Fairfax Selectboard Minutes of 03/26/07

Selectboard members Jeff Blake, Judy Cleary, Bill Ormerod, Charlie Swanson and Randy DeVine were present at the meeting. Also present were Erin McSweeney, Donna Meunier, Colleen Steen, Peg Stewart and Carl Jones. These minutes are unofficial until approved by the Board at the next regularly scheduled Selectboard meeting.

The meeting was called to order at 7:00PM. Don reviewed an invoice for damage done to a vehicle after it hit a pothole on Fletcher Road. Charlie motioned to send the information to VLCT for a claim. Randy seconded. 3 board members voted in favor, 1 voted against, and 1 abstained. Erin will contact VLCT.

Don informed the board that he lost a turbo on the 2006 Town truck. The truck, still under warranty, will be repaired. He also informed the board that he will be meeting with a representative from Pike Industries to discuss the proposed paving schedule for this year, which includes paving to complete the bridge project on River Road. Don will be requesting bids from Pike, Whitcomb and SD Ireland. Judy asked Don about the Forest Management Plan. Judy would like to continue this in April. Don informed the board that he will have to replace the oil furnace at the Town Garage soon; he has budgeted for this.

Randy informed Don that the library parking lot is scheduled to be paved this summer and there are water valves that will need to be dug up. Randy will coordinate with Jim Boomhover; he may also need Don's help. Randy reviewed the disconnect list for the Water Department. Judy asked Randy about a list of projects he wanted to complete by the end of 2006. He has completed most of the projects on the list. He is preparing to clean the lagoons; he has contacted Paul Olander to assist him with the draw-down plan that is required by the state. Jeff suggested that Randy should develop a plan for inspecting and repairing the manholes in Town. Randy will present the plan to the board on April 9th. Randy informed the board that he has spoken with Emily of Dubois & King regarding the on-going WWTF Expansion Feasibility Study. The final television monitoring session will take place on April 12th between midnight and 6:00AM.

Donna Meunier attended tonight's meeting to discuss an invoice she received from AM Peisch. Donna informed the board of charges that have been billed in excess of the contracted amount. Bill will follow up with Chris Goulette to discuss the charges. Donna also informed the board that she would like to refine some procedures in the Town Office as advised by the auditors at AM Peisch. Donna also reviewed proposals for a new copy machine at the Town Office.

Jeff motioned to accept the minutes from the meeting on March 19th. Judy seconded. 5 amendments were offered; Charlie motioned to accept the minutes as amended. Judy seconded. All board members voted in favor.

Norm Stinehour attended tonight's meeting seeking final approval for his preliminary sewer allocation. He presented the following documents for review: the application for preliminary sewer allocation, the waste water permit from the state, application for a certificate of compliance, a building permit, a letter from the engineer on the project, and drawings that show the sewer line is connecting to a line of an existing structure. Final approval was granted, and the board signed the application. A new water meter will be installed to measure the use in the newly constructed part of the building. Norm also paid his $1,000 connection fee.

The board reviewed a letter from Andy Hoak of Ruggiano Engineering on behalf of Bill Superneau requesting a one year extension of 5 of his preliminary sewer allocations, which are set to expire on April 11th. Charlie made a motion to deny Andy Hoak's request on behalf of Bill Superneau for an extension of preliminary sewer allocations. Judy seconded. All board members voted in favor.

The board reviewed the recommendations from Amanda Lafferty of Stitzel, Page & Fletcher, regarding water service at the Fairfax Green Senior Housing project. Jeff motioned to table the discussion until the board has had a chance to review all of the legal information from Amanda Lafferty. Judy seconded. All board members voted in favor.

OTHER BUSINESS: The board reviewed the Correspondence Worksheet. The board reviewed Lucien Haye's resignation from the DRB. The vacancy will be posted for 2 weeks. The board reviewed a letter from the school board extending the current lease of the "white house" for one year. The lease will expire on March 31, 2010. The board reviewed the bridge inspection report from the state. The board also reviewed a request from Ann Lemieux to change the name of road that has not been built yet. The board agreed by consensus to review a new road name application with 3 more choices. Jeff informed the board that Clean Green contacted him to arrange a site visit to a potential site for a transfer station. The board will meet with Tim and Dave on Friday, April 6th, at 3:00PM, to discuss the transfer station and to sign the contract for Household Hazardous Waste Day, to be held on Saturday, May 5th.

PUBLIC INPUT: Colleen Steen asked the board about the application for Village Center Designation; Erin is working on this. Colleen also discussed Safe Routes to School. Peg Stewart informed the board that the school board will review the Memorandum of Understanding for the Parks and Recreation Department and make recommendations for changes to the document at its next meeting on April 9th. Carl Jones attended tonight's meeting to discuss Town Meeting; he feels that it was not run well. He expressed concern that 2 items that were previously voted on as articles are now line items in the budget. Bill informed Carl that the Town solicited 3 prices for law enforcement, and the Sheriff's Department had the best price for the service the Town needs. Bill also informed Carl that including contributions to social service organizations was an experiment this year. Carl asked if the board had any information on the measure some towns are acting on to increase the property tax exemption for disabled veterans who receive at least 50% disability. The measure would either have to be on the ballot at Town Meeting or the subject of a public meeting. Bill will research this, as the board was not aware of the measure. Peg informed the board that the top of the dumpster used for cardboard needs to be replaced as it has been removed.

Charlie motioned to enter Executive Session at 10:06PM. Judy seconded. All board members voted in favor.

Judy motioned to come out of Executive Session at 10:46PM. Charlie seconded. All board members voted in favor.

The board came out of Executive Session at 10:46PM.

The Selectboard meeting was adjourned at 10:50PM.

____________________________________ Erin McSweeney, Administrative Assistant to the Selectboard