Oct. 6, 2015 Pittsfield Select Board Regular Meeting Minutes

PITTSFIELD SELECT BOARD REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
 
DATE:                     October 6, 2015
PRESENT:               Matt Corron, Wendy Reese via Google Chat, Patty Haskins, Robert Salmeri, Bill Oren, Dave
Larkin, Bill Leimgruber, Suana Rubin, Marsha Hopkins
 
Next Meeting Date:  October 20, 2015
 
Agenda Modifications: New Business 4.d. HRA Renewal 
Minutes Approval:  Regular Meeting 9/15/2015
 
Public Present:

1. Matt Murawski from Dubois and King
2. Bill Oren - Fireworks, and sign on town property

 
Correspondence:

1. Riverside Horse Farm Act 250 Hearing Recess Order
2. TRORC Town Plan Approval
3. Bill Leimgruber Letter to Select Board & Petition
4. VLCT Legislative Priorities
5. VLCT Fall Planning and Zoning Forum
6. Comcast Renewal of Certificate of Public Good
7. Bridge 126 Preliminary Plans
8. TRORC Regional Plan

       
Old Business:

1. Town Hall Insulating Project - Update
2. Salmeri Property Memorandum
3. Charging Station - Update
4. Review Appendix A: Plan Implementation Matrix

               
New Business:

1. Thank You Letter to Erica Hurd
2. Back up Health Officer Appointment
3. Joanna Mills Town Auditor Resignation
4. Clerk/ Treasurer Report
5. September Financials
6. Assistant town Clerk position
7. VLCT PACIF Insurance Renewal
8. HRA Renewal

 
Next Meeting Date:  October 20, 2015
 
Wendy motioned to open the meeting; Matt seconded; the meeting was called to order at 6:02 p.m. Agenda modifications: New Business 4.d. Matt motioned to approve the September 15, 2015 Regular Select Board meeting minutes; Wendy seconded. Minutes approved.
 
Public Present:

1. Matt Murawski from Dubois and King – unable to attend the meeting. Patty reviewed e-mail and contract from DuBois & King. The Board will review and discuss at next meeting. Dave will invite Matt to the next meeting and he will have Matt add public input meetings to the contract as well as correct the errors.
2. Bill Oren - Fireworks, and sign on town property. Mr. Oren expressed his concerns with the town advertising private businesses on the sandwich board sign on The Green. Specifically the Spartan Race, Wi-Fi and food at local establishments. He suggested the Board read Chapter 3 of the Select Board Handbook. The Board thanked him for bringing this to their attention. Mr. Oren stated he attended the Act 250 hearing regarding Riverside Farm’s Act 250 Minor application to add six firework displays in a year. Mr. Oren is pursuing further action with the State and the Federal Government to investigate the effect of fireworks on the elderly and animals. Mr. Oren states the town should do something about fireworks through an ordinance. He will continue to monitor activity and document it.

 
Mr. Salmeri stated the town of Killington has a policy regarding the use of fireworks and requires liability insurance to protect neighboring properties against fire. Mr. Salmeri lives next to Riverside Farm and states there is a lot more noise and traffic from the business and an ordinance could help.
 
Correspondence:

1. Riverside Horse Farm Act 250 Hearing Recess Order for application #3W0948-2 to allow fireworks dated 9/21/15. The hearing has been recessed pending additional information from Riverside. No action required.
2. TRORC Town Plan Approval – The Pittsfield Town Plan has been approved with no additional changes. No action required.
3. Bill Leimgruber Letter to Select Board & Petition – Mr. Leimgruber presented the following petition with 35 names regarding the proposed park for the Parmenter Place buyout properties: “Petition summary and background: With all the Public lands in and around our town of Pittsfield, Vermont. Would you like to pay for another with additional tax dollars for maintenance, trash removal ext… For access to the Tweed River????
   Action petitioned for: We, the undersigned, are concerned citizens who urge our Select Board Members and Planning Commission To hear our Voice and stop the forward progress of this park. Simply Said ‘it’s a bad idea’ This is our second attempt so thank You all who signed the first petition and this as well.” {sic} Patty stated the names on the petition will need to be verified against the legal voting list. Mr. Leimgruber also sent an e-mail to the Board stating his first petition did not accomplish anything and the Board has gone ahead with the proposed park. Matt assured Mr. Leimgruber that no decision had been made. DuBois & King is working on final design options for public input from townspeople ranging from do nothing with the properties to putting in a small parking lot with signage and plantings. The Board also believes Mr. Leimgruber’s first petition has helped with getting more townspeople involved with the project. Suana and Marsha suggest sending out a survey with choices. Patty stated the Board may decide on mitigation to protect the town. It is also up to the Board to decide how much mitigation is needed, if any, to protect town property and surrounding property owners. Topic to be discussed further at next meeting.
4. VLCT Legislative Priorities – Letter received outlining the various topics to be discussed at Town Fair so that town officials can provide input to VLCT.  No action required.
5. VLCT Fall Planning and Zoning Forum is schedule for October 28, 2015. No one is attending.
6. Comcast Renewal of Certificate of Public Good – Letter regarding their application to Public Service Board. The application is to continue providing cable TV service in the State of Vermont and to extend services to additional areas in accordance with its line extension policy. Application letter on file in Town Office for public review.
7. Bridge 126 Preliminary Plans - Received a letter from Douglas Bonneau, Structures Project Manager for VTrans, stating the plans are available on-line (link provided), estimated project cost is $1,480,000 and they will start contacting local property owners about the project. This is the bridge by Lower Michigan Road. No action required.
8. TRORC Regional Plan – The town has received a copy of the plan on a thumb drive that will be kept on file in the Town Office.

 
Old Business:

1. Town Hall Insulating Project – Board reviewed all quotes and agreed Central Vermont Insulation (CVI) provided the most comprehensive estimate. There is a wide range of pricing between the 5 quotes. Wendy will ask Shaping Energies to provide a line-by-line estimate with all the items CVI provided and Dave will ask R-Factor to do the same. This way the Board will have a fair comparison before making a decision. Tabled for next meeting.

 
          Wendy expressed concern about black mold in the ceiling and walls of the entryway located on the north side of the building            going down the stairs. Patty suggests the Board looks into this further to help decide if the resolution needs to happen now or          if it can be put in next year’s budget. Dave will look into this and report back to the Board. 

2.  Salmeri Property Memorandum – Sarah Gray and Mr. Salmeri met to review what he needed for the insurance company. She did send him a detailed letter that outlined the situation. Mr. Salmeri needs a short statement from Sarah on town letterhead for his insurance company. Patty left a message on Sarah’s voicemail about getting the revised letter written. The Board will sign the letter; Patty will notarize it and will call Mr. Salmeri as soon as it is ready.

3. Charging Station – Wendy is waiting for more information from Green Mountain Power. Table until next meeting.

4. Review Appendix A: Plan Implementation Matrix – Wendy reviewed both the Town Plan and Hazard Mitigation Plan to pull out actions specific to the Select Board. She provided detailed notes for the Board to discuss and determine who will pursue.
​ 
Housing – Innovative energy efficiency standards and practices: Matt will pursue
Utilities/Facilities – Work with Planning Commission to develop a Capital Budget and Program for future municipal investments in utilities and facilities: Matt will talk with Suana
Utilities/Facilities – Expand broadband and cell service to town: Matt will contact Marion Abrams for an update as she is the town’s EC Fibernet rep.
Health & Emergency Services – Red Cross designation: Dave will pursue
Flood Resilience – Work with VTrans and Regional Planning: George should be point person.
Flood Resilience – Continue to develop mitigation plans: Peter Borden
 
The Board will continue at the next meeting with Watershed-level planning.
New Business:

1. Thank You Letter to Erica Hurd – Matt read letter Wendy drafted; Board in agreement; letter signed and ready to mail.
2. Back up Health Officer Appointment – The Board has appointed Clairetta Corron as the back-up Health Officer.
3. Joanne Mills Town Auditor Resignation – The Board accepted Joanne’s resignation. Matt motioned to appoint Erica Hurd to fulfill the position until Town Meeting; Dave seconded; motion carried.
4. Clerk/ Treasurer Report
5. September Financials – Monthly and quarterly reports reviewed page by page.
6. Assistant town Clerk position – Patty has advertised for two weeks in the newspaper and received a few responses. She will begin interviewing. Soo continues to help one day a week which is very helpful.
7. VLCT PACIF Insurance Renewal – Patty requesting Board input on renewing with PACIF. There is a new requirement for non-employee Worker’s Compensation coverage. Patty will check further into what this new requirement means. Matt motioned to renew with PACIF; Wendy seconded; motion carried.
8. HRA Renewal – This is the Health Reimbursement Account for town employees. It only affects George. Wendy motioned to change the benefit to a rollover account so the funds accumulate year-to-year; Matt seconded; motion carried.

 
Executive Session:
At 8:17 p.m Wendy motioned to enter into an Executive Session to discuss and clarify procedures; Matt seconded. At 8:25 p.m. Wendy motioned to close the Executive Session; Matt seconded.
 
Adjournment: Matt motioned to adjourn the meeting at 8:45 p.m.; Dave seconded; meeting adjourned.
 
Approved: 10/20/15                                                                                                          Recorded by:  Tyna Gallagher

Matt Corron
 
David Larkin
 
Wendy Reese