| Selectboard Meeting Agenda |
| September 17th, 2024 6:30 pm Chelsea Town Hall |
| Call to Order |
| Kelly Lyford called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm. SELECTBOARD Kevin Marshia (Absent) Kelly Lyford (Present) Gregg Herrin (Present) Leyna Hoyt (Present) Jesse Kay (Present) TOWN EMPLOYEES Tierney Farago (Town Administrator) Rick Ackerman (Highway Supervisor) |
| Additions to the Agenda |
| A request to use the Village Greens on October 31st from 4pm-7pm was received. The Selectboard only had a concern that if they move forward with landscaping in the North Common, the closure of the common may affect the event. The Selectboard asked to let the applicant, Chelsea Parker, know that this might be the case and the South Common may have to be used for the event. Leyna Hoyt made a motion to approve the event, but to notify the applicant that the event may need to be held on the South Common; Jesse Kay seconded the motion. Motion passed with 4 votes in favor. |
| Conflict of Interest Disclosure: None |
| Public Comments |
| Resident Frank Keene attended to receive an update on the cemetery pedestrian bridge. The Town Administrator provided information regarding the liability issues of possibly rebuilding the bridge with private funds and allowing work to be done without a bidding process; this option was advised against by the legal team at the Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT). The Town will continue to look for alternative options for rebuilding/replacing the bridge. |
| Approve Minutes from September 3rd 2024 |
| Leyna Hoyt made a motion to approve the minutes from September 3rd; Jesse Kay seconded the motion. Motion passed with 3 votes in favor. Gregg Herrin abstained due to absence. |
| Current Events and Updates |
| A. Town Administrator Update |
| The Town Administrator gave a status update on the integration of Microsoft Teams for the Selectboard and town employees to use; login information has been sent out and the Selectboard will work with the Town Administrator to organize and access files as needed. Kelly Lyford also asked about the status of FEMA projects; FEMA continues to review projects and has upcoming meetings to discuss remaining items and closeout of a few cases. |
| B. Transfer Station |
| The Town Administrator presented some budgetary information and ticket numbers for the Town’s transfer station. Currently, the Town is breaking even on expenses to profit on the transfer station due to the punch cards and recycle stickers. The Selectboard requested more data from recent years to see if the amount of waste and recycle has increased or decreased at all due to the changes in process. The topic will be added to a future agenda to better understand the possible needs of the transfer station. |
| C. Town Plan Draft |
| Sydney Steinle with Two Rivers Ottaquechee Regional Commission attended the meeting to answer some retail zoning related questions that the Selectboard brought up in the last meeting. The Town Plan is adhering to all requirements of the state, but there are concerns about only having retail zoning in the village area, which is in a floodplain. Sydney suggesting speaking with her supervisors, as the regional mapping that is being drafted with Two Rivers may help alleviate those issues. The Town Administrator will reach out to Kevin Geiger and Peter Gregory with TRORC to discuss the regional mapping that may affect the Town Plan. The Selectboard will continue to review the draft Town Plan until they are satisfied with moving forward with the draft. |
| Action Items |
| A. North Common Landscaping |
| Jen Chase with the Forest and Parks Commission brought up landscaping maintenance in the North Common with the Selectboard. It was recommended to seed and fill in some divots in the North Common. The commission had gotten a preliminary quote from the current contract mowing company in order to present at the meeting. The Selectboard requested that the Town Administrator review what the current contract covers to ensure that it would be following the contract and the town purchasing policy. The item will be brought up at the next meeting for decision. No motion was made. |
| B. Town Forest Management Plan |
| The Selectboard discussed the Town Forest Management Plan previously sent by David Paganelli. Some of the plan still needs to be completed in order to fulfill the suggested plan. A timber sale was suggested by the Orange Country Forestry parks and forest department, which would also help the Town conduct the sale. Services would not be available until 2027, but the Town is encouraged to book for services soon. The Selectboard would like to discuss the topic further. No motion was made. |
| C. Town Hall Basement |
| The Town Administrator brought up the topic of mitigation work to be done on the Town Hall basement; Harry Falconer with the Two Rivers Ottaquechee Regional Commission needed to know what option the Town is leaning toward in order to submit the MERP grant application. After some discussion on the estimated pricing of the vapor barrier and concrete flooring with sump pump, the Selectboard agreed that it would be best to use the quote for the concrete basement flooring for the application. The Selectboard agreed that Mr. Falconer may proceed with the higher priced quote. No motion was made. |
| D. Signatures for Utility Agreement |
| VTrans suggested a utility agreement for future work on Vermont Route 110. This agreement allows VTrans to use their own contractors to perform adjustments to 9 manholes and 2 water valve boxes during their repaving project, with the Town paying for those adjustments. The Selectboard had some questions regarding the full scope of work and where the repaving will cover through the village. The Town Administrator will reach out to VTrans to discuss further before the Selectboard makes their decision. No motion was made. |
| E. Approve Orders |
| Leyna Hoyt made a motion to approve the orders; Gregg Herrin seconded the motion. Motion passed with 4 votes in favor. |
| Executive Session If Necessary: None |
| Adjournment |
| Leyna Hoyt made a motion to adjourn the meeting; Gregg Herrin seconded the motion. Motion passed with 4 votes in favor. The meeting was adjourned at 7:52 pm. |