Town of Panton Selectboard Meeting
Monday November 14, 2005
Panton Town Offices
Minutes
Selectboard
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Administration
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Guests/Visitors
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R. Atkins
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R. Cloutier
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S. Hofmann
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J. Moulton
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S. Torrey
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| A. Sullivan
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Call to Order: Chair R. Atkins called the meeting to order
at 7:05 p.m.
Minutes: Motion by J. Moulton,
seconded by A. Sullivan, to approve the minutes of October 12, 2005 as written. So voted.
A. Sullivan commended R. Cloutier for an outstanding job and said that
she is very impressed with what he has done since he started his job as road
foreman. She added that she is grateful as she knows that all the equipment has
been repaired and is ready to go. Also, she said that she thinks a lesser
person faced with these tasks would have left. J. Moulton added her
appreciation as well. R. Cloutier replied that things are taking longer to
repair then he had hoped as other than the backhoe the equipment had been
neglected; filters not changed etc. R. Atkins added that a filter that should
have been changed once or twice a year had not been changed since 2000. A.
Sullivan mentioned that she knew he was doing training on one of the Class 4
roads on Saturday and she knew he wasn’t charging the town for his time. R.
Cloutier said that he doesn’t believe in charging for learning. A. Sullivan
advised R. Cloutier to forward any calls he’s not sure how to handle to the
Selectboard.
Public Communication: None
Road Foreman’s Report: R. Cloutier reported as
follows;
- Snow fence
has been put up; plastic snow fence is very brittle and has required much
mending. Would like to replace plastic with wood next year and paint (stain)
both the old wood fence and the new fence to prevent wood from rotting.
- Bed chain
not working on the big truck. Price from Howard Fairfield $1,074.20 plus
shipping, Hendy Brothers quoted $581.10 plus shipping and the chain will be
heavier. Motion by A. Sullivan, seconded by J. Moulton for R. Cloutier to
purchase the chain from Hendy Brothers. S. Torrey added that there is money in
the budget.
- Grader
teeth need to be replaced
- Repaired
brakes on little truck; tried to adjust clutch but adjustment had been welded
so it required repairing a Clark’s Truck
Center.
- Picked up
garbage on Slang Road that
had been dumped; television, mattress and left over building materials.
Included in the trash was a prescription bottle with a name and address. This
information will be forwarded to the Sheriff’s Department. R. Atkins asked that
R. Cloutier take a photo of the trash before transporting to the Transfer
Station
- R. Cloutier advised the Board that he found a scattering of
wooden chairs near the burn pile behind the garage. It was discussed that these
chairs are from the town hall and are in poor shape and at a previous meeting
the Board directed P. Bodington to remove them. A. Sullivan felt it was too bad
that someone couldn’t use the chairs as they are turn of the century.
- The old safe was discussed and hopefully a buyer can be found.
- Asked
the Board about the old roadside mower is behind the garage. He will remove the
hydraulic cylinder to use on the tractor bucket but other than that the mower
is not repairable or useable. Motion by A. Sullivan, seconded by J.
Moulton to sell the mower. So voted. R. Cloutier will look for buyers.
- R.
Atkins advised that R. Cloutier and he attended a breakfast at All-State Paving
last week and while there their proposal for a chloride spreader was discussed.
The All-State representative informed R. Atkins that the equipment proposed was
more than what a small town like Panton needed. The representative added that
they have a couple of units left priced at $1,700.00 that will fit into the
dump of our truck. This is $2,500.00 less than the original proposed by P.
Bodington. They are also willing to let Panton take delivery and defer payment
until July, 2006 after our new budget starts. It was discussed that this is a
necessity and will save the town money from the necessity of contracting it
out. Motion by A. Sullivan, seconded by J. Moulton to purchase the unit.
So voted. J. Moulton questioned the necessity of obtain permits to spread the
chloride. R. Cloutier will inquire of other towns when he attends the monthly
road foreman meeting.
- R.
Cloutier advised the Board that there is a power line on Spaulding
Road that is low and should be repaired as it is
interfering with road work. He notified Green Mountain Power and R. Atkins will
also investigate.
- Discussed
winter plowing and the lack of another worker to help plow during storms. R.
Atkins mentioned that he believed B. Many, who helped last year, has other
arrangements. Various options were discussed as was the low hourly rate
currently offered. Motion by A. Sullivan, seconded by J. Moulton to
raise the rate to $12.00 to $14.00 an hour depending on experience.
- Advised
that although Turkey Lane
is a private road he was told that the town plows to the log house. He added
that he was also informed that the town truck usually gets stuck in that area.
S. Hofmann offered to assist R. Cloutier if this should happen. A. Sullivan
stated that the town owns a small part of the lakeshore which is public access.
It was discussed that this is a Class 4 road which doesn’t require plowing. More
research to follow.
- Mentioned
that there are very few tools at the garage such as sockets, wrenches, etc. Has
been using his personal tools but he also needs them for home use as well. It
was noted by the board that there is money in the budget and A. Sullivan made
the motion for R. Cloutier to purchase tools on an as need basis, seconded by
J. Moulton. So voted. A. Sullivan advised that she had received a call from a
concerned citizen regarding the highway gate being left open and concern that
something may be stolen particularly culverts. R. Cloutier said that there are
only two old culverts out behind the garage and it would be difficult to take
them as they are very long. It was mentioned that it is nice to have the gate
open so the residents can get sand when they need it. The board agreed that the
gates will remain open perhaps through April during snow season. R. Cloutier
mentioned that someone in Essex had been injured taking
sand from the top of the town sand pile and recommended that a smaller pile be
established for public use. It was decided this is a good idea and S. Torrey
will get the necessary sign so the public will know what sand to use.
New Business: S. Torrey expressed concern that
someone may fall in the town entry way due to the poor state of the cement. R.
Atkins to look into. She also mentioned that the toilet in the town hall needs
to be winterized and R. Cloutier will take care of. S. Torrey advised that
there continues to be a sewage odor when the toilet is flushed in the office.
It was discussed that the contractors noted the vent pipe exhausts into the
attic of the town hall and perhaps the pipe is plugged. R. Atkins to
investigate further.
A. Sullivan thanked S. Hofmann for having the front gardens
maintained all year and stated how nice they look. S. Hofmann said the workers
will be back in the spring to continue the maintenance.
S. Hofmann advised that at the November meeting of the new
DRB, the same officers were elected; S. Hofmann, Chair, K. Bingham, Co-Chair,
and R. Moulton, Clerk. He added that the new membership of eight is of concern
to the DRB and asked him to request the Selectboard to consider adding another
member. James Dayton and Dan Bourgeois were the two recommendations. The board
discussed that they could go to seven or five members if an odd number is
preferred. S. Hofmann said that there will be less mix if they reduce the
members and the board already has one out-of-town member and the possibility of
another out-of-town member in the future. Advised that Brandy
Saxton was no longer in the employ of ACRPC and therefore
will not be assisting with the drafting of the new zoning regulations. S.
Hofmann advised that Adam Lougee of ACRPC will assist the Panton DRB with the
changes required to Chapter 117 (mandated by the State of Vermont)
and that if Mr. Lougee were to prepare the entire zoning regulation the fee
would be $10,000.00. Grant money is possible and S. Hofmann asked for an
extension of the regulations. S. Hofmann added that the State had made their
changes which are contained in the red book that M. Hermann received from
ACRPC. A. Sullivan inquired why this book couldn’t be referred to in the Panton
zoning regulations versus rewriting the entire document. She added that we must
belong to ACRPC and it seems that the person who could help us would charge
$10,000.00. J. Moulton asked why the DRB couldn’t draft the new regulations and
have them reviewed by town attorney James Carroll.
S. Hofmann replied that the Selectboard rejected this avenue and advised they
should go back to the original law firm of Darby, Stearns & Thorndike. J.
Moulton stated that they were never directed to go back to this firm but to use
our own town attorney. S. Hofmann advised that the DRB will be working on their
budget at their December meeting. Discussion on setting a budget for legal fees
of $5,000.00 and an education budget of $2,000.00. J. Moulton said the
education budget is critical as the meeting minutes were very difficult to
transcribe and it didn’t appear that order in the meeting was established
appropriately.
It was mentioned that this should be mandatory education for
all DRB members. It was discussed that many things have been done incorrectly
in the past and it important to make sure hearings, meetings and decisions are
now done by the letter of the law. S. Hofmann added that although many things
have been done incorrectly in the past the Selectboard did not intervene and it
is going to be a major undertaking to turn things around. Motion by J.
Moulton to go into Executive Session at 8:50
p.m. to discuss a personnel issue inviting S. Hofmann and Clerk S.
Torrey. A. Sullivan seconded the motion. So voted. The board came out of
Executive Session at 9:20 p.m. with
no action taken.
S. Hofmann asked if the Selectboard would consider raising
the permitting fees to help augment E. Hanson’s salary. R. Atkins agreed that
the town shouldn’t bear the burden of this salary and certainly shouldn’t go in
the hole for it. S. Hofmann added that expenses add up when considering
postage, etc. and this should be considered in the fees. S. Torrey advised that
income for fees to date is $9,000.00. R. Atkins said that perhaps we should
apply for our own contribution at town meeting to defray the fees. R. Atkins
said that this should be addressed with the DRB but also advised not to
complicate the fees. S. Hofmann will inquire of what fees are for surrounding
towns.
R. Atkins advised S. Hofmann that they will discuss the DRB
membership. S. Hofmann said that whatever they decide is all right with him.
Action Items: S. Torrey forwarded to the Board a
quote of $5,727.00 from Climate Control Systems for an air office air handler.
Air conditioning versus air exchange was discussed. Humidity in the vault is
running about 55 percent but S. Torrey said that it doesn’t appear to be a wet
humidity. She added that she hopes by spring they are ready to go with a
system. R. Atkins will obtain quotes and hopefully have something by the next
Selectboard meeting. S. Torrey received information from Alohana Jackson on
humidity control including a compact disk which J. Moulton will review and
forward to A. Sullivan for comment.
S. Torrey advised that the Genealogical Society of Utah
inquired if they could microfilm our older land records. They have done this in
the past and they leave a set of microfilm with the town and take a set with
them which is stored in a climate controlled system. She added that this is
done free of charge. The Board agreed this should be done.
The need for a Green-up coordinator was discussed and as
Carol Kress acted in this capacity last year J. Moulton will speak to her to
see if she is willing to do this for us in 2006.
Motion by J. Moulton, seconded by A. Sullivan for
Walter McClellan to continue mowing the cemetery in 2006.
S. Torrey advised that the dues for Panton to belong to the
Vermont League of Cities and Towns has increased for 2006. The Board expressed
dismay that we receive so little help for what we pay for. Health insurance is
also increasing by 9.6% for 2006.
S. Torrey advised that there is a balance of $28,478.00 from
the restoration fund. It was discussed that perhaps the Desjadon property could
be purchased from this fund as it could be an extension of the town hall
project considering it would be used as parking.
Added that the balance in the office equipment fund is $4,421.00
and she just purchased additional memory for the “lister” computer to improve
the poor performance which didn’t help much. Our software person reminded her
that the computer is four years old and it’s probably time to purchase another.
He further suggested that to cut down on the cost extra software such as
Microsoft works, not be purchased. The board recommended that another computer
be purchased in the current budget period.
Discussed that for economic purposes the town legal notices
will now be posted in the Addison Eagle as opposed to the Addison Independent.
Motion by A. Sullivan, seconded by J. Moulton to keep
the current DRB membership to eight members. So voted.
Correspondence was reviewed and warrants signed as follows;
Accounts Payable - $19,982.44, Payroll – $5,878.38.
Motion by A. Sullivan, seconded by J. Moulton to
present S. Torrey, L. Douville and R. Cloutier with Christmas bonus for
services performed.
Chair Atkins adjourned the meeting at 10:40 p.m.