Meeting Minutes
Town of LeicesterSelectboard Meeting Minutes Thursday, March 7, 2013*Unapproved*** See subsequent minutes for any changes Members Present: Diane Benware, Tom Barker, Ron Fiske, Brad Lawes, Ken Young Others Present: Julie Delphia, Arlan Pidgeon, Sandra Trombley, Secretary Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 6:37 p.m. by Chair, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Review of Agenda: NEW BUSINESS: Reorganization of Board: Motion by Tom and second by Ken to nominate Diane Benware as Chair. 4 in favor. 1 abstention (Diane). So approved. Motion by Ken and second by Ron to nominate Tom Barker as Co-Chair. 4 in favor. 1 abstention (Tom). So approved. Motion by Tom to nominate Ken Young as Road Commissioner. Ken said he would, but gave some reasons why he thought someone else should be nominated. Ken recommended Brad Lawes. Tom withdrew his motion to nominate Ken. Motion by Ken and second by Ron to nominate Brad Lawes as Road Commissioner. 4 in favor. 1 abstention (Brad). So approved. Motion by Tom and second by Brad to nominate Ron Fiske as Buildings & Grounds. 4 in favor. 1 abstention (Ron). So approved. Motion by Tom and second by Ron to reaffirm Sandra Trombley as Clerk of the Board. All in favor. So approved. Board reaffirmed the following: Addison Independent Media of Record. Chair will place ads on behalf of Selectboard. Board will follow Roberts Rules of Order for Small Boards. Board will follow the Civil Rules of Conduct. Chair can make a motion or a second. A quorum of the Board can sign orders. Meetings 1st & 3rd Monday of month at 6:30 p.m. Appointments: Motion by Tom and second by Ken & Ron to appoint Donna Pidgeon as Cemetery Sexton. All in favor. So approved. Motion by Brad and second by Tom to appoint Richard Reed as Addison County Solid Waste Representative. All in favor. So approved. Motion by Tom and second by Brad to appoint Arlan Pidgeon as Tree Warden. All in favor. So approved. Town Service Officer term ends in April. Diane will call Kathy Eastwood about that and ask about Deputy Health Officer. Emergency Management and Energy Coordinator which Ray Lalumiere is filling. Diane will call Ray and also will contact Tom Drew. Filling Lister Vacancy: Jeff is willing to continue in the Lister position. Jeff is willing to learn more. Tom shared some concerns about controversy among listers and we need at least two listers. NEMRIC does the majority of the work and relieves a lot of the stress. They still need to find one lister. They work three hours per week. They need to be a resident and a registered voter. Julie reported the listers need to have everything assessed and all the changes to the properties and lodge the grand list by April 1st. Diane will communicate to Jeff that the Board would like him to stay on. Chair will place an ad for a Lister. The Board felt Town Meeting went well; only fourteen minutes long. There will be another school budget vote. There was discussion about how and best business practices to make purchases of town equipment in the future, if needed. Julie will contact VLCT about statutes on purchases and what the Selectboard can or cannot do. Considerations for 2013: Ken brought up a topic of Fern Lake Road and the amount of traffic the road gets. The culvert half way up the hill before you reach the four corners needs inspecting. He stated that we have money for pavement and could be used there. He would like to see a bigger/longer culvert where there can be wider shoulders and/or head walls or rock; and possibly guardrails. He feels it is a real safety hazard. There is no room for error when you meet a vehicle right there. Ken feels it is one of the most dangerous spots in town. Before this area is ever paved, this culvert needs attention. Ron mentioned there are ditching and culvert funds. Julie reported that there is $7,500 in the culvert fund and $13,000 in ditching fund; plus they budgeted $1,500 for culverts. Arlan will look at the culvert and work out a couple scenarios. Diane will get the paving and highway structures grant paperwork. The town is supposed to be having a conversation with Tom Roberts and Nelson Blanchard. Julie will call for a day to meet with Tom Roberts in a couple weeks. It doesn’t need to be the whole board, but need three signatures. Arlan needs to get Whiting to wash the bridge. Arlan wants to do some paving on Rte.53. Ken stated that they should write down where they pave, so they have a history of it. Diane discussed bridge and road standards updated inventory process. Diane brought up vault space and storage. Julie stated that they do need to think about it. Space is getting tighter and tighter. Julie doesn’t think she will run out of room this year, but it is cramped. Two people in the vault is an absolute limit. It’s something to think about. Review/Authorization to pay bills: Bills making their rounds for signatures. Motion by Tom and second by Brad to approve the bills. All in favor. So approved. Approval of February 18, 2013 Minutes: Motion by Tom and second by Brad to approve minutes of February 18, 2013. All in favor. So approved. Reports from Town Officials, Committees: Town Clerk/Treasurer: Julie reported that the Town Meeting was short. There were 144 voters. They were done with everything by 8:00 p.m. The school budget did not pass. Julie asked about the purchasing policy and reimbursements. Julie thinks that there were a lot of assumptions on the process. Board recommends they continue as is for the small items for now. Town Foreman: Ken thanked Arlan for cutting the pine tree. Tom thanked Arlan for fixing the hole on Dewey Road. Arlan had nothing to report. Chair signed the contract for the Addison County Humane Society. Listers: None Zoning Administrator: None Health Officer: None Cemetery Committee: Ken stated that they need a new flag pole. Tom fixed the pole twice. Tom hopes to dig it out in the spring and put in a new base before putting in a new pole. OLD BUSINESS: High Risk Rural Roads Update: Julie downloaded and Diane gave out copies for review. Diane will call Dan Newhall for clarification on program funding. Motion by Ken and second by Tom to adjourn at 8:25 p.m. All in favor. So approved. Next Meeting: March 18, 2013 Respectfully submitted, Sandra L. Trombley, Secretary