OFFICE OF THE SELECTBOARD
TOWN OF HALIFAX, VERMONT
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
November 4, 2025
6:00 PM AT THE HALIFAX TOWN OFFICE
The initial opening of the Selectboard meeting was interrupted by a Zoom Bombing and is unavailable for viewing. Christofferson restarted the meeting, and the hosts disallowed unknown people to join remotely to prevent further interruptions.
CALL TO ORDER
Karen Christofferson called the meeting to order at 6:11 pm. Other Selectboard members present were Edee Edwards (remote), Rhonda Ashcraft, Randy Pike and Lori Marchegiani. Members of the public present were Ben Barnett, Kaitlin Stone, Joseph Brown, Katelyn Brown, Mike Fournier, Nancy McCrea, Mike Fournier, Linda Huebner, Rachel Shields Ebersole, Stephanie Pike and Emily Dow. Jeffrey Glaser joined online a bit later. Names or aliases of people originally admitted or not readmitted as possibly being involved with the Zoom Bombing are George Mitchell, Thomas Jones, “Leah DQWF”, Peter Scully, and Charlie Smith.
CHANGES AND ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA
None.
NEW BUSINESS
SeVEDS SB visit/update
Rachel Shields Ebersole (Program Manager, Grow SoVermont) joined the meeting remotely to share SeVEDS and BDCC updates. The Regional Development Agency does economic development for Windham County and assists businesses and their finances.
Current events:
- Municipal Leaders Network Series meeting to discuss economic development across towns in the region will be held in Wilmington in December.
- Marlboro brunch on November 15- open to the public.
- Ebersole distributed a survey to all selectboard members to fill out.
SeVEDS is asking to be included again in town budgets for $3 per resident. These funds will be used as flexible spending to assist with emerging needs. Based on a population of 725 for FY27, the budget request is $2,175, slightly less than last year.
Recap of special meeting on October 27 regarding Brook Road/Whitneyville triangle
A traffic pattern change is set for the Whitneyville Road and Brook Road intersection after the town attorney did research and confirmed that the northerly “ cutoff” is on private property. The town agreed to stop maintaining and plowing this section, and the property owner intends to block vehicle access. A date for the change is December 1, 2025, to allow for time to Edwards suggested ways to notify the public: town web page; Front Porch Forum. letters to Whitneyville Road residents, and possibly local media. The school bus company has been informed. Edwards asked about issuing a VT Alert.
Ben Barnett expressed concern about potential liability if an accident were to occur due to poor visibility at the intersection. He also asked how long the cutoff has existed and whether the planned closure, currently set for December 1, 2025, could be delayed until spring.
Edwards stated that the turning radius will be assessed and a culvert extension will likely be required at the end of the road. Vehicles unable to turn around easily can use the Old Town Garage as an alternative turnaround. Edwards suggested taller pollinator garden bushes should not be placed along Brook Road if they are part of the line of vision problem. Liability in the event of an accident lies with the driver. The town plans to notify people about the traffic change, and drivers are urged to proceed with caution.
– Christofferson said our discussions with the town attorney did not show this as a case of “dedication and acceptance.” The cutoff has been in place for many years, but the issue has been under discussion with this board for multiple months (per Marchegiani), with increased attention in recent months. As reconfirmed via Pike, during a site visit two weeks prior, the rights-of-way were measured to determine the property line according to the deed. Christofferson said that people are causing a safety hazard now by misusing the cutoff.
– Barnett asserted that someone will get hit there this winter.
– Linda Huebner, who has owned her home for 23 years, again voiced concern about liability tied to the cutoff located on her property. She spoke with Attorney Fisher 23 years ago, and revealed that her lender had advised against allowing a road on the land due to legal risks. Her worries grew following an accident this past summer, and she stressed that she does not want to be held responsible, particularly since the road has been confirmed as private property.
(n.b. further discussion was held under Hearing of Visitors and Correspondence.)
Recap/Follow up on October 22 Emergency Response Training Session
The Town of Halifax, represented by Selectboard members, Paul Blais (EMD) and Mike Fournier, participated in a statewide emergency response exercise simulating a 4 foot snow and ice storm. The team showed strong awareness of the community, though communication was identified as an area for improvement. Marchegiani noted initial confusion getting started, which became more organized as the exercise progressed. Pike added that the role-playing format made it difficult to fully immerse ourselves as if it were a real emergency.
Edwards highlighted the significance of the State “CARES” program, which helps identify and support at-risk residents during emergencies. She noted that several individuals in Halifax qualify for inclusion and should be added to the list to ensure their safety. To assist with updates, she wondered about connecting with the fire department to encourage more people to sign up.
OLD BUSINESS
GMP Zero Outage Initiative- Close out report
GMP has been actively working on the Zero Outage Initiative over the last two years and more so recently including work on Jacksonville Stage Road and McMillan Road. All excavation work is complete, and GMP has received an extension until November 15 to finish overhead tasks. Mike Fournier toured the project sites with GMP and received the closeout report, which Christofferson will finalize and distribute. GMP’s lease at the town garage runs through January, so their trucks will remain in the area. In the spring, GMP plans to add four inches of gravel to the roads where work was performed.
Intro to Highway Department Health insurance
The Town of Halifax has historically used Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) for insurance coverage, but for 2026, MVP has emerged as the more cost-effective option. The BCBS Platinum Plan is priced at $195,347.04, while the MVP plan is lower at $168,563.88. Both plans offer similar coverage levels, though further discussion is scheduled for the first budget meeting on November 14. Fournier noted that MVP does not provide out-of-state coverage, and Christofferson will conduct additional research to clarify the implications.
HEARING OF VISITORS
Joseph Brown proposed closing the Whitneyville Road cutoff on May 1st to allow time to improve visibility at the intersection. Fournier suggested delaying the closure until June 1st. Christofferson redirected the conversation to Huebner, who asked if the culvert could be installed immediately since the ground wasn’t frozen. Fournier replied that the road crew was focused on winter preparations for other roads. Pike added that digging this close to winter would prevent proper soil compaction. Fournier noted the culvert expansion would take about a week.
Huebner stated that when she purchased the property, she proposed to Attorney Fisher a change to the property line and offered to donate the land to the town in exchange for a parcel survey. He declined the offer at the time. She said if the selectboard wants to approach him with that same offer, possibly they could revisit it if interested, but she is concerned about timing and her ability to sell the property and that asking her to wait another 6 months is not reasonable.
In response to a question about accepting the offer to revisit the town taking ownership of the land,Edwards said she is not in favor of that. She noted the issue has been discussed for a long time. She feels property owners should be free to manage their land within agreed regulations. The town has discussed this repeatedly. The land has now been confirmed as private property. In response to Fournier’s concern about speeding, Christofferson offered to contact state police to explore options for the town.
The Whitneyville Road intersection is slated for revision next year. In the interim, Marchegiani suggested placing caution signs to warn drivers of the turn. Fournier proposed using the cutoff road and closing the current section to create a safer 90-degree intersection. Edwards raised concerns about liability if the cutoff road were misused and instead supported improving the existing intersection with better visibility and signage. Huebner had previously offered to give the triangle portion of land to her neighbor, which would allow the cutoff to become the main road, if the town incurred the legal fees and a parcel survey, but that earlier offer offer (when Brad Rafus was road commissioner) also was declined.Jeffrey Glaser asked for an update on Wheeler Road by which the board responded that no decisions have been made and he can reach out to Patty Dow for communication once it’s been decided.
CORRESPONDENCE
Local Food Banks- Donation Information: Organizations are looking for food bank donations and the flyers will be posted on the website and in town.
- The Deerfield Valley Food Pantry will have the Moover parked at Shaw’s on November 22 from 10am to 4pm.
- The Halifax Cafe is accepting donations for the Halifax Food Bank,
- The Healing Arts Institute is looking for donations for Thanksgiving dinners for families.
- Deerfield Valley Lions Club also works with food insecurities
Patty Dow forwarded an email to the board regarding the Opioid Settlement Funds as it seems deadlines were extended. However, this was previously discussed and the board decided to take no action.
The board signed a contract for road salt from Eastern Salt at $98.25 per ton. Later, the state issued contracts for $99.75.
Pete Silverberg submitted a Driveway Permit application for a new driveway entrance that included a culvert. After visiting the site, Fournier approved the permanent driveway with the condition that a 15-inch culvert be installed. The board subsequently approved the permit. Edwards provided context, noting that Silverberg had previously submitted a driveway permit application that was left incomplete due to uncertainty about the appropriate location for the driveway in relation to nearby wetlands.
Edwards again brought up the importance of providing advance notice regarding the closure of the Whitneyville Road cutoff, scheduled for December 1st. Christofferson acknowledged that the board is aware of the ongoing efforts and reiterated that the land has been classified as private property. The matter will be revisited in the spring, with further discussion focused on how the road should be designed moving forward.
In response to a concern by Pike that the board had not officially voted on a course of action at the previous site visit meeting, Edwards made a motion that the town no longer maintain the cutoff at 55 Whitneyville road and we will communicate as of December 1st that it is no longer town property. Christofferson seconded. Motion carried 4-0-1 with Marchegiani abstaining since she felt she shouldn’t vote, having not been at the site visit meeting.
APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES
October 14, 2025 Selectboard Special Meeting Minutes
Edwards made a motion to accept the October 14, 2025 Selectboard Meeting Minutes as amended. Ashcraft seconded. Motion carried 5-0.
October 21, 2025 Selectboard Regular Meeting Minutes
Christofferson made a motion to accept the October 21, 2025 Selectboard Meeting Minutes as amended. Marchegiani seconded. Motion carried 4-0. Edwards left the meeting.
October 27, 2025 Selectboard Special Meeting Minutes
Pike made a motion to accept the October 27, 2025 Selectboard Meeting Minutes as amended. Ashcraft seconded. Motion carried 3-0-1 Marchegiani abstention.
SELECTBOARD ORDER
The Selectboard orders were signed and Christofferson read the aggregate amount for orders on November 4, 2025 for an order total of $22,443.54. Christofferson noted that $16,345.09 is related to overpayment of property taxes.
ADJOURNMENT
Ashcraft made a motion to adjourn at 8:41pm. Marchegiani seconded. Motion passed 5-0
Respectfully submitted,
Emily Dow
Halifax Administrative Assistant
Recording Link: https://youtu.be/ryqTpZipBPQ
