Selectboard Minutes
Regular Meeting of March 27, 2017
South Hero Town Hall, Monday 7:00 PM
Board Members Present: Jonathan Shaw, Skip Brown (also Board Secretary), Anne Zolotas, David Carter,
George Rice
Board Members Not Present: none
Others Present: Sharon Roy, Town Clerk. Martha Taylor-Varney, Administrative Assistant. Also see sign in sheet.
1. Called to Order:
-The meeting was called to order by Chairman Shaw at 7:00 pm. Board introduced itself to the camera.
2. Adjustment to Agenda:
-Delete Champlain Islands Parent Center from “New Business”. They postponed until next meeting.
3. Minutes:
– Anne Zolotas made a motion to accept the minutes of the meeting of March 13, 2017 as written. The motion was seconded, George Rice abstained, the other in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
4. Public input:
A. none
5. New Business:
A. Town Clerk, Sharon Roy suggested that a signer be added to the checking account if she or the assistant is not available. Selectboard approval is not necessary for this.
B. Sandy Gregg of the PC was present to discuss extending the Village Center Designation (VCD). Right now it ends on the eastern side of Route 2 near the post office. It may make sense to extend it to the area of Pest Pro. The Keeler Bay VCD ends near the intersection of 314 and Route 2, and it may make sense to extend that to the area of Grand Isle Nursery. More discussion by the PC will be necessary before a recommendation is made, or not, to the Selectboard.
6. Administrative Assistant Report:
A. A written report was submitted. A hard copy with discussion points can be seen in Town Hall filed with these minutes or on www.southherovt.org.
B. David Carter made a motion to waive the building permit fee for the pending fire/rescue building. The motion was seconded all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
7. Old and Ongoing Business:
A. South Street reconstruction project from Landon to Martin Roads updates: Jonathan met with the contractor and engineers today. The contractor hopes to begin the project by Mid-April and be done by October 20. Working hours are to be between 7:00 am and 5:00 pm Monday-Thursday and they will end earlier on Fridays. Some trees still need to be removed by mid-April. There will be a project supervising engineer and he will set up an office in the Town Garage.
B. Nate Hayward of Hayward Design Build advised in an email that the plans for the fire/rescue building are being completed. That project is hoped to begin by late May. More information to follow. A hard copy with discussion points can be seen in Town Hall filed with these minutes or on www.southherovt.org. Plans are being made on establishing the Town’s relationship with both SHVFD and SHR, ie, how it will be used, by whom, and the terms.
8. Other Business:
A. Skip Brown made a motion to sign orders 17-20 and pay the bills associated with this order. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. David Carter made a motion to sign the liquor license or AIR Development (Apple Island General Store and Apple Island Resort). The motion was seconded all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
C. Selectboard postings were clarified. They will be at the Folsom Educational and Community Center, the lobby of the Post Office and the lobby of the Town Hall. There was a discussion to build outdoor bulletin boards for Town Hall and Folsom for future postings, but the consensus of the Board is to continue with the current posting areas.
D. The “VLCT Model Rules and Procedure for Municipal Boards” template as well as the “Model Public Records Inspection, Copying and Transmission Policy” template was discussed. Some adjustments were discussed and a draft copy with the changes will be reviewed and possibly adopted at the next meeting.
E. Bill Rowe, Town representative of the Northwest Solid Waste Management District (NWSWD) term is up in March. Martha will check to see if he is still interested in doing it. If not, an ad will be placed for a new representative.
F. Anne Zolotas read a letter from South Hero rescue requesting that $10,000. from the equipment replacement fund be released so that equipment can be upgraded. The Board does not need to take action on this request.
9. Adjournment:
-David Carter made a motion to adjourn 8:55 pm. The motion was seconded all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
Respectfully submitted, Approved by,
_______________________________ ________________________________
Graham Brown Jonathan Shaw, Chair
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Administrative Officer’s Report to Selectboard March 27, 2017
Discussion Items:
1. Did not attend the Northern Border Regional Commission (a Federal/State partnership for economic and infrastructure development in the northern counties of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York) information session on Thursday, March 16, from 9-11:30 due to weather conditions.
2. Plan to attend a Zoning Administrator’s Roundtable on St. Albans on April 5, 2017. The meeting is being hosted by NRPC. Morning session on Residential and Commercial Energy Standards. Afternoon session on Managing Development through the National Flood Insurance Program.
3. Received information on Act 115 – Accessibility Standards for New Residential Construction (eff. July 1, 2016). Disclosure must be provided from a seller to a prospective buyer as to whether the residential construction is in compliance with the standards of subsection (b) of the Act. Exemptions for single-family dwellings built by the owner for personal occupancy of the owner’s family, or pre-fab or manufactured out of state.
4. South Street Bid closed on the Vermont Business Registry.
Planning Commission: Continuing to meet with NRPC for Development Regulations updates. March 15 meeting cancelled due to weather. NRPC meeting with PC on April 5.
Development Review Board: Completed first review and deliberative. 2 Hearings — Site Plan review and request for variance — scheduled for April 12.
**************************************************************************************************************Hi Jonathan and David,
I bumped into David Carter this weekend, and he said the Select Board was planning to discuss any available status updates on the Fire Station. Here is a quick update from my perspective:
•A few weeks ago the engineers completed the Mechanical, Plumbing, and Electrical plan sets.
•This allowed us to apply for the Fire Safety permit from the Dept. of Public Safety (basically a state required building permit). That application went in about 2 weeks ago, and it typically takes 4-8 weeks to be issued.
•I am working on the construction financing now. Since the plans are done I am moving forward with the financing. As you know the Town is buying the completed building, So I need to get bank financing for the construction.
•We are also wrapping up re-pricing some of the changes. Some of those are: the zoning board required an expanded parking area, there was a rule change that required some additional mechanicals, we received the sprinkler variance, the new Mechanical, Plumbing, and Electrical plan sets require updated pricing, and some additional sidewalk and a new access door to the back of the apparatus bay and rear of the building.
•We have shared a draft contract with you and the town’s attorney a while ago. Once I finish re-pricing, and we have the Labor and Industry permit we will be able to finalize the contract.
I am hopeful all of this will come together for a late May start, as has always been the hope.
Thanks, Nate