MINUTES
ARLINGTON SECECTBOARD
January 7, 2019
Members Present: Keith Squires, Cynthia Browning, Daniel Harvey, Reggie Jennings Jr, Tim Williams
Also Present: Jack McDonough-GNAT-TV, Michael Batcher-BCRC, Jim Henderson-BCRC, Evan Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald Environmental Assoc., Jim Baker- Executive Director of the Arlington Renewal Committee, Joshua Sherman, Holly Bakke, Roger Cooper, and numerous area residents
The meeting was called to order at 7:00pm by Chairman Keith Squires
Minutes of Meeting of December 26, 2018:
Mr. Williams made a motion to accept as presented, the minutes of December 26, 2018, December 28, 2018, and January 4, 2019. Ms. Browning seconded. Motion carried.
New Business: Storm Water Management Presentation: Mr. Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald Environmental Associates, and his associate were here, along with Mr. Batcher, and Mr. Henderson, to show their storm water management power point presentation. Mr. Fitzgerald completed a Road Erosion Inventory for the Town, which is mandatory in every town in Vermont, and is a requirement for the Municipal Roads General Permit. The inventory looks at every road for drainage and erosion issues and addresses actions the Town can implement over time, with a timetable from the State. He said the inventory found ten very high priority roads, which is considered a normal amount of high priority roads. The presentation had maps and photos of examples of area road erosion. The Storm Water Master Plan will also fit in with the some of the issues in the Hazard Mitigation Plan the Board and Michael Batcher have been working on. Some of the ways they would address erosion issues are with infiltration basins, that trap pollutants or rain gardens. Mr. Fitzgerald said he is hoping to get feedback from the Board on the prioritization to each site they identified, and he also informed them that there may be State funding available for a lot of the projects, and Mr. Henderson said they have had good luck receiving State funding with similar projects from other Vermont towns. The Board will look at the information and prioritize a list of projects that Michael Batcher will submit to Mr. Fitzgerald within the next few weeks, as well as applying the information to the Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Public Comments: Music Center/Event Space Project: Mr. Cooper was at the meeting to speak about his plans for buying an old Catholic Church in Arlington and having it be a not-for-profit music center, concert venue that would seat 300 people, and event space for the community. He is hoping the building would retain it’s current tax exempt status, which would have to be voted on by Arlington voters in March. He said it will be a year or so before it comes to fruition, but he hopes to not only have music and comedy performances, but to also have local students be able to work with professional performers.
Town Administrator Position: Mr. Baker was at the meeting to deliver the final draft of the Arlington Renewal Committee’s study on having a Town Administrator position in the Arlington. He said the Administrator would take direction from the Select Board. He said they compiled information from similar towns in the State that have Town Administrator positions, and how they have benefited from that. Mr. Squires said that the Board has had many discussions about this issue and there will be an article on the ballot in March, asking the voters if the creation of this position will be allowed by them. He sees the soonest the position would be put into place is 2020. The Board agrees that they need to get the approval of the townspeople to hire this position and that it is extremely important to present it in a clear way in order to get the approval of the voters. The Board feels there should be at least 2 public educational meetings, to present the position to the townspeople. The Renewal Committee will get back to the Board with dates for the educational meetings.
Highways: Mr. Squires presented a Certificate of Highway Mileage, Year Ending February 10, 2019, to the Board, to be filed with the Vermont Agency of Transportation. The mileage for the Class 2, Class 3 and State Highway roads has stayed the same as last year. Mr. Harvey made a motion to accept Certificate of Highway Mileage Year Ending February 10, 2019. Ms. Browning seconded. Motion passed.
Ball Mountain Road-Culvert Project: Mr. Squires told the Board he had received the final quote from Contech Engineered Solutions for the Ball Mountain Road Culvert Project. The total has remained what was originally quoted, with delivery to begin in July. Mr. Harvey made a motion to accept Quote # QUO-343362-X7D3P2, for Project #604005, in the amount of $113,150.00. Ms. Browning seconded. Motion passed.
Old Business: Camping on the Battenkill: Mr. Squires presented the Board with an invoice from Neil Krawczyk for work he has done to clean out channels in preparation for new culverts, and brush and debris removal at Camping on the Battenkill. Mr. Harvey made a motion to accept the invoice in the amount of $420.00. Ms. Browning seconded. Motion passed.
.Water Department: Mr. Harvey made a motion to approve WD#1 from the Operation Account, in the amount of $2077.03. Ms. Browning seconded. Motion passed.
Warrants and Orders: Mr. Harvey made a motion to approve General Warrant #1, in the amount of $16303.54. Ms. Browning seconded. Motion passed.
Mr. Jennings made a motion to adjourn. Mr. Harvey seconded. Motion passed, meeting adjourned at 9:05 PM.
.Respectfully submitted,
Janet Barry, Recording Secretary
Meeting video taped
Cc: files, Town Clerk