Selectboard Minutes
Regular Meeting of Monday May 27, 2024 at 7:00 PM
At South Hero Town Hall and via Zoom Zoom Recording Passcode: W9xdL@9w
Board Members Present: David Carter/Chairman, David Lane/Vice Chairman, Skip Brown/Board Secretary, Ross Brown (left meeting at 7:25) and Anne Zolotas
Board Members Not Present: none
Others Present: Also see sign in sheet of in person and Zoom attendees. *Attendance SB 2024-05-27-2024
1. Called to Order:
– The meeting was called to order by Chairman Carter at 7:00 pm.
2. Adjustment to Agenda:
-Change the order of “New Business”
3. Minutes:
-Ross Brown a motion to approve the minutes of May 13, 2024. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
4. Public input:
A. Jeff and Button Thill of 8 Hill Rd. asked about screening of the salt shed currently under construction. The permit requires vegetative screening, but it will not be installed until the construction is completed. Cedar trees plus some deciduous trees will be probably be specified. He also asked about the total height of the structure. Once the roof is installed, it will be 34’ high.
5. New Business:
A. The Board discussed a draft of a letter to the Granny’s Attic group about a proposed move out date from the Old South Hero Meeting House (OSHMH), as construction is anticipated to begin in the late fall. Anne Zolotas asked if she could edit the draft. A new letter will be discussed at a future meeting. Ross Brown verbally attacked the Chairman of the OSHMH Committee David Carter saying that “the people that I talk to” have questions whether there has been enough public discussion about the restoration of the building and that they have no idea what’s going on. Anne Zolotas noted that she thinks that restoring the building as “historical” is limiting in materials and use. Note that the OSHMH committee has been meeting for over 5 years and all meetings are open to the public. More outreach will be discussed with the committee.
B. The Board received a letter from the Island Craft Shop tenant complaining about the water and propane usage. Apparently ground water was thought to be a leak from a pipe, so the water was shut off. There does not appear to be a leak so the water has been turned back on. They were also concerned about their propane usage since the emergency generator runs a test cycle. It does not use much propane and should not affect their usage.
C. The Board opened the bids submitted for the mowing of Town properties. The low bid was from BLADEZ mowing. Anne Zolotas made a motion to hire BLADEZ mowing to for the fiscal year of 2024-2025. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried. Note that the company hired to mow for fiscal year 2023-2024 has breached his contract and has stopped mowing. BLADEZ mowing has agreed to complete that contract.
7. Town Administrator and ZA Reports:
A. See the written reports posted with these minutes.
B. Skip Brown made a motion to approve and have the chairman sign the mobile vendor license for the Hive Cafe that will be at Allenholm Orchard. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
C. Skip Brown made a motion to approve the draft of proposed new traffic ordinance. See Attached *2024 Traffic Ordinance. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried. Note that a public hearing will be scheduled to be held at a future Selectboard meeting before an ordinance can be considered.
8. Old and Ongoing Business:
A. The salt shed RFP is still being finalized. Ross Brown may take a trip to New York to get bids from an Amish company.
9. Announcements and Communications:
A. none at this meeting
10. Other Business:
A. Anne Zolotas made a motion to approve and sign the orders 24-24 and to pay the bills associated with the orders. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. Town Clerk/Treasurer updates: A draft of a Reserve Fund policy was presented. It will be discussed at a future meeting.
C. Recreation Commission (RC) update: There was no meeting on May 14. A new fence has been installed at the beach.
D. Road Department update: see above
E. Old South Hero Meeting House (OSHMH) project: See above
F. ARPA updates: none
G. Wastewater (WW) update: No new updates. The committee will hold onto plans should anything new arise.
H. Town Hall Committee update: The committee will meet every 2 weeks on Tuesdays. Please see the minute of the meetings on the Town website.
11. Adjournment:
-Skip Brown made a motion to adjourn at 8:05 pm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
Respectfully submitted, Approved by,
_______________________________ ________________________________
Graham Brown, Secretary David Carter, Chairman
May 27, 2024 ZA’s report to the SB
1. There is one mobile vendor license application for the Boards approval and
signature tonight. It is for The Hive, which operates at Allenholm throughout the
summer.
2. VLCT is hosting their Zoning and Development Review Forum on Thursday, May
30 th, , from 9AM to noon. This will be a virtual meeting and I plan to use the TV
screen in the boardroom that morning for the presentations. The 2 subjects for the
forum are especially timely to South Hero – the first will be a presentation by a staff
attorney and a law clerk attached to Environmental Court, to explain how cases work
through the court system, recent case law regarding municipal zoning appeals, and
best practices for DRB’s in writing effective decisions. The second subject of the
forum will be a Legislative wrap-up from the 2024 legislative session in Montpelier. I
expect much of this will center on the proposed changes to Act 250. Anyone who
would like to attend here in the Boardroom that morning please contact me ahead of
time so I can have an idea of how many to expect.
3. A pipe connecting the heat pump unit in the office foyer to the east wall of the
building, running along the ceiling of the zoning office, developed a large leak earlier
last week. According to the repairman, the leak was caused by a rodent chewing
through the pipe. The entire length of the pipe had to be replaced.
Planning Commission
A. The next meeting is June 5 at 6PM.
B. Planning Commission Chair Sandy Gregg has tendered her resignation from the
Commission effective at the conclusion of the June 5 meeting. Sandy has been
a member of the PC for the past 10+ years, serving as Chair since 2021.
Sandy’s leadership and attention to detail were integral in meeting the challenges
of updating the 2023 Town Plan. The Commission is grateful for her time and
energy, and for her contributions to the Town of South Hero. She will remain
active with the South Hero Meeting House restoration and keeping the window
boxes at the Town Office in tip-top shape.
Development Review Board
1. There will be no meeting on June 12. The next DRB meeting will be June 26 th .
Respectfully submitted,
Martha Taylor-Varney, ZA