Any and
all corrections to the following minutes will be made at the 06/20/02 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
JUNE 6th, 2002
NEWFANE TOWN OFFICE
PRESENT:
Selectmen: Richard Marek, Jesse Anderson, Lynn Bedell, Gary Katz and Piet
van Loon.
Also Present: Gunther Garbe of Planning Commission, Mrs. Katz, Gary's
Mom, Chris Thomas of VT Municipal Equipment, John Spicer of Village Enhancement
Committee, James Gray as Road Foreman and Doris A. Knechtel, Administrative
Assistant.
1. CALL TO ORDER
The regular meeting was called to order by Chairman Richard Marek at 7:00
p.m.
2. SCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
A. OPENING OF BIDS - TRUCK SPECS
The following bids were received for the purchase of a new 37,000 GVWR
minimum cab and chassis:
COMPANY |
Make |
Model |
Bid
Price
With Trade |
Bid
Price
Without Trade |
Patrol
Wing |
Delivery
Date |
Delurey
Sales & Service
North Hoosick, NY |
International
2003 (Trade 12,500) |
7400 |
$65,209 |
$79,709 |
$7,250 |
90
- 120 days |
VT
Municipal Equipment |
|
|
|
$66,843 |
$79,343 |
$6,990 |
90 - 120 days |
|
|
|
Howard
Fairfield, Inc. Equipment |
|
|
|
L & B Freightliner
Westminster, VT |
Sterling L8500
(Trade 6,500) |
2003 |
$68,967 |
$75,467 |
$7,250 |
Dec. 1, 2002 |
|
|
|
VT
Municipal Equipment
List of exceptions |
|
|
|
McDevitt Truck
Sales
Manchester, NH |
Sterling L7500
(Trade 7,500) |
|
$42,824 (chassis
only) |
$50,324(chassis
only) |
$6,990 |
Nov. 30, 2002 |
|
|
|
Howard
Fairfield, Inc. Equipment |
|
|
|
|
|
$69,600 |
$77,100 |
|
|
|
|
|
Hill-Martin
Corporation
|
|
|
|
Minuteman Trucks,
Inc. |
Sterling 2003
(Trade 3,500) |
L8500 |
$45,814
$26,541
$72,355 |
$49,314
$26,541
$75,855 |
$7,250 |
Dec. 2002 |
|
|
|
VT
Municipal Equipment |
|
|
Motion was made by
P. van Loon and seconded by G. Katz to have Jim Gray and the Road Crew
review the bids submitted to determine the true cost of the truck cab,
chassis and equipment. Unanimous. A spread sheet will be compiled for
the Board members and the highway department members to review.
2. B. VILLAGE ENHANCEMENT
COMMITTEE - JOHN SPICER
John Spicer was present to speak to the Board regarding the mini grant
received by VEC for the planting of a tree near the entrance to Williamsville
village. The VEC is willing to work with the Board to have signage consistent
with what is planned for the entrances to Williamsville, South Newfane,
Brookside and the Village of Newfane. The gateway design to the villages
may not include tree planting. The committee would like a representative
of the Selectboard to be in attendance at their meeting of June 27 at
7:30 p.m. at Williamsville Hall. J. Anderson agreed to attend as long
as he has clear guidance from the Board as to the placement of the tree.
John Spicer also indicated that they are trying to recruit new members
to the committee.
2. C. VEHICLE CRUSHER REPORT - G. GARBE
G. Garbe spoke with Courtney Nau of Brookline about the feasibility of
having a crusher operator from Pittsford, VT come to the Nau property
in Brookline to crush and remove vehicles. To make it worthwhile for the
operator to come to Brookline, there would need to be 400 vehicles. Otherwise
C. Nau will need to transport his vehicles to Pittsford. There may be
a way to negotiate with C. Nau the bringing vehicles to the Brookline
site from other areas in Newfane and abutting communities.
P. van Loon mentioned an Environmental Compliance Workshop for Auto Salvage
Operators that will be held in Brattleboro on June 27th from 7:45 - 10:30
a.m. at the Holiday Inn Express. He will be attending the workshop.
3. UNSCHEDULED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
No additional members of the public had any issues to bring before the
Board.
2. B. VILLAGE ENHANCEMENT COMMITTEE - JOHN SPICER - (cont.)
For the planting of the tree near the gateway to the Williamsville Village,
the Board would like J. Anderson to get a sense of where the committee
is thinking of placing the tree. There is restricted space for the planting
of a tree in the area described. The Board in the past has held fast to
the rule that no trees be planted within the town highway right of way.
5. OLD BUSINESS
C. OTHER OLD BUSINESS
(1) Notice of violation letters were sent (05/31/02) to three property
owners regarding various violations of the Junk and Junk Vehicle Ordinance.
The owners have 90 days to remove the debris, tires, vehicles, etcetera.
No response has been received to date.
(2) R. Marek spoke with the Town Agent regarding the matter of P. Veach
O'Dell and the Windham County Humane Society. It may be possible to go
though small claims court to recover some of the monies or there may be
other ways to effectively collect with a joint suit with the WCHS. R.
Marek will contact the WCHS.
(3) P. van Loon has indicated that there is another property in town that
may be in violation of both the Zoning Ordinance and the Junk and Junk
Vehicle Ordinance. It involves a mobile home which may not have been registered
with the Town Clerk. He will check into the particulars.
(4) G. Katz mentioned that the letter sent to the Newfane Garden Club
thanking them for their contribution to the gardens in front of the Town
Office, was well received by the members at their recent meeting.
4. ROAD BUSINESS
A. ROAD COMMISSIONER'S REPORT - (See attached report)
4. E. OTHER ROAD BUSINESS
(1) Motion was made by J. Anderson and seconded by R. Marek to send out
the bids for paving of 4,930 linear feet of Dover Road (TH#2) from Stratton
Hill Road (TH#35) to Monroe Bridge (BR#15). Unanimous. Bids to be due
on June 20th at 7:00 p.m. (See RF report Item #6)
(2) Motion was made by J. Anderson and seconded by P. van Loon to have
the Selectboard sign the Annual Financial Plan for Newfane Town Highways.
Discussion. L. Bedell objected to having South Wardsboro Road (TH#1) listed
as a major project for the cost of $25,000. The recommendation of the
Road Commissioner and the Road Foreman is to do Upper River Road as a
first road project for FY 2003. (See RC report Item #7) It was moved and
seconded to amend the main motion to replace South Wardsboro Road (TH#1)
with Upper River Road (TH#15) to be the major road project for FY 2003.
Vote on and amendment and the main motion, unanimous.
(3) It was reported that a logging operation who does not have the proper
excess weight permits as been using Auger Hole Road (TH#3). It was also
indicated that this particular vehicle is uninsured.
4. C. EXCESS WEIGHT PERMITS
Motion was made by J. Anderson and seconded by P. van Loon to approve
the following Excess Weight Permits:
Contractor |
# Axles |
Weight Requested
|
Weight Approved
|
Travis Bristol |
2 |
35,000# |
35,000# |
|
3 |
60,000# |
60,000# |
|
4 |
69,000#
|
Reduced
to 60,000# |
|
4 |
69,000# |
Reduced to 60,000# |
Sam B. Garfield |
3 |
60,000# |
60,000# |
Unanimous.
4. D. ACCESS/RIGHT OF WAY PERMITS
No Access/Right of Way permits were submitted that required any action
by the Board.
5. OLD BUSINESS
A. GOAL AND OBJECTIVES LIST
G. Katz reported that when it is convenient with the employees, he will
be putting together a meeting to discuss how best to organize the upstairs
"attic" storage space for storage by each department. On the
matter of the revised Personnel Policy, VLCT will be contacted for the
newly updated version of a sample Personnel Policy.
5. B. SIGN REQUEST FOR HAZARD MITIGATION FUNDS - WILLIAMS
D. Knechtel explained the requisition for Federal Funds to be used for
the closing of the Williams property on Steep Way (TH#21). The funds being
requested are to be used to pay off the mortgage, to pay the Williams
and for the town closing costs. Motion was made by J. Anderson and seconded
by P. van Loon to approve the request for the requisition of Federal Funds
for the Williams Property Acquisition. Unanimous.
5. C. OTHER OLD BUSINESS
(1) Motion was made by J. Anderson and seconded by G. Katz to authorize
Chairman Richard J. Marek sign the updated Rapid Response Plan for the
Town of Newfane. Unanimous. The Emergency Management Committee met to
update the information for the plan. It was also agreed to send a mailing
through the tax bill to update the information of residents with special
needs during an emergency. The EMC is also working to update that flyer.
(2) Motion was made by L. Bedell and seconded by G. Katz to send a letter
to the members of the Planning Commission, Zoning Board of Adjustment
and the Conservation Commission to invite them to a special meeting on
Monday, July 8th beginning at 7:00 p.m. for the purpose of discussing
the various roles and responsibilities of each group and ways that the
Boards and Commissions can work together more closely. Unanimous.
6. NEW BUSINESS
A. APPOINTMENTS
(1) AUDITORS - 3 No appoints were made.
(2) ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT - 1 for 2005
7. ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT'S REPORT
A. Item #1 - R. Marek indicated that he called each of the Board members
and everyone agreed to allow the purchase and installation of the picture
molding in the Williamsville Hall dining area. Motion was made by J. Anderson
and seconded by R. Marek to ratify the action taken by the Board to authorize
the installation of picture molding at the Williamsville Hall for a cost
not to exceed $100.00 Unanimous.
B. Item #7 - D. Knechtel explained to date how the process has been going
for the Preliminary Valuation grievance meetings and the results of those
meetings. The problems for the transferring of information from the Assess
Pro program to the NEMRC to print the Listers grievance notices were also
explained to the Board. Even with the various setbacks, the notices were
sent to the property owners on June 4th, as required.
8. MINUTES
The minutes of 05/02/02 and 05/16/02 have not been completed. Motion was
made by P van Loon and seconded by J. Anderson to approve the notes of
the Special Meeting of 05/29/02, as written. Unanimous. A quorum of the
Board was not present at the meeting Annual Highway Meeting. Wm. Noyes,
VAOT District #2 Technician was not in attendance either.
9. PAY ORDERS
Motion was made by G. Katz and seconded by R. Marek to approve the Newfane
Payroll and Accounts Payable Warrants for the following amounts:
05/18/02 Payroll $ 2,634.46
05/25/02 Payroll $ 2,742.00
06/01/02 Payroll $ 2,748.44
06/03/02 Payroll $ 4,431.17
06/04/02 Acct's Payable #27 $ 573.84
06/07/02 Acct's Payable #28 $ 22,255.82 Unanimous.
IRS Electronic Federal Payroll Tax Payments
05/22/02 $ 1,724.06
05/29/02 $ 806.34
06/05/02 $ 846.31
10. CORRESPONDENCE
A. A letter has been received from Myra Fassler, President of the Moore
Free Library Board of Trustees, requesting permission to have one dedicated
handicap parking space on the street in front of the library. Motion was
made by P van Loon and seconded by G. Katz to approve of her request.
Unanimous. R. Marek will relay the approval of the Board to her request.
12. ADJOURNMENT
Motion was made by G. Katz and seconded by P. van Loon to adjourn the
Regular Meeting of the Board at 9:44 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 06/06/02
1. PERMITS
Jim and I did not have any permits to review as of 06/04/2002. We did
look at Percy Powling's drainage situation and gave him a blank permit.
He wants to have two 4" perforated pipe drains empty into a town
culvert under Baker Brook Road (TH#19). The culvert is a 12" tarred
culvert that seems to be in good repair. We would not normally upgrade
it to an 18" culvert until it wore out. The area to be drained is
quite wet.
We also gave out two blank permits for two fences that were built in the
right of way. The fences were reviewed and these permits may come in soon.
We also gave out a blank permit to a property owner on Dover Road in South
Newfane who put large rocks in the right of way and informed them that
placing rocks requires a permit.
2. COMPLAINTS
Jim cleared the ditch by a private culvert that overtopped during a recent
rain storm. I appreciate our chairman stepping in to go up with Jim when
I could not be reached in time. There was an old complaint about washouts
on the side of Depot Hill Road. These washouts and perhaps others on South
Wardsboro Road (TH#1) could be worked on when the grader goes in for repairs
since that job does not require the grader.
3. EQUIPMENT
The grader will need to go in for repairs at a convenient point this summer.
4. GUARDRAILS
The held over work from last year may begin as early as next week.
5. BRUCE BROOK BRIDGE
Daniels is obtaining the required permit for working in the stream. The
FEMA environmental review will be done in a week to three weeks time.
The District knows that this review is holding up the work (Daniels was
ready to start this week).
6. FLOOD WORK AUDIT
Doris has completed the audit project packages and Jim will/has been in
touch with the District to see when they want to schedule the audit. Bill
Noyes being out at this time is a problem because of his personal knowledge
of the project and the agreements that were made.
7. ROAD PROJECTS
The board had asked that Jim and I recommend a road project to be accomplished
first. We recommend that Upper River Road (TH#15) be done. Jim feels that
a contractor with an excavator could work in the right of way on a time
and materials basis. The job would be a few days or less in duration.
If blasting is needed (and it might not be) it would be the contractors
responsibility to line up a subcontractor. A site review by the State
representative would be all that is needed regards any impact on Route
30 which is just up the bank from where the work would be done.
ROAD FOREMAN'S REPORT 06/06/02
TOWN OF NEWFANE HIGHWAY
1. The following roads
were worked on since the last regular Board of Selectmen's meeting: Loop
Road (TH#76), Baker Brook Road (TH#19), Wiswall Hill Road (TH#11), Flynn
Road (TH#49), Newfane Hill Road (TH#20), Hobby Hill Road (TH#19), Adams
Hill Road (TH#27), Toby Hill Road (TH#29), Eddy Road (TH#71), Vic Benjamin
Road (TH#64), Clark Farm Road (TH#12), and River Road (TH#15) from Kenolie
Village Campground to Radway Hill Road (TH#4). Woodlands road (TH#63)
was graded and raked.
2. Heavy downpours
on 05/31/02 and on 06/05/02 have scoured the surface of many back roads.
Culverts are cleaned daily. Ditched and highways will have to be reshaped.
3. Guideposts have
been put back up at all culvert locations. Bandrail to be installed next
week.
4. Bridges over 20'
in length are being inspected by Matt Joy of VT Highway.
5. Garbage bags are
still being dumped off of Adams Hill Road (TH#27).
6. Retreatment specs
were drawn up for letting out to bid. Dover Road (TH#2) from Stratton
Hill Road (TH#35) to Monroe Bridge (BR#15) to be done.
7. Equipment: A. The
140G Cat Grader circle has been shirred. B. The 4X4 Chevy glowplug system
and brakes were repaired at Twin State. C. The '90 Mack rear tires are
being re-capped. D. All other equipment is operational.
8. Signs have been
ordered from VT Correctional Industries.
Respectfully submitted,
James O. Gray, Road Foreman
To:
Newfane Selectboard MEMORANDUM
From: Doris A. Knechtel
Subject: Administrative Assistant's Report
Date: June 6, 2002
1. Nancy Riege has
left some samples and an estimated price for the picture molding to be
installed in the dining area at the Williamsville Hall. R. Marek mentioned
that the molding should be secured with screws rather than being nailed.
2. The Rapid Response
Plan has been updated by the Emergency Management Committee and needs
to be signed by the Board if you approve.
3. The Flood Reports
have been completed. A copy has been given to J. Gray for his review.
Wm. Noyes has not yet received them as he has been away for a week or
two. He should be available within a week or two.
4. Floyd Roberts,
District #2 Administrator, has indicated that FEMA has reviewed the plans
for the replacement of Bridge #32 and finds that changes need to be made
to the current plans. FEMA will be in touch with Daniels Construction.
This will delay the start of the project. F. Roberts will keep us informed.
5. The Board will
need to sign the annual highway financial plan as discussed at the meeting
with Floyd Roberts on May 29th. A copy has been included with you information
packet.
6. The request for
funds from FEMA for the Hazard Mitigation Program involving the Williams
property has been completed with a copy included with your information.
This request is for the closing cost, mortgage payoff, taxes and the Williams
amount. Another final request for funds for the demolition of the property
will be made at a later date.
7. The preliminary
grievance of the new assessed values has been completed. Approximately
130 people came in for appointments or wrote letters involving 162 parcels
resulting in changes to 83 parcels being reduced. On Tuesday, the grievance
notices from the Listers were sent out to all property owners with grievance
dates set for June 19, 20 and 21. The process has been very interesting
for me, but it has taken away from my Administrative Assistant duties,
especially in the area of minutes not being completed. Once the Grand
List is finalized in early July, then hopefully, things will be back to
more normal schedule.
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