Selectboard Minutes
Regular Meeting of Monday August 14, 2023 at 7:00 PM
At South Hero Town Hall and via Zoom
Board Members Present: David Carter/Chairman, Ross Brown/Vice Chairman, Skip Brown/Board Secretary, Anne Zolotas and Chuck Hulse
Board Members Not Present: none
Other Staff Present: Sue Arguin, Town Administrator, Martha Taylor-Varney, ZA. Also see sign in sheet of in person and Zoom attendees. *Attendance SB 2023-08-14-2023
1. Called to Order:
-The meeting was called to order by Chairman Carter at 7:00 pm
2. Adjustment to Agenda:
-Order of meeting is changed and Granny’s Attic will be first in New Business
3. Minutes:
-Ross Brown made a motion to approve the minutes of July 24, 2023. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
4. Public input:
A. David Carter thanked the Town Clerk for the special election and the citizens who came out to vote on August 1. He would also like to thank the Recreation Commission for installing the children’s play set at White’s Beach.
B. Bob Fireovid had an issue with a photo that was posted on the Town website. He thanked the Town Clerk for her explanation of the photo’s posting. He also said that a Selectperson made, what he felt, was a disparaging remark to him and questioned if there was a code of conduct in the Town personnel policy. It will be looked into as there is a current personnel policy.
5. New Business:
A. Bev Blakely is the spokesperson for Granny’s Attic tonight. She said that the Granny’s would like to cooperate with the Town on the restoration of the Old South Hero Meeting House (OSHMH). Granny’s has been in business for 70 years and is unique. The organization has donated $272,904.00 to various charities and individuals in Town over the 70 years in existence. They wonder how the organization will fit in the Town when the OSHMH is restored. David Carter noted that the architect has made a proposal for phase one of the restorations in order to stabilize the building. It is estimated to cost about $650,000 for this phase and about $400,000 has been raised so far. But since there is the historic preservation Bruhn Grant as part of the funds, any restoration needs to be approved by the National Park Service. If it is approved, then an RFP will have to be drafted and estimates for an exact cost and time will be established. Note that phase one is only stabilization, and the building will not be able to be used after this phase. See the OSHMH webpage for the documentation on this. Amy Kittiver-Kay asked why not do all of the restoration phases to complete the building all at once. It is important to stabilize the building structure first. To do all phases will need more fundraising and the restoration grants may expire before all of the money can be raised. Since everything is in flux, no firm timeline or plan can be determined now. But, the Granny’s should be aware that they will have to move out at some time. Also, there has been a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) presented to the Granny’s from the Town for the use of the buildings. They have made some edits to the MOU, so it will be discussed at the next meeting.
B. Mike Wickenden of South Hero Rescue (SHR) discussed the need for new ambulance. SHR would like to order a new 4 wheel drive rig on a Ford F450 chassis from the Braun Ambulance Co. The cost will be about $293,000 and it will take from 1-3 years from time of order until delivery. There are funds in the equipment replacement fund and they have money reserved from the insurance reimbursements to cover the cost. Ross Brown made a motion to allow the representatives from SHR to sign the contract and order the ambulance. The motion was seconded. Chuck Hulse and Anne Zolotas are members of SHR and are in agreement, but recused themselves from voting to avoid conflict of interest. The other in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
C. Al Getler and Sarah Lightner of Community Heart and Soul were present to discuss their program. This phased program is a resident driven process that engages the population a Town as to what they love about their community and why they choose to live there. See www.communityheartandsoul.org for more info.
D. The Town is short one Lister. Chuck Hulse made a motion to allow an ad to be placed for a Lister to fill the open position. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
E. Parking on parts of Route 2 has been a problem in certain areas of South Hero and Keeler Bay. Martha will draft a letter to VTrans for the Selectboard to review at the next meeting.
6. Town Administrator and ZA Reports:
A. See the written reports filed with these minutes (Below on the website or in Town Hall).
B. Ross Brown made a motion to sign the Mobile Vendor License for Community Dock and Seafood Market that will be at Goulet Farm property. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
7. Old and Ongoing Business:
A. none at this meeting
8. Announcements and Communications:
A. The Listers presented an Errors and Omissions form. Skip Brown made a motion to approve and sign the Errors and Omissions form for Jess Barron, SPAN # 603-189-11539 for a camper that was removed in 2021. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
9. Other Business:
A. Chuck Hulse made a motion to approve and sign the orders 24-03, 24-03A, 24-04 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: Anne Zolotas made a motion to approve and sign the three short term loan documents presented by Community Bank NA. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
C. Recreation Commission (RC) update: see above
D. Road Department update: The building permit for the salt shed has been issued and the construction will begin soon.
E. Old South Hero Meeting House (OSHMH) project: see above
F. ARPA fund updates: none
G. Wastewater (WW) update: Archaeological studies are being done on areas where test pits are anticipated to be dug.
H. Town Hall Feasibility study committee: Read the minutes from that committee for more info.
I. Chuck Hulse made a motion to go into executive session at 8:47 for legal matters. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried. Executive session ended at 9:20. No action was taken after the executive session.
10. Adjournment:
-Chuck Hulse made a motion to adjourn at 9:22 pm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
Respectfully submitted, Approved by,
_______________________________ ________________________________
Graham Brown, Secretary David Carter, Chairman
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August 14, 2023 ZA’s report to the SB
1. The building application for the Town’s Salt Shed was approved on January 26 of this
year so site work could begin. However, the conditions of approval in the DRB’s 2022
approval included the requirement that, prior to construction of the structure, an
updated building plan be presented to the ZA. That condition has now been met and
construction can proceed.
2. I have a Mobile Vendor’s License application for the Board to approve/sign. The vendor
will be at Goulet’s. No schedule yet.
3. The Zoning 101 class will take August off and return on September 28 th .
Planning Commission
-The Planning Commission will not meet this week (August 16). The next meeting will be
September 6.
-The Planning Commission’s September 20 meeting will be a presentation by Matt Arancio of
Vermont AOT. The Selectboard and Road Supervisor, as well as the public, are encouraged to
attend. The meeting will be in the Town Office boardroom at 6PM.
Development Review Board
The DRB hearing schedule remains busy. The hearing for Pest Pro’s appeal to a notice of
violation was recessed from July 26 to September 13.
Respectfully submitted,
Martha Taylor-Varney, ZA