August 6, 2024 Halifax Selectboard Regular Meeting Minutes

OFFICE OF THE SELECTBOARD

TOWN OF HALIFAX, VERMONT

REGULAR MEETING MINUTES

August 6, 2024

6:00 PM AT THE HALIFAX TOWN OFFICE

 

CALL TO ORDER

The meeting of the Selectboard was called to order by Edee Edwards at 6:00. Selectboard Members present were Rhonda Ashcraft, Edee Edwards and Tristan Roberts (remote). Others present in person or remotely were Stephan Chait, David Jones, Dennis LeFebvre, Emily Carris Duncan, Stephanie Pike, Randy Pike, Nancy McCrea, Diana Conway. Joining at various points along the way were Hope Phelan (and child!), Mary Eggert, Merle Eggert and Mary Brewster.

CHANGES AND ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA–none

NEW BUSINESS

  • Bid Opening – Town Garage Roof (which has been leaking for years, bids were for double roof)
  • Bids received: Drews Affordable Steel Roofing / Shingle Pro from Tilton NH. (Dennis Rector)
    • $77,300 for Irib metal, 10 yr labor warranty
    • $89,725 Standing Seam, 10 yr labor warranty
  • Walker Industries, Inc., Brattleboro VT
    • $147,316 Standing Seam, construction details & warranty (material)
    • $82,458 for Duro-Last (rubber) Roofing with construction details & warranty (material)
  • Rescinding a driveway permit. David Jones had sent material to discuss a driveway permit that the town issued. Our town attorney is on vacation and Edwards asked to postpone discussion to a later date. Jones and LeFebvre were asking for rescinding permit and for processes undertaken by the town to be improved. Phelan joined at this point. A general agreement from all parties is that no further action on the property will occur until a subsequent discussion can be scheduled.

 

  • Issue RFP for VTRANS structures grant. We have a structures grant to be used on Hatch School Road near the beaver deceiver. Edwards made a motion to ask Karen Christofferson to issue an RFP for the VTRANS. Seconded by Ashcraft. Motion carried 3-0.

 

  • Windham County Sheriff’s 8.45 extra hours spent in last fiscal year. Standard procedure would be to deduct that time from current fiscal year’s total as opposed to having them send a bill. There was agreement to follow the standard procedure.

 

  • Ditch work safety concerns were brought by a resident pertaining to Jacksonville Stage Road—Ashcraft had not been able to review this and the citizen is not present. We will add this to the next agenda.

 

  • Repay budget deficit short-term loans. Patty Dow had sent a letter very recently to the Selectboard saying tax revenues were coming in and that we could repay the Scott Fund at will. Edwards has questions about the specifics, and with a small board contingent tonight and without the Finance committee members, the board agreed to hold this topic for the next meeting as well.

 

OLD BUSINESS

  • Administrative assistant job opening. Edwards shared that she is re-running an advertisement and had also mentioned the opening on Front Porch Forum. The first ad unfortunately had the wrong email address (but a correct website address). No applications have been received. The ad has been rewritten slightly. It is part-time, with some flexibility outside of meetings themselves, an average of 15-20 hours per week, and key to the function of the board. It is budgeted at about $17,000 per year.

 

 

  • An unnamed bird joined the meeting (really). https://youtu.be/ksNeXBxkW3E? &t=2626 (Post meeting, Diana Conway got the bird out—thanks, Diana!).

 

  • Edwards mentioned that there is a tree down on the landfill cap, which will need to be removed before the second mowing of landfill. She has not received the estimate for that additional work yet. Mike Fournier said our wheeled excavator might cause groves in the landfill cap, but Saladino has a track excavator.

 

Phelan asked for an update about the PFAS chemicals at the landfill, and inquired about testing the Branch River. Edwards will see if she can get any guidance on that sort of thing from the state. Edwards noted the shift to annual testing in the spring, and the newly updated EPA detection rates were mentioned. Edwards said we continue to follow state guidance on the matter.

 

  • Hazard mitigation grants—the date for preliminary applications for this “no town match” grant has been extended to August 30th. Christofferson has been spearheading, but Edwards went to a webinar in her stead recently. The three projects include Hubbard Hill Road culverts, Stowe Mountain Road culverts, and the bridge at Branch Road and Rte. 112. Edwards has concerns about our ability to get a positive benefits cost assessment for all three and wants the board to review these again on the 20th.

 

HEARING OF VISITORS

David Jones is continuing to work on the connectivity project with Rhonda Ashcraft, and said the period for the school group and the first responder group are closing, and they will begin to tackle how to approach the third priority group which is for seniors.

Randy Pike asked about the informational hearing and the excavator. He stated that we had an excavator that we for a few years that burned, and was replaced. Was this the same excavator? Edwards wasn’t sure but said Fournier could likely clarify. She noted that Fournier was looking for refurbishment estimates.

Emily Carris Duncan introduced herself as a candidate for State Legislature who would represent Halifax. She lives in Whitingham and said she was focused on education and tax issues, and would be happy to meet with anyone after the meeting if they had questions.

Mary Eggert asked about town assistance with the cost of removal of an ash tree in the town right of way. Edwards and Roberts had missed that meeting due to the electrical storm. Roberts suggested they contact the Tree Warden (which they had). Edwards noted there was no money budgeted this year. Roberts invited people to the budget meetings as well to help us define what we should do. Eggert said this tree could go at any time, and it will fall on our shop as well as in the town road. Conway asked about ARPA money; Edwards said it was all spent. Edwards will ask Sue Kelly (tree warden) to give us an update on the inventory at a future meeting. Eggart said they’d received an estimate of $1500.

APPROVAL PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES

Edwards moved to approve the minutes of June 18, 2024 Selectboard Regular Meeting Minutes as shown on screen share (with track changes on) and discussed. Ashcraft seconded. Motion carried 3-0.

Edwards moved to approve the minutes of June 27, 2024 minutes as corrected, again via a screen share with track changes on. Ashcraft seconded. The vote was delayed, but Roberts eventually was able to say aye (with an audibly strange delay), to pass them 3-0.

Roberts at that point lost connection to the meeting.

We tried to review the July 2, 2024 Selectboard Regular Meeting Minutes, and the June 22, 2024 Selectboard Special Meeting Minutes, but with Roberts offline at this point, we deferred any further action.

OTHER BUSINESS

  • Reminder of Special Town Meeting August 13, 2024. Please vote!

CORRESPONDENCE

  • Town Fair at Killington in October; Edwards will be a panelist for role of Selectboard Members (Roberts was able to rejoin again at this point.)
  • National Opioid Settlement checks. Roberts says the board should vote again on whether Voices of Hope in Wilmington is still the best designee for these funds, at the next meeting. Edwards said the current total might be in the $300 range.)

SELECTBOARD ORDER

The order for payment was read totaling $18,302.27.

 

ADJOURNMENT

Edwards made a motion to adjourn at 7:22 pm, Rhonda seconded, and the motion passed 3-0.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Edee Edwards, secretary pro tempore

 

YOUTUBE meeting recording:

https://youtu.be/ksNeXBxkW3E

 

Starting at section on tax rates:

https://youtu.be/ksNeXBxkW3E?t=1335