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

OTHERS PRESENT:  James Bressor(Planning Commission), Jane Douglas (Planning Commission), Kate Gehring (Planning Commission), Melanie Keiser, Gary Keiser, Bill Morse, Susan Dedell, Paul Dedell, Bruce Lounsbury, Pablo Medina, Chris Triebert, Austin Rice (BCTV), and Wannetta Powling (Administrative Assistant)

Zoom:  Alyssa Sabetto (Windham Regional Commission), Jay Wilson (Road Foreman), David Cotton, and Ronald Beckett,

CALL TO ORDER:  The meeting was called to order at 6:40 p.m. by Selectboard Chair Angela Sanborn.

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

ADDITIONS/AMENDMENTS TO AGENDA:  
Golob made a motion to add approval for the August 7th, 2023, Cannabis Control minutes, Johnson-Aplin seconded the motion.
Motion passed 4/0.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
August 7^th, 2023, Regular Meeting
Johnson-Aplin made a motion to accept the August 7th minutes, and Chevalier seconded the motion. Motion passed 4/0.

 August 7^th, 2023, Cannabis Control Commission
Johnson-Aplin made a motion to accept the August 7th Cannabis Control minutes, and Chevalier seconded the motion. Motion passed 4/0.

ROAD FOREMAN’S & ROAD COMMISSIONER’S REPORT

1. The roadside mower had a breakdown that required it to go back; he was able to get most of the roads mowed but not all.

2. We were notified that we were not funded this year for the Newfane Village sidewalk grant. They had $16.1 million in requests and $4.1 million available. We will apply again next year.
3. DMI did some pavement repairs on Grimes Hill last week and called to say there was some additional spot that needed to be fixed in addition to the ones he and I had marked. I had them fix everything as they went, and he will come back up tomorrow, and we will figure out how many more square feet need to be fixed.
4. We had a phone meeting with FEMA this afternoon and will be having our first in-person meeting next week with our FEMA recovery person.
5. I had a meeting about the Depot Rd. Box culvert today, and it looks like it won’t happen until next year at this point. The holdup has been getting the cement mix approved to pour the cement box.
   Johnson-Aplin made a motion to accept the Road Foreman’s report, and Chevalier seconded.

Discussion: Ensued

• No additional time is available on the tractor schedule for this year. We were not able to complete all the mowing that had been planned. Johnson-Aplin asked if purchasing a mower or co-purchase with another town would make sense.
• Newfane was not selected to receive grant money this year for the Newfane Village Sidewalk program.  Johnson-Aplin mentioned that additional funds may be available through other sources that she learned about at the recent VT Leadership Summit conference she attended in Randolph, VT. Johnson-Aplin will do further research.
• DMI Paving has been paving areas on Grimes Hill this past week; Wilson will meet with them to discuss additional work that was found and determined to be necessary.
• A representative from FEMA will be coming down for a meeting at the Town Office next week. Melissa and Wannetta will also attend the meeting.
• The Depot Road Box culvert replacement will be on hold until next spring. There has been trouble getting the concrete certified. Wilson said that he would plan to patch the pavement for the winter.
• ‘Dummerston is providing Newfane with a copy of their Act 250 application for a gravel pit so we can review how they estimated the number of trips anticipated to and from the pit.”.
  The vote was called. Motion passed 4/0

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT’S REPORT: 

1. Katy Johnson-Aplin and I attended the Leadership Summit at VTEC in Randolph, VT, last Tuesday. This conference was attended by community leaders, volunteers, VLCT admin, and various agency representatives from 187 towns, as well as senators and legislators from our state and federal governments. Combined, we attended six classes from the same learning track of advancing town projects more efficiently, from planning to execution. We will present you with a detailed report in the middle of September when time allows for better discussion.
2. I attended the Animal Control (ACO) meeting this morning. Newfane is one of nine towns within Windham County (twenty-three towns.) Sheriff Anderson shared the number of calls ACO has responded to 187 calls this past FY (see below); the group is excited that the ACO pilot program is growing. I encourage you to share our results with your family and friends.

Animals at Large 78
Animal Problems 34
Vicious Animal 18
Animal Welfare 37
Animal Nuisance 16
Animal Registration 4

 

Chevalier made a motion to accept the Administrative Assistant’s report, and Johnson-Aplin seconded.

Discussion:
No discussion.
The vote was called. Motion passed 4/0

COMMITTEE REPORT:

• Planning Commission

Chair Kate Gehring gave a brief update on By-Law Modernization and short-term rental projects they are working on now.  Jane Douglas reported that DV Fiber is working on the Stanford and Readsboro installations and progressing well.

SCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC:
Paul Bedell and neighbors of Rock River expressed concerns to the Selectboard regarding the continued erosion of the stream banks along their property since Hurricane Irene. Photos and a short video of the damage from the Green Iron Bridge in South Newfane to the Covered Bridge in Williamsville were viewed.  With the increase in the number of storms seen and the significant amount of flooding, residents are asking for remediation work in the stream. River Engineer Scott Jensen met with the neighbors and offered them some possible solutions. Grant research will need to be done to cover the expense; the members of the Selectboard asked if anyone would be willing to help write a grant request that would help expedite the process. USDA Emergency Watershed protection and sponsorship information was given to members of the public members to help assist with the following steps needed.

UNSCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
None

OLD BUSINESS:

1. Town Beautification suggestions (Chevalier)
   No Update

2. FEMA buyout of South Newfane General Store (Golob)
   No Update

3. ARPA Funds Updates (Golob)
   No Update

4. Flood Plain River Corridor By-Law proposed changes.
   Previously discussed in the Public Hearing.

5. Personal Policy Recommendations (Johnson-Aplin).
   No update

NEW BUSINESS
None

CORRESPONDENCE:

• An email letter from Dan Dewalt expressing gratitude for the Road Crew’s work before the flooding. The ditches along Parish Hill were maintaining the flow of the water.

  Golob, who attended via Zoom, left the meeting at 7:37 p.m.

  PAY ORDERS
  

• Payroll Warrant # 11639                                               Amount $ 5,554.34
• Payroll Warrant # 11640                                               Amount $ 5,783.28
• Account Payable # 24004                                            Amount $ 272,223.23

Chevalier made a motion to approve Pay Orders. Johnson-Aplin seconded the motion.
Motion passed 3/0

ADJOURN:
Chevalier made a motion to adjourn. The meeting was adjourned at 7:49 P.M.

Respectfully Submitted,
Wannetta Powling, Administrative Assistant