Selectboard Meeting
August 1, 2005
Page
1 of 4
Attending the
meeting; Rob Bast, Andrea Morgante, Jon Trefry, Howard Russell, Jeanne Wilson,
Wayne Bissonette, Al Barber, Brad Wainer, Mike Anthony, Rocky Martin, Jean
Isham, Carrie Fenn, Kay Ballard, Joe Iadanza, Chris Applin, Steven
Miller
Wayne Bissonette / Discussion of Re-Zoning of South West
Corner of Shelburne Falls Road / Route 116 Intersection – Wayne reviewed with the Board his request of several years
ago to change the zoning on property at the corner of Rt 116 and Shelburne
Falls Rd. Wayne said at that time the Board agreed to change to a commercial
zone and directed Wayne to the Planning Commission and asked the PC to have the
change made as a priority item. The
change has not yet been made and Wayne said the PC now directed him to the
Selectboard for a decision. He has a
proposal for development on a portion of the 8 acres of the corner from
Champlain Oil.
Jean Isham advised
now that the Town Plan is in place the PC is working on writing the regulations
to carry out the plan. Carrie Fenn said
the PC would like to see mixed uses for that area.
Rob said he sees the
necessary piece for that corner as placement and access.
Joe Iadanza said that
planning needs to start at that corner and work towards the village. The piece of property should be considered
as a whole unit and not broken up.
Howard said in
reading the PC minutes on the subject he is concerned about making zoning
changes in a piecemeal fashion, he wants to encourage a village center and
pedestrian friendly village.
Wayne brought up the
zoning change done as a priority to allow NRG’s construction.
Howard said NRG was a
special circumstance that had specific criteria, one being high level
employment opportunities for residents.
Brad Wainer said he
feels this is an opportunity to improve that corner and would like to see the
PC expedite changing the zoning to commercial. He also stated most jobs at NRG
are not held by Hinesburg residents.
Rob said it would
help for Wayne to have a complete proposal of what the project would look
like. Rob also said the Board should
check what the criteria were for the decision to allow the NRG property to be
rezoned.
Jon said it appears
the Selectboard will need to be the driving force behind any change and wants
to discuss with the full Board to see if the majority of the Board is willing
to look at this and push the change if appropriate.
Wayne asked to be put
on the agenda for the next meeting to discuss this further.
Hinesburg Fire Department / FY 04-05 Budget Over Expenditure - Al
Barber said he estimates the Dept to be $20,000 over budget. This is partly due to higher than
anticipated fuel and insurance costs but mostly to improvements to a truck.
Brad Wainer said he
finds the account summary difficult to use and feels it is not timely and
accurate. The Board discussed with Brad
and Al how the accounting process might flow better. Also discussed was the possibility of the Fire Dept Association
funding the work done on the truck which would show on the year end report as
income and offset the overage.
Chris Applin, Good Times Café / Removal of Shrubs in
Easement Area Adjacent to Village Green – Easement
was granted on 5/28/01 to Brian Duerr along side the Village Green. Chris would like to remove the shrubs in the
easement and replace with shrubs along the property in the park to allow for
more space in his parking lot.
Discussed was the impact
that would have on the park and possible need to move the bench.
It was suggested a
fence could be erected which would require less space.
Rob said the Board
will get input from residents who worked on the park and monument and the Board
members will make a site visit to check out the impact of the requested change.
AUGUST 1, 2005 page
2 of 4
Director of Buildings & Facilities Rocky Martin / Update
on Cell Tower – Rocky advised
the Board that Nextel was not willing to pay the Town’s requested rental fee
and wanted to know if the Board wants him to pursue having Riser Management put
together a proposal package to market to other cell phone companies.
Andrea moved the
Board vote to authorize Rocky to spend up to $1500. to contract with Riser
Management to send a proposal to erect a cell tower to cell phone companies
over the next 3 months. Second by
Howard and approved.
Highway Foreman Michael Anthony / Paving Bids – Mike is proposing to do all requested sections on Silver St
and wait till next year for work on Hinesburg Hollow Rd.
Discussed shoulder
work. What level of work is expected for the shoulders? Placing gravel
alongside the newly paved road / constructing new drainage methods / mulching
and seeding? The Board instructed Mike to pick a problem area and propose a
solution for correcting drainage so it will not negatively impact the Town
road.
The Town will plan to
do gravel shoulders on newly paved areas, Mechanicsville Rd up Richmond Rd to
Triple L trailer park, and a section of the Charlotte Rd from Baldwin to the
top of the hill.
Howard moved to award
the paving bid to S.T. Paving and the shoulder work to Pike on the recommendation
of the Highway Foreman. Second by Jon
and approved.
Employee Interview / Steven Miller, Highway Maintainer
Trainee – Steve is a resident
of Monkton. He has no experience with
road maintenance equipment with the exception of working on his own
property. He grew up on a farm and
learned to run all types of farm equipment; he learned to run yard equipment
when working for a log home manufacturer.
He is currently employed by S.T. Griswold and has a class A
license. He is looking to change employment
to have shorter working hours in the summer so he can spend time with his
family.
Jon moved the Board
vote to authorize Jeanne to prepare an employment letter offering the job of
Highway Maintainer Trainee to Steven Miller pending all checks of his record.
Second by Howard and
approved.
Other Business
Approve Warrants: Jon moved that the Board vote to approve the warrants
(including payroll warrants) for bills payable as presented by the Town
Treasurer. Second by Howard and
approved.
Protocol for Signing Orders for Payment of Bills: Andrea
moved that the Board vote to authorize the following two Selectboard members,
Jon Trefry and Rob Bast to sign orders for bills payable (including payroll) for
time periods between regular Selectboard meetings. This authority shall be used sparingly, and shall not replace
action on the orders by the entire Selectboard when meeting timing allows. Second by Howard and approved.
Due to the
requirement that payroll warrants be signed by the Selectboard or a designated Selectboard member prior
to issuing payroll checks, Andea moved that the employee work-week shall remain
Friday – Thursday, and payroll checks shall be issued on the following Monday
beginning on August 5th, second by Howard and approved.
Correspondence from Alex Weinhagen /
Clarification of Road Standards
AUGUST 1, 2005 page 3 of 4
Magee Hill Road Visibility Issue –Peter Erb revisited the area and
responded to the Board. Jeanne has not
received a response from Paul Wieczoreck yet.
Board
members that went back to look at the site agreed that with the growth of the
tree it does impact the line of vision for pulling out from Magee Hill Rd.
Zoning
by-laws do refer to corner lots and safety issues.
Jon moved
the Board authorize Jeanne to send a letter to the property owner on behalf of the Board stating the
Board believes the tree is a safety
hazard to motorists exiting Magee Hill Rd and the Town intends have the tree
removed. The Town would like the tree
removed in the next two weeks, pending the outcome at that time the Town will
take steps to have the tree removed.
Second by Howard and approved.
Request to Serve Alcohol at Fire
Station / Randy Thompson on August 20, 2005:
Jon moved
that the Board vote to approve the request by Randy Thompson for permission to
serve alcohol at the fire station for a private birthday party on Saturday, August
20, 2005 from 1 – 5 pm, subject to the following conditions:
§
A
responsible person over 21 years of age
will be designated to be “in charge” of the event and to monitor alcohol use at
the event to ensure that there is no underage drinking and that intoxicated
persons do not drive; and
§
A
“Don’t Drink and Drive” poster shall be posted at the entrance to the event,
naming the responsible person and offering the services of the responsible
person to arrange for safe trips home.
Second by
Howard and approved.
Request from Carpenter Carse Library
to Install Directions Signs: Andrea moved that the Board vote to
authorize the Carpenter Carse Library to erect a free standing directional sign
in the Town’s right-of-way on Shelburne Falls Road. The Library will be responsible for purchasing the sign, and the
Town will provide the sign post and installation. The location of the sign will be outside of the Route 116 right
of way, and will be coordinated with the Highway Foreman. Second by Jon and
approved.
Permission
to erect a sign on Route 116, or within the Route 116 right of way will need to
be received from and coordinated with the Vermont Agency of Transportation. Directional signs are not allowed on street
name signs per Dick Hosking.
Approval of Over Weight Vehicle
Permits: Jon moved that the Board vote to
approve the over weight vehicle permits issued, as detailed on the Over Weight
Vehicle Permit List dated 7/20/05.
Second by Howard and approved.
Request to Waive Grade Requirement in Road Standards for
Development on Bissonette Lane:
Jon moved that
the Board vote to waive the maximum grade standard of 10% - 16% for town &
development roads, as outlined in Standard A-76 of the Town of Hinesburg Policy
for Transportation Construction and Improvements, to allow a grade of up to 18%
for a short section of Bissonette Lane, associated with a proposed subdivision
depicted on a sketch plan by George Bedard , dated April 8, 2005 . The Board waives the maximum grade
requirement in this situation, due to the following facts regarding Bissonette
Lane:
§
It is
a well-established, existing road with a stable road base;
§
There
is a relatively level approach of approximately
70‘ from the intersection with Route 116 to the onset of the steeper grade;
AUGUST 1, 2005 page 4 of 4
§
The
section of road with areas which exceed the maximum 16% grade is approximately
200‘ in length. Beyond this short,
steep section, the remaining portion of the road (approximately 900’) through
the meadow has negligible grades;
§
Input
from Fire Chief Al Barber (dated June 12, 2005), stating that after the road is
widened, the existing grade will be acceptable for emergency vehicle access
because the steep section in only for a short length;
§
The
limited number of dwellings on the road (6 single-family homes and one camp);
§
The
limited width (50’) of the existing right-of-way in the steep section.
This waiver
of the grade standard only applies to the subdivision application noted
above. Any further subdivision or other
change on Bissonette Lane which would substantially increase traffic will require a reduction of
the grade to meet the current Road Standards.
This may require the acquisition of additional rights-of-way to meet the
grade requirement.
Second by
Rob and approved.
Request to Work in the Town’s Right of Way on Lewis Creek
Road / GMP for Pole Placement: These plans have been reviewed and approved by the Highway
Foreman and Tree Warden. Andrea moved
that the Board vote to approve a request by Green Mountain Power to work in the
Town’s right of way on Lewis Creek Road as outlined in the permit dated 7/25/05
and Plan # 110231. Second by Howard and
approved.
Review of Employee Personnel Policy – further review of Board members comments and areas needing
clarification was done. Jeanne will
rewrite with changes made tonight for final review.
Discussion of Employment Offer / Highway Department – Jon moved the Board vote to withdraw employment offer to
Robert Acquaotte dated 7/18/05 due to failure to meet contingencies as outlined
in employment letter. Second by Howard
and approved.
Andrea moved the
Board go into executive session for personnel discussion, second by Howard and
approved.
Andrea moved the
Board come out of executive session and adjourn, second by Howard and approved.
Respectfully
submitted,
Valerie Spadaccini,
secretary