Selectboard Minutes 9-9-2025

Selectboard Minutes 9-9-2025

TOWN OF RUTLAND SELECTBOARD OPEN MEETING

RUTLAND TOWN MUNICIPAL TOWN HALL

181 BUSINESS ROUTE 4, CENTER RUTLAND, VT  05736

SEPTEMBER 9^th, 2025

 

• The meeting opened at 6:00 P.M. with the pledge of allegiance.
• Board members present Mary Ashcroft, Joe Denardo, Sharon Russell, Kurt Hathaway, and Matt Getty
• Members of the public present Lisa Knickerbocker, Chris Howe, Robyn Sweet, Shelley Dumas

Approval of Selectboard Minutes for August 26^th:

Selectman Denardo moved to approve the minutes.  Selectman Getty seconded the motion. The motion passed 4 – 0. Selectwoman Russell abstained.

Approval of Orders

Selectman Denardo moved to approve the orders. Selectman Hathaway seconded the motion. A request for a final payment to VMS for the public safety building is included.  Selectman Denardo, as Clerk of the Works, has consulted with the architect, Fire Chief and Police Chief to ensure their portion of the building is complete. The retainage payment is the final payment. There is a form to complete for the Division of Fire Safety, which may require an additional permit fee based on the final construction cost. The motion carried 5 – 0.

Update from the Selectboard Chair

Reminder to submit articles for The Circle by September 15^th.

Notice was received today regarding the land use permit for the Diamond Run Mall. It is being treated as a minor amendment, and a permit will be issued unless someone requests a hearing by September 30^th.

Mike Rowe Rutland Town Recreation Director:

1. A Rec committee meeting is planned for Tuesday the 16^th at 430PM.
2. Soccer schedules are on the rec department website.
3. The next Town Senior event is September 23^rd, which will be a ride on the Killington Gondola to the peak. The rain date is September 30^th.
4. The Humane Society is planning an event at Northwood in October of 2026.
5. The process to be able to do background checks is moving forward. We received preliminary approval today.
6. The trick or treat on the trail at the school is planned for October 24^th.
7. There are some repairs needed to the tiles in the pool. There is only one contractor who does this kind of work. They will look at it soon, and plan for repairs in the spring.

David Sears Rutland Town Road Commissioner:

1. Line striping has been done this season with some new paint. It should last longer than traditional water-based paint.
2. There are bridge structures around Town we are responsible to inspect. There are 2 of concern. The bridge at the bottom of Prospect Hill has a lot of silt under it. A meeting at the site is planned with a VTrans representative. A bridge on Cold River Road has some exposed rebar and other issues underneath it. This will be discussed with the committee.
3. A grant award was received for the Straton Road culvert project. The engineer’s estimate is $508,000. The grant award has a maximum of $200,000. This will be discussed with the committee.

Ed Dumas Rutland Town Police Chief:

1. Recent calls for service were provided and discussed.
2. Discussed issues with some abandoned campers.
3. Discussed some challenges at the Diamond Run Mall site. The Board reviewed a letter to be sent to the property owner, Joe Anthony, inviting him to attend the September 23^rd meeting to discuss the security concerns. After discussion, Selectman Getty moved to approve the letter. Selectwoman Russell seconded the motion. The motion carried 5 – 0.
4. Discussed a request by Town 2^nd Constable JP Faignant to purchase new equipment for his vehicle to comply with State E-ticket requirements. The total cost is $4600. After discussion on budget lines, funding sources and ticket income offsets, Selectman Hathaway moved to approve the purchase of the equipment as requested with the funds to come from the 2^nd Constable equipment line, putting this line into deficit. Selectwoman Russell seconded the motion. The motion carried 5 – 0.

Chris Clark Rutland Town Fire Chief:

1. There is a new member application requested for approval. His name is Zachary Rice. He is a city resident and has previous experience. Selectwoman Russell moved to approve the applicant. Selectman Hathaway seconded the motion. The motion carried 5 – 0.

Kari Clark Rutland Town Clerk and Treasurer:

1. The first installment of taxes is due tomorrow. About 78% of taxes have been collected so far.

Barbara Pulling Rutland Town Planning Commission Chair:

1. The Planning Commission is planning to review a new bylaw draft created by the Regional Planning Commission. There are some items, such as boundary line adjustments and an appeal process that need to be added. This will all be discussed at the next meeting.
2. The town plan is about 2 years from needing to be renewed. There may be some grant funding available to help support this work.

Bill Sweet Town Administrator:

1. Provided information on the municipal grant we received to help support energy saving initiatives in town. We could not use it for its intended use. We must use it by next year or the funds are forfeited.
2. Provided follow-up on ethics training completed by the designated municipal officers. There are several people who have not completed it. After discussion, communication will be sent out to those people giving them an opportunity to come into the office and complete the training as a group, which is permissible.
3. Discussed some issues with the generator at the Center Rutland Station. There have been several maintenance visits due to water in various components. After talking with the service company, it could be due to several different sources. A heater component was installed but an outlet is needed to run it. After discussion, Selectman Denardo will contact an electrician to arrange this work.
4. A meeting for property owners in the Route 7 North shared use path project area has been set for September 18^th. They have all received letters with the invitations.
5. Residents on Heather Lane have been reaching out about the name change. They are in favor of using Crossman Drive Extension as the new name. The September 23^rd regular meeting will be the time the Board discusses it.
6. The online meeting with VTrans regarding the Route 4 speed limit is tomorrow at 130PM. We will attend the meeting from the Board room.
7. The tree out front of Town Hall was trimmed recently.
8. Reimbursement from VLCT for our grant was received. It was a total of $4600 and went back to the Rec and Highway accounts the expenses were paid from.
9. VLCT has sent out information on municipalities migrating to .gov from .com. Additional information was requested.

The City of Rutland has asked if we would like to coordinate efforts on 250^th anniversary events. After discussion, Selectman Getty will have an initial meeting with them and decide who else could be a part of it.

Discussed planning budget meetings to have them done by early December.

Selectman Denardo suggested getting a quote to have a power line run from the Public Safety Building to the sewer pumping station on McKinley Avenue, so it is given backup power.  Also discussed what options we have for the generator at the building. It is oversized and can lead to some issues. This will be discussed with the electrician and he will report back.

Selectman Hathaway moved to adjourn. Selectman Denardo seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 7:49 PM.

Respectfully submitted, Bill Sweet, Town Administrator.

 

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Mary Ashcroft, Chair

 

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Joseph Denardo, Clerk

 

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Sharon Russell

 

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Kurt Hathaway

 

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Matt Getty

 

Center Rutland, VT.