PITTSFIELD SELECTBOARD REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
To listen to a recording of the meeting, click: https://bit.ly/45hKxn7
DATE: May 15, 2025
PRESENT: Ann Kuendig, Joyce Stevens, AJ Ruben
PUBLIC PRESENT: Trish Abbondelo, Patricia Haskins, Randy Strong
MINUTES APPROVAL: May 1, 2025 Regular Meeting
AGENDA MODIFICATION: NB#7-Land Trust CD
CORRESPONDENCE:
1. Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) – Blizzard Exercise
2. TRORC -Municipal Summery Worksheet
3. TRORC – Regional Land Use Map
OLD BUSINESS:
1. Appointments – EC Fiber Representative
2. Recreation Commission – Report
3. Resolution – Due Process Resolution
4. Village Green – Tree Update
5. Building Maintenance
NEW BUSINESS:
1. Town Office – windows renovation
2. Benefits – Assistant Town Clerk vacation
3. Financials – Treasurer’s Report April
4. Special Town Meeting – Results
5. LEMP – 2025 Approval
6. Grants – Charge VT grant
7. Financials – Land Trust CD
ADJOURN:
NEXT MEETING: Thursday, June 5, 2025 Town Hall @5:30pm
Ann called the meeting to order at 5:27pm. Joyce seconded. All in favor. Ann presented one Agenda Modification (see above). AJ seconded. All in favor. Joyce moved to accept the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of May 1, 2025. AJ seconded. All in favor. Ann said that Patty Haskins was here tonight to express concern regarding the Town Office Building window replacements. This will be NB#1. Trish Abbondelo, Town Clerk, was also here to discuss the Assistant Town Clerk’s vacation benefits. This will be NB#2. Ann made a motion to take both NB#1 and NB#2 out of order and put them at the top of the agenda. Seconded by Joyce. All in favor.
Pittsfield Select Board Regular Meeting Minutes page 2
May 15, 2025
CORRESPONDENCE:
1. Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) – Blizzard Exercise. Ann said that all the towns are receiving notices inviting them to participate in a regional catastrophic exercise that’s scheduled for October 22nd called the Binary Blizzard. It helps municipalities play out their Emergency Management Plan. Ann said she would forward this notification to the two new Emergency Management Co-Directors to see if they would like to participate.
2. TRORC -Municipal Summery Worksheet. This is a copy of a letter addressed to Mark Stugart of the Planning Commission about the regional plan. TRORC is working on the regional plan, and have received an affirmative determination of energy compliance for the plan. They are informing towns that if they want to receive an affirmative determination of energy compliance for their plan, it is optional. If you do get an enhanced energy plan and get an affirmative determination, it gives you substantial deference in applying to the public utility commission (inviting) to approve any kind of energy generation facility.
3. TRORC – Regional Land Use Map. Ann said that she attended a meeting where the map was presented. At present, they are gathering comments from all the different municipalities. She said that Mark was going to post information regarding this at various locations. Ann said she would post on the Pittsfield Community Page. Discussion.
OLD BUSINESS:
1. Appointments – EC Fiber Representative. Ann said that Dianne Deutsch, the former librarian, has expressed an interest in the position. Ann made a motion to appoint Dianne as the EC Fiber Representative. Seconded by AJ. All in favor. A letter of appointment will be sent to her.
2. Recreation Commission – Report. AJ stated that he attended their recent meeting. He said that they are making progress on the playground, but it probably won’t happen this summer. The cost is anticipated to be over $100,000. He said that the Commission will probably formalize a budget proposal to present to the Select Board and maybe do the demolition before the snow falls and be able to build in the spring. They don’t have a quote yet but anticipate one in a few weeks. In the meantime, they are going to start looking for grants. AJ said that the Commission is meeting every two weeks now. There is a goal of putting the pavilion in the field and taking down the backstop. They are going to get an estimate for a kit to build the pavilion. Dave Colton has said that he would dig a track and lay down some bedding. As to whether anything will happen this year it is not known as they are still in the planning stage. They agree that the way to deal with storing the equipment is to keep the door locked and purchase another structure big enough to hold everything. AJ said that he volunteered to look into this. The fencing was discussed briefly, and Jake will be consulted. Ann asked AJ about the use of the computer for the meeting. He said it was held outside and was not used. Discussion.
3. Resolution – Due Process Resolution. Ann read the draft of the resolution she prepared and moved to adopt it. Seconded by AJ. All in favor. .../../../../../../../Documents/Due Process Resolution.docx
4. Village Green – Tree Update. Ann said that the tree grant is moving along. She said that she met with Save A Tree and Vermont Electric, the corporate sponsor of the grant program. They suggested a hackberry and a maple. They would like the Board to sign a letter of collaboration. She went on to explain its contents and requirements. Ann said she would contact Dig Safe and would like to coordinate with Ray Colton about some sort of celebration. The Community Tree Fund is going to provide the water baskets/bags that wrap around the tree. Ann moved to sign and return the letter. Seconded by AJ. All in favor.
Pittsfield Select Board Regular Meeting Minutes page 3
May 15, 2025
5. Building Maintenance – Joyce said the trees for the Village Green were all right and Connie didn’t think that new flags for the cemetery needed to be purchased this year. Ann said that Don Marshall will paint the Town Office except for the window trim for $2,500. He also submitted an estimate for the stairway to the library and the front hall for $1,400. It was decided to wait on the stairway until all the renovation was completed. Ann moved to approve the $2,500 to start. AJ seconded. All in favor.
NEW BUSINESS:
1. Town Office – windows renovation. Patty said that she had read in the Minutes about the grant and that one of the things that would like to be done is to replace the windows. She said that she realized that the Board might not be aware of how the preservation restoration project came about for the Town Office Building. She went on to explain some history, some record preservation, and about the windows. The Schoolhouse was built in 1883 and was located across the street by the cemetery. After it was moved to its current location, the south side windows became the north side windows, etc. In 1934, the Town Office was relocated from private homes to the current location, and was set up in the basement due to the school continuing to be upstairs until 1969. Eventually the Town Office started getting water infiltration and became unusable due to the wet, mold, and mildew. Around 2007, the Town Office was temporarily relocated to the Town Hall. Patty said that she participated in a permanent records storage vault survey that was a collaboration between the Rutland County Clerk’s Association of Vermont and the Historical Advisory Records Board. They came in and surveyed the condition of the records and provided information on how they should be managed, what might need to be done, and provided advice on their preservation and conservation. Pittsfield records go back to 1781 when the Town was first incorporated. The most important thing about preservation is proper storage and that includes having little temperature and humidity changes as well as keeping them free from dust and pest damage. Human impact is another consideration. A plan was created to remove the vault and records from the basement, relocate the office to the 1st floor and make it handicapped accessible. A building committee was formed and many years later the restoration was undertaken with many people involved. A survey performed by a historic preservation specialist recommended that the windows remain original. Patty went on to explain what was done to the windows to improve them without losing their original look. Discussion. Joyce explained an extensive energy audit showed the windows leaked air even with storms and the energy consultants recommended replacing them. Ann said that she received some information regarding the grant and setting up the projects. The Town will have to file with the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation for a review of the windows and probably the doors since the building is over 50 years old. The filing deadline is June 30th. So basically, the plan is to replace the windows with ones that look exactly like the old from the exterior. At present, contractors have been invited to bid, and they are aware of the requirements. The Board thanked Patty for attending tonight's meeting and providing some of the background information on the Town Office Building and the importance of it looking the same as in previous years.
2. Benefits – Assistant Town Clerk vacation. Trish said she would like to discuss her assistant’s lack of vacation benefits. She said that before Randy was hired, the policy was revised to remove the paid vacation benefits. The Library has hired a new librarian, and they used a job description based on the previous assistant’s job description. So now the librarian is getting 2 weeks’ vacation
Pittsfield Select Board Regular Meeting page 4
May 15, 2025
after one year and Randy still has no paid vacation. She asked that he be put back on the previous schedule of after one year of service effective immediately. The money is there, so that isn’t a factor. Joyce agreed with Trish’s request. Ann didn’t think there was a problem going backwards. This could be discussed further during budget sessions. Trish said she would update the job description for the Board members to sign. AJ made a motion to revise the job description for the assistant clerk to include four days of vacation after the first year and increase it as discussed. Seconded by Ann. All in favor.
3. Financials – Treasurer’s Report April. Discussion. Joyce had noted that Connie was overbudget in the Cemetery Fund. Ann moved to approve. AJ seconded. All in favor.
4. Special Town Meeting – Results. The results were 37 No, 21 Yes, 1 Blank. Discussion. It was felt that most people weren’t necessarily against it, but it was more the principle of the thing. It was a monetary thing as opposed to a philosophical one. Ann felt it was something that would be discussed again during budget sessions.
5. LEMP – 2025 Approval. Ann said that this was about the same as last year and moved to adopt the LEMP and NIMS at this publicly warned meeting. AJ seconded. It will be forwarded to Tim Thody for his signature.
6. Grants – Charge VT Grant. Ann said she received an email from Tiana Smith who is with Charge VT. We applied for this grant for a level 2 charger to be installed in front of the Town Office and she wanted to know if Pittsfield was still interested in the installation. Ann said she responded that yes, we were. Tiana asked some pre-screening questions. One question had to do with the use of the chargers specifically by the staff. Otherwise, the category would need to be changed. Other questions included whether the Town owns the property, whether the charges are mandated by the Town or Act 250, how many employees work in the building, how many charging ports are requested, and if guidance is needed regarding an installer. She said that the MERP planning grant can be used and partner with an installation consultant. Ann said she is waiting to hear if they passed the pre-screening.
7. Financials – Land Trust CD- Trish had said that the Land CD was maturing, and Northfield is offering a nine-month CD at 4%. Ann moved to have Trish renew the CD. AJ seconded. All in favor.
ADJOURN: As there was no further business to conduct, Ann moved to adjourn the meeting at 6:55pm. AJ seconded. All in favor.
NEXT MEETING: Thursday, June 5, 2025 Town Hall @5:30pm
Respectfully submitted,
Martha L. Beyersdorf
__________________________________________________________________________
Ann Kuendig Joyce Stevens AJ Ruben
approved: June 5, 2025
To listen to a recording of the meeting, click: https://bit.ly/45hKxn7
DATE: May 15, 2025
PRESENT: Ann Kuendig, Joyce Stevens, AJ Ruben
PUBLIC PRESENT: Trish Abbondelo, Patricia Haskins, Randy Strong
MINUTES APPROVAL: May 1, 2025 Regular Meeting
AGENDA MODIFICATION: NB#7-Land Trust CD
CORRESPONDENCE:
1. Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) – Blizzard Exercise
2. TRORC -Municipal Summery Worksheet
3. TRORC – Regional Land Use Map
OLD BUSINESS:
1. Appointments – EC Fiber Representative
2. Recreation Commission – Report
3. Resolution – Due Process Resolution
4. Village Green – Tree Update
5. Building Maintenance
NEW BUSINESS:
1. Town Office – windows renovation
2. Benefits – Assistant Town Clerk vacation
3. Financials – Treasurer’s Report April
4. Special Town Meeting – Results
5. LEMP – 2025 Approval
6. Grants – Charge VT grant
7. Financials – Land Trust CD
ADJOURN:
NEXT MEETING: Thursday, June 5, 2025 Town Hall @5:30pm
Ann called the meeting to order at 5:27pm. Joyce seconded. All in favor. Ann presented one Agenda Modification (see above). AJ seconded. All in favor. Joyce moved to accept the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of May 1, 2025. AJ seconded. All in favor. Ann said that Patty Haskins was here tonight to express concern regarding the Town Office Building window replacements. This will be NB#1. Trish Abbondelo, Town Clerk, was also here to discuss the Assistant Town Clerk’s vacation benefits. This will be NB#2. Ann made a motion to take both NB#1 and NB#2 out of order and put them at the top of the agenda. Seconded by Joyce. All in favor.
Pittsfield Select Board Regular Meeting Minutes page 2
May 15, 2025
CORRESPONDENCE:
1. Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) – Blizzard Exercise. Ann said that all the towns are receiving notices inviting them to participate in a regional catastrophic exercise that’s scheduled for October 22nd called the Binary Blizzard. It helps municipalities play out their Emergency Management Plan. Ann said she would forward this notification to the two new Emergency Management Co-Directors to see if they would like to participate.
2. TRORC -Municipal Summery Worksheet. This is a copy of a letter addressed to Mark Stugart of the Planning Commission about the regional plan. TRORC is working on the regional plan, and have received an affirmative determination of energy compliance for the plan. They are informing towns that if they want to receive an affirmative determination of energy compliance for their plan, it is optional. If you do get an enhanced energy plan and get an affirmative determination, it gives you substantial deference in applying to the public utility commission (inviting) to approve any kind of energy generation facility.
3. TRORC – Regional Land Use Map. Ann said that she attended a meeting where the map was presented. At present, they are gathering comments from all the different municipalities. She said that Mark was going to post information regarding this at various locations. Ann said she would post on the Pittsfield Community Page. Discussion.
OLD BUSINESS:
1. Appointments – EC Fiber Representative. Ann said that Dianne Deutsch, the former librarian, has expressed an interest in the position. Ann made a motion to appoint Dianne as the EC Fiber Representative. Seconded by AJ. All in favor. A letter of appointment will be sent to her.
2. Recreation Commission – Report. AJ stated that he attended their recent meeting. He said that they are making progress on the playground, but it probably won’t happen this summer. The cost is anticipated to be over $100,000. He said that the Commission will probably formalize a budget proposal to present to the Select Board and maybe do the demolition before the snow falls and be able to build in the spring. They don’t have a quote yet but anticipate one in a few weeks. In the meantime, they are going to start looking for grants. AJ said that the Commission is meeting every two weeks now. There is a goal of putting the pavilion in the field and taking down the backstop. They are going to get an estimate for a kit to build the pavilion. Dave Colton has said that he would dig a track and lay down some bedding. As to whether anything will happen this year it is not known as they are still in the planning stage. They agree that the way to deal with storing the equipment is to keep the door locked and purchase another structure big enough to hold everything. AJ said that he volunteered to look into this. The fencing was discussed briefly, and Jake will be consulted. Ann asked AJ about the use of the computer for the meeting. He said it was held outside and was not used. Discussion.
3. Resolution – Due Process Resolution. Ann read the draft of the resolution she prepared and moved to adopt it. Seconded by AJ. All in favor. .../../../../../../../Documents/Due Process Resolution.docx
4. Village Green – Tree Update. Ann said that the tree grant is moving along. She said that she met with Save A Tree and Vermont Electric, the corporate sponsor of the grant program. They suggested a hackberry and a maple. They would like the Board to sign a letter of collaboration. She went on to explain its contents and requirements. Ann said she would contact Dig Safe and would like to coordinate with Ray Colton about some sort of celebration. The Community Tree Fund is going to provide the water baskets/bags that wrap around the tree. Ann moved to sign and return the letter. Seconded by AJ. All in favor.
Pittsfield Select Board Regular Meeting Minutes page 3
May 15, 2025
5. Building Maintenance – Joyce said the trees for the Village Green were all right and Connie didn’t think that new flags for the cemetery needed to be purchased this year. Ann said that Don Marshall will paint the Town Office except for the window trim for $2,500. He also submitted an estimate for the stairway to the library and the front hall for $1,400. It was decided to wait on the stairway until all the renovation was completed. Ann moved to approve the $2,500 to start. AJ seconded. All in favor.
NEW BUSINESS:
1. Town Office – windows renovation. Patty said that she had read in the Minutes about the grant and that one of the things that would like to be done is to replace the windows. She said that she realized that the Board might not be aware of how the preservation restoration project came about for the Town Office Building. She went on to explain some history, some record preservation, and about the windows. The Schoolhouse was built in 1883 and was located across the street by the cemetery. After it was moved to its current location, the south side windows became the north side windows, etc. In 1934, the Town Office was relocated from private homes to the current location, and was set up in the basement due to the school continuing to be upstairs until 1969. Eventually the Town Office started getting water infiltration and became unusable due to the wet, mold, and mildew. Around 2007, the Town Office was temporarily relocated to the Town Hall. Patty said that she participated in a permanent records storage vault survey that was a collaboration between the Rutland County Clerk’s Association of Vermont and the Historical Advisory Records Board. They came in and surveyed the condition of the records and provided information on how they should be managed, what might need to be done, and provided advice on their preservation and conservation. Pittsfield records go back to 1781 when the Town was first incorporated. The most important thing about preservation is proper storage and that includes having little temperature and humidity changes as well as keeping them free from dust and pest damage. Human impact is another consideration. A plan was created to remove the vault and records from the basement, relocate the office to the 1st floor and make it handicapped accessible. A building committee was formed and many years later the restoration was undertaken with many people involved. A survey performed by a historic preservation specialist recommended that the windows remain original. Patty went on to explain what was done to the windows to improve them without losing their original look. Discussion. Joyce explained an extensive energy audit showed the windows leaked air even with storms and the energy consultants recommended replacing them. Ann said that she received some information regarding the grant and setting up the projects. The Town will have to file with the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation for a review of the windows and probably the doors since the building is over 50 years old. The filing deadline is June 30th. So basically, the plan is to replace the windows with ones that look exactly like the old from the exterior. At present, contractors have been invited to bid, and they are aware of the requirements. The Board thanked Patty for attending tonight's meeting and providing some of the background information on the Town Office Building and the importance of it looking the same as in previous years.
2. Benefits – Assistant Town Clerk vacation. Trish said she would like to discuss her assistant’s lack of vacation benefits. She said that before Randy was hired, the policy was revised to remove the paid vacation benefits. The Library has hired a new librarian, and they used a job description based on the previous assistant’s job description. So now the librarian is getting 2 weeks’ vacation
Pittsfield Select Board Regular Meeting page 4
May 15, 2025
after one year and Randy still has no paid vacation. She asked that he be put back on the previous schedule of after one year of service effective immediately. The money is there, so that isn’t a factor. Joyce agreed with Trish’s request. Ann didn’t think there was a problem going backwards. This could be discussed further during budget sessions. Trish said she would update the job description for the Board members to sign. AJ made a motion to revise the job description for the assistant clerk to include four days of vacation after the first year and increase it as discussed. Seconded by Ann. All in favor.
3. Financials – Treasurer’s Report April. Discussion. Joyce had noted that Connie was overbudget in the Cemetery Fund. Ann moved to approve. AJ seconded. All in favor.
4. Special Town Meeting – Results. The results were 37 No, 21 Yes, 1 Blank. Discussion. It was felt that most people weren’t necessarily against it, but it was more the principle of the thing. It was a monetary thing as opposed to a philosophical one. Ann felt it was something that would be discussed again during budget sessions.
5. LEMP – 2025 Approval. Ann said that this was about the same as last year and moved to adopt the LEMP and NIMS at this publicly warned meeting. AJ seconded. It will be forwarded to Tim Thody for his signature.
6. Grants – Charge VT Grant. Ann said she received an email from Tiana Smith who is with Charge VT. We applied for this grant for a level 2 charger to be installed in front of the Town Office and she wanted to know if Pittsfield was still interested in the installation. Ann said she responded that yes, we were. Tiana asked some pre-screening questions. One question had to do with the use of the chargers specifically by the staff. Otherwise, the category would need to be changed. Other questions included whether the Town owns the property, whether the charges are mandated by the Town or Act 250, how many employees work in the building, how many charging ports are requested, and if guidance is needed regarding an installer. She said that the MERP planning grant can be used and partner with an installation consultant. Ann said she is waiting to hear if they passed the pre-screening.
7. Financials – Land Trust CD- Trish had said that the Land CD was maturing, and Northfield is offering a nine-month CD at 4%. Ann moved to have Trish renew the CD. AJ seconded. All in favor.
ADJOURN: As there was no further business to conduct, Ann moved to adjourn the meeting at 6:55pm. AJ seconded. All in favor.
NEXT MEETING: Thursday, June 5, 2025 Town Hall @5:30pm
Respectfully submitted,
Martha L. Beyersdorf
__________________________________________________________________________
Ann Kuendig Joyce Stevens AJ Ruben
approved: June 5, 2025
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