Selectboard Minutes
Regular Meeting of September 9, 2019
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: Sharon Roy
Others Present: Janet Yates, Town Clerk and Martha Taylor Varney, ZA and Admin. Assistant. Also see sign in sheet.
1. Called to Order:
-The meeting was called by Chairman Shaw at 7:00 pm
2. Adjustment to Agenda:
– Add Executive Session for personnel matters to the end of the meeting
3. Minutes:
-Anne Zolotas made a motion to accept the minutes of the meeting of August 26, 2019 as written. The motion was seconded, David Carter abstained, the others in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
4. Public input:
A. Stacey Gregorek from Jolley (next door) asked if they could use the parking and grass area (noting that part of the grass area is owned by Lawrence farm and also gave permission) adjacent to the station for a Kids Day Carnival. David Carter made a motion to allow Jolley to use the parking at Town Hall as well as the Town owned grass area on Sept. 21, 2019 from 1-5 pm for a Kids Day Carnival. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. Robert Monette of Green Mountain Athletic Association (GMAA) was present to discuss the Green Mountain Marathon, noting that it will be run the same as previous years and all protocols will be followed as in the past. David Carter made a motion to allow GMAA to use the Folsom Parking lot for the Green Mountain Marathon and to close a portion of South Street at the beginning of the race on Sunday, October 13, 2019. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
5. New Business:
A. David Carter made a motion to approve and sign the grant application as prepared by Cathedral Square for a possible water and wastewater upgrade to a potential project. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
6. Administrative Assistant Report:
A. See the report on www.southherovt.org or filed with these minutes.
7. Old and Ongoing Business:
A. The Grand Isle County Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) working group has received a grant for public education of the pest. An informational meeting will be held in each Town of the County. More info on a date for the South Hero meeting will be discussed at a future meeting. Also regarding EAB:
-David Carter attended a meeting and got some clarification on the trees in the Town Right of Way (ROW). The wood should not be transported far from an infestation. The Town will remove the cut wood to a specified location, unless it is wanted by the landowner and will be kept on that land.
-Anne Zolotas noted that an arborist has looked at the 2 ash trees in front of the museum. The arborist suggests that the east tree be treated and saved, but that the west tree is not in great shape and should be removed. He will treat the east tree at no charge to the Town.
B. Herman Fossi, head of South Hero Rescue (SHR) discussed the draft proposal suggesting that a Vermont Certified EMTB be hired to cover the hours of 7:45-5:15 Monday-Friday that was submitted at the last meeting. This is due to the problem of not enough volunteers to have adequate coverage for this time period. SHR is currently operating on a 6 month provisional license. More information will be forthcoming at the next meeting, as a representative from the district is planning to attend and will explain some other possible options.
8. Announcements and Communications:
A. The CHAMP horse trail ride will be on September 14, 2019.
B. Volunteers are needed for South Hero Rescue. No experience is necessary and training will be provided.
9. Other Business:
A. David Carter made a motion to sign orders 20-05 and to pay the bills associated with the orders. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
B. David Carter is working on agreement between the Town and the Library. A final draft will be submitted at a future meeting.
C. Zoning changes may lower the percentage of FEMA a Town match in the event of a disaster. The Town has already made some changes and more info will follow.
D. David Carter summarized the results of the Old White Meeting House (OWMH) survey. About 150 responses were received, which appears to be a good percentage. The results may be seen on the Town website, www.southherovt.org. The OWMH committee will have a meeting on Sept. 17 and will prepare a draft of suggestions to present to the Selectboard.
E. Anne Zolotas made a motion to go into executive session for personnel matters at 8:08 pm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried. Executive session ended at 8:18. Upon exiting executive session, David Carter made a motion to authorize Jonathan Shaw to negotiate with Road Crew employees. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
10. Adjournment:
-Skip Brown made a motion to adjourn 8:22pm. The motion was seconded, all in attendance so voted and the motion carried.
Respectfully submitted, Approved by,
_______________________________ ________________________________
Graham Brown Jonathan Shaw, Chairman
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Administrative Officer’s Report to Selectboard September 9, 2019
Discussion Items:
- VHB sent results of the wells that were tested for PFAS in August. 4 wells and the pond to the immediate north of the landfill show no PFAS detected. 2 wells within the testing radius have not yet been tested. Both are on the periphery of the test area and other wells in the area that were tested show no contamination. VHB notified the State Solid Waste Management Program to notify them of the results. The remaining wells are the Hoar home at 145 US RT 2 (they also own the pond) and the Schonenberger property at 31 John Stark Rd. The Shoenbergers live inn Utah and have not responded to the letter sent to the homeowners. VHB has not yet coordinated their schedule with the Hoars to meet with them to test the well.
- The Sign Ordinance becomes effective on Saturday, September 21st.September 5th was the deadline for any petition against the Selectboard’s approval of the Sign Ordinance.
- Northwest Regional Planning Commission is preparing an application for a 2020 Municipal Planning Grant for the Town of South Hero. This grant would pay for a feasibility study for water and/or wastewater infrastructure for South Hero. The Planning Commission recommended a scope to cover water and wastewater for the entire town, and the SB concurred. At a May 1, 2019 meeting with the Selectboard, Planning Commission, and DRB, NRPC estimated a cost of $50-70,000 for a study. Since then, estimates for a feasibility study for the entire Town have risen to $200,000 to $250,000. Rather than scale back the scope of the study to include only the 2 villages, the PC has asked NRPC to include in the grant application the entire town for both wastewater and municipal water, for the original estimate of $70,000. If this is turned down, the Commission will consider other options next year.
-Planning Commission: The Planning Commission is scheduling their public hearing for the final draft of the updated Development Regulations for Wednesday, Oct 2, 2019 at 7PM. Should this hearing not result in substantial changes to the document, a Selectboard public hearing can be scheduled.
-Development Review Board:
– The hearings scheduled this Wednesday (9/11) is a 2-lot subdivision on Whipple Rd. The August 28th Conditional Use and Site Plan review for RL Vallee to build a Maplefields at McKee’s was recessed to November 13. The continuation of the Keller Bay Marina CU/SP will be on September 25, with a site visit scheduled for the previous Saturday, 9/21.
Respectfully submitted,
Martha Taylor-Varney, Zoning Administrator and Assistant to the Selectboard