TOWN OF RUTLAND
SELECT
BOARD MEETING
SEPTEMBER 29, 2009
MINUTES:
The meeting
opened at 6:40 P.M. with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Board members
present: Joseph Dicton, James Hall,
Stanley Rhodes III and Josh Terenzini.
Review of the 9/15/2009 Minutes
Mr. Hall made a
change to the wording on Page 6 from congressmen to the State of Vermont
legislators and motioned to accept the minutes with this change. Mr. Terenzini
seconded the motion. The motion passed
unanimously.
Review of the 9/23/2009 Minutes
Mr. Hall added
Ms. Hyjek’s name as attending the warned meeting to set the tax rate. Mr. Terenzini motioned to accept the minutes
with this change. Mr. Dicton seconded
the motion. The motion passed
unanimously.
Questions from the Floor
There were none.
Town Clerk/Treasurer – Marie Hyjek
Ms. Hyjek said
that the tax bills were printed on 9/25 and mailed on 9/28. The due date of the first payment is
10/28/2009. For escrow accounts, the
original bills were mailed to the mortgage company and a copy went to the
taxpayer.
The deadline to
grieve the new appraisal before the BCA is 9/30/2009. This is for those who
already appealed previously. Ms. Hyjek
is to set a meeting for the BCA members.
She has contacted O’Brien Reporting Services to take the minutes of the
grievance hearings. She also has a copy
of grievance procedures for anyone who would like to review them. Grievance hearings will be scheduled to
avoid Tuesdays and Thursdays to avoid a conflict with the regular Select Board
and Planning Commission meetings. It is
possible not to have all BCA members present for each hearing and site visits
so the duties can be split up amongst the BCA members. There is one BCA member who is appealing
their own assessment and that person cannot take part in any other
hearings. The hearings will take place
downstairs so no other meetings will be scheduled for the time being except the
grievances.
Rutland Regional Planning Commission –
Fred Nicholson
No meeting, no
report.
Mr. Rhodes read a
memo he received concerning the proposed Verizon sign on the Michael’s building
to face Route 7. It mentioned a concern
for “the night sky” and energy usage.
Mr. Nicholson said the sign would only use two kilowatts of power.
Highway – Byron Hathaway
Mr. Hathaway reported
that he has received acknowledgements from plowing subcontractors and has
planned a meeting with them to discuss plans for the winter.
There is a
planned upgrade to the community water system in the Crestway area and Mr.
Hathaway had a meeting with Blair Enman to discuss this as there will be some
digging in the Town’s right of way. Mr.
Hathaway has asked that digging be avoided at the edge of the pavement and
would like Mr. Zingale to send a letter explaining the need for a permit. Mr. Dicton suggested taking pictures before
the dig to make sure that the area is returned to its original state.
Mr. Hall asked
about an update on the proposed scales for weighing of salt. Mr. Hathaway has talked to several dealers
including Load Right, Accu-Load and
John Deere. He said there are two types
of scales; one is a single sensor and the other is a dual sensor which is
easier to use, more accurate but more expensive, around $2,900. Mr. Dicton asked about available money and
Mr. Hathaway said he has $7.000 that originally was going to be used for a
cross conveyor but is now available for other things.
There was a brief
discussion on the level of error in accounting for lost tonnage of salt in past
years. Mr. Hathaway is to bring in a
recommendation for a particular scale at the next Select Board hearing.
Fire Department – Chief Joe Denardo
Mr. Denardo
mentioned that there has been a lot of maintenance on the Town fire trucks
lately. He said that the department has
attended a Health Fair at the Diamond Run mall and will attend a Safety Day at
Home Depot on October 4th.
Craig Robideau will give a safety presentation at the Town School on
October 12th.
Chief Denardo
reminded people to clean their chimneys for the heating season. He also cautioned that pellet stoves are a
source of CO2 and there should be adequate ventilation when using these.
Planning Commission – Bill Matteson
Mr. Matteson
reported that the Dickinson subdivision has been postponed due to Ms. Dickinson
not being able to attend the last meeting.
The Commission attended a class at the Stafford Technical Center on
Storm Water Management.
Mr. Terenzini
asked what the plan was for the zoning document going forward. Mr. Matteson said the last day for the
presentation of a petition to vote on the document is October 6th. If there is no petition, then the Planning
Commission will add changes suggested by the Select Board and make suggestions
of their own and then start the process again.
This will probably take place in the spring/summer time frame.
(2)
Police Department – Officer Ed Dumas
Mr. Hall said
that it appeared the Department had a busy two weeks based on the reports from
the officers and Mr. Dumas acknowledged this.
Recreation – Jody Hall
Mr. Hall reported
that the Recreation Commission had a meeting and elected new officers. Mr. Hall is the Chairman, Mr. Cassarino is
the Vice-Chair and Mr. Pockette is the secretary.
Mr. Terenzini
said he felt that Mr. Rick DelBianco should have some sort of acknowledgment
for his years of service.
Mr. Hall said
that they had over one hundred sign-ups for soccer and the season will end on
October 21st. October 22nd
starts sign-ups for basketball. Flyers
will be sent home with the children and a notice will be put in the
Circle.
The annual Halloween
party is scheduled for Friday, October 30th, from 6”00 P.M. to 8:00
P.M. in the gym and flyers will also be sent home for this as well as a notice
in the Circle.
There is a tree
blocking a light at Dewey Field that may need to come down. There is also a light poll that was struck
by lightening at Dewey Field and Mr. Rhodes suggested notifying someone who
works for CVPS.
Mr. Hall brought
up the need for resurfacing of the pool.
Mike Rowe said at the Recreation meeting that time is running out for
this project.
Mr. Zingale asked
that he be given electronic minutes of the Recreation meetings so he can post
them on the website and Mr. Hall said that he would see that this is done.
Meeting at General Electric
Mr. Rhodes
attended a meeting at the General Electric plant. Also present were the Governor, Lt. Governor, House Speaker and
many other dignitaries.
The Plant has a
new Plant Manager. It was reported that
after the early retirement of over one hundred employees the local workforce
will be around 920 with an average wage of $27 an hour. The local plants bid for jobs against other
G.E. plants in the country and have asked for support from local government to
be as competitive as possible. This
would include the possibility of doing away with business personal property
taxes as some other communities have done.
G. E. is also appealing its reappraisal.
Mr. Rhodes said
that the new GenX engine has a problem with the wing design but the plant is
ready to go as soon as this is resolved.
Water and sewer
issues were also discussed at the meeting.
(3)
Meeting on Routes 4 and 7
Mr. Rhodes and
Mr. Terenzini attended a meeting on the upgrades to Routes 4 and 7. Some of the
Federal stimulus money has been earmarked by Senator Sanders. The upgrade is beginning Phase 2 which
includes Strongs Avenue to Jackson and Madison to West Street. A gateway is planned for the Main Street
Park with new shrubbery, ornamental lights and a dead-end for the street behind
the park. A walking/bicycle path along Main Street is also planned. The project is already over budget so some
cuts are expected. Many permits are
needed to start the project which is planned to begin in 2011 and go for two
construction seasons. The State has
agreed to do all the paving.
Town Administrator – Joseph Zingale Jr.
Mr. Zingale
reported that the decision on the Wilk flood plan is beyond his authority as it
involves conditional use rather than permitted use. He has to refer it to the Flood Hazard Zoning Board of Adjustment
which is a three to nine member entity appointed by the Select Board. This Board can set the term limits. Mr. Rhodes said that he would like to see a
Select Board member, Byron Hathaway and an engineer on this Board. Mr. Zingale will check with Blair Enman to se
if he would be the engineer.
Mr. Zingale sent
a letter to the City listing all the businesses in the Airport Park that should
be paying money to the Town for waste water.
Mr. Zingale attended a meeting with the Airport Park manager, Jamie Stewart,
Mr. Rhodes and Mr. Hall. The following
procedure has been put in place. The
City will read the meters and send the bills to the Town. The Town will add O & M costs and mail
the bills. The Town will collect the
money and sent the City their portion.
The Airport businesses have requested that the Town consider lowering
the O&M costs from 20% to 10%.
Currently, the businesses may owe as much as $14,000 in past fees but
feel they have overpaid the City so the amount may be lowered. They have also asked the City to lower their
rates. The Select Board decided to wait
to see what the City does before deciding on the O&M costs.
The work to be
done at the Transfer Station has not been re-advertised for bids as Mr.Dicton
and Mr. Hall feel the work should be put off until the spring due to weather
constraints. The current available $2,
000 will be used for a project that Mr. Flory feels needs to be done
first. Mr. Hall and Mr. Dicton feel
that the rest of the work may need to be presented to the public as a line item
budget to get the money needed to do the work properly.
Mr. Rhodes needs
to sign paperwork for the grant for the McKinley bridge project. Mr. Hathaway and Mr. Zingale attended a
meeting in Montpelier on this project.
Mr. Zingale has registered the Town with the Federal government on line
and has obtained an ID number. Mr. Hall
motioned for the Town to go forward with the project which includes adding to
the Highway budget the five percent match of $30,000 and Mr. Dicton seconded
the motion. The motion passed
unanimously.
Mr. Zingale
reported that the final inspection for the Pinnacle Ridge/US Route 7
intersection is to take place and the Board is invited. Mr. Hall will be attending for the Board.
(4)
Open Select Board Seat
Mr. Terenzini
asked if the Board should go into executive session to discuss the appointment
of a replacement for Mr. DelBianco’s seat.
It was felt that this was not necessary. The Board discussed appointing a past member so that some
experience would come with the appointment.
Two names discussed were Rod Cioffi and Steve Hawley. Also mentioned was Mr. Craig Robideau’s
letter of interest. There was a brief
discussion as to whether the appointee would serve the remaining two and a half
years or only the six months until the next election in March. Mr. Zingale said that he had talked to the
Town Attorney and the Secretary of State and either scenario is allowable but
the election in March would be for a three year term. Feedback from those present favored having a new Board member
elected in March. Mr. Hall motioned to
appoint Steve Hawley until March and Mr. Dicton seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Correspondence
Mr. Zingale
reported that he sent a letter of support for the Brownfield Project. He asked that anyone who knows of any
petroleum contaminated sites to let the Town know as there are monies available
for help in cleaning them up.
Mr. Rhodes
reported that the Select Board received three thank you letters from
scholarship recipients Eric Denardo, Ethan Peterson and Danielle Lovett.
Chief Sly gave a
report that said the Town would need twenty-one speed limit signs to inform
drivers entering the Town of the Town’s speed limit. Officer Dumas said that the reason these may be needed is to prove
violations.
Dog Complaint Hearing
The hearing
started at 8:00 P.M. The Town had asked
that Jane Quigley be present to discuss the incidences of her dog biting
residents. It was discovered that she
has two poodles, Reuben, who has been banned from the City for biting and Arlo,
who is the subject of the recent incidences in Rutland Town. After a brief discussion on the safety
issues, Mr. Terenzini motioned to ban both dogs from the Town. Mr. Dicton seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The hearing ended at 8:08 P.M.
Miscellaneous
Mr. Terenzini
asked about the donation to St. Peter’s church in remembrance of Mr. Richard J.
DelBianco. Mr. Rhodes said that Ms.
Hyjek would send a check to the church.
It was mentioned
that Thomas Patch, a past member of the Rutland Town Fire Department, passed
away. He has had other family member
serve and some still serving on the Fire Department. Chief Denardo said that
there is only one active Charter member left.
Mr. Terenzini
motioned to end the meeting. Mr. Hall
seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting ended at 8:11 P.M.
(5)