE REPORT:

None

SCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

Angela Sanborn thanked Sheriff Anderson and Sargent Norton from the Windham County Sheriff’s Department for attending the meeting. Katy Johnson-Aplin and Jeffrey Chevalier were asked to review billing statements and ticket stops reports and compile our questions and concerns.

Questions included: Is there a way for the “Star” reports to have more clarity and detail? It is helpful to know where stops are being made in Newfane.   The Board had expected to see more patrols on back roads and through all of the villages, not just Newfane Village. Sheriff Anderson reassured the members that, logically, you would see more violations and stops on Route 30 due to the amount of traffic. They could focus more patrols on the dirt roads and make an effort to review other areas of concern for Newfane.

Janine Rose – stated that speeding in Williamsville is very bad and getting worse; if something doesn’t change, she fears that someone will likely get hurt.

Steve Levine asked if a machine could be used to issue tickets by taking a photo of the license plate.

Sheriff Anderson responded it is currently not legal in Vermont to use this type of operation and that the cost of the set-up is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. From your comments and questions, it is apparent that Newfane believes that more enforcement efforts in areas around the bus stop in the early morning commute need to be addressed.

Ann Golob asked about the staffing level at the WCSD.

Sheriff Anderson responded that they are fully staffed, but not all are fully qualified; this will take at least six months. He added that he was confident that we at WCSD will be able to take care of Newfane’s safety needs.

Sargent Norton shared more information on the Speed Analysis report that he provided. With this Speed survey report, it can target a particular area of road, and will track the speed, number of cars, and the percent of enforceable violations.

Michael Fitzpatrick asked if this kind of information isn’t already something that we can get from the radar signs we have?

Jay Wilson replied that we can get the information only going in one direction. When the Sheriff’s Department is out doing patrols to catch speeding, the town can turn off our radar signs. Jay also suggested that the Sheriff could put their Speed Analysis right after the town’s radar sign on Dover Road in Williamsville to see if people are picking up speed right after passing the radar sign.

UNSCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC:   

None

OLD BUSINESS:

Williamsville Hall – Steve Levine discussed a letter from Health Officer Dr. Tim Schafer regarding his recent inspection of the Williamsville Hall for suspected mold. His letter addresses no apparent signs of mold. He concludes that the building is in good shape; there was one concern about possible mold, but Schafer believes it was probably coming from some old props and costumes that may have been stored in a damp or musty basement or barn. Steve Levine will send a copy of this report for the files.

Steve Levine provided the Preservation Trust written assessment of Williamsville Hall. In the report, there were six points to be addressed.

  1. Chimney Base: Clean out the chimney. Cap or screen the top. Do brick re-pointing at the top and, if necessary, at the kitchen bottom once you can see the condition of the bricks. Check the roof flashing. Estimated cost: $4,000 – $5,000                     
  2. Basement Posts: Jack the first interior carrying beam wall from the dirt one level below the main floor. If possible, bring this wall and the gallery up to or near level. Add taller interior column bases and reset the columns, removing any rot at the bottoms. Estimated cost: $14,000 – $16,000
  3. Hole in northwest cornice: Open the cornice at the northwest corner and clean out the bird and animal activity. Close it over with correct fascia and molding. Estimated cost: $1,000
  4. Lower Exterior Stair Cover: Build a cover over the lower stairs and landing. Its roof will need to be flashed into the sidewall clapboard. Repair any damaged clapboard and trim at the same time, here and elsewhere, low and damp on the building. Estimated cost: $9,000 – $11,000
  5. Porch Roofing: Install new roofing, metal, or membrane on the 10 x 15 ft. porch. Flash it under the woodwork at the main building. Repair any damaged structure on the roof. Estimated cost: $3,000 – $4,000
  6. Slate Roof: Get a slate worker to look at your roof and give you an estimate of miscellaneous site replacements. Estimated cost: Several thousand dollars every few years.

The Williamsville Hall committee will review these recommendations and compile a list of potential contractors to receive RFPs. The committee will come back to the Selectboard with their proposed plan of action.

 

Towns Obligations Cannabis Follow Up – Katy Johnson-Aplin

In a brief report, Katy Johnson-Aplin stated that the State of Vermont has not made significant progress on the municipalities’ regulations or guidance. Towns can establish their own Cannabis Control Board (CCB); the role of the Board includes implementing the laws governing the adult-use cannabis program, compliance, and enforcement of the rules regarding the licensing and oversight of cannabis businesses program.

The six different types of license are,

  1. Cultivator- may grow cannabis plants in or outdoors.
  2. Manufacturer-can produce cannabis products including edibles and oils.
  3. Wholesaler-can purchase products from other licensees and sell them to licensees.
  4. Testing laboratory-may test cannabis and products obtained from a licensed cannabis establishment, dispensary, or a member of the public.
  5. Retailer-may sell cannabis and cannabis products to the general public.
  6. Integrated may engage in the activities of all the licenses listed but are only available to some that hold a dispensary registration.

 

More updates come as they become available from the State. It was agreed that the Administrative Assistant will compile information on the progress other towns in Windham County are making in deciding on whether or not to allow retail cannabis.

 Next steps for researching ARPA funding options – Ann Golob

What are the next steps that would be helpful in following up on the information presented by JB Hinds from Birchline Planning, Chris Campany from Windham Regional Commission, and Maxwell Vandervliet from Main Street Planning as we continue our discussions about how to spend our ARPA funds?

It was agreed that Ann Golob would draft some ideas for RFP’s that the Selectboard can review on the next steps in moving forward:

  • Addressing sewers systems
  • Housing study
  • River Engineer to study potential remediation at different points in the river management
  • If we want to apply for a municipal grant, what would we want it to focus on?

Katy Johnson-Aplin brought up making improvements to some of the old county trails for emergency use. Following a natural disaster when roads are cut off due to flooding as an alternative route, Newfane has more bridges than most other towns.

NEW BUSINESS: 

None

CORRESPONDENCE:  

None

 PAY ORDERS:

  1.  Payroll Warrant No #11566                          Amount $    4,944.22
  2.  Payroll Warrant No #11568                          Amount $    6,620.05
  3.  Account Payable No # 22023A                    Amount $    975.00
  4.  Account Payable No # 22023                       Amount $    930,703.70

 

Ann Golob made a motion to approve Pay Orders. Jeffrey Chevalier seconded.  

Motion passed 4/0 (Mike Fitzpatrick had left the meeting at this point.)

ADJOURN:

   Ann Golob made a motion to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 7:55 pm

 

Respectfully Submitted,

Wannetta Powling, Administrative Assistant