| Any and all corrections to the following minutes will be made at the 10/18/01 Board of Selectmenıs Meeting and are considered unapproved until then. Corrections will be noted in the minutes of that meeting.
MINUTES - SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN
OCTOBER 12th, 2001
NEWFANE TOWN OFFICE
PRESENT:
Selectmen: Mike Rohan, Jesse Anderson, Lynn Bedell and Richard Marek.
Absent: Fred Bacon.
Also Present: Piet van Loon, Zoning Administrator and Doris Knechtel, Administrative Assistant.
1. CALL TO ORDER
The Special Meeting was called to order at 1:07 p.m. by Chairman Mike Rohan.
3. OTHER BUSINESS
A. South Newfane/Williamsville Post Office - M. Rohan spoke with Richard Thibodeau of the USPS. The carriage style light for the outside of the South Newfane/Williamsville Post Office has been purchased and should be installed within two to three weeks. The Board members also reviewed the more detailed plans received for the post office parking and signs. After some discussion, the Board agreed to go with the plan as presented, and if it does not work as planned, some modifications could be made, in particular the location of the curbing may need to be moved closer to the road. M. Rohan will call R. Thibodeau.
B. Pay Order - Motion was made by J. Anderson and seconded by R. Marek to sign Accounts Payable Warrant #9 dated 10/12/01 in the amount of $263.82 for the mailing of the reappraisal notices. Unanimous. The notices were mailed this morning.
C. Patriot Properties - Wm. Krajeski called about adding a third appraiser from Patriot Properties to assist with the field work during the reappraisal process. Motion was made by M. Rohan and seconded by R. Marek to approve of the use of a third appraiser from Patriot Properties subject to the approval of the subjects resume. Unanimous.
D. Band Rail Bids - Motion was made by R. Marek and seconded by J. Anderson to award the bid for the band rail installation to G. & P Construction in the amount of $10,517.00 for the regular band rail work and $5,429.60 for the flood band rail work. Unanimous.
2. TRAFFIC CALMING AND SIGNS
M. Rohan reviewed the traffic counts received from WRC and noticed there is three times more traffic going through South Newfane/Williamsville than on the South Wardsboro Road (TH#1) coming into Newfane. For the 6 hours that the WCSD is to devote to speed enforcement, the time should be divided 4 hours for Dover Road (TH#2) and 2 hours for Newfane during peak times and at various locations along each road.
The speed limit on VT Route 30 through Newfane Village is 35 mph. There was some discussion of having 30 mph through the villages of South Newfane and Williamsville. The majority of the vehicles in the recent surveys through these villages are going 30 mph. Some Board members felt this would be politically infeasible. The only area for a suggested speed limit change is the area from the covered bridge easterly to Williamsville Village to be changed from 35 mph to 25 mph. To change a speed limit, first a speed survey would need to be done as outlined in the Setting Speed Limits guide, then an amendment to the current Traffic Control Ordinance would need to done
according to the statute requirements. The information for a speed survey may be gathered by anyone; the WCSD, WRC, the Constable or an individual trained in the use of a radar gun. J. Anderson will review the Setting Speed Limits guide.
Board members indicated that some of the same recommendations suggested in the VT Route 30 Corridor Traffic Calming Study should be implemented for uniformity and consistency within the villages of Williamsville and South Newfane. For example, the entrance sign coming into the villages, cross walks, stamped pavement to look like bricks, etcetera. A meeting concerning the VT Route 30 Corridor Traffic Calming Study final report and recommendations will be held on October 25th. R. Marek will be in attendance.
J. Anderson and L. Bedell will redo their assessment and recommendations for sign locations. Some of the existing signs need to be removed as they are obsolete, misspelled or need to be redone. There was a question about a speed limit sign on Auger Hole Road (TH#3) at the Marlboro.Newfane town line. It was suggested that there be additional signs to indicate that Speed Limit Strictly Enforced, Thickly Settled, Historic Covered Bridge Ahead, Yield to Pedestrians in the cross walk areas, etcetera. Any traffic control sign have to met the state Uniform Traffic Control Standards.
It was felt that the Board could move forward with some of the ideas such as the white line painting on the edges of the highways in some areas and some crosswalk areas. It was cautioned that cross walks can give a false sense of security, especially to young children. Too many signs may also have no effect. In some cases there may not be enough room for signs to be effective and useful. It was also suggested that the painting of the edge lines should be incorporated into the resurfacing specifications as part of the project. Thermo plastic lines, such as on South Wardsboro Road (TH#1) cost $0.50 per linear foot, while white reflective paint lines cost $0.08 per linear foot.
M. Rohan suggested that after the full plan is put together, including costs, the Board should have a meeting to provide the public with an opportunity to contribute their input. L. Bedell disagreed, as it is the responsibility of the Board to deal with the safety issues to protect the public. The various areas of discussion will be researched, where needed, and the final recommendations of the VT Route 30 Study will be reviewed before a proposal is presented.
3. OTHER BUSINESS - (cont.)
E. Piet van Loon indicated that he will work with D. Knechtel regarding and area for him to work on the town mapping project.
4. ADJOURNMENT
Motion was made by J. Anderson and seconded by L. Bedell to adjourn the Special Meeting at 2:50 p.m. Unanimous.
Doris A. Knechtel
Administrative Assistant
Newfane Board of Selectmen
Posted: Town Clerk's Office, Newfane Store, Lessing's Family General Store
and South Newfane General Store & Deli, www.newfanevt.com
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