Selectboard Minutes

Regular Meeting of Monday, April 24^th, 2023 at 7:00PM

At South Hero Town Hall and via Zoom

Board Members Present: David Carter/Chairman, Ross Brown/V. Chair, Anne Zolotas (via zoom) and Chuck Hulse

Board Members Not Present: Skip Brown

Others Present: Dave Hobbs, Tim Maxham, Jim Jones, Kimberly Lord, Don Bedard, Ron Phillips, Tom Clark & Christina Erikson from Local Motion (via zoom), Joe Montague from Pike Industry, Sue Arguin/Town Administrator.

1. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Chair, Dave Carter at 7:00PM.
2. Adjustment to Agenda:   Donna Boumil from LCIEDC was not able to attend meeting.
3. Minutes: Ross Brown made motion to approve minutes of April 10, 2023.  Chuck Hulse seconded.
4. Public Input: David Carter spoke about S60 Local Option Tax and that it had passed but still sitting for consideration from the Senate.  He wanted to thank Senator Mazza for his work on this to get it through the Senate.  He also expressed his thanks and appreciation to Randy Brock, Michael Morgan and Josie Leavitt for all their work on this.  A motion was made to accept the Resolution S60 by Ross Brown and Chuck Hulse seconded.  All members then signed Resolution.
5. New Business:
   1. SHVFD- Patrick Robinson was not present but has been asked to have a written agreement from the manufacturer to be brought to the selectboard ahead of the next meeting along with an invitation for Garth Brooks to attend.
   2. Tom Clark & Christina Erickson from Local Motion were present via zoom to discuss the Plans for the 2023 Bike Ferry Season.  They said they are ready for the new year and ready to go with docks out, fully staffed boat that’s been Coast Guard Inspected and all Deck Hands fully trained.  They intend to keep the signs up showing riders where to go to stay on the path.  They also said they are very much into supporting safe practices for the bikers along with the pedestrians and drivers in South Hero all while trying to emphasize to the visiting bikers to be courteous while visiting our town.
   3. Kimberely Lord came in to ask if they could continue the annual Clarence Demars 5K on July 4^th. Motion was made by Ross Brown and seconded by Chuck Hulse to have it continue.  It would start at 8:30 and wrap up at 10AM at Folsom School.
6. Administrative Assistant/Town Administrator Report:
   1. Martha via email wanted to inform the board that the SAMS process is now complete.
   2. David Carter read a short summary of the results of the landfill testing from VHB written by Stephen Hilfiker the Project Manager.
   3. A motion by Anne Zolotas was made and seconded by Ross Brown to approve the two vendor licenses permit applications.  One was for Dan Keough from North Country Specialty Foods at Goulet Farm and the other was Julia Small from the Hive Café LLC at Allenholm Farm.
7. Old and Ongoing Business:
   2023. Updates were briefed about the Vtrans Bike & Pedestrian Grant by Sue Arguin stating that Hoyle & Tanner was the Vtrans approved consultant, and they wanted to extend from April 24, 2023, to May 1, 2023. The request has been granted by Greta Brunswick from NRPC.   Dave Hobbs also mentioned he’s participating on Steering Committee that will be meeting via Zoom by May 26^th, 2023.   Chuck Hulse volunteered to be the Selectboard Member to participate on this committee.

8. Announcements and Communications: Dave Carter wanted to let people know that he was having an Animal Complaints Form made up so folks that have a complaint could fill it out and turn it in.  He said as the Animal Control Officer this would make this easier giving him as much information as possible to access any situation.   Dave also informed everyone that he will be marking Ashe trees to be cut down around South Hero.

9. Other Business and standing agenda items:

1. The Lease was signed for the Craft Shop on the agreed terms.
2. Liquor License applications that were approved were: Afternoonies/Blue Paddle, AIR-General Store & Resort, Arbor Farm Market, Emma/Mckees, Green Frog/Lily Pad, Keelers Bay Variety, Mamoo/Wally’s and Victoria’s Café. Motion to accept by Chuck Hulse and seconded by Ross Brown.
3. No Town Clerk/Treasurer Report.
4. Recreation Commission update: Chuck Hulse said he’s still learning on what is left in account and what has been allocated and on what. The budget was $16,000.
5. Road Department: Has a contract with Hungerford to repair and reservice West Shore Road starting at the intersection of Station Road to Sherry Corbin’s driveway.  There were 3 bids and a motion was made by David and seconded by Chuck to use Hungerford.
6. Old South Hero Meeting House next steps are putting together a Feasibility Study Chaired by Ross Brown. People on this committee are: Steve Robinson, Nate Hayward, Carl Frenning, Naomi King, Anne Zolotas, Mike Carroll & Doug Patterson.
7. ARPA Funds update: Meetings set for discussion are May 1^st  Open Meeting discussing funds and May 22^nd for Public Hearing.
8. Wastewater Committee Update: None.

10. Adjournment: At 8:12 a motion was made by Ross Brown and seconded by Chuck Hulse to adjourn the meeting.

Respectfully submitted,                                            Approved by

___________________________                             ___________________________

Susan Arguin, Town Administrator                            David Carter, Chair

Selectboard Minutes
Regular Meeting of Monday April 10, 2023 at 7:00 PM
At South Hero Town Hall and via Zoom

Board Members Present: Ross Brown/Vice Chairman, Skip Brown/Board Secretary, Anne Zolotas (via Zoom) and Chuck Hulse (Arrived at 7:10)
Board Members Not Present: David Carter/Chairman
Others Present: Martha Taylor-Varney, ZA and Sue Arguin, Town Administrator. Also see sign in sheet of in person and Zoom attendees. *Attendance SB 2023-04-10-2023

1. Called to Order:
-The meeting was called to order by Vice-Chairman Ross Brown at 7:00 pm

2. Adjustment to Agenda:
-none

3. Minutes:
-Anne Zolotas made a motion to acknowledge the minutes of March 27, 2023. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motions carried.

4. Public input:
A. none at this meeting

5. New Business:
A. Heidi Chamberlain of the Island Craft Shop was present to discuss the lease on the Town owned former rescue building on Route 2. Now that the Town is a landlord, it must pay taxes on the building in addition to the electricity and some other utilities. Due to the increase in costs, the current expenses cost more than the current rent. After discussion, the board decided to charge $425.00 per month from May 2023-April of 2024, which is an increase of $50.00 from the last rent term.
B. Guy Maguire of South Hero Land Trust (SHLT) advised the Board of the 2023 Green Up Day plans. It is on May 6 this year. They have ordered 200 green bags and will soon have a sign-up for roadside cleanup volunteers. There will be a thank you barbeque at Folsom from 11:30-12:30. More information will be on the SHLT website, www.shlt.org.
C. Peter Zamore and Bob Buermann of the Wastewater Committee (WWC) were present to discuss updates. It appears that a grant may be available from the Northern Border Regional Commission (www.nrbc.gov). The quandary that the WWC has, is that this grant opportunity is for construction of a possible wastewater system. The issue is that test pits have not yet been dug and a preliminary report won’t be provided by the engineers until sometime in early summer, and a letter of interest has to be submitted to NRBC by April 21, 2023. A letter of interest is just that, and it does not obligate the Town to do anything in the event that a grant is even awarded. Chuck Hulse made a motion to have the WWC submit a letter of interest for a grant to NRBC. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motions carried.
D. Sandy Gregg and Rachel Gammal were present to discuss holding a Community Cheers and Cheese event in 2023. There will be Boards, Commissions, and Organizations throughout the Town invited to participate. Chuck Hulse made a motion to approve the Community Cheers and Cheese event in front of the Old South Hero Meeting House on June 26, 2023 from 4:00-6:00 pm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motions carried.

6. Administrative Assistant Report:
A. See the written report filed with these minutes (Below on the website or in Town Hall).
B. The consensus of the Board is to appoint Town Administrator, Sue Arquin, as the Municipal Authorizing Official (MAO) for current and future grants.
C. Sandy Gregg of the Planning Commission (PC) further explained some of the next steps for the Sidewalk Scoping Study. Most of the explanations are in the AA attached. A consultant was send an RFP and a Steering Committee will be will be formed soon. More info will follow as it becomes available.

7. Old and Ongoing Business:
A. none at this meeting

8. Announcements and Communications:
A. none at this meeting.

9. Other Business:
A. Skip Brown made a motion to approve and sign orders 23-21A and to pay the bills associated with the orders. The motions were seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motions carried.
B. Town Clerk/Treasurer updates: none
C. Recreation Commission (RC) update: none
D. Road Department update: The Road Dept. has begun to pile 5/8 minus sure-pack stone to begin to build up Kibbe Point Rd. Site work had begun on the salt shed property and bid packages for the structure will go out soon.
E. Old South Hero Meeting House (OSHMH) project: An ad has been placed in the Islander for volunteers to apply for a committee to study the feasibility about moving the Town offices to the Old South Hero Meeting House property.
F. ARPA fund updates: none at this meeting
G. Wastewater (WW) update: see above

10. Adjournment:
-Chuck Hulse made a motion to adjourn at 8:17 pm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.

Respectfully submitted,                                          Approved by,

_______________________________ ________________________________
Graham Brown, Secretary                                    Ross Brown, Vice-Chairman

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Administrative Officer’s Report to Selectboard April 10, 2023

1. Martha is planning to begin monthly Zoning 101 meetings on Thursday, April 27 at 6PM, and continue on the last Thursday of each month until we’ve covered everything. LCATV has agreed to film each session and make it available to the public. There will be no Zoom option for these classes.
2. Vermont League of Cities and Towns launched their Municipal Access Portal on Thursday of this week. This will be for member Towns to access resources and content and register for events (seminars, presentations, etc.), among other features. Each user will need to have their own password.
3. Steve Hilfiker of VHB said that the anticipated report on next steps for the PFAS investigation at the landfill would be available the middle of last week.
4. Northwest Regional Planning has suggested that the new Town Administrator become the MAO (Municipal Authorizing Official). The SB needs to formally appoint Sue Arguin as the Town’s MAO.
5. VTrans’ 2023 Bicycle and Pedestrian Grant has opened. This is the one we’ve considered to study RT 2 related options at the Apple Island/Sand Bar/Featherbed Lane area. I have given the program guide and application to the Town Administrator. Application deadline is June 9, 2023.

Respectfully submitted, Martha-Taylor Varney (ZA) and Sue Arguin (Town Admin)

Planning Commission
2023 Town Plan discussion – The PC continues to finalize the draft Town Plan. A special meeting is scheduled for April 13 to finalize the draft before it is sent to the Planning Commission Chairs of adjacent towns and the Planning Commissions’ May 17, 2023 public hearing is warned. The workplan for the Town Plan is on a strict timeline to allow for enough time for review and edits to the document and required public hearings before the August 1, 2023 deadline for adoption.
I attended a meeting last week with PC Chair Sandy Gregg and Greta Brunswick of NRPC to discuss the next steps for the Sidewalk Scoping Study. VTrans’ process of procuring a consultant requires a consultant selection committee. This committee is ZA Martha Taylor-Varney and new Town Admin Sue Arguin as municipal representatives, Greta Brunswick of NRPC, and Sandy Gregg and Michele Gammal of the Planning Commission. A list of pre-qualified consulting firms was supplied by VTrans and the selection committee was tasked with ranking them. The highest-ranking consultant was Hoyle and Tanner, of Burlington. An RFP has been sent to them by NRPC. The next step is to establish a 7-member steering committee made up of members representing the Planning Commission, Rec Commission, a Selectboard representative, and perhaps Guy McGuire from South Hero Land Trust. Each board/commission will appoint their members to this committee. The feasibility study will include RT 2 in South Hero and Keeler Bay Villages and South St, from RT 2 to the school.
Development Review Board
The next DRB hearing is on April 12, and the continuation of a final site plan review of a hearing that began on March 8 on April 26. The Town is an abutter to the applicant for April 12 (Pan’s Pizza). Does the Selectboard want to send a representative to the hearing?

Respectfully submitted, Martha Taylor-Varney, ZA and Asst. to the Selectboard.