04-22-2019 Selectboard Meeting
Town of Fairlee Selectboard Meeting
Town of Fairlee Town Hall
Grange Room
75 Town Common Road
Fairlee, VT 05045
Monday, April 22, 2019
SITE VISIT
Transfer Station, Dump Rd
At 6:00 PM, the Selectboard met at the Transfer Station for a site visit.
Grange Room, Fairlee Town Hall
Call to Order: 6:48 PM
Peter Berger, Chair, called the meeting to order. A quorum was met.
- Selectboard Members: Peter Berger, Chair; Cathy McGrath, Vice Chair; and Josh Hickman
- Town Administrator: Tad Nunez
- Board Clerk: Joanna Bligh
AGENDA MODIFICATIONS
Cathy McGrath requested a discussion of Fairlee Community Arts and the appreciation letter to be written/sent
Berger added a discussion of the Transportation Committee at Two Rivers-Ottaquechee Regional Commission (TRORC) and board member Smith Reed to be added to the Agenda for next week
MOTION: Cathy McGrath/Josh Hickman moved/seconded the motion to accept the Agenda as amended. The motion passed unanimously.
STAFF AND PUBLIC COMMENTS
Town Administrator’s Report
Nunez presented the Town Administrator’s (TA) report highlighting his activities and meetings during the week beginning April 15, 2019:
CPR/First Aid Course
Nunez announced that a CPR course will be held at the Town Hall on Wednesday, May 29. The course is open to the public. The cost is $85/person for the all-day program. The Town Hall will be closed on May 29.
Local Emergency Management
Nunez reported that he has completed the annual Local Emergency Management Plan (LEMP).
Nunez attended the LEMP District 12 meeting and the major take-away was that the committee is considering dismantling. The Town’s Emergency Management personnel are Peter Berger, Lance Colby, Mike Wright, and Barry Larson.
Nunez attended a local emergency response meeting at TRORC. Discussions addressed the need for towns to consider adding to their budgets funding for incident command posts to be set up during local emergencies.
Nunez reported that the grant to purchase an emergency generator to service the Town Hall during local emergencies is pending.
Lake Morey Road Construction Project
Nunez reported that the preconstruction meeting with Northwood Construction for the Lake Morey construction project was held. On April 29, he will meet with the engineers for the project.
Fairlee Community Arts (FCA)
Nunez worked with members of the FCA to develop a final grant report.
Rental of Town Hall Space
Nunez asked the Selectboard for approval of waiving rental fees for memorial ceremonies honoring Town residents. Approval was granted.
Tri-Town Commission
Nunez contacted the Selectboard of the 3 towns to begin a conversation about downsizing the number of town representatives to sit on the Commission.
Recreation Committee
Nunez reported that beach staff interviews have begun.
Letters of Recognition/Appreciation
Letter of recognition was sent to the family of Ray “Junior” Coffin for his 55 years of volunteering for the Town of Fairlee, including the Fire Department, the Zoning Board of Review/Development Review Board, and the Planning Commission
A letter of appreciation was signed by the Selectboard and will be sent to the FCA recognizing its good work
Water Users
Nunez continued to enter data from the survey responses about backflow preventers.
Transfer Station: New Regulations and Site Visit Report
Table these discussions until the next meeting.
Lake Morey Milfoil Permitting
Nunez reported that both milfoil control chemicals have been approved by the Department of Health, but permitting for procelocor is pending.
[End of Town Administrator’s Report]
Zoning Administrator’s Report (written)
Planning Commission
Brimmer reported that the Planning Commission prepared and is mailing/posting promotional materials for the next community Planning Panel event to be held on May 9 at 6:00 PM at the Town Hall. Panelists have been invited.
Development Review Board
Brimmer reported that the lot line adjustment at the Fairlee Cemetery has been warned for a hearing date of May 14 at 7:00 PM.
Brimmer issued a permit for 19-Z-06 (Lance Mills) for residential additions and a shed.
Brimmer presented a few questions for a survey that will solicit from Town residents their thoughts on Town development.
[End of Zoning Administrator’s Report]
NEW BUSINESS
Local Emergency Management Plan
Nunez reported that the Local Emergency Management Plan has been prepared for Selectboard approval. Nunez stated that incident shelters include Rivendell Academy (primary), Samuel Morey Elementary School (secondary), and the Fairlee Town Hall (tertiary).
MOTION: Cathy McGrath/Josh Hickman moved/seconded the motion to approve the Municipal Option form of the Local Emergency Management Plan. The motion passed unanimously.
OLD BUSINESS
Better Connections Grant
The Selectboard is moving forward to create a Steering Committee for the Better Connections grant.
Fairlee Newsletter
McGrath presented an April 2019 revised version of the Fairlee Newsletter for Selectboard review.
Town Planning Survey: Status Update
Nunez reported that the Planning Commission has 2 meetings each month to work on the Town Plan revisions. He will discuss updates with Chris Brimmer this week.
Highway Ordinance and Road Access Permit
Berger noted that the current draft needs some revisions, including tying together the Ordinance and the existing Road Access permit. Nunez will continue to revise these documents.
Preliminary Discussion: Transfer Station
Nunez suggested the discussion be included in next week’s meeting agenda. Berger brought up the issue of old landfill usage and suggested boring studies be done to identify the age of the refuse. Berger noted that Kevin Geiger of TRORC is a brownfields specialist and suggested speaking with him about long-term plans for the Transfer Station.
BOARD ORDERS & CORRESPONDENCES
The board orders and correspondences were presented to the Selectboard for signatures.
MINUTES REVIEW
MOTION: Cathy McGrath/Josh Hickman moved/seconded the motion to accept the Minutes from the 4-15-19 meeting as amended. The motion passed unanimously.
MOTION: Cathy McGrath/Josh Hickman moved/seconded the motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed unanimously.
ADJOURN: The meeting was adjourned at 8:22 PM.
Attest: Joanna Bligh, Minutes Clerk.