​PITTSFIELD SELECT BOARD REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
 
DATE:                    May 21, 2019
 
PRESENT:             Charles Piso, Matt Corron, Ann Kuendig via phone, Trish Fryer, Janice Stumpf, George Deblon, Jeff Hegewald, Dave Larkin, Paul Grindel, Trish & Ken Jarecki)
 
AGENDA
Agenda Modifications: Correspondence #2 – Peter Fellows, TRORC; #3 – (2) Act 250 Notices; #4 – Resignation; #5 – Resignation; #6 – US Census; #7 - GMEDC Green Mountain Economic Development Grant; Old Business #7 – Trish Jarecki Letter; New Business #7 – Delinquent Tax Properties; #8 - Appointments to fulfill resignations
 
Minutes Approval: Regular Meeting Minutes May 7, 2019
 
Public Present:  Janice Stumpf
 
Correspondence:
1.VLCT News
2.Peter Fellows, TRORC
3.(2) Act 250 Notices
4.Resignation
5.Resignation
6.US Census
7.GMEDC Green Mountain Economic Development Grant
 
Old Business:
1.TRORC TAC Representative
2.Letter from Jo and Sandy Mas Re: 585 Hawk Mountain Rd.
3.Mascoma Note for Flood Repair
4.Upper Michigan Rd. – Update
5.Flood Repair Jobs-George Deblon
6.Chimney Request -Town Hall Citizens Advisory Committee
7.Trish Jarecki Letter
 
New Business:
1.100 on 100 Relay
2.Financial Management Questionnaire – Signature needed
3.EWP Letter
4.Generator Quote
5.Treasurer Reports – March and April
6.Executive session V.S.A § 313
7.Delinquent Tax Properties
8.Appointments to fulfill resignations
 
Next Meeting Date:       June 6, 2019
Adjournment
Meeting Opened, Minutes Approval & Agenda Modifications
Charlie motioned to open the meeting at 6:00 p.m., Matt seconded, meeting opened. Ann is participating via phone.  All in favor of the agenda modifications: Correspondence #2 – Peter Fellows, TRORC; #3 – (2) Act 250 Notices; #4 – Resignation; #5 – Resignation; #6 – US Census; #7 - GMEDC Green Mountain Economic Development Grant; Old Business #7 – Trish Jarecki Letter; New Business #7 – Delinquent Tax Properties; #8 - Appointments to fulfill resignations. Charlie motioned to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting held May 7, 2019; Ann seconded; minutes approved.
 
Correspondence:
1.VLCT News – May issue on file at town office
2.Peter Fellows, TRORC – He provided an update via e-mail indicating the state will make a disaster declaration to FEMA and should hear back later in July.
3.(2) Act 250 Notices: The Act 250 Meeting for Colton Enterprises is scheduled for May 29, 2019 in regards to summer operations, insulation project and wood chipping. The Act 250 Meeting for CV Oil is scheduled for June 5, 2019 in regards to tank storage.
4.Resignation – Herb Kuendig has resigned as Emergency Management Co-coordinator.
5.Resignation – Herb Kuendig has resigned as TRORC Representative.
6.US Census – Information on new construction of infrastructure. Materials are being forwarded to the Planning Commission.
7.GMEDC Green Mountain Economic Development Grant – They have grants available for businesses suffering from disasters. Trish will post the information.
 
Old Business:
1. TRORC TAC Representative – George Deblon is still the TAC Representative for the town.
2. Letter from Joe and Sandy Mas Re: 585 Hawk Mountain Rd. – They would like to know what the town is doing about the storm damage. The road has been re-stored to condition prior to the storm. The Mas’ believe the town is responsible for their driveway damage and want the town to pay for the repair work.
3. Mascoma Note for Flood Repair – Mascoma offers the best rate which is 2% on funds that are used. By statute the town has to repair roads. Marylou Scofield, town attorney, reviewed and approved the line of credit note. Charlie motioned to sign the line credit up to one million dollars valid for one year at time of signature; Matt seconded; motion carried.
4. Upper Michigan Rd. – Update on proposal from Kricket at TR Fellows. Richard Lunna survey estimate is $2,200; Kricket estimates 40 hours at $115/ hour for design, specs and ready to bid the project for $4,600; bringing total estimate to $6,800. The plan includes lowering the roadway, modifying the drainage, re-grading of crown and recommendations for possible additional storm drains, culverts and addressing Route 100 re-paving. Still need a time frame for the work to be completed. Charlie motioned to approve the $6,800 for the engineering design; Matt seconded; motion carried.
5. Flood Repair Jobs-George Deblon: George provided the board with description of needed road repairs. There are 7 Jobs of roads to be addressed with some having numerous sites to be remedied. The Jobs are: 1-Liberty Hill/Rochester Side with eight sites identified; 2-Upper Michigan Road with nine sites identified; 3-Hawk Mountain Road with four sites identified; 4-Hawk Run, Hawk Lane, Hawk Trail & Moose Run with five sites identified; 5-Liberty Hill Road, entire road needs repairs and it has 32 culverts to be inspected and cleaned as needed; 6-Guernsey Hollow Road; and 7-Tozier Hill Road. The rough estimate on road repairs id $690,000 plus river repairs. The town has spent $47,000+ so far. Funds already spent can be re-couped through FEMA as long as the declaration goes through. George has Liberty Hill Road as the number one priority. The town needs at least two written estimates for each job. Ann would like to see procurement verbiage included as boilerplate for estimate requests. George will work with Trish and plan to submit cover letter and jobs to three contractors: Mosher, Dave Colton and Harvey’s. Estimates will be due in one week. George will review and give his recommendations to the board. Victoria Littlefield of TRORC has provided a clear checklist of items needed to qualify for FEMA reimbursement.
6. Chimney Request -Town Hall Citizens Advisory Committee: Per Dave Larkin the committee has concerns about the stability of the chimney. This is the first item the committee believes should be addressed. Ann will contact the contractors that evaluated the chimney in the fall. Charlie motioned to allow the committee to use Town Hall Maintenance funds, not to exceed the balance of $4,691 to verify the safety of the chimney and conduct further inspections; Matt seconded; motion carried.
7. Trish Jarecki Letter – Mrs. Jarecki presented a letter to the Board that she wants entered into the record in reference to the towing issue that was discussed at the May 7, 2019 meeting. The letter is on file at the town office.
 
New Business:
1. 100 on 100 Relay – Andy Ellis is requesting permission to go through Pittsfield on August 17, 2019 for the relay. Matt motion to approve the request; Charlie seconded; motion carried.
2. Financial Management Questionnaire – Signature needed: The Treasurer fills out annually to be sure the town has checks and balances in place. Charlie motioned to approve the questionnaire; Matt seconded; motion carried.
3. EWP Letter –The Natural Resources Conservation Service sent the town a letter seeking approval to join the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP). They sponsor specific types of river repairs and cover 75% of the cost with the remaining 25% paid by the landowner in cash or in-kind donation. The Board would like more information so Ann will contact Peter Fellows at TRORC to learn more. Charlie motioned to wait until the board receives clarification of the program; Matt seconded; motion carried.
4. Generator Quote – The town receive a quote of $11,026 from Brook Field Service for a generator to service the Town Office. This price does not include various options or maintenance. Charlie motioned to have the Planning Commission pursue and present grant opportunities to help offset the cost; Matt seconded; motion carried.
5. Treasurer Reports – March and April: New account lines were added for the new Fire Truck and for the April 2019 Flood Damage to help track expenses accurately. Connie Martin does not believe a split rail fence would work well along the roadway to the lower section of the cemetery. She will look into other options and make recommendations to the Board.
6. Executive session V.S.A § 313: Charlie adjourned the regular meeting at 8:07 p.m. for the board to enter an Executive Session; Matt seconded; motion carried. Executive Session began at 8:08 p.m.  Charlie motioned for the board to exit the Executive Session at 8:33 p.m.; Matt seconded; motion carried. Charlie motioned to re-open the regular Board Meeting at 8:34 p.m.; Matt seconded, motion carried. Charlie motioned that the board explore developing a Human Resource Policy for all elected, appointed, paid and volunteer town  personnel to be executed by the end of August 2019; Matt seconded; motion carried. There is a Human Resource Employment Law workshop sponsored by VLCT in Stowe June 5, 2019. Trish and board members will look into attending this workshop.
7. Delinquent Tax Properties – Janice reported there are three properties that have been on the list for a very long time: BHH Associates; Tiffany and Harry Watkins et al. All have gone up for tax sale in the past with no results. Janice will write up a description of the properties and the unique situations to be distributed to the board members for review. Kevin O’Toole is a resource that she would like to contact about what to do with the three properties. The board would like Janice to find out what it would cost to hire him. Also, there is one property that is over due by two years with no payments made. Janice would like to wait another year before pursuing further.
8. Appointments to fulfill resignations – The Board will work on finding new appointees for the two positions that Herb Kuendig recently vacated. The positions are Emergency Management Co-coordinator and TRORC Representative.

On a side-bar Ann updated the board about the Sand Shed re-bidding process. The town is waiting for Peter Fellows of TRORC to re-write the bid so it can be sent out again. George requests eliminating the wording, “bid will go to the lowest bidder”.
Next Meeting Dates:  June 4, 2019 Regular Meeting
 
Adjournment:  Charlie motioned to adjourn the meeting at 8:40 p.m.; Matt seconded; meeting adjourned.                                                                        
 Approved Date:      June 6, 2019                                                                          Recorded by:  s/ Tyna Gallagher
 
 
s/Charles Piso
 
s/Matt Corron
 
s/Ann Kuendig
 
 
 
 

PITTSFIELD SELECT BOARD REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
 
DATE:                    May 7, 2019
 
PRESENT:             Charles Piso, Ann Kuendig, Trish Fryer, Martha Beyersdorf, Wilbur & Max Abrams, Dave Larkin, Paul Grindel, Steve Turner, Diana & Peter Krass, Trish & Ken Jarecki, Peter Fellows (TRORC)
 
AGENDA
Agenda Modifications: New Business #6 – Jarecki towing issue; #7 – Original General Store Liquor License; #8 – Adopt NRCS (Natural Resource Conservation Service) program
 
Minutes Approval: Regular Meeting Minutes April 15, 2019
 
Public Present:  Peter Fellows of TRORC, Wilbur Abrams, Martha Beyersdorf, Trish Jarecki, Janice Stumpf, Peter Borden
 
Correspondence:

1. Green Letter
2. Abrams Letter
3. Krass Letter
4. Wilcox Letter
5. TRORC Transportation Advisory Committee
6. 2019 VTrans Bicycle and Pedestrian Program

Old Business:

1. NEMRC Proposal (Martha)
2. LEMP Adoption
3. Sand Shed Discussion
4. Fire Truck Payment – Update (Treasurer)
5. Personnel Policy-conflict of Interest
6. Appointment Updates
7. Upper Michigan Road-Update

New Business:

1. Contractor Paperwork- Bryon Fryer Lawn Care & Landscaping LLC
2. River Corridor Adoption (Project)
3. Road Repairs –Update
4. Delinquent Tax Properties (Janice)
5. Line of Credit
6. Jarecki towing issue
7. Original General Store Liquor License
8. Adopt NRCS (Natural Resource Conservation Service) program

 
Next Meeting Date:       May 21, 2019
Adjournment
Meeting Opened, Minutes Approval & Agenda Modifications
Charlie motioned to open the meeting at 6:01 p.m., Ann seconded, meeting opened. All in favor of the agenda modifications: New Business #6 – Jarecki towing issue; #7 – Original General Store Liquor License; #8 – Adopt NRCS (Natural Resource Conservation Service) program. Charlie motioned to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting held April 15, 2019; Ann seconded; minutes approved.

Correspondence:

1. Green Letter – See New Business #3 – Road Repairs
2. Abrams Letter – See New Business #3 – Road Repairs
3. Krass Letter – See New Business #3 – Road Repairs
4. Wilcox Letter – See New Business #3 – Road Repairs
5. TRORC Transportation Advisory Committee – Tabled to future meeting.
6. 2019 VTrans Bicycle and Pedestrian Program – Trish will forward to the Planning Commission.

Old Business:

1. NEMRC Proposal (Martha) – The Listers received three bids within the budget range for the mapping segment of the re-appraisal project. The Listers recommend using NEMRC as the mapping company for a fee of $3,210. Charlie motioned to accept the Listers recommendation to contract with NEMRC for mapping; Ann seconded; motion carried.
2. LEMP Adoption – Local Emergency Management Plan updates have been made. Charlie signed the cover letter so the plan can be submitted to TRORC for review and any changes can be finalized.
3. Sand Shed Discussion – Ann shared information on how the bidding was handled. Working with TRORC they determined two options: Negotiate a contract with one of the bidders and select items to eliminate; or re-bid the project by excluding unwanted items (new RFP). The project would not start until next year (2020) and Peter Fellows of TRORC said construction could get pushed back from spring to late summer if the town elects to re-bid. Peter had a third option by doing a Request of qualifications however this would delay the project further. Charlie motioned to re-bid the project; Ann seconded; motion carried.
4. Fire Truck Payment – Update (Treasurer) – Trish made payment of $11,000 on the new fire truck.
5. Personnel Policy-conflict of Interest – Tabled until Matt can be present for discussion.
6. Appointment Updates – No additional appointments at this time.
7. Upper Michigan Road-Update – Kricket McCusker of T.R. Fellows Engineering has contacted Richard Lunna to provide an estimate for road elevation surveys.

New Business:

1. Contractor Paperwork- Bryon Fryer Lawn Care & Landscaping LLC – Charlie motioned to accept Bryon’s application; Ann seconded; motion carried.
2. River Corridor Adoption (Project) – Tabled until after the meeting with the River Corridor group.
3. Road Repairs –Update: The board is waiting for estimates from the Road Commissioner and contractors to submit to FEMA. The roads are passable and the town used $40,000 from the Contingency fund to cover these costs. A line of credit is needed and the board needs estimates to complete the application. The FEMA pre-inspection team has been through the county and thresholds have been met for FEMA to make a declaration.  The board has 60 days from the date of the disaster to submit funding request. The board expected a list of priorities for the next two weeks for road repairs to be delivered before tonight’s meeting but they did not receive it. The Abrams need the FEMA declaration to move forward with their claim. The Krass’s cannot drive up their driveway and would like written response to their letter. Their driveway does not have an existing culvert. Peter Fellows from TRORC is present to share information about available aid and processes for dealing with this disaster. Peter believes the town will receive the Declaration within two weeks. The USDA has assistance for stream bank repair (rip rap) of 75% when the property has specific threats (potential loss of septic, well, etc.)The EWP can also help with stream bank issues. A buy-out by the state and federal government is another option that is complicated and can take a few years. Usually property owner gets 75% of pre-flood value and the balance of 25% is up to the homeowner or finding another agency to subsidize. Flood insurance only covers the house and contents. Peter recommends to the homeowners to take pictures of the current damage, gather documentation of property status pre-Irene, what was done to repair damage, and any photos of changes to property/stream that has occurred over time, etc. The process requires the town to write a letter to FEMA, get the declaration, and then available funds are appropriated. Peter gave the town officials kudos for being the first town to contact the state Emergency Operations Commission about the storm damage and getting the ball rolling for assistance.
4. Delinquent Tax Properties (Janice) – Tabled as Janice is not present.
5. Line of Credit – The town needs a line of credit once the figures are set by FEMA. Charlie motioned to forward the application to the town attorney, Marylou Scoffield, once the declaration comes through from FEMA for review; Ann seconded; motion carried.
6. Jarecki towing issue – One of their vehicles was parked overnight in the Park and Ride shortly after the April 15 storm that damaged the roads. It was towed because the town was unable to determine who the vehicle belonged and there was no note attached to the vehicle explaining why it was parked after hours. The Jarecki’s would like the town to reimburse them for the towing. The original fee was $250 however the towing company gave Mr. Jarecki $100 discount and revised the fee to $150. The board offered to split the fee and pay $75. The Jarecki’s want the town to pay $125 towards the fee because the original fee was $250 and the discount was theirs. The board offered $75 and the Jarecki’s did not accept.
7. Original General Store Liquor License – License renewal approved by the board
8. Adopt NRCS (Natural Resource Conservation Service) program – Charlie motioned to apply for assistance through NRCS and sign the acceptance letter when it is ready; Ann seconded; motion carried.

Next Meeting Dates:  May 21, 2019 Regular Meeting
 
Adjournment:  Charlie motioned to adjourn the meeting at 8:03 p.m.; Ann seconded; meeting adjourned.                                                                         
 
Approved Date:  May 21, 2019                                                               Recorded by:   s/Tyna Gallagher
 
 
s/Charles Piso
 
s/Ann Kuendig