Selectboard Minutes 12-7-2021

Publish date: December 8, 2021

Selectboard Minutes 12-7-2021

TOWN OF RUTLAND SELECTBOARD OPEN MEETING

RUTLAND TOWN MUNICIPAL TOWN HALL

181 BUSINESS ROUTE 4, CENTER RUTLAND, VT  05736

DECEMBER 7th, 2021

 

This meeting had a virtual attendance option available for anyone to join.

  • Meeting opened at 6:00 P.M. with the pledge of allegiance
  • Board members present Mary Ashcroft, Joe Denardo, Sharon Russell, John Paul Faignant and Don Chioffi
  • Members of the public present Lydia Flynn, Jim Hall, Jim Scholtz, Ann Scholtz, Keith Whitcomb, Fred Nicholson, Kim McKirryher, Byron Hathaway, Walter Tripp, Jason Bathalon, Larry Dell Veneri, Howard Burgess, Jimmy Plakas, Kathryn Shanahan, and Tom Shanahan

Approval of Orders

The Board approved the orders.

Approval of Selectboard Minutes for November 23rd:

  • Selectman Faignant moved to approve the minutes. Selectwoman Russell seconded the motion. After some clerical changes were made, the motion passed 5 – 0.

Approval of Selectboard Minutes for November 24th:

  • Selectman Faignant moved to approve the minutes. Selectman Denardo seconded the motion. The motion passed 5 – 0.

The Selectboard presented Jim Hall with a plaque recognizing his service on behalf of the Rutland Town Seniors. Mr. Hall is the outgoing president and has served the community for many years. All the Selectboard members thanked Mr. Hall. Randy Roberts is the new President of the Rutland Town Seniors group.

Tom and Kathryn Shanahan were present to discuss the mask mandate the board plans to ratify at this meeting. Ms. Shanahan spoke about her opposition to the mandate. Selectman, and Town Health Officer, John Paul Faignant, spoke to their opposition and the reasons the Board of Health needed to take the more conservative approach for prevention. The Shanahan’s stated it would cause them to not shop in Rutland town businesses were this to be ratified. Selectman Faignant said there have been as many people saying they will only shop in the town as people saying they will stop shopping in the town as a result of this rule and the Board of Health is trying to do what is in the best interest of everyone’s health.

Selectman Faignant updated the board on work for the new Public Safety Building. Some preliminary drawings were provided to board members. Revisions are planned for the interior space after a Public Safety Building meeting takes place. There may be an alternate layout depending on if an agreement with an adjacent landowner can be reached on an existing Right of Way.

Kari Clark Rutland Town Clerk and Treasurer:

  1. Town auditors are coming tomorrow to make some final adjustments. A meeting will be planned with the board soon.
  2. Asked for an executive session to discuss a personnel matter at the end of the meeting.

Ed Dumas Rutland Town Police Chief:

  1. Recent calls for service were provided.
    1. Discussed a recent case of catalytic converter thefts from a parking lot at a dealership. Officer Plakas was able to identify an individual and close 6 cases related to this.
  2. Updated the board on cases related to people being housed at the Holiday Inn.
  3. Discussed a tree on the corner of Conner Drive and Town Line Road which is causing some line-of-sight issues. Discussed it with the Town Tree Warden, Fred Nicholson. A plan will be developed to address the issue.
  4. Discussed a letter received from Commissioner Brown at the State of Vermont Department of Children and Families in response to the letter sent by our board to them regarding housing of individuals and families at the Holiday Inn.

Chris Clark Rutland Town Fire Chief:

  1. There have several calls for motor vehicle accidents in the past 2 weeks, not many others.
  2. The department, with the help of Deputy Police Chief Washburn, has recently applied for a grant to provide the department with new portable radios and a multi-purpose UTV.
  3. An application for Aaron Clark was provided to the board as a new member. Selectman Faignant moved to approve the application. Selectwoman Russell seconded the motion. The motion passed 5 – 0.

Mike Rowe Rutland Town Recreation Director:

  1. Selectwoman Ashcroft thanked Director Rowe for his help with the senior luncheons.
  2. The ice-skating rink at the Town School will be set up soon. The ability to use it will be weather dependent.
  3. Basketball is on-going and live streams of games will be available.
  4. Work on an Act 250 application for the proposed improvements at the park is starting tomorrow. Discussed having to go out to bid for the work to do the improvements, due to the costs. Selectwoman Ashcroft recommended Director Rowe bring the possibility of this vendor being added to the Town preferred vendor list to the Rec Committee.
  5. The zero-turn mower has been repaired and will be ready for the spring.

Barbara Pulling Rutland Town Planning Commission Chair:

  1. The developer of a proposed wind turbine in the Town of Castleton has been invited to attend an upcoming Planning Commission meeting to review their project, since it was recently discovered that it will be visible from parts of the town. Board members have been invited to attend.
  2. Public meetings for the Pocket Park have not been scheduled yet but should be soon.

Bill Sweet Administrative Assistant to the Selectboard:

  1. Provided correspondence from the Housing Trust of Rutland County requesting a year end gift from the town. They are not on the appropriations list, and no amount was specified for the request. No action was taken.
  2. VTrans sent a reply to the board regarding the issue of speed limits brought to them through the inter-municipal committee. A traffic study will be done and the results of which will be reviewed at a meeting which we will be invited to.
  3. Three of the four residents we sent a letter to about the possible extension of the Post Road water line have responded that they are interested. They all asked to be invited to a future meeting.
  4. Department head contributions for the Town report should be in before the end of the month.
  5. Provided the board members with the most recent copy of the draft budget sheets.

John Paul Faignant Town Health Officer

  1. Selectman Faignant moved to ratify the mask rule from the November 24th Selectwoman Russell seconded the motion. The motion passed 4 – 1 with Selectman Chioffi voting against the motion.

Committee meeting updates:

  1. Reviewed the Police Committee meeting. Selectman Chioffi suggested some clerical changes to the minutes. The topics will be discussed specifically at the budget meeting on the 14th.

Jason Bathalon Rutland Town Road Crew Member:

  1. The 7-yard dump truck is back in town after a lengthy service issue.
  2. The new Ford F-550 is still not back after a hydraulic pump failure.
  3. The new scale for the loader should be installed this Friday.
  4. The old light duty truck has been fully repaired.
  5. Discussed the offer to purchase the light duty truck, which was advertised for sale.
    1. Town Road Crew member Walter Tripp recommended keeping the truck for the time being.
    2. Selectman Denardo recommended not selling the truck until after the winter season. Selectman Denardo moved to allow Mr. Tripp to bring this truck back to his house and be able to use it to do road checks on his way into the garage in the mornings. If Mr. Bathalon took over as being on call, he would be able to use the truck. Selectman Faignant seconded the motion. The board asked for a schedule of who will be the on-call person be given to them for the meeting on the 21st. The motion passed 5 – 0.
    3. The bidder for the light duty truck will be notified the offer of the truck being for sale is being withdrawn at this time.
  6. Selectwoman Ashcroft asked the Highway Committee to meet and discuss the topic of supplemental pay for the highway crew and have a recommendation for the meeting on the 21st.

New Business Board to Discuss setting January 10th for pre-town meeting.

  1. This date is too early to be ready.
  2. January 24th was proposed and is a better date.
  3. This will be brought to the School Board to discuss coordinating the date.

Selectman Chioffi informed the board he will not be pursuing his effort to change the way the library is funded by the town.

Discussed the letter received from the Vermont Bond Bank regarding the remaining balance of the fire station bond. There is an unused balance of $54,679.04. There are 3 options to use the funds. After discussion, Selectman Faignant moved to uses the funds towards planning, design, and budget development costs for the new Public Safety Building. Selectwoman Russell seconded the motion. This will be brought to our Town Counsel for review before expenditures are made. The motion passed 5 – 0.

Selectman Faignant moved to enter executive session for pending litigation with Fire Chief Chris Clark present, for a personnel matter with Clerk and Treasurer Kari Clark present and for pending litigation with Police Chief Ed Dumas present. Selectwoman Russell seconded motion. The motion passed unanimously. The board entered executive session at 7:24 PM.

Upon leaving executive session at 7:48 PM, Selectman Faignant moved to accept the recommendation from the Town Attorney regarding the Center Rutland Fire Station. Selectwoman Russell seconded the motion. The motion passed 5 – 0.

Selectman Faignant moved to adjourn. Selectwoman Russell seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 7:49 PM.

Respectfully submitted, Mr. Bill Sweet

 
Mary Ashcroft, Chair
 
Joseph Denardo, Clerk
 
John Paul Faignant
 
Sharon Russell
 
Don Chioffi

 

Center Rutland, VT.

Rutland Town News

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