Any and all corrections to the following minutes will be made
at the next regular 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
SEPTEMBER 9th, 2006
NEWFANE TOWN OFFICE
PRESENT:
Selectmen: Piet van Loon, Dan DeWalt, Patricia Halloran and Joseph
Mandell.
Also Present: Edward Druke, Gunther Garbe for the Planning Commission,
Gary Katz, Christopher Williams as Road Commissioner, Todd Lawley
as Road Foreman, and Doris Knechtel as Administrative Assistant.
1. CALL TO ORDER
The regular meeting was called to order by Chairman P. van Loon at
6:31 p.m.
2. ROAD BUSINESS
A. ROAD COMMISSIONER’S REPORT
(1) The residential access permit request from McAuliffe on Grout
Road (TH#19) has been review. No culvert is required.
(2) C. Williams expressed concern regarding the condition of the Arch
Bridge (BR#12) in Williamsville. The town has received photos taken
by the state during the inspection earlier in the year. The town has
taken additional photos for comparison. He feels that something should
be done before winter. Suggestions were made to reduce the weight
limit on the bridge and to post the information on Route 30 so that
heavy vehicles would not use Depot Road (TH#2). Concern was also expressed
about school busses using the bridge. Motion was made by D. DeWalt
and seconded by J. Mandell to reduce the weight limit on the Arch
Bridge (BR#12) to 30,000# and to put up the appropriate signage. After
further discussion it was decided to table the motion until additional
information can be obtained from J. Alexander of District #2, Pam
Thurber of the state and J. Hollar from Whitcomb.
(3) Stratton Hill Road (TH#35) bridge (BR#42) is also in need of repair.
The deck is okay. There may be a temporary bridge available for the
town’s use.
2. B. ROAD FOREMAN’S REPORT - (See attached
report)
(1) Item #3 - Selectboard members discussed with T. Lawley the three
notes that were added to the paving quotation from Lane Construction.
After much discussion motion was made by P. Halloran and seconded
by J. Mandell to accept the proposal from Lane Construction for Grimes
Hill Road (TH#5) and Loop Road (TH#76) for the total amount of $59,548.10
with the added language on note #2 to state “Town shall have
the option of closing down operation if and when it deems such action
is warranted by weather conditions.” Unanimous.
(2) Item #4 - Board members reviewed the proposal from NICOM for crack
sealing of Depot Road (TH#2) and other areas of Dover Road (TH#2).
Motion was made by D. DeWalt and seconded by P. Halloran to accept
the proposal from NICOM for a total amount not to exceed $10,100,
as specified. Unanimous.
(3) Item #8 - Winter sand bids will be sent out in the near future.
There is some sand left from the previous winter season.
(4) Item #9 - The question of the “No Parking” signs and
the reflectors within the Village Sidewalk project on West Street
(TH#1) will be checked through the Village Trustees and Windham Regional
to see if there was any plan for these items.
2. G. OTHER ROAD BUSINESS
(1) The bridge and culvert inventory has been completed thanks to
Fred Jutras. The town will now be able to receive additional funds
through the state highway grant programs.
(2) T. Lawley has been trying to find out who would be able to do
an ultra sound test on the town’s air compressor.
(3) Piet will review the required work for the culvert replacement
on Timson Hill Road (TH#41) with Courtney Nau, who has called Fred
Nicholson from ANR about the project.
2. C. EXCESS WEIGHT PERMIT
Motion was made by P. Halloran and seconded by D. DeWalt to approve
the request from Fitzpatrick Excavating for 3 axle trucks at 60,000#;
4 axle trucks at 60,000#, and 5 axle trucks at 80,000#. Unanimous.
Also, Archie Clark from Brookline called about the new weight limits
on the refurbished Brookline/Newfane bridge. We will have to double
check with the state on those weight limits.
2. D. ACCESS/RIGHT OF WAY PERMIT
Motion was made by D. DeWalt and seconded by P. Halloran to sign the
Approval to Proceed request for a new residential access off of Grout
Road (TH#19) onto property now owned by Gerard and Clare McAuliffe.
B71 standards to apply. No culvert is required. Unanimous.
2. F. CULHANE CORNER UPDATE
The Selectboard did get a response, via e-mail, from Scott Newman,
Historic Preservation Officer from VTrans, regarding the Culhane Corner
wall. He did visit the site and found the wall not to be historic
in its own right. He did indicate that every effort must be taken
not to adversely affect the historic property fronted by the wall,
which is protected by state law. The next hurdle will be to finalize
the easement agreement with the Culhane’s before giving the
go ahead for the project.
4. UNSCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
A. E. Druke asked for some loam to use on Old Newfane Common project.
There is some loam at the town garage. The culvert will be installed
by the town highway crew. Headers to be taken care of by volunteers.
A well cover has been located and the bucket loader will be needed
to move it to the abandon well at the site. The cover is heavy enough
so that it cannot be moved.
6. A. TOWN PLAN HEARING
The Selectboard will be holding a Public Hearing on Wednesday, September
13th at 7:00 p.m. on the Proposed Town Plan that was received by them
from the Planning Commission.. Garbe spoke of the letter received
from WRC regarding the potential acceptance of the revised Town Plan.
The Planning Commission has been working with WRC on a grant application
to update the Newfane Zoning Bylaw. The new Flood plain regulations
should be incorporated by January 1st. 5. OLD BUSINESS
A. DISCUSSION OF STATUS - (1) PERSONNEL POLICY
Selectboard members agreed to have a Special Selectboard Meeting immediately
following the Proposed Town Plan Hearing on September 13th to review
the proposed language in the new Newfane Personnel Policy. After the
board completes their review and changes the employees will have a
chance to review the document.
(2) WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES BYLAW - No action.
(3) HEALTH ORDINANCE AMENDMENTS - No action.
The town will check with the state Health Department regarding the
new language required.
B. OTHER OLD BUSINESS
(1) J. Mandell asked about the sign at the Flea Market that refers
to rental space. It is on a trailer. It is a matter for the Zoning
Administrator to look into.
5. B. OTHER OLD BUSINESS - (cont.)
(2) Board members discussed the registered letter that had been sent
to LaFlamme on August 3rd regarding a “junk” trailer on
their property. No response has been received from the property owners.
The ordinance was reviewed. To make sure that the proper steps are
followed, an attorney will be contacted to determine the next course
of action to be taken by the Board. There will also be a follow-up
on the R. Sparks “junk” matter.
(3) The Traffic Calming Committee will be meeting again in the near
future to further discuss the use of “delineators” in
Williamsville Village to help slow down traffic.
(4) Sheriff Guthrie has suggested to the Selectboard that some crosswalks
be installed along VT Route 30 in the Village of Newfane. It will
be suggested that he contact the Village Trustees on the matter. The
Selectboard also received a letter from Alexandria Sanborn, an elementary
student, about the need for crosswalks in town. A copy of her letter
was given to the Sheriff and to Representative Marek. Piet will write
her a response.
6. B. APPOINTMENTS
(1) SELECTBOARD MEMBER - MARCH 2007
Selectboard members agreed to schedule a Special Meeting on Monday,
September 11th beginning at 3:00 p.m. There will be a half hour devoted
to interview each of the three candidates individually with 10 minutes
in between. Board members will put together a series of questions
to ask each candidate. G. Katz asked about public participation. Board
members agreed that the public may observe.
6. C. DISCUSSION NEWFANE PARKING LOT - STAGING AREA
The staging area for the contractor for Village Sidewalk project at
the town office parking lot is beginning to get cleaned up. The new
area will be considered for the roll-off containers.
6. NEW BUSINESS
E. OTHER NEW BUSINESS
(1) The towns of Newfane and Dummerston have been involved in a Low
Income Housing Rehabilitation Grant Program. The town would like to
turn the funds over to the Brattleboro Area Community Land Trust for
them to administer as they are involved in similar programs in other
Windham County towns. P. van Loon has spoken with Cathy Semans of
the BACLT about two projects in the area that are ready to go, a new
roof and a septic system. The town will need to release the funds
from our program for these projects. Motion was made by J. Mandell
and seconded by D. DeWalt to approve the release of the fund needed
for the above described projects to the Brattleboro Area Community
Land Trust. Unanimous. There will be further documentation to be signed
to commit the assets of the fund to BACLT for inclusion in its Southeastern
Vermont Regional Revolving Loan Fund.
(2) Priscilla Cotton served on the VT Route 30 Committee as a representative
from Newfane. Patricia Halloran has agreed to serve the town in that
capacity. P. Cotton also served as the Vice-Chairman of the Selectboard.
When the full board is constituted, the Board will either appoint
a new Vice-Chairman or they will appoint a Vice-Chairman Pro Temp
as needed.
9. CORRESPONDENCE
A. A Land Use Permit has been issued to Kindle Farm Children’s
Service to allow the construction of two 20-foot diameter temporary
yurts (up to three years on site) to be used for classrooms and to
expand the parking lot.
B. The report for the month of July has been received from the Windham
County Sheriff’s Department. Questions were raised about some
of the entries that appear not to be Newfane related.
7. ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT’S REPORT - (See
attached report)
A. Item #3 - Chairman van Loon will check into the cost of a different
water filtering system. With the present system, it appears that the
filter needs to be changed almost weekly with each use of the hall.
B. Item #5 - The heating fuel bids will be further reviewed. There
was also some mention of considering shutting down the Williamsville
Hall for a few months during the winter months to conserve on heating
fuel.
C. Item #6 - Motion was made by P. Halloran and seconded by D. DeWalt
to grant the request to close Church Street (TH#55) and a portion
of West Street (TH#1) during the Heritage Festival on Saturday, October
7 th and Sunday, October 8th between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 4:30
p.m. Unanimous.
8. MINUTES
Minutes of August 17, 2006 - Page #3 - 5.A. (1) Replace well with
will; 5.C.(1) Replace Boardband with Broadband; Page #4 - 6. E. (1)
Replace Per-A-Pave with Perm-A-Pave; and Page #3 2. H. (5) Delete
the sentence and insert “Jim Gray asserted that the new signs
installed on Grist Mill Road (TH#68) make it appear as if it is a
private road when it is not.” Motion was made by D. DeWalt and
seconded by P. Halloran to approve the minutes of August 17th as corrected.
Unanimous.
10. PAY ORDERS
Motion was made by D. DeWalt and seconded by P. Halloran to approve
the Newfane Payroll Warrants and the Accounts Payable Warrant for
the following amounts:
08/23/06 Payroll $ 3,061.19
08/30/06 Payroll $ 3,469.33
09/06/06 Payroll $ 2,869.48
09/08/06 Payroll $ 3,255.78
09/08/06 AP Warrant #5 $ 807,640.36 Unanimous.
IRS Electronic Federal Payroll Tax Payments
08/29/06 - 08/30/06 $ 1,092.03
08/29/06 - 09/06/06 $ 1,174.57
09/05/06 - 09/13/06 $ 955.95
11. EXECUTIVE SESSION - IF NEEDED
No matters came before the Board that required the need of an Executive
Session.
12. ADJOURNMENT
Motion was made by P. Halloran and seconded by D. DeWalt to adjourn
the Regular meeting at 10:05 p.m. Unanimous.
Posted: Town Clerk's Office, Newfane Store, Williamsville General
Store, and South Newfane General Store & Deli. www.newfanevt.com
ROAD FOREMAN’S REPORT
September 7, 2006
1. Roads: The crew has been ditching and cleaning up runouts with
the backhoe, as well as installing new culverts. Grading is also going
on almost daily. The roads are in pretty good shape right now.
2. Equipment: The 7400 International is back at Delurys due to a
over-heating problem. We just got it back from there because of an
exhaust brake problem. The new 2007 F350 is back from Tenco. They
had to take it back to correct some things that were not done before
it was delivered. They came down and picked it up and brought it back
when it was done. The new grader should be here at the end of this
week or the beginning of next week. It has left the factory and is
in route to Nortrax.
3. Paving: Lane Construction was the least expensive once we took
Bruce Brook Road (TH#23) out of the project. We don’t have enough
money in the budget to do all of the paving. I did talk to Larry Underwood
about the wording on the contract and he said that is their standard
wording on all of their contracts. He said that if the town wanted
to change some of the wording they could. They are supposed to be
getting back to me when they plan to start.
4. Crack Sealing: I met with Christopher Magnan from NiCom and we
looked at Depot Road (TH#2). He said that they could seal the center
line crack with no problem. We also looked at Dover Road (TH#2) and
he said that they could do crack sealing beginning at the South Newfane
Store and go towards the Dover town line. We also looked at the expansion
joint on Monroe Bridge (Be#15) as well. One expansion joint has cracked
and could be fixed at the same time they are down here. He is going
to fax a quote down to the Board to look at. I think the town really
should include money in the budget every year to crack seal. He said
a lot of our black top has gone too far to seal up. I think that the
town needs to look closely at the paving budget for next year. We
need to raise it up so we can pave at least one mile a year. We are
getting way behind in paving and it is going to cost a lot of money
if we keep letting it go. We should apply for road construction grant
money for class two roads next year and see if we could get extra
money that way also.
5. Roadside Mowing: Chris Lowe is due in the next week or so.
6. Line Striping: I did call AOT and had us put on their list. They
did say that they are way behind because of the rain this year but
they will do it when they are in the area.
7. Arch Bridge (Be#12): The crew has done one set of transit readings
on the bridge. We will be doing it again next week to see if the bridge
has a bow in it. I have taken some pictures of it also to compare
it to the ones that AOT took this spring.
8. Winter Sand Bids should go out soon so we can get on the schedule
to get some before November. We do have some left from last winter
but we should probable get 1,500 cubic yards to get started this year.
9. West Street: Is the town going to put up “no parking”
signs along the sides of the roads so we can enforce it this winter
and are we going to put up little reflectors to mark the edges and
where it stops at a right angle so we don’t damage the trucks?
Thank you,
Todd Lawley
Road Foreman
To: Newfane Selectboard MEMORANDUM
From: Doris A. Knechtel
Subject: Administrative Assistant’s Report
Date: September 7, 2006
1. I did receive an e-mail response from D. Scott Newman regarding
the Culhane Corner. I e-mailed his response to you. I also received
a call from Peter Welch about the status of the project. No response
as yet has been received from the attorneys or the Culhanes regarding
the easement. R. Homberger did call to say that their attorney is
on vacation.
2. Dr. Shafer called to report on two health situations that he reviewed
with John Feifel and a Deputy Sheriff. One was the former Barrows
property off of Lost Mile Road (TH#43) and one was the G. Brennan
property on Browns Road (TH#45). The property on Lost Mile Road appears
to be a private dump. On the Brennan property there is nothing actionable.
3. The plumbing problems at the Williamsville Hall have been taken
care. Piet changed the filter. Dirt was getting into the lines. I
also called Sandri about a problem with the furnace at the hall which
has been fixed.
4. Called Nancy from Verizon about the moving of the utility pole
that is on the edge of West Street (TH#1) within the sidewalk project.
She has issued an order to have the pole moved, but wasn’t sure
of the date. I called Bea MacFarland to let her know.
5. On the heating fuel bids, it seems that the Elementary School
is going with the school bid (Sandri) instead of the town (9,000 gallons).
I also understand that NewBrook Fire Department has decided to go
on their own with Barrows. That leaves the town with the Town Garage,
Williamsville Hall, Town Office and the South Newfane/Williamsville
Fire Department. (Approximately 8,000 gallons)
6. Carlene Pelsue called about closing Church Street (TH#55) and
a portion of West Street (TH#1) during the Fall Foliage Festival on
Saturday, October 7 th and Sunday, October 8th between the hours of
9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.
