Select Board Minutes

Selectboard Minutes
Regular Meeting of September 11, 2017
South Hero Town Hall, Monday 7:00 PM

Board Members Present: Jonathan Shaw, Skip Brown (also Board Secretary), Anne Zolotas, George Rice, David Carter (present via speaker phone)
Board Members Not Present:
Others Present: Sharon Roy, Town Clerk and Martha Taylor-Varney, Admin. Assistant. Also see sign in sheet.

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

2. Adjustment to Agenda:
-none

3. Minutes:
-Anne Zolotas made a motion to accept the minutes of the meeting of August 28, 2017 as written. The motion was seconded, George Rice abstained, the others in attendance so voted and the motion carried.

4. Public input:
A. David Graham and Everett Dubuque were present to discuss a coin drop on Route 2, October 7, 2017. Anne Zolotas made a motion stating that the VFW has the support of the Selectboard to conduct a coin drop from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm on Route 2 in front of Malcolm Allen’s house on October 7, 2017. The motion was seconded, George Rice voted no, the others in attendance voted yes and the motion carried. Note that Route 2 is a State Rd. and a permit will be required from the State.
B. Sandy Gregg questioned why the small speed limit warning sign was not there. It was to be temporary and it is the property of the Grand Isle County Sheriff for use at their discretion. It does get removed for charging.

5. New Business:
A. Road Commissioner, John Roy, was present to discuss the dirt road grading policy. There is no actual schedule, as the condition of the roads varies with the weather. In order to grade, the roads need to be wet. The grading is usually done after a rain. But, only if the weather forecast predicts that it will be dry for a couple of days after grading. Otherwise, the roads turn to mud. As a side note, portions of West Shore Rd., Landon Rd. and the intersection of Whipple and East Shore Rd. are planned to be paved in 2017. Paving prices are down from last year, and if the budget allows, perhaps more will be done.
B. A company who sells fireworks has asked about buying property in South Hero. Current zoning rules will require that such a use will require conditional use review through the DRB and would require State and Federal permits. But, our current rules do not specifically prohibit such sales in the village district or specifically prohibit hazardous materials. It was discussed whether interim zoning should be enacted while the matter is studied. It was decided to not enact specific “spot” zoning, but to possibly enact Section 406: Performance standards language from the new proposed zoning regulations that will give the DRB more standards to consider should a conditional use review occur. Should this interim zoning be done, there are specific procedures to follow and a public hearing will have to be held.

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.

7. Old and Ongoing Business:
A. South Street reconstruction project from Landon to Martin Roads updates:
– The section from West Shore Rd. to Landon Rd. is being worked on now. Gravel has been in short supply and the contractor is moving as fast as possible with the materials available. As of now, it appears to be on schedule to be finished in October.
B. The emergency services building construction is underway and no new updates at this meeting.

C. South Hero has a current dog ordinance. VLCT has an updated template for a dog ordinance that the Board has been reviewing the last several meetings and some changes were finalized at the last meeting. The updates have been posted on the Town website so that residents had the chance to review it and comment. Anne Zolotas made a motion to approve the “Town of South Hero Ordinance Regulating Dogs and Wolf-hybrids” and to follow the procedure to adopt the ordinance for the Town. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried. Note that this proposed ordinance is posted on the Town website (TOWN OF SOUTH HERO Dog Ordinance 2017 )and that copies may be found in Town Hall.

8. Other Business:
A. Skip Brown made a motion to sign orders 18-05 and pay the bills associated with this order. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.

9. Announcements and Communications:
A. A letter of thanks was sent to the Board for the mowing of the shoulders.
B. There was a complaint from CHAMP about the grading of Whipple and East Shore Rd. on a Saturday when they had planned a trail ride using Town roads. Note, that CHAMP never notified the Town or the Sheriff that such a ride was occurring. Due to the rain in the last few weeks and the detour of South St. onto Whipple and East Shore Roads, grading was done during Saturday overtime hours to maintain the roads. It is advised that all groups who hold events on public roads notify the Town when such events are planned to avoid confusion in the future.

10. Adjournment:
-David Carter made a motion to adjourn 8:15 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 September 11, 2017

Discussion Items:
1. I plan to be away the week of October 23 – 27. There is a Selectboard meeting on the 23rd. I will have an Administrator’s report prepared ahead of time and will post warnings for the 8/23 meeting during the previous week.

-Planning Commission: Continued discussion with the SB and DRB re the draft updates to the Development Regulations. Next meeting scheduled for September 20 at 7PM. Public hearings have not yet been scheduled.

-Development Review Board: The next scheduled hearing will be September 13, 2017 with Camp Ta-Kum-Ta for additional site plan review requested by the DRB as part of the previous Site Plan and Conditional Use approval in March of this year. No hearings for September 27. Currently 2 scheduled for October 11 and one on October 25.

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

Selectboard Minutes
Regular Meeting of August 28, 2017
South Hero Town Hall, Monday 7:00 PM

Board Members Present: Jonathan Shaw, Skip Brown (also Board Secretary), Anne Zolotas, David Carter,
Board Members Not Present: George Rice (He was deployed by the Red Cross to assist with Hurricane Harvey relief)
Others Present: Sharon Roy, Town Clerk and Martha Taylor-Varney, Admin. Assistant. Also see sign in sheet.

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

2. Adjustment to Agenda:
-Delete Road Commissioner John Roy from new business

3. Minutes:
– Anne Zolotas made a motion to accept the minutes of the meeting of August 14, 2017 as written. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.

4. Public input:
A. Jeff Parizo of the Isle of Patmos Masonic Lodge on South Street was present to discuss the possibility of holding a holiday parade in December, mainly for the children in the community. The vision is for an early evening event on South St. with lighted floats, trucks and tractors. The exact date, time and route have not been determined. Any money raised will be donated to the Children’s Hospital at UVM Medical Center. The consensus of the Board is that this seems like a nice idea and no objections were raised. More details to follow as they become available.
B. Sandy Gregg questioned why the small speed limit warning sign was not operating. It is the property of the Grand Isle County Sheriff and is used at their discretion. It may need charging.

5. New Business:
A. Luke Tremble, South Hero Library liaison, was present to discuss updates.
-The summer programs were well attended.
-Now that school is in session, the new hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 3:00-8:00 pm, Friday 3:00-6:00 pm and Saturday 9:00 am- 3:00 pm.
-Plans for the new library are progressing and fundraising is underway.
B. South Hero has a current dog ordinance. VLCT has an updated template for a dog ordinance that the Board reviewed and made some changes to. The updates will be posted on the Town website so that residents can review it and comment. Brigitte Barrette of South St. asked about the possibility of a leash law on public areas. The Board is not currently in favor of a leash law, and she was advised that such a law would be up to a Town vote if it was placed on the ballot.

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 appoint Jim Brightwell to the DRB to complete the term of former alternate (and now full time member) Liza Kilcoyne. 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:
-The section from Martin to West Shore Rd. has been paved with a base coat and has temporary lines painted. Jim Bond questioned this section. As discussed at the last meeting, Frank W. Whitcomb Construction was the paving contractor and will repair any defects by shimming the base coat before the final coating is done. Final paving and line painting will be done when the base coat is finished on the section from West Shore to Landon Rd. The section from West Shore Rd. to Landon Rd. is being worked on now. Gravel has been in short supply and the contractor is moving as fast as possible with the materials available.
B. The emergency services building construction is underway and no new updates at this meeting.

8. Other Business:
A. David Carter made a motion to sign orders 18-04 and pay the bills associated with this order. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. Anne Zolotas made a motion to approve and have the Chair sign the annual contract from Milton Cat to service the 4 generators in Town. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.

9. Announcements and Communications:
A. The Community Health Center missed the deadline to ask for tax exempt status for the new building. The Town attorney is reviewing paperwork in anticipation of this being brought up next year.

10. Adjournment:
-David Carter made a motion to adjourn 8:05 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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TOWN OF SOUTH HERO

Administrative Officer’s Report to Selectboard August 28, 2017

Discussion Items:
1. I have received an application from Jim Brightwell for the open position for DRB Alternate for a 1-year term. DRB Chair Tim Maxham recommends the Selectboard appoint Jim to the DRB.

-Planning Commission: Continued discussion with the SB and DRB re the draft updates to the Development Regulations. Next meeting scheduled for September 6 or 20 (TBA) at 7PM. Public hearings have not yet been scheduled.

-Development Review Board: The next scheduled hearing will be September 13, 2017 with Camp Ta-Kum-Ta for additional site plan review requested by the DRB as part of the previous Site Plan and Conditional Use approval in March of this year.

Selectboard Minutes
Regular Meeting of August 14, 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 and Martha Taylor-Varney, Admin. Assistant. Also see sign in sheet.

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

2. Adjustment to Agenda:
-none

3. Minutes:
– Anne Zolotas made a motion to accept the minutes of the meeting of July 24 and July 31, 2017 as written. The motion was seconded, George Rice abstained, the others in attendance so voted and the motion carried.

4. Public input:
A. Roland Dubuque and Barbara Patnow of 580 Route 2 were present to discuss a clogged ditch in front of their house that is up to the State to maintain. The maintenance has been deferred and flooding has occurred on their property. They asked for a letter of support from the Board to send to the State. David Carter made a motion to send a letter to Senator Mazza asking the State to maintain this ditch on Route 2. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.

5. New Business:
A. South Hero has a current dog ordinance. VLCT has an updated template for a dog ordinance. The Board members are asked to review the new template, and to discuss at the next meeting if our ordinance should be updated. The template will be posted on the Town website so that residents can review it and comment.

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 appoint Brigitte Kerr to complete the 3 year term of Terry Delano on the Planning Commission and to appoint Liza Kilcoyne from alternate to full time member due to the resignation of Paula Delano from the Development Review Board. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
C. David Carter made a motion to amend the South Hero traffic ordinance to recognize that the State has changed the speed limits and have installed no passing signs on a section of Route 2. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
D. The following people have agreed to be on the fire/rescue current buildings study committee: Joy Gess, Bob Krebs, Peter Gregg, Alayne Rabow, Joe Frank, Kathy Magill, Ross Brown, Carol Tremble, Gretchen Patterson, Kim Julow and David Carter. Jonathan Shaw made a motion to appoint all of the above volunteers to said study committee. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
E. George Rice made a motion to allow Martha to attend the State municipal workshop on September 15 and to pay the $25.00 registration fee. 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:
-The section from Martin to West Shore Rd. has been paved with a base coat and has temporary lines painted. Final paving and line painting will be done when the base coat is finished on the section from West Shore to Landon Rd. Frank W. Whitcomb Construction was the paving contractor and will repair any defects and in the base coat before the final coating is done. Stephanie O’Rourke questioned why the width of the road was not wider and why the height of the hill was not lower. The entire project was voted on by the Town in 2006, and the road has been made to the specifications in the plans per the Town’s vote.

8. Other Business:
A. David Carter made a motion to sign orders 18-03 and pay the bills associated with this order. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.

9. Announcements and Communications:
A. Island Arts sent a letter of thanks for the $500.00 donation for the fireworks display at Knight Point Park on July 4.

10. Adjournment:
-Anne Zolotas made a motion to adjourn 7:55 pm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.

Respectfully submitted,                                          Approved by,

_______________________________ ________________________________
Graham Brown                                                         Jonathan Shaw, Chair

*************************************************************************************************************

TOWN OF SOUTH HERO

Administrative Officer’s Report to Selectboard August 14, 2017

Discussion Items:
1. Due to the resignations of Terry Delano from the Planning Commission and Paula Delano from the DRB, there are positions open on each Board. Ads were placed in the August 1, 2017 issue of the Islander with an application deadline of August 14. I have received one application for the open position for the Planning Commission for a 3-year term – Bridget Kerr. DRB Alternate Liza Kilcoyne agreed to become a full-time member of the Board. Have received no applications as of today for the open DRB Alternate position.
2. Have received 10 responses for the study committee for the FD building/Rescue building/Town Hall. Volunteers include Joy Gess, Bob Krebs, Peter Gregg, Alayne Rabow, Joe Frank, Kathleen Magill, Ross Brown, Carol Tremble, Gretchen Patterson, Kim Julow, and David Carter (representing the SB). Tentative organizational meeting scheduled for August 29 at the Town Office.
3. The Grand Isle Sheriff’s Department requested an amendment to the Traffic Ordinance to reflect the changes in the speed zone and no-passing zones on US RT 2 in order to be able to enforce the changes to the traffic laws in these specific areas. I have included a draft of the proposed amendment for the Selectboard’s approval. Once it is approved a copy will be forwarded to Sheriff Allen.
4. I would like to attend the Sate Gov’t Municipal Day workshops in Montpelier on Friday, September 15. I am particularly interested in the computer labs in reference to the various ANR mapping data. There is a $25 registration fee.

-Planning Commission: Continued discussion with the SB and DRB re the draft updates to the Development Regulations. Next meeting scheduled for August 23, 2017 at 7PM. Public hearings have not yet been scheduled.

-Development Review Board: The next scheduled hearing will be September 13, 2017 with Camp Ta-Kum-Ta for additional site plan review requested by the DRB as part of the previous Site Plan and Conditional Use approval in March of this year.

Selectboard Minutes
Regular “5th Monday” Meeting of July 31, 2017
South Hero Town Hall, Monday 7:00 PM

Board Members Present: Jonathan Shaw, Skip Brown (also Board Secretary), Anne Zolotas, David Carter (arrived at 7:05pm)
Board Members Not Present: George Rice
Others Present: Martha Taylor-Varney, Admin. Assistant. Also see sign in sheet.

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

2. Adjustment to Agenda:
-Delete: Thanking Paula and Terry Delano since they are not in attendance at this meeting.

3. Public input:
A. none

4. New Business:
A. Greta Brunswick and Taylor Newton of Northwest Regional Planning Commission (NRPC) were present to explain the history and context of why the Planning Commission began drafting the new Development Regulations and the vision for zoning in the Town. NRPC handed out a document detailing this. See it attached to these minutes. They also summarized some of the major amendment changes proposed. These are also attached to the minutes.
-After discussion and questions from some members of the DRB and the public in attendance, it was suggested that more explanation and clarifications are necessary before any public hearings are held.

5. Other Business:
A. David Carter made a motion to raise the pay of the Listers and Board secretary by 2%. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.

6. Announcements and Communications:
A. none

7. Adjournment:
-Skip Brown made a motion to adjourn 8:37 pm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.

Respectfully submitted,                                           Approved by,

_______________________________ ________________________________
Graham Brown                                                          Jonathan Shaw, Chair

SB-NRPC South Hero Village Planning Memo

SB-NRPC Bylaw Amendment Report – June 2017

 

lectboard Minutes
Regular Meeting of July 24, 2017
South Hero Town Hall, Monday 7:00 PM

Board Members Present: Jonathan Shaw, Skip Brown (also Board Secretary), Anne Zolotas, David Carter
Board Members Not Present: George Rice
Others Present: Sharon Roy, Town Clerk and Martha Taylor-Varney, Admin. Assistant. Also see sign in sheet.

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

2. Adjustment to Agenda:
-none

3. Minutes:
– Anne Zolotas made a motion to accept the minutes of the meeting of July10, 2017 as written. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.

4. Public input:
A. none

5. New Business:
A. Animal Control Officer, Everett Dubuque, was present to discuss the “dog ordinance”. This ordinance has been in place since 2002. It was discussed whether it should be updated. Jonathan will ask VLCT if they have a more recent template.
B. Road foreman, John Beaulac, was present to advise the Board that he received 8 applications for the open position on the road crew, and he interviewed the 3 that seemed most qualified. He recommends that Reginald Smith III be hired. David Carter made a motion to have John Beaulac offer the position to Reginald Smith III at a pay rate of $18.50/hour. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried. Should Mr, Smith accept the position, he will be given a copy of the personnel manual and will be informed that the probation period will be 90 days.
C. David Hobbs was present to discuss White’s Beach. Signs indicating that parking is for South Hero residents and their guests were installed near the fence. It appears that this is having the effect of out-of-towners parking across the road in a haphazard manner. Enforcement is an issue since nothing is being done illegally. It was suggested that more signage be installed as one enters the beach area on both ends along West Shore Rd. describing the rules, and that 2 “No parking between signs” be placed on the lake side to the west of the beach so that the fire department have will a place to launch boats in an emergency.
D. David Carter made a motion to approve and sign the contract to purchase the Emergency Services building. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
E. David Carter made a motion to set the FY 2017/2018 residential tax rate at $1.8372 and the non-residential tax rate at $1.8499. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.

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. George “Terry” Delano of the PC and Paula Delano of the DRB have submitted letters of resignation from their respective boards. Martha will place an ad asking for letters of interest to be submitted by August 24.

7. Old and Ongoing Business:
A. South Street reconstruction project from Landon to Martin Roads updates:
-According to the contractor, it appears to be on schedule. The portion from Martin Rd. to West Shore Rd. should be complete by the end of July. When the section from West Shore Rd. to Landon Rd. begins, there will be a detour from either Whipple Rd. to East Shore Rd. or from West Shore Rd. to Lakeview Rd. during the daylight construction time so that the contractor can work on 2 lanes at once. South Street will be open in the evenings and weekends.

8. Other Business:
A. Skip Brown made a motion to sign orders 18-02 and pay the bills associated with this order. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. Skip Brown made a motion to go into executive session to discuss employee compensation at 8:05 pm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried. Executive session ended at 8:25 pm. Upon exiting executive session, it was agreed to set the compensation of the Town Clerk/Treasurer at $50,000/year, Assistant Town Clerk at $18.05/hour, Zoning Administrator at $35,700/year and the Road Crew with at 2% increase, as discussed in executive session.
 9. Announcements and Communications:
A. none

10. Adjournment:
-David Carter made a motion to adjourn 8:25 pm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.

Respectfully submitted,                                          Approved by,

_______________________________ ________________________________
Graham Brown                                                       Jonathan Shaw, Chair

______________________________________________________________________________

TOWN OF SOUTH HERO

Administrative Officer’s Report to Selectboard July 24, 2017

Discussion Items:
1. Fifth Monday in July – DRB and Planning Commission to meet with Selectboard. NRPC would like to attend to explain to the Board the proposed updates to the Development Regulations. Public Hearings with both the Planning Commission and the Selectboard will be scheduled in the weeks to follow. The Planning Commission is hopeful that these meetings will be well attended.
2. Received resignations from Paula Delano from the DRB (effective on or before October 1, 2017) and Terry Delano from the Planning Commission (effective on or before September 14). How does the Selectboard wish to proceed with new appointments?
3. Have so far received 3 responses for the study committee for the FD building/Rescue building/Town Hall. Ad appeared in the July 18 Islander; deadline for letters of interest is August 14.
4. The Zoning Office will be closed August 9th and 10th.

-Planning Commission: Completing revisions to the Development Regulations. The next meeting will be to review the document with the Selectboard and the DRB at the 5th Monday SB meeting. The PC’s August 2 meeting has been cancelled.

-Development Review Board: No scheduled hearings at this time.