Select Board Minutes
Groton Community Building
March 15, 2007
Present:
Select Board: Leonard Doscinski, Debra Tinkham and David Spencer
Treasurer: Roberta Dana
Listers: Kitty Diggins
Planning: Wade Johnson
Highway Personnel: Brent Smith
Guest: 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.
Leonard: two town trucks are down. We
can hopefully rent a truck from Clark’s Truck Center for $150.00 a day. With a
snow storm coming and possible flooding we can plow with the grader and one
truck.
Kitty explained the Listers had met
with John Westinghouse to go over the sales analysis and discussed the CLA.
Laurine: John Westinghouse feels the
Listers should send out letters to reappraisal companies requesting bids for a
possible future reappraisal contract.
Leonard: what should we put for a date
to have them back?
Debra: Kitty do you know dates for
metal day?
Dave: Kitty do you know any more news
on the new recycling center?
Leonard: there is a thick envelope from
solid waste.
Wade updated the Selectboard on the
town plan; we are trying to keep up with finding replacement or help for Bill
Putnam as a zoning administrator and members for the planning board. NVDA said
we could have someone from out of town come in as long as majorities of the
planning members are town residents.
Wade: a full time Zoning administrator
is now going for $30,000.00 a year. Worse case scenario you can have someone on
the planning take over as zoning administrator.
Some of the names of people that might
be interested in coming onto the planning commission are,
Andrew Dorsett, Grace Zambon, Mary
Berlejung. We only have three members on the board now.
Wade: we need to look ahead to purchase
two vehicles for the Fire/FAST. A rescue and a truck to carry ice
rescue/extrication equipment, as engine is too full of stuff.
Kitty: this paperwork re:
recycling/solid waste is more geared towards Ryegate as the land /facility is
in Ryegate. Kitty: I will talk to Gene Perkins and report back to the
Selectboard.
Treasurer
Roberta: I am leaving for vacation
Monday, March 19th for two weeks. I will have all bills I have in
hand paid. Payrolls will be done for the next two weeks before I leave. I will
leave a couple of signed checks and general fund balance with Linda.
Paul Berlejung: all set for the
weekends upcoming “Benefit Book Celebration, for the Groton Free Public
Library”.
Paul: there will be two authors, Lisa
Kirby-Crane and Mary Hays. Michael Kennedy and Allen Church will entertain with
traditional music (Irish, English, Scottish and American). There will also be a
display-tribute to Marion Page.
Dave: I have heard there is someone
interested in opening a store.
Dave: Harry Chandler is no longer
employed by NCMC.
Dave: I would like to revisit vendor
insurance issue. I was uncomfortable the way things came out on the insurance
issue as we have people setting up fall foliage day out front like David O’Donnell
–Leach selling sandwiches and Linda Nunn selling coffee and donuts. This isn’t
what we are all about. We want to welcome people to town not drive them away.
Dave called VLCT Insurance again to
talk with Susan Dubie and found that she wasn’t there anymore so spoke with
Tina Fenny. The insurance recommends the vendors carry insurance but it is up
to the town if they require them to have it. Tina apologized for Susan’s hard
line on this issue and said that Susan was used to dealing with manufacturers
and not small Vermont towns. Tina felt that there was minimal risk to Groton if
we allowed vendors without certificates of insurance. She offered her home
telephone number if the board wished to speak with her about this.
Dave made the motion to rescind the
motion to have vendors carry insurance naming the town as co- insured. Debra
seconded the motion. Leonard said there was a letter from Marilyn Hatch Ruiter.
Leonard: all in favor? Unanimously
passed.
Debra questioned if everyone concurred
with the two attorneys on the Groton General Store Ad Hoc Committee now?
Debra: We need to get a whole harmless
agreement paper written up for people to sign.
Highway
Brent: everything is broke. The two
town trucks are down. Phillip’s truck the sander chain is broke. The sander chain has come in so we can fix
that problem. We can rent a truck from
Clark’s Truck Center for $150.00 a day. We will be charged from time of pickup
to return.
Brent: I don’t think we’ll rent any
trucks. We will try and use the grader Clark’s gave us phone numbers if we
change our minds. Bill Putnam found a state truck we could rent.
Brent: the wiring harness burned up in
the truck I drive, Roberta has called the insurance company and they have
looked the truck over. Clark’s will pick the truck up next week. Brent: there
is a recall on another part so I am going to have them do the recall work at
the same time along with putting in the fan replacement kit while they have it
in the shop
Brent: while we were thawing culverts
the brakes on the ton truck went.
Brent: would like to ask Phillip if he
would use his pickup to pull the culvert thawing trailer until we get the ton
truck repaired but feel he should be paid for the use of his pickup.
We are getting calls from dealers
concerning the replacement of the ton truck.
Brent: I have contacted emergency
management concerning an ice jam above Upper Valley Grill and Fred Grants
garage so to get this on their map.
Brent: I would like to revisit the
comment I made at the last meeting. I would like to apologize concerning the
comment of snow being plowed in the opposite direction and the trashcans are
being knotted over and snow pushed into the driveway.
Brent handed the Selectboard an
informational paper concerning highways.
Brent: we didn’t have any problems on
that road before this landowner purchased it. There has been continuing
problems with encroachment into the right of way, pushing snow across the road
now it has frozen and the water is running across the road.
Debra: would you like to see a
courteous letter written letting them know there is a problem.
Brent: yes I would like a letter written.
Paperwork was received for federal
surplus supply purchasing.
Leonard: Linda would you take care of
filling in the names of Brent Smith, Phillip Palmer, Wade Johnson, Roberta
Dana, Linda Nunn and Leonard Doscinski being the purchasing agents.
Paper work for a dry hydrant grant was
reviewed.
Dave and Debra attended a meeting yesterday concerning the forming of a Groton State Forest and Town of Groton committee. They would like to have twelve people on the committee made up of business people and safety people.
Wage increases for Auditors and Listers
were addressed. Auditors will receive an increase in wage from eight dollars to
nine dollars fifty cents an hour.
The two newer Listers received an
increase of fifty cents on January 14, 2007 and November 19, 2006. Laurine
received an increase of two dollars on January 14, 2007 for being a Lister
longer. Laurine will be asked to come in to the next meeting to give the
Selectboard a recommendation on how the other two Listers are doing.
Dave: are we doing a cost of living
increase for anyone else?
There was much discussion concerning an
increase.
Dave motion to give a four percent cost
of living across the board to all hourly people excluding the Auditors,
Constables, Animal Control, Zoning Administrator, Fire Chief and Librarian (not
one has said anything about the Librarian getting a raise).
Leonard seconded the motion. Motion
passed.
The Fire Fighters getting paid was
discussed. Brent explained the reason why they aren’t.
Linda explained that she had charged someone twenty-five dollars to get their dog back from her as the person had been given two verbal warnings. The dog owner needs to keep their dog on their own property. Linda: this person questioned why I could charge the fee to get their dog back. Linda explained the reason to them.
Linda: I would like to know if this is
what the Selectboard wants me to do or just call the animal control and have
people pay the bigger charges? I had rather get the animals back to their owner
then send them to the pound But it is up to the Selectboard.
Selectboard: We feel that you handled
this in the best way. But if people give you a difficult time then call the
pound and have them picked up.
Selectboard: Thank you for handling
this, as this is not part of your job.
Donald Bliss has gotten prices for a
shaft driven mower for the tractor and a push mower. The prices are less then
we budgeted for.
Dave made the motion to purchase the
lawn mowers. Leonard seconded the motion. Debra agreed. So moved.
Leonard received a complaint of R 1
speeding through the town and a gray pickup speeding right behind. There was
also a black pickup behind that but was not speeding.
State Police said Permission couldn’t
be given to go 10 MPH over the speed limit.
A policy will need to be written up for
speeding.
Orders were signed in the amount of $ 11,869.72.
Leonard made the motion to adjourn;
Debra seconded the motion. Dave agreed.
Meeting adjourned at 9:05 PM.
Groton Board of Selectmen
_______________________
Leonard
Doscinski
___________________________
___________________________
Dave Spencer
Respectfully submitted by Linda Nunn
Not
Valid Until Signed By The Selectboard