Board of Selectmen Meeting Minutes |
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Any and all corrections to the following minutes will be made at the 03/16/00 Board of Selectmenıs Meeting and are considered unapproved until then. Corrections will be noted in the minutes of that meeting.
BOARD OF SELECTMEN MARCH 16th, 2000 NEWFANE TOWN OFFICE
PRESENT: 1. CALL TO ORDER VICE-CHAIRMAN - R. Dowley nominated Lynn Bedell as Vice-Chairman of the Newfane Board of Selectmen. Nominations were closed. In favor of Lynn Bedell as Vice-Chairman of the Newfane Board of Selectmen: J. Anderson, R. Dowley, M. Rohan and C. Van Iderstine.
CLERK - J. Anderson nominated Administrative Assistant Doris A. Knechtel, as Clerk of the Newfane Board of Selectmen.
Nominations were closed. In favor of Doris A. Knechtel to serve as Clerk of the Newfane Board of Selectmen. Unanimous. Lynn Bedell elected Vice-Chairman of the Newfane Board of Selectmen. Doris A. Knechtel elected as the Clerk of the Newfane Board of Selectmen. 3. MEETING SCHEDULE 4. LOCATION FOR POSTING OF NOTICES & MINUTES 5. OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER FOR POSTING OF NOTICES & ADVERTISEMENTS 6. APPOINTMENTS B. CIVIL DEFENSE COMMITTEE - Motion was made by J. Anderson and seconded by C. Van Iderstine appoint Edward J. Druke, Sr., Todd Lawley, Steve D. Jones and Jay Wilson to serve as the Civil Defense Committee. Unanimous. C. DELEGATES TO WINDHAM REGIONAL COMMISSION - Motion was made by M. Rohan and seconded by R. Dowley to appoint Hendrik W. van Loon and George B. Weir to serve as the Delegates to Windham Regional Commission from Newfane. Unanimous. D. ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER(S) - Motion was made by M. Rohan and seconded by J. Anderson to appoint the Windham County Sheriff's Department to serve as the Animal Control Officer(s) for the Town of Newfane. Unanimous. E. POUNDKEEPER - Motion was made by M. Rohan and seconded by L. Bedell to appoint the VT/NH Veterinary Clinic to serve as the Poundkeeper for Newfane. Unanimous. F. FENCE VIEWERS - Motion was made by M. Rohan and seconded by R. Dowley to appoint Larry C. Robinson, Gregory L. Record and Theodor E. Schreyer to serve as the Fence Viewers for the Town of Newfane. Unanimous. G. INSPECTOR OF LUMBER, SHINGLES, & WOOD - Motion was made by L. Bedell and seconded by J. Anderson to appoint Carleton Chaffee to serve as the Inspector of Lumber, Shingles & Wood for the Town of Newfane. Unanimous. H. WEIGHER OF COAL - Motion was made J. Anderson and seconded by L. Bedell to serve as the Weigher of Coal for the Town of Newfane. Unanimous. I. REPRESENTATIVE TO RESCUE, INC. - Motion was made by L. Bedell and seconded by R. Dowley to appoint Carter Van Iderstine to serve as the Representative of Rescue, Inc. from the Town of Newfane. Unanimous. J. TOWN ENERGY COORDINATOR - Motion was made by M. Rohan and seconded by R. Dowley to appoint Edward J. Druke, Sr. to serve as the Town Energy Coordinator for Newfane. Unanimous. K. TOWN SERVICE OFFICER - Motion was made by M. Rohan and seconded by J. Anderson to appoint Barbara Williams as the Town Service Officer for Newfane. Unanimous. L. TREE WARDEN - Motion was made by M. Rohan and seconded by J. Anderson to appoint William C. Guenther as the Tree Warden for Newfane. Unanimous. M. SEWAGE CONTROL OFFICER - Motion was made by J. Anderson and seconded by R. Dowley to appoint John F. Feifel to serve as the interim Sewage Control Officer for the Town of Newfane until the meeting of April 6th when he will be invited to come before the full Board. Unanimous. N. COUNCIL ON AGING REPRESENTATIVE - Motion was made by L. Bedell and seconded by J. Anderson to appoint Barbara Kinoy to serve as the representative from Newfane on the Council on Aging. Unanimous. O. PLANNING COMMISSION - Motion was made by M. Rohan and seconded by J. Anderson to appoint Gunther P. Garbe to the Newfane Planning Commission for a term of four years to serve until the year 2004. Unanimous. The PC will interview for the other four year term. P. ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT - Motion was made by C. Van Iderstine and seconded by L. Bedell to appoint the following residents to serve as a member of the Zoning Board of Adjustment: Sarah Taylor to serve a four year term (2004), Susan Keese to serve a two year term (2002) and John E. Pyatak to serve a one year term (2001). Unanimous. A letter was received from John E. Pyatak indicating his interest to serve for one year on the ZBA.
Q. ZONING ADMINISTRATOR - Motion was made by L. Bedell and seconded by C. Van Iderstine to approve the appointment by the Planning Commission of Hendrik "Piet" W. van Loon to the position of Zoning Administrator for the Town of Newfane to serve until March 2003. Unanimous. The Board thanked him for agreeing to take to position and wished him well.
R. WINDHAM SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT - Motion was made by L. Bedell and seconded by R. Dowley to appoint Doris Knechtel as the Supervisor and Paul Van Gelder as the Alternate Supervisor from Newfane on the WSWMD Board. Unanimous. S. VERMONT GREEN-UP - No one was appointed to serve as the Co-Chairman for Vermont Green-Up for Newfane. It was suggested that the Conservation Commission, the school or the Kindle Farm might be approached about coordinating the Green-Up efforts. T. CONSERVATION COMMISSION - Motion was made by J. Anderson and seconded by L. Bedell to appoint Elizabeth Szczesniak-Johnson and Hollis Burbank-Hammarlund to the Newfane Conservation Commission to each serve four year terms until the year 2004. Unanimous. A letter was received from Elizabeth Szczesniak-Johnson to indicate her interest in serving as a member of the Conservation Commission. U. TOWN FOREST COUNCIL - (5) - No appointments were made.
V. VILLAGE ENHANCEMENT COMM. - (10) - No appointments were made. W. ASSISTANT TOWN CLERK - Town Clerk, Janice Litchfield, has appointed Sandra Dowley and Shelbajean Hescock as her Assistant Town Clerks.
X. ASSISTANT TREASURER - Town Treasurer, Shelbajean Hescock, has appointed Janice Litchfield and Doris Knechtel to serve as her Assistant Treasurers.
Y. ELECTED OFFICIAL POSITIONS OPEN (2) GRAND JUROR - Motion was made by M. Rohan and seconded by C. Van Iderstine to appoint John E. Pyatak to serve as the Grand Juror for the Town of Newfane until the next regular or special town meeting. Unanimous. Mr. Pyatak received enough write-in votes to serve as the Town Agent. (3) LELAND & GRAY DIRECTOR - There is an additional Newfane vacancy on the Leland & Gray School Directors. Emily Long received enough write-in votes to be elected to one of the vacant positions. In the past, the School Board interviewed interested candidates and made a recommendation to the Selectmen. Tom Redden will be contacted about the process. 7. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC: UNSCHEDULED B. Hilary Cooke - Flex-One - AFLAC - Board members were given documents concerning the details of the Flex-One AFLAC supplemental insurance program to be considered for offering to the employees at no cost to the town. The plan allows for benefits to be purchased on a pre-tax basis, if the employee chooses, including the current BC/BS program. The pre-tax plan will lower the reported Social Security earnings. AFLAC will assist with any forms needed for reporting to the IRS. L. Bedell expressed her concern the other independent carriers were not also presenting plans. She also questioned other aspects of the plan. Motion was made by C. Van Iderstine and seconded by J. Anderson to offer the opportunity for the employees to purchase supplemental insurance through the Flex-One plan from AFLAC and to have Chairman Michael Rohan sign the Resolution Adopting the Flexible Benefits Plan. In favor: M. Rohan, J. Anderson, R. Dowley and C. Van Iderstine. Opposed: L. Bedell. Motion passes. H. Cooke will meet with the highway employees on 03/21/00. R. Dowley inform them that they are not obligated to sign up for the plan. The printed material had the start date for the plan to begin on 03/01/00. This will need to be changed to 04/01/00. Motion was made by M. Rohan and seconded by J. Anderson to have the Administrative Assistant, Doris Knechtel, sign the verification of the change in start date from 03/01/00 to 04/01/00. Unanimous. 8. ROAD BUSINESS
B. ROAD FOREMAN'S REPORT - (See attached report)
C. Municipal Excess Weight Limit Permits - Motion was made by M. Rohan and seconded by C. Van Iderstine to
approve the following Excess Weight Permits as proposed:
Unanimous. The permit holders will be sent a copy of the Newfane Policy and Procedures for Excess Weight Permits and a Bridge Restriction List. 9. ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT'S REPORT - (See attached report) B. Item #2 - Motion was made C. Van Iderstine and seconded by J. Anderson to sell the four "old" garage doors to Frank Suponski for the amount of $200. Unanimous. There is additional hardware for the doors in the Williamsville Hall. C. Item #3 - A letter will be written to Roger Whitcomb of VAOT to let him know, in writing, the results of the town meeting vote on the covered bridge, ask what the next step for the town will be and to thank him for having VAOT participate in the special meeting of 02/17/00. D. Item #5 - Board members discussed having someone from the sheriff's department come to a meeting to discuss having the WCDS spend quality time monitoring speeding offenders. E. Item #6 - The Board suggested that the "old" computers be sold for whatever funds can be obtained, as their current value is not very much. 10. PAY ORDERS
03/04/00 Payroll $ 2,654.15
IRS Electronic Federal Payroll Tax Payments 11. MINUTES 12. OTHER BUSINESS 13. CORRESPONDENCE (2) The Board members and James Gray, Road Foreman, have reviewed the Vermont Historic Bridge Program for the Green Iron Bridge (BR#49) agreement between the state AOT and Newfane. Motion was made by M. Rohan and seconded by L. Bedell to have the Selectmen sign the Historic Preservation Easement Agreement between the State of Vermont Agency of Transportation and the Town of Newfane for Bridge #49 on Town Highway #26. Unanimous. (3) A copy of a grant proposal in the amount of $2,000 for the Williamsville School Preservation Society has been received. They would like the Board to write a letter of support for their grant. Motion was made by M. Rohan and seconded by R. Dowley to have DAK draft a support letter for the WSPS grant proposal. Unanimous. (4) A letter and Sketch Plan has been received from Robert Stevens of Stevens & Associates regarding the drainage design on West Street in the village. He estimates that the probable construction costs will be approximately $15,000, rather than the $7,500 budgeted. The Board would like to meet with Mr. Steven sometime the week of April 3rd at the site. Wm. Noyes, District #2 Technician, will also be notified. M. Rohan will contact B. MacFarland. (5) A letter has been received from John Spicer regarding his thoughts on the Williamsville Covered Bridge and the rebuilding of the covered bridge relates to the Policies and Recommendations included in the Transportation section of the Newfane Town Plan. 14. ADJOURNMENT Doris A. Knechtel Administrative Assistant Newfane Board of Selectmen Posted: Town Clerk's Office, Newfane Store, Patsy's County Seat Market, Lessing's Family General Store and South Newfane General Store & Deli and www.webwerk.com/newfane
ROAD FOREMAN'S REPORT 3/16/00 TOWN OF NEWFANE HIGHWAY 1. Winter storms on 3/11 & 12/00 were very difficult to plow due to gravel roads being thawed. Plows dug in many locations. Many broken limbs in roads. 2. Culverts that were frozen have been opened with the steam jenny or chloride. This improves drainage and may prevent washing of road surface. All roads have been pushed back to provide drainage. 3. As son as roads dry out, highways will be graded and raked. Mud has been spotty on roads to this time. 4. Equipment: a. The SnowKing plow is at Vermont Municipal waiting for parts to improve performance. The plow frame has been improved. b. All other equipment is operational. 5. Posting of roads continues to prevent damage. Most truckers comply with posting. Violations, if known, have been notified by phone.
6. I have reviewed the maintenance agreement on Bridge #49 in South Newfane, and I recommend approval of VAOT agreement with the Town of Newfane.
Road Foreman
Administrative Assistant's Report Date: March 16, 2000 1. Courtney Nau is interested in obtaining the "old" generator that was given to the town by Grace Cottage Hospital. 2. I heard from two different parties who are interested in purchasing the "old" garage doors. One is Frank Suponski for the amount of $200 (see letter) and the other is Jim Rogers for $50. 3. Roger Whitcomb of VAOT called and I told him of the results of the vote on the covered-bridge at town meeting. 4. I understand from Bahman Mahdavi that the Newfane web site receives about 150 "hits" a month, some from Alaska, Massachusetts and Connecticut. 5. Sheriff Graham stopped by to suggest larger 25 mph signs entering the villages may call more attention to the speed limit. 6. There has been some interest in the purchase of the "old" computer used by the Town Clerk and the Town Treasurer. The value listed in the town report are for $450. (IBM PS2) and for $2,240. (Gateway 2000 - 386/33) Printers are not included. 7. Williamsville Hall - J. Gray asked T. Jeffers about the installation of a sink at the hall, and Jeffers suggested a 3-bay sink but that the Health Department has to be involved. I contacted the Health Department and received a copy of the Health Regulations for Food Service. I called and spoke with Alfred Burns, of the Health Dept. about the Williamsville Hall. If the use is one day a month and is not advertised, it is considered "Occasional" use and no license is required. He also indicated that Senior Meals are exempt, depending on the location of the preparation. He recommends that the town plan for what is required, 3-compartment sink, hand sink for food preparers, etcetera. Many times he has seen "sinks" put in only to have the unit replaced because the needs increase and the requirements change for the license required. He suggests that the town contact Taylor Gillick of the Springfield Office (802) 885-5778 and meet with him and representatives from the town to review and/or make plans for what is required. The plumbing will need to be inspected whether a food license is required or not.
8. Jim Robinson, representing the Williamsville Hall Committee, will be attending the meeting this evening with a outline of the projects that the committee is proposing for the hall.
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