Selectboard Minutes
Regular Meeting of Monday January 26, 2026 at 7:00 PM
At South Hero Town Hall and via Zoom
Board Members Present: David Carter/Chairman, Skip Brown/Board Secretary, Steve Robinson, David Lane
Board Members Not Present: Anne Zolotas (Best wishes to Anne who fell and broke her femur and is in the hospital)
Other Town personnel Present: Sue Arguin, TA.
1. Called to Order:
– The meeting was called to order by Chairman David Carter at 7:00 pm.
2. Adjustment to Agenda:
– none
3. Minutes:
-Steve Robinson made a motion to approve the minutes of January 12 and January 20, 2026. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
4. Public input:
A. None
5. New Business:
A. Dean Pierce of NRPC was present via Zoom to discuss the Route 2 scoping study. After the hearing at the January 12 meeting, 4 options as outlined were discussed. See that meeting minutes for details. Dean stated that the contract with the consultant ends February 28, so that in order to fulfill the obligation, an alternative should be decided upon. See attached memo to selectboard re next steps* After discussion of each alternative, David Lane made a motion to consider Alternative 2 for the Route 2/Featherbed Lane scoping study with the understanding that it may be modified to exclude the seasonal bollards and the temporary pedestrian islands. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. Skip Brown made a motion to approve and sign the building permit for the new Town Hall when the permit is ready. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
-David Carter made a motion to waive the permit fee for the new Town Hall. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
6. Town Administrator (TA) and Zoning Administrator (ZA) Reports:
A. See the written report from the ZA attached below with these minutes.
B. Steve Robinson made a motion to Appoint DRB Alternate Sherry Dupont to complete DRB member Mike Welch’s regular 3-year term, finishing on Dec. 31, 2026 and appoint DRB member Mike Welch to complete Sherry’s Alternate term, to end on December 31, 2026. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
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 sign the orders 26-16 and have the Treasurer pay the bills as presented on the orders. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. Town Clerk/Treasurer updates: none at this meeting
C. Recreation Commission (RC) update: https://southherovt.org/rec/ for more info.
D. Road Department update: The road crew plowed during the latest storm
E. Lister Updates: Appraisals are starting up again.
F. Old South Hero Meeting House update: There was a federal grant from the IE-National Park Service, Historic Preservation Fund in the amount of $400,000.00 awarded to the project. Thank you, Vermont Senator Peter Whelch’s office, for the work on securing this grant.
G. Lavin Property update: A planning grant was awarded and more info follow at the next meeting.
H. Town Hall Committee update: See above and https://southherovt.org/town-office-building-committee/
I. Tree Warden Update: none at this meeting
J. Liquor License applications: David Lane made a motion to approve the Class 1 liquor license application for Thai In Town. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
David Lane made a motion to approve the Class 2 liquor license application for Simon’s Island Beverage. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
10. Adjournment:
-Steve Robinson made a motion to adjourn at 7:32 pm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
Respectfully submitted, Approved by,
_______________________________ ________________________________
Graham Brown, Secretary David Carter, Chairman
For a video of the meeting, see: www.lcatv.com