April 21, 2026, 6:30 pm at Chelsea Town Hall
I. CALL TO ORDER
Gregg Herrin called the meeting to order at 7:40pm.
SELECTBOARD
Gregg Herrin (Present)
Curtis Chase (Present)
Paul Libby (Present)
Carrie Caouette-De Lallo (Present)
Charles Peel (Present)
TOWN EMPLOYEES/OFFICIALS
Gaye Durkee (Town Treasurer)
Rick Ackerman (Road Foreperson)
PUBLIC IN ATTENDANCE
None
II. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA
There were several additions to the agenda.
Charles Peel suggested a topic related to stakes being unexpectedly placed on the north common. It was identified that the stakes were related to tree planting, so no further discussion was warranted.
Charles Peel also noted that Chelsea Court and Hillside Homes are potentially interested in tying into the water system. Since these would involve multiple connections at the same time, there is a suggestion that we may be able to reduce the connection fee because of the shared costs of connecting multiple units at once.
Charles Peel also observed that there is currently no standard form for residents to request a water connection, and he intends to draft one for consideration.
Gayle Durkee indicated that she has received a Roberts Gould Field request. With the recent departure of the prior Town Administrator, the process for handling these types of requests will be revisited with the interim Town Administrator, Kasey Peterson upon her return to the office.
Gregg Herrin added an item related to finalizing paperwork for a previously approved line of credit.
Carrie Caouette-De Lallo indicated that she has some information to share regarding the transfer Station, to be covered later in the meeting.
III. CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURE – NONE
IV. PUBLIC COMMENTS – NONE
V. APPROVE MINUTES FROM APRIL 7, 2026
Carrie Caouette-De Lallo made a motion to approve the minutes from the April 7, 2026 Selectboard meeting. Curtis Chase seconded the motion. There was no further discussion. The motion passed unanimously.
VI. DISCUSSION OF MINUTES FORMATTING
Charles Peel requested feedback regarding the level of detail he provided for the most recent meeting minutes. There was general consensus that the new format is a clear step in the right direction to make the minutes more comprehensive and more meaningful for people who couldn’t attend the meeting. Charles and Carrie will also seek feedback from The Herald to see what level of detail is helpful for their publishing needs.
VII. HIGHWAY UPDATE
Rick Ackerman indicated that the road crew will start grading tomorrow, and that there are a lot of clay boils this year. McCullough has started making material again, so we don’t have to haul it from Barre. McCullough currently has a lot of fines in the material, so the road crew is blending that with the other stone to create a better mixture.
Rick hasn’t heard anything else about the ten-wheeler yet, but is still expecting it to be ready in a September/October timeframe. He also still haven’t found a suitable chloride truck yet; the last option he looked into wanted a much higher bid than we offered.
Rick also noted that he had the garage office and break room painted last week, and that Culligan came and serviced the softener. There’s also a drain in Rick’s bay that isn’t flowing well, so Silloway is going to come see if they can clear it out.
Charles Peel asked whether Rick had talked to the Ambulance crew about possibly using Town garage space to store their extra ambulance as they get their new one.
VIII. TRACTOR PURCHASE
The barely-used tractor in Kentucky is still available for $140,000 including shipping, with no warranty. There is another option for $198,000 for an equivalent new tractor with a 3-year warranty. Given that the less expensive tractor has no warranty, that would not be a gamble worth having a trusted colleague inspect it.
Charles Peel made a motion to send Rick Ackerman to Campton, Kentucky by airplane, with an upper limit on travel expenses for flight, hotel, rental car, and food of $1,500. Carrie Caouette-De Lallo seconded the motion. Curtis Chase made the point that Rick should not to feel obligated to give a clean bill of health, and that the expense of investigating is acceptable even if the opportunity is a dead end. The motion passed unanimously.
IX. GRANTS UPDATE
Harry Falconer from TRORC reached out to Curtis Chase, and clarified that the deadline for MERP grants is December 31, and we could potentially get extensions if needed.
X. ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATE – NONE
XI. APPROVE ORDERS
The orders include a bill from TRORC where the board is awaiting clarification about what the billed services include. There is not a specific due date indicate for the bill, so there does not appear to be any risk of penalties by waiting for more information before approving payment.
Charles Peel made a motion to accept orders except for Two Rivers while we await further information about services received. Paul Libby seconded the motion. There was no further discussion. The motion passed unanimously.
XII. SULLIVAN & POWERS CONTRACT 2026
The contract will Sullivan & Powers was already approved in a prior meeting, so Gayle Durkee just needed signatures to complete the document.
XIII. LINE OF CREDIT CONTRACT
As part of normal Town operations, the Town uses a line of credit to avoid cash-flow issues associated with the timing of tax collection being late in the year.
Paul Libby made a motion to accept resolution for maximum $375,000 for tax anticipation borrowing, and the rest of the contents of the resolution. Carrie Caouette-De Lallo seconded the motion. There was no further discussion. The motion passed unanimously.
XIV. VERMONT STATE REVOLVING FUND LOAN
Charles Peel noted that he is still making efforts to try to centralize and compile all of the prior information about the wastewater plant improvements, which was not well-organized within our files previously. There was a question about whether there is a timing risk associated with delaying the approval of a loan associated with engineering work, and it was generally agreed that we are unlikely to have a feasible option other than moving ahead.
Charles Peel made a motion to approve Vermont State Revolving Fund load agreement for $83,400. Curtis Chase seconded the motion. Upon further discussion, it was noted that the motion should include wording to specify that this is for the wastewater system. Charles Peel amended his motion, to approve a Vermont State Revolving Fund load agreement for $83,400 for the wastewater system engineering. Curtis Chase seconded the motion. There was no further discussion. The motion passed unanimously.
XV. EXECUTIVE SESSION
There were personnel topics to discuss for executive session.
Charles Peel made a motion to enter executive session, inviting Gayle Durkee. Curtis Chase seconded the motion. Gregg Herrin noted that use of executive session to discuss personnel topics is allowed per 1 V.S.A. § 313(a). The motion passed unanimously.
Executive session began at 7:55 pm.
Paul Libby made a motion to exit executive session. Charles Peel seconded the motion. There was no further discussion. The motion passed unanimously.
Executive session ended at 8:16 pm. Gregg Herrin noted that there were two personnel topics discussed, with no action taken, and at no point did any non-board members influence the discussion.
XVI. PRELIMINARY DISCUSSION OF WINDSOR COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE DRAFT CONTRACT
A review of the proposed contract from Windsor County Sheriff’s Office raised some questions about things like the split of daytime and nighttime hours, obligations about written priority lists from the board, and monthly updates from the Sheriff’s office. It was suggested that in-person updates to the Town at future Selectboard meetings would be helpful for providing transparency about services and safety in general. No action was taken, but it was noted that a representative from the Windsor County Sheriff’s Office will be present for the May 5 Selectboard meeting.
XVII. YOUTH VOLUNTEERS AT TRANSFER STATION
Based on information from the Department of Labor, there are no apparent labor law restrictions that would prevent youth volunteers from helping at the transfer station with non-equipment based duties like helping townspeople unload their trash and recycling, tidying up any loose debris, etc. The Town does still need to make sure that the right waivers are in place, and volunteers would not be automatically accepted. Each individual who wishes to volunteer will be discussed and approved in future executive sessions.
XVIII. TRANSFER STATION INSPECTION FOLLOW-UP
As follow-up to a recent inspection of the transfer station, the Town is taking steps to ensure compliance. Part of that includes a company being scheduled in the coming week to pump and inspect the oil storage tank to ensure there are no leaks.
XIX. LIGHTING CONTRACT FOR MERP GRANT
All of the lighting in the public spaces in the Town Hall will be replaced, with the full cost being covered by MERP grant funds. There may be a few areas where we will need to refine decisions about specific conditions as the project advances (for example handling ceiling replacement below the balcony).
Charles Peel made a motion to approve Doug Scott’s contract to redo lighting in public spaces inside and outside Town Hall for $44,500 using MERP funds. Paul Libby seconded the motion. There was no further discussion. The motion passed unanimously.
XX. ADJOURNMENT
Paul Libby made a motion to adjourn. Curtis Chase seconded the motion. Gregg Herrin noted that the board should work proactively to schedule topics for the next several meetings, to ensure continued improvement on effective and efficient decision making. The motion passed unanimously.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 pm.