|
Any and all corrections to the following minutes will be made at the 08/17/00 Board of Selectmenıs Meeting and are considered unapproved until then. Corrections will be noted in the minutes of that meeting.
MINUTES - REGULAR MEETING - BOARD OF SELECTMEN
SPECIAL MEETING - NEWFANE BOARD OF HEALTH
AUGUST 2nd, 2000
TOWNSHEND TOWN OFFICE
PRESENT:
Selectmen: Mike Rohan, Jesse Anderson, and Richard Dowley
Absent: Lynn Bedell and Carter Van Iderstine.
Also Present: William A. Noyes, District #2 Technician, Paul from District #2, Kit Martin, Janis Atherton and Mark Morse of Townshend, Bud Knickerbocker of WRC, Don Gurney, Bob Terry, Paul Murphy, Rich Tetreault, Gary Schelley, and other unidentified state and FEMA representatives, James Gray, Road Foreman and Doris Knechtel, Admin. Assistant.
1. CALL TO ORDER
The Special Meeting was called to order at 9:10 a.m. by Wm. Noyes.
2. FEMA INTRODUCTION - APPLICANTS BRIEFING
William A. Noyes, District #2 Technician, first thanked the town of Townshend for hosting the applicants briefing for FEMA reporting of flood damage to public property.
There will be an additional meeting with state and FEMA personnel, called a "kick-off" meeting, either at the end of this week or at the beginning of next week. Shortly after that meeting, a team of FEMA personnel will be assigned to each town along with Wm. Noyes or other state highway personnel to review all of the damage with the Road Foreman or appropriate person to complete the paper work and come up with final estimated costs and recommendations. All major work should wait until written information with estimates has been completed and approved by FEMA before going forward with repairs. Temporary and immediate work should be eligible for reimbursement through FEMA. It is looked at on a case by case basis. When asked about partial construction, the response was "What would you do if FEMA wasn't here?"
There was much discussion about "Codes and Standards" and the "50% Rule." Wm. Noyes provided a printed sheet from the FEMA field books regarding how these matters are dealt with. Codes and Standards - When a facility must be repaired or replaced, FEMA may pay for upgrades that are necessary to meet specific requirements of current Codes and Standards. The Newfane Selectmen adopted new Codes and Standards on June 17th, 1999. Repair or Replacement - FEMA will restore an eligible facility to its pre-disaster condition. Restoration is divided into two categories: Repair or Replacement. If a facility is damaged to the point where the applicant thinks the facility should be replaced rather than repaired, the following calculation, known as the "50% Rule," should be used to determine the eligibility components only. The cost does not include codes and standards upgrades, demolition, site work, and any soft costs. Engineering is a soft cost.
Uniform Codes & Standards is a new issue. How repairs or replacement are to be assessed by FEMA for new Code and Standard work was not clear at this time.
Angela Magara, from Vermont Emergency Management, explained about the 406 Program for Hazardous Mitigation. As much mitigation work as possible is to be done correctly now to avoid repetitive damage and problems in the future.
Angela Magara also indicated that if the town feels that the amount to be allowed for public assistance is not favorable to the town, the town has a right to appeal.
Projects are considered to be a large or a small project. A small project is any eligible work, either emergency or permanent, costing for $1,000 to $48,000. Funding for small projects is based on 75% of the approved estimate of eligible work. The State and Local funding split has yet to be determined. Traditionally the split is 50/50. FEMA provides funds for administrative cost of 3% for the first $100,000, 2% for the next $900,000 and 1% for the next $4,000,000. Large project with damage costs over $48,900 will be determined by FEMA, state and local representatives. Large projects are paid on receipts. Towns may borrow for the unbudgeted expenses.
Questions were also raised about private property assistance. People have been asked to inform the individual towns are Tom Woodard of VEM at 1-800-347-0488 with an estimate of their damage and to have photos for backup. No determination has been made as yet about the availability of funds through FEMA or other sources for private property.
3. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 10:45 a.m.
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.
www.newfanevt.com
|
