Town of Charlotte
Board of Selectmen
Hearing on Highway
Access permit application
and
Selectboard meeting
Minutes
Monday, June 9, 2003
7:00 PM, Charlotte Town Hall
Debbie Ramsdell
Eleanor Russell
Jennifer Steele Cole
OTHERS: Dan
Senecal-Albrecht (selectboard assistant)
Bill
April
Laura
Atkinson
Carol Aube-Hinsdale
Clyde Baldwin
Gregg
Beldock
Dr.
Richard Bernstein
Trina
Bianchi
Stephen
C. Brooks
Jimmy
Dickerson
Amy
Dubrul
Erich
Finley
Janet
Foster
Toby
Goldsmith
Lawrence
Hamilton
Linda
Hamilton
John
Hammer
Carol
Hanley
Robin
Hayden
Richard
Hess
Clark
Hinsdale, Jr.
Clark
Hinsdale, III
Judy Laberge
Louis Laberge
Robert
Mack
Martha
Perkins
Ann-Marie
Plank
Robin
Reid
Ellen
Russell
Brooke
Scatchard
Sylvia
Sprigg
Christopher Sulfert
Dr. Lee
Weisman
Tony
Weller
Jocelyn Bolick (clerk)
The hearing was
called to order at 7:00 pm.
Public Hearing - 527 Ferry Road highway access application
This hearing is to
discuss curb cuts on Ferry Road. Dr.
Bernstein feels the issues are really clear.
The policy seems to be to have one curb cut unless there are mitigating
circumstances, such as safety. The
health center has high traffic; the people driving in and out are a little
“sketchy”. It is a special situation
that does impose a safety issue on anyone sharing that driveway. It won’t work to expect residents to share a
driveway with that sort of traffic volume.
Dr. Bernstein feels it should be exempt from the one curb cut
policy. The center would be open on
Saturday, so any children in the residence would be exposed to the high volume
of traffic.
Debbie Ramsdell feels
it is mostly a safety issue. Charles
Russell feels the present driveway is not safe. The only way the safety is going to improve is if the present
driveway is somehow expanded. Adding a
second driveway doesn’t improve the safety of the initial driveway. Dr. Bernstein agrees that the current
driveway needs to be updated, but there has never been an accident since they
have been there. They feel they have
approximately 40 cars in and out of the driveway each day; and they are open
from 9 to 5 PM. They are willing to
talk about having a pull out at the origin of the driveway – perhaps create a
double-wide pullout since the visibility is fine. Debbie Ramsdell agrees that it would at times be dangerous if a
residence was sharing the driveway.
C. Russell said that
although the Planning Commission approved a second curb cut, the Planning
Commission did not have the authority to approve the curb cut.
C. Russell said the
road commissioner was supposed to be consulted on curb cuts. Dr. Weisman said he did have informal
conversations with Junior Lewis at the time.
However, they felt there was a pre-existing road cut so they never had
the road commission officially check out the site for a new curb cut.
C. Russell asked if
they had any data showing the value of the property with a 2nd curb
cut versus moving the present driveway, etc.
Dr. Bernstein said they have not done that analysis yet. He said that you have to put yourself in the
position of someone looking to buy that house.
He feels it would negatively impact the value of the property. He feels it would create an uncomfortable
situation, so it would be a negative on the property. Jennifer Cole asked if it was a negative because of the process
or because of sharing the driveway.
They felt it was because of the driveway – it’s hard to think about
buying property for a business and sharing a driveway.
Charles Russell said
that a decision must be rendered within 30 days after the close of the hearing.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The meeting was called to order at 7:36 pm.
The items on the agenda were as follows:
Adjustments to Agenda
/ Public Discussion / Decision on request by U.S. Board of Geographic Names to
name “Twilight Bay” / Appointments of Member and Alternate to MPO, Technical
Advisory Committee / Decision on request by IWO to bore under Ferry Road /
Hiring of Intramural Sports Coordinator or Recreation Director (discussion
only) / Laberge Firing Range / Trails Committee Composition (discussion only) /
Carol Aube-Hinsdale (discussion of options for restitution) / Woody Anderson
Pasturing Lease for Town Poor Farm / Approve minutes of May 12th and
May 20th / Selectboard Updates (Plouffe Farm Road and Old Town
Landfill; Dog Ordinance and Unlicensed Dog List ) / Sign Bills and Warrants /
Adjournment
Adjustments to Agenda
Stephen
Brooks disagrees with Bruce on what the issue is – it has nothing to do with
bidding. Charlotte has a road
commissioner that the townspeople have elected. The other issue is that the right equipment is a full-size road
grader to do town roads and the proper way to handle potholes is to cut the
material at the grade below the bottom level of the pothole – using a ripper is
not appropriate. Junior does not use a
ripper because he does not want to disturb the base.
Decision on request by U.S. Board of Geographic Names to
name “Twilight Bay”
Motion made by
Eleanor Russell, seconded by Jennifer Cole:
“To move to support the request from the U.S. Board of
Geographic Names to name the bay which is located north of Hills Point
‘Twilight Bay’ ”.
Vote: all in favor.
Twilight Bay was
named after Alexander Twilight. He was
a native of Corinth and was an indentured servant. He was the first African-American to graduate from Middlebury
College. He taught school in New York,
studied in the ministry, and was the first African-American to be elected to the
state legislature. He died in 1857.
He did not live near
the bay, but the bay currently has no name.
It is southwest of Shelburne Orchard.
Appointments of Member and Alternate to MPO, Technical
Advisory Committee
Postponed.
Decision on request by IWO to bore under Ferry Road
Motion made by
Jennifer Cole, seconded by Eleanor Russell:
“To approve request by IWO to bore under Ferry Road”.
Vote: all in favor.
Hiring of Intramural Sports Coordinator or Recreation
Director (discussion only)
Gregg Beldock came to
discuss the possibility of hiring a recreation coordinator. This will no longer be done through the
school at the end of the year. An
employee at the school spends 20 to 25 hours per week supporting intramural
sports, and some parents spend at least that much time on intramural
sports. It is a Herculean effort, and
people are getting burnt out. Also, the
school no longer has the dollars to support this effort. Over a thousand slots are filled in
intramural sports in Charlotte. If they
charged a nominal fee per user unit they could fund a sports coordinator. Also, fundraisers are a great way to see
that children and their parents are vested in the activity and it generates a
whole lot of money. The school can’t
continue to service the children and their recreational needs so something must
be done. A suggestion was made to come
up with a job description and a mission statement for this person.
Robin Reid, the chair
of the recreation commission, discussed the proposed transfer of the intramural
sports program from the school to the town. This takes time, and they are
prepared to hire a coordinator. There
are a lot of people in town that are interested in making sure that this
happens, and it happens well. This is a
good start that Gregg has given us.
There are a few things to be concerned about. The scope – we have to make sure we don’t overburden them. Setting a fee – you could make money on
this, which would allow the department to grow and branch out into other
programs. Robin said most of the rec
departments in the neighboring towns that she has contacted have started out
because of the need in youth sports.
Charles said that this was an attempt to see what we could get done in 3
weeks – at least they could have the intramural coordinator hired.
Gregg feels that we
need to start with a very specific job description since the job could be
overwhelming with all the recreational issues in town (space issues, developing
trails, etc.). Eleanor Russell said the
immediate goal is to take over the intramural program from the school – they
are committed to that. Robin Reid said
if they charge fees for soccer, it could conceivably generate money to expand
the programs right away. As far as she
understood, soccer, basketball and lacrosse were the 3 programs that needed
major coordination right away.
Charles asked - do
you hire a coordinator that could grow into a director, or do you not worry
about that yet? Dick Hess said the
mission statement was focused on money, he doesn’t see the fairness to the
child mentioned. He feels that the
focus of the recreation department should be fair and have the child in mind
all the time – he doesn’t see that in the statement anywhere. Charles said the next 2 weeks is the time to
modify the statement, job description, anything else that gets generated. Clyde Baldwin said the school board has no
plan for the soccer jamboree in the fall, etc.
Charles said the Rec Commission has a well documented list of things
that need to be done. Clyde feels this is
clearly a job for a full-time person.
How do we get into that mode? He
feels that the town should hire the person, do the fund raisers, collect the
user fees, run it for a year and see if the director is paying for
him/herself. Clyde feels that we’re at
the point where there has to be a more specific commitment.
Robin Reid said
they’ve been working on this issue since the school board gave it to them. It may be starting as a half-time position
that may grow into a full-time position.
Also, just because you have a coordinator, it does not diminish the need
for volunteers. That’s a critical part
of the job – that the person hired can manage a large number of volunteers.
Jimmy Dickerson said
that the feeling of the group that discussed this at the Old Lantern was that
economic self-sufficiency was a priority.
The next priority is parent participation – it is crucial. There has to be scholarships available for
children in need.
Charles Russell asked
if this is the kind of thing the rec commission wants to take on. Robin Reid said the rec commission feels it
is their job to deal with it, but they would like to have a director that
handles the job. Charles suggested
making a list that identifies all the issues.
Robin said on the 23rd they want to come out of the meeting
with the draft more finalized. They
want to have someone hired by July 15th at the latest.
Stephen Brooks wanted
to know if the selectboard is willing to take the lead and pull together the
organizational structure. He sees two elements that need to be attended to
immediately: administration and
development, and programming development.
Concerns from the
public: housing the director,
administrative development, program development, (Amy Dubrul) giving the
director the fundraising responsibilities for all sports for every season,
parent volunteers, (Jimmy Dickerson) fair and equal for each child, the rec
commission heading it up with the help of the selectboard, (Janet Foster)
perhaps separate fundraising and administration, (Laura Atkinson) a liaison
with the school to help coordinate programs, (C. Russell) field maintenance and
laying out the fields – equal space for equal groups, use of the gym.
John Hammer said
we’re facing a town manager within the next year. He suggests thinking about a town manager now instead of
later. Robin Reid feels it doesn’t
really have to be that way – if we do this now carefully as a group (Recreation
Commission, interested citizens, and the selectboard) we can develop a
recreation department that develops at its own rate of growth. John said he bet that everyone that has a
rec department has a town manager. It’s
this sort of pressure that generates the needs for a town manager.
Between now and the
23rd, Charles Russell said they want to have a mission statement, a
job description and to be as far along as possible to figure out who will be
hired.
Robin Reid said we
need to make sure we don’t go backwards – we want to make sure we offer next
year at least the same amount of sports as this year.
The question of
facilities came up – the school will be very busy next year with ping-pong,
fencing, etc. We need to coordinate
with the facilities manager at the school and think about other places for
sports.
Gregg Beldock stated
that Ellen Russell has been a great receiver of information; citizens should
contact her with ideas before the meeting on the 23rd of June.
Sylvia Sprigg
suggested combining this position with the part-time position at the Senior
Center and have someone full-time.
Eleanor Russell said
there is a July 15th deadline to get the intramural program going;
there are lots of interesting things being said tonight, but first things
first. Robin Reid said that this could
be a great full-time job someday. They
would like to have information out to the recreation commission members so
they’re informed about the meeting on the 23rd. Jimmy Dickerson feels that the rec
commission should be working on the fall, and in parallel have a director come
in and take over. Constricting the
definition now would allow the whole thing to move forward without worrying
about the extraneous issues.
Laberge Firing Range
Tony Weller
is a neighbor of Louie Laberge and he’s concerned about the noise at the firing
range. The issue is that the Laberge
family is responsible for a firing range on Lime Kiln Road. The use of the firing range has ebbed and
flowed over time. It’s not a gun club
or an NRA affiliated institution. The
neighbors that are most affected seem to be on the Spear Street side. The issue was the subject of a fairly
acrimonious dispute in the 1990’s. Tony
has only lived in Charlotte for 2 years.
Right now the range operates between 8 AM and dusk 365 days per
year. You don’t notice it much when
they are using smaller guns. You don’t
notice it much in the winter when you tend to be inside more. Some of the guns are automatic and
loud. It upsets a lot of people. Louie’s opinion is that he’s been there
since the 1950’s and he should be able to do what he wants on his land. Tony would like to come to a sensible
arrangement and avoid a legal issue.
Perhaps limiting the hours or the type of gun used?? But right now, the noise seems to be
completely out of order at times. It
can get really loud. The environment is
much different than in the 1950’s.
There are a lot more people living around the area now. Tony would like to come to an arrangement
where they can all get along with each other and avoid any sort of legal
entanglement. He would like the
selectboard to mediate something between the Laberge’s and his neighbors.
Louie
Laberge said that they are a large family and started the firing range for
their own use. Both Louie and his
brother were in the service in the 1960’s and got involved in competition
shooting. Eventually there were 6 of
them shooting in competitions. If they
weren’t in competition, there would be 5 or 6 of them shooting 100 rounds
apiece on the weekends. They used it in
the 1990’s for their son Matt to fulfill class work for high school. It has been an important piece of property
from that respect. Vermont law protects
ranges from nuisance noise claims. Mr.
Laberge has talked to his brothers and they are willing to negotiate the start
time on Sunday from 8 AM to 9 AM if that would be the end of the discussion.
Tony said
the hour was negotiated last year and it was never complied with. Although an hour is nice, it is not much in
a spirit of compromise. It’s 8 AM every
day to dusk every day with really loud automatic guns. It’s the machine guns, the automatics, the
semi-automatics … it’s inappropriate in this environment. Every other town in this area has noise
ordinances, Charlotte does not. Tony
does not want to go down that route.
Mr. Laberge
stated that they chose not to comply with the extra hour because Tony Weller’s
wife had written a letter to Bernie Sanders to complain about the firing
range. He felt that the compromise was
broken at that point. He also said that
the automatics don’t last that long – they can’t afford the ammunition.
Christopher
Sulfert said they do shoot for 3 hours at a stretch. You can get ammunition very cheap now – there is a lot of noise
that persists over 84 hours every week.
That’s an amazing amount. It
would be great if they could compromise at the noise level. Perhaps pistol shooting in the evening hours
– from 4 or 5 on … just tone it down that way.
Someone always fires at 8 AM, and someone always at sunset.
Mr. Laberge
said they have made some improvements.
They have been sending people with pistols and big automatics to a hole
that’s about 40 feet deep. When they
shoot down by the river, it reflects more towards the Spear Street
neighbors.
Tony asked
if Mr. Laberge has been up to his area to listen to it. It’s the surprise element – you’re sitting
down to have a barbecue and it’s World War III. It’s very upsetting.
Eleanor
Russell said that legally the Laberges’ have every right to do what they’re
doing and legally that can’t be changed.
Perhaps Louie and his brothers can get together with the neighbors and
reach some level of compromise. Both
parties agreed to clean the slate and talk in a calm environment. Tony would like to keep the selectboard
informed so they will know if it’s progressing or not. There are approximately a dozen families
that will be informed.
Stephen
Brooks asked Mr. Laberge if it made any sense to provide the neighbors the
opportunity to move some dirt around (using their own money) to mitigate the
noise. Mr. Laberge said they tried
some baffling with tires, and it turned out worse than when it started.
Sylvia
Sprigg said she used to live near Dick Yandow’s airport with remote controlled
planes. But, it was his business and it
was his right to do this. She hopes
that the town does not have a noise ordinance; this is not the place to be
doing this. If you don’t like to have a
firing range in your back yard, you can move somewhere else.
Trails Committee Composition (discussion only)
Stephen Brooks asked
if the selectboard was contemplating creating an ad hoc committee or a commission. Charles said this is a discussion, he wasn’t
sure. Linda Hamilton of the
Conservation Commission said it was her understanding that they were interested
in creating an ongoing group interested in trails. There has been a group that has been meeting for about a
year. They have worked on the mission
statement and they have made a proposal for the responsibilities of the
committee.
Eleanor Russell
stated that they wanted to have various people of different backgrounds in the
committee. People who are interested in
being on the committee should contact Dan Senecal-Albrecht. Robin Reid said that an ongoing committee
would be an appropriate way to go, not a commission. Linda Hamilton said the Conservation Commission strongly
recommends that there be a representative from each of those 2 groups
(recreation commission and conservation commission). They are appointed by the selectboard to represent clusters of
interest. Trina Bianchi, Bill April,
and Erich Finley were some individuals at the meeting that were interested in
being on the committee.
The Conservation
Commission recommends that there be a liaison with VAST; that would be one of
the jobs of the committee to decide whether motorized vehicles are allowed on
the trails. Robin Reid said Norm
Thibault is interested in the committee, and has long standing ties with
VAST. Gary Franklin is interested
(according to Linda). Eleanor Russell
says there’s a good cross-representation of interests. Do you want to limit the size of the
committee? C. Russell asked about
farmers - they need to be represented.
There seems to be a good cross-representation of backgrounds of the
individuals that are interested in the committee (horse, rec commission,
mountain bike, conservation commission, snow machines, cross-country skiers,
snowshoes).
Linda said you might
want to think whether the selectboard and the planning commission are voting
members or not, as well as VAST.
Robin Reid said
several people have expressed interest – not necessarily being on the
committee, but wanting to be informed about the tasks of the committee.
C. Russell said that
it looks like there would be 7 or 9 voting members. The question arose whether
VAST should have a vote or not. There
may be a section of trails which will allow motorized vehicles.
Carol Aube-Hinsdale (discussion of options for restitution)
Carol Aube-Hinsdale presented an agreement titled “Draft Language for a Settlement re: Carol Aube Hinsdale” which outlined 4 conditions that would allow re-occupancy of the 3rd apartment owned by Carol. Clark Hinsdale, III, said that the boards granted zoning approvals, but the open space was never required. Condition #3 meets the requirements for the zoning approval. Condition #2 goes to the penalty aspect of the project. The choice of the lots for the open space was based on the two lots that were liked the least (based on resource protection) by the town planner, since a brook was running through them. Condition #4 relates to the part that Clark is responsible for – that can be done this summer. Carol’s part can be completed next summer, if the summer school option is chosen.
Eleanor Russell asked if satisfying condition #2 and #3 means that the apartments can be rented. Clark felt that this would be true, since they deal with the density issue.
Carol Aube-Hinsdale listed 3 options for restitution. The 1st option would be to create a local chapter of the program titled “Tech Savvy Girls” sponsored by VISMIT (Vermont Institute for Science, Math, and Informational Technology). With the new education reform act, we have to come up with a plan that deals with the gender issue in technology education. Each school has to come up with a plan to deal with this, and this program would be a jump into that realm of thinking. She would begin training in the summer of 2003 at UVM. Carol and the interested girls would start a chapter in Charlotte, and then maybe meet once per month during the school year. There would be a program in the summer of 2004 (see letter dated June 8, 2003). The 2nd option would be to teach summer school in 2004. The 3rd option is to set up a monthly payment plan over a very long period of time.
Eleanor Russell asked who would fund this if Carol were not available to do it. Carol said down the road it would be taxpayer funding. If option #1 does not have enough students, we can fall back to option #2.
Charles Russell said you need to run it by Ed Bianchi or Monica and see if they would approve this. Carol said she would be surprised if they said no. Dan Senecal-Albrecht asked if “Tech Savvy Girls” is a program that the district is thinking of doing. Carol said the district has done research on the inequity between the sexes issue, but no one has ever done anything about it. Eventually it would have to be dealt with.
Jennifer Cole asked if the group of girls would also be taking the course in the summer of 2004. Carol said there would be tuition involved for the girls, but there is grant writing and scholarships. Fundraising would also be a possibility.
Clark said the quickest way to save money for the town is to kill 2 building lots that would house “x” amount of children that would have to be educated in Charlotte schools.
Sylvia Sprigg said she would be more comfortable with the option as restitution if there were a dollar amount attached to it. Sylvia felt that the subdivision from which the lots were acquired actually had 7 lots on it – at least that was the thinking of the Planning Commission; Clark stated that it is a 9 lot subdivision on the town records.
Jennifer Cole asked if condition # 3 is the lot required to satisfy the density requirement. Clark said yes, and condition # 2 is an additional restitution towards Carol’s service project.
Eleanor Russell asked what they’re looking for tonight. Ideally, Clark would like it to move to the next step and have the attorney decide what options are acceptable. They are looking for conceptual approval tonight. Carol is looking to occupy the 3rd apartment as soon as she can. Eleanor feels they need to talk to counsel about the occupancy issue. Jennifer wonders if they need condition #2 in there since it’s not needed to make it a legal apartment.
Eleanor Russell made a motion, Debbie Ramsdell seconded:
“To proceed with Draft Language for a Settlement re: Carol
Aube-Hinsdale contingent upon review by the attorney”.
Vote: all in favor.
Charles feels that Carol still needs to talk to Ed Bianchi as well as Greg Martin – perhaps they can put a dollar figure on the condition, and see what kind of value is added to the town. Clark felt that affirmation from Charlotte Central School stating that they would like to have Carol do this would be what the selectboard is looking for.
Woody Anderson Pasturing Lease for Town Poor Farm
A draft lease agreement was written for pasturing. The one year lease is asking Woody to move the fence. Eleanor Russell feels it’s a lot to ask him to move the fence, but the tree warden and two committees have recommended that the animals are out of the trees. Eleanor wonders if one more year in the trees would make a big difference, perhaps we should let him there for one more year and then have the next 5 year lease owner move the fence. Jennifer said that state requirements were checked to see how far any wells were from the pastured lands, and they didn’t think there were a specific number of feet the fence needed to be from the wells since it was not a concentrated use.
Martha asked why it is awful for cows to be in the woods. Larry Hamilton said they injure the roots of the trees, they eat the reproduction of the forest, they compact the soil, and the close-to-ground nesting birds are impacted. The woods provide shade, but the woods don’t need the cows at all. Robert Mack said the woods down there are cedar with some white pine, not much real woods down there. Larry said it’s a vicious circle – the woods are not good because the cows are in there. It’s not a functioning ecosystem. People in this town have repeatedly said they want to maintain the character of Thompson’s Point.
Stephen Brooks asked for more specificity in the lease agreement – where can Woody put his equipment and materials? Charles Russell said they would include a map with the lease agreement that clearly states what goes where. Jennifer said they would need to know what he needs to keep down there.
Martha Perkins felt that the town should be responsible for moving the fence. Charles said either that or wait until next year when they put it out to bid for another 5 years.
Larry said that Congress had provided an act that provides funding for fencing assistance to keep cattle out of the woods. This may still be available. Perhaps this could be funded through the federal government?
The selectboard needs to make some revisions to the lease agreement. Jennifer stated that they need to figure out how to get the fence moved where the water runs down through the culvert to the lake. Robert Mack asked if Woody could put animals out there now. Perhaps the board could make the changes now and let Woody know tomorrow?
Larry Hamilton asked if there would be tree-cutting allowed? Charles said the language of the lease would state there are no alterations of the land without prior approval of the selectboard (cutting trees, digging ponds, etc.).
Charles felt that the one area that is not clear in the lease is the storage of equipment. Perhaps they could add language stating that Woody could store equipment east of where he presently does, behind the trees. They would like to get rid of that old hay. Eleanor suggested that they could write in the lease that the storage and location of equipment and materials would be by approval of the selectboard.
Eleanor Russell made a motion, Debbie Ramsdell seconded:
“To approve the lease agreement for Woody Anderson at town Poor Farm as
marked up contingent upon review of the town attorney”.
Vote: all in favor.
Eleanor Russell made a motion, Jennifer Cole seconded:
“That future ag leases will exclude cows from pastured in wooded areas
except as necessary for shade”.
Vote: all in favor.
Approve minutes of May 12th and May 20th
Not tonight!
Selectboard Updates
·
Plouffe Farm Road and Old Town Landfill. Analysis by Tim Huestis, the town lawyer,
answered questions that were posed to him by the selectboard. Can Gregg Beldock put gates across the
access road to the town property? Are
there limitations to the use of the town property? Does Gregg Beldock or anyone else have the right to use the lands
for agricultural purposes? The answers
to all the questions was no.
Stephen Brooks said Gregg has not had the opportunity to read this; he may have another perspective on that.
According to Gregg Beldock, the gate and the fences are to be maintained by the town. The reality is that you have to keep the gate locked at 5 PM – even though Gregg doesn’t lock it, he can – it’s in the deed. Gregg says it is not an issue – it becomes an issue 100 years from now when someone is deciding to do something with the property. The question concerns a right of way to Spear Street... did it or did it not exist?
There are still some grey
areas with apparently conflicting deeds.
To be continued at a later meeting ...
·
Dog Ordinance / Unlicensed Dog List. According to Dan Senecal-Albrecht, the
letters will go out stating that there has been enough time to get a license
for your dog(s). If the animal is not
licensed, a ticket will be sent and accompanied by the document called
”Violation of ordinance regarding nuisance animals”. The procedure is that the
person ticketed has the right to come to the selectboard to explain why their
dog was unlicensed. Fines can go from
$15 to $500. You have the opportunity
to resolve it locally, but you don’t waive your right to fight it out in
traffic court.
The letter is going to go
out this week. The violation date is
June 30th.
·
Eleanor Russell said that VELCO was on the agenda for
the Planning Commission meeting and a fair amount of the public was present to
discuss the new lines. All were
concerned about the aesthetics and safety of the proposed project. The Planning Commission chair suggested
having a joint meeting with the selectboard to have this as a discussion item
soon. Jennifer Cole said VELCO is
willing to do a site walk with individual property owners, but someone needs to
co-ordinate this effort. It would be
good to have one contact person in town to co-ordinate the visits and the
meetings. Dean Bloch was talking with
them about organizing it separately from the selectboard. There are several good maps on the project
from Rutland to Burlington. They are
upgrading their current lines through Hinesburg and Monkton using the same
poles and the same right-of-way.
However, they said they weren’t interested in upgrading their current
lines through Williston; instead they wanted new lines installed in Charlotte.
Martha Perkins wondered if we could be successful working through the public officials in the community, and she would like to talk about that. It is only the beginning. Jennifer Cole would like to set up a meeting for the site walk. She will contact the Planning Commission about coordinating with them. Martha Perkins wants to get this issue on the next selectboard meeting.
· Debbie asked who does the lawn maintenance - Jim Sestokas. A call was put in to him last week to have him pressure wash the town hall. Also, the Senior Center needs to get their fire extinguisher checked – when does the town do this? Charles said to check with Mary. Also, Ann is getting married and she’s heading south in October until April. Stephen Brooks wanted to know if she’s going away on sabbatical or going away permanently. No one is sure. Can we ask if she’s handing in a letter of resignation? Stephen wanted to know who handles burned out light bulbs around town hall.
· Debbie said the Emergency Management Planning Session is in session and the meeting is tomorrow night. They are working on the plan.
Sign Bills and Warrants
None.
Adjournment
Next
meeting on Monday, June 23rd, at 7 PM.
Meeting adjourned at 11:00 PM.