Town of Pittsford
Select Board Meeting
April 2, 2014
The meeting was called to order at 6:30PM by Thomas “Hank” Pelkey, Chairman.
Select Board members present: Allen Hitchcock, Thomas Hooker, Jane Cornell, W. Joseph Gagnon, and Thomas “Hank” Pelkey.
Also present: Randy Adams, Wayne Williams, Jim Stewart, Linda Fox, John Haverstock and Kelly Giard, Recording Secretary.
MINUTES
The Select Board minutes from the March 19, 2014 regular meeting were signed, with no corrections.
ORDERS
The orders in the amount of $1,464,270.25 and $10,258.69 (Payroll) were approved with the following discussion:
J. Gagnon inquired about the status of the Clearlane budget. J. Haverstock indicated that the budget for this item has been exceeded by $14,000 so far and there were orders in the current packets in the amount of approximately $12,000.
TOWN MANAGER’S REPORT
J. Haverstock reported on the following:
- A staff meeting will be held on April 10 at 9:00 AM and the members of the Select Board are invited to attend.
- The Feinstein Food Challenge to benefit the Food Shelf runs through April 30. Residents are encouraged to bring items to the Food Shelf or the Municipal Office.
- The deadline for the Spring Newsletter is April 15. Anyone who has items for the newsletter are encouraged to contact Linda Drummond.
- Welcome new employees Scott Bigelow and Cody Hesse. Mr. Bigelow joined the Police Department part time and came highly recommended from his previous employer, Killington. Mr. Hesse has joined the staff as the Animal Control Officer.
PUBLIC COMMENT
None presented at this time.
OLD BUSINESS
None presented at this time.
NEW BUSINESS
OMYA Business Activity Remarks (J. Stewart):
Jim Stewart was present to update the Select Board on the following:
· During the first 3 months of this year, the shipped tonnage was up 3% from last year’s first quarter.
· The Rutland County Sheriff’s Department has been contracted for 10 hours per week to enforce lost truck travel on Whipple Hollow Road and West Creek Road. There is also a hope to contract the Pittsford Police Department to perform this enforcement as well. The Select Board agreed that this could be discussed.
· There was a necessity to purchase water from the municipal water system in March. Currently, the Hogback Quarry is pumpable.
· There was a liquid natural gas training on March 29 for regional fire services. There is hope to host more trainings in the future for other routes that these trucks may travel.
· The “lost truck” situation has been noted to be “getting worse”. This topic will be discussed at the next Community Issues Team meeting.
· OMYA will continue to sponsor Green Up Day with contributions and staff members.
T. Pelkey expressed appreciation with the assistance with the lost truck issues.
J. Gagnon indicated that there are signs along Old Route 4 in West Rutland and inquired if there could be better signage on Route 7. There was discussion that there are several legal and state laws that regulate these signs and OMYA is willing to approach the Public Signs Commission in Montpelier again.
Mr. Stewart and Mr. Williams exited at 6:46 PM.
Remarks from Recreation Director Re: Fees and Leadership Posts (R. Adams):
Recreation Director Randy Adams was present to discuss the happenings within the Recreation Department.
Motion by J. Gagnon and seconded by T. Hooker to set the annual fees for the Recreation Area as were posted in 2013. Motion passed unanimously 5 – 0.
A. Hitchcock stated that some of the Recreation Committee members have discussed starting a fund to receive contributions to assist in programming if necessary and the Select Board agreed that this is something that would be beneficial to the Recreation Department.
Motion by T. Hooker and seconded by J. Cornell to appoint Rob Ketcham as Recreation Committee Chair and Kathy Shortsleeves as Recreation Committee Vice Chair – as recommended by the Recreation Committee. Motion passed unanimously 5 – 0.
There will be an Open House at the Recreation Area on June 21, 2014 from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM featuring swimming, raffles, games, activities and possibly a sports equipment swap. More details will be coming in the near future.
Thank you to OMYA for its continued support in Green Up Day festivities. There will be a container at the Municipal Office again this year to collect roadside trash. Residents are encouraged to call the Recreation Office to indicate which road they will be cleaning to avoid duplication of efforts. A. Hitchcock inquired if there would be road maps available indicating what roads are still available to be cleaned. R. Adams indicated that there will be a map available.
The Summer Day Camp will begin on June 23, 2014 and continuing through August 1, 2014. Director Julie Ketcham will not be returning this year. Susan Markowski has been selected as the new Day Camp Director, following an advertised search.
Kayla Gallipo Desabrais will be returning for her 10th season in the swimming area.
There will be quotes sought for the resurfacing of the tennis and basketball areas. There have been some funds received as donations and more will be required to complete the project.
R. Adams exited at 7:00 PM
The Select Board recessed at 7:00 PM to convene as the Liquor Board.
The Select Board reconvened at 7:03 PM.
BUDGET STATUS REPORT
J. Haverstock reported that the General Fund expenses are at 77.9% of budget; the Highway Fund is at 92.6% of budget. The Highway Fund overage can be attributed to expenses and grant income related to the Meadow Lake Drive box culvert project, making the Highway Fund budget at approximately 85% of budget in reality.
OTHER BUSINESS
A letter has been received from the State of Vermont with regard to the Listers’ appraisal and the Town is not interested in purchasing State appraisal software. The Select Board members agreed to have T. Pelkey sign this letter of intent to not pay the $238 for State software.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
T. Pelkey made a motion and seconded by T. Hooker to go into Executive Session for legal issues where premature knowledge would be damaging to the Town, and may be jeopardized by public disclosure.
In accordance with 1 VSA 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 at 7:08PM.
The Select Board came out of Executive Session at 7:20, with the no action taken.
The meeting adjourned at 7:20 PM
The next meeting will be held on April 16, 2014.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kelly Giard, Recording Secretary
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Thomas “Hank” Pelkey, Chairman
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Allen Hitchcock, Vice Chairman
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W. Joseph Gagnon, Selectman
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Jane Cornell, Selectman
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Thomas Hooker, Selectman