Selectboard Minutes
Regular Meeting of Monday August 24, 2026 at 7:00 PM
At South Hero Town Hall and via Zoom
Board Members Present: David Carter: Chairman, David Lane: Vice-Chairman, Skip Brown: Board Secretary, Steve Robinson, Anne Zolotas
Board Members Not Present: none
Other Town personnel + public present: Sue Arguin, TA, + Public: Michael Frett (The Islander) and Sandy Gregg
1. Called to Order:
– The meeting was called to order by David Carter at 7:00 pm.
2. Adjustment to Agenda:
– Add possible executive session and Sandy Gregg/OSHMH to New Business
3. Minutes:
-Steve Robinson made a motion to approve the minutes of Aug 10, 2026. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
4. Public input:
A. none
5. New Business:
A. Sandy Gregg discussed the KAS lead abatement report. See attached *Old White Meeting House SMP Completion Report_8_18_26 Note that this is being submitted to the entities that have requested it. Anne Zolotas made a motion to accept the final lead abatement report dealing with the disposed soils and paint as submitted by KAS. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
6. Town Administrator (TA) and Zoning Administrator (ZA) Reports:
A. See the report filed with these minutes
B. VHB has asked to continue the testing of the landfill for fall of 2026 and spring of 2027. More information will be at a future meeting.
C. An email from the State was received regarding grant opportunities. It will be shared with other boards and the school.
D. Stormwater for Lavin Lane was discussed. An agreement will be worked on with the other lot owners abutting Lavin Lane.
7. Old and Ongoing Business:
A. none at this meeting
8. Announcements and Communications:
A. The Board acknowledges the receipt of emails from the T. Chagnon family regarding Dubuque Lane. The Board has previously hired attorneys who have made their determinations about the ROW, and they have been forwarded to the Chagnon family and the other residents of Dubuque Lane who have requested it.
9. Other Business:
A. Steve Robinson made a motion to sign the orders 27-05 and have the Treasurer pay the bills as presented on the orders. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. Town Clerk/Treasurer updates: Town Clerk/Treasurer updates: none at this meeting
C. Recreation Commission (RC) update: https://southherovt.org/rec/ for more info.
D. Road Department update:
-Work on the OSHMH foundation has been ongoing
E. Lister Updates: Appraisals are ongoing
F. Old South Hero Meeting House (OSHMH) update: The new foundation has been sheathed in stone and backfilled. Once the crawlspace slab is poured, the building will be moved back to the original location.
G. Lavin Property update: The public outreach meeting went well. The Committee will summarize and discuss the information at their next meeting. Another public meeting will be sometime in the fall.
H. Town Hall Committee update: See https://southherovt.org/town-office-building-committee/ Also, Clay Point Assoc. has submitted documents about the asbestos and lead remediation of the current Town Hall building that will be torn down when the new building is complete. More info will be at a future meeting.
I. Tree Warden Update: none
J. New Town Park updates: The parking area that has been staked out will be started when the Meeting House is put back on the foundation and is out of the way.
K. Liquor License/Mobil vendor applications: none at this meeting
L. Anne Zolotas made a motion to go into executive session for real estate/legal matters at 7:47 pm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried. A motion was made to exit executive session at 8:10 pm. No action was taken after exiting executive session.
10. Adjournment:
-Steve Robinson made a motion to adjourn at 8:11 pm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
Respectfully submitted, Approved by,
_______________________________ ________________________________
Graham Brown, Secretary David Carter, Chairman
For a video of the meeting, see: www.lcatv.com
August 24, 2026 ZA’s report to the SB
1. I attended a Zoning Roundtable sponsored by Northwest Regional Planning
Commission last Thursday (8/20) in St. Albans. Topics of discussion included
Municipal Agriculture Regulations and Short-Term Rental regulations. More
towns in Vermont are instituting STR rules. My main concerns here in South
Hero center on rentals that advertise to accommodate more people than the
septic system ‘s capacity, especially on lakefront properties. It is a very common
problem here.
2. The Town Clerk, Town Admin, and I received an email asking about hunting on
the Lavin property this season. I believe Naomi forwarded his email to you.
Planning Commission
The Commission currently has 4 members, with the recent addition of Marian
Fritz. The Commission is a 5-member Board. Anyone interested in becoming a
member please contact me at [email protected].
The Commission is finalizing draft updates to the Development Regulations,
including measuring height and setbacks, some updates to definitions, and
changes/additions required by the HOME Act and Act 181. The process includes public
hearings by both the Planning Commission and Selectboard, and final approval by the
Selectboard. Proposed changes to the Regulations no longer go before the voters
since the passage of the HOME Act (June 2024), unless the SB agrees to send it
instead to a public vote. Public hearing dates will be publicized in advance to allow for
public comment. The PC meets on the first and third Wednesdays of each month at
6PM, and public participation is encouraged.
Development Review Board
The upcoming schedule has picked up considerably through the next couple of months.
The August 26 meeting, however, has been canceled due to the lack of a quorum. The
hearings scheduled for that night have been moved to the DRB’s September 9 meeting.
Upcoming hearings include a major subdivision and planned unit development on
Peters Farm Rd., a 7-lot subdivision on South St. (both on September 9), and the site
plan review for the proposed new facility for Grannies Attic on September 23. The
October schedule is starting to fill but I am anticipating that there will either be no
meeting on October 28 or it will be moved to another location due to the upcoming
move to the new Town Office.
Respectfully submitted,
Martha Taylor-Varney, ZA