Wallingford Selectboard Minutes

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September 17, 2007

Present:  Gene Gilman, Charlie Angel, Frank Bruce, and Julie Sharon

Visitors:  Joyce Barbieri, Jon Clark, Charlie Gauthier, Eric Davenport, Dennis Smith, Lisa Charbonneau, and Sandi Switzer  

Vice Chair G. Gilman opened the meeting at 7:00 p.m.  

Minutes.  Action on the minutes deferred to next meeting in the absence of quorum for their approval.  

Selectboard Orders.  Pay orders totaling $12,383.06 were approved on a motion made by F. Bruce and seconded by C. Angel.  Motion carried (3-0).  

Wallingford Rescue Request.  G. Gilman opened the discussion stating that he recalled that someone had told B. Lohsen that town money couldn’t be given to the rescue squad for their new building because they report a profit.  Eric stated he would look into this because they are a “not-for-profit” organization. Joyce clarified that B. Lohsen had actually reported that the Town could not obtain bonding for the building because the Town is not the owner.  Eric stated the banks would only lend $175,000 because their income is unpredictable.  Eric will talk with Bill Lohsen about this further to confirm the facts.   

Meacham Street .  The Selectboard read an email from Steve Jerome of Vermont Local Roads.  He met with Charlie Woods to walk Meacham Street last month in response to a complaint by residents concerning the heavy drainage in their back yards that has occurred for years.  Mr. Jerome concurred that the drainage runoff might have been caused by development up stream from Meacham Street .  He recommended a hydraulic study be completed to give the Town guidance in future development and drainage design in that area.  The drainage alteration completed by a property owner should also be addressed with the State Stream Alteration people.  Mr. Jerome agreed that this could be a civil matter between neighbors.  He recommended that the Town, Land Owner and Developer work together in resolving the drainage issue. The Town should have policies and guidelines in place to prevent these types of issues. Mr. Jerome and other interested parties will be invited to the October 1^st meeting. 

Wallingford Fire Department Coin Drop Request.  Charlie Gauthier requested permission to hold a coin drop on Saturday, October 13 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a rain date of October 14.  The Selectboard cautioned Charlie that the solicitation should not take place within 750’ of the intersection.  G. Gilman made a motion to approve the request; motion seconded by F. Bruce.  Motion carried (3-0).
 

Better Backroads Grant Update.  Earlier in the month, the road crew was told by the adjoining landowners, Ann Tiplady and John Sease, to halt the work that was being performed along Otter Creek on Hartsboro Road .  Julie explained that the Town did not have an “agreement for entry” from the neighbor when the application was submitted in March 2006.  This fact was made known to the Northern Vt. Resource Council. The project called for stabilizing the river bank with large rocks, covering the area with surface material, and reseeding with vegetation.

The Sease’s would like to expand the project to address a long term solution and have offered financial assistance.  Unfortunately, at this point the Town can only perform the work as reported on the grant application.  Therefore, after several conversations between Mr. Woods, NVRC, Mrs. Tiplady, Julie, and the Road Commissioner, it was agreed that because of the objection from the neighbors, because the work will take three weeks, because there is vacation planned in early October, and because the deadline to complete the work is October 15, it was recommended that the Town forgo the grant and apply for a new one.  Fred Nicholson from the Agency of Natural Resources will be contacted for technical assistance.  The application deadline is October 19. 

Caterer Permits.  F. Bruce moved to approve a caterer license for Fitz Vogt for a wedding at the Boy’s Camp on 10/6; motion seconded by G. Gilman.  Motion carried (3-0).  F. Bruce moved to approve a caterer license for The Pub for a cocktail party at the White Rocks Inn on 9/28; motion seconded by G. Gilman.  Motion carried (3-0).

Sand/Salt Bids.  G. Gilman reviewed results from the bids received for winter salt.  F. Bruce made a motion to accept the bid from Cargill at $49.61 per ton delivered.  C. Angel seconded the motion.  Motion carried (3-0).  The only other bidder was American Rock Salt, who quoted $54.79 per ton.

Winter sand bids per ton were received as follows:  Pike: $7.00 pick up, or $9.40 delivered; Fuller Sand & Gravel: $6.25 pick up, or $9.25 delivered; and Abbott Construction $10.35 delivered only.  Haul Rate per ton:  Phil Baker at $2.25; Ethier Trucking at $2.30; and Abbott Construction at $2.85.  C. Angel moved to purchase the sand from Fuller Sand and Gravel at $6.25 per ton and have it hauled by Ethier Trucking at $2.30 per ton.  Motion carried (3-0).  The hauling contract was not awarded to the lowest bidder due to Ethier Trucking having more trucks in his fleet.

Public Comment.  Dennis Smith conveyed his concerns regarding the zoning permit granted to Karen Lamay.  The Zoning Administrator will be asked to research this.

Errors & Omissions.  Dave Ballou, Chair of the Board of Listers, prepared Errors and Omission requests for the following:  1) John Blanchard, Jr. (parcel ID 0210135) whose assessment of $99,000 was lowered to $84,300 because the property was originally classified as a house but is actually a camp; 2) Leo Wood (#0900499) whose total assessment of $141,500 was lowered to $137,200 because a survey submitted 9/13/07 showed 37.09 acres, not 40.16 acres as calculated; and 3) Seward (#0280030 and #0063800) whose properties were combined as the parcels are contiguous. The consolidation brought the total assessment to $669,700.  G. Gilman made a motion to approve these amendments, which was seconded by F. Bruce.  Motion carried (3-0).  

Other Business/ Ann ouncements.  Tom Phillips submitted a Notice of Intent for stormwater discharges associated with construction activity on low risk sites for the Town’s property on Waldo Lane , in connection with the reclamation of the sand and gravel pit.  This form must be signed by all applicants for the Act 250 permit.  The Selectboard approved the signing of this document.

The Selectboard reviewed the bid evaluation prepared today by DuBois & King for the Route 140W Bridge project. Only two bids were received:  Renaud Brothers for $193,840 and Belden Company for $269,455.  Renaud appears to be the lowest, although it is $43,800 over the recommended budget.  D&K recommends awarding the project to Renaud, which would bring the total budget to $266,090.  If the Town cannot fund this budget, D&K then recommends deleting some items to reduce the budget to $211,090.  Bob Durfee of D&K was contacted by phone to discuss the bids. The Town has $16,650 allocated in the budget for these repairs, plus the $150,000 state grant. Bob Durfee offered to ask VTrans to extend the grant deadline of March 2008. 

Lee Perry submitted a Delinquent Tax Report showing $41,019 in delinquent real estate taxes for the period 2001-2007.  He plans to send approximately 6-7 properties that total $19,924 to an attorney for tax sales.

Correspondence received included the Department of Taxes fiscal year 2008 education tax rate notice and the Sheriff’s activity logs for the month of August. Ed Crelin had to turn down the Planning Commission appointment due to his heavy work schedule but asked to be reconsidered next spring.

In response to C. Angel’s question last meeting whether a residence on Creek Road had applied for a zoning permit, Joyce stated that the improvements do not exceed $2,000.

The meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.

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