Selectboard Minutes
Groton Community Building
March 1, 2007
Present:
Select Board: Leonard Doscinski, Debra Tinkham and David Spencer
Treasurer: Roberta Dana
Listers: Laurine Grant & Kitty Diggins
Highway Personnel: Brent Smith & Phillip Palmer
Cemetery Commission: Deborah Jurist
Guests: Bob Hanson (Gilman Housing), Paul Berlejung (Groton General
Store Ad Hoc Committee)
Page 1 of 3
Leonard called the meeting to order at
7:04 PM.
Mail was reviewed.
Dave questioned if the cemetery mowing
had been put out to bid before the Selectboard signed the contract?
Linda: yes, the Cemetery Commission put
it out to bid last fall.
Gilman Housing
Bob Hanson attended the meeting to have
Leonard, Selectboard Chair sign off on the VCDP grant. The revitalization
project is finished at this point.
Dave questioned if this included the
sidewalk?
Bob: no those are separate grant funds.
Bob asked if there were anymore
questions? Having no more questions Bob left the meeting.
Paul Berlejung presented the Selectboard
with a lease for the use of the Groton General Store area.
There was much discussion concerning
the lease and insurance coverage.
Dave: I assume we will be receiving a
lease for the Library building also.
Leonard placed a letter on the table
between Debra and Dave for them to read from Marilyn Hatch Ruiter.
Both Debra and Dave reviewed the
letter.
Deborah Jurist: are there any questions
on the store?
Paul read the e-mail from Susan Dubie of
VLCT regarding their recommendations for vendors insurance.
Paul has done law for 32 years and
feels this is bogus. Paul would not be too concerned with someone suing him, but
the Selectboard needs to think about the town.
Roberta: feels that the e-mail from
Susan Dubie gives the reasons why VLCT strongly recommends that the Town require
certificates of insurance from vendors with the Town named as an additional
insured.
Deborah Jurist: I have done craft
shows, etc. for many years and have only been asked for certificate of
insurance once. This could have a
chilling affect on getting vendors to participate.
Debra: when we do the race, we have
people sign a hold harmless agreement.
Dave read the letter out loud from
Marilyn Hatch Ruiter.
Paul: I am guilty as I should have come
in to speak to the Select Board concerning the events the Groton General Store Ad
Hoc Committee is working on.
Laurine: Debra do you feel this is a
conflict of interest for you?
Debra: no!
Dave: would like to thank the Groton
General Store Ad Hoc Committee for all their effort and help they have put into
raising money for “Music in the Park”.
Leonard: it is commendable for all the
work and time the Groton General Store Ad Hoc Committee has put in, but is also
concerned with the calls that have come in and the lease with Gilman Housing
for the
space.
There was more discussion concerning
use of the store space and insurance coverage.
Roberta: I have nothing against having
something happening in the store area. It would be a good thing for the town
and the town’s people to have a store in there but I am concerned with the cost
and liability to the residents/taxpayers for these functions.
Page 2 of 3, March 1,
2007
Dave: made the motion to sign the
lease. Leonard seconded the motion to sign the lease. The lease was signed by Dave and Leonard.
Leonard: any group wanting to use the
space should come in and present their request to the Selectboard.
Leonard made the motion that the
upcoming March 18th Library Fund Raising benefit be declared a town
function.
Dave seconded the motion. All were in
favor and agreed.
Dave: I feel this should be clarified.
The Selectboard needs to reflect on the advice from VLCT that the town have
vendors’ present certificates of insurance.
Dave made a motion that on March 18th
vendors carry insurance and should name the Town of Groton as an additional
insured. Leonard seconded the motion.
Paul handed Leonard a check for three
hundred dollars ($300.00) raised on February 18th for “music in the
park” for the benefit of the Recreation Committee.
Dave is the survey finished?
Deborah: Adrian Otterman and Shane Clark
from TruLine still need to talk.
Laurine explained the Listers had sent
out some more letters concerning the land schedule. Also letting these
companies know about possibly looking into a future reappraisal contract.
Laurine: received a call from Ed Clodfelter
explaining he was just finishing up some jobs and would have a span of time he
would be able to work on a land schedule. The price would be six hundred
dollars ($600.00) a day and it would probably take two or three days.
Leonard: what is the time frame for
response on the letters you sent out?
Laurine: they are due back in by March
14th.
The Selectboard will wait until then
before making a decision.
Highway
Brent needed some purchase orders
signed along with having the Selectboard sign a grant agreement with the State
to replace an undersized culvert on the Harve Orr Road.
Linda: Milt Lamberton would like to
know about a place to put the snow he is removing from Groton General Store
parking lot if we get the snow being talked about.
Brent: Could put it at the stump dump. Milt
or the contractor hired to remove the snow will need to plow a place and put it
way back.
Dave made the motion to let Milt dump snow
from Gilman Housing parking lots in the stump dump with the supervision of the
highway department for the winter snow season 2006-2007 only. Leonard seconded
the motion. All agreed.
Dave: spoke with Harry Chandler about
the removal of snow on the sidewalk along the Welch Block so it can be cleaned.
Linda: Milt asked if he could purchase
a couple of the older file cabinets from the town for the Methodist Church?
Selectboard: there are a couple of file
cabinets that are junk he can have.
Paul spoke to the Selectboard about the
VolksWalk scheduled for October 6. Will need to think about parking, maybe
across the river.
Selectboard / Village
Septic Plans
Dave: reviewed some septic plans from
Jamaica, Vermont. This project is going to take more man power and hours to
handle then we have right now.
Dave recommends unless there is someone
else to look into it that this be placed on hold. Brent might be able to help.
Phillip: when does the sidewalk grant
run out?
Dave: I am trying to get my hands on a
copy of the grant for the sidewalk.
Concerning the letter received from
Marilyn Hatch Ruiter, I need to address the issue concerning insurance. Dave
Spencer looked into the insurance when he called VLCT about coverage.
Debra: the lease had casually been
discussed amongst the Selectboard.
Page 3 of 3, March 1,
2007
Dave: Paul would you come back to the
next Selectboard meeting to bring us up to speed on how things are progressing?
Dave: I have written a letter to Harry
Chandler about timber harvesting and the Community forest.
Leonard: go ahead with the letter for
the community forest.
Treasurer
Roberta: We have set up a line of
credit with Woodsville Guaranty Bank again this year and I had to borrow this
week to meet the expenses of the Town.
Dave: the flow meter has been installed
and we will be keep track of the usage of water.
Orders were signed in the amount of $
10,628.18
Leonard made the motion to adjourn;
Debra seconded the motion. Dave agreed.
Meeting adjourned at 9:00 PM.
Groton
Selectboard
_____________________________
Leonard
Doscinski
_____________________________
Debra
Tinkham
_____________________________
David
Spencer
Respectfully submitted by Linda Nunn
Not
Valid Until Signed By The Selectboard