Town of Pittsford
Select Board Meeting
June 17, 2015
The meeting was called to order at 6:30PM by Thomas “Hank” Pelkey, Chairman.
Select Board members present: David Trombley, Thomas Hooker, Jane Cornell, W. Joseph Gagnon and Thomas “Hank” Pelkey. Also present: Mike Warfle, Will Mathis, Mort Pierpont, Charles Greeno III, Charles Greeno, Matt Hart, Trish Lewis, John Haverstock and Kelly Giard – Recording Secretary.
- Haverstock stated that there is a need for Executive Session to discuss mosquito proposals; Green Mountain Power and Police Department proposal; lawn care bids; and fuel/diesel bids. T. Pelkey invited the Town Manager to remain for the contract and bid discussions. Chief Warfle was invited to remain for the Green Mountain Power/Police Department discussion.
- Pelkey indicated that there was a need to amend the agenda to include renewal of the R. Brown & Sons Salvage Yard License to Operate; review computer server bids; acknowledge receipt of Internal Controls Questionnaire from Sullivan & Powers; and Trish Lewis to discuss Rutland Regional Planning Commission matters. D. Trombley expressed interest in continuing the discussion of the winter sand/marble mixture. Motion by T. Pelkey and seconded by T. Hooker to amend the agenda and accept the agenda as amended. Motion passed unanimously 5 – 0.
MINUTES
The Select Board minutes from the June 3, 2015 Select Board meeting were signed, with no corrections.
ORDERS
The orders, in the amount $74,617.38 and $11,430.08 (Payroll), were approved with no discussion.
TOWN MANAGER’S REPORT
- Haverstock reported on the following:
- There will be a staff meeting on June 18 at 9:00AM. The Select Board members were invited to attend.
- The Summer Newsletter will be going to the printer on or about July 15. Please get any information to Linda Drummond prior to that date.
- Markowski Excavating transported the marble blocks intended for the planned Veterans Memorial to Gawet on July 13. Select Board members Pelkey and Trombley were present to witness this move. D. Trombley stated that 9 blocks were taken. There were more blocks moved than planned because some of the blocks had cracks. T. Pelkey stated that the remaining blocks will be donated to the Pembroke Museum in Granville, NY. T. Hooker recommended that the Town Manager send a letter of thanks to Markowski Excavating for the transportation of the blocks and to OMYA for its generous donation.
- The final Fiscal Year 2015 orders will be available for signature on June 29. There will be 3 signatures required and the Town Manager will make phone calls to obtain these signatures,
- The Town has closed on the sale of the Ritz Ski Club parcel, which was obtained via tax sale. The sale of the Lottie Gallipo property to the same buyer will take place soon. These properties were obtained by the Town at the recent tax sale.
- Utility bills will be mailed to users in July, once the meter readings are obtained.
- The Select Board will meet at some point in mid-July to set the tax rates for the new fiscal year.
- The Town Manager will be out of the office on June 19.
- The Town Office and related services will be closed on Friday, July 3 in observance of Independence Day. The Transfer Station will be closed on July 4.
- The Recreation Department’s Open House at the Recreation Area will be held on June 20 and the Town-Wide Yard Sale will be held on June 27.
PUBLIC COMMENT
None presented at this time.
OLD BUSINESS
Request for Fireworks Sale Permit:
- Haverstock reported that Chuck Greeno has been denied a similar request in the past.
Atty. Hart was present and stated that Mr. Greeno was denied permission based on VLCT (Vermont League of Cities and Towns) representations stating that the sale of fireworks is illegal in Vermont. Atty. Hart stated that the sale is legal in Vermont, up to 500 gram/item, with permission from the Town and inspection from the Department of Public Safety. Atty. Hart has spoken with the Department of Public Safety and there are no issues and periodic inspections will occur. Atty. Hart continued by stating that Class B Explosives demonstrations require a license and the ATF would be involved.
Mr. Greeno stated that he would like to become competitive with Northstar, which has a location in Barre and will soon to have a location in Poultney. Mr. Greeno has done research and found that permitting requires permission from the Town and Fire Chief, and then the request goes to the State for final approval. Mr. Greeno stated that safety is his main concern.
- Pelkey inquired if there would be sales to private individuals or just shows and displays. Mr. Greeno stated that approximately ½ of the activity would be shows and displays. The store would sell commercial grade explosives, which does not require ATF involvement. There was discussion that Walmart and Price Chopper are currently selling fireworks.
Atty. Hart stated that the State inspectors “seemed happy” with the proposal Mr. Greeno has developed. Atty. Hart stated that part of the proposal includes age verification, safety and permitting education for customers. Currently, folks drive to New Hampshire to purchase the fireworks and transport back across State lines, which is a Federal offense. Atty. Hart stated that people will be “put on notice” of permit laws and signatures of acknowledgement will be required prior to any sale.
- Pelkey inquired if there would be any liability to the Town. Atty. Hart stated that there would be $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 liability insurance required, which is the responsibility of Mr. Greeno.
- Pelkey recommended that more information be gathered from the VLCT concerning the law and potential liability.
- Haverstock inquired if fireworks displays would be a year-round activity. Mr. Greeno stated that it would be. J. Haverstock asked about the length each year of the retail portion of the business. Mr. Greeno stated that 4 months is the anticipated length.
Mr. Greeno stated that he has been working with a gentleman in Pennsylvania who has been instructing him and has the motto of “safe and sane”, which the Greenos would be following.
- Trombley inquired about the proposed location of the operation. Mr. Greeno stated that he has approached the Board of Aldermen in Rutland City recently and his request is being reviewed by its Safety Committee. Currently, the Greenos are considering potential locations in Pittsford for the four months of retail sales.
- Hooker read sections from the VT Statutes and J. Haverstock read from the VLCT information that was submitted. Atty. Hart has information from ATF and Department of Public Safety and will e-mail this information to J. Haverstock.
The Select Board agreed to table the discussion until further information is gathered.
Charles Greeno, Charles Greeno III and Atty. Hart exited at 7:00 PM.
Mosquito Update:
Mort Pierpont and Will Mathis were present to discuss the gathering of data to support a mosquito larvacide program.
Mr. Mathis has been collecting samples and some of the areas that had been collected have been drying up. There was a proposal in the packets from the BLGS Mosquito District for review.
Mr. Pierpont presented a proposal to work for the Town for the Select Board to review. Mr. Pierpont discussed funding and grant possibilities that may be available to assist the Town in their mosquito concerns.
- Pelkey stated that the voters in the past had presented a petition to address the concern. However, when the vote occurred at the Town Meeting, only three people voted for the article.
- Haverstock inquired whether adding wetland properties increased the mosquito population in Town. Mr. Mathis explained that he has found minnows in wetland areas which may be eating mosquitoes. Mort Pierpont expressed the belief that increased wetlands likely increased the number of mosquitoes.
Cristina Kumka discussed larvacide and adultacide and asked questions of both Mr. Pierpont and Mr. Mathis.
- Trombley inquired about the cost without grant funding. Mr. Pierpont explained that the cost is based on the acres affected.
Mr. Mathis and Mr. Pierpont exited at 7:33 PM.
Winter Sand vs Marble:
- Trombley inquired about the costs of the winter sand vs. marble. J. Haverstock will obtain these costs and include in the packets in the near future. There was communication between Shawn Erickson and J. Haverstock concerning this issue.
- Trombley stated that he has spoken with Dave Markowski concerning the marble. Mr. Markowski has stated that colored marble is more effective. The darker the marble, the more the sun is absorbed. Proctor has discontinued the use of marble mixed in with the sand, following a 5 year study, which resulted in a determination that the marble is too costly.
More information was requested by the Select Board and Shawn Erickson will be invited to a future meeting for further discussions.
NEW BUSINESS
Review Bids for Lawn Care:
This topic was deferred to Executive Session.
Review Fuel Bids:
This topic was deferred to Executive Session.
Consider Termination of Audiotaping Select Board Meetings:
- Haverstock has done some research on the necessity of taping the Select Board Meetings and included the information in the packets for review. The VLCT has stated that there is no requirement for audiotaping a routine Select Board meeting. The current equipment that the Town owns is outdated and needs replacing. The Select Board was in agreement that all meetings will continue to be taped and a new system will be researched and purchased.
Consider Renewal of R. Brown & Sons Salvage Yard Permit to Operate:
- Haverstock stated that there have been no complaints received with regard to R. Brown & Sons Salvage Yard.
Motion by J. Gagnon and seconded by D. Trombley to renew the permit request of R. Brown & Sone Salvage Yard for the same period of time as the past permit, which was 4 years. Following discussion, the Board approved the request, for a 4-year period, unanimously 5 – 0.
Discussion of Computer Server Replacement Bids:
Denise Mahoney and Helen McKinlay have noted that the computer server is 5 years old and is beginning to have some issues. There were three bids sought, which were included in the packets for review. Ms. Mahoney and Ms. McKinlay recommend purchasing the new server from the current supplier, VT Digital in the amount of $6,294. This amount is also the lowest bid received. Motion by J. Gagnon and seconded by T. Hooker to approve the request and purchase the new computer server for $6,294 from VT Digital. Motion passed unanimously 5 – 0.
Acknowledge Receipt of Internal Control Questionnaire:
This questionnaire was submitted by Sullivan and Powers, the external auditing firm. The Select Board acknowledged receipt of the document, as filled out by Town staff.
Rutland Regional Planning Commission Update:
Trish Lewis was present to update the Select Board on recent activity of the Rutland Regional Planning Commission.
The Rutland Regional Planning Commission has developed small solar and wind sighting parameters and the information is included in the packets for review.
Ms. Lewis is now the Vice-Chair of the Rutland Regional Planning Commission.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
- Pelkey made a motion and seconded by T. Hooker to go into Executive Session for contracts 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 Contacts at 7:51 PM with the Town Manager and Chief Warfle invited to remain for Executive Session.
Chief Warfle exited Executive Session at 8:00 PM.
The Select Board exited Executive Session at 8:07 PM.
Motion by T. Hooker seconded by D. Trombley to award the two-year lawn care contract to low bidder, B K Services at the price of $2,390.00 per year. Motion passed unanimously 5-0.
Motion by T. Hooker and seconded by D. Trombley to award the contract for #2 heating iol and diesel fuel to Mac’s Flame-Rite, at $0.10 per gallon over the Rutland rack price and to award the contract for propane to low-bidder Proctor Gas, at $1.3638 per gallon. Motion passed unanimously 5-0.
Motion by T. Hooker and seconded by J. Cornell to authorize the Police Chief to enter into an agreement with Green Mountain Power to have Pittsford PD officers work for GMP on local projects, as needed, at the rate of $50.00 per hour, with the officers doing the work earning $25.00 per hour for such duty, it being understood that this detail would in no way interfere with the amount and quality of police services now being rendered to the Town. Motion passed unanimously 5-0.
The meeting adjourned at 8:11 PM.
The next regular meeting of the Select Board will be held on July 1, 2015.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kelly Giard, Recording Secretary
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Thomas “Hank” Pelkey, Chairman
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Thomas Hooker, Vice Chairman
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Jane Cornell, Selectman
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Joseph Gagnon, Selectman
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David Trombley, Selectman