Back to homepage Newfane Elementary School Telephone Directory events calendar school board meetings Newfane Business Association Meeting schedules Area Guide Board of Selectmen
 

Board of Selectmen Meeting Minutes

Any and all correction to the following minutes will be made at the 08/21/03 Newfane Selectboard’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
AUGUST 7th, 2003
NEWFANE TOWN OFFICE

PRESENT:
Selectmen: Gorty Baldwin, Gary Katz and Chris Williams.
Absent: Piet van Loon and Priscilla Cotton
Also Present: Larry Underwood of Lane Construction, Michael Renaud of Renaud Brothers Construction, Barbara Frank-Barber, Stuart Halladay, Edward Druke, Sr., Trooper Todd Ambroz, James O. Gray as Road Foreman and Doris Knechtel as Administrative Assistant.

1. CALL TO ORDER
Motion was made by G. Baldwin and seconded by C. Williams to appoint Gary Katz, Chairman Pro Tem for this meeting. Unanimous. The regular meeting was called to order by Chairman Pro Tem G. Katz at 6:30 p.m.

2. SCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
C. OPENING OF BIDS
(1) MONROE BRIDGE REPAIRS
Chairman G. Katz read the specifications. Only one bid was received for the repairs to Monroe Bridge (BR#15).

Renaud Bros., Inc. of Vernon, VT. Total - $72,000 Completion date: 11/01/03

Board members asked questions of Mr. Renaud. He indicated that the standard is for 10' spacing and the town has requested spacing of 7'2" making it more expensive. The cost was discussed. The majority of the funds will be coming from a state grant. Motion was made by G. Baldwin and seconded by C. Williams to award the bid for the repairs to Monroe Bridge (BR#15) as specified for the amount of $72,000. Unanimous.

C. (2) RETREATMENT - DEPOT/DOVER ROAD (TH#2)
The following bids were received for the paving of sections of the Depot/Dover Road (TH#2).
Total Project Cost Per Ton Completion
In Place Date
Lane Construction $125,619.50 $40.95 09/12/03
Bazin Brothers Trucking, Inc. $137,450.00 $45.00 09/19/03
Warner Bros. Inc. $150,500.00 $50.00 09/19/03

After some discussion, motion was made by C. Williams and seconded by G. Baldwin to award the bid for the retreatment of certain sections of Depot/Dover Road (TH#2) to Lane Construction Corp., as specified. Unanimous.
A. VERMONT STATE POLICE - TROOPER TODD AMBROZ
Trooper Ambroz was present to answer any questions that the Board may have regarding the contact between the Town and VSP. The Board reviewed the contract for July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2004. Motion was made by C. Williams and seconded by G. Baldwin to have the Chairman Pro Tem, Gary Katz, sign the Law Enforcement Contract between the Vermont State Police and the town of Newfane for the amount of $3,500. Unanimous.

2. B. BARBARA FRANK-BARBER - DOG COMPLAINT
G. Katz first spoke of what he has learned about the Windham County Sheriff’s Department’s attempts to contact the owners of the dogs on Browns Road (TH#45). No letter or order has been served on the owner’s of the dogs. A draft letter proposed by G. Katz, P. Cotton and K. Behan was read by G. Katz. The letter indicates that there will be a hearing on the matter of the proposed “vicious dogs” on Wednesday, August 20th beginning at 7:00 p.m. to listen to the dog owners and to make a final determination of the action to be taken in regard to the animals.

Barbara Frank-Barber spoke of her encounter with the dogs. The dogs in question attack a dog that she was walking and also punctured her boot. She had veterinarian charges and doctor charges. Of particular concern is the young children who may be walking and cannot defend themselves. B. Frank-Barber has also been looking at other town dog ordinances to see how they compare with Newfane. Stuart Halladay suggested sign which indicate that it is unsafe for pedestrians to walk along Browns Road (TH#45). Board members did not feel that this would be appropriate.
Motion was made by G. Baldwin and seconded by C. Williams to approve of the letter as amended to be sent certified, and also hand delivered by a Deputy Sheriff, with a list from the WCSD of the recent dog offenses. Unanimous.

4. ROAD BUSINESS
4. A. ROAD COMMISSIONER’S REPORT - (See attached report)
(1) Item #2 - The roadside mowing has started and is expected to take three days. It was felt that a good overall job is being done.
(2) Item #3 - The work has begun on Bridge #32 on Bruce Brook Road (TH#21). There has been a question raised about the width of the bridge. However it is within the design standards. (3) Item #5.B. - An Access/Right of Way permit is to be sent to Mr. Reiff of Stratton Hill Road (TH#35). He is working within the town right of way without a permit.
(4) Item #6. & Item 7.I. - Matters of the Personnel Policy will be taken into consideration at the time of the final changes to the proposed document. There will also be a meeting with the employees to review the policy changes.
(5) Item #7.F. - Employee F. Jutras has retired from the Road Crew the end of July. An advertisement for his replacement will be put in the newpaper in the near future. The potential employee must be able to operate equipment and have a current CDL license.
(6) Item #7.H. - J. Gray believes that gravel should be trucked to the garage to be stockpiled unless we are working on a specific project. Concern was expressed about the time and money being spent without a specific plan in place.
4. D. ACCESS/RIGHT OF WAY PERMITS
(1) Motion was made by G. Baldwin and seconded by C. Williams to approve Access/Right of Way Permit #A03-10 submitted by Marshall Glickman to replace an existing culvert (6") with an 18" culvert in a slightly different location on Spring Hill Trail at TM#00C064. Unanimous.

4. B. ROAD FOREMAN’S REPORT - (See attached report)
(1) Item #6 - J. Gray has suggested that a surveillance camera be installed at the Town Office to help control illegal dumping. DAK will check with the WSWMD to see about using a portion of a grant that they may have.
4. E. ENGINEER - SOUTH WARDSBORO ROAD (TH#1) PROJECT
Bill Creamer of Dauchy-Creamer of Jamiaca will be contacted again to set up a meeting. He is willing to do the job but has been away on vacation.
4. F. OTHER ROAD BUSINESS
(1) J. Gray was informed of the results of the bids received and the votes taken.
(2) Item #6 on the AA Report - Motion was made by C. Williams and seconded by G. Baldwin to order and have a Silver Mine Trail sign put up in the proper location. Unanimous. The Board decided to not put up a Dead End sign at this time. There was discussion regarding Upper Silver Mine Trail, as there is more development along that road. A hearing will need to be held to name the road.
(3) There has been a proliferation of the “Children at Play” sign. They are not regulation signs, and in many cases there are not children at the property where the sign is located.

5. OLD BUSINESS
The various topics under Old Business dealing with Policy and Ordinance review will be discussed when the entire Board is present.

6. NEW BUSINESS
A. APPOINTMENTS
(1) REPRESENTATIVE TO RESCUE, INC.
A letter has been sent to Merle Tessier to ask if he is interested in serving as the Newfane Rescue, Inc. representative. No response has been received. A follow up letter will be sent.
D. OTHER NEW BUSINESS
The steps, walkway and the handicap walkway at the Williamsville Hall have been completed. A very nice looking job has been done.

7. ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT’S REPORT
A. Item #2 - The matter of the center railing on the Williamsville Hall steps will be discussed when the full Board is in attendance.
B. Item #3 - The log truck coming down Steep Way onto Bruce Brook Road may have seemed like it was going faster because of the noise associated with the jake brake.
C. Item #8 - At a previous meeting, the Board gave permission to discuss this matter with an attorney in anticipation of the summons being served.
D. Item #9 - The Board suggested that a letter should come from the Listers instead of the Board in response to J. Thrower’s letter regarding a charge by his attorney.

8. MINUTES
The Board reviewed the minutes of the Special Meetings of 07/03/03 and 07/25/03. Motion was made by G. Baldwin and seconded by C. Williams to approve the minutes of the Special Meetings of 07/03/03 and 07/25/03, as written. Unanimous. Minutes of 07/01/03 and 07/17/03 are incomplete at this time.
10. CORRENSPONDENCE
A. A letter has been received by the Board from Henry Pinckney. Most of the questions relate to his property valuation. It was suggested that the Listers respond to Mr. Pinckney.
B. P. Cotton had looked into the Cultural Facility Grant in reference to the Williamsville Hall. If eligible, the grant will cover insulation, a stage curtain and electrical update. Interior painting would not be covered by the grant. One of the criterion for grant selection is to determine if any planned renovations will improve the ability to provide cultural events and expand the use of an existing public building. It as suggested that P. Cotton and D. Knechtel work on the grant application.
C. A letter has been received from Charles "Bud" Bergmann regarding clean-up work that he did on his road. Someone reported to the Environmental Board that he was “constructing a road”. The Environmental Board issued a Notice of Alledged Violation to Mr. Bergmann. P. van Loon was aware that was happening was clean-up work from the logging operation. It was suggested that a note be written to the Environmental Board to indicate that the Town does not feel that a violation of the Act 250 permit occurred.
D. A letter has been received from Nicholas Mercede of Winchester Stables asking for the Board’s support in the appeal process pertaining to the Act 250 Land Use Permit issued by the District 2 Commission. The basic feeling of the Board members present is that the town does not have any jurisdiction over some of the Act 250 rules or the ANR rule of a recommended 100-foot buffer along the West River. A draft letter will be written for the Board to review for the next meeting.
E. A letter has been received from VTrans regarding the town’s request for a speed limit reduction for Vermont Route 30 in Newfane. There will be a meeting of the state Traffic Committee on August 14, 2003 at 1 PM.

9. PAY ORDERS
Motion was made by G. Baldwin and seconded by C. Williams to approve the Newfane Payroll and Accounts Payable Warrants for the following amounts:
07/26/03 Payroll $ 3,154.64
08/01/03 Payroll $ 3,993.95
08/02/03 Payroll $ 2,449.04
08/03/03 Payroll $ 2,537.46
07/21/03 Acct.’s Payable #3 $ 5,500.00
08/08/03 Acct.’s Payable #4 $ 64,588.55 Unanimous.
IRS Electronic Federal Payroll Tax Payments
07/23/03 $ 1,004.15
07/30/03 $ 1,246.76
08/06/03 $ 971.43

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

12. ADJOURNMENT
Motion was made by G. Baldwin and seconded by C. Williams to adjourn the Regular Meeting of the Board at 9:35 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 of 08/06/03

1. Stratton Hill Road Telephone Poles
We’ve visited the site on Stratton Hill Road with representatives of CVPS and Verizon where CVPS would like to do some pole work. The proposal is being revised and will be resubmitted. Jim and I expect that the revised proposal will be approvable.
2. Roadside Mowing
Roadside mowing will start on August 7 and should take three days.
3. Bridge Work on Bruce Brook/Steepway
Bazin Brothers has begun the bridge replacement work on Bruce Brook Road (TH#21) and Steepway Road (TH#21). All signs are up. There is a potential issue as it appears the bridge will be narrower than planned. Jim is letting Paul Gould know. We’ll be following the State lead on this one.
4. Access Permit
We spoke with marshall Glickman about some culvert work he would like to do on the Spring Hill Road Town Trail. We recommended an 18 inch culvert. He has no problems with this. He has also discussed his plan with Ernie Kinoy, abutting landwoner, who is in accord with it.
5. Stratton Hill Road
A. Jim spoke with the owner at the locatioin where the rocks had been moved into the brook. He will remove the rocks on completion of his project. Seems to be okay.
B. Doris, please send permit requirements and application to Mr. Reich, who is doing some development wowrk on Stratton Hill Road (TH#35).
6. Personnel Policy
Jim has asked that we consider including provisions in the Personnel Po9licy for double-time pay on christman and for some minimum number of hours to pay for emergency calls (eg. Two hours or so). We can check in the VLCT Benefits Book to see how these things are generally handled.
7. Other Items
A. Doris, please follow up with Margo Stone - Jim hasn’t heard from her yet.
B. The "Children" signs for Bruce Brook Road (TH#21) are ready to go.
C. Doris, can we routinely send overweight renewal application for those who have applied in the past?
D. The crew has taken care of the bump at the Van Iderstine property.
E. Jim suggests the Williamsville Hall as location for a retirement party for Fred.
F. We need to advertise for a replacement for Fred.
G. Jim will take care of the "Deadend" sign on Gristmill Road (TH#68).
H. Jim believes we should not have gravel trucked directly to a site other than the Town garage unless we are working on a specific project.

I. Jim also believes that the small amount of overtime being charged is not worth making an issue over and that it is more than balanced by emergency calls, for example, when trees are down.

Gary Katz, Road Commissioner


ROAD FOREMAN’S REPORT 08/07/03
TOWN OF NEWFANE HIGHWAY

1. The following roads were worked on since the last BOS meeting: Stratton Hill Road (TH#35), Steepway Road (TH#21), Jones Hill Road (TH#52), Backside of Newfane Hill Road (TH#20), New Road (TH#30), Chapin Road (TH#39), Browns Road (TH#45), Parish Hill Road (TH#26) by Deer Hill Road (TH#37), Wiswall Hill Road (TH#11), Newfane Hill Road (TH#20) from Grimes Hill Road (TH#5) to Joseph Lane (TH#78) and South Wardsboro Road (TH#1).

2. Signs: A. Vandels are still taking streeet signs. B. A dead End sign was put up on Grist Mill Road (TH#68). C. The Children signs were put up on Browns Road (TH#45) and Steepway Road (TH#21).

3. The roadside mowing is currently being done by Jerry O’Meara.

4. Bridges: A. Bridge #32 is currently being replaced by Bazin Bros. B. Bridge #15 center joints may need some repair of concrete prior to paving. Paul Gould to look at both projects and advise. C. Bridge #49 on Parish Hill Road (TH#26) to be stripped of paving soon by Vermont Highway Department.

5. Vacation time continues to be taken.

6. A surveillance camera should be installed at the Town Office to control illegal dumping.

Respectfully submitted,
James O. Gray, Road Foreman


Memorandum

To: Newfane Selectboard
From: Doris A. Knechtel
Date: 08/07/03
Re: Administrative Assistant’s Report

1. As far as I know, there will be someone from the Vermont State Police at the meeting this evening to discuss the contract between the VSP and the Town of Newfane.

2. The walkway has been completed at the Williamsville Hall as of July 23rd. It looks great! A mystery person planted flowers along the walkway. Is the Board still interested in putting in a center railing on the steps?

3. There was a complaint received regarding log trucks speeding on Bruce Brook Road (TH#21). This was before the bridge was closed. I told the peron to contact the Windham County Sheriff’s Department.

4. Kendall Gifford of WRC called regarding the placing of a traffic counter on Court Street as part of the Newfane Village sidewalk project.

5. The traffic counts for South Wardsboro Road have been received. I will try to summerize the information for you before the meeting.

6. There has been a reuest for a sign for Silver Mine Trail as well as a Dead End sign. It has been reported that vehicles, passenger and trucks, think that they are continuing on Hobby Hill Road (TH#19) and then they have a hard time turning around. This happens two to three times a day.

7. The minutes of July 1st and July 17th have not yet been completed. I have had a problem with my keyboard for the past few days. It sometimes gives me different letters from what I have typed. Sounds like a new keyboard is needed. I am going to try one of the extra keyboards the town has lying around.

8. The Town was served a Summons today. Each board member has been given a copy. An answer to the complaint has to be made within 20 days; by August 27th.

9. Included within you information is a response from Ted Schreyer regarding the letter to the Board from the Thrower’s.

Back to top


back to homepage



Town Offices:
Route 30, P.O. Box 36, Newfane VT 05345, Tel. (802) 365-7772

Please send all comments, suggestions and questions to info@newfanevt.com