OFFICE OF THE SELECTBOARD
TOWN OF HALIFAX, VERMONT
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES- DRAFT
July 1, 2025
6:00 PM AT THE HALIFAX TOWN OFFICE
CALL TO ORDER
Edee Edwards called the meeting to order at 6:01pm. Other Selectboard members present were Karen Christofferson, Rhonda Ashcraft, Randy Pike and Lori Marchegiani. Members of the public present were Stephan Chait, Stephanie Pike, Nancy McCrea, Emily Dow, Clare Santos (KAS), Tim Jones (GMP), Dawn Kazokas (ASMG), David Jones, Steven Young, Cara Cheyette, Kristin Carlson (GMP), Carol Weston (GMP), Steve Reynolds (Murphy Recycling), Linda Huebner and David Jones.
CHANGES AND ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA
Correspondence: Forlie site visit request
NEW BUSINESS
Bid Opening- Diesel/fuel; sand/gravel/stone
The board opened bids for diesel/fuel and sand, gravel, and stone.
Edwards made a motion to award Cersosimo, who has 4-8” ditch stone and ¾” crushed stone, for the gravel and stone bid. Marchegiani seconded. Motion carried 5-0.
Christofferson made a motion to accept the bid from Mitchell Materials (ASMG) for both ¾” crushed gravel ($31.50) and ¾” winter sand ($27.30). Pike seconded. Motion carried 5-0.
Christofferson sent the bids to four bidders for heating oil and fuel; Nido, Sandri, Dead River and Barrows and Fisher. Dead River Oil was the only bidder for heating oil and fuel.
Edwards made a motion to amend the original motion to include; contingent upon the ability to service town garage boiler. Ashcraft seconded. Motion carried 5-0.
Edwards made a motion to accept the bid from Dead River Company for fuel, oil, and summer/winter diesel fuel; contingent upon the ability to service the boiler. WHO SECONDED. Motion carried 5-0.
GMP Zero Outage Initiative
Progress thus far-
Tim Jones spoke about GMP’s project which began on June 2nd and is 5 weeks in with steady progress.
Unforeseen underground conditions (like ledge) required changes in strategy, including possible shifts to using the utility Right-of-Way and installing overhead lines if needed.
Traffic and Road Conditions:
- Tucker Road closures occurred unexpectedly due to its narrowness.
- Inadequate road signage led to driver confusion; Christofferson suggested better sign placement near intersections of all work zones to prompt alternate routes.
Website Mapping:
- Stephan Chait said the map on the website is unreadable.
- Edwards will update the website wording.
- Kristin Carlson is updating the project map to be accessible including road names and advance notice of closures and road conditions
Tim Jones shared detailed schedules including contractors and equipment types.
Once Deer Park and Tucker Roads are energized, road conditions will improve and projects will be closed out sequentially.
One resident was concerned their septic system would interfere, but GMP confirmed no conflict.
Safety Measures:
- A safety incident with an unprotected contractor presented with a high speed driver on 6/26/25 prompted a “Safety stand down” and a forensic review on 7/1/25 in Westminster.
- GMP will reinforce safer traffic control practices, with better signage and flagger presence.
Stowe Mountain Road:
- Concerns were raised about current road conditions which can affect residents with medical needs.
- The road is being reconstructed while the objective is to have consistent power and accessible roads.
- The composition of the road bed may cause extra mud
- The trenching machine that brings materials may cause loose roads.
- Road conditions will improve once the project is energized
Upcoming projects:
- Future work will extend from Vaughn Road to Amadan Road then continue through Jacksonville Stage Road.
- Jacksonville Stage Road that currently has pavement will be repaved through a grant.
- Future projects include paving the Class 2 Jacksonville Stage Road to the Guilford line.
- GMP can present a project plan and schedule for board approval.
Jacksonville Stage Road plans-
Tim Jones is seeking board approval to begin the Jacksonville Stage Road project within the next few weeks, following completion of McMillian Road. The project involves multiple phases across different sections.
GMP has received approval from the board to proceed with the Jacksonville Stage Road improvements.
Fournier stipulated that whenever GMP conducts underground work on paved roads, it must follow up with full-width paving. Jones will draft an agreement to formalize this.
Edwards suggested adding this stipulation to a Highway Ordinance, either as part of the main document or as an official addendum.
Edwards made a motion to approve the Jacksonville Stage Road by GMP. Marchegini seconded. Motion carried 5-0.
Spring Landfill Monitoring- River, monitoring wells, town garage well water; mowing
Chemical findings:
- PFAS, PFOA, PFC, and other chemicals detected in monitoring wells at the old town landfill.
- The town garage well showed slightly elevated levels compared to last spring, marking a second low-level detection.
- No chemical detections found in the river or stream samples this year— Clare Santos (GMP) confirmed stream PFAS impact is considered unlikely and it is inconsistent with other compounds found elsewhere.
Water safety and testing:
- The Road Crew received bottled water as a precaution.
- A different analysis called the Isotore Dilution Technique, identifies reporting limits and tracks small detections. The cost is similar to the traditional 537 and results may reveal correlations in similarly found compounds.
Regulatory updates:
- Christofferson informed the board of changing standards that are in discussion at both federal and state level.
- Young said new drinking water standards are expected but not yet released; thresholds may soon be lower.
- There are no new adjustments or changes in the landfill monitoring system.
Landfill and Maintenance:
- Steven Young reviewed the landfill cap and submitted PFAS findings to the state.
- The landfill cap requires mowing.
- No changes are currently planned for the landfill monitoring system.
Resident & Board discussions:
- Cara Cheyette questioned the differences between the contamination sources found in the river versus the landfill and town garage.
- Young said there’s no detections in the river. The landfill and town garage findings differ from each other.
- Nancy McCrea suggested to use charcoal filters
- Young informed that Reverse osmosis systems with charcoal filters could reduce PFAS detection, but they’re expensive ($10K+ with maintenance).
- Clare Santos (GMP) said future reports will include historical sampling tied to private well Tag IDs as seen on the Halifax website map.
OTHER BUSINESS
Appointment of Town Auditors, 2nd auditor
David Jones, with a strong financial background and experience supporting various projects, has expressed interest in serving as an auditor. Jones is currently overseeing a program tied to DVFiber, which focuses on recommitting funds for underground infrastructure work. His role is determined not to present a conflict of interest with the auditor position.
Edwards made a motion to appoint David Jones as town auditor until the next election is held. Pike seconded. Motion carried 5-0.
Hatch School Structure Update
Project activities will begin on July 14th, with no changes to the timeline. Christofferson will contact Fitzpatrick regarding road closures, detour details and traffic control process.
The Stream profile is complete and is ready for download. Christofferson will contact Jensen regarding the stream profile comment period, which overlaps with the July 14th start date.
The beaver deceiver was removed.
Moving Town of Halifax sign
On June 27, 2025 Pike and Marchegiani moved the sign with the help of volunteers. The post hole was filled. The salvageable parts of the sign are stored in Marchegiani’s garage. Marchegiani will reach out to Laurel Copeland to see placement locations.
Edwards advised that placement on private property may affect property value and zoning regulations should be reviewed to confirm compliance.
Addition to auditor discussion: A vacancy for an auditor position is now open. The announcement will be posted on Front Porch Forum and the town website.
Acrisure Cap/Point Seminar Update
Pike participated in an online seminar hosted by VLCT, which promoted a group risk sharing alternative funding plan for healthcare. The plan was determined not suitable for the town, as it is designed for organizations with a large employee base and involves self-funding through pooled risk.
Pike reached out to MVP Insurance, considered comparable to Blue Cross Blue Shield. More details will be reviewed and discussed at an upcoming meeting.
ROW Permit Process with multiple parties involved
Rossetti was contacted twice and mistakenly believed the permit had been denied. In fact, the permit discussion remains open. The permit’s completion depends on receiving required easements from affected neighbors. There’s concern it may become stale if this information isn’t provided soon.
A letter is being edited to emphasize that the board is not directly involved in fulfilling permit requirements—those responsibilities lie with GMP and the two neighboring property owners.
Rossetti has reached one, but the second neighbor has not responded.
Without both easements, the board cannot approve the permit.
FCC License Update
Edwards received an email confirming grant authorization related to the town’s FCC license. Further authorization is required to complete the grant process.
The FCC license has been successfully renewed. Planning has begun for installing a new communications tower and additional antenna to enhance connectivity.
HEARING OF VISITORS
David Jones spoke regarding a Right-of-Way (ROW) permit and has been coordinating with DVFiber. DVFiber requires customers to secure new permits and easements from affected neighboring properties for underground work, rather than using existing easements.
Edwards provided Jones with an easement template from attorney Fisher. Jones can modify the template as needed, and it may be reviewed for legal alignment with the neighbors’ specifics.
The project may proceed once easements are approved. Jones will reach out to both affected properties to obtain the necessary documentation.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
No Executive Session was held.
CORRESPONDENCE
Forlie site visit- Forlie requested the board and Mike Fournier to conduct a site visit on Sprague Road. Addressing restoration concerns about property area reduction due to road widening. He presented an additional inquiry about evaluating the possibility of extending the road width to the opposite side. The site visit is scheduled for Monday July, 14th at 7:30am.
Beacon sale acquisition, Jasper, IN- The fee has been paid along with receiving the Certificate of Liability Insurance. Consolidated Communications has also been contacted.
APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES
Pike made a motion to accept the minutes from June 3, 2025 Selectboard regular meeting as amended. Christofferson seconded. Motion carried 5-0.
Edwards made a motion to accept the minutes from June 17, 2025 Selectboard regular meeting as amended. Ashcraft seconded. Motion carried 5-0.
SELECTBOARD ORDER
The Selectboard orders were signed and Edwards read the aggregate amount for orders on July 1, 2025 for an order total of $46,103.59.
ADJOURNMENT
Ashcraft made a motion to adjourn at 10:17pm
Christofferson seconded the motion
Motion passed 5-0
Respectfully submitted,
Emily Dow
Halifax Administrative Assistant
Recording Link:
https://youtu.be/LaP-640T2OQ