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Board of Selectmen Meeting Minutes
Any and all corrections to the following minutes will be made at the 07/19/01 Board of Selectmen's meeting and are considered unapproved until then. Corrections will be noted in the minutes of that meeting.

MINUTES - SPECIAL REGULAR MEETING - BOARD OF SELECTMEN
LOCAL BOARD OF LIQUOR CONTROL COMMISSIONERS
JULY 9th, 2001 NEWFANE TOWN OFFICE

PRESENT:
Selectmen: Mike Rohan, Jesse Anderson, Lynn Bedell and Richard Marek.
Absent: Fred Bacon
Also Present: John Spicer of Village Enhancement Committee, Gary Katz - Newfane Lister, Alan Fagen, James O. Gray - Road Foreman, and Doris A. Knechtel, Administrative Assistant.

1. CALL TO ORDER
The regular meeting was called to order by Chairman Michael Rohan at 7:04 p.m.

2. SCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
A. VILLAGE ENHANCEMENT COMMITTEE - INVOICE
John Spicer was present to ask if the Board will approve the payment of an invoice to Martin Webster for trees purchased for the Village Enhancement tree planting grant program. The town will be reimbursed when the final grant monies are received for the current grant. The final report has been sent in.
Motion was made by M. Rohan and seconded by L. Bedell to pay Martin Webster the amount of $2,353.00 with the town to be reimbursed when the grant money is received. Unanimous.
The amount of $2,353.00 will be added to the Pay Orders, Check Warrant #1.

J. Spicer indicated that the Village Enhancement Committee is applying for another grant for the continued planting of trees within the South Newfane area. As part of the new grant application, certification documents need to be signed. Motion was made by L. Bedell and seconded by J. Anderson to have Chairman Michael N. Rohan sign the required USDA Certification documents on behalf of the town to be submitted with the new planting grant. Unanimous.

On Tuesday morning members of the Village Enhancement Committee will be working on mulching the Williamsville trees that have been planted within the past few years.

B. DISCUSSION OF SWIMMING RIGHTS - ROGER SANDES
This discussion will take place in the area of the Arch Bridge (BR#12) after the meeting on Tuesday, July 10th with the USPS at the South Newfane/Williamsville Post Office.

C. DISCUSSION - REAPPRAISAL RFP
M. Rohan and D. Knechtel called references for Patriot Properties of towns in western Massachusetts of comparable size. Most of the responses were very favorable, including the service and the product received from the company. Board members and the Listers have reviewed the proposal as well as Terry Knight from PV&R. (See AA Report - Item #3)

Gary Katz, Newfane Lister was present to discuss with the Board his views of the proposal from Patriot Properties. He is concerned that the company does not have any experience in Vermont and that is only one proposal to consider. The town Listers have presented a proposal for the Board to consider. It was pointed out that if the town contracts with a firm to do a town wide reappraisal and something happens to the person working on the reappraisal, the firm is obligated to have someone else complete the requirements of the contract. If the town Listers do the reappraisal and they are unable to complete the job, the town is back to square one. If the town Listers were to consider the job, an experienced appraiser/consultant would have to be hired to work with the Listers. At this time, it was felt that it would be better to have an outside firm to do the reappraisal for the town. The last reappraisal was done in 1987.

The first step will be to meet with a representative from Patriot Properties, Terry Knight, the Listers and the Board to review and ask the questions of all concerned. Three dates were decided upon to offer to T. Knight and Patriot Properties for the week of June 23rd. After that meeting, if the town determines that they will not enter into a contract with Patriot Properties, then the decision to send request for reappraisal proposals will again be addressed.
Gary Katz was thanked for his valuable input and attendance at the meeting.

4. ROAD BUSINESS
A. ROAD COMMISSIONER'S REPORT - (See attached report)
(1) Item #3 - The temporary easement document will be prepared and faxed to Barbara Kafka on July 10th. When the document is returned by her, the Board will also need to sign it. The bid for Bazin Brothers was approved on June 21st pending the signing of a temporary easement from the upstream property owner.

(2) Item #5 - The property owner where the abandon trailer is on South Wardsboro Road (TH#1) will be contacted about having another party remove the hazard/eyesore.

(3) Item #6 - Attorney T. O'Connor, Jr. will be contacted about setting up a meeting in early September to meet with all interested parties regarding the Radway Hill (TH#4)/River Road (TH#15) intersection.

4. B. ROAD FOREMAN'S REPORT - (See attached report)
(1) Item #3 - Flood work continues on South Wardsboro Road (TH#1) and Steep Way (TH#21). Flood work on Newfane Hill Road (TH#20) and Upper Spring Hill Road (TH#23) has been completed.

4. C. EXCESS WEIGHT PERMITS
No Excess Weight Permits were presented for the Boards review and approval.

4. D. ACCESS/RIGHT OF WAY PERMITS
No Access/Right of Way Permits were presented for the Boards review and approval.

4. E. OTHER ROAD BUSINESS
(1) Gurney Brothers will be making the necessary repairs, at no cost to the town, to work that had been done in 1998 by Gurney Brothers to Bridge #43 on Wiswall Hill Road (TH#11).

5. A. SPEED ENFORCEMENT & SIGNING - TRAFFIC CALMING
M. Rohan and R. Marek reviewed current sign locations and ideas for additional signs in the Newfane Village area and L. Bedell and J. Anderson did the same process in the Williamsville/South Newfane area. Each group will put together a concrete proposal for signs for both traffic control and welcoming enhancement signs.

5. OTHER OLD BUSINESS
(1) L. Bedell expressed concern about having the Zoning Administrator look into the situation of an additional house trailer on the Roger Sparks property. Piet is aware of the situation and has written at least one letter to Mr. Sparks. R. Marek mentioned a situation in the village area regarding Greg Andrews. Piet is also aware of that zoning infraction.

7. ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT'S REPORT - (See attached report)
A. Item #5 - A stone bench in the front of the Town Office has been installed thanks to the efforts of the Topitzer's and WW Building for the use of piece of equipment. The stone came from the northern side of the Town Office building. The bench is part of the overall enhancement of the outside of the building as planned and maintained by the Newfane Garden Club.

B. Item #1 - South Newfane/Williamsville Post Office - The Board and other interested parties will be meeting with Richard Thibodeau of the USPS Tuesday, July 10th at 2:30 p.m. at the South Newfane/Williamsville site for the primary purpose of reviewing the traffic and parking patterns. M. Rohan and P. van Loon met on Saturday morning at the site to watch the current traffic pattern being used by the postal patrons. The concerns expressed in a letter from Emily Wadhams of Historic Preservation will also be discussed, that being, the full length glass door and the outside light fixture. Board members also discussed the letter sent to Richard Thibodeau by Charles "Bud" Bergmann with copies to U.S. Senator Jeffords and House of Representatives Sanders. The Board felt that it was not good judgment on Mr. Bergmann's part to preempt the letter with the fact that he is a member of the Planning Commission. He should have just stated his personnel opinion. If a town commission or Board wants to have a spokesman represent them on a matter, than one or two members are chosen. If any town commission or board member wishes to express an opinion of their own, then they should do so as a private citizen, and not reference their town affiliation. The Board in their dealings with the USPS has tried to present a positive, cooperative position. It is hoped that the letter written by C. Bergmann will not set up a defensive situation, whereby the USPS responds in a negative way to the matters that the town is trying to be accomplish. It was agreed by the Board members present that Chairman M. Rohan will attend the meeting of the Planning Commission on July 17th to discuss the Selectmen's concerns about the letter written by Mr. Bergmann.

8. MINUTES
The minutes of regular meeting of 06/21/01 were reviewed by the Board. Page #2, 4. F. (1) to read "M. Rohan indicated that a meeting needs to be held regarding the Radway Hill/River Road intersection....." Motion was made by M. Rohan and seconded by R. Marek to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting of 06/21/01 as corrected. Unanimous.

13. LOCAL BOARD OF LIQUOR CONTROL COMMISSIONERS
Motion was made by M. Rohan and seconded by R. Marek to recess the Board of Selectmen's meeting at 9:26 p.m. and convene as the Local Board of Liquor Control Commissioners. Unanimous.

Motion was made by L. Bedell and seconded by R. Marek to approve the Second Class Liquor License submitted by James R. Borta for the Newfane Market which he expects to purchase in mid-August. Unanimous.

Motion was made by J. Anderson and seconded by L. Bedell to adjourn the meeting of the Local Board of Liquor Control Commissioners at 9:28 p.m. and reconvene the meeting of the Board of Selectmen. Unanimous.

9. PAY ORDERS
Motion was made by M. Rohan and seconded by L. Bedell to approve the Newfane Payroll and Accounts Payable Warrants for the following amounts:
06/23/01 Payroll $ 2,691.69
06/30/01 Payroll $ 2,874.02
07/02/01 Payroll $ 2,238.17
07/10/01 Acct's Payable #1 $ 91,893.62
Unanimous.

IRS Electronic Federal Payroll Tax Payments
06/27/01 $ 1,245.17
07/03/01 $ 928.34

10. CORRESPONDENCE
(1) Correspondence has been received from VTrans indicating that the town was not selected for a grant for a Traffic Calming project.

(2) A letter has been received from C. Grant Warner expressing his appreciation for the "yeoman work done by the road crews this last winter". A copy of the letter was given to J. Gray.

(3) A copy of a letter written by Attorney T. O'Connor, Jr. to Elizabeth Lord of the Agency of Natural Resources regarding a meeting between the ANR and West River Acres to review site specific buffer/revegetation required for the West River.

(4) A copy of the Hearing Recess Order from the District Environmental Commission #2 regarding West River Acres has been received.

(5) Copies of correspondence sent to Charles Bergmann from U.S. Senator Jeffords and Representative Sanders have been received.

(6) Copy of letter sent to Liz Pritchett, VT Historic Resource Consultant, from Emily Wadhams, State Historic Preservation Officer regarding her suggestions for changes to the South Newfane/Williamsville Post Office to be more in keeping with historic building considerations.

(7) A copy of correspondence sent to JoAnn Sagendorf and Roger Sparks from the Zoning Administrator regarding their zoning permit violation.

(8) Draft copy of the Zoning Board of Adjustment hearing dealing with the Town of Newfane appeal for a permanent parking area for use of Town Forest trails.

(9) The June issue of the VLCT News, the July issue of the Secretary of State's Opinions and the VLCT 2001 Legislative Wrap-Up have been received.

11. EXECUTIVE SESSION
No matters came before the Board that required an Executive Session.

12. ADJOURNMENT
Motion was made by J. Anderson and seconded by R. Marek to adjourn the Special Regular Meeting of the Board at 9:40 p.m. Unanimous.

Doris A. Knechtel
Administrative Assistant
Newfane Board of Selectmen

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


ROAD COMMISSIONER'S REPORT - 7/9/01

1. No access permits reviewed.

2. Fitzpatrick did the necessary flood work to allow the S. Wardsboro Road (TH#1) to be blacktopped, which it has been. He also took care of most, if not all, punch list items on S. Wardsboro Road. Upper Spring Hill (TH#23) and Newfane Hill (TH#20) punch list items have been worked on also. This leaves Steep Way (the majority of the work) to be done. A through review of all punch list items is planned after the completion of Steep Way (TH#21).

3. We need to formally accept the Bazin bid on Vic Benjamin Road (TH#64) and get the project rolling. Jim thinks that written agreement from the upstream landowner for the temporary access is all that we need to proceed based on his knowledge of where the property stakes are. We had the verbal agreement from this land owner weeks ago. The usual course at this point would be to lay out the temporary access to the property with Bazin. The relationship of the temporary access to the property stakes could be positively confirmed at this time.

4. We should anticipate sending out the band rail bids one or two meetings in the future. They are being prepared.

5. We received an offer from a private individual to help with the removal of an abandoned trailer. We should contact the owner of the trailer to see if they would accept any such help with the dismantling and removal of this hazard/eyesore. (Old business)

6. The next step at the Radway Hill/River Road intersection is a meeting of all involved parties to review Beck's plans. (Old business)

7. Dover Road (TH#2) resurfacing has been completed. This section of the road looks good and has a good ride. The resurfaced portion conforms to the request for bids. Upon receipt of an invoice, assuming that Jim agrees, we should pay the full amount. Bill Noyes was informed earlier this year how much centerline painting was needed and where it was needed. He should be reminded that the line painting (by the state) can be done at any time from now until the fall.

Road Commissioner
Jesse Anderson


ROAD FOREMAN'S REPORT 7/9/01
TOWN OF NEWFANE HIGHWAY

1. The following roads have been worked on since the last B.O.S. regular meeting: Stratton Hill Road (TH#35), Adams Hill Road (TH#27) from TH#2 to Toby Hill Road (TH#29), Dover Road (TH#2) in Brookside was prepared for blacktop and side dressing, Newfane Hill Road (TH#20), Cushing Flats Road (TH#6), Wheeler Hill Road (TH#26), Beetlestone Hill Road (TH#47), Beetlestone Drive (TH#25), and Porter Thayer Road (TH#51). The road crew supplied crushed gravel for side dressing Dover Road (TH#2) and South Wardsboro Road (TH#1) new paving area.

2. South Wardsboro Road (TH#1) and Dover Road (TH#2) were paved and shoulders side-dressed.

3. Fitzpatrick Crushing and Excavating has completed most of the punch list on South Wardsboro Road (TH#1), Newfane Hill Road (TH#20), and Upper Spring Hill Road (TH#23). Steep Way (TH#21) flood work to resume next week.

4. Equipment:
A. Rust under windshield was repaired at Ray Fortier's on the F-550, Warranty Work.
B. The starter on the '93 G.M.C. truck was rebuilt at Chick's.
C. All other equipment is operational.
D. All sanders have been oiled.

5. Vacation time will continue to be taken during the summer months. 6. Those roads that need work will be worked on soon.


To: Newfane Board of Selectmen
Memorandum From: Doris A. Knechtel
Subject: Administrative Assistant's Report
Date: July 9, 2001

1. Richard Thibodeau from the USPS will be meeting with Board members on tomorrow, Tuesday, July 10th at 2:30 p.m. at the South Newfane/Williamsville Post Office. Copies of correspondence to C. Bergmann have been received from Rep. Sanders and from Sen. Leahy regarding the SN/W Post Office.

2. I have received a sample potential ³easement² agreement from Wm. Noyes along with a sketch of the proposed detour. When I spoke with Barbara Kafka, she indicated that she is willing to sign an agreement for a temporary easement. I can have the document ready for the meeting of July 10th.

3. Reappraisal - I have had conversations with several people regarding the town-wide reappraisal: Terry Knight of Property Valuation and Review; Russ Beaudoin of Essex Junction (ProVal CAMA system which is $3,700 initial cost with $900 per year license and support fee); references for Patriot Properties, all of which were favorable; R. Russell Rice, commercial appraiser who I sent a copy of the PP proposal to; and Gary Katz, one of our town Listers. All discussions were interesting and informative, offering different points of view. Terry wishes to be continually informed and will participate in further discussion if it meets with her schedule.

4. Representatives from the state Property Valuation & Review will be here on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. to demonstrate the CAPTAP II State CAMA system to Newfane and other area communities.

5. The stone bench in front of the Town Office has been installed thanks to the Topitzers and WW Building, Ed Druke, Jr.

6. I will be off for a couple of days during next week to visit with family members from San Diego, CA and Mooresville, NC. Summertime!
 


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