OFFICE OF THE SELECTBOARD
Town of Halifax, Vermont
SELECTBOARD REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
June 3, 2014
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm. Selectboard members in attendance were Edee Edwards, Lewis Sumner, and Earl Holtz. Also present were Robbin Gabriel, Margo Avakian, Arthur (Jesse) Furland, Ray Combs, Marilyn Allen, Rick Gay, Art Copeland, Lynda Copeland, Susan Kelly, Janet Taylor, Nicholas Bartenhagen, and John LaFlamme.
New Business
Approval of Minutes
Holtz made a motion to approve the 5/20/14 regular meeting minutes as written. Sumner seconded the motion, which passed 3-0.
Sumner made a motion to approve the 5/27/14 special meeting minutes as written. Holtz seconded the motion, which passed 3-0.
Holtz made a motion to approve the 5/28/14 emergency meeting minutes as written. Edwards seconded the motion, which passed 2-0-1, with Sumner abstaining.
Edwards made a motion to approve the 5/28/14 regular meeting minutes with three minor corrections. Holtz seconded the motion, which passed 3-0.
Holtz made a motion to approve the 5/29/14 special meeting minutes as written. Edwards seconded the motion, which passed 2-0-1, with Sumner abstaining.
Sumner made a motion to approve the 5/30/14 special meeting minutes with one addition. Holtz seconded the motion, which passed 2-0-1, with Edwards abstaining.
New Business
Opening Bids for Town Office Roof Replacement
The Board received two bids on the roof replacement project. Eric Slade Roofing, of Guilford, submitted a proposal for $33,700.00, and Kandu Construction, LLC, of West Halifax, submitted a proposal for $16,800.00. Edwards will do a comparison of the two submissions and the item will be addressed at the 6/4/14 meeting.
Personnel Policy
The Board decided to add the Personnel Policy training session to the regular meeting agenda on Monday, June 9. For efficiency, that meeting will be held at the town garage rather than the town office. Holtz made a motion to adopt the Personnel Policy, with discussion with the road crew on June 9th and implementation on June 17th. Edwards seconded the motion, which passed 3-0.
Co-EMD Position
Sumner made a motion to post the open Co-EMD position. Edwards seconded the motion, which passed 3-0. The board will explore the costs of different forms of advertising. Edwards will email Ross Barnett to learn the whereabouts of the second pager and assure it is active during the interim period before the position is filled. LaFlamme mentioned that he had not yet received budget specifics for the upcoming fiscal year from the state.
Job Description for Town Administrative Assistant
The Board agreed to create individual drafts outlining items to be included in the town administrative assistant job description and share the results at a 6:30 pm meeting on June 12th in advance of advertising the position.
Hearing of Visitors
School Roof
Art Copeland told the meeting he had hired Kandu Construction for roof shingling work on his house and was pleased with the results. Lynda Copeland mentioned the firm had done extensive work on the Addis house and suggested the Board might ask Dr. Addis for particulars. Sumner said he’d known Dave Heileman for years and was familiar with his good quality work.
Green River Road
Ray Combs questioned the condition of last years’s paving job, and Sumner said the work will be redone this summer under the one-year warranty, with repaving starting in June.
Old Business
Traffic Study for Quarry Project Proposal
Edwards told the meeting Matt Mann has suggested the Board should first speak to the Environmental Commission, as—if the Commission determined a study was warranted—the cost might be borne by the applicant rather than the town. Holtz will call April Hensel to discuss. Susan Kelly asked what specific issues might be addressed in that conversation. Holtz mentioned potential damage to the road, and who would pay for a study, while Edwards listed dust, noise, impact on culverts, road width, lack of guardrails, and assuring the road was not used by the quarry operation during mud season. Combs asked whether the road the quarry lease holders proposed to use was a trail. Holtz said the first section coming out of the quarry is a trail; from there they would use Stage Road, to Amidon, to Stark Mountain Road. Edwards said the unnamed portion of TH52 carries a Class 4 designation, which raises questions about the town’s responsibility for maintenance, although VLCT suggests towns do not have that responsibility and should consider developing a clear town policy on the subject.
Lynda Copeland expressed concerns that a small, unnamed stream running through the property might be diverted or choked. Sumner thought culverts were already be in place, as logging operations have used the trail for many years. Marilyn Allen noted that Vermont is very thorough in placing requirements on Act 250 applicants but wondered who checked to assure rules were followed. Sumner said yearly inspections were done by an outside engineer who reports back to the state by a set date. Holtz added that Denison would also be doing monthly inspections.
Janet Taylor mentioned that Exhibit 12—a stream alteration permit—is missing from the application binder. Abutters were supposed to receive notice of this permit but have not so far. Holtz said the item was one of the five additional pieces requested and possibly not yet received by the state. He suggested calling the District Coordinator to verify.
Nick Bartenhagen noted that a portion of the permit application—identified by Janet Taylor as Exhibit 18—states the quarry operators will decide what trucks and equipment they will use after permits have been approved.
Update on Old County North Bridge #37
Holtz reported on the May 30th pre-construction meeting, during which Holden and Latulippe gave the Board a contact list and a construction schedule. Work will commence June 16th, the road will be shut down on the June 30th and reopened July 31th, with a projected project completion date of August 15th. Two of the four I-beams will be used to support the temporary foot bridge and thereafter all four I-beams will be delivered to the town garage.
Correspondence
Correspondence was reviewed and filed.
Selectboard’s Order to Town Treasurer for Bill Payment
The order for bill payment was reviewed and signed.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 8:57 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Robbin Gabriel
Selectboard Secretary