Selectboard Minutes 8-30-2022

Publish date: August 31, 2022

Selectboard Minutes 8-30-2022

TOWN OF RUTLAND SELECTBOARD OPEN MEETING

RUTLAND TOWN MUNICIPAL TOWN HALL

181 BUSINESS ROUTE 4, CENTER RUTLAND, VT  05736

AUGUST 30th, 2022

 

  • Meeting opened at 6:00 P.M. with the pledge of allegiance
  • Board members present Don Chioffi, Joe Denardo, Mary Ashcroft, Sharon Russell, and Kurt Hathaway
  • Members of the public present: Walt Tripp, Patty Tripp, Christina Moore, Larry Dell Veneri, Ben Hogan, Marcia Chioffi, Byron Hathaway, BJ Hathaway, Shelley Dumas, Jim Scholtz, Lisa Sears

A moment of silence was observed for Paul Horton who recently passed away.

Approval of Orders

The Board approved the orders.

Approval of Selectboard Minutes for August 16th:

Selectwoman Ashcroft moved to approve the minutes.  Selectwoman Russell seconded the motion. A clerical change was made. The motion passed 4 – 0.

Announcements

Chairman Chioffi thanked the members of the Celebration Committee who organized a great Town Wide Celebration event.

Chairman Chioffi presented a recognition award to Walter Tripp recognizing his 32 years of service to the Town. Mr. Tripp is retiring on August 31st.

Chairman Chioffi presented a recognition award to John Paul Faignant for his many years of dedicated service to our Town including his work on the Selectboard, Fire Department, Health Officer and as a Constable.

Public Comment

Christine Moore, representing the American Legion, is organizing a vendor / craft show at the Jump Fore Fun facility to raise money for the Legion. A vendor permit is required by Town ordinance for each vendor present. Ms. Moore is asking the $100 fee for the vendor permit be waived for vendors participating in their event. After some discussion, amending the ordinance to allow the Board to consider fee waivers may be the best option but the timeline to warn and have it go into effect is short. This will be added to the next agenda for review and to see if it can be amended in time.

Mike Rowe Rutland Town Recreation Director:

  1. Thanked everyone who worked to make the Town Wide Celebration happen.
  2. The pool is now closed for the season.
    1. There were approximately 7000 visits which is lower than years past but there were several school groups that did not attend this year.
  3. The rubberized chips have been placed around the existing playground at Northwood. They will be used when this is expanded in the spring.
  4. Pickleball has been a big success.
    1. There have been some requests to reserve the pickleball courts. After some discussion, the park is open for public use and no reservations will be accepted.
  5. Thanked Mr. Tripp for all his help in the park over the years

Chris Clark Rutland Town Fire Chief:

  1. Thanked Mr. Rowe for his help getting the department setup at the Town Wide Celebration.
  2. There were 8 calls for service in the last 2 weeks, including 2 mutual aid calls and a pedestrian / car accident on Route 7 South.

David Sears Rutland Town Road Commissioner:

  1. Provided the Board members with the list of names people submitted for naming our Town plows. After some discussion, board members were asked to vote for their top 4 favorite names and give the list to the Highway Committee for review.
  2. The Post Road water line has been connected and tested. Everything passed. The contractor has some clean up work to do but the lines are ready for residents to hook to. Two residents have applied for connection requests, 2 have not yet.
  3. The Town Line Road culvert project is moving along but it is unlikely they will finish by the September 8th target date. This is because of delays along the way. We will work with the contractor to determine a date the road will reopen.
  4. Five interviews have been conducted to fill Walt’s position. A candidate has been selected. Discussed the process to move forward. Commissioner Sears will handle the hiring process.
  5. Work is planned on several culverts over the next few weeks.
  6. Reviewed the draft winter maintenance contracts.
    1. This was discussed at the recent Highway Committee meeting.
    2. All the changes discussed have been incorporated including a pay raise and fuel stipend calculation.
    3. Selectman Denardo moved to accept the contract as presented, including the increase in the reimbursement and fuel stipend. Selectwoman Russell seconded the motion. The fuel stipend will be paid in 2 installments. 1 at the beginning of the year, 1 at the end. Discussed what would happen with this if a contractor didn’t finish the year. This would be handled on a case-by-case basis if it came up. The motion passed 4 – 0.
  7. The waste oil furnace has been posted for sale. It will be sold on a first come first serve basis.
    1. 2 tanks and a variety of parts are included.
    2. It is listed for $2000.

Barbara Pulling Rutland Town Planning Commission Chair:

  1. Some draft ordinance paperwork was given to Board members. This will be for discussion at a future meeting.
  2. A letter was sent to the Planning Commission from an attorney at Langrock, Sperry, and Wool. The Commission drafted and sent a response. Both letters were provided to the Board.
    1. The Commission could not handle this request.
    2. Town Counsel Kevin Brown was present and discussed the letter. The original letter and its request are being withdrawn.
  3. There are some grants coming up which would be appropriate for the Pocket Park. There may be some money for construction available. The Board would like to move forward with constructing the project.
  4. The flood plain manager for the area will be attending the next Board meeting to discuss river corridor management.

Ed Dumas Rutland Town Police Chief:

  1. Discussed recent calls for service.
  2. Discussed the recent pedestrian accident on Route 7 South.
  3. Commented on the effectiveness of the new camera system installed by Sandri Sunoco. It has been instrumental in assisting multiple agencies with crimes.
  4. Discussed the use of Constables for directed patrol duties. It has proven effective at deterring crime. The compensation for the Constables will come from the police overtime line.
    1. Selectman Hathaway moved to approve the reimbursement of the constable salary from the police overtime budget, up to $5000. Selectwoman Ashcroft seconded the motion. After some discussion, the motion passed 4 – 0.
  1. Selectman Denardo discussed some topics from the Police Committee meeting.
    1. Discussed the reimbursement request from 1st Constable Delehanty.
      • The committee is recommending approving the reimbursement as discussed in the committee meeting. Selectman Denardo moved to approve the request. Selectwoman Ashcroft seconded the motion. The motion passed 4 – 0.
    2. Discussed the reimbursement rate paid to the constables.
      • The rate used previously is an old rate and is not current.
      • The committee is recommending increasing the reimbursement rate to $16.00 per hour rate, effective retroactive to August 1st. Selectman Denardo moved to approve the request. Selectwoman Russell seconded the motion. The motion passed 4 – 0.

Michael Delehanty Rutland Town 1st Constable

  1. Reported on the efforts with the directed patrols. The businesses are very appreciative of the efforts being made. There has been a noticeable improvement in enforcement, and it will be a balanced effort around various town businesses.

John Paul Faignant Rutland Town 2nd Constable, Health Officer, and Public Safety Building Clerk

  1. There have not been many landlord tenant issues to handles since the state has started taking over this issue. Dog bite complaints are the biggest issue being handled.
  2. The plans for the Public Safety Building are coming along well. We are still on track to go out to bid this fall.
  3. Speed enforcement seems to be working well, as the average speeds on our 35 MPH roads have dropped.
  4. Discussed an issue with an old mobile home that has deteriorated. The template created on Perkins Road will be used to address this.

Bill Sweet Town Administrator:

  1. Provided a copy of the adopted personnel policy to be signed. It was adopted at the last meeting. Anyone who gets a paycheck from the Town will need to sign acknowledging the new policy.

A liquor license was presented for approval from Suleman Enterprises. The Police have no issue with the license. Selectwoman Ashcroft moved to approve the request. Selectman Hathaway seconded the motion. The motion passed 4 – 0.

Chairman Chioffi read a thank you card sent to the Board from a scholarship recipient.

Reviewed some of the efforts to help with the issues from the Town Line Road culvert replacement and the effects on the adjacent property owner.

Selectman Hathaway moved to enter executive session to discuss pending litigation. Selectman Denardo seconded motion. The motion passed unanimously. The board entered executive session at 7:53 PM.

Upon leaving executive session, with no action being taken, Selectman Hathaway moved to adjourn. Selectman Denardo seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 8:56 PM.

Respectfully submitted, Mr. Bill Sweet

 

 
Don Chioffi, Chair
 

 
Joseph Denardo, Clerk
 
Mary Ashcroft
 
Sharon Russell
 
Kurt Hathaway

 

Center Rutland, VT.

Rutland Town News

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