Town of Halifax, Vermont
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
September 23, 2013
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 8:07am at the town office. Board members in attendance were Edee Edwards, Earl Holtz, and Lewis Sumner. Others in attendance were Jessica Bruno, Brad Rafus, John LaFlamme via conference call, and Frank Maltese.
Road Commissioner’s Orders
The road commissioner’s orders were reviewed and signed.
Other Business
The Selectboard signed the formatted document for the municipal planning grant resolution that was approved at the last meeting. It was noted that they will need to reserve money for it in the next budget process. The Planning Commission is in the process of figuring out the expectations for the grant.
A driveway permit was reviewed and signed.
Edwards reminded the Selectboard that there is a meeting on 9/24 to discuss health insurance. A form needs to be prepared for employees for distribution by October 1st. It was noted that updates will need to be made to the personnel policy.
Hearing of Visitors
LaFlamme informed the Selectboard that Keene Mutual Aid took over the work on the repeater that R&R was supposed to complete. They tested the area and the radio is only putting out 10W of power (the system is a 50W system). He noted that a 100W system would solve the problem of the areas the repeater is currently not reaching. It was noted that the garage that the unit is housed in was hit by lightning last week and they are hoping the damage will be covered by warranty. The cost to repair/upgrade and purchase an amplifier and parts for a 100W system is $2982.59 (there is about $4k left of the grant). The grant expires 9/30 so LaFlamme will try and get an invoice for approval by 9/24 so that Dow can prepare a check and the paperwork can be submitted for the grant reimbursement by 9/30. Any additional repairs as a result of the lightning strike are not included in that cost.
Edwards read aloud a note from Charlene Martynowski in response to the last Selectboard meeting discussion about the Planning/Zoning Board vacancies. A copy can be found attached.
Rafus noted that it would be useful for the tree warden to attend an upcoming road and trees course.
Rafus noted that the 2004 truck #1 needs body work as the front bunk is rotted. They are going to try and fix it in house.
Rafus noted the new truck is expected the 3rd week of October. The Selectboard discussed adding penalty clauses to purchasing agreements. They also discussed adding language to future bids so that only principals can bid on jobs. Rafus noted that he received over 10 calls from the same company (that appeared to be data companies).
Maltese requested that road signs near the school be fixed and/or replaced. He believes that many are faded and falling over and should be fixed. Rafus will address the issue.
The Selectboard had a very brief discussion about the guardrails and will put the topic on the next agenda.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 9:01am.
Respectfully submitted,
Jessica Bruno
Selectboard Secretary