Unapproved Minutes

Braintree Selectboard Meeting

March 19, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.

Present:

Daniel Burson, Vic. Chair                                                   Linda Lubold, Braintree’s WRVA Rep.

Charlie McMeekin, Selectboard Member                                                         Matt Parrish, WRVA

Loren Bent, Selectboard Member                                                           Aaron LaRocque, Resident

Megan O’Toole, Selectboard Member (via phone)                           Paul Kendall, Stagecoach Rep.

Keegan Haupt, Selectboard Member             Tim Caulfield, Emergency Management Coordinator

Brian Jones, Resident

Jessica Brassard, Treasurer

Victor Ribaudo, WRVA

Jackson Evans, ECFiber Rep.

Holly Jarvis, Admin. Assistant

Jeff Masterson, Road Commissioner

Mr. Burson called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm.

The Board reviewed the agenda, no changes were made.

On motion of Mr. McMeekin, seconded by Mr. Bent, the Board unanimously approved the minutes of March 6, 2019, and March 14, 2019.

Citizen’s comments:

• Caulfield thanked the road crew for keeping Braintree Hill Road open.
• Caulfield also indicated that during the couple years he served as Braintree’s White River Valley Ambulance (WRVA) Rep. he came to understand and continues to see WRVA doing a great job of keeping the benefits of the service and costs of the service in an appropriate balance. Mr. Caulfield encouraged a close look at not only the costs of the service but the level of training, and the equipment available, from Northfield’s ambulance service.

Guests

• Tim Caulfield
  • The Memorandum of Understanding between Randolph and Braintree to share backup sites for Emergency Operation Centers, was tabled because Ms. O’Toole was going to be the signer and she is not at this meeting.
  • The Local Emergency Management Plan (LEMP) Update was reviewed and tabled so that residents can have more of a chance to review it and ask questions.
  • The Board thanked Mr. Caulfield for all his work!
• WRVA Representatives came to discuss Randolph’s proposal to change to Northfield’s ambulance service. Matt Parrish, WRVA’s Executive Director, and Victor Ribaudo, WRVA’s President of the Board, came with Linda Lubold, Braintree’s Representative on the WRVA Board. The level of service WRVA provides was discussed, along with ways they have been trying to keep costs down. All ten member towns pay the same per capita rate. Randolph is the largest town so they pay the most. WRVA’s Board met with Mr. Bailon in November. It was a good meeting, but there hasn’t been further communications. A lot more information is needed.
• Jackson Evans – Semi-annual report for ECFiber. The build out has continued through the winter. Now that mud season is here the work will shift from the back roads to 12A. As segments are connected to the original line they will start to be lit. ECFiber is still facing challenges getting the companies which own the poles to complete the required review before the cable can be strung, and work around the railroad crossing requires a flagger from the railroad which can take time to organize. This is a particular challenge in Braintree, as Braintree has 13 crossings. Financially it is going well. ECFiber’s model was a little uncertain when it was first tried, but it is now being used as an example to other parts of the country which have difficulty getting high-speed internet. They are currently planning to have all 23 member towns built out in the next six years.
• Paul Kendall – Semi-annual report for the Stagecoach. They are continuing to tweak routes and schedules to increase ridership, and increase efficiencies. The bus garage in Bradford is one area they have been looking to change. They can’t repair buses there, or wash them, only park them. They have been awarded close to $2 million to build a new facility at the park-in-ride in Bradford. This means they will need to raise 20% for the local share. The State may put in half. Leaving $120,000-$160,000 to raise. The contract they worked out with Sharon Academy is working out, and it is starting to cause some thought about merging public transit with school busing. It would take a long time to make this change as there is a lot of public apprehension about it, but the US is the only country with two different busing services.

Reports

• Highway report:
  • Signage/restrictions for LaRocque Rd: Mr. Masterson and Mr. Freeman were not able to get together about signs yet. Mr. Masterson has been talking to VTrans regarding appropriate permanent signs, including no parking signs.
  • Which old truck the Town is going to sell, now that the new truck is here, was discussed. Mr. Haupt, Mr. Burson, and Mr. Masterson will review the options and it will be discussed at a future meeting, and a clearer plan for when trucks will be sold or retained will be created, going forward.
  • The Board discussed creating a policy regarding idling of equipment and vehicles.

Old business

• Town office project update: the water heater is installed, pipes are moved, and the room painted. The last step is to get some shelves for the closet.
• On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Burson, the Board voted unanimously to send a proposal to Randolph for Braintree’s portion of the FY2020 fire services.
• On motion of Mr. Burson, seconded by Mr. Bent, the Board voted unanimously to pay the remaining payment for FY19 for fire services to Randolph at the same amount as noted on the last invoice of FY2018.

New business

• On motion of Mr. Bent, seconded by Mr. Haupt, the Board unanimously approved renewal of Stockwell’s salvage yard permit.
• The Board discussed the Green Mountain Water Environmental Association brochure, and agreed to pass it along to the Conservation Commission.
• Masterson asked about the roadside spraying. On motion of Mr. Bent, seconded by Mr. Burson, the Board unanimously agreed to apply for the permit for roadside spraying. The permit is due by the end of the month. There will be communications with the Conservation Commission about their recommendations.

On motion of Mr. Burson, seconded by Mr. Bent, the Board unanimously approved the payment orders.

On motion of Mr. McMeekin, seconded by Mr. Burson, the Board unanimously adjourned the meeting at 7:45 pm.

Respectfully Submitted,

Holly Jarvis