​Town of Pittsfield Planning Commission
Minutes of July 13, 2021
 
Members Present: Sarah Gallagher, Jen Howard, Micheline Bissell
 

1. Call to Order:  Meeting called to Order at 6:05 p.m. with no Zoom participants.
2. Agenda Modifications:  None

                                                                               

1. Correspondence:  BRIC Technical Assistance Program.  Selectboard Chair Ann Kuendig had emailed Sarah to let her know we were accepted to this program.  Sarah forwarded the link to an online meeting for participants to find out first steps.  Everyone is encouraged to attend.
2. Approval of April 13 minutes.  Tabled until October meeting.
3. Public Present: Kim Gilbert, TRORC
4. Town Plan update:  Chapter 7, Flood Resilience.  Much of the material specific to Irene will be deleted as we don’t need to re-tell the story. Mention of the additional flooding in April of 2019 will be added.  Kim updated the buyout information. Some definitions/descriptions of terms will be added (flood zone, floodways, flood area, river corridor area). Chapter 8, Kim had updated road and culvert information.  Sarah will follow up with George again about an updated list of current vehicles and equipment as well as plans for future needs. Note that the ‘Stagecoach’ does not currently stop in Pittsfield though residents may call to request a pickup.  The Energy Chapter was not reviewed due to lack of participation by Energy Coordinator.  Figure 12 was removed from Chapter 10, Kim will update chart data.  There was mention of the region’s active creative sector and updating farming to include maple sugaring and beef cattle.
5. Next Meeting:  October 19, 2021. (PLEASE NOTE CHANGE FROM OCTOBER 12 TO ACCOMMODATE KIM’S SCHEDULE).  We will review Energy chapter and continue to move forward.  Reminder that our draft must be completed by May of 2022.  After that the Commission will host a Public Forum, and the Select Board must also host a Public Forum before they can adopt the plan.  Sarah will again invite Energy Coordinator Matt Corron and alternate Joyce Stevens to attend the October meeting.
6. Adjournment:  Motion to adjourn at 8:37 by Jen, seconded by Micheline, all in favor.

 
Respectfully submitted,
Sarah Gallagher (with thanks to Micheline)
 
Minutes of the July 13, 2021, meeting were duly approved on ____________________________________________
 
By: _____________________________________________________

​Town of Pittsfield Planning Commission
Minutes of April 13, 2021
 
Members Present: Sarah Gallagher, Jen Howard, Tim Carter, Micheline Bissell and Marsha Hopkins, along with AJ Ruben from Zoning. 
 

1. Call to Order

Meeting called to Order at 6:05pm, members participating via Zoom.
 

1. Public Forum: Land Use/Forestry section of the town plan.  In attendance from general public was Betty Warner.  Sarah explained that the forum was a requirement of the grant received by the Planning Commission to revise the plan.  Kimberly reviewed the revisions that were incorporated into this draft.  Emphasis was on wording and language changes.  A discussion ensued regarding further clarity, references and detail on some of the sections.  Marsha had issues with the Residential section finding it contradictory and confusing.  The Commission agreed this section needed some editing before it was finalized.  Marsha volunteered to come up with some edits and distribute through email. No objections, changes or suggestions were noted by public present. The forum ended at 7:10 and the Commission conducted regularly scheduled business.

 

1. Agenda Modifications: None

 

1. Correspondence: None

 

1. Approval of Minutes from March 16, 2021 meeting.

Motion to approve by Tim, seconded by Micheline
 

1. Public Present:

Kimberly Gilbert from TRORC.  Introduction
 

1. Town Plan Update:

The Commission decided that they would review and edit Chapters 7-10 for the next meeting.
Kimberly said we could conceivably be finished with the draft plan by October.
 

1. Next meeting: July 13, 2021.

 

1. Adjournment: Meeting adjourned, motion by Tim, seconded Jen, all in favor

 
 
Respectfully Submitted,
Marsha Hopkins
Secretary
 
 
The Minutes of April 13, 2021 were duly APPROVED on ______________________________
 
By __________________________________________

​Town of Pittsfield Planning Commission
Minutes of March 16, 2021
 
Members Present: Sarah Gallagher, Jen Howard, Tim Carter, Micheline Bissell and Marsha Hopkins, along with AJ Ruben from Zoning.  Kimberly Gilbert from TRORC.

1. Call to Order

Meeting called to Order at 6:35pm, members participating via Zoom.

1. Agenda Modifications

None

1. Correspondence: None

1. Approval of Minutes from January 12, 2021 meeting.

Motion to approve by Jen, seconded by Tim, all in favor.

1. Public Present

Kimberly Gilbert from TRORC.  Introduction

1. Commission Appointments

Marsha Hopkins accepted appointment

1. Town Plan update, finalize draft of Land Use and Forestry Sections

Kimberly gave the Commission Tunbridge’s Land Use and Forestry section as an example.  Kimberly suggested we list all the habitat connectors. Sarah said Hedge Hog Knoll was a known location between the Green Mt. Nat’l Forest, Lower Michigan and Tozier Hill Road.  It was known for hunting. Micheline inquired as to whether it was private or town owned.  The Commission discussed various connectors in town and many were on private lands. Everyone agreed that we would not list these private corridors but generalize about corridors in the National Forest which surrounds Pittsfield.  Kimberly asked for a volunteer to write a paragraph describing the Forest corridors.  Sarah volunteered.  Kimberly asked about the status of zoning, the commission told her the town voted it down several times.  AJ made reference to the Act 250 triggers noted in the plan.  The commission went onto to review the next four sections regarding sectors in Pittsfield; Village Center, Route 100 Corridor, Flood Hazard Area and Residential.  Minor changes were made.  Kimberly said she would distribute a new working draft of this section for our April 13th meeting.
 
The structure of the meeting would be one hour for public comment and the next hour would be for the Planning Commission to review the next sections. Kimberly asked if we wanted to include other sections besides Land Use, the Commission agreed for this forum we would include Land Use only.

1. Next meeting April 13, 2021 at 6pm.

 

1. Adjournment – Meeting adjourned, motion by Tim, seconded Jen, all in favor

Respectfully Submitted,
Marsha Hopkins
Secretary
 
 
The Minutes of March 16, 2021 were duly APPROVED on April 20, 2021
 
By (s)Sarah Gallagher

Town of Pittsfield Planning Commission
Minutes of January 12, 2021
 
Members Present: Sarah Gallagher, Jen Howard, Tim Carter, Micheline Bissell and Marsha Hopkins, along with AJ Ruben.  Kimberly Gilbert from TRORC.

1. Call to Order

Meeting called to Order at 6:35pm, members participating via Zoom.

1. Agenda Modifications

None

1. Correspondence:

• FY21 Better Connections Grant Info- Sarah is waiting on more info from Tory Littlefield and Stephanie Smith (VEM) to present to the Select Board.
• Planning Commission did receive the Planning Grant.  The grant does hold a stipulation for a public forum regarding Land Use.

 

1. Approval of Minutes from October 13, 2020 meeting.

Motion to approve by Jen, seconded by Tim, all in favor.

1. Public Present

Kimberly Gilbert from TRORC.  Introduction

1. Commission Appointments

Jen Howard accepted appointment, Marsha Hopkins pending

1. Grant Application for Generator

Update, Pittsfield did not fit the criteria for outage times but Sarah feels we may be able to apply for other grants for this purpose.

1. Town Plan Update, Review of Chapters 1-6

Conclusions from group discussions on working revised draft
Chapter 1 Town History- updates for local private businesses will be inserted on page 9. Sarah said she would be happy to craft language.
Page 11 will be updated to reflect Plan Life Cycle, group will revisit Purpose and Objectives of Plan later with more chapters complete, page 11
Chapter II- Demographics- Need the new census data
Chapter III – Housing - Waiting on new census data as well as the new Community Survey for Housing Data, the group concluded more Air BNB’s in the area should be noted. Tax Dept will provide new census data for affordability section. Elderly housing needs updating if anyone from Pittsfield resides at Park House, Sarah will call. Kimberly will rearrange some of the goals, policies and recommendations in this section. Discussion ensued regarding some of the goals listed, will revisit.
Chapter IV - Education and Child Care Services- census data on local school attendance will be published in town report at the end of January for the updates needed for this section. Discussed adding OSHA Lifelong Learning and UVM Extension for post-secondary education in Adult Learning section. Under Policies, changed “provide access” to “encourage”.
Chapter V - Utilities and Facilities- Town Garage section and Town Hall updates will be updated from the Town Report due out at the end of the month. Parks and Public Lands will be updated to reflect Velomont project and other biking trails. Communication Facilities will be updated to reflect current options for residents of Pittsfield, Municipal Solid Waste may be changing, need to wait to update until after Town meeting.
Chapter VI – Health and Emergency Services – Tim will update Fire Dept section. Police protection services will be updated to reflect Pittsfield’s decision to end contracts with Rutland County Sheriff’s Dept. Hazard Mitigation Plan was updated last fall and will be reflected in this section.
 
New Forestry Grant funding for this new section of the plan needs to be expended by May.  Kimberly suggested we hold the required public forum on this at our April meeting.  Members were concerned that holding a forum without sufficient background information would not be beneficial.  Kimberly suggested we communicate through email in February and if we felt we needed to discuss further we will hold another meeting prior to the forum. The Town does have the option to change corridors in this section. All agreed to proceed on these terms.
 
Micheline asked about other forums for Town Plan. Kimberly said the Planning Commission will hold one when we have a finalized draft and then the Select Board will need to hold an additional public forum before it the plan is approved.

1. Next meeting April 13, 2021

 

1. Adjournment

Meeting adjourned 8pm, motion by Tim, seconded by Marsha, all in favor
 
 
Respectively Submitted,
Marsha Hopkins
Secretary
 
 
The Minutes of January 12, 2021 were duly APPROVED on March 16, 2021
 
By Jen Howard and Tim Carter.

Minutes of the Pittsfield Planning CommissionTuesday, October 13, 2020, 6:30 p.m. via freeconferencecall.com

Present:  Sarah Gallagher, Micheline Bissell, Jen Howard, Tim Carter, A.J. Ruben (Zoning Administrator), Kimberly Gilbert (TRORC)

1. Call to Order:  Sarah called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m.
2. Agenda Modifications:  A.J. to report briefly on process with owners of property of Route 100 south of town (across from Fellows Rd).  A.J. reported the owners are seeking to subdivide the property into 3 lots.  It was determined that they are not in the flood zone or river corridor.  They will need an Act 250 permit from the State in order to proceed.  A.J. will forward information to the Town Clerk and TRORC.
3. Approval of Minutes from September 1, 2020, meeting. Tim motioned to approve, seconded by Micheline, all in favor.
4. Public Present: Kimberly Gilbert, TRORC
5. Grant applications for generator: Sarah confirmed with Tory Littlefield (TRORC) that there is not enough time to meet the 11/6/20 deadline for the HMGP, but we will proceed with the BRIC application due on January 6.  
6. Town Plan update, next steps.  Kim Gilbert (TRORC) outlined the process and we agreed on a plan going forward.  The grant application has been submitted, though it is doubtful it will be approved.  However, there are other funds available through TRORC and the cost to the Town will be minimal.  We are budgeting $500 in 2021 and will plan on the same in 2022, unless something changes.  One of the new requirements for the Plan is a ‘Forest blocks & habitat connector’ section.  This will require a public hearing to seek input and it was suggested that we do this once we have drafted the section. We will strengthen the Land Use chapter for Act 250 purposes, mainly by using stronger language throughout, i.e. using ‘must’ and ‘shall’ instead of could or should.  We will add a budgeting section, to include capital budget priorities.  Optional elements include an enhanced energy chapter and a public health element. Kim will provide some explanation and templates for review. For our January meeting, members are asked to read and make notes on the first six chapters of the 2015 plan.  Kim will do the background data updates (tables, charts, etc) but we will need to review and provide local information.  Note that Chapter 5 is the Health and Emergency Services where the Public Health element may be added (it can also be a stand-alone chapter).
7. Next meeting: January 12, 2020, 6:30 p.m.
8. Adjournment:  Motion to adjourn was made at 7:17 p.m. by Jen, seconded by Tim.  All in favor.

Compiled from notes by Jen, Micheline, and Kim.  Submitted by Sarah Gallagher.
​
Approved:  January 12, 2021                                        By:  s/Sarah Gallagher

​Town of Pittsfield, Vermont
Planning Commission
Minutes of September 1, 2020

MEMBERS PRESENT: Sarah Gallagher, Marsha Hopkins and Micheline Bissell

1. Sarah called the meeting to order at 6:45 pm. The meeting was conducted via conference call due to COVID 19.

2. Agenda Modifications: None.

3. The minutes from the July 14, 2020 meeting were read. Marsha made a motion to accept, seconded by Sarah, all in favor.

4. Public Present:  Tory Littlefield, TRORC

5. Review and Approve Municipal Planning Grant
Tory explained that we had to tell a story to justify the need for the Grant. She disussed what was included in the draft. She asked Commission members if they had anything else to add.
     • Marsha wanted her to emphasize the need for a bullet proof town plan since Pittsfield does not have zoning. In addition, she wanted emphasized the new commission members' status and that only a few had ever participated in a revision before.
     • Sarah wanted something added regarding the Green Mountain Trails and recreation in Pittsfield as well adding the need for affordable housing in the Village Center.
     • Tory agreed to add those items.
     • The Commission discussed the budget and felt it would be sufficient, not wanting to ask for too much and risking rejection.
     • The commission discussed approving the draft application and then working on revisions over email to shore it up.
     • Sarah made a motion to Approve the draft Municipal Planning Grant application, seconded by Marsha, all in favor.
     • Sarah asked about the time line for approval and Tory said it would be somewhere in the October-November time frame.

6. Next Meeting:  October 13, 2020 at 6:30pm.

7. Adjournment:  Meeting adjourned at 7:15pm

Submitted by:  Marsha Hopkins

Approved:  October 13, 2020                 By: s/Sarah Gallagher, Chair

Town of Pittsfield, Vermont
Planning Commission
Minutes of July 14, 2020

MEMBERS PRESENT: Sarah Gallagher, Marsha Hopkins, Micheline Bissell and Tim Carter from the Planning Commission. AJ Ruben, Zoning Administrator.

1. Sarah called the meeting to order at 6:45 pm. The meeting was conducted via conference call due to COVID 19.
2. Agenda Modifications:  None

3. The minutes from the April 14, 2020 meeting were read. Marsha made a motion to accept, seconded by Sarah, all in favor.

4. Public Present: Tory Littlefield, TRORC

5. Correspondence: None

6. Open Issues:
​• Revision of 2015 Town Plan – Sarah introduced Tory from TRORC who led the discussion regarding the revision of the town plan due in 2023. Tory explained that the grant funds available for the project will be highly competitive this year. Most funding is being redirected toward COVID 19 recovery like most of the grant funding available from the state currently. Tory stated there was other funding ($1300) in Forest Grant funds which could help with new requirements. Tory said our 2015 plan was revised so extensively that the new revisions would not be as complicated. New requirements for plan revisions include adding forest habitat protections and census data updates to mapping along with changing language from shall to must. Optional items include Enhanced Energy, and Health and Wellness chapters. Marsha asked about application deadlines. Sarah said Tory would complete the application. Tory said the Commission would need to approve the application in August through a motion; it was agreed the Commission
would meet briefly in August to do this. Tory explained if we did receive grant funds the process would be more rigorous to include a more involved public process; mailings and public forums. Tory said if the grant was not awarded, we had three years to complete and could budget the funding needed to hire TRORC. Sarah said there was $500 in our current budget for this year and we could stagger funding in 2021 and 2022 at a $2000/year ask. The Commission was in agreement with this strategy.
• Generator Grant- Sarah asked Tory if she knew when the funds were going to be released. Tory said she had not heard anything on it and would keep us posted.
• Route 100 Crosswalk– Sarah shared her correspondence with John Kelly regarding crosswalk requirements and additional signage for Route 100. Marsha said installing a crosswalk in Pittsfield would be dangerous since traffic does not slow down and we do not meet the warrants required. John Kelly, in his correspondence did suggest Pittsfield apply for a grant from the VTrans Bike and Pedestrian Program Manager in the spring to do a scoping study of the entire village area to determine if and where pedestrian facilities could be located. The Commission was in agreement that extra signage was needed along Route 100 for firetruck advance warning signs. John Kelly did state in his letter that he put in a work order for those signs. Sarah explained that school bus warning signs (SBSA) do not apply to buses leaving the green. SBSA signs are used to alert drivers to sudden stops by buses along Route 100. The Commission would have to supply John with the bus stop locations along Route 100 and they would have to conduct a
site evaluation.
• Commission Vacancy –The Town Select Board, after receiving a resignation from Charlie Piso, appointed Micheline Bissell and Tim Carter to the Planning Commission. Welcome.
• River Corridor Plan permitting Process- Sarah shared all documentation she received regarding this permitting process with the Commission. Marsha asked if this was more of the Zoning Administration responsibility. AJ said he would be glad to get up to speed on this being the newly appointed Zoning Administrator. Micheline explained the process she used when building her house; there was no application or approval process for her site and she had to do all the research herself. Site lines changed before and after
Irene and resulted in her moving her house site several feet. She explained that her own due diligence was required to ensure they would not be in violation of any flood hazard regulations. Sarah said the town had no way of knowing who was building anything and where. As a remedy, each spring the listers drive around town to take a look themselves. Sarah thought a site plan application should be required. Tim said we would have to distinguish between a shed, a barn, a house, a garage etc. Tim suggested the application carry a fee. Marsha still thought this crossed into the Zoning Administration lane. AJ said he would look into this and get back to us since it did not look like there was a hard fast deadline in the very near future. He said any permitting process would require a big change.

7. New Business:  None

8. Next Meeting:  October 13, 2020 at 6:30pm with a tentative short meeting to be scheduled in early August for approval of the grant application.

9. Adjournment:  Meeting adjourned at 7:45pm
​
Respectfully Submitted,
Marsha Hopkins
Secretary
The MINUTES of July 14, 2020 were duly APPROVED on September 1, 2020
By: s/Sarah Gallagher,chair

​​Town of Pittsfield, Vermont
Planning Commission
Minutes of April 14, 2020

MEMBERS PRESENT:  Sarah Gallagher, Marsha Hopkins, Jennifer Howard and Charlie Piso. 

1. Sarah called the meeting to order at 6:35 pm. The meeting was conducted via conference call due to COVID 19.

2. Agenda Modifications:  None

3. The minutes from the January 14, 2020 meeting were read.  Charlie made a motion to accept, seconded by Sarah, all in favor.

4. Public Present:  None

5. Correspondence: None

6. Open Issues:

• Generator grant possibilities – Sarah asked if Peter or Tory had let Charlie know when the grant application process was going to begin. Charlie said it might be June or July but he would check.
• Route 100 Crosswalk – Sarah asked what the status was.  Charlie said AOT was busy delivering PPE Equipment and other projects were on hold right now. Charlie said they were working on the design plan for the repaving project. Sarah asked for Eric’s information; she was interested in constructing better signage along Route 100 alerting traffic to the Fire Department, school buses etc. Sarah asked if VTRANS was still planning to conduct the traffic study. All members thought it was a good idea to contact them to see what the timeline was since traffic patterns have been altered due to the pandemic. Charlie said Winterset was due to start resetting trees. Marsha said most construction is on hold now, even with VTRANS.
• Speed Sign – After discussion, the commission was in agreement to table the parking of a speed trailer this spring due to the change in traffic pattern and would discuss again at next meeting if the“stay at home” orders were lifted.
• Town Plan – Sarah asked commission if they wanted to start working on the Town Plan revisions to get a head start. Charlie thought it was a good idea, Marsha thought we should not do it without Two Rivers. Marsha said the grant application could be out soon and their help was invaluable. Jen agreed. Commission decided to wait until next meeting to see if grant was available.

7. New Business:
• New member- Sarah informed commission that Colleen was no longer participating in the commission and that we needed another member. Charlie suggested someone who had experience with RASTA and the bike trail network planned for this area.  Sarah asked everyone to think about a possible suggestion and she would post the opening on the website and at the Town Office.
• River Corridor Permitting Process- Charlie said that since Pittsfield was part of the River Corridor Protection Plan, it has saved us money with disaster recovery through FEMA.  NRCS sent map over and the setbacks Pittsfield indicated are larger than what is required.  It will be up to the Planning Commission and Select Board to come up with permit process. Charlie said he would try to get some language from John Campbell that would be helpful in this process. 

8. Next Meeting:  July 14, 2020 at 6:30pm. 

9. Adjournment:  Meeting adjourned at 7:10pm

Respectfully Submitted,
Marsha Hopkins
Secretary

​The MINUTES of April 14, 2020 were duly APPROVED 

On July 14, 2020. s/Sarah Gallagher

​Town of Pittsfield, Vermont
Planning Commission
Minutes of January 14, 2020

MEMBERS PRESENT:  Sarah Gallagher, Marsha Hopkins, Jennifer Howard, Colleen Wilcox and Charlie Piso. 

1. The meeting was called to order by Sarah at 6:30 pm at the Town Office.

2. Agenda Modifications:
• Charlie wanted to update Commission on the need to create permitting regulations under the Town’s River Corridor Plan.  Currently we have them for the Flood Plain but not the River Corridor Plan. The River Corridor Plan saves the town money when FEMA steps in to help us fund flooding repairs. Charlie said we also need a Zoning Administrator however temporarily Matt has stepped up to fill in when needed.  He also said that the Commission may have to play a part in establishing the permit regulations.  Jennifer said the permitting regulations would probably be similar to the ones created under the Flood Hazard Plan.
• Jennifer inquired about the lack of sidewalk or crosswalk after completion of the new bridge on Route 100. Charlies said he convinced VTRANS to do another speed study since the bridge was wider now and traffic was flowing faster. Depending on the speed study results the possibility of a crosswalk could be an option the state would entertain.

3. The minutes from the October 8th meeting were read.  Colleen made a motion to accept, seconded by Sarah, all in favor.

4. Public Present:  Peter Gregory and Tory Littlefield from TRORC.

5. Correspondence:
• Sarah read the Flyer announcement concerning Transportation and Climate Initiative Public Meetings.  Meetings to be held in different locations in the state; Jan 29, Jan 30, Feb 6 and Feb 13th if anyone was interested in attending.
• Charlie added the select board was notified on Jan 10 by the VT Council on Rural Development that applications were due by the end of the month for towns wanting to participate in a new leadership program to create climate solutions at the local level. Applications should include a specific project in mind.

6. Open Issues:
• Generator grant possibilities – Charlie updated the commission on the background benefit analysis that has been completed by the town.  Charlie asked Greg and Tory to let him know when the grant application process opens again since we are ready to apply.
• Act 250 Applications for CV Oil and Colton Enterprises – Sarah informed commission that CV Oil was seeking an amendment and that Colton Enterprises is appealing; some new conditions were approved but some older conditions were taken out of the permit.
• Speed Sign – Charlie said paving would not even begin on Route 100 until the summer of 2021.  Marsha said she would contact the sheriff and have him place his speed trailer in town this spring since we did not have to hold off because of paving.

7. New Business
The commission invited representatives from TRORC to explain how we work together and what the process will be for the new town plan due in 2023.  Tory explained how regional commissions work with towns and the legislature to make sure issues were taken care of.  In addition, they provide the necessary information to the state which in turn brings funding down to the local level.  TRORC helps with the town’s grant writing and is currently working with the Road Commissioner for the construction of the new salt shed and also working with Pittsfield on the Better Back Roads program.  The TRORC helps us to navigate through the government requirements.  Peter said any issues that should be brought before the legislature should be brought to his attention; he works closely with the state and is frequently in DC working with Peter Welch, Bernie Sanders and Patrick Leahy.

Charlie asked how we can get Pittsfield connected to the VT Alerts Program. Peter said they had cards that could be enclosed in town mailings and that they had printed materials if we wanted to set up a booth at town meeting.

Marsha asked about new requirements for the town plan and also the timetable.  Tory said so far the only change concerns the Forest Blocks and Habitat Connectors. She said including a map in the town plan would be helpful.  Other suggestions in that section could be building homes closer to the road and keeping driveways shorter so as not disturb habitats and crossings.   Other issues would be just to beef up the Act 250 and Section 248 parts of the plan using firmer terms.  She suggested replacing “should” with “must”.  Town participation was also a requirement; informational meetings would need to be held.  Reporting on the matrix was also discussed. TRORC suggested if we continue to meet quarterly then we should apply for the grant in July of 2020.  Jen said the 2023 version of the plan might not be as hard since the last version was rewritten sentence by sentence.  Charlie suggested we add a section on the new recreational opportunities happening all around Pittsfield. New biking connectors are going in all over the state spearheaded by RASTA and Pittsfield has an opportunity to join in on this.  Peter suggested our application could include Utility, Facility and Capital Planning.  Tory said the application was long and she would help us with it.

The commission thanked TRORC members for coming
   
8. Adjournment
Meeting Adjourned at 8:00 pm, next meeting scheduled for April 14, 2020 at the Town Office, 6:30 pm.

Respectfully Submitted,
Marsha Hopkins
Secretary

The MINUTES of January 14, 2020 were duly APPROVED 

On April 14, 2020
s/Sarah Gallagher

​ Town of Pittsfield, Vermont
 Planning Commission
 Minutes of October 8, 2019
  
MEMBERS PRESENT:  Sarah Gallagher, Marsha Hopkins and Colleen Wilcox.
 
1.The meeting was called to order by Sarah at 6:30 pm at the Town Office.
 
2.Agenda Modifications:
  None
 
3.The minutes from the July 9th meeting were read.  Sarah made a motion to accept, seconded by Colleen, all in favor.
 
4.Public Present:
   None
 
5.Correspondence:

• Two Rivers thanked Pittsfield for their annual dues
• Two Rivers notified Planning Commission of upcoming Energy Grant meeting on September 5, 2019

 
6.Open Issues:

• Speed Sign- Discussion ensued, no change in status, portable speed sign will be set up after all road work on Route 100 was completed and caution and speed warning signs were removed by VTrans
• Generator grant possibilities – Still waiting on update from Charlie Piso, funds are said to be available
• Route 100 crosswalk and bike path – Sarah believes there will be at least one side of the new bridge with a pedestrian path but waiting on official update from Charlie Piso
• Act 250 Applications for CV Oil and Colton Enterprises – Sarah believes the Act 250 Commission has all the documentation they requested and we are just waiting on announcement

 
7.New Business
 
The commission discussed the energy awareness that could be brought to town with grant funds; local button up awareness, training, home heating workshops, setting up an energy committee.  Current grant funding deadline passed but Commission decided to look for other funding opportunities
Sarah was going to be meeting with Peter Gregory in late October and would let us know about the updates required for the next version of the Town Plan. It was decided that everyone would go through the existing plan and highlight what they thought needed updating as a pre-emptive measure before the Commission goes to the actual update phase.
 
         The Matrix was discussed and the Commission will attempt to meet with the
          Select Board to make sure they are working on tasks assigned; capital fund was
          Completed.   
 
8.Adjournment
 
Meeting Adjourned at 6:57 pm, next meeting scheduled for Jan 14, 2020 at the Town Office, 6:30 pm.
      
 
Respectfully Submitted,
Marsha Hopkins
Secretary
  
The MINUTES of October 8, 2019 were duly APPROVED
 
On January 14, 2020
  
s/Sarah Gallagher