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.
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