Minutes - 10-21-19
Town of LeicesterSelectboard Meeting MinutesMonday, October 21, 2019*Unapproved*** See subsequent minutes for any changes Members Present: Diane Benware, Brad Lawes, Tom Barker, John Rouse, Ron Fiske Others Present: Julie Delphia, Arlan Pidgeon, Matthew Rickert, Leslie Bienvenue, Peter & Brent Newton, Representatives of Sheriff’s Department, Sandra Trombley, Secretary Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Chair. Pledge of Allegiance: Review of Agenda: Approval of October 7, 2019 minutes: Motion by Brad, second by Tom, to approve minutes of October 7, 2019 as written. 1 Abstention (Brad) and 3 yes. So, approved. Review/Authorization to Pay Bills: Motion by John, second by Tom, authorizing Julie to pay the bills. All in favor. So, approved. Reports from Town Officials, Committees: Road Foreman: Arlan reported that Scott did quite a bit of grading and Arlan hauled sand all day. Arlan called NorTrac about a loader, but hasn’t heard back. Tom indicated there was a Case loader in Brattleboro that Arlan should look at if it’s still there. Town Clerk/Treasurer: Julie reported that the taxes continue to come in; so, she will start paying off loans and appropriations. Julie reported that back a while ago there was a Class Action suit for a Pilot Program. She got a check in the mail today for $187. Julie reported they got their final FEMA payment. Julie reported there are three of their computers running Windows 7 Professional. Windows 7 Professional is no longer going to be supported by Microsoft by the middle of January 2020. They need to be updated to Windows 10 Professional. The price to do that is cost prohibitive giving the age of the computers. Silloway does not believe these computers are worth the upgrade. Julie’s computer is fine, but the other three are not. Julie asked Silloway to quote for new computers. Their computer quote is $815 for each stand alone; including operating system and software. Julie stated that they have until the middle of January, so they could split the expense. Silloway recommends they probably should all be done by spring. Once January 15th goes by, the computers are vulnerable to hacking. Julie reported there is some money in her clerk account. Julie recommends they purchase at least two this year and one in January; or all three this year. There was discussion about the current server and how dumb terminals would work. Julie stated in order to have dumb terminals they would need a far more robust server than they currently have. They recently upgraded their server. Motion by Tom and second by Ron to authorize Julie to purchase all three computers now. All in favor. So, approved. Health Officer: Animal Control Officer: Cemetery Committee: Tom mentioned there is a problem with the flag at the cemetery. He will take care of the flag pole. It may need a new rope and a new flag. Weight Permits: None CORRESPONDENCE: NEW BUSINESS: OLD BUSINESS: Old Jerusalem Road Culvert Replacement: Julie reported the State would like approval of the Preliminary Plans. Julie will first contact the State and request results of the Archeological Study. Update on Delorm Road Traffic Issues: Julie reported that since the last meeting, she contacted the Nop Farm and the Goodrich Farm. Goodrich Farm has not had any trucks on any of the roads as of the time Julie contacted them, but they did talk with their drivers. Julie sent a letter to D&F about the complaints and rules of the road expectations. Julie contacted the Sheriff’s Department and they offered to put in a traffic recorder camera on Delorm Road and south of Ferson Road. Julie also contacted the State Police and she spoke to Mark Stacey who is doing the safety program and asked if they could look into it. Matt sent an email to the Board stating that he has noticed a positive impact. Meet with Addison County Sheriff’s Department: The Addison County Sheriff’s Department came to see about the possibility of the Town of Leicester contracting with them for traffic control. Introductions were made for those that didn’t know each other. Peter shared that Brent knows the situation on Delorm Road and has been out there for a while. Brent provided 6 days of data. The average north bound speed was 37 mph and south bound speed was 38 mph. The maximum speed he recorded in 6 days was between 56 and 60 mph. Brent stated that if he was enforcing that road, in 6 days, he would have ticketed 29. This is cars and trucks. Brent stated that truck traffic has a big spike in the afternoon. These big trucks take up a lot of room on the road and give the perception of speeding due to their size. It’s definitely car traffic that’s speeding. Brent thinks some of the problems they were experiencing has lightened up because the roads have opened up. Matthew explained that it’s the size of the trucks on the road he objects to. Farm vehicles; as well. Brent explained the exemption permit rule. Just because the trucks are working for the State or a Municipality, they still don’t get to go anywhere they want to go. They still have to access from the nearest Class I highway to their job. They still have to follow Vermont State Law for weights. Julie explained that there are also speeding issues on Hooker Road, Lake Dunmore Road, Delorm Road, and Ferson Road. Julie explained some history and how the Sheriff’s traffic control contracts were handled in the past. Julie asked if the Selectboard went with a traffic control contract, would the Selectboard be able to have input as to where the targeted patrol area would be? Peter said, “yes”. Brent stated they do not generally do patrols after 10:00 p.m. at night unless it’s a DUI grant. Diane explained their budget is a calendar year budget and we didn’t budget for this year. The contract provided by the Addison County Sheriff’s Department went through the end of June 2020 would be $28.50 per hour and .58 per mile. They recommend at least 20 hours per month to have a good highway safety program. Diane asked about other suspected criminal activity other than traffic control. Brent explained they would deal with what they encounter, but it is the responsibility of the Drug Task Force who tend to be in Chittenden County a lot of the time. They will certainly help if they are needed. Peter stated the Board should feel free to call them for anything. The Sheriff agreed to not charge for mileage for the rest of this year. Motion by Tom and second by John to authorize Diane to sign an edited traffic control contract on behalf of the Board for $28.50 per hour with no mileage fee effective now through December 2019. Starting in January 2020 a new contract thru June 2020 at $28.50 plus .58 per mile. All in favor. So, approved. The Board is pleased to have an Addison County Sheriff’s Department traffic control contract and relationship once again. Julie commented that she was excited about the positivity of this conversation. BUILDING NEEDS: Updates on Senior Center Work: John reported that one is too busy and can’t do it and the other hasn’t called him back. Tom reported no one has called back. Tom is going to call Rutland again. HIGHWAY CONCERNS/NEEDS: Town Shed: LIMITED PUBLIC OPINION: EXECUTIVE SESSION: Motion by John to adjourn at 7:45 p.m. Next meeting: Monday, November 4, 2019 Respectfully submitted, Sandra L. TrombleySelectboard Secretary