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 corrections to the following minutes will be made at the 10/20/05 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
OCTOBER 6th, 2005
NEWFANE TOWN OFFICE

PRESENT:
Selectmen: Piet van Loon, Priscilla Cotton, Dan DeWalt, Patricia Halloran and Gary Katz.
Also Present: Edward Druke, Emergency Management, Jeff Delurey of Delurey Sales & Service, Virginia Grabowski re: Pond Road, 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 6:32 p.m.

2. ROAD BUSINESS
A. ROAD COMMISSIONER’S REPORT
The Road Commissioner will be in attendance at 8:00 p.m. No written report was submitted. 2. B. ROAD FOREMAN’S REPORT - (See attached report)
(1) Item #2 - Todd will ask various contractors to look at Bridge #42 and submit a proposal for repair of the bridge beams.
(2) Item #4 - The signs have been delivered. The cones are to be shipped within 3 to 4 days. Before putting the cones within the village, a location and who will be taking them in each night will need to be determined.
(3) Item #6 - P. van Loon will contact John Spence regarding the culvert that he was responsible for installing on Baker Brook Road (TH#19).
2. G. DECISION - WINTER SAND & GRAVEL BIDS
T. Lawley has reviewed the winter sand quality and recommends the Board go with Cersosimo. There was no crushed gravel available to look at, at the Mercede pit. Motion was made by P. Halloran and seconded by P. Cotton to award the winter sand bid to Cersosimo Industries for $10.50 per CY delivered to the town garage or $5.25 per CY FOB and to purchase crushed gravel from Cersosimo Industries at the price of $14.50 per CY delivered and $9.50 per CY FOB. Unanimous.
2. F. REVISED - PAVING BID
The town has received a revised paving bid from Lane Construction with the changes in the specifications. The estimated cost for Grimes Hill Road (TH#5) is $13,992 and for Depot Road (TH#2) is $54,600 for a total price not to exceed $70,000. Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by P. Halloran to approve the revised paving bid from Lane Construction for an amount not to exceed $70,000, and to have the Chairman sign on behalf of the town. Unanimous.

4. UNSCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
A. E. Druke indicated that there will be a NIMS meeting at the NewBrook Fire Department before December 31st for all emergency responders, including Selectboard members. Bud Knickbocker of WRC will let the town know of the date of the meeting.
B. John Long has contacted one of the Selectboard members regarding the road damage on Wiswall Hill Road (TH#11) from ATV’s coming from Upper Eager Road (TH#13).
C. There are four highway crew members now. Applications are due on October 20th. A list of potential drivers for plowing is being compiled.

2. E. DRAFT BID - BRIDGE & CULVERT PROGRAM
P. van Loon has spoken with WRC regarding the Bridge and Culvert program. The town will need to flag, mark the culvert locations, and culvert conditions. The cost for the consultant will be paid for through Windham Regional. The project will not be done until spring as there are two other towns ahead of Newfane; Dummerston and Townshend.
2. D. ACCESS/RIGHT OF WAY PERMITS
The Selectboard agreed that the review of Access Permit #05-17 submitted by Charles “Bud” Bergmann for his development access onto Dover Road (TH#2) will wait until after the litigation is settled on his appeal to the Environmental Court regarding his Act 250 permit.
2. H. OTHER ROAD BUSINESS
Motion was made by D. DeWalt and seconded by P. Cotton to approve the Petition and Order for Pole and Wire Location submitted by Verizon New England Inc., Job #9AAPJ9 as specified along White Birch Lane. Unanimous.

3. A. OPENING OF BIDS
(1) SINGLE AXLE TRUCK BIDS
The following bids were received for the purchase of a single axle truck for use by the highway department:

data

Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by D. DeWalt to take the bids received under advisement. Unanimous. Copies of the bids received will be given to the Road Foreman for his review and recommendation.
The Board has previously accepted the from Tenco New England, Inc., for the equipment, body and plows in the amount of $48,981.
3. B. NAMING OF PRIVATE ROADS - PICKLE HILL & POND ROAD
At this evenings meeting there will be a preliminary discussion on the naming of private roads. There will need to be a hearing. The naming is necessary for homeowners to obtain a 911 address and install a telephone into a new home, as is the case with Pickle Hill, which is off of VT Route 30. There are now more than 3 homes in that area. As far as Pond Road, behind the Four Columns, V. Grabowski recently had cause to call 911 and Rescue Inc., from Brattleboro could not locate her, as there isn’t a sign on West Street. During the original road name hearings, Pond Road was not named as it only has one house, possibly two if the inn owners home is included, and it sounds too much like Pound Road, a town legal trail.
Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by D. DeWalt to schedule a hearing as soon as possible for the potential naming of Pickle Hill Road and Pond Road, both private roads. Unanimous.
3. C. WINDHAM COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT CONTRACT
Board members agreed that until a better reporting system is received for the reporting of the activities and services supplied to Newfane for Law Enforcement, the contract will not be signed for fiscal year 2006.

4. UNSCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC - (cont.)
D. E. Druke spoke about the infringement on his property rights for the subdivision across from his property on Newfane Hill Road due to the isolation distances for well and septic as required by law. He was not notified that the isolation distances included a portion of his property. Since the original subdivision, some of the well and septic locations have been moved. The Newfane Health regulations were reviewed and the mirror the state regulations, which is basically 100' upslope and 150' downslope.
E. P. van Loon, D. DeWalt, W. Guenther and E. Druke reviewed the Newfane Hill Common property for potential timber removal and for future public use of the property. The deed states that it is to be forever used as a common. It was suggested that an ad hoc committee be made up interested citizens from the Newfane Hill Common neighborhood to suggest to the Selectboard the appropriate use of the area. E. Druke will supply the names and a letter will be written to them outlining the goals of the committee.

6. B. LANDFILL POST-CLOSURE APPLICATION
The application for Post-Closure Certification for the Newfane landfill has been prepared by DAK and signed by Chairman van Loon and sent to the state Solid Waste Certification Division. This is required every five years. Motion was made by D. DeWalt and seconded by P. Cotton to ratify the signing of the application by Chairman van Loon. Unanimous.
Chairman van Loon left the meeting at this time soon after G. Katz arrived. (8:00 p.m.) Vice-Chairman G. Katz will chair the remainder of the meeting.

5. OLD BUSINESS
A. DISCUSSION OF STATUS
(1) PERSONNEL POLICY - No action. Board member’s will wait until Piet is present.
(2) TRAFFIC ORDINANCE - No action.
(3) WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES BYLAW - No action. Piet has been working on some changes. There has been some discussion recently of “beefing up” telecommunications service in Brattleboro.
5. C. OTHER OLD BUSINESS
(1) During the fast approaching budget session, the Selectboard will consider putting in funds to paint the outside of the Town Office building as well as other inside improvements.
(2) Motion was made by D. DeWalt and seconded by P. Halloran to add the South Newfane/Williamsville Post Office as a regular posting of the town notices and minutes. Unanimous. It was reported by D. DeWalt that Walter Phelps will provide the clipboard for the postings.
(3) P. Cotton supplied information regarding the possible change from the fluorescent lighting in the Town Office to schoolhouse type fixtures. The cost is approximately $120 each. 10 to 12 fixtures may be needed. An electrician will need to review the location of the wiring and give an estimate of the cost to install.
(4) P. Cotton looked into the business practices of Planet Aid organization who had requested the placement of collection boxes for clothing and shoes. Motion was made P. Cotton and seconded by P. Halloran that the town write a letter stating that the town is not interested in having the collection boxes placed on town property and to state that our research indicates questionable business practices. Unanimous.
(5) There has been a complaint regarding a Doberman mix dog that has been bothering people at the Four Columns Inn property. It has been reported that the owner of the dog has received tickets and fines from the Sheriff’s Department. All animal control complaints should be going to the Constable, Kevin Behan. If he needs assistance from WCSD, he will contact them. WCSD should give their complaints to Kevin as well. The recent letter that the Board received regarding dogs on Parish Hill Road was sent to Kevin Behan and he met with the owner of the dogs.
(6) To date the sign regarding “dogs to be leashed” on Town Forest property has not been installed. P. van Loon has been working on the wording for the sign.

6. NEW BUSINESS
A. APPOINTMENTS
(1) LELAND & GRAY NEWFANE REPRESENTATIVE - No action.
(2) PLANNING COMMISSION - No action.
(3) CONSERVATION COMMISSION
Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by D. DeWalt to appoint Sylvia Kinney to the Newfane Conservation Commission until March 2007. Unanimous. There is another position available until March of 2006.
(4) DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD ALTERNATE - No action.
(5) TRAFFIC CALMING COMMITTEE - No action
6. C. NEW BUSINESS
(1) The Board is concerned about what progress the Planning Commission is making on their many projects; Town Plan, Zoning Bylaw, and Subdivision regulations. They have not had a quorum for their last few meetings.
(2) There has been discussion about the condition of the range at the Williamsville Hall between D. DeWalt and Jonathan Julian. P. van Loon has also been looking into a Garland range that may be available to the town for use at the Williamsville Hall. Both of these matters will be further investigated.

7. ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT’S REPORT
A. The town will be receiving $74,625.56 from the state for Highway Emergency Funds relating to the flood damage that occurred in April of this year.
B. Representatives from VLCT came to do a presentation for the contact people in Newfane, Gary and DAK regarding substance abuse and testing of highway personnel. The video will be shown to the highway crew.
C. It has been reported by George Moser that the property ownership and lines issue between him and Frank Suponski has been resolved.

8. MINUTES
D. Knechtel reported that the only minutes that have been completed for this meeting are the minutes of 09/01/05. Attempts are being made to catch up on all of the “overdue” minutes. Minutes of 09/01/05 -Motion was made by P. Halloran and seconded by D. DeWalt to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of 09/01/05, as written. Unanimous.

9. CORRESPONDENCE
Correspondence received did not require any action by the Board, informational only.

10. PAY ORDERS
Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by D. DeWalt to approve the Newfane Payroll Warrants for the following amounts:
09/21/05 Payroll $ 2,820.71
09/28/05 Payroll $ 2,759.12
10/05/05 Payroll $ 2,746.77
10/07/05 Payroll $ 5,432.38 Unanimous.
IRS Electronic Federal Payroll Tax Payments
09/28/05 $ 880.94
10/05/05 $ 893.53
The Account Payable Warrant was not available as the Treasurer had a family emergency.

11. EXECUTIVE SESSION - IF NEEDED
Motion was made by P. Cotton and seconded by D. DeWalt to enter into Executive Session at 9:25 p.m. to discuss a matter of personnel. Unanimous.
Motion was made by G. Katz and seconded by P. Halloran to come out of Executive Session at 10:44 p.m. Unanimous.
No decisions were made as a result of the discussion during the Executive Session.

12. ADJOURNMENT
Motion was made by P. Halloran and seconded by P. Cotton to adjourn the Regular meeting at 10:45 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 FOREMAN’S REPORT - October 6, 2005

1. The following roads have been graded and shaped up: Steep Way (TH#21), Jail Street (TH#56), Loop Road (TH#76), Pat Gray Hill (Parish Hill Road(TH#26), and Hunter Brook Road (TH#32). The road crew has finished the project on the Upper Spring Hill (TH#23). We have started on the ditching project on Cushing Flats Road (TH#6); we have one or two days left on that project. We will be doing ditching on South Wardsboro Road (TH#1) and replacing culverts. We have replaced a culvert by the Dadiks on South Wardsboro Road (TH#1), and we also ditched from the entrance of Grout Road (TH#19) to the beginning of the dirt section of the South Wardsboro Road. Two dead trees were cut by Roy Brooks mail boxes.
2. I have called John Alexander from state highway to look at Grimes Hill Road (TH#5) and also to look at Stratton Hill Bridge (BR#42). In January of this year we got a report back on Stratton Hill bridge saying the town needed to do some work on the bridge beams. The number 3 beam has rust holes through it on both ends and it has heavy rust scale on the rest of the beams. Gary and I took a look at it today and it will have to have something done soon. I have a copy of the report for you to review. I asked John to see if it was on the bridge program and if it is what should we do to it now. He will be here tomorrow 10/07/05 at 10:00 a.m.
3. Equipment: The F550 has been down to DJ’s truck service for emergency brake repairs, to replace a leaking grease seal, and Vermont state inspection. I have also ordered a new plow pump for that truck as the one on it is shot. I got several prices and the cheapest was $698.00 from Central Parts warehouse.
4. Part of the traffic cone signs order came in today. I called to see when the rest of the order would be in and they said probably 3 to 4 days.
5. Sand and Gravel Bids - I think we should go with Cersosimo on the sand bid and maybe hold off on the gravel bid. I can explain at the meeting.
6. Spence culvert on Baker Brook Road (TH#19) has still not been done. Do you want me to call him or are the selectmen going to do it?
7. Paving - I haven’t heard from Lane Construction when they are going to start. I have a call into them to find out.
8. Road side mowing is complete and it looks very good. Mr. Lowe said he will be able to do over the rail mowing next year and we should plan on approximately $7,800.00 if we want him to do both the regular mowing and the over the rail.

Thank you.

Todd Lawley
Road Foreman

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