Wallingford Selectboard Minutes

The official copy of these minutes can be obtained at Wallingford Town Hall.  

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April 7, 2008

Present:  Bill Lohsen, Charlie Angel, Frank Bruce, Joan Crowley, Bill Brooks, and Julie Sharon  

Visitors:  Joyce Barbieri, Robert Durfee, Ann Miller, Lisa Charbonneau, Dennis Smith, Sandi Switzer, Chris Rabtoy, Scott Sendra, Tom Phillips, Rose Regula, Larry Miller, and Charlie Baker  

B. Lohsen called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.  

Minutes.  C. Angel pointed out that he did not make the motion on his appointment as the Rutland Co. Solid Waste town representative.  F. Bruce moved to approve the March 24th minutes with one correction; B. Lohsen seconded the motion.  Motion carried (5-0).  

Selectboard Orders.   F. Bruce made a motion to approve the Pay Order in the amount of $23,178.29, which was seconded by C. Angel.  Motion carried (5-0).  

Route 140W Bridge Report.  Robert Durfee, P.E. from DuBois & King, gave a summary report on the construction of the Route 140W Bridge.  Total expenses for Phase I came in $6,754.56 under budget. Nearly three quarters of this project was funded by a transportation structures grant through VAOT.  Mr. Durfee discussed the repairs planned for Phase II that will be funded by a transportation enhancement grant through VAOT. 

Mr. Durfee stated that now that the Highland Water Supply (HWS) has relocated their water line to the outside of the bridge, he recommended that a written agreement be created with HWS, which permits the new line on the bridge and addresses any responsibility, liability or maintenance between the Town and HWS.  Mr. Durfee also discussed the guardrails that need replacement on the west side of the bridge, which has been authorized by the Selectboard.  B. Lohsen said that the guardrails must conform to VAOT requirements and hopefully the road crew can install them.  B. Lohsen made a motion to hire Dubois & King to prepare a blueprint plan for the new guardrails; motion seconded by C. Angel.  Motion carried (5-0).  It was mentioned that the water line will need to be located before the installation of the guardrails.

Mr. Durfee announced that a design issue has been observed with the gusset plates on the collapsed truss bridge in Minnesota.   The gusset plates on our bridge will be looked at in Phase II as it is also a truss bridge.  B. Lohsen asked if Renaud Brothers could perform the same process to the town hall front steps that they used on the concrete deck, and Mr. Durfee thought it could be done.

Wallingford Fire District #1.  B. Lohsen welcomed the Prudential Committee to the meeting, explaining that with the news that the clerk/treasurer is resigning, he thought it may be a good time to revisit the idea of merging the Fire District in with the Town.  C. Rabtoy explained that there have been preliminary discussions in the past; however, the Town was not receptive.  The merger is quite a lengthy process that involves voter and legislative approval.  Mr. Rabtoy personally feels that it would benefit the town and the fire district taxpayers in that there would be a lot of cost savings; however, this subject has not been discussed with the new Prudential Committee members.

B. Lohsen discussed the water and sewer savings on the new, low-flow toilets.  He mentioned that the Fire District could consider offering a rebate to residents who replace older, water-wasting toilets.  C. Rabtoy stated that they will be addressing sump pumps in the village that are being pumped into the sewer, which is not allowed.

Public Comments.  Rose Regula reported on the condition of the playground area at the recreational field.  There is broken glass on the sidewalk and overflowing garbage.  Tom Phillips stated that there are a few clean up days planned for the rec field.  Green Up Day is May 3rd. 

Tom Phillips gave a brief overview of the new programs being discussed by the Rec Committee to help jumpstart the summer rec program.  Co-ed league softball and volleyball tournaments are also being discussed.  Joyce Barbieri recommended that the Rec Committee present their plans to the Selectboard for approval.  She wants to avoid having to pay payroll taxes, etc. to these individuals who will be running the programs.

Larry Miller discussed the Planning Commission’s desire to establish a Development Review Board, which would replace the Zoning Board of Adjustment as well as perform site review plan. This would allow the Planning Commission to concentrate on town planning and tweaking the zoning regulations.  Larry would also like to revise the zoning regulations by inserting “DRB” in place of “ZBA” and making other minor changes.  The Selectboard was receptive to these requests and will wait to hear from the Planning Commission.

Dennis Smith handed out copies of the mediation agreement and had several questions regarding authority on behalf of the town as well as the notices sent out to adjoining landowners and interested parties concerning his upcoming site plan review.  After a lengthy discussion, Dennis stated again that he has not been treated fairly, his application has been unnecessarily delayed and it has cost him thousand of dollars in legal fees.

Annual Appointments.  On a motion made by B. Lohsen, John West was appointed as the alternate on the Rutland Regional Planning Commission; motion seconded by F. Bruce.  Motion carried (5-0).  Charlie Angel volunteered to be the Town Service Officer.  This appointment was approved on a motion made by B. Lohsen, and seconded by F. Bruce.  Motion carried (4-0-1), with C. Angel abstaining.  B. Lohsen made a motion to reappoint B. Ann Tiplady to the Planning Commission, which was seconded by F. Bruce.  Motion carried (5-0).  B. Lohsen made a motion to appoint Ed Crelin to the Planning Commission, which was seconded by C. Angel.  Motion carried (5-0).  Tom Phillips asked about the tree warden duties as he may have someone in mind for that position.  John West volunteered to be the Town Health Officer.  B. Lohsen made a motion to appoint John West as the Town Health Officer, which was seconded by F. Bruce.  Motion carried (5-0).  B. Brooks asked if the size of the Planning Commission was being increased from 7 to 9, which was not the case.  C. Angel made a motion to table the appointment of the Road Commissioner, until the third candidate could be interviewed by the Selectboard.  B. Brooks seconded the motion.  Motion carried (3-2), with B. Lohsen and F. Bruce voting no.  Mr. Coote will be invited to the next meeting.

Scholarship Committee Appointment.  F. Bruce agreed to continue serving as the Selectboard representative.  The appointment was approved on a motion made by B. Lohsen, and seconded by J. Crowley.  Motion carried (4-0-1) with F. Bruce abstaining.    

2008 Liquor License Renewal Applications.  Two additional Liquor License applications were received from Sal’s South and Wallingford Country Store & Deli.  F. Bruce moved to approve the liquor license applications as presented.  C. Angel seconded the motion. Motion carried (5-0).  

Vermont Municipal Assessor Quarterly Report.  The Selectboard reviewed the quarterly report from VMA.  Following the last meeting, Julie notified Spencer Potter of the errors on some tax bills and asked that he follow up with Dave Ballou and Joyce.  The Selectboard requested that Mr. Potter be reminded again due to the urgency of the matter.  B. Lohsen directed Julie to contact Don Green and Roy Morgan regarding the Lister vacancy.

Tax Appeal – Settlement.   David and Susan Potter had their tax appeal hearing with the State of Vermont , Division of Property Valuation and Review, and settled on a value of $41,000.  B. Lohsen made a motion to sign the stipulation agreement, which was seconded by B. Brooks.  Motion carried (5-0).  

Correspondence.  Pike Industries quarterly report; Rutland County Solid Waste District News; and Green Mtn. Forest letter.  Julie was asked to notify the Vermont Telecommunications Authority to offer our property for use by an internet or mobile service provider in order to facilitate the establishment and delivery of wireless and high speed internet infrastructure and services in Wallingford .  

Ford 550 Transmission.  The Selectboard considered the options:  1) purchase a new transmission for approximately $4,500; 2) purchase a rebuilt transmission for approximately $2,600 plus the cost of renting a transmission dolly, or do nothing and sell the truck as is.  At the last meeting, Dennis Smith expressed interest in buying the vehicle.  Following discussion on their options and whether or not to advertise its sale, B. Lohsen made a motion to sell the truck “as is” to Dennis Smith for $8,000; motion seconded by C. Angel.  Motion carried (5-0).  

Transfer Station.  Earth Waste Systems delivered their container for scrap metal last week.  F. Bruce reported that someone filled half the furniture container and only had to pay $125, which didn’t seem high enough.  Julie will perform a survey of transfer station fees for review at the next meeting.  Joyce reported that she sent information to the elementary school about teaching children to recycle.  With metal prices at an all-time high, Joyce would like to notify residents of how to dispose of their junk vehicles.  She’ll put something in the town newsletter on this issue.  

Quarterly Financials.  Joyce reviewed the quarterly financial report with the Selectboard.  In theory, results should be at 75% of budget.  With the exception of the Highway Department, which is currently at 93% of budget, there are no other significant variances.  It was noted that the (seasonal) road crew employee is nearly at 85% of his salary budget.  The Selectboard decided that between now and June 30th,  he will be called for storms and/or vacations.  F. Bruce will pass this information on to the road crew.  

Joyce heard that the proposed hourly pay to the individuals running the summer rec program is a significant increase compared to previous years.  Since the proposed rec program should pay for itself, the Selectboard agreed they would rather not have an employer-employee relationship exist for the summer rec program.  These workers will be handled as independent contractors, performing services as non-employees.  No taxes will be deducted from their compensation; they will receive a 1099 at year end.  This decision will be passed on to the Rec Committee.  

The meeting adjourned at 9:03 p.m.

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