Selectboard Minutes
Regular Meeting of Monday January 24, 2022 at 6:00 PM
At South Hero Town Hall and via Zoom
Board Members Present: David Carter/Chairman, Skip Brown/Board Secretary, Ross Brown/Vice Chairman,
Chuck Hulse, Anne Zolotas (arrived at 6:05pm)
Board Members Not Present: none
Others Present: Kim Julow, Town Clerk/Treasurer, Martha Taylor-Varney, ZA. Also see sign in sheet of in person and active Zoom participants. Attendance SB 01-24-2022
1. Called to Order:
-The meeting was called to order by Chairman Carter at 6:02 pm
2. Adjustment to Agenda:
-none
3. Minutes:
-Chuck Hulse made a motion to acknowledge the minutes of the meeting of January 10, 2022. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
4. Public input:
A. none
5. New Business:
A. Sean Kio of Northwest Fiberworx was present to discuss the Northwest Vermont Communications District initiative to install fiber optic broadband to the region. Fiberworx is a public/private partnership and it plans to install an open access network whereby providers can retail broadband to consumers with anticipated minimum speeds of 100 mps. There is no cost to the Town to join the District. Rich Goggin has agreed to be the initial representative. Ross Brown made a motion to approve and sign the document titled: “A Resolution Approving the Formation of the Northwest Vermont Communications Union District and Appointing a Representative to the Legislative Body Thereof”. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
6. Administrative Assistant Report:
A. See the written report filed with these minutes (Below on the website or in Town Hall).
B. Doug Patterson has submitted a letter of resignation from the Planning Commission (PC). His term would have been up in June 2022, but since the PC has begun work on the next Town Plan, he feels that a new member would have a better knowledge of the procedure if they started a term at the beginning of the process. An ad will be placed to look for a new member. He will continue on the DRB. The Board would like to thank Doug for his time serving the Town on the PC.
C. -Skip Brown made a motion to adopt the section Article III, Section 301 E.2. Local Exemptions to the Development Regulations regarding access structures (i.e. wheelchair ramps, low stairs, etc.). The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried. ACCESSIBILITY STRUCTURE EXEMPTION
-Ross Brown made a motion to amend section 703 regarding Fences as presented by the PC. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried. Fences-Final #2 (1)
7. Old and Ongoing Business:
A. The FY 2022/2023 budget was reviewed and will be printed in the Town Report.
B. The final draft of the Articles was reviewed.
C. -Ross Brown made a motion to approve and sign the warning for the articles to be voted on by Australian ballot at Town Meeting on March 1, 2022. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried. -Skip Brown made a motion to approve and sign the warning for agenda the Town Informational meeting that will be held via Zoom at 6:00 pm on February 28, 2022 as part of the Selectboard meeting. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried. See attached. 2022 SH Town Warnings
8. Announcements and Communications:
A. See other business
9. Other Business:
A. Skip Brown made a motion to approve and sign orders 22-15 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: See article and budget discussions above.
C. Recreation Commission (RC) update: The RC would like to purchase a shed to store recreation items. There is money in the budget and the RC will coordinate with Folsom to find a suitable location. Beach stickers will go on sale in April. It is anticipated that 2 beach stickers will be available per South Hero at a cost of $5.00 each and that 65 out of town stickers will be available by lottery at a cost of $45.00 each.
D. Road Department update: The possible purchase of land behind Town Garage for sand/salt storage and future salt shed is progressing pending more info about possible wetlands. The Road Dept. will look into the purchase of a road sweeping brush to go on the loader.
E. Old South Hero Meeting House (OSHMH): The $100,000.00 Paul Brun grant from the Preservation Trust has been awarded for the stabilization work to the Building.
F. ARPA fund updates: The ARPA committee is working on parameters on what uses are allowed for the money.
G. Chuck Hulse made a motion to extend the existing mask policy for another 30 days. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
10. Adjournment:
-Chuck Hulse 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 David Carter, Chairman
Administrative Officer’s Report to Selectboard January 24, 2022
Discussion Items:
- Fair Housing Training will be held on January 25, 2022 from 2 to 3:30 PM, via GoToMeeting. Ross Brown agreed to represent the Town for this training.
- I’ve received the laboratory report of an analysis of the November 18 testing at the Town landfill from Endyne Environmental Laboratories, and a letter from VH summarizing the results. I’d like to ask Selectboard member Chuck Hulse to review the report and provide an analysis for the Board.
- I will be meeting on Tuesday morning with Babette Lizotte of the VT Procurement Technical Assistance Center to renew the Town’s Systems for award Management (SAM) registration.
Planning Commission:
- The Planning Commission will be meeting with Greta Brunswick at their Feb. 2nd and 16th meetings to continue planning for the 2023 Town Plan. The Commission encourages community members to participate. So far, Bob Fireovid and Kathy McGill have volunteered to participate.
- South Hero’s Village Center Designation is up for renewal in 2022. NRPC will be assisting the Planning Commission in preparing the renewal application for the Selectboard to approve. (note** — this is different from the Village Zoning District boundaries).
- PC Chair Doug Patterson has submitted his resignation from the Planning Commission. His current term ends in June 2022, but he has chosen to resign early to allow a new member to come on board at the beginning of the work on the 2023 Town Plan. The Planning Commission wishes to thank Doug for his years of service to the Town. He will remain a member of the Development Review Board. Martha Taylor-Varney will submit an ad for a new Planning Commission member in the Islander and on the Town website.
Development Review Board:
- The DRB has 2 hearings scheduled for their January 26, 2022 meeting – Preliminary/Final Subdivision plat review f or a 9-lot subdivision at 129 Ferry Rd.; a conditional use/site plan review for an accessory use (special events venue) at 493 US RT 2 in Keeler Bay Village.
Recent DRB hearing decisions are posted on the Board outside the ZA’s office or can be emailed upon request. The ZA is coordinating with Skip Brown to put 2023 decisions on the Zoning webpage of the Town website.
Respectfully submitted,
Martha Taylor-Varney (ZA and Selectboard Asst.)