Selectmen Meeting Minutes — July 24,
2008—7:00
p.m. — Memorial
Hall
Call to order: The meeting was called to order by chairman, Robert Manners.
Other members present: John Payne and Joseph Judd.
Acceptance of minutes: Joe made a motion to accept the meeting minutes
of June 26, 2008 as presented. John seconded the motion. Motion carried
unanimously.
Noteworthy News:
Main Street Construction is scheduled to begin on Monday, July 28, 2008.
The first few days of construction will take place at the intersection
of Bridge and Main Street while workers excavate and install a new
sewer and water line. There will be a disruption in water service on
Thursday for a few hours while tying in the new water line. The street
will be restored at the end of each day to allow for vehicular traffic.
Department Liaison Reports:
Police Department - the Police Site Review Committee has been
meeting on a regular basis; the Police Department continues to work on
Bridge Street traffic concerns; the new cruiser has been purchased and
is being equipped; and sadly, a letter was received from Sergeant, Dana
Johnson announcing his decision to retire from the department effective
September 1, 2008. Joe made a motion to accept Dana's decision to retire
with regret. John seconded the motion. Joe wished Dana well in his
retirement and is hopeful that the Board will invite him in for a proper
farewell. Motion carried: 2 - yes; 1- abstention.
Town Office - Taxes
are due August 1st and John urged taxpayers to be timely with their payments;
noting that the Treasurer has had to borrow from the town's Stabilization
fund to "bridge the gap" while
waiting for receipt of tax revenues. John is still trying to arrange
a meeting with the Treasurer and the Fiscal Officer to review job responsibilities
and streamline functions for better office efficiency. John attended
a quarterly F.R.C.O.G. and continues to be impressed by the breadth of
work accomplished by the organization. Of the many topics discussed at
the quarterly meeting John reported on efforts relative to the Commonwealth
Capital Application, an Energy Savings Performance Contract; Franklin
County Public School Project and an evaluation of the evacuation plan
for Vermont Yankee to ensure that the proposed evacuation routes can
sufficiently handle the potential volume of traffic. Lastly, the town's
FY'07 audit is complete and areas of concern indicated in the management
letter have been sufficiently addressed.
Highway - the department has
received the newly purchase New Holland Tractor and roadside mowing is
underway; Zerah Fiske and Patten Road have been paved; roads are being
patched and the obsolete trucks are being prepped for future sale. The
Arms Library suffered interior water damage as a result of the heavy
rains. Members of the Highway crew responded and cleared the plugged
roof drains. Joe stressed the need to establish a routine schedule for
roof drain maintenance.
7:30 p.m. Les Chadwick, Veterans Grave Officer
RE: Grave Markers - Mr.
Chadwick appeared before the Board to discuss the need for the replacement
of veteran's grave markers at the town cemeteries. Many of the markers
are either missing or broken. Mr. Chadwick is in the process of taking
inventory at each of the cemeteries to determine how many markers are
needed. Although Board members are supportive of Mr. Chadwick's efforts,
before making a decision they would like to know how many markers are
needed, who is responsible for replacing missing or broken markers and
whether or not there is funding available. Mr. Chadwick will continue
his inventory work and speak with Veteran's Agent, Leo Parent with the
hopes of obtaining more information. He will report back to the Board
once he has more information. Joe asked Mr. Chadwick about the possibility
of cleaning the "Martin Severance" memorial plaque located
on South Maple Street. Joe would like to have a rededication ceremony
in honor of Martin Severance in the future. Mr. Chadwick volunteered
to clean up the plaque. Lastly, Mr. Chadwick reported that the tree located
in front of Memorial Hall obscures the American Flag and hinders his
ability to lower the flag on "half staff" days. He recommended
that the tree be removed. Members of the Board indicated that the trees
on Bridge Street are a part of a larger discussion; although beautiful,
they are causing the sidewalks to buckle creating a public safety concern.
OLD BUSINESS:
Senior Center Lease - the lease has been reviewed by Town Counsel
and recommended changes have been made. Last week, member towns met,
reviewed the changes and three towns have approved the document. The
lease is now being reviewed by the Masons. Comments brought forth by
John Payne following his review will be brought back to the group for
consideration. Overall, the Board felt that it was an excellent document.
Bridge
Street Sidewalks - the Highway Superintendent is waiting to receive
a quote from a local contractor as to the costs of adding a skim coat
to the uneven sidewalks. A listing of the trees planted along Bridge
Street was provided to each Board member for their review. Many of the
trees are locust, Linden or Ash. Being that each tree was purchased privately
and dedicated in someone's memory, the Board recognizes the need to be
sensitive when discussing their removal. Joe suggested discussing the
town's concerns at the next Partnership Meeting
Kontrabecki Wedding RE:
Access to Glacial Potholes - Joe has been in contact with Stacy Kontrabecki
to inform her that access to the glacial pothole area via the town-owned
stairs on Saturday, July 26 at 2:00 p.m. will be dependant upon the weather
conditions and water flow. Given the amount of rain in recent weeks,
the Board wants to ensure that the area is safe before access is allowed.
With that said, a motion was made by Joe to authorize the officer on
duty to make determination as to whether or not to allow access to the
glacial potholes via the town-owned stairs. John seconded the motion.
Motion passed: 2 - yes; 1 - abstention.
NEW BUSINESS:
Tree Removal at Highway Garage - the large trees behind the
town highway garage have been taken down by Jim's Tree Service. It has
been determined that the overall value of the lumber is not worth advertising
for sale as previously discussed therefore a logging company will be
contacted to take the logs away.
Loan of Roadside Mowing Equipment - a
decision was made by the Board to loan to the Town of Leyden the highway
department's New Holland tractor and flail mower for one week so that
Leyden can begin their roadside mowing. In return, Shelburne can complete
their roadside mowing using the four-town tractor with sidearm mower.
Rate of Pay for Part-time Help - the Highway Superintendent
has recommended creating a separate pay scale for part-time help; offering
a higher rate of pay to those that have specialized skills (laborers
verses equipment operators). Before making any decisions, Terry will
obtain survey information from neighboring towns to determine if the
hourly rate that Shelburne is currently paying is competitive.
Fleet
Card for Purchase of Gasoline - the Treasurer has finished completing
an application to Wright Express for the purpose of obtaining credit
cards for the purchase of gasoline. The cards will be assigned to the
Highway department and can be used at a variety of gas stations.
Brook
Road RE: Slope Stabilization Project - the work is scheduled to
begin on August 11, 2008. A letter will be sent to the Town of Colrain
under Bob's signature notifying Selectmen that Brook road will be closed
during construction. Wilson Graves Road to Smead Hill road will serve
as the detour route. The anticipated date of project completion is August
22, 2008.
DEP RE: Municipal Waste Reduction Grant - a motion was made
by Bob and seconded by John to allow the F.C. Solid Waste Management
District to apply to the FY'09 Municipal Sustainability Grant on Shelburne's
behalf with the hopes of receiving funding for outdoor recycling baskets
to be placed along Bridge Street and Deerfield Ave. Motion carried unanimously.
Ideas
for Possible Money Saving Opportunities - Joe compiled a list of
money saving ideas for the town to consider. The list included ideas
such as: less electricity usage during daytime hours, cutback in number
of work days, minimizing air-conditioning use, fuel efficient vehicles,
etc. He wants to send a message to department heads that managing the
finances of the town is a never-ending duty. The list will be circulated
to department heads with the hopes of seeking more ideas.
Town of Conway
RE: Placement of Road Closing Signs - the Town of Conway will begin
a construction project on Bardwell's Ferry Road just over the bridge
from Shelburne and would like to place road closing signs on the Shelburne
side of the bridge to warn oncoming vehicles that they will not be able
to pass through that section of roadway during construction. A motion
was made by Joe to approve the request. Motion seconded by John. Motion
passed unanimously. Bob will ask Pete Hillman to contact Conway in order
to coordinate placement of signs.
Metaphor Yarns, LLC RE: Request One
Day Liquor License - a motion was made by Joe to approve the one
day request for a "Yarn and Wine" Tasting
on August 22, 2008 from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at Metaphor Yarns.
John seconded the motion. Proof of insurance will be required. Motion
carried unanimously.
F.R.C.O.G. RE: Energy Savings Performance Contract - the F.R.C.O.G. has selected Siemens Building Technologies to provide
energy efficiency services for 16 municipalities and 3 regional school
districts who signed up as participants. The first step in the process
is to provide for a Preliminary Energy Audit at no direct cost to the
participant to determine the technical and economic feasibility of implementing
a program on an individual basis. A motion was made by John to engage
Siemens Building Technologies in a preliminary energy audit at no cost
to the town. Joe seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
OTHER BUSINESS:
Special Town Meeting of February 21, 2008 - the Town Clerk has
received official notice from the Office of the Attorney General that
Article 13; an amendment to the zoning by-laws was disapproved as a result
of two technicalities. Actions taken at the annual town meeting relative
to zoning by-law changes supersede those actions in February. The town
is waiting to hear the outcome of those actions.
Selectmen's Meeting
Schedule - a motion was made by Joe to cancel the Selectmen's meeting
on August 7th. The next scheduled meeting will be held on August 21st.
John seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
Part-time Clerical
Position for Town Boards - the Executive Secretary has solicited comments
from the Planning Board and the Board of Health on two occasions relative
to the "draft" job descriptions but
has received no feedback. The Board agreed that it is time to move forward.
John made a motion to advertise both positions. Joe seconded the motion.
Motion carried unanimously.
Adjournment - a motion was made by Joe to adjourn the meeting at 9:08
p.m. John seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Terry Mosher
Executive Secretary |
