A regular meeting of the Hardwick Select Board was held on Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 6:30P.M. beginning at the Town Police Department at the Memorial Building and then returning to the Memorial Building 3rd floor.

         

          Members Present                                                Also Present

          Richard Brochu                                                       Rosie Gillen – Executive Assistant

          Shari Cornish                                                                    Rob Lewis- Town Manager

Marcus Brown                                                         Tom Fadden – Road Foreman

                                                                                       Tom Gardner – The Gazette

                                                                            Joe LaPorte- Police Chief                                                                                                              Norma Wiesen- Greensboro Nursing

                                                                                      Sybil Messier - AWARE

                                                                                      Robert Patten – Buffalo Mtn Resident

                                                                                      Merrill Chapin – Buffalo Mtn Landowner

                                                                                      Carol LaPlante – Hardwick Rest. Justice                                                                                        Roger LeCours

 

 

6:38P.M. Meeting called to order by Select Board Chair Marcus Brown at the Police                       Department

 

The meeting began at the Hardwick Police Department.  The Select Board asked that the meeting begin here so they could personally view the Police Department Facilities.

 

Police Chief Joe LaPorte gave the Select Board a tour of the facilities. 

 

Marcus asked Joe if their current surroundings affects their jobs?  Joe stated that he feels that it does affect morale.  He also feels they work in very tight quarters and for other agencies, it is not a professional police atmosphere. 

 

Marcus also asked how Joe felt that Hardwick’s Police station compares to other surrounding policing agencies.  Currently, Joe said other agencies have more room and also have an actual interview room.  Joe stated that it is very hard for Hardwick officers to interview offenders/suspects where several parties are involved and they are unable to separate the parties due to lack of space.  The small station just does not make for good police operations.

 

All of the PD’s storage/property rooms are maxed out for space and the conditions are just not what they should be.

 

-         Motion by Richard to recess at 6:56P.M. and reconvene upstairs to start the regular board meeting

-         Motion was 2nd by Shari

-         Motion passed

6:59P.M      Regular Meeting resumed on the 3rd floor

 

 

7:00P.M.     Approval of Minutes from October 01, 2009

 

-         Motion was made Richard Brochu to approve the minutes from October 01, 2009 as written.

-         Motion was 2nd by Shari Cornish

-         Motion passed

 

7:04 P.M.    Set/Adjust Agenda

                  

-         Motion was made by Richard to accept the agenda with the following adjustments:

 

·        Marcus added an executive session for legal to include the TM and Police Chief Joe LaPorte.

 

·        TM added Item # 4 to appoint Patrick Larsen to be the representative on the Central Vermont Solid Waste District Board as the primary member on behalf of the Town of Hardwick.

 

-         Motion 2nd by Shari

-         Motion passed

 

7:08 P.M.    Communications from the Audience

 

Carol Plante from Hardwick/Greensboro Restorative Justice thanked the Select Board as well as TM Rob Lewis for allowing them to use the office upstairs for their office.  Carol thanked the Town for giving her an old desk, shredder and file cabinet.  She also thanked Rob for cleaning out and preparing the room for Restorative Justice’s use.

 

7:10P.M.     Police Report by Joe LaPorte

                  

Joe informed the board that the new police cruiser has been ordered from Lamoille Valley Ford.  We can anticipate the arrival of the new 2010 Ford Explorer in six to seven

weeks.

         

                   Marcus thanked Joe for the tour of the PD station.  Marcus stated that he feels the

same way every time he goes there, that the space is embarrassingly small with what our PD has to work with.  It makes the working conditions very hard for the PD and Marcus is looking forward to working with the Chief and the TM to explore new options.

 

                   Joe stated that the new part time officer that who recently hired, Kevin LaPlante, has

re-evaluated his employment status and would like to be considered for a full time position.  Joe stated that he has sent Kevin’s transcripts to the VSPA for waiver review.

 

7:15 P.M.    Road Foreman Report Tom Fadden

 

Tom stated that between rain and snow last week they were not able to get much grading done.  They have finished up the sewer line down behind Lamoille Valley Ford where the log yard is. 

         

The road crew ended up replacing all the runners on the bridge on Riverside Farm Road.  Apparently the loader went through a portion of the rotted planks so they replaced all of the planks. 

 

Monday they will start replacing sidewalk in town in front of Gagnon’s Video, a section on the side of the Library and in front of the Village Laundromat.

         

Tom has also ordered the rafters for the Hideaway Acres reservoir; the entire roof/cover needs to be replaced according to Tom Brown with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation the Department of Water Supply Division, in order for him to recertify our water supply. 

 

Marcus asked Tom if the plan from the start was to replace the entire bridge on Riverside Farm Road.  Tom stated that the damage was much worse than anyone had thought.  Tom felt that the repair would cost around $2300.00 for materials.

 

7:20P.M.     Town Manager Report

 

                   Please see attached

 

7:35P.M.     Item # 1 Buffalo Mountain Trail

 

Merrill Chapin and Robert Patten both expressed their concerns for the increased amount of traffic travel on the trail.    Several four wheelers, motorcycles and off road trucks have been abusing the road.  They are destroying the road and making major ruts and just being disrespectful & careless.

 

Robert Patten is very concerned with the amount of money he has put into the road as it continues to get ruined time after time.  Before Robert moved in the road was impassable; Robert has spent a lot of time and money clearing and building up the road.  

 

Robert feels that the Town allows the trails to remain open too long.  The trails currently do not close until November 15, 2009.  Robert would like to see the trails closed on or around October 1, 2009.  Robert plows the road as well and is sick of fixing the ruts every weekend.  He is concerned with the late closure of the trails that the ruts created by other users will freeze and will not thaw before winter sets in. 

 

Merrill also stated that the trail users have been dumping a lot of trash as well as tires on the sides of the trail.  

 

                   Marcus stated that because there was not a full Board that he did not want to take any

action in this matter.   He did tell Robert and Merrill that they would be on the next agenda November 05, 2009 and that time the board will continue to look at the situation.

 

7:40P.M.     Select Board Appropriation Policy

 

The following people were at the Select Board meeting tonight to discuss the above topic.  Norma Wiesen, on behalf of Greensboro Nursing home, and Sybil Messier on behalf of AWARE, was present. 

 

Below are some of the concerns that Norma and Sybil expressed regarding the current Appropriations Policy. (See attached for the current policy).

 

-         Takes people away from their jobs and most are non-profit.

-         It’s a burden for most to get signatures every year.

-         Requires too much time

-         Most agencies operate on a shoe string budget

-         Counter Productive

-         Time consuming

 

Norma and Sybil would like to see the policy changed so that a request or not  required to get 5% of registered voter signatures in order to get an appropriation request placed on the warning for Town Meeting.  They asked that agencies at least not be required to get the signatures every year especially when the dollar amount requested does not change and has been funded in the past repeatedly.

                            

Marcus stated he would need a full Board present to make any changes to a policy and stated that he felt there was room to compromise on this issue.  This issue will also be scheduled on the agenda for the next select board meeting.

 

8:10P.M.     Item # 3 1st Qtr Financials

 

                   Rob and Rosie answered questions asked by the board.

 

 

 

 

8:12PM       Item # 4 CVSWD Appointment

 

TM explained that Pat Larsen is currently serving the Town of Hardwick as an alternate on the Central Vermont Solid Waste District and has been since April.  Tod Delaricheliere resigned as the full time member and Pat was appointed the alternate.  TM would like the select board to appoint Pat as the full time representative for Hardwick.

 

-         Motion by Richard to appoint Pat Larsen as the full time CVSWD member on behalf of the Town of Hardwick.

-         Motion 2nd by Shari

-         Motion passed

         

8:18P.M.     Select Board Reports

 

Richard commented on the new color of the Centennial Building currently being restored by Larry Hamel.  Richard also stated that Larry is doing a great job.

 

8:19P.M.     New Business

                  

                   None

 

8:20P.M.     Old Business

         

Richard stated that the Hardwick Fall Foliage Festival was a great success.

                  

8:25P.M.     Executive Session – Legal

 

-         Motion was made by Shari to go into executive session for Legal to include the TM and Police Chief Joe LaPorte.

-         Motion was 2nd by Richard

-         Motion passed.

 

9:07P.M      Adjourn- No action required

 

-         Motion was made by Richard to adjourn at 9:08P.M.

-         Motion was 2nd by Shari

-         Motion passed unanimously

 

 

Minutes approved by: Marcus Brown, Select Board Chair

 

 

Minutes taken by: Rosie Gillen