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Board of Selectmen Meeting Minutes

Any and all corrections to the following minutes will be made at the 05/06/04 Board of Selectmen's meeting and are considered unapproved until then. Corrections will be noted in the minutes of that meeting.

MINUTES - REGULAR MEETING - BOARD OF SELECTMEN
LOCAL BOARD OF LIQUOR CONTROL COMMISSIONERS
APRIL 15th, 2004
NEWFANE TOWN OFFICE

PRESENT:
Selectmen: Piet van Loon, Carleton Chaffee, Priscilla Cotton, and Chris Williams.
Absent: Gary Katz
Also Present: Thomas A. Martin of Winmill Equipment Co., Jim Bourque of Nortrax Equipment Co., Edward Durgin of Verizon, Kurt Bostrom, Road Foreman and Doris Knechtel as Administrative Assistant.

1. CALL TO ORDER
The regular meeting was called to order by Chairman van Loon at 6:30 p.m.

2. ROAD BUSINESS
A. ROAD COMMISSIONER'S REPORT - (No report was submitted)
2. B. ROAD FOREMAN'S REPORT - (See attached report)
(1) Item #1 - K. Bostrom received two proposals for 4" white line painting along the sides of the road. One fro L & D Safety marking in Barre for $0.035 per linear foot and Scott's Line Striping from Williston at $0.05 per linear foot. The cost would be between $2,975 to $4,250 for 85,000 lf, which would include Depot/Dover Road (TH#2), Grimes Hill Road (TH#5), Radway Hill Road (TH#4) and South Wardsboro Road (TH#1). The lines would be useful at night. Before any painting is done the town would have to rent a sweeper for a few days and have two members of the highway crew sweep the sand off the sides in order to paint on the black top. The Board will consider the proposals.
(2) Item #2 - K. Bostrom has completed two grants for the Town Highway Class 2 Roadway Program that need to be signed by the Selectboard. Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Williams to sign the grant application for a project on South Wardsboro Road (TH#1) to replace culverts, put down filter fabric in soft areas and add an 8" gravel overlay on a portion of the gravel section of the highway for a total estimated cost of $58,000. Unanimous. Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Chaffee to sign the grant application to resurface one mile of South Wardsboro Road (TH#1) beyond the area of the wash-out. Unanimous.
(3) Item #3 - A plan for improving the drainage on Jones Hill Road (TH#52). The proposal would do away with the old culvert and catch basin that is causing a problem and install a new ditch. He has reviewed the proposal with the property owners involved and they seem to be amenable to the idea. Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Williams to have K. Bostrom proceed with the project as proposed as long as all parties are in agreement. Unanimous. Chairman van Loon will write a letter and agreement to the property owners involved.
(4) Item #4 - A culvert on Timson Hill Road (TH# 41) by the Jim Sinon/Margo Stone corner needs to be fixed. The drainage will be going onto their property. The change should be in in writing and agreed to be the town and the property owner.
(5) Item #5 - The culvert, road and bridge inventory is to be completed. K. Bostrom received an amount of $4.50 per culvert from Bob Niles of Holden Assoc. which includes training. Paul Jones was also approached about doing the inventory after he retires from employment.
(6) Item #6 - K. Bostrom will obtain prices for a hot mix patch over the linear crack on Depot Road (TH#2).
2. E. SOUTH WARDSBORO ROAD (TH#1) PROJECT
K. Bostrom has been working with A.S. Clark's on this project. There is a question of additional utility poles that need to be relocated.
2. G. DISCUSSION - CULHANE CORNER
P. van Loon met with Brud Sanderson of Stevens & Associates at Culhane Corner to discuss the engineering aspects of the projects and the contract submitted by the firm. Motion was made by C. Chaffee and seconded by C. Williams to have Chairman Hendrik van Loon sign the contract, on behalf of the town, with Stevens & Associates for the engineering work for the Culhane Corner project. Unanimous.
2. C. EXCESS WEIGHT PERMITS
Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Chaffee to approve the following Excess Weight Limit permit as amended:

A.S. Clark and Sons 3 axle @ 60,000# Okay
  2 axle @ 33,000# Okay

In favor: P. Van Loon, C. Chaffee and P. Cotton. Abstaining: C. Williams. Motion passes.

2. D. ACCESS/RIGHT OF WAY PERMITS
No Access/Right of Way permits were presented to the Board for action.
3. C. OPENING OF BIDS - LOADER
The Selectboard received the following bids for the purchase of a new wheel loader to replace the current 1991 Cat 926E Loader.

Bids

The bids will be reviewed by the Board members and by the Road Foreman before a decision is made at the May 6th meeting.

3. SCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
A. EDWARD DURGIN - VERIZON
Edward Durgin of Verizon explained that the request of the town for a payment of $5,000 for a right of way and use of land owned by the town in South Newfane on the westerly side of the S.N. Village for a building for enhanced phone service equipment, was not accepted by his superiors.
The property currently is not being used by the town and it would be a good location for Verizon. There is a central office in Williamsville. The proposal would save adding more cable to the existing poles and would add more services. It was noted that Verizon would be taxed on the proposed structure and equipment bringing in some revenue to the town.
P. Cotton suggested a payment of $2,500 for the right-of way and use of the land and C. Chaffee suggested $4,800. E. Durgin indicated that his company may be able to work with the $2,500 figure. Motion was made by C. Williams and seconded by P. Cotton to ask Verizon for the amount of $2,500 for use of the town land and a right of way to install enhanced phone service equipment. Discussion: P. van Loon indicated that there are advantages to having the project move forward. The Board would like to have some say, in coordination with the Town Tree Warden, as to the type of screening to be used. Unanimous. A letter will be written to Verizon regarding the Board's discussion and decision.

3. B. LYSSA SINGLETON & BRUCE GARROW - SCHOOL GRANT UPDATE
Lyssa Singleton and Bruce Garrow were not present at the meeting. P van Loon did meet with the representatives from Forest and Parks along with the school representatives to review the playground grant project at the school. There needs to be a delineation between the school parking and the playground area and they school needs to go out for bid for the playground equipment that has been pre-purchased.

4. UNSCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
No members of the public were present that wished to bring any matters to the Board.

5. OLD BUSINESS
A. DOG ORDINANCE
P. van Loon and P. Cotton got together and reviewed the various Dog/Animal Control Ordinances from area communities. The result of that is a draft document, Newfane Animal Nuisance Control Ordinance, that was distributed to the Board members, the Constable and the WCSD for review, comments and changes. The Board will address the proposed document at the May 6th meeting of the Board.
B. PERSONNEL POLICY
P van Loon will meet with P. Cotton to review the Personnel Policy and make any recommended changes for the Board meeting on May 6th.

5. C. OTHER OLD BUSINESS
(1) The Board discussed having a traffic study done in the area of the Williamsville Covered Bridge and by the Shakun residence on Dover Road (TH#2). There had been a previous study done easterly of the covered bridge. Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Williams to contact Windham Regional Commission about conducting a traffic survey to compile the speed, count, type of vehicle and direction on the Dover Road (TH#2) between the covered bridge and the South Newfane Village. Unanimous. It was noted that 33 tickets were issued in February by the WCSD.
(2) The Board received a petition listing the names of 7 residents asking that a resolution be passed by the Board, much like that of the VT Senate, asking for an independent assessment of the safety of the Vernon Nuclear Plant. It was mentioned that it was really a very small percentage of residents who signed the petition. It was also unclear as to where the petition was generated from. Board members were not entirely in agreement as to passing such a resolution at this time without further information and consideration. A draft letter will be proposed on the matter for review and consideration at the meeting of May 6th.
(3) The flagpole, donated by Shelbajean Hescock, should be arriving this next week. The placement of the pole will be to the north of the Town Office front door. Lighting will be considered from the outside lights above the steps.
(4) In order to institute a Development Review Board in Newfane, there will need to be an amendment to the Zoning Bylaw. Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Chaffee to approach the Planning Commission to work on the Newfane Zoning Bylaw to incorporate the necessary language to institute a Development Review Board in Newfane. Unanimous.

6. NEW BUSINESS
A. APPOINTMENTS
(1) LELAND & GRAY SCHOOL BOARD (1) - No candidate was suggested.
(2) CONSERVATION COMMISSION - No action.
(3) WINDHAM REGIONAL COMMISSION REPRESENTATIVE - No action.
(4) WINDHAM SOLID WASTE ALTERNATE SUPERVISOR - No action.
All of the above position to be appointed have been advertised and posted.

6. B. GOALS & OBJECTIVES - 2004 - 2005
Board members spoke of the work that had been accomplished at the Dover Town Hall located at the Dover Common. At some time in the future, the Board will meet at the Williamsville Hall to prioritize additional improvements to be made to the hall.
6. C. SCHEDULE MEETINGS WITH BOARDS, TOWNS AND AGENCIES
The Selectboard will invite the Vermont State Police to attend the Selectboard meeting of May 6th. The Board expressed their disappointment of the recent meeting with the WCSD. The Board may have to look for an alternate plan for Law Enforcement. One idea may be to provide training for one or two Constables. There is also a bill before the legislature provide for towns to share police forces, sort of a cooperative.
6. D. OTHER NEW BUSINESS
(1) The Interim Wireless Telecommunications Facilities Bylaw was enacted on May 9th, 2002 for a two year period. A new hearing will be warned for May 6th at 7:00 p.m. to reenact the Interim Wireless Telecommunications Facilities Bylaw for a period of one year. The legal notice was prepared by D. Knechtel and signed by the Selectboard.

7. ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT'S REPORT
A. Item #1 - Board members are not in favor of creating a "No Passing" zone on the Dover Road (TH#2) as requested by renter, Jeoff Smith. Enforcement is difficult. Also, it is legal in Vermont to pass on a double yellow line as long as there is sufficient site distance. It was suggested that pedestrian signs may be more effective at slowing people down.
B. Item #2 - P van Loon will contact Roger Whitcomb of VTrans regarding a future meeting to discuss Bridge #14 with affected property owners.
C. Item #5 - The Vermont Better Backroads Small Grant Program applications will be reviewed with K. Brostrom, Road Foreman, to determine if there is a project that would be considered for a grant application.
D. April has 5 Thursdays with no meeting scheduled that last week. Instead of taking the week off for vacation, which is the usual practice, D. Knechtel will use the time to organize the AA office area.

8. MINUTES
(1) Minutes of 04/08/04 - Motion was made by C. Chaffee and seconded by P. Cotton to approve the minutes of the 04/08/04 Special Meeting, as written. Unanimous.
(2) Minutes of 04/01/04 - Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Chaffee to approve the minutes of the 04/01/04 Regular Meeting, as written. Unanimous.
(3) Minutes of 03/18/04 - Corrections: Page #3, Item 3.A. The proposed amendment to the motion was made by C. Chaffee and not G. Katz for the $5,000. Also the last sentence change till to will. Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Williams to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting of 03/18/04, as corrected. Unanimous.
(4) Minutes of 01/15/04 - Correction: Page #1, Item #1. Add van Loon after the word Chairman. Motion was made by C. Williams and seconded by P. Cotton to approve the minutes of the 01/15/04 Regular Meeting of 01/15/04, as corrected. Unanimous.

9. CORRESPONDENCE
A. Correspondence has been received from Vermont Local Roads to indicate that Kevin Shrader, Kurt Bostrom, Mike Winot and Paul Jones attended the Work Zone and Flagging workshop in Manchester, VT on April 1st, 2004.
B. Notification has been received Windham Regional Commission regarding the Update on Route 30 Gateways Design Project. They will be getting the committee back together. WRC would like the names of two representatives from each town (Newfane, Townshend, Jamaica and Winhall) to serve on the project committee. Bea MacFarland and Priscilla Cotton were suggested to be the representatives from Newfane. There will be a meeting on April 28 at 6:00 p.m. in Townshend to discuss a proposal from Stratton Mountain to assist with the project.
C. West River Acres, Inc., through Timothy J. O'Connor, Jr., Esq., has requested additional time from the Vermont Environmental Board to submit a planting plan for the vegetative buffer along the shoreline of the property and the West River.
D. The Activity Reports for 03/14/04 through 03/27/04 for the Windham County Sheriff's Department have been received.
E. The March 2004 issue of the VLCT News has been received.
F. The town has received a copy of the Audit Report for the Windham Solid Waste Management District for June 30, 2003.


10. PAY ORDERS
Motion was made by C. Chaffee and seconded by P. Cotton to approve the Newfane Payroll and Accounts Payable Warrants for the following amounts:
04/03/04 Payroll $ 4,430.01
04/10/04 Payroll $ 3,282.34
04/16/04 Acct.'s Payable #22 $ 360,629.90 Unanimous.
IRS Electronic Federal Payroll Tax Payments
04/07/04 $ 1,088.24
04/07/04 $ 583.21
04/14/04 $ 1,430.14

VCDP Grant #220/941G - #6 - April 15, 2004
Motion was made by C. Chaffee and seconded by P. Cotton to approve the expenditure of $7,577.68 to be made out to the property owner and the contractor. Unanimous. The property owner has received additional funds through the housing rehabilitation grant program and the proper paper work has been filed with the Town Clerk. Payments are made back to the fund on a regular basis as determine by the loan committee.

11. EXECUTIVE SESSION
No matters came before the Selectboard that required the need of an Executive Session.

12. ADJOURNMENT
Motion was made by G. Katz and seconded by P. Cotton to adjourn the Regular Meeting of the Board at 9:26 p.m. and convene the meeting of the Local Board of Liquor Control Commissioners. Unanimous.
1
3. LOCAL BOARD OF LIQUOR CONTROL COMMISSIONERS
The Local Board of Liquor Control Commissioners received renewal forms for two First Class Liquor Licenses and three Second Class Liquor Licenses.
Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Williams to approve the two First Class Liquor License applications for Pfander Hospitality Corporation, d.b.a. Four Columns Inn and Riverbend Restaurant, Inc., d.b.a. The Riverbend Bar & Grill, and the Second Class Liquor Licenses for Paul C. Dutton, d.b.a. Dutton Farm Stand; South Newfane General Store & Deli, Inc., d.b.a. South Newfane General Store & Deli; and RGOLD, Inc., d.b.a. Williamsville General Store. Unanimous.
Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Williams to adjourn the meeting of the Local Board of Liquor Control Commissioner at 9:45 p.m. Unanimous.

Doris A. Knechtel
Administrative Assistant
Newfane Selectboard

Posted: Town Clerk's Office, Newfane Store, Williamsville General Store, and South Newfane General Store & Deli. www.newfanevt.com


ROAD FOREMAN'S REPORT - 04/15/04

1. Two prices were received for the white line painting; L & D and Scott's.

2. The Class 2 grant applications are completed and dropped off.

3. The Jones Road (TH#52) drainage problem has been gone over with the land owners and a solution is in the works.

4. Jim Sinon's corner needs a culvert to fix the problem.

5. Bob Niles of Holden Associates will plot our culverts, go over black top, set up pur computer and train me for $4.50 per culvert.

6. Depot Road (TH#2) should have a hot mix patch over the linear crack and I have used O'Briens for small jobs before and they were very good. I will get a price from them.

Kurt Bostrom, Road Foreman


To: Newfane Selectboard MEMORANDUM
From: Doris A. Knechtel
Subject: Administrative Assistant's Report
Date: April 15, 2004

1. Jeoff Smith, who is a renter in Williamsville, was in to ask about having the Selectboard consider putting in a ANo Passing@ zone on Dover Road (TH#2) from Adams Hill Road (TH#27) to the Arch Bridge (BR#12) in Williamsville. I have looked up information on the matter.

2. Roger Whitcomb, VTrans Project Manager for Bridge #14 in South Newfane, called today wanting to know if the Board would like him to come and meet with property owners affected by the replacement of Bridge #14 before June or July when he is planning to set up a meeting with them.

3. Kurt Bostrom has completed applications for Class II Highway grants that need to be signed by the Board with the signature page to be faxed to Floyd Roberts this evening. F. Roberts indicated that he does not feel that the town will be awarded any grants, but we might as well try in the event that other towns do not apply.

4. There is a Legal Notice for a Public Hearing to reenact the Interim Wireless Telecommunications Facilities Bylaw that needs to be signed by the Board. The hearing is scheduled for May 6th at 7:00 p.m.

5. Applications have been received for Vermont Better Backroads Small Grant Programs for two categories of grants: A. Road Inventory and B. Correction of a Road Related Erosion Problem. Applications are due on May 7th. The maximum amount for Road Inventory is $4,000 and for an erosion problem is $7,000. The slide on Grimes Hill Road (TH#5) might be a good candidate for the B. Grant.

6. There are two first class and three second class liquor licenses to be considered by the Local Board of Liquor Control Commissioners. A list has been provided for you.

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