Selectboard Minutes
Regular Meeting of January 23, 2017
South Hero Town Hall, Monday 7:00 PM
Board Members Present Jonathan Shaw, Skip Brown (also Board Secretary), Anne Zolotas, Carol Tremble., 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.
2. Adjustment to Agenda:
-Slight change to order of the meeting
3. Minutes:
– Anne Zolotas made a motion to accept the minutes of the meeting of January 9, 2017 as written. The motion was seconded, George Rice abstained, the others in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
5. Public input:
A. Peter Gregg mentioned that there is a buildup of garbage and other items in the ditch on Landon Road, near Route 2, that he saw while walking. This debris may not be visible from cars. Martha will get in touch with NWSWD.
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. James Baker resigned from the DRB. Martha will place an ad to ask for letters of interest to be submitted by Feb. 9 and the Selectboard will review those letters on the Feb. 13 meeting.
7. New Business:
A. Catherine Dimitruk of Northwest Regional Planning (NRPC) was present to discuss Act 64 water quality standards and how it will affect the Town. For South Hero, the major impact will be the Municipal Roads General Permit requirements. To summarize, the Town will have to implement practices to reduce erosion and storm water discharged from roads and drainage systems. 31% of the roads in South Hero are hydrologically connected within 100′ of a waterway. This permit needs to be obtained by 2018 and there are fees involved: $640.00 initiation fee and then $2000.00/year. There is a State grant for $8000.00 to begin the inventory process and to assess roads that will need a plan. It is strongly suggested that we apply for this grant.
8. Old and Ongoing Business:
A. South Street reconstruction project from Landon to Martin Roads updates: There is a pre-bid meeting at Town Hall on January 25 for interested contractors. It will also be run by CLD, the design engineers.
9. Other Business:
A. Anne Zolotas made a motion to sign orders 17-16 and pay the bills associated with this order. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. The final draft of the general town budget presented. The condition and age of the Town computers and operating systems was discussed and whether there is enough money in the budget for future upgrades. This can be done with an article or as a line item. George Rice made a motion to increase the budget line for Town office computers and operating systems from $5000.00 to $15,000.00. The motion was seconded, Anne Zolotas and Skip Brown voted no, the others so voted and the motion carried. The budget for the Town audit was discussed. George Rice motion to increase the budget line for an audit from $8000.00 to &$12,000.00. The motion was seconded, Anne Zolotas and Jonathan Shaw voted no, the others so voted and the motion carried.
C. Carol Tremble made a motion to approve the General Town Account Statement of Receipts and Disbursements as changed in “B” above. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted, and the motion carried.
D. Anne Zolotas made a motion to have the Board sign the Annual Town Meeting Official Warning with changes to the totals due to “B” above and the language in Article 6 corrected. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted, and the motion carried.
E. Skip Brown made a motion to have the Chairman sign a bill for reimbursement with supporting documents to VTrans for the South Street project in the amount of $25,769.36, of which 80% are to be reimbursed. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted, and the motion carried.
10. Adjournment:
-Carol Tremble made a motion to adjourn 9:10 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 January 23, 2017
Discussion Items:
1. Park and Ride: Shield on light has been installed. The report given to SB members re the final costs has been amended. Labor costs now reflect all benefits; an additional charge for grass seed has been added. SB members given copy of amended report. Grant was for $15,635.00; final cost to the Town was $13590.47. The State has asked the Planning Commission to spend all the remaining funds before March 3, 2017 rather than return the balance to the State. Ideas include:
a. Bicycle rack and shelter at the Park and Ride site
b. Landscaping contract for spring installation
c. Sponsoring a number of panels at the VEC Community Solar project in Alburgh to pay for or offset the monthly cost of the light.
2. South Street –
• Bids posted prior to the January 11 deadline on the Town website, vtbidsystem.com, and Works in Progress.
• Pre-bid meeting scheduled for 1/25/17 at Town Office at 1PM. This meeting will be conducted by Ande DeForge of VTrans.
• Bid opening scheduled 2/9/17 at Town Office – 2PM (changed from 2/10). Ande explained that the bid opening will only identify the apparent low bidder. The bids will need to be analyzed and a low bidder validated. This will take a few days. At that time the select board can meet and vote to accept the bids. It would be up to the town if the next selectboard meeting was appropriate or a special meeting called.
3. DRB Alternate resigned. Shall SB appoint the Applicant who submitted her name during the initial advertising period or begin the process again by placing an ad for a new alternate?
Planning Commission: Continuing to meet with NRPC for Development Regulations updates.
Development Review Board: Had a training scheduled for January 11, 2017 with NRPC at 7PM. DRB and PC members from Grand Isle and North Hero were invited, as have Planning Commission members from South Hero. Total attendance was 20. Organizational meeting to approve procedures and elect Chair/Clerk/etc on January 25 @7PM. No hearings scheduled at this time.
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Addendum to the Administrative Officer’s report to the Selectboard – January 23, 2017
*Updated 2010 Municipal Park and Ride Grant Program Final Report
South Hero Planning Commission
January 18, 2017
1. October 12, 2009: Original grant awarded for $15,635.00 (Contract #MP0045).
2. 50% of grant total received March 29, 2010 — $7817.50
3. Originally given 36 months from March 3, 2010 to complete.
4. Amendment #1 gave a 2-year extension to March 3, 2015.
5. Amendment #2 gave an additional 2-year extension to March 3, 2017.
6. Work completed by South Hero Road Foreman and Crew from October 24 to November 9, 2016; Sign installation completed in early December, 2016.
7. Final cost $2044.53 less than full grant amount.
Expenses
Sand and Gravel: $2588.32
Paving of Ent/Exit: $5600.00
Oliver Seed: $ 91.95
Signs: $ 432.40
Labor: $4877.80*
$13590.47
Grant Amount $15,635.00
Total Expenses $13,590.47
Grant amount remaining $2044.53
*Labor charges include Fringe Benefit Analysis