Selectboard Minutes Special Meeting Tuesday, January 3, 2023

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BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT:
Angela Sanborn, Katy Johnson-Aplin, Jeffrey Chevalier, Ann Golob, and Mike Fitzpatrick (phone).

OTHERS PRESENT:
 Katie Bristol (Lister Data Entry), Austin Rice (Producer BCTV), and Wannetta Powling (Administrative Assistant).

Zoom:
Jay Wilson (Road Foreman), Doris Knechtel (Lister), Beckley Gaudette (Lister), Ryan Silverstri (NEM Appraiser), Merle Tessier (Zoning Administrator), Jane Douglas (Planning Commission), Lynn Forrest (DRB).

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

CONFIRM PROPERLY WARNED:
Powling confirmed the meeting had been properly warned.

ADDITIONS/AMENDMENTS TO AGENDA:
Golob requested to add the FEMA buy-out to old business.
Golob requested to add to the correspondence information from Lynn Forrest.

EXECUTIVE SESSION:
Contract issue; discussion under Vermont article 1 V.S.A. § 313(a)

Pending or probable civil litigation or a prosecution, to which the public body is or may be a party.

 Golob made a motion to enter Executive Session- Invited to join were Doris Knechtel, Beckley Gaudette, Ryan Silverstri, Katie Bristol, and Wannetta Powling. Chevalier seconded the motion.
Motion passed 5/0

Entered Executive Session at 6:03 P.M.

Golob made a motion to leave Executive Session. Fitzpatrick seconded the motion.
Motion passed 5/0.

Left Executive Session at 6:22 PM
Selectboard made no decision.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

  1. December 19th, 2022, Regular Meeting
    Golob made a motion to approve the December 19th regular minutes. Chevalier seconded the motion.
    Motion passed 4/0; Fitzpatrick abstained.

  2. December 21st, 2022, Budget Minutes
    Golob made a motion to approve the December 21st budget minutes. Chevalier seconded the motion.
    Golob had amendments to the December 21st budget minutes that were previously emailed to the Selectboard.
    Johnson-Aplin made a motion to approve the December 21st budget minutes as amended. Chevalier seconded the motion.
    The motion passed 4/0. Fitzpatrick abstained because he did not see the amendments to the minutes.

ROAD FOREMAN’S & ROAD COMMISSIONER’S REPORT:

  1. The December 23rd rain caused moderate damage; we have been busy patching up the spots to get us through the winter. I have the letter for Marc Pickering ready for you to sign, requesting a VTrans emergency grant to help cover the repairs.
  2. The sand/salt shed has nothing new to report.
  3. The Depot Rd Box Culvert has nothing new.
  4. This morning, we received a draft plan for the Loop Rd box culvert; I will be meeting with the engineer in the next couple of weeks to go through the plan.
  5. We should have a draft of the Hazzard Mitigation Plan in the next couple of weeks.

Discussion:
Johnson-Aplin asked Wilson to elaborate on the damages from the flooding that occurred on December 23rd.

Wilson said that the damage to Newfane caused four roads to be temporally closed. Three of the four roads were opened again by December 24th, and that a representative from VTrans estimated the damage to be $85,000, making Newfane eligible for an emergency grant. A letter had been prepared for the Selectboard to sign requesting emergency grant assistance to help with the repairs.

Golob made a motion to sign the letter to VTrans requesting emergency assistance. Johnson-Aplin seconded the motion.
Motion passed 5/0.

Johnson–Aplin asked for an update on the repairs to Eddy Road from the flood.
Wilson said that work started on Friday, and good progress has been made.

Deborah Luskin wanted to notify Wilson that the culvert on Grimes Hill near her residence is undermining the road, possibly due to the end of the culvert being crushed.

Wilson agreed to review the damage.

The vote was called to approve the Road Foreman’s report.
Motion passed 5/0.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT’S REPORT: 

  1. I have made the correction to the DV Fiber template letter to notify the Montpelier Broadband Board of Newfane’s $15,000 pledge. The Deerfield Valley CUD will receive a matching pledge from the Vermont Community Broadband Board. To help with the connection of those that meet the CUD eligibility requirements.
  2. I have been making progress on the Town Report.
  3. A reminder that Committee reports are due for the Town Report by January 6th. Try to keep your reports to a two-page maximum in our effort to keep printing costs to the minimum. I have half of the reports. I need the following.
    Treasurer / Tax Collector

Town Clerk
Planning Commission
Development Review Board
Williamsville Hall
Newfane Conservation Commission
Road Commissioner
Selectboard

Chevalier made a motion to approve the Administrative Assistance report. Fitzpatrick seconded the motion.
Discussion:

Deborah Luskin (Moderator) gave her opinion on how the social appropriations articles on the warning for the Town Meeting are listed – either individually or as a group. Luskin urged that voters need to have the power to choose how their money is spent.

Sanborn stated that it is less confusing to have each social appropriation listed as separate articles.

Fitzpatrick agreed that the articles are better when they are separated.

Johnson-Aplin mentioned that Town Meetings were a day of socializing with your neighbors and that having a lot of articles was a way of keeping voters engaged in discussions and gave meaning with purpose.

Powling offered to contact the agencies asking for appropriations to see if they would provide a representative to address their request for funding at Town Meeting.

Fitzpatrick made a motion to list all the social appropriation as separate articles. Johnson-Aplin seconded the motion.
Motion passed 5/0.

 COMMITTEE REPORT
None

SCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
None

UNSCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
None

OLD BUSINESS
ARPA
The Newfane Selectboard, at its December 5th, 2022, meeting, approved the following motion:
         

The town of Newfane will commit to providing DVFiber with the amount of $ 15,000 from general funds to assist DVFiber in connecting un-served and underserved locations to fiber optic broadband.

DV Fiber requested that a letter of commitment be submitted to help ensure that funds will be matched from the Vermont Community Broadband Board.

Jane Douglas (Newfane representative to DV Fiber) asked that the letters to Montpelier and the Deerfield Valley CUD be sent to Donna Sebastian’s address. Douglas mentioned that the first customers in the Town of Readsboro are now connected to Fiber.

Golob made a motion to authorize Angela Sanborn to sign both letters for DV Fiber. Chevalier seconded the motion.
Motion passed 5/0.

Cannabis
No update

Town Beautification
No update

Newfane Celebration of 250-Years
No update

FEMA Buy-Out
Golob shared news regarding the FEMA buyout program, including four documents that were completed on behalf of the Town by the Windham Regional Commission for the property at the corner of Dover Road and Auger Hole Road, formerly the South Newfane General Store. The FEMA program has a deadline for submitting applications of February 1st, 2023.

Carol Hesselbach (Town Clerk) asked if the residents would be allowed to have input on the decision due to the effects this would have on the Grand List.

  Golob stated that the current condition of the property is “an Eye Sore,” that there is no current septic, and that the state of the property is a hazard and could cause unknown liability.

Fitzpatrick mentioned that there were other properties that were in the worst condition, that to his knowledge, the General Store had never been affected by a flood, and that it was assumed that that was the purpose for the FEMA buyout.  Fitzpatrick made a recommendation to press the owner to sell the property to someone, make it safe, or unload it.  There is no benefit to the Town to remove this property from the Grand List.

Lynn Forrest asked if the property would be by “Eminent Domain.” The answer is No.

Further Discussion
The Selectboard contacted (Treasurer) Melissa Brown by phone to get added information on how this would affect the taxes. The decision of the Board was to table further discussion until the January 17th, 2023, Selectboard Meeting to allow the Listers and the Treasurer to research the financial impact on the taxpayers.

NEW BUSINESS
No update

CORRESPONDENCE
Lynn Forrest posted that her “catalytic converter” had been stolen from one of their vehicles parked in front of her garage on Dover Road.
Julia Tadlock – Email Looking for the status of the ARPA funds regarding the procedures for businesses applying for funds.
Golob stated that research has not been completed and that this is more complex and harder to address.

Mike Fitzpatrick, who attended remotely, withdrew and left the meeting at 7:18 P.M.
 PAY ORDERS

1.       Payroll Warrant No #11600                         Amount $    7,458.53
2.       Payroll Warrant No #11601                         Amount $    7,850.97
3.       Payroll Warrant No #11602                         Amount $    6,206.99
4.       Account Payable No # 23014                      Amount $   51,548.15

Golob made a motion to approve Pay Orders. Chevalier seconded the motion.
Motion passed 4/0

ADJOURN:
Chevalier made a motion to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 7:35 P.M.

Respectfully Submitted,
Wannetta Powling, Administrative Assistant
ALS/ AG