Fairfax Selectboard Minutes of 08/18/08

Selectboard Members present: Judy Cleary, Bill Ormerod, Charlie Swanson, Bob Horr, and Randy DeVine. Staff Members present: Erin McSweeney, Administrative Assistant to the Selectboard, Don Pigeon, Road Foreman, Donna Meunier, Town Clerk & Treasurer, and Skip Taylor, Zoning Administrator. Public Present: Paul Lavallee, Peg Stewart, Robert Fox, and Melissa Beerworth.

1.Call to Order

Judy Cleary, Chairperson, called the meeting to order at 7:00PM.

2. Minutes

A. Bob motioned to accept the minutes from the meeting on August 11, 2008. Bill seconded. 2 board members voted in favor, and 3 board members were opposed.

B. Bob motioned to bring the minutes to the table again. Bill seconded. 3 amendments were proposed. All board members voted in favor of accepting the minutes as amended.

3. Items on the Agenda

A. Donna Meunier- Donna reviewed the current budget with the board. Erin will follow up with Fire Chief Dean Potter to find out whether he will be purchasing a new furnace, as it is a budgeted item. Donna informed the board that the cost to remove tires at the Town Garage was $1,880.00. Donna clarified that the donation to the Fairfax Rescue Squad is included as part of the Social Services donation line item; it should in fact have been a warned item.

Bob asked Donna about impact fees, as they were not included in the information the board reviewed. Donna indicated she does have separate balance sheets that include the impact fees. Impact fees collected by the Town are used for the Recreation Department and the Town Highway Department. Peg Stewart indicated that school impact fees are used solely for the purpose of debt reduction.

Judy asked Don about the cost of the winter sand; it cost more than last year. Don indicated that he did purchase the sand locally from Ormond Bushey instead of buying it from Reggie Smith in Milton; therefore, the Highway Crew expended less fuel hauling it. Don purchased 1,000 more yards this year than he did last year so he could begin to replenish the sand pile.

B. Robert Fox - Mr. Fox is the only resident on Broadstreet Road, which is a private road off of Goosepond Road. Mr. Fox asked Don and the board why the entire length of Goose Pond Road has not yet been paved. Mr. Fox indicated that other Town roads have been paved over the years instead of Goose Pond Road. Don indicated that he has only stabilized the next section of the road this year, as he was not able to do it last year. Don indicated that stabilization is important to ensure that the pavement applied will hold up. Don anticipates being able to pave the next 2/10 of a mile of the road next year.

Mr. Fox asked if Broadstreet is a private road. Bill indicated that since it is not on the official map that is filed with the Agency of Transportation, it is deemed by the Town to be a private road. Mr. Fox indicated that there is a historic site at the end of Broadstreet Road. However, Mr. Fox indicated that, according to the State, there is not enough evidence that it is a historic site. Mr. Fox asked the board to contribute to the cost of maintenance, as the road is open to the public to access the site. Bill informed Mr. Fox that the Town does not maintain any private roads in Town.

Bill recommended that Mr. Fox should contact Scott Dillon of the Historic Preservation Division of the Agency of Transportation for guidance in determining whether there is a historic site.

C. Don Pigeon - Don indicated that the wing plow has been painted. Don and Bob will meet with Randy Reed of the Agency of Transportation and Chris Brunelle, a State Stream Alteration Engineer, to evaluate bridge #36 on Chafee Road. Don and the board reviewed a Hydraulic Study that has been recently completed for the site.

Don will contact the Sheriff's Department regarding a speed cart. The board would like the speed cart to be used on Fletcher Road, Hunt Street, and Main Street.

D. Skip Taylor, Zoning Administrator - Skip reviewed a Zoning Administrator's Activity Report for June 30, 2008 through August 18, 2008. Skip indicated that he received an e-mail from Chris Boyd, the State Fire Marshall, regarding the property at 1166 Main Street. Chris has attempted to contact the owner of the property but has not spoken with him yet. Skip distributed a draft of a letter to the owner. Skip and the board discussed the DRB's written decision upholding the notice of violation that Skip issued.

Skip and the board discussed an e-mail he received from Godfrey Stephen, the owner of the property at 8 Boissoneault Road. Mr. Stephen would like to convert the property to a single-family residence. Per the Water Use and Sewer Allocation and Connection Ordinances, a change in use requires a reapplication for municipal water and sewer.

Skip discussed the tower that has been constructed on the Fairpoint building on Main Street. Skip indicated that some neighboring property owners are concerned about the tower. Skip spoke with Catherine Dimitruck of Northwest Regional Planning who indicated that according to Act 79, Fairpoint is exempt from local permits as long as the tower is no taller than 12 feet high above the roofline. A representative from Fairpoint advised Skip that Fairpoint will cease work on the tower until they have contacted the neighbors.

Erin indicated that the Planning Commission would like to have a joint meeting with the Selectboard. By consensus, the Selectboard chose Tuesday, September 16th, as a possible date. Skip will confirm the date with the Planning Commission.

Skip will ask Cathy Raymond to forward notices the Planning Commission receives regarding projects in adjacent towns.

Skip will ask Mark Hunziker and Susie Jones for a status on the Village Center Designation application.

4. Other Business

A. Bill motioned to keep the Coin Drop Policy in place. Bob seconded. 4 board members voted in favor, and one board member voted against.

B. The board briefly reviewed the Procedures and Standards Regarding Town Highways. Bill indicated that most of the information contained in this document is already in the Zoning By-Laws. The board will review this next week.

C. The board reviewed the fee schedule for Household Hazardous Waste Day. Bill motioned to increase the per household fee from $5.00 to $10.00 for the following items: antifreeze (1 gallon), thinners (1 gallon or less), and oil based paint (1 gallon containers or less). There was no second.

Peg Stewart asked if the school should contact APT Environmental to pick up any items from the school.

The board reviewed the rest of the fee schedule. Erin will contact Amy Page at APT Environmental for her fee schedule for comparison.

D. The board discussed having a dumpster on site at the Town Garage for metal and furniture on Saturday, September 13th. Erin has contacted David Shea of All-Metals recycling for pricing for the furniture.

E. The board reviewed the proposed Utility Department budgets. Bill would like Randy to provide information about the contract services that the department uses.

F. The board discussed a posting on vtgrandpa.com in which residents expressed concern that people were gathering in the woods behind their homes. Josh Langelier, Town Constable, offered assistance to these residents. The board would instead like residents to contact the Sheriff's Department if they have concerns.

G. Randy informed the board that there was a water leak on Buck Hollow Road today. Randy noted that when Amy Sears is doing general work for the Town, the time should not be charged to the Utility Department. Charlie clarified that Amy did submit a separate time sheet to the Town for the work she did for Donna last Thursday.

H. Bill indicated that he received a call from a concerned resident of Goose Pond Road regarding a dog running at large. Bill has sent an e-mail to Josh Langelier.

I. Bill informed the board that there will be an Emergency Management briefing on September 9th at 6:00PM in Enosburgh. He and Steve Bessette will be attending this. Bill reminded the board that the next Community Advisory Board meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 2nd.

J. The board reviewed the revised job description for the Zoning Administrator. The board also reviewed and revised the job description for the Zoning Assistant. Erin will forward the revised job descriptions to the Development Review Board and the Planning Commission for their input.

K. The Selectboard will hold a public hearing to discuss the current draft of the Town Plan on Monday, August 25th, beginning at 7:30PM at the Town Office.

L. The board authorized Erin to contact Stitzel, Page,& Fletcher for sample easement language as part of the Transportation Enhancement grant application.

5. Public Input

A. Peg Stewart indicated that the School board would like to have a joint meeting between the School board and the Selectboard toward the end of September. Among the topics to be discussed are the responsibilities for the recreation area. Peg will confirm with Erin the date of the meeting.

B. Melissa Beerworth asked when the Development Review Board and the Planning Commission meet. She asked if the date and time of hearings and agendas are posted anywhere. Randy suggested that a list of the dates and times should be published in the Fairfax News. Erin will send Chris Santee a list for publication in the next edition of the Fairfax News.

C. Paul Lavallee asked how the board plans to raise the capital needed to expand the water system. He indicated that there have been instances where people who live in the village have drilled wells instead of remaining on the water system. Bill indicated that the Town does not have the capacity to add additional users to the water system at this time.

6. Executive Session

A. Bill motioned to enter Executive Session to discuss a personnel matter without the Selectboard Administrative Assistant at 10:30PM. Charlie seconded. All board members voted in favor.

B. The board returned to public session at 10:50PM.

7. Adjournment

Bill motioned to adjourn the meeting at 10:51PM. Bob seconded. All board members voted in favor. The meeting was adjourned at 10:51PM.

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Erin McSweeney, Administrative Assistant to the Selectboard