Holly Jarvis

Selectboard Minutes – April 16, 2019

 Selectboard Minutes
Apr 212019
 

Unapproved Minutes

Braintree Selectboard Meeting

April 16, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.

 

Present:

Charlie McMeekin, Selectboard Member                                                     Paul Kendall, Resident

Megan O’Toole, Selectboard Chair            Mandy Garvin, Braintree’s Green up Day Coordinator

Keegan Haupt, Selectboard Member                                                       Jessie Brassard, Treasurer

Loren Bent, Selectboard Member                                                              Stuart Kinney, Resident

Holly Jarvis, Admin. Assistant

Jeff Masterson, Road Commissioner

 

Ms. O’Toole called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm.

 

Review of agenda added Emergency Watershed Protection program, under new business.

 

Approve minutes

  • On motion of Mr. McMeekin, seconded by Mr. Haupt, the Board unanimously approved the minutes of April 2, 2019.
  • On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded Mr. Haupt, the Board unanimously approved the Town Meeting Minutes.

 

Citizens’ comments

  • Kendall encouraged that better ditches be installed along Riford Brook Road, with the understanding that trees would need to be cut to do so, and encouraged replacing some driveway culverts that are too small. The Board will continue to support cutting trees where needed to create adequate ditches in accordance with the current standards.
  • Kinney reported that the old Tannenburg Bridge stay in place, inferring that it doesn’t need replacing.
  • Kris Haupt made some recommendations as where to put culverts to fix the drainage problems on Riford Brook Road.

Reports

  • The Board reviewed the financials. Ms. Brassard reported that the delinquent taxes are the lowest they have been in years. Currently there are only $108,000 of delinquent taxes in total. One year $189,000 went delinquent.
    • Brassard asked if the Board had any questions about the audit report she emailed quite a while ago. No one did. The audit had gone well.
    • Green up Day planning: It was agreed to proceed with the same Green up Day plans as last year. Ms. Garvin will work with the school to encourage kids to participate. There will be a dumpster for the green bags, a place for scrap metal, and a place for tires, between the Braintree Town Garage and Office. Residents can pay the cost of disposal and drop off their used tires. The disposal prices have gone up.
  • Highway report:
    • On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded Mr. Haupt, the Board unanimously approved the anti-idling policy for Braintree equipment and trucks.
  • O’Toole reported that the Town of Randolph will be sending a counter proposal for fire service billing. She has not received it yet.

 

Old business

  • A proposal for a policy regarding when to sell, or repurpose the old trucks is not yet ready. There was a lengthy discussion about the old trucks. It was tabled. Mr. Burson and Mr. Haupt will work with Mr. Masterson to create the proposal.

 

New business

  • On motion of Mr. Bent, seconded by Ms. O’Toole, the Board selected Hilltop Construction’s bid of $170,000 for Tannenberg Bridge. Mr. Haupt abstained from the vote [Hilltop Construction is his brother’s company], the other three Board member present voted in favor of the motion.
  • On motion of Mr. Bent, seconded by Mr. Haupt, the Board unanimously approved purchasing two computers from Vermont Commuting.
  • The Natural Resource Conservation Service Emergency Watershed Protection Program was introduced. If the flooding from April 15th is declared as a federal disaster Braintree might be asked to sponsor a project or two to protect residents’ property. They will consider how comfortable they are doing so at their next meeting.

 

On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Haupt, unanimously approved the payment orders.

 

On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Haupt, the Board unanimously adjourned the meeting at 7:15 PM.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Holly Jarvis

Green up Day – May 4

 News
Apr 172019
 

Tire Disposal:

To dispose of your tires ‘at cost’, fill out the form and pay the total (cash or check – – exact change needed). There will be forms and directions at the drop off location between the Braintree Town Garage and Office. The form can be downloaded here. The rates have increased, so you might want to review them!

Green Up Day Volunteers:

Green bags will be available at the Town Office, Town Hall, and Braintree Elementary School, a few days before Green Up Day.

Between the Braintree Town Garage and Office there will be separate places to put metal, tires and the green bags, all weekend.

For more information contact Mandy Garvin at mandytgarvin@gmail.com or 728-6457, and/or stop by the Braintree Elementary School the morning of Green Up Day between 8am-12pm.

 

Happy Greening up!!!

Selectboard Minutes – April 2, 2019

 Selectboard Minutes
Apr 052019
 

Unapproved Minutes

Braintree Selectboard Meeting

April 2, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.

 

Present:

Megan O’Toole, Selectboard Chair                               Thomas Cooch, Conservation Commission

Mr. Burson, Selectboard Member                                             Aaron LaRocque, LaRocque Road

Mr. McMeekin, Selectboard Member                                              Paul Kendall, LaRocque Road

Mr. Bent, Selectboard Member                                                                     Kristin Haupt, Citizen

Stuart Kinney, Citizen

Kolbey Haupt, Hilltop Construction

Holly Jarvis, Admin. Assistant

Jeff Masterson, Road Commissioner

Ms. O’Toole called the meeting to order at 6 pm.

 

The Board reviewed the agenda;  no changes were made.

 

Approve minutes

  • On motion of Mr. McMeekin, seconded by Mr. Bent, the Board unanimously approved the minutes of March 19, 2019.

 

Citizen’s comments

  • Kinney thanked the Selectboard, and especially Ms. O’Toole, for their efforts with the fire service bill.

 

Guests

  • Tim Caulfield attended the meeting for the following items:
    • On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Burson, the Board unanimously approved the Memorandum of Understanding between Randolph and Braintree to share backup sites for Emergency Operation Centers.
    • On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Burson, the Board unanimously approved the Local Emergency Management Plan (LEMP) Update.
  • Conservation Commission Semi-annual report: they have produced another newsletter, and collaborated with Randolph to sponsor a deer yard management workshop. They have another event at the end of the month. They are also organizing a work party to remove poison parsnip along Route 12. The water quality flyer was The Commission Members were willing to help with the flyer. The Selectboard will discuss this more. The Commission is willing to make recommendations as to knot weed spraying, but feels they need to work with Jerold Kinney early this summer to do so.

 

Reports

  • The Board reviewed the Highway report.
    • Signage/restrictions for LaRocque Rd: Mr. Masterson had recommended two signs at the bottom of the road: “No Outlet”, “No unauthorized winter access between Nov. 15th– May 15th “. On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Burson, the Board voted unanimously to disallow skiing/snowboarding on LaRocque Road, and only allow vehicles of the property owners and their guests between Nov. 15th– May 15th. RASTA/NEFF Trail users are to park at the designated parking area and stay on the trails.
    • Idling of equipment and trucks: Tabled until next meeting.
  • Update on fire service proposal: The Randolph Selectboard will be reviewing Braintree’s proposal at their next meeting (Thursday, April 11 at 5:30 pm).

 

New business

  • Bid opening
    • The Board opened the bids for the design and building of Tannenberg bridge. They are as follows:
  • Hebert Excavation Corporation: $209,760
  • A. Bean Associates: $259,000
  • Hilltop Construction LLC: $170,000
  • Hook Construction: $240,000

Mr. Burson will prepare an analysis of the bids and they will be reviewed more completely at the next meeting.

  • Braintree Paving Projects – no bids; will be re-bid.
  • Thresher Road Paving Project – no bids; will be re-bid.
  • The Board reviewed and signed the Annual Financial Plan for VTrans.
  • There will be a site visit and hearing on May 7th regarding Tannenburg Road. The hearing notice has been sent.

 

On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Burson, the Board unanimously approved the payment orders.

 

On motion of Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Mr. Burson, the Board adjourned the meeting at 6:53pm.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Holly Jarvis

Conservation Commission Minutes – March 27, 2019

 Conservation Commission Minutes
Apr 012019
 

Braintree Conservation Commission

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Unapproved Minutes

 

Present:  Tom Cooch, Linda Morse, Joan Richmond–Hall, Paul Shriver, Sandy Stephen,

 

No Public comments

Five items were added to the agenda.

The minutes for the January 9, 2019, meeting were not available for approval.

 

Election of Officers

Tom was reelected chair, Sandy vice-chair, and Linda secretary,

 

[Linda wrote several days later that she did not in fact want to continue on as secretary.]

 

Plans for Vernal Pool Presentation

 

The classroom at RTCC that was used for the Deer Yard presentation has been reserved for April 24 at 7 p.m. Jessamyn West has produced a poster, which the RCC will post around Randolph. Braintree will include the poster in its mid-April newsletter. Mike Van Dyck has already posted on Front Porch Forum and is going to submit a press release to The Herald. Paul will contact Janni at Braintree School to request that she promote the event with her students. Presenter Steve Faccio has been invited to supper with members from both commissions at One Main restaurant at 5 p.m. that evening

Goals for Next 6 Months

 

  • Monitor the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer throughout the state
  • Collaborate with Randolph CC to eradicate poisonous parsnip along Route 12
  • Organize more work parties at Thayer Brook Natural Area
  • Evaluate effectiveness of last fall’s spraying of Japanese Knotweed
  • Verify additional vernal pools in Braintree

 

Arbor Day Conference

 

This year’s conference will take place at Vermont College for the Arts in Montpelier on Thursday, May 2. No one committed to attending. Any member who decides to go should arrange payment of the fee with Holly by April 18.

 

 

 

Newsletter

 

Tom said he thought he could put together a short newsletter by mid-April. This would be in time to include publicity on the Vernal Pool presentation. Other possible articles are amphibian crossings and recent Vermont legislation on neonicotinoid insecticides.

 

Semi-Annual Report to Selectboard

 

The draft submitted by Linda and Tom was approved. It will be presented to the SB at its April 2 meeting.

 

Amphibian Crossing Monitors

 

The North Branch Nature Center and the Vermont Center for Ecostudies are seeking volunteers to monitor possible amphibian crossings in April throughout the state. Two locations have been identified in Braintree. Tom has volunteered for one on Brainstorm Road. There is another along Route 12A north of West Braintree. Any member interested in this should contact Tom for more information. Otherwise it will be opened up to residents through the newsletter.

 

Dissemination of Clean Water Information

 

All members expressed willingness to work at the Town Office when tax bills go out to print, fold, and stuff the clean water promotional leaflet being supplied by Green Mountain Water Environment Association

 

Knotweed Spraying

 

Tom reported that the Selectboard is submitting an application to the State for knotweed spraying again this summer. It is wondering if the BCC can make recommendations. There was agreement that we would first need to go around with Jerold Kinney to see the sites that had been sprayed last year and try to evaluate with him the effectiveness of the spraying.

 

Joint Meeting with Planning Commission

 

[This added agenda item was actually discussed at the beginning of the meeting.]

 

Report on Planning Commission Discussion on Braintree’s North Branch Area, south of Thayer Brook Road.  Joan reports there will be a Planning Commission workshop looking at the changes occurring in the area, including possible forest fragmentation, as noted by State Fish and Wildlife. The area also has big ravines. A possible option is rezoning to reduce forest fragmentation and protect the wildlife corridor. Joan will check on the timeline for submitting the new Town Plan and determine whether a joint PC and BCC meeting on a Wednesday is possible.

 

 

Next Meeting Date

 

Our April meeting would normally take place on April 24, which is the date of our Vernal Pool presentation. Rather than try to reschedule on a different date, it was decided that the event would take the place of the BCC meeting. The next meeting will be on May 22.

 

 

 

 

Meeting adjourned at 8:28 p.m.

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Tom Cooch, Acting Secretary

 2019 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING MINUTES

 News
Mar 292019
 

TOWN OF BRAINTREE

 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING MINUTES – Unapproved

Saturday, MARCH 2, 2019

The legal voters of the Town of Braintree, in the County of Orange, met at the Braintree Elementary School in said Town on Saturday, March 2, 2019 at 10:00 A.M. for the annual Town Meeting.  Jackson Evans, current moderator, welcomed everyone to a first Saturday town meeting in recent memory.  Mr. Evans always has an anecdotal story to tell about our town from years past.  He then led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance, read a list of the townspeople who had passed away in the previous year.  Jenny Thresher was added to this list.  He also read a blurb on etiquette, Robert’s Rules and encouraged anyone that had a question to speak up. The non-registered voters were noted and the warning was read. The meeting was turned over to Megan O’Toole, Selectboard Chair, so that this years’ moderator could be elected.

 

Article 1. To elect a moderator for the year ensuing.  Ms. O’Toole asked for nominations for Moderator.  Laura Davidson, seconded by Linda Doane, nominated Jackson Evans.  There were no other nominations and Ms. O’Toole directed the town clerk to cast one vote for Jackson Evans.  The meeting was then turned back over to Mr. Evans.

 

Article 2. To hear the reports of the town officers for the past year.  All reports and information were noted from the town report.  There were no questions.  Linda Doane, seconded by Paul Kendall to accept the reports.  The reports were accepted by voice vote.

 

Article 3. To elect all the Town Officers as required by law:  it was noted at this time that a nomination does not need a second to be considered.  That being said, the following officers were elected.

  1. A Selectperson for a three year term; Megan O’Toole nominated Daniel Burson. There were no other nominations.  The clerk was directed to cast one ballot for Daniel Burson for Selectperson.
  2. A Selectperson for a two year term; Ms. O’Toole, seconded by Janice Thresher, nominated Loren Bent. There were no other nominations.  The clerk was directed to cast one ballot for Mr. Bent.
  3. A Selectperson for a two year term; Charles Farrington nominated Preston Allen, Paul Kendall nominated Charles McMeekin and Keegan Haupt nominated Stacey Blanchard. There were no other nominations.  While the paper ballot voting was set up, Mr. McMeekin had a short statement.  No other candidates were present.  The ballot voting and counting took about 35 minutes.  While that was going on the current State Legislators said a few words.  The outcome was Charles McMeekin – 57, Preston Allen – 10 and Stacey Blanchard – 9.  McMeekin was elected and is taking, the retiring Richard Bowen’s seat.  A round of applause was given to Mr. Bowen for all his years of service.
  4. A Lister for a three year term; Terry Rose nominated Heather Fernandes. There were no other nominations.  The clerk was directed to cast one ballot for Ms. Fernandes.
  5. An Auditor for a three year term; Tim Caulfield nominated Tom Cooch. There were no other nominations.  The clerk was directed to cast one ballot for Mr. Cooch.
  6. A Delinquent Tax Collector for a one year term; Walt Palmer nominated Jessica Brassard. There were no other nominations.  The clerk was directed to cast one ballot for Ms. Brassard.
  7. A First Constable for a one year term; Tim Caulfield nominated Steve Brassard. There were no other nominations.  The clerk was directed to cast one ballot for Mr. Brassard.
  8. A Cemetery Commissioner for a five year term; Tim Caulfield nominated Kris Haupt. There were no other nominations.  The clerk was directed to cast one ballot for Kris Haupt.
  9. A Cemetery Commissioner for four years of a five year term; Tim Caulfield nominated Mike Gaidys. There were no other nominations.  The clerk was directed to cast one ballot for Mr. Gaidys.
  10. A Cemetery Commissioner for three years of a five year term; Laura Davidson nominated Chris Blanchard. There were no other nominations.  The clerk was directed to cast one ballot for Mr. Blanchard.
  11. A Town Agent for a one year term; Steve Brassard nominated Nancy Gray. There were no other nominations.  The clerk was directed to cast one ballot for Mrs. Gray.
  12. A Trustee of Public Funds for a one year term; Loren Bent nominated Jessica Brassard. There were no other nominations.  The clerk was directed to cast one ballot for Ms. Brassard.

 

 

Article 4. Shall the voters authorize financing for capital plan expenses which would include town highway improvements in an amount not to exceed $ 30,000 to be financed over a period not to exceed five years? It was moved by Linda Doane and seconded by Charles McMeekin to approve the financing of up to $30,000 for the capital plan expenses.  There was no discussion and the motion passed by voice vote.

Article 5. Shall the voters authorize total fund expenditures of $ 1,236,289.96, of which $ 975,414.96 shall be raised by taxes and $ 260,875.00 by non-tax revenues?  Linda Doane, seconded by Laura Davidson made the motion to pass the budget as stated above.  Stephanie Barrett had questions regarding the fire service from Randolph going forward.  The amount in the budget for fire services is a place holder and negotiations are still ongoing.  Ellen Fox asked where the non-tax revenues were coming from and was directed to the page that those were on.  That was the extent of the discussion.  The question was called and was passed by voice vote.

 

Article 6. Shall the town collect its real property taxes in two installments, with the due dates being October 15, 2019 and March 16, 2020?  Lin Brown, seconded by Laura Davidson made the motion to approve these dates.  There was no discussion and the motion passed by voice vote.

 

Article 7. Shall the town vote to change Town Meeting day back to the first Tuesday in March pursuant to 17 V.S.A. § 2640(b)? Nora Skolnick, seconded by Keegan Haupt made the motion so as to get the discussion started.  Tim Caulfield noted that the number of people really hadn’t changed because of the change in date, just demographics.  Carolyn Egeli felt that more young people were attending.  Nora Skolnick was afraid that the voter turnout would be smaller for the school budget voting.  Also, that we could still use the school and have child care if it were moved back to Tuesday.  Derek O’Toole stated that Tuesday’s are a burden and present a challenge to some people to have to alter their schedules and should stay on Saturday.  School voting was discussed again, leaving it for another year because of the work that went into getting it changed.  Seth Fernandes stated that a lot of families work every day of the week just to make ends meet and that if people wanted to come to Town Meeting they would make the time.  But that the Town should try harder to publicize goings on.  Megan O’Toole stated that Braintree now has a Facebook page and Instagram.  More ideas have come up and more things will be done next year to remind the people of the Town goings-on.  There was more school discussion and the vote was finally called.  There were several who voted against keeping Town Meeting on Saturday but the Nays prevailed and next years’ Town Meeting will be staying on Saturday for the following year.  Kathy Eddy asked that the question come up again next year.

Article 8. To transact any other business not of a binding nature.  Tim Caulfield, Braintree Emergency Management Director, talked about info on emergency management being available and looking for more volunteers to help in the case of an emergency.  Mr. Caulfield said that there are many different things that could be asked of volunteers, food for emergency workers, helping run shelters, making phone calls to alert townspeople of emergency situations, etc.  VT Alert is another avenue for people to sign up with to find out information on emergencies when they start in our area.  Weather alerts are being put on the website – www.braintreevt.com.  Katja Evans, Kimball Library Board of Directors, was looking for community input on a substantial bequest that the library was left.  Megan O’Toole discussed the fun page in the town report, more info on Facebook page and Instagram, overhauling the town website and a huge thankyou and round of applause was given to Richard Bowen for all of his help and service on the selectboard, as he is retiring.  He will still be a Justice of the Peace.  Linda Lubold asked for help getting lunch ready next year – guessing that the potluck will continue and it would be easier with more hands helping.  Keegan Haupt also wanted to thank Megan O’Toole, who had been thrown into the position of Selectboard Chair last year, for doing a very good job in that position.

 

 

This concluded the business of the Town of Braintree.  The motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting.  The meeting was adjourned at 11:56 a.m.

 

Respectfully submitted: _____________________________

Jessica M. Brassard, Town Clerk

 

 

Board of Selectmen:

 

_________________________          _________________________            _________________________

Richard Bowen – Selectboard              Keegan Haupt – Selectboard                  Megan O’Toole – SB Chair

 

_________________________          _________________________            _________________________

Loren Bent – Selectboard                     Daniel Burson – Selectboard               Jackson Evans – Moderator

 

Auditor Minutes – March 25, 2019

 Auditor Minutes
Mar 272019
 

Town of Braintree

Draft Auditors Meeting Minutes

March 25, 2019

 

Attendees:  Tom Cooch, Lin Brown

 

  1. Mr. Cooch called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m.

 

  1. No changes were made to the agenda.

 

  1. The minutes of the October 8, 2018 meeting were approved.

 

  1. Elect Officers. Mr. Cooch was re-elected Chair and Mr. Brown was re-elected Secretary.

 

  1. Review tasks needing completion for FY19.

– State Payments: Complete through FY19-Q2. Mr Cooch will do the next one for FY19-Q3&Q4.

 

– General Journal: Complete through FY19-Q2. Mr. Cooch will do the FY19-Q3 audit.

 

– Grand List: Complete for FY19. Done annually at the end of Q2.

 

– Accounts Payable: Done through FY19-Q1. Either Mr. Cooch or Ms. Barrett will complete the FY19-Q2 audit and do FY19-Q3.

 

– Payroll: Complete through FY19-Q2. Mr. Brown will do the FY19-Q3 audit.

 

– General and Reserve Funds: Complete through FY19-Q2. Mr. Cooch will do the FY19-Q3 audit.

 

– Cash Receipts: In progress.  See discussion in section 8.a below.

 

  1. Assign jobs for FY20. This item was tabled.

 

  1. Review Sullivan and Powers Reports. A review of the professional auditors (Sullivan and Powers) reports for the past few years shows a substantial improvement in the Town’s management procedures and practices for internal control over financial reporting. The most recent report (FY 2018) shows no ‘material weaknesses’ and no ‘significant deficiencies’.  This is the first time that the Town has received such a good evaluation since using a professional auditor.

 

  1. Audit Procedure Manuals.
  2. Cash Receipts

Continued discussion about identifying the most effective procedures for auditing cash receipts. While focusing audit attention on only the large transactions seems a good strategy, no resolution was reached. Further work on this procedure was tabled.

 

  1. Taxes

Mr. Brown reported on the procedure for auditing income from taxes. The part for verifying the process by which the tax rate is set is nearly complete, lacking only a few written details.  The part for checking that tax bills are generated correctly and that tax receipts are properly recorded and deposited is yet to be done. Mr. Brown will research the delinquent tax reports to determine whether there is a method for doing a year-to-year audit check.

 

  1. Other business – The auditors asked the Town Clerk about the “Property Tax Overpayments” line on the Balance Sheet.

 

  1. Our next meeting will be scheduled at a convenient time in April or May 2019.

 

  1. The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 a.m.

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Linfield C. Brown

Selectboard Minutes – March 19, 2019

 Selectboard Minutes
Mar 222019
 

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

 

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