Twitchell Building - 100 Old School Street, South Londonderry

Town of Londonderry

Select Board

Regular Meeting Minutes

Monday, November 20, 2017- 7:00pm

Twitchell Building - 100 Old School Street, South Londonderry

Board Members Present: Paul Gordon, Jim Ameden, George Mora, Bob Forbes, Tom Cavanagh

Board Members Absent: none

Others in Attendance:Tina Labeau, Robert Nied,Bruce Frauman, Dick Jewett

1.Call meeting to order

Select Board ChairPaulGordoncalled the meeting to order at 7:03pm

2.Additions or deletions to the agenda: None

3.Minutes:

Approval of Regular Board Meeting Minutes –November 6, 2017

GeorgeMora motioned to approve, Tom Cavanaghseconded. Approved by all in favor.

4. Select board pay orders:Pay orders distributed to Select Board members and signed

5. Announcements/Correspondence:

Paul stated that letters of interest are being accepted from those wishing to serve on the Traffic Safety Committee.
Paul reported that a letter of interest was received from Marge Fish who would like to serve on the Parks Board. George moved to appoint Marge to the Parks Board, seconded by Tom and approved by all in favor.
Paul reminded all committee heads to ensure that agendas and minutes were produced and made available for all committee and board meetings to ensure that the Town complies with Open Meetings laws. Paul stated further that if agendas and minutes are not provided adjustments would have to be made to the committees.

6. Visitors and Concerned Citizens:

Richard Jewett addressed the Board on behalf of the Chester Snowmobile Club and requested permission for snowmobilers to use the side of Lowell Lake Road from Route 11 to Coburn Way. Jim Amedenmoved to approve the request from the Chester Snowmobile Club, seconded by Bob Forbes and approved by all in favor. A Vast Landowner Permission Form submitted by Mr. Jewett on behalf of the club was signed by Paul. Mr. Jewett also thanked the Town road crew for their plowing work on Lowell Lake Road and leaving enough snow along the shoulders of the road to facilitate snowmobile travel.
Paul reported that while Bob Ellis from GNAT-TV was on the agenda he would not be speaking.

7. Town Officials Business

Zoning compliance Update - Town Administrator/Zoning AdministratorRobert Nied provided an update on areas of zoning non-compliance, stating that there was a backlog in enforcement of the Zoning Bylaw but that a concerted effort will be made to address areas of non-compliance.

Robert further stated that in order to increase the public’s awareness of zoning requirements additional information will be made available on the Town’s website over the coming weeks to help property owners better understand what is required of them when they make changes to their properties.Robert stated that consistent enforcement of the Zoning Bylaw serves the interest of the community by helping to maintain property values and reducing issues faced by property owners when they attempt to sell properties that have had work done without proper permitting and approval.

8. Transfer Station

Tom reported that there were no issues at the transfer station and that the backhoe was functioning.

9. Road and Bridges

Portable Radio Update -Jim reported that two (2) portable radios could be purchased for $773.00 and that the price includes programming and delivery and that the radios are configured for 16 channels and provide the same functionality as the radios in the trucks. Bobstated that it is an important time to have the radios and moved to approve the purchase, seconded by seconded, approved by all in favor.

10. Old Business

Sand and Salt Shed Update - Paul reported that an agreement was in place for the Town to obtain sufficient salt to treat the roads while the sand and salt shed was being constructed. Paul also stated that that the plans for the sand and salt shed include the installation of a band of 4’X8’ sheets of pressure treated plywood to prevent overflow salt from damaging the walls of the shed. Paul noted that the Town has received an estimate of $1,330 to install the plywood while the cost of the plywood alone would be approximately $900. Paul suggested that it would make sense to have a contractor install the plywood. George motioned to approve contractor installation of the plywood on the sand and salt shed for $1,330, seconded by Bob and approved by all in favor.

Paul distributed a document showing the various color choices for the sand and salt shed components. The board discussed the various options. Jim motioned to approve Fern Green for the shed roof and Desert Sand for the siding, soffits and fascia, seconded by George, approved by all in favor.

11. New Business

Prouty driveway bid awarding – Paul reported that the deadline for submitting bids for the driveway work was today at noon and that he had contacted area contractors by phone or email to remind them that request for bids had been issued. Paulstated that no bids were received. Paul suggested that area contractors be contacted to determine if any would be available to do the work on an emergency basis given the urgency of getting the sand and salt shed up and running.Jim stated that he would make calls to local contractors.
Energy Committee appointment - Paul stated that he would welcome a motion to appoint Donna Korpi to the Energy Committee. George moved to appoint Donna to the committee, seconded by Bob, approved by all in favor.
Wall Painting Update –Paul reported that he and Robert met with a representative from the Brattleboro Community Justice Center who had be assigned the case involving Ed Brown and the painting over of the mural. The Justice Center is attempting to negotiate a resolution and disposition of the case.

Paul stated that the Board must decide what they feel would be a fair resolution, so he and Robert can convey that position during discussions with the Justice Center representative. Paul asked the Board to consider if they would like to seek a restorative solution for the mural and if so, what would be the desired monetary amount of any restitution settlement.

The Board engaged in a lengthy discussion of the matter which included questions about the condition of the wall, the type of restoration being considered, who would participate in the restoration and the possibly of involving the school in decisions about a replacement art project for the wall. Tom asked if VTrans would allow work on the wall. Paul responded that any proposal would be presented to VTrans for their approval. Paul added that thus far VTrans has not had any comment on the case as an interested party and that he would hope that VTrans would allow for some minor cosmetic repairs to the wall in advance of mural restoration or an alternative design. George stated that she had some concerns about maintaining art work placed on the wall.Bob stated that the real question is what compensation the Town wants from Mr. Brown and whether it is possible to involve Mr. Brown in any artistic decisions about what will be placed on the wall. Tom stated that the Town should recover an amount equivalent to that spent on the original mural. Bob stated that there should be an effort to gain community agreement on what should be done on the wall to avoid controversy. Jim suggested establishing a Wall Fund and asking Mr. Brown to contribute to that fund and further suggested that the how the Wall Fund would be used could be decided later.Bob suggested that a mural that is changed every year may be more interesting and acceptable to the community. Discussion continued concerning the establishment of a Wall Fund with George suggesting the fund should include an amount equivalent to the amount originally spent on the mural. Additional discussion included a concern that restoration of a mural would likely cost more than the original because the initial project included volunteer labor that may not be available. Tom suggested that the Town seek $2,500 from Mr. Brown in restitution. Additional discussion took place about the potential for increased costs to restore the mural. Jim moved to seek $3,000 in restitution from Mr. Brown, seconded by Tom and approved by all in favor.

Budget update – Paul stated that meetings with the various committees had begun and that future budget meetings are being scheduled, including meetings with Highway, DRB, Listers and Transfer Station on November 27, 2017. He also suggested that the meeting scheduled for the 29th be moved to the 30th and we warned appropriately.
Upcoming calendar changes – Paul noted that there are some meeting schedules that fall on holidays and need to be adjusted. The Select Board will meet on the following dates: December 4, 2017, December 18, 2017, January 8, 2018, January 22, 2018, February 5, 2018 and February 19, 2018. The next Budget Meeting will be on November 30, 2017 and Candidates Night will be on February 13, 2018.
Additional new business not on the agenda – Paul announced that the annual Planning Commission sponsored pot luck for Town officials was proposed for December 11, 2017 and asked the Board if they rather it be moved to after the holiday. Hearing no objections to December 11, 2017 Paul stated that the pot luck will be set up for December 11, 2017.

12.Adjourn

Paul Asked if there were any other concerns or anything additional for the good of the order. Hearing none George moved to adjourn, seconded by Tom, approved by all in favor. Meeting adjourned at 8:20 PM

Signatures of Approval: