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Board of Selectmen Meeting Minutes

Any and all corrections to the following minutes will be made at the 08/19/04 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
AUGUST 5th, 2004
NEWFANE TOWN OFFICE

PRESENT:
Selectmen: Carleton Chaffee, Priscilla Cotton, Gary Katz and Chris Williams.
Absent: Piet van Loon
Also Present: Larry Underwood of Lane Construction Corp., David Clarkson of Conservation Commission, Kurt Bostrom as Road Foreman and Doris Knechtel as Admin. Assistant.

1. CALL TO ORDER
The regular meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m.. Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Williams to appoint Gary Katz, Chairman Pro Tem for this meeting. Three in favor, one abstention. Motion passes.

2. ROAD BUSINESS
A. ROAD COMMISSIONER's REPORT - (See attached report)
(1) Item #1 - A signed agreement has been received from Harlan and Marilyn Van Ness for the necessary culvert and drainage work to be done on Jones Road (TH#52) and on their property.
(2) Item #4. A. - 25 MPH speed limit signs have been installed on Duke Road (TH#66) and Upper Eager Road (TH#13). The one on TH#13 has been vandalized and is now missing. The WCSD has spoken to one of the property owners about vandalism.
(3) Item #4. B. - During the recent detour for the closing of the covered bridge, three stop signs were installed at various intersections. Another stop sign was installed for a previous detour at the end of Parish Hill Road (TH#26) as it enters Baker Brook Road (TH#19). Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Williams to update the Newfane Traffic Ordinance to include the stop signs as installed and to include the speed limit signs as installed. Unanimous.
(4) Item #5 - Kurt thinks that he went over the gravel budget for FY 2004 and will probably be going over the gravel budget for FY 2005. The Board would like to receive the monthly budget information no later that the second meeting of the following month in order to keep better track of the budget expense status.
(5) Item #6 - Executive Session - Board members decided to go into Executive Session.
11. EXECUTIVE SESSION
Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Williams to enter into Executive Session at 6:45 p.m. to discuss a personnel issue. Unanimous.
Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Williams to come out of Executive Session at 6:55 p.m. Unanimous.
The Board members agreed to discuss the matter further at the next meeting with all members present.

2. B. ROAD FOREMAN's REPORT
(1) K. Bostrom presented a plan for drainage improvements to Jones Road (TH#52) involving the Van Ness property. The plans have been signed by both Harland and Marilyn Van Ness. K. Bostrom indicated that he will need to rent a small excavator for maybe two days to complete the
job. Board members reviewed the plans and concurred with the work to be done.
(2) The highway crew has been working on some small wash outs around the town.
(3) The covered bridge diagonal deck has been replaced with runners by Daniels Construction. There are already some screws loose. K. Bostrom will contact the contractor about coming to correct the recent repairs.
2. C. EXCESS WEIGHT PERMITS
No Excess Weight Limit Permits were received for action by the Board.
2. D. ACCESS/RIGHT OF WAY PERMITS
Motion was made by C. Williams and seconded by P. Cotton to approve a temporary logging access onto South Wardsboro Road (TH#1) from the Richard Thall property (TM#00B157) with the condition that a 24" culvert be installed. Unanimous. Thomas Bloom applied for the permit on behalf of R. Thall.
2. G. OTHER ROAD BUSINESS
(1) C. Williams received a complaint that South Wardsboro Road (TH#1) needs to be graded.
(2) Board members asked K. Bostrom where he is getting gravel from and suggested that he contact A.S. Clark.
2. E. UPDATE - SOUTH WARDSBORO ROAD (TH#1) PROJECT
The slope rights agreement between the property owners and the town has been received. The land owners and the Board are reviewing the document and will take it up at the 08/19 meeting.
2. F. UPDATE - CULHANE CORNER
The town will be checking on the status of the soil boring and engineering reports with Stevens and Associates.

3. SCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
A. OPENING OF BIDS - PAVING - FY 2005
The following bids were received for the paving of one mile of So. Wardsboro Road (TH#1):

  Paving Side Dressing Total Price/ton
Bazin Bro. Construction $74,559.00 $ 1,200
$75,759 $43.25
Wilks Paving $74,331.27 $ 3,400 $77,731.27 $45.63
Lane Construction $70,505.35 $ 2,560 $73,065.35 $42.55

Motion was made by C. Williams and seconded by P. Cotton to award the bid for the paving of 5,260 ? linear feet of South Wardsboro Road (TH#1), as specified, to Lane Construction. Unanimous. The project is to be completed by September 15th, 2004.

4. UNSCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
David Clarkson was present on behalf of the Conservation Commission, to recommend that the town examine the use of All Terrain Vehicles on Class 4 roads and town legal trails and to develop an ordinance which will prevent damage or erosion. Current law requires the ATV users obtain permission, in advance, from either the Town of private owners to operate on land in Newfane. He presented a letter from Erin K. Haney, District Wetlands Ecologist, which identifies a Class 2 wetlands on the Cushing Flats town trail. He also included an article from the Rutland Herald regarding the growing problems of ATV use in Vermont. Governor J. Douglas has appointed a committee to study ATV use and how to manage them to satisfy the riders and the landowners. The report is due to the legislature on December 1st. Board members will discuss the matter further at the meeting of 08/19/04 when P. van Loon will be present. Information will be gathered from area communities to find out what they are doing regarding the use of Class 4 town roads and town trails.

5. OLD BUSINESS
A. PERSONNEL POLICY - No action.

6. A. NEW NEWFANE POST OFFICE
Two Selectboard members and the Administrative Assistant met on 08/04/04 with William Moncrief, Real Estate Special for the United States Postal Service, to discuss the feasibility of the town building the new Newfane Post Office on the Town Office land. The preference is to have the PO within the village area. The USPS would like to have a 2,500 square foot building to include their requirements. If the town does move forward with a proposal, the town may specify exterior requirements such as white cedar clapboards and the type of roof. To begin the process, the Board needs to write a letter to Mr. Moncrief of the town's interest in moving forward with a proposal. Motion was made by C. Chaffee and C. Williams to have the AA write a letter to William Moncrief of the USPS to be signed by Selectboard members to let him know of the town's interest in pursuing the building of a new Newfane Post Office on town owned land. Unanimous. Mr. Moncrief was supplied with a survey of the property and information regarding the location and specifics of both the existing well and the septic system. If the project does move forward, there will be a series of public meetings. The Board is aware that there are other proposals that the USPS is considering. The town believes that the town project will meet the zoning requirements.
6. B. APPOINTMENTS
(1) LELAND & GRAY SCHOOL BOARD (1)
No action. Motion was made by C. Chaffee and seconded by P. Cotton to have a letter written to the Leland and Gray School Board members to come up with a name or names for the Selectboard to consider for appointment to the position to the L&G School Board which has been vacant since March of 2004. Unanimous.
(2) WINDHAM SOLID WASTE ALTERNATE SUPERVISOR
Motion was made by C. Chaffee and seconded P. Cotton to appoint Paul D. Van Gelder to serve as the alternate Board Supervisor to the Windham Solid Waste Management District. Unanimous. D. Knechtel is the main supervisor on the Board of Supervisors for the WSWMD.
6. C. GOALS & OBJECTIVES - 2004 - 2005
(1) WILLIAMSVILLE HALL
Two bids will need to be prepared for the Williamsville Hall; one for a new furnace and one for the refinishing of the floor on the main level. The floor bid will ask for a break down of sections, main floor, anti room and stage so that the Board can determine if they will have all or a portion of the floor refinished.
6. E. OTHER NEW BUSINESS
(1) Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Williams to ratify the action of having Gary Katz sign the contract on 07/29/04 between the Vermont Department of Public Safety in the amount of $5,000 for General Police Services within the Town of Newfane for FY 2005. Unanimous. The Selectboard agreed to the contract amount both through the budget process and during a discussion with Lt. Kevin Anderson of the VT State Police on May 20th.
(2) The Selectboard has received a revised contract from the Windham County Sheriff's Department, which includes a statement regarding ALARMS. The town will pay for the initial response, then it will be the responsibility of the property owner. Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Williams to have Chairman Hendrik W. van Loon sign the contract between the town of Newfane and the Windham County Sheriff's Department for FY 2005. Unanimous. The cover letter to be sent to the Sheriff with the signed contract will indicate that the budget for Windham County Sheriff's Department for FY 2005 is $17,500.

9. CORRESPONDENCE
A. The Newfane Elementary School has received a grant agreement from Vermont's Land & Water Conservation Fund Program for the School Playground Renovation Project that needs to be signed by the Chair of the Selectboard. Motion was made by C. Williams and seconded by P. Cotton to have Chairman Hendrik W. van Loon sign the grant agreement LWCF Project P13 on behalf of the town and the school for the playground renovation project. Unanimous.
B. The Board received a letter and diagram for Alice Ryan of Newfane Hill Road (TH#20) asking for a number of AHorse Crossing@ signs to be put up in certain locations on Newfane Hill Road (TH#20), Steep Way (TH#21) and Timson Hill Road (TH#41). Four of the ten were circles as being the most important according to her. Board members discussed the matter and decided to wait until the meeting to 08/19 to discuss the matter with the full Board present.
C. The town has received a claim from OneBeacon Insurance Company alleging that the town is responsible for damages and injuries incurred by their client on VT Route 30 on July 11, 2003. A letter and a copy of the claim have been sent to VLCT.
D. The town has received notification from District #2 Environmental Commission that comments are to be received from interested parties by August 11th on the Charles & Hermine Bergmann additional information supplied to the commission for his Act 250 application for a sub-division off of Dover Road (TH#2) near the intersection with Auger Hole Road (TH#3). After some discussion, the Board will write a letter to the District #2 Commission expressing their concerns about the width of the development road and having the road built to town of Newfane highway standards and concerns about the drainage.
E. The town has received information from the state Wastewater Management Division about a three-lot subdivision of Bernard and Elaine Robinson along with a copy of their Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply Permit.
F. Notification has been received that there a five grants available of up to $50,000 each to communities who may be interested in developing broadband projects within their communities. The Governor and the VT state legislators recognize the importance of making broadband and wireless services available throughout the entire state.
G. VLCT has sent information about website development through GovOffice CMS, a leasing website development system for local government. A list of VT communities using GovOffice services was supplied. Currently Newfane has a website developed by Bahman Mahdavi.
H. The Basin 11 Watershed Council, which deals with watershed issues for the West, Williams, and Saxtons Rivers will meet on September 2, 2004 at 6:30 p.m. at Christ Church on Main Street in Saxtons River to facilitate and review the development of a 5-year Basin 11 Management Plan. Newfane is invited to send a representative.
I. Publications have been received from the Vermont Land Trust regarding their partnership with the Freeman Foundation and from VLCT News, the July 2004 issue.

7. ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT's REPORT - (See attached report)
(1) Item #1 - The new furnace for the town office has been installed by Sandri, Inc. The pre-paid price for heating fuel will be looked into and the fire departments will be contacted to see if they are still interested in joining with the town for pre-paid heating fuel if it is still available.
(2) Item #3 - Bill Morse canceled his request to meet with the Selectboard this evening. 8. MINUTES
Minutes of 07/01/04 - Change the spelling of the spelling of the last name Zolla to Zoller. Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Williams to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting of 07/01/04, as corrected. Unanimous.

8. MINUTES - (cont.)
Minutes of 07/15/04 - Page #3, 3. B., second &, change the spelling of boardings to borings in the second sentence. Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Chaffee to approve the minutes of the Regular meeting of 07/15/04, as corrected. Unanimous.

10. PAY ORDERS
Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Williams to approve the Newfane Payroll and Accounts Payable Warrants for the following amounts:
07/17/04 Payroll $ 3,267.89
07/24/04 Payroll $ 3,110.42
07/22/04 Payroll $ 455.17
07/31/04 Payroll $ 3,076.16
08/06/04 Payroll $ 2,525.58
08/06/04 Acct.'s Payable #3 $ 50,179.90 Unanimous.

IRS Electronic Federal Payroll Tax Payments
07/22/04 $ 1,393.95
07/28/04 $ 972.18
08/04/04 $ 1,048.91

12. ADJOURNMENT
Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Williams to adjourn the Regular Meeting of the Board at 9:39 p.m. and convene the meeting of the Local Board of Liquor Control Commissioners. Unanimous.

13. LOCAL BOARD OF LIQUOR CONTROL COMMISSIONERS
The Board has received a request to Cater Malt and Vinous Beverages & Spirituous Liquors from PK's Public House, Inc. of Bellows Falls for a wedding reception at the Union Hall on September 18th, 2004 from 4:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Williams to approve the request from PK's Public House to Cater Malt and Vinous Beverages & Spirituous Liquors on September 18th at the Union Hall. Unanimous.
Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by C. Williams to adjourn the meeting of the Local Board of Liquor Control Commissioners at 9:41 p.m. Unanimous.

Doris A. Knechtel
Administrative Assistant
Newfane Board of Selectmen

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


ROAD COMMISSIONER's REPORT - 07/15/04

1. Jones Hill Road (TH#52)
Kurt has a signed agreement from the Van Nesses to allow the Town to do the necessary culvert and ditching work on their property. A copy of the agreement/plan is attached.
2. Stratton Hill Road (TH#35)
Improvements, including ditching and tree work have been completed. The road is in good shape.
3. Bensch Road (TH#13)
Kurt met with the Barnards to describe the specific plans for the plow turn-around on their property at the end of Bensch Road (TH#13). No problem.
4. Signs
A. We have posted 25 mph speed limit signs on Duke Road (TH#66) and Upper Eager Road (TH#13), as recommended by the Sheriff's Department. The sign on Upper Eager Road has since been vandalized, knocked over completely, and is now missing. The Sheriff's office has been notified and has spoken with one of the property owners.
B. Needed stop signs have been installed in three locations. Other replacement signs are on order. The stop sign neat the South Newfane Store will be adjusted to the appropriate height; it is currently very low.
C. Kurt and the crew will inventory other areas needing signs.
5. Budget
We may have exceeded our budget line item for gravel. I told Kurt he has a fair amount of flexibility to shift funds from one line item to another in exercising his responsibility to manage the overall road budget and asked him to check with the Board if there are significant changes needed.
6. Executive Session
Kurt has made a recommendation that I would like to bring up in Executive Session. No problem.
7. Other Items
A. The two catch basins in Williamsville have been cleaned.
B. Jan Terk of East Dover may file a claim with the Town for damage to her vehicle that she says occurred when she straddled a windrow while Baker Brook Road (TH#19) was being graded last week. The road had been carrying significantly increased levels of traffic related to the Bridge detour.

Gary Katz, Road Commissioner


To: Newfane Selectboard MEMORANDUM
From: Doris A. Knechtel
Subject: Administrative Assistant's Report
Date: August 5, 2004

1. The new furnace at the Town Office has been installed by Sandri, Inc.

2. The town received a claim against the today from OneBeacon Insurance for an accident that occurred on VT Route 30 on July 11, 2003. I wrote a letter and sent the information along to VLCT-PACIF for them to respond.

3. Bill Morse will NOT be attending the meeting this evening. He called to cancel after the agenda was posted and printed.

4. Possible action items for this evening:
a. Opening of South Wardsboro Paving Bids
b. Temporary Logging Access on South Wardsboro Road
c. Sheriff's Department Contract
d. Motion to accept grant for the Newfane Elementary School Playground
e. Discussion of new Newfane Post Office and letter of interest.
f. Possible signing of the quitclaim deed conveying slope rights from Mr. and Mrs. David Cotton to the Town Newfane.
g. Local Board of Liquor Control Commissioners - request for catering at the Union Hall on 09/18/04 for a wedding reception.

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