The meeting was called to order at 6:30PM by Thomas “Hank” Pelkey, Chairman.
Select Board members present: Margaret “Peg” Flory, Joseph Gagnon, Thomas “Hank” Pelkey, Allen Hitchcock, and Thomas Hooker.
Also present: Bruce Paynter, Linda Weeden, John Weeden, Anita Paynter, Lema Carter, Tom Carrara, John Haverstock and Kelly Giard, Recording Secretary
MINUTES
The minutes from the October 7, 2009 meeting and the October 7, 2009 Dog Hearing were reviewed and signed with no corrections.
ORDERS
The orders of $37,030.58 (General Fund) and $11,999.17 were approved and signed following discussion as stated below:
J. Gagnon asked for clarification about items labeled as “Haunted House”. T. Hooker explained that the Fire Department reimburses the Town for these expenses.
J. Gagnon inquired about the items classified as Chipper Rental”. J. Haverstock indicated that he will communicate the cost concerns to Shawn Erickson, Highway Foreman. There was much discussion and A. Hitchcock recommended that the Town of Pittsford try to reach agreements with other towns with regard to purchasing a chipper. J. Haverstock will communicate this to Mr. Erickson.
TOWN MANAGER’S REPORT
J. Haverstock reported on the following:
- The water project began in the area of Route 7 north with boring at the intersection of Kendall Hill Road. There was an obstacle beneath Route 7 at the Kendall Hill Road and there was discussion that the boring may be taking a deeper route or a different route to get around this “rock”. There has been work done on Pine Woods Road. There were complaints from residents about work done on Pine Woods Road with inadequate notice to residents and the water being out longer than anticipated. There has been communication with the contractor and steps are being taken to avoid this type of inconvenience in the future.
- The website redesign is under way. There is a request from anyone who has pictures of various sites in town. Anyone wishing to contribute photos should send them to ‘’.
- The Rutland Telecom committee is seeking a volunteer to serve on this committee. Anyone interested should contact the Town Manager.
- The Town Plan has been drafted and was sent to the neighboring towns in anticipation of a Planning Commission Public Hearing to be held on November 19, 2009. J. Haverstock wished to thank the members of the Commission that had assisted in writing this Plan.
- The Pittsford Haunted House will occur on October 23, October 24. A rain date has been set for October 25.
- A fourth law suit has been brought by Bruce Paynter with regard to the prohibition of the taping of a quasi-judicial hearing with the Zoning Board of Adjustment held on October 5, 2009.
- Sullivan & Powers will be completing the audit on October 22, 2009 at the Town Offices.
- A staff meeting will be held on October 22, 2009 at 8:30 AM.
PUBLIC COMMENT
T. Pelkey expressed a welcome to Ms. Flory, who is filling the seat that was vacated by David Markowski. T. Pelkey expressed his feelings that statements that were made at the October 7, 2009 meeting by Tom Carrara were rude, offensive, and incorrect. Mr. Carrara was invited to give a public apology to Ms. Flory. There was discussion that Mr. Carrara had heard stories and spoke with Ms. Flory after the previous meeting. Mr. Carrara apologized to Ms. Flory. M. Flory indicated that Mr. Carrara did speak with her earlier and that she was not offended by his comments..
T. Carrara inquired how many vehicles were stored in the Town garage. J. Haverstock believes that there are 5 trucks, including the new utility vehicle.
T. Carrara inquired if the new Rutland Telecom is involved with the controversial Burlington Telecom. J. Haverstock indicated that he did not believe there was any connection. There was discussion concerning other telecom concepts within the State.
T. Carrara inquired if a chipper could be purchased to be compatable to run off of the loader. J. Haverstock indicated that he would look into this option and report back.
T. Carrara referenced an article in the Rutland Herald with regard to the abuse of Executive Session. There was discussion regarding this topic.
L. Weeden indicated that the article that Mr. Carrara is referring is an opinion editorial only and not a news article.
L. Weeden reported that she and Mr. Weeden attended the OMYA Open House in Middlebury and reported that the event was very impressive.
L. Weeden inquired if there was any information regarding the video taping prior to meetings being called to order. J. Haverstock reported that he has made contact and is waiting for a response.
L. Weeden inquired whether there was any way that there could be the “same mess as in Montpelier” with regard to the overpayment of a contractor. There was discussion with regard to this and that the auditors should be finding these errors. L. Weeden inquired if the Rutland Telecom involvement was a cost to the taxpayers. T. Pelkey indicated that he believes that this is something to investigate before signing any documents. A. Hitchcock recommended that there may not be a hurry to appoint a Town representative for this committee.
OLD BUSINESS
Discussion of Police Cruisers:
J. Haverstock reported that Lema Carter has presented a quote with regard to a new police vehicle. A copy of this quote was included in the packet for review. Mr. Carter reported that the quote is complete, with the exception of a radio.
J. Haverstock reported that he has spoken with Constable Warfle, who indicated that the current Ford vehicle should get through the winter.
J. Gagnon inquired whether the proposed vehicle was a 4-wheel drive. Mr. Carter indicated that this is a Dodge Durango.
A. Hitchcock inquired if the Ford is available for winter. Mr. Carter indicated that the vehicle is in need of brakes, calipers, brake pads, rear main seal, heater repairs, and tires. Ms. Flory inquired about the age of the vehicle. Mr. Carter indicated that the vehicle is a 2004. There was discussion that the Ford vehicle should be made safe for the winter.
A. Hitchcock inquired how many miles are on the Ford vehicle. Mr. Carter indicated that there are roughly 101,000 and the Charger has roughly 26,000 miles.
J. Haverstock reported there has been a past concern expressed as to whether the number of hours that the Constable’s Office operates justifies the ownership of two vehicles.
T. Hooker inquired how much money is available for a vehicle replacement. J. Haverstock reported that there is roughly $18,000 available. M. Flory inquired about the amount that is placed in the replacement fund on a yearly basis for replacement of cruisers. J. Haverstock reported that there is roughly $7,000 annually set aside.
J. Gagnon stated that there have been discussions in the past that the 4-wheel drive be reserved for winter usage. There was discussion as to how much time the vehicle is run during the summer. Mr. Carter reported that the 4-wheel drive is parked at his house and
he is able to respond to calls directly from home, when he is on call. T. Hooker reported that the vehicle needs to be run to keep the battery and equipment charged.
J. Haverstock inquired if there is a quote for the current list of repairs. Mr. Carter indicated that there is no quote, however, he will obtain a quote and be in communication with J. Haverstock.
Visit of Facilities:
J. Haverstock inquired whether the members would be available on October 30, 2009 between 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM to visit the Highway Garage, Kendrick Dam and possibly the Recreation Area and the Depot Hill area to look at the erosion problems. Members agreed to tentatively schedule the visits on October 30, 2009 at 2:30 PM and meet at the Town Offices.
A. Hitchcock inquired whether the Depot Hill Road has been slated for resurfacing. J. Haverstock reported that he will discuss this with Shawn Erickson, who is working on budgets for next year.
Other Old Business:
T. Carrara expressed suggestions with regard to the Water Project. T. Pelkey recommended that Mr. Carrara be in contact with the Water Commission to discuss his concerns.
NEW BUSINESS
Access Permit for Underground Utility Service:
J. Haverstock reported that Dave & Heather Bowen submitted an application, which was included in the packets. Shawn Erickson has approved, with a requirement that a bond be in place. Motion by J. Gagnon and seconded by M. Flory to approve the application with the conditions in place. Motion passed unanimously 5 – 0.
J. Haverstock explained a pending application for underground encroachment. J. Haverstock reported that the Water & Sewer Commission gave preliminary/discretionary approval for the Telemark organization to obtain service for a sprinkler system. J. Haverstock gave a history of this pending project. M. Flory inquired if Telemark would be responsible for traffic control and that any work should be coordinated with the school hours. Motion by M. Flory and seconded by T. Hooker to approve the pending request with conditions of a $1,000 bond in place, coverage of Town costs incurred, approval of Bruce Babcock, and conditions of the school traffic control. Motion passed unanimously 5 – 0.
Budget Preparation Status Report:
J. Haverstock reported that all but 2 department heads have completed their budget requests. There is anticipation that the budget proposal will be included in the November 4 packets with background information. There will be presentations by Randy Adams and Shawn Erickson with regard to their prospective budgets.
OTHER BUSINESS:
None stated at this time
EXECUTIVE SESSION
T. Pelkey made a motion and seconded by T. Hooker to go into Executive Session for Legal and Contractual at 7:07 PM. The motion was unanimously passed. J. Haverstock was invited to stay.
In accordance with 1VSA 312 (b), where premature general public knowledge would clearly place the Municipality or person involved at a substantial disadvantage, the Board unanimously agreed to enter into Executive Session for the purpose of Legal, Contractual, and Personnel at 7:07 PM.
The Select Board came out of executive session at 7:42 PM with no action taken.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:42 PM.
The next meeting will be held on November 4, 2009.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kelly Giard, Recording Secretary
Thomas “Hank” Pelkey, Chair
Allen Hitchcock, Vice-Chair
W. Joseph Gagnon, Selectman
Thomas Hooker, Selectman
Margaret “Peg” Flory, Selectman