--- title: "Stamford Select Board — March 21, 2024" date: 2024-03-21 session: regular speaker_labels: 1 cluster(s) named from the roll call and that meeting's chair in the minutes, 0 named from roster attendance, 20 of 21 clusters unnamed voice_ids: {"SPEAKER_00":29,"SPEAKER_01":53,"SPEAKER_02":4,"SPEAKER_03":5,"SPEAKER_04":47,"SPEAKER_05":52,"SPEAKER_06":48,"SPEAKER_07":49,"SPEAKER_09":2,"SPEAKER_10":1,"SPEAKER_12":54,"SPEAKER_14":51,"SPEAKER_15":19,"SPEAKER_16":50,"SPEAKER_18":8,"SPEAKER_19":28,"SPEAKER_20":7,"SPEAKER_21":6,"SPEAKER_22":55,"SPEAKER_23":18,"SPEAKER_24":14} duration_min: 166 audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogf1Rapna1M audio_source: YouTube (@jgramlin78) minutes: http://www.stamfordvt.net/mediaItems/Sbd%20Minutes%203-21-2024.pdf minutes_pending: false present: [Nancy L. Bushika, Michael G. Denault, Kurt Gamari, Douglas Wright, John Dunn] absent: [] transcribed: 2026-10-12 (faster-whisper large-v3, CUDA; names corrected per data/name_fixes.json) diarization: pyannote/speaker-diarization-3.1 (automated; cluster labels may over-split a single voice; unattributed paragraphs have no reliable speaker) --- # Stamford Select Board — March 21, 2024 **Session:** Regular · **Duration:** 166 min · [Audio](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogf1Rapna1M) · [Minutes](http://www.stamfordvt.net/mediaItems/Sbd%20Minutes%203-21-2024.pdf) **Present:** Nancy L. Bushika, Michael G. Denault, Kurt Gamari, Douglas Wright, John Dunn --- **Speaker 1:** I don't know. I don't know. To the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Welcome to a meeting of Stamford's record. We've had a matter to discuss that is not included on the agenda. You may do so by addressing the chairperson and stating your meeting address. You will notice that all our meetings are recorded, and this is to aid with the summarization of the minutes. Visitors are welcome, and we allow five minutes of comments per visitor, and 15 minutes per topic. Discussion will be held in a common, civilized manner, and respectful of others. So our board members present are- Michael G. Denault. Nancy Bushika. **Speaker 2:** John Murray. John Dunn. Kurt Gamari. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Will there be any adding? Why don't we- Or removing of items from tonight's agenda? **Speaker 3:** I'd like to request the executive session to discuss the personnel. **Speaker 4:** Okay. And I have initial correspondence, if that's correct. Okay. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** We usually will do executive session at the end of the meeting, is that okay? Good. Okay. First order of business is appointments, or do you want to do hearing of visitors first? Or will there be any adjustments to the agenda? Maybe we should do hearing of the visitors first, because they might not want to stay for the whole meeting, and there's a lot of people standing. Okay. **Speaker 5:** Please state your name if you are going to speak as hearing of visitor, because there's a lot of new faces here that we don't know, and who are you to know? Yes, sir. I'm Michael Cole, from . Mike, do you want to go first? Sure. Okay. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. **Speaker 6:** Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Thank you. Thank you. Okay. **Speaker 6:** AlkaWald was coming here tonight to request some action be taken on Culvert, Sportsman's road at the top of Suzanne Drive. Our best estimate right this second is that it's washed out. Our road, Suzanne Drive, was washed out due to that culvert four times since 97. And we're just hoping we can get a bigger culvert installed, try to curb the problems, because it seems to be happening more and more. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Would a larger culvert, I'm not familiar with what exactly the culvert is, but would a larger culvert be bringing more water down your road? **Speaker 6:** It would put more water but it would keep it in the ditch line because the culvert, what happens is it gets overwhelmed and then it comes across your road and down our road. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** So it blocks up on the upper side? Yeah, exactly. **Speaker 7:** Okay. **Speaker 8:** I live on Suzanne and when that road washes out, all the dirt is either in my yard or this yard. And like he said, it's happened numerous times, no one ever comes and fixes our yards and it would be really, really nice to contain all the water that comes through that culvert's huge amount. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I think we should go up and look at it, talk to Dave. **Speaker 6:** Yeah. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Dave, thanks. **Speaker 6:** It's a two-foot culvert, it's there right now. And I do, July 4th is the last time it washed the road. I went up July 4th. I worked for Marcus Escobar, he was the contractor there. I went up July 4th. I cleaned the culvert out, got all the debris out of it but I just still couldn't take the water that day. And actually July 8th or 6th, we got another good patch of rain and it started to come across again. And I actually dug the Stamford, the ditch out on Sportsman's Drive from Suzanne Drive up to the next house farther up from Suzanne Drive. And made a berm in the road and contained the water from coming down Suzanne Drive as we've just seen. So it just seems to be being more and more of an issue with these heavy rain stones we're getting. So we're just looking for somewhat of a long-term solution. **Speaker 9:** We do have time documented videos of these days, recently of this year. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Has anyone from the board or Alcamal been here before to talk to the board about this culvert? **Speaker 10:** No, no I don't. **Speaker 11:** Okay. **Speaker 10:** This is the first. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** And you said this is the fourth time it's washed out. **Speaker 10:** Yeah. **Speaker 6:** And it's kind of always been a, everybody says it's a freak thing, always big water. But it seems to be more and more and more. **Speaker 12:** This question's actually to you. **Speaker 13:** I thought Alcamal had contacted the select board at previous times about pitching you for financing for fixing that whole area. **Speaker 6:** I wasn't a part of the board then. I have no clue about any of that. I'm pretty sure that didn't happen in the past. I know that my boss, Craig Vargas, wanted to talk to Dave after I dreamed about it, touched on it. But that was, I mean, too bad. **Speaker 14:** I know I've had conversations about that culvert with, you know. **Speaker 15:** But it was informal. **Speaker 6:** Yeah, nothing. **Speaker 15:** I mean, it wasn't, nothing. **Speaker 14:** And it's, like you said, it's kind of, I mean, we have 300 culverts in the town of Stamford. And that's not the only one that's undersized at this point. Yeah. Going to a larger culvert isn't necessarily going to fix the problem because, as you know, in those type of storms, everything from the woods decides it's going to run out into the streams and little things turn into big things. And you can't be everywhere at once to try to unplug it. So it's a two foot now. If we went to a 30 inch, it probably isn't going to make much of a difference. To go three foot or larger, it'd have to have a hydraulic study done on it. And then they're going to decide what should be sufficient for that area. I think part of the issue is the fact that it has to make sense. Yeah. To make that 90 degree turn. Yeah. The two footer's probably close to adequate, I would say, if it actually took a direct straight flow. Yeah. But then again, debris could plug it. Yeah. I mean, we had bridges in the July 10th that are engineered by the state to handle the flow that plugged up. And, you know, the whole roaring branch here is going down Mill Road. Yeah. So, unfortunately, the water is. And then I would say since 09, it seems like we've had more frequent storms since 2009. And but we've got plenty of issues like that. And I would say that the culvert itself hasn't failed. If it were failed, then yes, definitely. I probably would have a hydraulic study done on it anyway. And I still can, I think, to move forward on it. I probably would contact AOT and have a hydraulic study just to show some kind of good faith effort here. Yeah. We should have there. Yeah. **Speaker 6:** Because, unfortunately, it hasn't washed out because our room washes out before that culvert does. Yeah. **Speaker 14:** That's what the problem is. Yeah. I would say that it doesn't cause, like, the town of Stamford itself a hardship when it happens. Yeah. So, it's been on the back burner. And I know it's unfortunate for Elkenwald and the residents. But I've been trying to deal with, you know, our roads themselves. So. Yeah. I have similar issues going on myself with our town. Yeah. With our town roads. So. Right. **Speaker 8:** But just because we're not on the town road, it doesn't mean we can't, we shouldn't be taken care of as a town resident. I don't disagree with you, but it doesn't come out of the highway budget. You know, my highway budget for culverts, I think, is $4,000. And it would not even cover that one culvert. It will, actually. **Speaker 16:** The price of a 36-inch culvert right here is $1,143.25. **Speaker 14:** I got this week. But are we going to. I assume you need two of them. So, that would get you up to $4,000. Yeah. So, I'm going to go with that. Yeah. I'm going to go with that. I'm going to go with that. So, that would get you up to $2,286.50. **Speaker 15:** Plus the gravel. **Speaker 6:** Yeah. Which would be $560 if you bought it from Bart's Escalating. So, you'd be at $2,846.50 for the whole job. And I've got, like I said, I've got 300 culverts in town. I mean, I'm. And you'd gain a two-footer if you were careful digging it up. Yeah. It probably wouldn't happen. Probably something we'd have to look into. Yeah. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. **Speaker 14:** Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. **Speaker 6:** Thank you. Thank you. **Speaker 14:** Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. **Speaker 17:** Thank you. **Speaker 14:** I don't disagree with you that it wouldn't be nice to have something better there. But I don't necessarily think even a three-footer, with it taking it at an angle the way it does, is going to guarantee 100% that it doesn't flood the road out to town. **Speaker 6:** No, I agree with you there. You may need another culvert higher up on the road. No, it could be. And this is our first talk. Just, like I said, nobody's really formally asked for this, so it's just our first time. **Speaker 18:** But you have to look into it. **Speaker 2:** I'm not familiar with it myself, so I'd like to look at it too. **Speaker 8:** Mike, I did write back to you this afternoon. Did you read it? I did. There's a big section of... **Speaker 6:** I've seen it here the last couple days in the snow mountain, yeah. **Speaker 8:** And then those two big swimming holes, if you will, that Jimmy Oliver used to dig up, so the holes on that water, they're totally full of dirt. So the water just, there's nowhere for it to go. **Speaker 19:** So, Colton, explain to me exactly where... **Speaker 6:** So the culvert, on Sportsman's Road, Suzanne Drive is Alpenwald, drops off the low side. That's Alpenwald. The culvert is where the mailboxes are at the top of Suzanne Drive. Okay. And it crosses Sportsman's Road, and the ditch heads down... Right there at the intersection. Yeah, exactly, and the ditch heads right down Suzanne Drive. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Hey, would you, I know you're familiar with it. Do you want to get anybody down here to look at it with you for suggestions? Because you said... **Speaker 20:** Yeah, I would have a hydraulic study done on it. **Speaker 14:** I mean, I could have my opinion, everybody could have their opinion about it, but, you know, they're going to do an actual hydraulic study. **Speaker 5:** In order to put a 36-inch culvert, you have to... **Speaker 21:** Right, that's right, the town does, yeah. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** It's not going to happen right away down there. You know that, this weather, so... **Speaker 6:** Like I said, this was just the first step in the reaching out to you guys. **Speaker 22:** I could personally testify that four times this night, seven that I've had repair, just working for being part of... **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** We will have Dave look into this, and we'll be hearing something, or seeing something, or reading in the minutes what's going on. **Speaker 6:** Yep, perfect. Okay. Appreciate you guys' time. **Speaker 10:** Thank you. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Thank you. Thank you. Anybody else? My name is Brian . **Speaker 1:** I'd like to volunteer, along with Marta Miller, to organize the... to organize this year's green-up day. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yes, can you give it to Lori, please? **Speaker 23:** Do we have to motion it, or is that just... **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Well, he said he'd like to volunteer, but we're not in appointments yet. Okay. **Speaker 24:** Okay? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Sure. Any other hearing visitors? So, appointments. **Speaker 4:** . **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Okay. **Speaker 4:** . **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Sure, let's go. One at a time, then. Okay. Okay. One word of adjustment was Sheila Pecor and Dave Saldo. Both their terms are up. And we know you gave us a letter last week for Sheila. A letter for Sheila Pecor, yep, and an e-mail from... I'm sorry? Because I had an e-mail from Dave Saldo, but then I saw he's here. Oh, okay. Yep, and they both would like to be reappointed? Any motion, rejection? **Speaker 25:** I was going to say, do you want to do this one at a time, or just... **Speaker 5:** Whatever's easier. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Whatever's easier, Lori. I vote one of the two. **Speaker 26:** Okay, motion. Second. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** All in favor? Aye. Okay, emergency management director. Bill Levine, your term is up and you said you do not want this anymore. **Speaker 27:** My term is up. Bob Briggs has sent an email expressing his interest and his willingness to serve. And Stuart Johnson did not send an email, but I have discussed it with him. And he is interested in serving as emergency management coordinator. In addition, Sheila Lawrence is currently emergency management coordinator. I'd like you to appoint two coordinators this year. Both Stuart and Bob have a lot of experience in multiple hazards. Not necessarily all the detail of the town by virtue of her school bus driving. Sheila has so much experience. With the locations in town and the people. I truly would like you to keep her as a resource person. And I think her ability to coordinate at a time when you also have sheltering on the agenda. She will make a significant contribution. **Speaker 26:** Go ahead. Motion. Second. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Go ahead. Bob Briggs as emergency director. **Speaker 23:** Kurt. Yeah. We're going. **Speaker 24:** And Stuart. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** And Stuart is. **Speaker 1:** You said no. What? Hey, where's Stuart? Stuart is here. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Stuart is not here. I know. **Speaker 1:** Stuart, you just said it's Stuart. **Speaker 28:** I'm recognizing Stuart. **Speaker 29:** Yeah. **Speaker 23:** Stuart, yeah. I like the . **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** So was that a, what was the motion for Bob? Motion. **Speaker 25:** Are you going to do it individually or both together? Both of them are doing it at the same time. **Speaker 30:** Okay. **Speaker 25:** Bob director and Sheila and Stuart. Okay. And Stuart as coordinator? **Speaker 23:** Yes. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Any seconds? **Speaker 31:** Second. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** All in favor? Aye. Bob. **Speaker 25:** Touch with me and say you'd like to stay on another year. **Speaker 1:** Anybody else on it? I think so. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Get to meet all the dogs in town. **Speaker 23:** What's the statement they got? Motion to have. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Any second? **Speaker 23:** Say it. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** All in favor? Aye. Energy coordinator, Jennifer Hughes. **Speaker 1:** No one else? **Speaker 27:** No. We probably ought to post it through the minutes that we're looking for somebody to take that **Speaker 32:** position on, put you next to it, put you next to that, or someone else. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Septic officer, Maura Hawkins. No response. **Speaker 33:** Say it again. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Say it again. Just put them in the minutes that we're looking for some volunteers. Planning commission, Aaron Malachow. **Speaker 34:** So I am actually going to ask to not be reappointed. So. Sorry, Aaron. Yeah. I've accomplished a lot, and I just don't have the time to put into it, and I think I feel like I should open up the spot for somebody else. Okay. **Speaker 35:** So I have. **Speaker 34:** And then I know, we killed the windmill, so. **Speaker 25:** So we have Lisa Graham from last week, Peter Greenbush, and Alden Finney. I don't know if you want to look at them. What was that for? Planning commission. Planning commission. Yeah. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yeah. Planning commission for zoning board? **Speaker 33:** Thank you, Thank you very much. **Speaker 36:** I am. You guys are considering planning commission because I'm the zoning administrator, and I have, you know, I'm at all the meetings. I feel that my position is extremely important. I wouldn't mind opening up my position on the planning commission to someone else who might want to serve. I don't know if I need to submit a letter of resignation for that, or if you can possibly have someone fit with me for my position. Possibly make an appointment. **Speaker 23:** Let's keep in mind, too, that Jen, who was also on the planning commission, she may want to really force her position as energy coordinator to take one of those seats. I'm not sure. **Speaker 36:** I've talked to her about having me be the energy coordinator, and she was adamant she wanted to stay. This was last year, because I really feel as a new administrator it's almost a conflict on the planning commission, and if there are other people that want to serve, I'm happy to let other people serve. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I would like someone in writing, even though Dennis is here. **Speaker 23:** So we're down to seven now on the pie board. It's in minutes. Why don't I go down to five? So we're down to, yes. **Speaker 37:** There will be a lot. **Speaker 38:** It's a lot easier to have the meetings. Then we only need three people. **Speaker 23:** I'm out on the board now, too. I was an ex-officio. **Speaker 5:** So the reason why it's one office is because nobody was showing up. That's what I remember. **Speaker 38:** That's not right. **Speaker 1:** It was in the minutes when people were coming to us. **Speaker 5:** I can't remember who the chair was. Well, I remember the whole thing. But the pie board went for years. But I know, but just in the last five, ten years that I was on this board, people weren't showing up on the planning commission. They said, well, we're going to add people so that we can have a quorum. **Speaker 34:** We had an issue of having a quorum with a nine-person board. Right. And we, so we, one of the biggest reasons that went to a nine-person board, at least to my knowledge, was because we had to redo the zoning bylaws. We had to do a complete rewrite of the zoning, which took over two years to do. So we're not doing a complete rewrite of the zoning bylaw anymore. There are some things that are being touched up. But potentially a nine-person board isn't necessary anymore. A town our size doesn't necessarily need a nine-person board. My opinion with leaving and not being reappointed was there are other people that have the time to dedicate to the position. And I just don't have it. It worked in volunteer commitments. I just don't have it right now. So, I mean, it's up to you to keep it nine or five. I think the people that are on the board currently are committed. For the most part. That's my opinion. If there are people that are interested in filling those positions, I would, my opinion would be to leave it as a nine-person board. If we have people that have already expressed interest. I know I read the minutes and Lisa had expressed interest in joining. So, that would be my opinion. **Speaker 23:** Here's one of the arguments for keeping an F7, which we're at now. F7. Is diversity. I wasn't going to bring this up until we were done. Okay. We're going to talk about the sign again. But I'll just open this one up. I'll just open it right up now. So, we're potentially about ready as this board to send back to the planning board the issue of the sign up right here. So, there's immediate conflict there for the seven-member voting board with potentially four members of that board. Right. Two of them also sit on the ZBA. One of them was on the sign committee. And Deb just said she's ready to relinquish her position. But she's the AL. So, all directly involved with the ZBA. So, at least three voting members left for that board. They can't even vote on that. They can't even vote on that issue. So, I don't know where it goes from there. Back to us. I have no idea. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** We're not sending it back to the planning commission to vote on the sign. We're asking if they want to amend the bylaws. **Speaker 23:** Which only three people would be able to vote on. Right? Otherwise, it's a conflict. That's the way I see it. I mean, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like a conflict. **Speaker 39:** I think that there's an argument. **Speaker 38:** Against that. But I understand what you're saying. Yeah. **Speaker 23:** I just thought, as long as we're following all the correct procedures since this whole sign thing got brought up, that's a procedure that's worth looking into. **Speaker 38:** The issue with what you're talking about is the procedure itself. The correct procedure would have been to take it to the environmental court, let them make a decision. Bottom line is, you sent it to a lawyer who came back and said, take it down. You sent it to the ZBA who said, take it down. And now... Now the BLCT is telling us to go back to the planning board, which I'm just pointing out to the fact that there's not a major conflict with that decision. Because you've got people voting on both ends of the spectrum on that. **Speaker 23:** I don't believe you can go back. Okay, well... That's what they briefed the advisors to do. We've got to somehow... Let's go on the planning board and go to the new appointments. All right. Aaron Malachuk, you are not interested in being reappointed, so we have three people who are going to be reappointed. Okay. Aaron Malachuk. Aaron Malachuk. Aaron Malachuk. Aaron Malachuk. Aaron Malachuk. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Aaron Malachuk. **Speaker 23:** Aaron Malachuk. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Aaron Malachuk. **Speaker 40:** Aaron Malachuk. Aaron Malachuk. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Aaron Malachuk. So... Let's go on the planning board for the new appointments, all right? Aaron Malachuk, you are not interested in being reappointed, so we have three people that are Lisa, Peter, and Alan. **Speaker 41:** So, Dad wants to step down and she has to be... **Speaker 2:** I would like whatever her recommendation. **Speaker 41:** Even though... Yeah. You're here, just write something. **Speaker 2:** Everything should have documentation. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** So that leaves, what, two open seats? **Speaker 23:** Two open seats. **Speaker 2:** So, I would like the nominee... Peter Abram perch. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I'd like to nominate Lisa Bramlin to the Planning Commission. **Speaker 23:** Second. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** All in favor? **Speaker 23:** Aye. Second. All in favor? **Speaker 42:** Aye. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Second. **Speaker 23:** All in favor? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Aye. And we'll see how anybody else is interested. All in each name. On file. Do you have any other questions? On the appointment letters, did they go back to Lori? No, they're right here. Okay. Send them back to Lori. Okay. Conservation Commission. Just a moment here. Shouldn't there be any kind of rules that you can only miss so many meetings before you **Speaker 8:** are kicked off the board because you're not showing up? **Speaker 5:** So that's where I was talking about how we wanted to prizes. Okay. I WENT TO A NINE BOARD MEMBER, OR NINE MEMBER BOARD. BACK WHEN THAT WAS HAPPENING, THERE WAS A RULE. AND I CAN'T REMEMBER THE EXACT RULE, BUT IT WAS IF YOU MISSED THREE MEETINGS FOR NO REASON AT ALL, THEN THEY WERE SUPPOSED, THE CHAIR WAS SUPPOSED TO COME TO THE BOARD, AND WE WERE SUPPOSED TO ASK THEM WHY, AND NOT ASK THEM TO STEP DOWN. THERE WAS RULES PUT IN PLACE. NO ONE HAS, NO ONE, NO ONE HAS, WOW. NO ONE HAS APPROACHED THIS BOARD FROM THE PLANNING BOARD SAYING THAT'S HAPPENING ANYMORE. **Speaker 38:** THAT RULE WAS BEING MADE AFTER A CERTAIN TIME. WE'VE HAD PEOPLE MISS MORE THAN THREE MEETINGS NOW. **Speaker 23:** THAT WAS A SELECT BOARD RULE, NOT A PLANNING BOARD RULE. SO, I MEAN, AT THE TIME WHERE WE WENT TO NINE, AT THE TIME WE WENT TO NINE MEMBERS, THERE WAS ALL KINDS OF THINGS THAT WERE UNHONORABLE THAT WERE GOING ON. THERE WAS A LOT OF REASONS WE WENT TO A NINE MEMBER BOARD. YOU KNOW, I'M NOT GOING TO MENTION ALL THE POLITICS THAT WERE INVOLVED, BUT THOSE THINGS THAT WERE HAPPENING. **Speaker 8:** I JUST KNOW WE'VE BEEN COMING TO THESE MEETINGS SINCE WHEN NO THING STARTED, SO HOW MANY, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE MONTHS? AND POPPING HAS NEVER SHOWN UP TO A PLANNING BOARD MEETING. **Speaker 34:** IT WAS AT THE LAST TWO MEETINGS YOU WEREN'T THERE. **Speaker 43:** OH, I WAS GOING TO SAY THAT. **Speaker 34:** I WAS GOING TO SAY, I DON'T KNOW, GUY. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** OKAY. LORI, ANY QUESTIONS? **Speaker 25:** WELL, GOING BACK TO EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, BEFORE I FORGET, THERE'S AN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR COURSE. **Speaker 31:** WHICH CENTER? **Speaker 25:** OKAY, THEN YOU'RE ON THE BOARD. **Speaker 44:** I'M ON BOARD. **Speaker 25:** OKAY. **Speaker 31:** I'M VIOLENT. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** OKAY, YOU HAD SOMETHING ON THE PLANNING, BUT YOU WENT BACK. **Speaker 8:** I JUST THINK THAT SHOULD BE A RULE. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SHOW UP. YOU CAN'T HAVE THE SEAT. WE TRIED IT. TRIED IT, IS THAT NOT A RULE? **Speaker 2:** YEAH, KEEP ATTENDANCE TO THE MEETINGS, AND WE'LL BRING IT TO OUR ATTENTION AGAIN. **Speaker 8:** WHAT, HOW? **Speaker 2:** KEEP ATTENDANCE TO THE MEETINGS, WHEN WE HAVE YOUR MEETINGS. **Speaker 45:** WELL, IT'S REALLY UP TO THE CHAIR TO DO THAT. **Speaker 5:** RIGHT, IT'S UP TO THE CHAIR TO COME TO OUR BOARD. IF THEIR CHAIR ISN'T COMING TO OUR BOARD AND SAYING ANYTHING, WE DON'T KNOW. **Speaker 34:** SO, IN THE CASE OF SOMEONE WHO'S MISSING MEETINGS, WE'VE LEARNED FROM MISTAKES THAT WE MADE IN THE PAST. THERE ARE ALWAYS, MANY TIMES THERE ARE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT. SO, IN DAN BAUMAN'S CASE, I CALLED HIM SPECIFICALLY AND TALKED TO HIM, AND HE WAS AT THE NEXT MEETING. SO, WE'RE NOT IN THE, SO I CAN'T SPEAK AS THE CHAIR, BUT WE WERE NOT IN THE BUSINESS OF TRYING TO, AT LEAST ME, WHEN I WAS THE CHAIR, WAS NOT IN THE BUSINESS OF TRYING TO REMOVE MEMBERS FROM OUR BOARD. MY GOAL WAS FOR ALL MEMBERS TO BE THERE AND TO PARTICIPATE. THERE WAS A REASON THAT EVERY MEMBER WHO WAS ON THAT BOARD, WE HAD A VERY DIVERSE, IT WAS A VERY DIVERSE BOARD WITH LOTS OF DIFFERENT OPINIONS. **Speaker 46:** SO, AND THAT WAS SPECIFICALLY FOR A REASON. **Speaker 5:** IN THE ERA, WHEN WE DID MAKE THAT RULE, WE DID SAY IF THERE WAS NO REASON, SO IF YOU REACH OUT TO A MEMBER AND THEY SAY, I'M IN THE HOSPITAL, YOU KNOW, I'M TAKING SOME, YOU KNOW. **Speaker 34:** I'LL GIVE YOU DAN'S REASON. DAN, IT WAS AN EXTREMELY BRAINY YEAR. AND WE HAD MEETINGS ON SOME NICE DAYS. AND DAN'S IN THE LOGGING BUSINESS. WHEN THERE'S NO MONEY, IT CAN'T BE IN THE WOODS. OR WHEN THERE'S MONEY, IT CAN'T BE IN THE WOODS. WHEN IT'S DRY, SO THAT'S WHAT HE TOLD ME. SO, I TAKE IT THAT WAY. **Speaker 23:** LET ME ASK THIS, HOW DO WE, LIKE, PASS THE TORCH NOW? BECAUSE YOU'RE THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD. **Speaker 47:** HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE GET IN? **Speaker 34:** RIGHT NOW, SHE WAS THE VICE CHAIR. SO, THE NEXT MEETING IS SCHEDULED BY SHEILA. SHE WOULD MOVE THE ROOM THROUGH LAURIE, AND THEN SHE REACHES OUT TO CAROLYN TO GET THE AGENDA **Speaker 48:** FOR THE BOARD. **Speaker 34:** AND THEN YOU HAVE TO RESTRUCTURE. YEAH, YOU HAVE TO RESTRUCTURE. **Speaker 23:** YOU GUYS HAVE TO HAVE MEETINGS AT THE TOP. YEAH. COULD IT BE A VERY DIFFERENT BOARD THAN IT WAS, YOU KNOW, TWO YEARS AGO? **Speaker 1:** WE'LL SEE. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** STATE OF ITSELF, WE'RE UNRESENTING THE POSITION OF THE BOARD. AND I WOULD SAY, IF IT IS IN CONFLICT AND CLOSER INTEREST IN SERVING, THEY SHOULD HAVE, YOU KNOW, OPINIONS FOR HONOR. WE WOULDN'T HAVE SHOWN THAT. OKAY, THIS IS GOOD. **Speaker 36:** SORRY TO GET IN THE READING. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** THAT'S FINE. **Speaker 5:** MOTION TO ACCEPT THE RESIGNATION. **Speaker 1:** THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SO, DOES THAT MEAN THERE'S ANOTHER SPOT OVER HERE? **Speaker 23:** NO, THERE'S TWO. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** WE JUST FILLED IT. SECOND MOTION. SECOND. ACCEPT THE RESIGNATION. I GUESS WE PUT THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE, BECAUSE WE JUST APPOINTED TWO PEOPLE THERE. **Speaker 1:** WE'LL SWITCH THE ROUND. **Speaker 49:** WE'LL SWITCH THE ROUND. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** CONSERVATION COMMISSION. WE HAVE FIVE MEMBERS, TWO VACANCIES, AND A NET NUMBER. **Speaker 23:** MY PRINTER DIED. I DON'T HAVE A LONDER YET. IT'S A DEEP-HUNK BOARD. I WOULD MAKE SUGGESTIONS THAT IT GETS REVIVED AT SOME LEVEL, AT LEAST IN AN ADVISORY CAPACITY. LIKE I SAID LAST MEETING, IT'S A GREAT BOARD FOR PEOPLE TO GET STARTED OUT IN COMP POLITICS IF THEY WANT. BECAUSE YOU NEVER MEET. SO IT'S PRETTY EASY. BUT I THINK IT'S A GOOD ADVISORY BOARD TO HAVE. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** IT'S A VACANT POSITION. JESS TATRO. DO WE HAVE IT THERE? **Speaker 42:** OKAY. **Speaker 23:** I THINK THERE'S SEVERAL VACANCIES STILL. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** YEAH. SO WE HAVE THREE MEMBERS ON THERE. **Speaker 23:** YOU'RE NOT ON THAT? NO. **Speaker 42:** HE JUST LET HIM EXPLAIN. **Speaker 23:** WHO WANTS TO MAKE THE MAP? IT'S 2019, I THINK. **Speaker 42:** I DON'T KNOW. **Speaker 23:** THAT? THAT REASON? IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME. WHAT DO THEY DO? SIT AROUND AND TALK ABOUT WHATEVER. BASIS, SPECIES. I MEAN, THERE'S THINGS YOU COULD DO. YOU COULD BE AN ADVISORY BOARD, ESPECIALLY WITH LIKE FEMA THINGS GOING ON. IF YOU'RE WELL ENOUGH TO BE AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT IN IT, YOU COULD RESEARCH ALL KINDS OF THINGS. ONE ON THE WORLD OF CONSERVATION, YOU KNOW, ROADSIDE INDASES, WHICH ARE A PROBLEM. **Speaker 50:** THEY WERE ACTIVE WHEN A LOT OF **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** THE LAND WAS GOING TO BE SOLD **Speaker 50:** TO NATIONAL FORESTS, TOO. **Speaker 23:** I MEAN, ANCIENT ROAD SURVEYS TYPE OF STUFF WOULD HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE THINGS BACK BEFORE WE GOT ALL OF THAT. THAT TYPE OF STUFF. LAND MANAGEMENT ISSUES. JUST CONVERSATIONS TO HAVE. THERE'S NO POWER TO IT, REALLY, OR VOTING CAPACITY OF ANY SENSE. BUT IT COULD BE MORE ADVISORY. **Speaker 51:** ALL RIGHT, I'LL DO IT. THERE YOU GO. **Speaker 1:** YEAH. YOU CAN WRITE IT ON THIS. YOU CAN WRITE IT ON THIS. THE FIRST THING TO DO WOULD BE STRUCTURE SOME KIND **Speaker 49:** OF MEETING. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU **Speaker 50:** NEED TO DO. **Speaker 23:** WE COULD HAVE THIS STRUCTURE SOME KIND OF MEETING. CAN YOU EMAIL IT TOGETHER? **Speaker 38:** THIS IS FANCY. CONSERVATION COMMITTEE PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN MANY ASPECTS. I KNOW THAT WE HAD MEETINGS RIGHT UP TO 2019 BEFORE I WENT TO THE HOSPITAL. AFTER THAT, IT KIND OF JUST BOUGHT. WE OCCURRED, I BELIEVE, WE DID A LOT OF WORK WITH EVASIVE SPECIES, CONTAMINATED WATER. WE'LL LOOK BACK AT THE MINUTE MEETINGS, BUT THE THING IS, MANY THINGS THAT ARE DONE ARE SUPPOSED TO OPEN CONSERVATION COMMITTEE CURRENTS. SO IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT FUNCTION, MOSTLY IGNORED BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE SAY, YOU REALLY, THEY'RE AT THE, WHAT'S THE WORD, AT THE ENDING OF THE SELECT. IN OTHER WORDS, WHEN A SELECT BOARD BONDS HELP ON SOMETHING AT WORK, THERE WAS THIS THEORY OF SOMEBODY IN THE HOSPITAL DISTRAUGHT THAT THE SELECT BOARD NEEDED TO APPROVE THE MEANINGS AND THAT. BUT THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS. AND WHEN WE DID HAVE A TEAM WITH MRS. LOVET AND I CAN'T REMEMBER, SHEILA, AND WE DID SOME VERY IMPORTANT WORK CONTINUING GETTING THESE EVASIVE SPECIES DOWN. AND EVEN THOUGH WE HAD SOME OF THE LIGHTS WE'RE HAVING ON THE TREES, SOME OF THE INSECTS, YOU KNOW, AND WE SENT OUT INFORMATION, WE HAD A LOT OF INFORMATION ON THAT THING. SO, I'M SORRY THAT IN 2019 WE THOUGHT SHEILA HAD SET IT UP. **Speaker 52:** I HAVE A MEETING APRIL 29TH AT 7 P.M. FOR CONSERVATION. APRIL 29TH? I HAVEN'T GOTTEN EVERYBODY TO TELL ON THE DATE, BUT I'M LETTING EVERYBODY KNOW NOW. APRIL 29TH? YEP, AT 7 P.M. **Speaker 23:** IT WOULD BE A GREAT BOARD TO REVIBE IN SOME CAPACITY. IT WOULD BE JUST AN EDUCATIONAL **Speaker 42:** SITUATION. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** AND YOU CAN FIND YOUR GUIDELINES ONLINE AND THROUGH VLCT. **Speaker 38:** YEAH, ESPECIALLY IF YOU DO THINGS LIKE BUILDING RIVERS. I MEAN, THE CONSERVATION COMMITTEE COMES IN AND SAYS, NO, OUR WINDMILL GOES UP NEAR OUR VERY SENSITIVE AREA. IT'S THE CONSERVATION COMMITTEE THAT GOES UP THE FIRST ALIGNMENT. THEN IT GOES TO THE PLANET AND THEN IT GOES TO THE PLANETS. SO, IT'S A FUNCTIONAL GROUP THAT HAS IN THREE DISCUSSIONS. IT'S IMPORTANT TO JUST KNOCK ON AND DO SOMETHING WITH YOU. MORE EYES ARE BETTER. **Speaker 25:** OKAY, DID WE APPOINT MARTHA? NO, DO YOU WANT TO DO A MOTION? OR ARE WE PUTTING HER IN HER FIRST SPOT? **Speaker 26:** SURE, MOTION. SECOND. **Speaker 53:** ALL IN FAVOR? **Speaker 54:** I AM. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** OKAY, AND WE HAVE ONE VACANT SPOT FOR JESS. MOVING DOWN TO GROWTH COMMISSIONER DAVE TATRE. SORRY WE DIDN'T APPOINT YOU LAST EVENING, BUT YOU'VE BEEN ACTIVELY REQUESTING YOURSELF. **Speaker 1:** ANYBODY ELSE WANT IT? THE LETTERS? **Speaker 26:** HE WANTS IT. ALL THESE PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE ROADS, AND NOBODY WANTS IT. ALL RIGHT. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** MAKE A MOTION. **Speaker 40:** MOTION COVERED, I QUIT. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** ALL IN FAVOR? THREE FOR WARDEN, THREE FOR NIPSON. I DON'T HAVE ANY RESPONSE. THIS IS WHY WE JUST **Speaker 25:** SUPPORT PEOPLE WITHOUT ASKING. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** BENETTON COUNTY REGIONAL COMMISSION. DEB RACHARD AND DAN POPPIN, THEIR TURN IS UP. **Speaker 36:** AM I ABLE TO STILL DO IT, BUT NOT BEING ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION ANYMORE? YEAH. I THINK SO. **Speaker 55:** WE'VE HAD THEM BEFORE. **Speaker 36:** OKAY. I REFER TO STAY, BECAUSE THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN AS IMPORTANT. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** OKAY. **Speaker 5:** NO OFFERING TO TRUSH THEM DOWN? NO, WE'RE TRUSHING THEM DOWN. OKAY. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** YEAH, THEY USUALLY WOULD LIKE TWO PEOPLE FROM THE TOWN, BUT YOU'VE BEEN SHUTTING UP, SO THAT'S GOOD. **Speaker 36:** YEAH, I'LL GO GET EVERYTHING THAT KEN HAS TO BE IN THIS ONE. OKAY. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** MOTION FOR DEB RACHARD FOR THE DUTCH COUNTY REGIONAL COMMISSION. MOTION. **Speaker 54:** SAMUEL, YOUR SECOND. **Speaker 53:** FAVOR? **Speaker 26:** SURE. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** OKAY, GREEN UPDATE COORDINATOR, YOU HAVE SOMETHING FROM MARIA AND KYLE. RYAN? YEAH, I ALSO HAVE **Speaker 13:** THAT ONE. I DIDN'T KNOW MY NEIGHBOR WAS GOING TO DO IT, TOO. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A WAY FOR ME TO JUST, HE KNOWS THE AREA BETTER. HE'S BEEN HERE LONGER THAN ME, SO I WOULD LIKE FOR HIM TO JUST TELL ME ABOUT IT. GIVE IT TO HIM. TEAMS. **Speaker 56:** YEAH, HE HELPED YOU. **Speaker 13:** YEAH, HE HELPED YOU. **Speaker 1:** LET'S DO TEAMS. YEAH. SO, THEY ALL WANT WORKING ON THAT. ARE YOU SURE? YEAH, WELL, HOW ABOUT **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** JUST A .1 COORDINATOR, AND THEN YOU ALL WORK WITH A COORDINATOR. **Speaker 5:** YOU WANT TO BE **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** A COORDINATOR? **Speaker 5:** SURE. SO, I'LL MAKE A MOTION WE MAKE BRIAN THE COORDINATOR. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** IS THAT OKAY? **Speaker 2:** IS THAT A DUAL? THAT'S A DUAL SPOT? WE BOTH GET UP MARIA AND BRIAN? **Speaker 40:** I SUGGESTED JUST ONE, **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** AND THEN THEY WORK WITH BRIAN. **Speaker 2:** ALL RIGHT, YES, I CAN BRING IN. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AND WE HAVE A VACANCY ON THE COMMUNITY PROJECTS COMMITTEE. THANK YOU. SO, IF YOU COULD PUT ALL THESE VACANCIES IN THE MINUTES, LORI, AND DEAL WITH THEM AS THEY COME IN. **Speaker 57:** WE HAVE ONE MORE **Speaker 58:** WHILE YOU'RE AT IT. **Speaker 25:** YES. THE DB5 ORDER. **Speaker 58:** OH, DB5, YES. **Speaker 25:** YOU HAD APPOINTED BOB BRiggs AND BILL LAVINE, BUT THERE WAS A QUESTION OF IF C.J. BADNESS WANTED TO. OH, RIGHT. AND I SENT HIM A LETTER. I DIDN'T GIVE ANY OF IT. **Speaker 27:** I DISCUSSED IT WITH HIM. HE IS NOT INTERESTED AT THIS POINT. OKAY. SO, JUST THE ONE ALTERNATE. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** OKAY. SO, IF YOU FILL THE **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** PAPERWORK OUT FOR THAT, AND SEND THAT IN. AND DISAPPOINTMENTS. HEARING RECEIVED AND DONE. READING AND APPROVAL OF RECORDS AND ORDERS OF MARCH 7. **Speaker 2:** C.J. TO APPROVE. SECOND. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** ALL IN FAVOR? **Speaker 14:** ALL AYE. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** DAY, GROWTH, CONDITIONS. **Speaker 14:** OH, IT'S MARCH. I THINK IT'S BEEN MARCH SINCE NOVEMBER. I THINK WE'RE ALL PRETTY WELL HAD IT WITH THIS, AND LOOKING FORWARD TO THE DAY WHEN I CAN GET OUT OF THE GRADER. THIS WAS WHAT REALLY PUT US BEHIND. **Speaker 59:** WELL, WE ONLY GOT TO CALL **Speaker 2:** THE PROBLEM EXPORTS ON THAT. **Speaker 14:** YEAH, NO, THAT'S A MINIMAL. I MEAN, AT THIS POINT, YEAH, I'M JUST LOOKING TO GET OUT OF THE GRADER. **Speaker 2:** SO, HOW DO YOU MAKE OUT PLOWING WITH THE ROADS BEING **Speaker 59:** SOFT? **Speaker 14:** I'M PRETTY MUCH A PROFESSIONAL AT THAT AT THIS POINT. I'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR YEARS. THE PLOWS THAT I BUY FOR THE TRUCKS CAN HANDLE THAT FOR THE MOST PART. I MEAN, YOU HAVE TO GO SLOWER AND YOU HAVE TO KIND OF FLOAT THE PLOW, BUT THEY'RE NOT LIKE THE, YOU KNOW, THE PLOWS. **Speaker 59:** BUT YOU'RE STILL ABLE TO **Speaker 14:** GET OUT AND MAINTAIN THE ROADS? YEAH, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, IT TAKES... **Speaker 2:** I KNOW REED FLOATER HAS AN ISSUE, THEY WERE WONDERING WHEN PEOPLE WERE GOING TO **Speaker 14:** PLOW. YEAH, WELL, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY WE DIDN'T PLOW AS MANY TIMES AS I WOULD HAVE IF, YOU KNOW, IT WAS IDEAL CONDITIONS. YOU GOT TO KIND OF... WELL, WE DIDN'T HEAR ANY COMPLAINTS, SO YOU'RE HONESTLY DOING A GOOD JOB. WE DO OUR BEST. OBVIOUSLY THE CONDITIONS A LOT OF TIMES DO, YOU KNOW, POSE SOME ISSUE FOR US, BUT WE ALWAYS MANAGE TO GET THE JOB DONE. SO, MIKE AND I HAVE BOTH BEEN AT THIS FOR QUITE A LONG TIME. **Speaker 2:** WELL, WE APPRECIATE YOUR DUE DILIGENCE IN THE MATTER. **Speaker 14:** THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY, I ALSO HAVE A QUOTE FOR A LOADER I WAS ABLE TO FIND A LOADER THAT I'M VERY INTERESTED IN. IT'S ACTUALLY LOCAL. IT'S IN PITTSFIELD. THE GUY PUT TOGETHER A DEAL. HE'S ACTUALLY INTERESTED IN TAKING OURS IN A TRADE. YOU GO LOOK AT IT? I'VE LOOKED AT IT. I'VE LOOKED AT A FEW LOADERS NOW, AND THE ISSUE THAT I'M HAVING IS THE RUST ON A LOT OF THEM. THEY'VE BEEN USED A LOT OF THESE NEW MACHINES BECAUSE THEY'RE SO EXPENSIVE. A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T NEED THEM ALL YEAR. A LOT OF PEOPLE DO WINTER, SO THEY RENT THEM IN THE WINTER. SO THEY GET A LOT OF WINTER USE AND THEY TEND TO BE PRETTY RUSTED OUT. I WENT AND LOOKED AT A COUPLE THAT I THOUGHT WERE PROMISING THAT REALLY TURNED OUT TO BE ROTTED RIGHT OUT AND STILL WANTED A LOT OF MONEY FOR THEM. THIS ONE HERE IS IN VERY GOOD SHAPE. THERE'S ACTUALLY A PHOTO. AND HERE'S THE COAL ON THE DEAL. **Speaker 5:** WHAT YEAR IS THIS ONE? IT'S A 2017. WHAT'S THE ONE WE HAVE NOW? 1990. **Speaker 14:** WHAT DOES IT WANT TO DO FOR THE USED ONE? 10,000, WHICH I FEEL IS KIND OF A BLESSING IN A WAY BECAUSE IT'S MORE THAN HAPPY TO SHOW ANYBODY, BUT IT'S DEFINITELY SEEN ITS BEST DAY A LONG TIME AGO. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** HOW MANY HOURS DO YOU KNOW **Speaker 14:** OF THEM? ON THE METER OR ON THE MACHINE? I MEAN, THE METER IS READING SOMEWHERE AROUND 30,000. 13,000, BUT IT WAS REPLACED. IT HAD 6,000 OR 7,000 HOURS ON IT, AND THEY REPLACED THE ENGINE AND THAT, SO IT'S PROBABLY GOT SOMEWHERE AROUND 20,000 HOURS ON THAT LOADER. IF IT'S ANGRY AND DIDN'T STOP WORKING, I MEAN, I HAVEN'T WORKED HERE THE WHOLE TIME IT'S HERE, SO I MEAN, IT COULD HAVE DEFINITELY NOT EVEN WORKED AT SOME POINT. I DON'T KNOW. BUT YOU FIGURE IT OUT HOW MANY YEARS THAT IS, AND IT'S PROBABLY RAN EVERY DAY OF ITS LIFE AND THE WHERE TIME. **Speaker 2:** DO YOU FEEL THE NEW ONE WITH 6,000 HOURS ON IT IS FAIR MARKET VALUE FOR WHAT HE'S ASKING? **Speaker 14:** YEAH, I LOOKED ONLINE AND I FOUND THE EXACT SAME YEAR WITH 5,900 HOURS, AND THEY WANTED 140 FOR IT. SO I THINK THAT'S A PRETTY GOOD FAIR DEAL. THERE'S A FEW ON THERE. I LOOKED AT ONE IN ALBANY ON MONDAY, IT'S A 2015 WITH THE SAME HOURS, AND IT WAS COMPLETELY ROTTED, AND THEY WANTED 91. **Speaker 2:** ALL I CAN SAY IS IF YOU GO BUY, LIKE... LIKE A NEW ONE-TON, THE ONE TONS COST $90,000, SO IF YOU'RE GOING TO BUY A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THAT'S 104 OR WHATEVER, PROBABLY WORTH WHAT HE'S ASKING, I MEAN. **Speaker 14:** I REALLY THINK THIS ONE'S IN GOOD SHAPE. I LOOKED IT OVER, WE TRIED IT. LIKE I SAID, IF YOU'RE BUYING A USED PIECE OF EQUIPMENT, THERE'S NO WARRANTY. I MEAN, I DON'T WANT A CRYSTAL BALL, BUT LOOKING AT WHAT'S **Speaker 60:** OUT THERE, LOOKING AT WHAT'S OUT **Speaker 14:** THERE, I'VE GONE AND LOOKED AT A FEW OF THEM. I SPENT A BUNCH OF TIME ONLINE TRYING TO RESEARCH ANYTHING IN THE NORTHEAST THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN WORTH GOING TO LOOK AT, AND MOST OF THEM ARE PRETTY ROTTED. **Speaker 2:** THE REAL ISSUE IS YOU WON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'VE GOT UNTIL YOU GET IT, YOU KNOW? YOU START BURNING IT, AND... **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** DO THEY GIVE YOU ANY WARRANTY, LIKE... THERE'S NO WARRANTY. **Speaker 14:** NO, IF YOU WANT A WARRANTY, YOU'VE GOT TO COME UP WITH ABOUT $260,000. RIGHT, YEAH. FOR THAT? WELL, WE HAVE, WE ALREADY HAVE MONEY FROM LAST YEAR FOR THIS, TOO. WE HAVE ENOUGH MONEY FOR THAT, YEAH. WE HAVE $100,000 TO USE. **Speaker 2:** THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE, TOO, THAT YOU BROUGHT UP LAST MEETING, THAT THERE'S MONEY TO BE USED TO BE ABLE TO USE IT FOR SOMETHING, AND YOU BROUGHT UP, LIKE, FIXING THE ROOF. THAT WAS OUR MONEY. COULD THAT BE USED FOR THE **Speaker 23:** LOWER TOO, OR NO? INFRASTRUCTURE. REALLY WEIRD INFRASTRUCTURE RATHER THAN HOME. THAT WOULDN'T BE ANYTHING. IT WOULD MAKE YOU MAKE THAT ARGUMENT, I GUESS, **Speaker 14:** AND STRETCH. I THINK THAT RESTRUCTURE IS WHAT MAKES IT. THAT MACHINE, YOU'RE GOING TO GET OVER 20,000 HOURS OUT OF. I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR. THAT'S SOMETHING YOU USE EVERY DAY, RIGHT? YEAH. IN THE WINTER TIME, IT'S USED EVERY DAY. IS THIS THE SAME SIZE AS WHAT WE HAVE? IT'S A LITTLE BIT BIGGER. WE HAVE A 26,000-POUND MACHINE. THAT'S A 29. THE BUCKET WE HAVE IS A 2.3 YARD, AND THAT'S A 3. WE HAVE ABOUT 100. IT'S A LITTLE BIT BIGGER MACHINE THAN WE HAVE CURRENTLY, WHICH ISN'T REALLY ANYTHING. THESE GUYS SELL A LOT OF EQUIPMENT. YEAH. THEY DON'T SELL JUMP. WE BOUGHT OUR ESCAPATOR FROM THEM, AND IT'S BEEN GREAT. THEY'VE GONE THROUGH IT. THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH IT. THEY SERVICED IT. I BOUGHT STUFF FROM THEM. I MEAN, IT'S SUPER CLEAN. I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO BRING ANYONE OF YOUS DOWN TO LOOK AT IT. I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO BE IMPRESSED. YOU'RE COMFORTABLE. I'M COMFORTABLE. **Speaker 61:** YEAH, I'LL FOLLOW YOU. PLUS, THEY HAVE A GREAT SERVICE DEPARTMENT. YEAH. THEY COME PICK IT UP. **Speaker 62:** I MEAN, THEY ACTUALLY, **Speaker 14:** WITH OUR ESCAPATOR, BECAUSE WE BOUGHT IT THERE, I HAD AN ISSUE WITH IT, AND I CALLED THEM, AND THEY WALKED ME THROUGH THE REPAIR ON IT. YEP. THAT'S WORTH IT RIGHT THERE. THAT'S WORTH MONEY. **Speaker 63:** WHAT IS IT, NICK? **Speaker 14:** WHAT'S THE TRADE IN? 94.9. **Speaker 24:** LET'S DO IT. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** 94 WHAT, 9? **Speaker 61:** YEAH. DO WE HAVE THAT MODS THERE? DO IT. MOTION. **Speaker 2:** MOTION. **Speaker 64:** YEAH, WE SHOULD GO THERE, YEAH. **Speaker 2:** MOTION. ALL RIGHT. SECOND. APPRECIATE IT. SECOND. **Speaker 40:** THIRD. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. WHEN WILL THEY DELIVER IT AND **Speaker 17:** TAKE THE OLD ONE, OR? **Speaker 14:** I MEAN, IT'S GOING TO TAKE A COUPLE DAYS FOR THOSE. AS SOON AS THE MONEY CLEARS. EXACTLY. YEAH. **Speaker 65:** I MEAN, OVER THE NEXT COUPLE **Speaker 14:** WEEKS, WE'LL SEE. **Speaker 17:** OKAY. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** ANYWAYS. WHAT ELSE, DAVE, UNDER ROADS? **Speaker 14:** WELL, WE APPLIED FOR EAST ROAD. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** IS THAT THE CLASS TWO **Speaker 20:** ROADWAY PROGRAM? **Speaker 14:** YEAH. I DON'T ANTICIPATE THAT WE'LL **Speaker 2:** GET IT, BUT IT WOULD BE GREAT. WE'LL KEEP TRYING THERE, AND I'LL SEE IF IT COMES IN. **Speaker 14:** DID YOU DO A CHIP SEAL EVERY YEAR? NO, WE TYPICALLY DO A, THE ROADS GET DONE ABOUT EVERY 10 TO 7-5, THAT WAY YOU WOULD PRODUCE IT. STAFF, ALL RIGHT. **Speaker 66:** NOTHING THIS YEAR? **Speaker 14:** NO. NO, ONCE THE LOAN IS PAID, THEN WE JUST TAKE ANOTHER ONE AND DO ANOTHER PROJECT. IT'S USUALLY ABOUT HALF OF OUR PAID MILES THAT WE GET DONE WITH THE MONEY THAT WE SPEND. AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH IT, I THINK, PRETTY GOOD. WE'VE HAD SOME GRANTS HERE AND THERE THAT HELPED OUT, BUT I THINK FOR THE MOST PART, I THINK IT'S A VERY ECONOMICAL WAY TO MAINTAIN OUR ROADS, AND I THINK THEY'RE BETTER THAN A LOT OF THEM ARE. THEY'RE BETTER THAN OUR NEIGHBOR. YEAH, SO IT WORKS. I MEAN, IT'S MESSY WHEN WE DO IT, FOR SURE. YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT THE NICEST THING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS, BUT IT'S A LOT CHEAPER. I MEAN, IT'S ABOUT SIX TIMES THE COST TO ACTUALLY PAVE INSTEAD OF JUST SHIM AND CHIP SEAL, SO WE **Speaker 2:** COULDN'T AFFORD IT. WOULD IT BE WORTH LOOKING INTO BUYING PAID OR DOWN THE ROAD? PROBABLY IF YOU CAN'T EVEN GET **Speaker 59:** THE BLACK SHOT, YOU GOT TRAPPED. **Speaker 14:** IN MY EXPERIENCE, YEAH, YOU'RE RIGHT ON THAT. DIDN'T CLARKSBOROUGH BUY ONE? THEY HAVE A HOT POT. YEAH. ACTUALLY, I THINK THE TOWN OF ADAMS JUST PURCHASED A PAVING, AND I CAN'T QUITE UNDERSTAND, UNLESS THEY'RE GOING TO DO SMALL, LIKE, SHIM JOBS, BECAUSE IT TAKES LONGER TO GET IT THAN IT DOES TO PUT IT DOWN. ALL-STATE ASPHALTS WILL COME PUT IT DOWN CHEAPER THAN I CAN BUY IT. YEAH. IF I GO TO THE ASPHALT PLANT TO BUY IT, IT WILL COST MORE A TON THAN THEY'LL COME AND PUT IT DOWN FOR. RIGHT. SO, FOR... AND THAT'S THEM DRUCKING IT, THEM WITH ALL THE EQUIPMENT AND THE MAN POWER. YEAH. YOU KNOW. THAT'S GREAT. YEAH. WELL, I THINK IT'S JUST BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A LARGE AMOUNT, AND ALL THEY'RE ABLE TO... RIGHT. TO DO IT. YEAH. I MEAN, EVEN WHEN WE HAD THE SCHOOL PARKING LOT DONE, THE PERSON THAT GOT THE BID SUBBED IT OUT TO, AFTER THEY DID ALL THE PREP WORK, THEY SUBBED IT OUT TO ALL-STATE BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T GO BUY THE MIX. RIGHT. AS CHEAP AS THEY COULD. AND WE JUST PAY THEM TO DO IT. UNBELIEVABLE. YEAH. SO IT'S... **Speaker 5:** I'VE SEEN IT HAPPEN. I WAS TALKING TO THAT CLERK FOR A TIME. IT TAKES A COUPLE... GO DOWN, GET IT, PUT IT DOWN. PERFECT. IT'S NEVER TO KNOCK IT OUT. IT KIND OF GETS TO THE NEXT LOAD. YEAH. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** YOU HAVE TO SIGN THE APPROPRIATION? **Speaker 25:** NO. IT'S SUBMITTED ONLINE WITHOUT A SIGNATURE BEING NEEDED. BUT IT'S PRESSED TO FILE OUR MUNICIPAL ROADS GENERAL PERMIT. AND THERE'S A $500 FEE THAT HAS TO BE PAID. SO THIS WILL HAVE TO BE SIGNED. AND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THAT OUR TOWN HAS UPDATED ALL OF THE ROAD SEGMENTS ON THEIR ONLINE PORTAL. AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT JIM HENDERSON FROM THE BCRC DOES EVERY YEAR WHEN HE WORKS WITH DAVE TO SET UP THOSE MUNICIPAL ROAD WATER GRANTS EVERY YEAR. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** AND WE PAY $500 FOR THE APPLICATION. OR EVERY YEAR. **Speaker 58:** EVERY YEAR WE PAY THE STATE **Speaker 25:** $500. WHEN WE'RE GETTING 10 BACK IN THE GRANT. **Speaker 67:** 10,000 THIS YEAR. **Speaker 14:** SO. SIGNATURE. GOOD INVESTMENT. YEAH. AND WE'RE AHEAD ON WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR. SO THAT'S GOOD. MOTION FORWARD. WE'RE GOOD? MOTION. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** YEAH. SECOND. WE NEED TO HAVE A MOTION **Speaker 31:** FORWARD. **Speaker 2:** OKAY. **Speaker 68:** DAVE, ONE QUESTION BACK TO THE **Speaker 31:** LOADER. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** WHAT YEAR IS THE LOADER? IT'S A 2017. 2017 GENERAL YEAR. ANYTHING ELSE ON ROADS? RECYCLING? **Speaker 14:** NO. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE ON ROADS? NO. OKAY. **Speaker 1:** ANYTHING ELSE ON ROADS? RECYCLING. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** NO. **Speaker 1:** I HATE RECYCLING. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I KNOW YOU DO. SORRY. I MISSED THE ALLIANCE MEETING. IT WAS ON THE CALENDAR AND I MISSED IT COMPLETELY. BUT IF YOU GO ON TO THE BENETTON COUNTY SOLID WASTE ALLIANCE, IT TELLS EVERYTHING YOU CAN RECYCLE AND THE HAZARDOUS, THE RECYCLING PROCESS. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE ON ROADS? NO. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE ON ROADS? NO. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE ON ROADS? NO. OKAY. I MEAN, WE KNOW ON ROADS THAT YOU CAN RECYCLE AND THE HAZARDOUS, THE HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE FACILITY WILL SOON BE OPENING UP. YOU WILL HAVE TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO USE IT. THAT IS ALL I THINK ABOUT NOW THAT WILL BE HAPPENING. JUST OUR RECYCLING AREA DON CAN BE THAT LIGHT OUT THERE. THE OTHER DAY IT LOOKS PRETTY NEAT. stuff out of the shed. I'll encourage him. Encourage him, yes. I know he likes to take that stuff and go through it, but there's a lot of stuff. He probably saves us money, though. Yeah, that's true. Emergency management. Okay, I'll take it this time. Bob? Just some, you know, **Speaker 27:** closing thoughts about where it goes with Bob and Stuart and Sheila. Until somebody else is ready to do it, I'd like to keep the 911 numbering responsibility to work that out with Lori. I've got enough time and, you know, it doesn't come up that often. And as we go along, someone else can gain some experience with it. I plan to stay, you know, kind of be on call and mentor Bob and Stuart. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** How long have you been doing it? Just around 40 years. I don't know if a thank you is enough. I know with the 911 numbering that it's a whole lot different than we started years ago because they want a lot more numbers. Nancy was town clerk at the time and she and I started up. It was just with whoever had a landline got a 911 numbering. Yeah, and now we still, you know, as I've mentioned a couple of times, we keep pushing **Speaker 27:** for people to sign up for Vermont Alert because if they've got a cell phone, they're not going to get that emergency call out because they're not a record. And if they're not a record to Vermont Alert, then I can't ask or Bob can't ask the emergency watch officer statewide. He has the ability to push out an emergency management, an emergency message to everybody in like the state. 694 code, but that's as much as he can do unless something's come through the Vermont and he's doing it through the Vermont Alert system. So people that register for Vermont Alert with their cell phone will get the benefit of it. And I don't know what else we can depend on to try and notify everybody. I think we're long past, you know, when things are really difficult and there's a big emergency and you've already tied up most of the firemen, there wasn't anybody who's going to go take a fire engine out with its PA system and drive up and down the roads. You know, talk about the 40 years when I got involved with most of this, it was because Yankee Road demanded that somebody and the two people, somebody continuously in town carried a pager just because we were within a five mile radius in the event that anything happened or spill or got off site. And that was V.D. beginning, close to it, around then. Fred Whittem, who most of you do not know, was my next door neighbor at the time and he was the civil defense director. Titles changed, responsibilities have changed. Bob and Stuart will have the advantage of a program that started a couple of years ago as the state has certification procedures and you're not committed to take the whole course, the whole series of courses. They have a variety of online courses to get the experience and the exposure that I kind of bank on 40 years of exposure in the fire department and with emergency management to get by with. They're doing a much more comprehensive job. It's like having learned, you know, by trial with the fire department as opposed to the now fire to the scheduled and structured firefighter one and two courses. But it's a lot of work. Of course, they take 80 to 120 hours to do, but it's there. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Is everybody in this room signed up for Vermont Alert? It's good. And it's not like they bug you every five minutes. If you want just Bennington County, or Windham County, Windsor County, anything around here, you don't have to have the whole state. **Speaker 27:** The biggest thing I get right now is the chain-up alerts. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Chain-up. I go, uh-oh, the mountain is falling. **Speaker 27:** Between Wilmington and Bennington. **Speaker 23:** Well, thanks again for everything, Bill. I think you're leaving a pretty good hands-on. **Speaker 27:** I'm sure that I'm leaving it with people who are very capable of carrying on with it, and they've expressed the interest and attitude to do it. **Speaker 23:** I'm glad some capable people stepped forward. **Speaker 27:** The other thing that you have on here for formation of a shelter committee, somebody else must have proposed putting it on the agenda. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I guess that was something. We talked about last meeting, and it was... **Speaker 27:** There's a need. No question. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** There's a need, and we didn't have anyone, because you were not going to be reappointed, and that was one of the things that we wanted to look into and see how that would work. What if something happens during the day, and the children are in the school? Can we come here? Where do we go? What's available? **Speaker 27:** This is really... You know, as I... We started talking about two weeks ago, this is really a civilian effort, so that you're not depending on people who already have committed responsibility with the fire department or EMTs. The things that, in terms of running a shelter, you don't have to be an EMT, you don't have to be a fireman to know how to orderly organize people and account for them. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** So if that be something, hopefully, that they... It's something, hopefully, that they would look into and... **Speaker 31:** Yeah. I mean... We can get some guidance from the Red Cross just to do this safely. We talked to the school. If there was a situation, you know, it really is the only place in town. Right. And they might have to make some changes in their daily schedule. They have to have people staying warm or secure. Yeah. We should find out about the next joint meeting. In the school. We got one coming up. We just need to have it agreed. Yeah. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I think we have one now if it was a declared emergency disaster and then we take over the school. But for something, just people need to be warm for a couple hours or a day or... **Speaker 31:** And it's not the whole town either. It could be a classroom. Yeah. You know, it could be whatever size space we need. But still we need to have, you know, heat, electricity, you know, all that. Electricity, bathrooms. Right. **Speaker 69:** Sheila, why can't they use the fire station for that? My husband helped build that station. The fire station. It was supposed to be used for the community as well. Nobody made plans. I'll talk as president of the trustees. When that building was structured, it was meant to be a meeting room... Yes. ...for the firemen. No. It also was used for other things. It was recently used for a... **Speaker 27:** Oh. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You know, it was meant to be a meeting room. Yes. ...for the firemen. No. It also was used for other things. It was recently used for a... Well, that's the question. I have a question about what I'm talking about. **Speaker 69:** I'm sorry. for other things it was recently used for such as a reception for a fireman situation **Speaker 31:** i think there could be the ability there sheila but i think if there's an emergency going on about the fire department's going to be busy and we need to stay out of their way well i counted just a few people like so we'll we'll coordinate something and we'll make a plan and we'll make sure everybody knows the plan that's the easiest way to make it happen okay **Speaker 52:** i know over in the school they have the first grade and second grade classrooms they have one of them that has the bathroom and everything in it and it's just used for the principal and all those guys go in and sit around so that could well let's let them tell us what space is available **Speaker 70:** we'll bring it up at the joint meeting and see what they say something in the works **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** discussion video reporting of select board meeting so um jen made a request at the last meeting he'd like to record this video record it so i reached out to vermont ladies cities and towns for a policy they have a social media policy that's about 10 pages long other towns lori reached out on their muni net for other towns some have a policy some do not have a policy so it's all over the board but what vermont league of cities in town said um if you don't hold remote only meetings and you don't want to worry about the public record retention issues then don't have this person report or post your town post to your town website because once he gets posted to the town website then it's town and we have to abide by the open meeting law their schedule is 10 years people want copies who does that fall on so that's just what i found so now it's up to the world what do we want to decide on this **Speaker 23:** with jeff's uh i mean i'm all about being open and transparent yeah it's possible the other thing i had is like you know what if jed does it he does it for a year or two then he decides to stop doing it and then the pounds of personnel having that chance And then no one, you know, nobody takes their names and do it from that. I mean, I'm more than open to all this stuff being discovered. I just don't know how to do that. **Speaker 1:** Right away we want to do something that's good, and this thing comes in and says, wait, thank you. **Speaker 23:** So I wrote down retention, which she basically just said. And then, you know, what if Jen decides six months a year from now that she doesn't need a rebel man? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** He can still record this meeting. Just let us know. As a personal. Yep. Right. Sure. I'm on board. Do you have a website you want to post? Well, even if we link it on our web page, then we still have to keep it. **Speaker 71:** The town has to wash their hands from it in order to make it. **Speaker 72:** And then it would just be me personally. Yes. No problem. Can you do it? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yeah, I have no objection to it. I just didn't think that the town should. **Speaker 2:** Well, basically it's like, okay, for Jeb to do it, but we don't want to be involved in it. He's not going to come to it. Yeah. Right. Ten years. Yeah. It seems like a lot of legwork for somebody trying to be helpful. Yeah. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I mean, right now we've got the recording. People can listen to that. They can read the minutes. **Speaker 23:** I was surprised to hear that we didn't even need to have that. Well. Yeah, I read that. They said we don't even need that. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Well, then we can have that for Lori's transcription if she. **Speaker 23:** We don't even need that recording legally as long as we're having a public. Yeah. We just do this for accuracy. For her. I tell her we don't have to have that. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** If she's called out during the meeting, she can always listen to that. **Speaker 42:** Yeah, that's good to have. **Speaker 23:** I thought it was something that we legally needed that. And if somebody wanted a copy of it, they bring in their little, their own. No, you can provide the stick. If I provide the stick, I charge the cost of the stick. Right. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** So a lot of people bring in their own little stick and then I just put it on. Yeah. We're not going to do anything. Nothing with that, Jeb. But you're welcome to. I'm curious to see how many people may actually watch. **Speaker 25:** Video and just let us know when you're recording. Is that the only video you're recording? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. **Speaker 73:** Yeah. **Speaker 5:** Yeah. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. **Speaker 5:** Yeah. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Is that the only thing you have to do when you're recording a public meeting, is let the audience know. Moving on, sign zoning bylaws. Last meeting, Mike, you said you were going to get in touch with Dave and talk about how to, you're looking at the sign, to see how it could be removed. **Speaker 74:** Yeah, I thought that was the way to go. **Speaker 75:** But we're looking, still looking. **Speaker 2:** I'm still not. I'm still not. And then the wood itself, I think, is all bolted up. They all come apart. **Speaker 40:** Can you pick one? **Speaker 45:** Bottom line is, I'm at a point where I would like to just not have to sign on the agenda anymore. **Speaker 5:** That's how much I'm sick of it. But the thing is, we have to go by the rules, fine. Do what you guys gotta do. But it doesn't make sense, and I said this last meeting, and I'll say it again. This is an opinion now, it's not a rule. If we're gonna go and change bylaws to put up a damn sign that's already up, it just doesn't make sense in the best interest for me. That's all I'm gonna say. I'm sick of it. But if we gotta take it down, pay it down, do whatever you guys gotta do, and then we'll go from there. **Speaker 23:** I totally agree, but at the beginning of this, you started on this path of righteousness. Yep. And we're gonna absolutely do the right thing. Somehow the right thing, like I said, is to go back to the planning board and the banking board. **Speaker 5:** I looked up a law today, and I guess it's under the interpretation of the law. But the state says that municipalities can be exempt, churches, municipalities. And it does mention signs, setbacks, that you can. But then it says, and I can't remember the exact wording, but it says, but it has to hinder the function of the original message that you want for it, or the original intent. Right. So if you're gonna build this building, and yeah, it's gonna be a little too close to the road, you could exempt yourself, even though it's a little too close to the road, because the intent is to open it up to have more room for children and a school. **Speaker 1:** Right. **Speaker 5:** So when you look at the interpretation of that law, which I didn't write down, actually. One thing I didn't write down. It's Vermont Title 24, VCA 4413, Minnesota bylaws, state bylaws. If you look at that, if I saw this a long time ago, it might have stopped a lot of things. It looks like, even though the state's not coming in and saying, hey, it's too close to the road. That's the state rule. So I do believe that the sign doesn't do anything. Right. Doesn't do its function. I believe that. I believe, I agree that the sign says Stamford, Vermont. And again, this is just an opinion. So when people drive by, they go, Stamford, Vermont, what the heck is that? So I think it should have signs hanging down saying school, town hall, library. But I don't think it needs to be torn down. I don't think it needs to be moved. And according to this law, if I interpret it right, the intent of the sign was to notify people what's here. I think it's just incomplete. Right. But if people want to look at that and go forward on it, that's up to you guys. You want to take it down, take it down. I know that the, you know, we all do respect to the zone board. They did their job. I understand that. Everybody did their job. But now you look and just sit back and say, okay, everybody did their job. What's in the best interest for the town hall? And just think about it for a second. It's not to tear a sign down, wait two years to change bylaws, and then put it back up. That's my opinion. I'm done talking about it. Bye. **Speaker 74:** Bye. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Going back to the planning commission, the LCT that we could have asked the planning commission to do interim zoning bylaws. But the, it was, it had to be for health, safety. There was some reasons in here. And I don't think the sign met the interim bylaws. That the select board could institute. I think it has to go back to the, right back to the planning commission. **Speaker 23:** If we're followed by the letter of the law, the sign's in violation. So it's, the state right of way is 25 feet from the center, which is a minimum standard. The town right of way is 50. So it's 35 feet from the center. It's also too big. So there's multiple bylaws with the sign. And if we're following since June or whatever. But what I was saying earlier, it may not be the case now because the board remembers the vote now. **Speaker 76:** What is the question, if we're, if you send it back to the planning board, for what? **Speaker 23:** They have to amend the bylaws if they choose to. They may choose not to. They don't have to amend the bylaws. Right. That's the risk of going back to the planning board. But that's basically what, I mean, correct me if I'm wrong. I mean, I read it. You know, I'm not a lawyer by any means. But it sounded to me like they were suggesting they go back to the planning board to follow the, you know, the path that's the right path to take. **Speaker 5:** So in the meantime, the board will have to take the sign down. The sign is still not down. **Speaker 23:** Yeah. Don't care if it stays up or down or whatever. I mean, the whole point of the sign has been lost a long time ago. It was to build a sense of community and coming together of a town. It had the total opposite effect for what it was intended for. So I don't know what to do with the sign anymore. I'm with you. I'm tired of talking about the sign. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** And there was people wandering around the school the other day looking for, I don't know what they were looking for. But they were looking here, looking there, looking out front. I think they were looking for the library. **Speaker 5:** Which they have the sign now. They're close to the road. **Speaker 76:** They just want to say. **Speaker 23:** It's pretty easy. I mean, sometimes you can hit people right upside the head with a sign. They're still not going to see it. **Speaker 77:** So where are we going from there? **Speaker 5:** That's right. **Speaker 23:** I don't know. If we're going to go by what was suggested, you know, we should probably send it back to the playing board. And they can decide how to move forward from there. I don't know what else to do unless you guys want to go around what they're suggesting us to do. **Speaker 3:** You know, this may not be unpopular, but like you said, we've been beating this dead horse for a long while. And whatever the good intent to put that sign out there might have been, it is illegal. And it's been allowed to go on too long. And I think it's time to take it down. **Speaker 23:** Yeah. I mean, that's not the path we've kind of been on. **Speaker 3:** Because so many times it's been sent back and forth and everything else. I think it's time to just take it down. **Speaker 78:** Right. **Speaker 23:** Well, yeah. I agree with that as well. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Until it goes back to the planning commission to change. We could have a sign, but as long as we met. Absolutely. It's not this little thingy thing. **Speaker 23:** You think people can't see it. I mean, I'm not going to go out there and unbolt it myself and take it down. **Speaker 36:** I agree. It's in violation. But it was an unfortunate mistake. I've never been a panel taking it down. I honestly did not expect where we are today. **Speaker 2:** Not doing that well, unfortunately. Yeah. **Speaker 36:** But it has to . **Speaker 38:** Well, unfortunately for the sign. If the board did. Vote to give the right of way for it. And if you bring it back to the planning board and you change the bylaws. Then you open up the rest of the town for wanting the next guy to have that site. Exactly. And the next guy. And the next guy. **Speaker 36:** Let me finish, please. municipalities not changing the signs of this town. **Speaker 79:** Let me finish, please. **Speaker 38:** The motion was made. The CDA did what it was supposed to do. Sent it back to the board. I would suggest. Talk to the town's lawyer. Before you start trying to . Because all we're doing is constantly on the wheel. I don't get any kind of preference either way. But the bottom line is we've already spent way too much time on this. There are so many more important things to be doing. **Speaker 5:** So it looks like everybody agrees. It's about too much time. And it's crazy to think. **Speaker 23:** VLCP, our lawyers. They said bring it back to the board. So I don't think we should go down and spend another $1,500. No. No. No. **Speaker 38:** No. I don't think we should go down and spend another $1,500. No. No. No. No. No. No. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** No. **Speaker 3:** No. **Speaker 80:** No. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** No. No. No. No. **Speaker 27:** No. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** No. No. No. No. **Speaker 51:** No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. for the select board to waive the right to have this sign there based on that thing of the municipality being able to do it does that not get you know moving on being with that it's easy to say to tear it down but then what who funds the cost of building a new sign you know there will be stamp volunteers who are willing to do what they did for this sign for the town you know you're signaling to people that their efforts for the town are going to be ripped up when they **Speaker 23:** didn't do anything wrong totally understand all that but uh the amendment process as it stands right now starts with the planes doesn't start with the select board the plane where it can decide and move forward if we're talking about legalities and we're walking in a straight and arrow on this like we've been for a while now is there any other sign in town **Speaker 81:** as a town select person i think we need to follow our own rules and set an example **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** all right if someone else is in violation **Speaker 38:** the select board is not supposed to go back and interfere on a board decision that's statute **Speaker 82:** bill camera point **Speaker 27:** point about allowing one sign and then signs being scrubbing up all over town the intent was to change the bylaws to allow municipal signs and only municipal signs and that didn't lead to many other signs throughout town the only other thing that was discussed was a few other large signs in town that in common decency we probably should provide for some that still exist but nobody advocated creating a precedent for anybody that wanted to put a sign up many towns throughout the state and in massachusetts allow their own signs for their own purposes and if you don't think that we could put a sign on the front of the school building that **Speaker 83:** said town office you're being foolish unfortunately that's not what the sign says and i'm not going to **Speaker 38:** go on that point my point is and you should comment on this when the cda makes a decision to select whatever by statute is not supposed to get involved so when you **Speaker 5:** told us to go to the other nos agency your board wasn't it you're twisting it i'm not twisting i'll ask this question today's name i'm not watched **Speaker 38:** it you're not bringing it back to the boards that have already made itet fluid **Speaker 84:** state ac **Speaker 23:** I don't like the way this meeting is going with this argument, because if you look back, **Speaker 52:** we stated it in 2023, that we wanted you guys to take that sign down, that we were not going to permit it. So now you're already into it. Our first meeting on it was in 2023. What meeting was that? First meeting. And we told you that we were having it take down at a certain time. Right. And I asked if it could wait until later, because I did not want to do it in front of the kids. I didn't want that kind of a... Right. Right. Right. Right. So now you guys are saying that you want to go to DBA, or go to planning board and change some of the rules and regulations on some of this. It'd be almost the same thing with us having this done in 2023. We can take you guys to court, and you would have, we have back and forth. You would not make that money back. It would stay with the DBA. **Speaker 23:** Also, asking is a simple ask. **Speaker 85:** Are you asking the planning board if they... **Speaker 52:** If they would amend the bylaws, that's it. **Speaker 23:** Period. **Speaker 52:** If they would amend the bylaws. You're not listening. When the bylaws come up and you take it down, forgive me. Anybody that wants to hide it, tell me. You got to go to the DBA. **Speaker 3:** Why can't you have a sign that reads grandfather? I don't know. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I don't know. **Speaker 38:** That sign's too big, too. It's too big. I said at the time, that sign is grandpa. But that doesn't mean we submit to this bill sign to be grandfathered in. In fact... **Speaker 57:** If we made that sign smaller, it would be 10% larger than allowed by law. **Speaker 36:** If it had to be... **Speaker 23:** One square feet is three... That's literally... **Speaker 77:** You wouldn't be able to see it. **Speaker 38:** Why don't you have the same standard? Another one measured... Well, it just happens. That's what I'm saying. We don't have a lot of room if you... Yeah. How an office school... You got to stand up. You got to stand up. **Speaker 61:** I thought we were all... We all look at the same time, right? **Speaker 86:** Yeah. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** No, they... We haven't decided anything. I know that. What are we doing with this sign? We voted last meeting. Take it down. **Speaker 23:** I mean, what are our choices? Choice A is leave it there and just ignore it? **Speaker 2:** Our choice B is... Take it down. We had to start the process all over again and make it regular and bring it down. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Take it down. If the planning commission wants to change the bylaws, we go to their meeting and ask them to change them, see how they vote. Because they've got five members now. **Speaker 2:** My issue... We have to... You brought this up. You can't... Like, if you're going to lead by example, we're going to put a sign up that's 27 square feet or whatever. We should allow everybody else in town to put a sign up that's 27 square feet. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** That's right. **Speaker 2:** Here, here. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** That would be in the bylaws. **Speaker 42:** But... **Speaker 23:** So when we condition the plane, or maybe we should not only ask about a sign, but we should maybe ask just about municipalities. **Speaker 5:** The reason why this law here that I mentioned is in place in the state is because of the municipality's, to exempt them from certain things. Because there's... For the better good of the community, municipalities, schools, churches, private institutions would have more leniency than a private person would. That's why this law is in place. If you read this law and you interpret it the way I interpret it, then we are exempt if it doesn't follow the intent. So if that sign, if your restrictions don't follow the, or stop the intent of the sign, then we're exempt. What does that mean? Can you give me that? It's Title 24 VSA 4413. VSA what? VSA what? VSA 4413. 4413. 4413. **Speaker 38:** 4413. 4413. 4413. 4413. 4413. 4413. 4413. 4413. 4413. 4413. 4413. **Speaker 87:** 4413. **Speaker 38:** 4413. 4413. 4413. 4413. 4413. 4513. 4513. 4513. 4513. 45. **Speaker 61:** V. **Speaker 88:** So somebody crashes into it, what's your responsibility? **Speaker 38:** I can't explain this to you. I can argue with the center of the room. I'm on the ALE. **Speaker 88:** You guys can ask your exam. **Speaker 61:** I don't know. On the 4413, your exam. You got it? Churches as well. **Speaker 86:** You saw it? **Speaker 61:** I read it. I know what it is. Oh, okay. I thought you were on the ALE. I've allowed the churches here in town to do things without it. Because they're exempt. Faith-based organizations. All you've got to do is follow the rest of the rules. You have to follow the rules for setbacks and stuff like that. But size of the signs and stuff like that, if you go in there and read that, you have that interpreted, you're exempt. **Speaker 5:** Setbacks from the ALE center? Like I said at the beginning of this conversation, I'm sick of talking about it. You guys want to take it down? Any motion to take it down? Take it down. Setback is from the center. Follow the rule? You want to go by the, you know, right through the process? Go ahead. Setback is from the center. From the center. I'm just giving my opinion. That's all. Right between the two yellow lines. **Speaker 89:** I just don't think it's going to be good or not. **Speaker 31:** I don't think it would have to be 15 feet from the center. Is anyone going to be checking on the other bills today? **Speaker 26:** No. It's not the highway. There's two different ones. Yeah. I was right. It was the right one. It was the right one. **Speaker 90:** It was the right one. **Speaker 2:** It was the right one. There's different sections of Vermont that if the secretary or whoever is in charge of the signs, they allow for distances off the road. You have to contact this person and see what our area is allowing for the distance off the road. It varies from, like, Wilmington, Whitingham, they have different. **Speaker 25:** No, I meant, like, for saying we're a municipality, we ought to be exempt from following our own rules. Oh, yeah. They're exempt from following our own rules. And those who are their own laws are exempt from following the laws, but you know what? They're not allowed to talk. Okay. **Speaker 23:** Are we the only one that is open to following our own rules? All the other towns in the state of Vermont like that? Are we the only one that is not in our area? Why? Why couldn't the lawyer tell us that? **Speaker 26:** I don't know, because under this title, all the towns of the state of Vermont fall under this title. I'm not the lawyer to look up the laws. You never even mentioned it. Now we never mention it. This isn't like we're not following our own rules. We're following state rules. **Speaker 91:** Uh-huh. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** So, the state always supersedes town? **Speaker 74:** Always. **Speaker 27:** No. We're not always. our own rules, we're following state rules. **Speaker 5:** State always supersedes town. **Speaker 92:** Always. **Speaker 36:** No, not always. So you can put it, the town people are strengthened. Correct. So if the town does not exempt municipalities, are we in fact, bowing to the state? Or by simply not mentioning it? We've found this when we've had to permit things. The seasonal camp in the middle of town, it didn't say it in the bylaws. But by not saying it, and it said it in the other ones, like rural and- **Speaker 93:** By not saying it in order to state that. **Speaker 36:** Correct. That's what I'm trying to say. I mean, is that true? I'm just throwing out some of it. **Speaker 61:** So who's in the AOL handbook? What? It's in the AOL handbook. Yes, yes. Where it's telling rent. **Speaker 36:** No, not always. **Speaker 38:** I thought on terms of- They can't park a sign in the state highway without them coming down. Right. And getting a permit for it. That's what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about all aspects of it. Can't. The issue really becomes is- Take a motion. The sign is locked in the school. It wouldn't happen. **Speaker 23:** It really doesn't say. I'll take it down if you want. **Speaker 61:** I wouldn't take it down. I'd add to it, but I wouldn't take it down. **Speaker 27:** Let's move up a half. I should start from the middle. **Speaker 94:** No, no, no, no. **Speaker 5:** What's your motion? **Speaker 3:** My motion is that we file a front by-laws and take the sign down. Then we'll review it after that. **Speaker 31:** I'll second that. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** All in favor? **Speaker 31:** Aye. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Aye. **Speaker 31:** No. No. **Speaker 25:** Three yes, two no. **Speaker 26:** Now I've got a question. Who's taking the sign down? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** How long do you need to help take it down? Yes, we did. **Speaker 38:** Give me the names back in the way. **Speaker 23:** We had a conversation about voting. **Speaker 95:** It's a sound property. **Speaker 27:** Somebody's going to bond themselves to not damage it. **Speaker 61:** Can I just say one thing? I'm sorry, man. Because I'm a little hurt. I haven't really been following this, but I'm just learning about a lot of it. But I find it really disheartening that this went all the way to the ZBA, from what I understand, twice. And the ZBA did not inform the town. It should have never went there to begin with, period. Because you're exempt. **Speaker 23:** We paid the lawyer like $1,500 to tell us that back in July. **Speaker 2:** Well, you only paid me $100. Yeah, for the depreciation. It's in the law. **Speaker 61:** I don't see why we need a lawyer. We should have known. **Speaker 96:** Because we were told without a permit, **Speaker 38:** they needed to find the correct channel. **Speaker 88:** They didn't need a permit. **Speaker 96:** They were exempt. **Speaker 38:** A citizen came and said, how did you do this without following a vital license? So that's what happened. **Speaker 61:** And the ZBA should have then turned around and said to that person that, according to state law, the municipality is exempt, according to 24-4-4-13. **Speaker 26:** The lawyer should have told us to call the ZBA. **Speaker 38:** The ZBA is following its own bylaws. **Speaker 26:** Next. **Speaker 23:** Who's taking it now? We need to apply for a permit for asylum. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Mike said he's talked to you last meeting. **Speaker 97:** I didn't talk to him. **Speaker 14:** How would you like me to prioritize that? **Speaker 5:** Before you put the culverts in, I'd go up and look at the culverts. **Speaker 98:** As far as I'm concerned, I've got so many things to do, that sign is . **Speaker 5:** Whenever you get time. **Speaker 2:** Where is a good spot to put it? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** The right, you said you had a spot. **Speaker 20:** Yeah, I can put it up behind the town garage. **Speaker 2:** Why don't we prioritize a spot for it first before we start taking it down? All right. Let me know. We'll think about it. How long is this? Well, we can put it somewhere and then apply for a permit or whatever. **Speaker 99:** Well, if the planning board chooses not to amend the permit. **Speaker 23:** If they choose not to amend the permit, the side could be down forever. What's that mean? **Speaker 14:** And how much of this am I taking down? Am I taking out the foundation of it? Because there's going to be eight rods sticking on the ground. No, there's not. All right. **Speaker 66:** So it may not. **Speaker 5:** Do we want rights? Yes. **Speaker 100:** I'm going to put it down. **Speaker 1:** Take the invisible. I want a new loader and just put a chain on it. Just like cover it with dirt or? . **Speaker 14:** Can I just have a dirt pile there? It's fine to take the tag down then. Like I said last week, is this something I need to do tomorrow or can I work on some of these roads that I need to do the work on? Do the roads. Do your best. I mean really, I'm asking sincerely, how do I prioritize? Because as far as I'm concerned, like my roads are number one and I, there's two of them. There's two of us, and there's two of us at the same time. So I would say to them, do the roads first. At the top of us, start fighting. In all honesty, I've got another big storm coming. I've got cars on my truck. I've got to pull the plates tomorrow to make sure it's ready for the storm. I've got no less than 2,000 houses. They're destroying people's cars. **Speaker 2:** To me, this is just a boom. **Speaker 38:** I'll do it for $50. **Speaker 2:** I hear you. Why don't I keep your number, and if I need a hand taking it down, I'll follow you. **Speaker 101:** I've got no problem doing the job. **Speaker 102:** It's just I really have no problem. **Speaker 1:** Even if they're in school, they... Yeah, I don't care what you do. **Speaker 5:** They told me to take it down, take it down. **Speaker 73:** I don't care if the kids are watching or not. **Speaker 5:** It doesn't matter. **Speaker 66:** I'm not refusing to do it. **Speaker 103:** I'm just saying I'm willing to do it. **Speaker 14:** Like, every day. Every day, I have to prioritize what I'm working on. **Speaker 23:** So keep in mind, a couple things. Like I said last week, now that the sign is going to be down, there is, believe it or not, a whole bunch of people in town that are going to see the fact that the sign is down now and go, what happened to the sign? Right? They're all going to start coming in here and saying, where is it? **Speaker 5:** We might have to get the gym auditorium, whatever you want to call it, in this building. **Speaker 2:** So this being just the beginning point for something. Is there repercussions by actually taking the sign down because it was like a death or... **Speaker 40:** Yeah. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** We don't know that. **Speaker 23:** And secondarily, I mean, the planning board had to decide to even, you know, take this out at some point. They can say no, and then the sign may have to be stored, you know, in that balance. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Can I ask a question? Sheila, when is the planning board going to meet again? They can't on Monday because, you know, now because... **Speaker 5:** Well, when's your next meeting scheduled? **Speaker 52:** I will have to wait for the schedule. I was thinking maybe April 8th because they'll have to give five-day notice. And he didn't put nothing in, or I wasn't told to put anything in today. And we don't have five days that come in on Monday. **Speaker 70:** Oh, you guys don't have scheduled meetings every day? **Speaker 52:** No. No, that's what he said. We didn't know what he was saying. He did when we were putting in town plans. **Speaker 38:** Oh, okay. **Speaker 104:** I thought the planning board had six years. **Speaker 52:** So April 8th is on Monday. **Speaker 23:** Sheila, do you have contacts for your tuna members? Do I have what? The contacts for Lisa and Pete to get them all. **Speaker 52:** You already gave them all. **Speaker 23:** That would be like a whole different board than it has now. **Speaker 38:** Yeah, are we going for a five-member board or a seven-member? Seven. **Speaker 1:** Seven. Seven. **Speaker 105:** I'm going to send it if you think it needs to be different. **Speaker 23:** But I would go with your seven for now. **Speaker 38:** Yeah, I think it needs to be five. That's my opinion. **Speaker 23:** You guys can hash it out. **Speaker 37:** All right, let's sign it. **Speaker 38:** Because we've got two and a half people through there. **Speaker 23:** I'm off that now. Okay. I mean, I'll still be at the meetings, I'm sure. Can we move on to the FEMA buyout program? We'll all be there, but not as an exhibition, it turns out. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** We never will be there. Can we move on to the FEMA buyout program? Last week I gave you copies of the Model D restriction and who wants to sign? I am a state and voluntary participation. You guys read a note. You're comfortable signing. And we may have another property looking at the maps, too, and we don't know if it's River Corridor or anything. Where? How do we know that? What? We don't know if somebody is in the River Corridor, the floodway. **Speaker 23:** Do you go by Vermont A&R maps? **Speaker 50:** Yes. **Speaker 23:** Go on parcel viewing. Do you start layering? up. Yes. You can do river corridor floodplain but that map itself is probably two or three years old. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** So what is SEMA going to buy out if you're in the river corridor or if you're in the 100 year **Speaker 42:** floodplain? We don't we don't know that yet. What it is what it is is all these houses are probably **Speaker 23:** what you would call eligible. Right. But they're not going to come and tear down a house and it's just because it's in the river corridor. If it's in fine condition there's nothing to be affected on the property. You know it's a very livable situation. They're not they're still what I want to find out from them is what are the stipulations once someone qualifies which okay you qualify for the river corridor. From that point what are the stipulations that would decide from a FEMA standpoint that you think you need to raise this house and tear it down. One is that there's no other options within the property. Right. There's no other alternative that you can do for that property. Which a lot this is why every property is different. It really needs to be a case-by-case basis because there's different scenarios that can apply to **Speaker 42:** different properties. Case-by-case for them to decide not us. Well us us as well um you know um **Speaker 23:** so I think I'm sure they have some level of strict standards. They're not just going to come in and say okay we're going to rip these 15 houses down the river corridor because they're in the river corridor. Now if the river has gone into that corridor and eroded away by the house then that may **Speaker 36:** be an option for that house. I know you guys don't want to get here, but um it's got to be a one-on-one correlation. So you have to show a past history of damages due to flooding or whatever and based on your past history and then looking forward it has to even one-on-one so one percent basically 100 percent of the value of your house. So if you're looking for a one-on-one correlation, you have to show a history of damages due to flooding or whatever and based on your past history and then your house to make it a worthwhile structure, whether it's a structure, a house, a piece of property for FEMA to come in and even consider. So if you've had $50,000 worth of property damage, even if it's your property and you've had to shore up or do whatever, and they can show in the next 20 years that that progression and based on their algorithms, it's eventually going to equal the value of the house, then they consider it. So if you've had no damage, you're just happy going along and you just say, oh, I'm not going to buy out your house, probably won't happen. Probably won't. And I'm only saying based on the hundreds of hours I've spent on this. And I've asked you guys to make calls. Did anything? Did anybody call and speak with Brian or Stephanie? Okay. **Speaker 23:** So this is why every property is different. Every property has a different set of scenarios or circumstances that they're under. This may work for one property in town. It may not work for the other. Maybe there's some different set of circumstances that you can do for that property. But where I've been all along on it, it's just I feel that it's hard to take off the table. Not only for this property, which I think is in a lot of trouble, but for someone else that may need this program down the line in the future. The river courses are dramatically changing around here. Things are happening. I don't think by any, you know, I don't think by any circumstances a team is going to come in here and buy, like, a whole bunch of houses off. I'd be surprised if there was, you know, three houses. **Speaker 2:** I've done some research on it, and as a, well, I don't live on a river floor. But as a person that owns property on a river corridor, you have every right to maintain property on that river corridor. Your house is being washed out, or your land is being eroded. You have every right as a property owner to protect your property and maintain that bank. So if your river bank or whatever is being washed out of your house, and you're not doing anything about it, it's only going to... I really don't know what to say about that, because as a property owner, I would want to maintain my property and protect the value of my assets. **Speaker 36:** Which we've done. However, when you have a neighbor and a full quarter mile up the road that you have no control over, that is now into their property, and is now encroaching ours, there's no way to shore up. You can shore it up and shore it up and shore it up for years and years and years, but you can't force your... You can't force your neighbor to shore up their property. **Speaker 23:** The way I read that, too, the way I read it, it's under extreme alteration permits and things like that. I kind of view that as an emergency. It's not a permanent fix. It's an emergency situation only, where you have a certain amount of time, and you've got to apply for permits for burning, for embankments, all that stuff. I know people have done it over the years. Yeah, you have to put some kind of rip-or-out. Yes, you know. But it's generally a temporary... **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Like Dan said, too, if you touch your land, and it was downstream, you're affecting how the river flows, and then I do mine, and you're affecting how it flows down to yours, so every little band-aid affects down the river. **Speaker 23:** A stream alteration on your property is going to negatively affect the property right downstream in a very dramatic way. That's how it's all set up here. I mean, that house is built in a floodplain, and you can argue whether you want to build a floodplain. It's a floodplain. It's a floodplain. It's a floodplain. I'm completely against it. It throws the whole elevation of the water off. That house is just built in a bad spot. It's on a bed of the river, filled in with filth, gravel filth, which is easily loaded away, on a bed of the stream, with no other alternative to relocate anywhere on the property. It's like the perfect storm all over. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Okay, so let's go back to these forms that we have just signed. Are we going to sign them? **Speaker 5:** I... **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Because it says... **Speaker 5:** I still have a lot of questions here. My biggest thing is, you know, and I'm not arguing, but I got documentation that said you don't need to have damage in qualified. That's the first thing that bothers me. **Speaker 36:** No, no, not qualified, but to be considered. **Speaker 5:** Well, qualified. **Speaker 36:** There's a difference. Okay. **Speaker 5:** The UN is going to come in and qualify you to go through this private, and it says that you don't need to have damage. That's what I read. **Speaker 73:** Yeah. **Speaker 5:** I just read an article about the spruces in Lansdowne. That was FEMA bought them out, and they did exactly the same thing. Gave it to the town of Lansdowne. There was many homes that weren't damaged, many homes that did not want to move. They were forced to move. FEMA bought them off. They forced them off. In this article that I just read, the town of Lansdowne wants to have a dog walking park where they can... Let the dogs off the leash, and FEMA won't let them put a fence up. It bothers me. I would be all for this if FEMA bought a person's house out, and that land stayed to the person. They just bought the home, and they own the land. They can do what they want with the land. But when they force it upon the town, I'm having a problem with that. I don't like that the town has to take care, maintain, do records, do an audit. I don't... And I understand what... What? What? What you're saying. Down the road, what's going to happen? But, you know, people lived in that house for 40 years, 60 years. Sorry. You know, so I'm just saying is people bought that house. They had insurance. I'm just... If the tree falls on my house, I have to do the same thing. FEMA is going to come down and cut the trees down for me. You know, I have to pay to cut my trees down. I think it's a bigger part... I'm having a tough time with the colonial response. **Speaker 23:** I think it's just the shift in... I agree, it's a crappy process that we're involved in. But I think it's just the shift in how they're doing flood hazard mitigation. I think the intent, if I were to read the mind of the state, is for the town basically to do nothing with that land. I'd love to see if this resort, back to the way that just wetlands are part of it, the river's going to take that. **Speaker 5:** If this river continues, say it doesn't get mediated, it doesn't get fixed, and this river goes through, they tear the house down, and I hate to use just Deb's example. It's nothing to do with just Deb. It's the whole... It's the process that bothers me. It's not a personal thing. If this river came through where it is now, where Deb's property is, and it starts to wash out the road now, are you going to come in and take care of the town road? **Speaker 76:** Are they going to take care of the culverts for these people? **Speaker 23:** They're not going to do it. **Speaker 5:** Right. Because as I said, the town's responsible for their roads. Just like, you know, there's a culvert that these people want to fix. The town's responsible for fixing the culvert, right? Eventually, you've got 300 culverts in town. We fix them. FEMA doesn't come in and take care of that. That's what I'm saying. And then if FEMA helps us out to flood, they don't give the land to someone else. You know what I mean? They don't take Dave's land and give it to the town because they helped us. **Speaker 23:** Well, a lot of what this vote is, is basically if we're going to allow our residents to be open for federal relief on their property. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** We already wanted to do that. We already said... **Speaker 5:** So there's another program... This is part of federal relief. ...that I read, too. And so it says if this program comes in, but then there's other programs that will come in and look at the river and mediate the river. So would they go up to the neighbors and say, hey, I don't care about what you say. This is the river. FEMA has control of the river. Would they fix that? **Speaker 36:** It's about $750,000. **Speaker 5:** But it's FEMA's money. **Speaker 36:** We wouldn't do it. **Speaker 5:** You know what I mean? **Speaker 92:** Why wouldn't they do that? **Speaker 36:** We wouldn't do it to save... $150,000. $150,000. **Speaker 5:** Why not? If this... If they're going to... **Speaker 38:** I'm pretty sure that the whole town is willing to have one. The thing that we're not addressing here, this isn't about the guest house. This is exactly what I said at the town meeting. It's very simple. That does the town want to take on the responsibility of using the tax base and forever having to maintain the property? As Mike just said, if the river comes through and takes out the road, they're not going to come down and fix it. The town has to take it. And that could be a town vote. If the town did vote, they said, they don't want that responsibility. **Speaker 37:** We'd have to fix the road either way. **Speaker 23:** Because the house is there. **Speaker 39:** They're not answering, who's going to pay for it? **Speaker 23:** The town will pay either way. Yeah, the town will pay for it. **Speaker 38:** So, right now, it's not our responsibility. **Speaker 5:** No, I'm not disagreeing that the town will pay either way. It's the road that you're careful of. You know, I understand that, but I'm just saying that if there's other programs, if there's other programs in place to fix this, why do you have to pay for it? **Speaker 23:** So, I was, one of the questions I was under, Anybody, not just this piece. During the process, I believe we asked several questions, two alternatives. One of the things we asked, I believe, was extreme alteration. And I'm pretty sure Brian McWalters told us, no. Right? It wouldn't be suitable for this area. **Speaker 106:** It was actually Josh Carpenter. **Speaker 23:** So, we've asked about alternative methods for this process, I believe. I don't know if we've exhausted every effort. There has been stream engineers looking at it. **Speaker 107:** UWP, have you guys looked into this at all? **Speaker 2:** Emergency Watershed Protection Program? **Speaker 23:** No. **Speaker 2:** It's, uh, reduce the reach of stream channels, road collars, and bridges. Reshape and protect the road and stream veins. Correct damage or destroy drainage facilities. Establish vegetation cover on critical and growing lands. Repair levees and structures. Repair certain conservation practices. And purchase of EWP buyouts. **Speaker 108:** So, for this particular property, I don't know that there's anyone going to sign up on a stream loan. **Speaker 36:** We did ask. **Speaker 23:** I mean, I was looking for a recording of these. I thought we had recorded them. There was, like, a manuscript typed out for one of them. But it's very, like, the words are all wrong in it. And it's kind of... **Speaker 5:** I remember a person saying the other programs they didn't want to talk about. They were just... That program. Look, that was his program. You know? What? That was that one program. They said, well, we can't talk about these other programs. The match one was the 25% match. And so on. I do remember him saying, look, we're not going to talk about this other program because that's a different program. **Speaker 97:** That's somebody else's. **Speaker 5:** So, we couldn't get answers for that particular program. **Speaker 38:** This program. They didn't seem to have any interest in anything but getting this project. This program. **Speaker 87:** Right. **Speaker 5:** So, this program, they said, yeah, we can't do anything. **Speaker 23:** We don't have any money, you know, repairing or anything. But there's... I just don't know. I mean, what are the alternatives for the property? Yeah. They can't do a stream alteration there. They're not going to do one. That would break through Dargie's property. Destroy it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I moved on. And the stream... Well, we got it solved. That's the one thing. Go back to the original course. **Speaker 38:** It didn't take out Dargie's property then. Well, it's real close now, Dave. You can read it right out. Yes. My first thought... They had moved the stream over close. My first thought was... They had moved the stream over close. They had moved the stream over close. The stream's been moving on its own. **Speaker 23:** It hasn't been physically moved by the stream. **Speaker 76:** But the next thing is... **Speaker 5:** So the next step is we're arguing about a river and can it be fixed. Can it be fixed? Because bottom line is we're not engineers. No, we're not. And I'm not an engineer. I play one on TV but I'm not an engineer. I'm just saying once we go down this path... There's a deal. There's a deal. There's a deal. There's a deal. There's a deal. There's a deal. There's a deal. There's a deal. There's a deal. There's a deal. And way back when we, I believe it might have been Dave said, how can we tell the next person and the next person no? If we don't know, we're not engineers. If FEMA comes in and says, yep, you're eligible and we're going to do this, and we go, well, we don't want that one. Well, like I said before. **Speaker 23:** I'm nervous about that. It works both ways. Once we say no, once we say no, we can't, we shouldn't be able to say yes. And once we say yes, we shouldn't be able to say no. Right. So. **Speaker 38:** Why do you have insurance? Why don't we go through the flood program to get it enacted? The debt came in 10 years ago. We're concerned about not having flood insurance, which we spent a lot of time getting flood insurance. **Speaker 109:** We got some people. **Speaker 36:** Flood insurance doesn't cover this, Dave. **Speaker 38:** What? **Speaker 36:** It covers it when your house floats away. Trust me. And it only covers your mortgage. **Speaker 38:** It doesn't have to go. I'd like to count the number of houses in this town that get water. Irene, I can count 50 of them that get water. I watched water go through. **Speaker 109:** So. **Speaker 38:** Across. Let me finish. So. Across the road. **Speaker 36:** You get to talk too much. I have a question. That's very rude and unacceptable. Dave, Dave, Dave. Hold on. Unacceptable. Well, too bad. Do I have to pull it out? One of the other. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Do I have to pull it out? Hold on. One of the other. Dave, finish. Finish, please. Finish. **Speaker 38:** So, bottom line simply is that, for instance, my property is in a floodplain across the road. A gentleman, I wanted to buy that land to build on. I was sold out of town 30 years ago, but I could not. It's in a floodplain. Another gentleman, by the name of Paige, that came in, got a permit from the state, went in and altered the rivers, three of them, that flowed through my property. He altered the river, which really made it worse for the people upstream, but he got his housing. I was able to stop the rest of them. Nancy, you remember this. I mean, that's one of the reasons I'm here. And the bottom line is, you can get a permit to alter the rivers. If they come down there, do it all the time. So, I'm in the process of . **Speaker 23:** I understand the permit process for stream alterations is basically for emergency uses only. It's not a permanent . But that's the way I read it. I love it. **Speaker 5:** Well, that program I read, that's a FEMA program that comes in and looks and does operations and elevations. They can elevate the house. Absolutely. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** That was a match with . With this property, I agree you can elevate some houses. **Speaker 97:** I don't know. **Speaker 23:** With this specific property, there's nowhere left to elevate the house. Right. You can go to the property. You can go to the property. You can go to the property. You can go to the property. You can go to the property. You can go to the property. You can go to the property. You can go to the property. You can go to the property. You can go to the property. You can go to the property. And see how the river has already meandered. And chewed gray into the entire property. **Speaker 42:** Wait. **Speaker 23:** Wait. Hold on. It's meandered and chewed gray into the entire property. The septic tank is going to be exposed probably on the next storm. **Speaker 76:** I'm not saying that they cannot elevate the property. **Speaker 5:** I said, there's a program that says that they can elevate properties and do mediation. Right. I don't even know what that program . Yeah. Well, it's 25% match. And it's 25% off. match and it costs less money than tearing the house down and giving it back to the town, **Speaker 77:** it's worth it. **Speaker 23:** Yeah, but a 25% match is probably going to be more than if we ripped 15 houses down. I don't know. I don't know. That's what I'm saying. On the tax base. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Is that our 25%? Right. That's what I'm saying. Or I think it's the landowner. **Speaker 5:** You know, I don't know anything about, like I said, I'm not an engineer. I don't know what it would take to fix that. **Speaker 23:** I'm not either. That's what I'm saying. I don't know. I don't know. That's what I'm saying. You know, I don't know. I don't know. I think that's what I'm saying. It's just, it's just going to cost me money. **Speaker 5:** The whole process sucks, but it seems to me that 25% match to one project is going to be more than taking 15 houses off the taxes. I mean, maybe, I'm not that great at math, but that's what. I think that you just mentioned it's $700,000 and 25% of that. That's what, $150. One house off the tax would make. That's what spending money on a house. How many houses are taken on ?? Five thousand. **Speaker 73:** Five thousand. **Speaker 1:** For one, there's not. Two of the names have their house. This one's gone. **Speaker 14:** I mean, let's look at reality of this particular situation, right? That house is going to go. It's going to go. And then the town's going to pay a tear down because I'm sure, just by guessing, they're just going to be abandoned if nobody's going to help, right? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Is it going to go up against our bridge, too? **Speaker 65:** It's going in the river. **Speaker 14:** I don't know exactly what it's going to do, but I can tell you from the road, I haven't gone up to it, that more than likely, if nothing is done, it's not going to take long. I mean, a big chunk of it was gone more this spring. A couple years, I mean, a couple good storms. Who really knows? But, I mean, I believe that that particular house is going to be in the river sooner than later. Like, it's a reality, right? We don't know about the rest of them. I don't think the town should create. I don't think there's going to be any rules of its own on who you're going to help and who you're not going to help. I think FEMA's already come up with their own algorithm or whatever they've got, their own specifications. **Speaker 5:** So, I'm also under the opinion, if you correct me if I'm wrong on this one, that the project that we signed in the first place says we can pull out that engine. Correct. Is that true? Yeah. So, that is a compromise. Okay. So, you say, okay, well, we're going to go forward with one project. And we say, we don't like the way this went. I'm not saying that we would. And, again, this is nothing to do with one person. I agree. I mean, it looks terrible. I agree. I just don't want the town responsible. I'm looking out for the town. Just like the hand with the sign. I tell you, as far as I'm concerned, you know, I hate to go back to the sign. I don't like the sign particularly. I don't think it's that great. But that's not the point. And the same thing with this. I'm trying to just look and say, look, before we move quick, and I know it might need a little speed, but we've got to look at everything, you know, for the good of the town. **Speaker 14:** I agree with you. I don't want to see houses taken off the tax roll any more than anybody else does. But, in my opinion, just looking at this, it seems pretty obvious you're going to lose this house anyways off the tax roll. Well, we won't have to take care of it. **Speaker 38:** Well, we might. **Speaker 36:** They abandoned it. No, we won't have to take care of it. I had my hand up for it. This is my town meeting all over again. I've had my hand up. **Speaker 23:** There is no maintenance of the land. There's no maintenance of the land. You can let the land do whatever the land is going to do all on its own. You don't have to mow it or maintain it or anything. It can turn back into a river. It can be wetlands. You can have trees drawn. There's no maintenance to the property. That's absolutely true. **Speaker 36:** Dave, Dad's step four. I have asked you guys also. Did anybody look into us being the caretakers for the property and also paying for any costs of maintenance? Did anyone? That was a discussion from two weeks ago. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** What did you ask? **Speaker 36:** If we could be caretakers, our family, for the property. I don't withhold insurance for it. We would maintain it. If anything needs to be done, we would do it. **Speaker 23:** I think if I just ask you, it has to go back to the town. **Speaker 36:** Yeah, it does have to go back to the town. **Speaker 23:** The only way we can see that, I think, is either to a non-profit or a conservation agency. **Speaker 36:** A conservation, right, Trouts Unlimited, I looked into that, they can't do it. They have no funds for this right now. There are conservations that will take it over so the town, you can just deed it directly to a conservation agency. **Speaker 23:** It doesn't have to be anything. What it's going to be is the bottom of the river, right? **Speaker 110:** Can we do that if the power homes it? **Speaker 5:** If FEMA gives it to us, can we give it to them? **Speaker 36:** You could deed it. In fact, there are instances where the non-profits have come into conservation and kind of just eliminated the town completely and gone through the process. **Speaker 5:** But the town, once the town gives it from FEMA, they can give it to us? **Speaker 92:** You may not be part of that. **Speaker 36:** I think you have to go through this process. Before we get to that? Yeah. We can't do it right here. Okay. In some of the process. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Trouts Unlimited. Can we go back to these two forms? This is all we're here for. Two forms that need to have the town signature on. So, whether, we don't know if FEMA's going to accept your property. They haven't said yes. We're just going down the process. We voted probably six, four, six months ago that we're going to, allow or go into this FEMA program knowing we can back out any time. So, now we have two forms that need to be signed. Deb's got to take pictures of the property that has been, my portion's been done. **Speaker 92:** Okay. **Speaker 5:** One thing, if they don't accept this property, we know that we're going to have to go in and sign it forward. **Speaker 36:** Correct. **Speaker 5:** No, you won't. Because there's no other property. **Speaker 74:** That's not bad. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Sheila. **Speaker 52:** So, if this, there's other houses, like my house. I'm up on top of Lincoln Road, which now is Autumn Lane. And that, we have to have a sump pump in there all the time. And as soon as it is, as it's raining out here, we got rain all over our ankles. And that, and going up halfway up our legs with water. And that, and will we be allowed to do that? **Speaker 111:** Are you in the river corridor? **Speaker 38:** Are you in the river corridor? It doesn't have to be. FEMA will allow that. Not according to this form. No. This program. **Speaker 52:** Not this program. I mean. **Speaker 38:** . We're not going to allow water damage. Right. Outside the river corridor. **Speaker 104:** When Beacon built that house. **Speaker 52:** Go by the house and say. **Speaker 38:** Wait a minute, Dave. **Speaker 52:** Sorry. When Beacon Miles built that house, she was upstairs in the, in the upstairs bedroom. She came down and fell off of one of it. Went down into the cellar stairway. Never hit the floor. That's how much. We haven't gone to a whole. What we have is our furnace. Our water. Our cement slab. That house. And I've had, I've had it go up. . A lot, a lot of houses. . . . . . . . . **Speaker 85:** . **Speaker 23:** . . . . . . **Speaker 26:** . **Speaker 112:** . **Speaker 23:** . . . . . . . . . **Speaker 26:** . . . . **Speaker 113:** . **Speaker 27:** . . . . . . . . **Speaker 95:** Do we have to make a motion to sign the forms and we've already made several motions to **Speaker 23:** continue on, so by signing the forms it's just a continuance of continuing on, isn't it? Do we need a motion? We're already continuing. I mean, if we want to un-continue, someone can motion that, but, I mean, we're already **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** continuing this motion. I guess it's part of the process and we'll find a plan. **Speaker 23:** We've motioned twice to continue already. We want to un-continue. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** So, we're going to sign the forms then? **Speaker 23:** I guess we are. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Kurt? **Speaker 23:** I don't know about the rules. I mean, do we need a motion to sign the forms? I thought we've already motioned twice to continue on. So, I just see it as a process. **Speaker 42:** We've motioned a lot of other stuff, so. **Speaker 23:** I just see it as a process of continuing on. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Go ahead and make a motion. **Speaker 23:** Make a motion to sign or something? Make a motion to not sign. We've already made a motion to continue on. Okay. **Speaker 42:** Then, if that's your feeling, go with it. **Speaker 23:** Do you have the motion signature on the sign? **Speaker 5:** You're already starting to sound like me. **Speaker 76:** I know. **Speaker 23:** It's running off. You know what I'm saying, though, right? Do we need to make a motion to continue? We've already made two motions to continue. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** What do you think we'll go for? **Speaker 5:** We're very, very, very, very cautionably. How's that? Okay. We will go through this process. We will look at it, and if it doesn't go well, we will know this is a learning curve. Let's go forward. We already voted for it before. Let's do this. We'll go forward. I'm very cautious about this. I'm not happy about it. I'll make the motion to move this forward for now. All in favor? No. Well, I'm abstaining. I'm abstaining. I have to abstain. I'm sorry. Well, either way, she abstains. It's the whole house. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** So, what does that leave us with, Todd? It's not passed. Nothing. Okay. Thank you. **Speaker 24:** Thank you. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Thank you. **Speaker 1:** Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. **Speaker 52:** Thank you. **Speaker 1:** Thank you. **Speaker 114:** Thank you. **Speaker 52:** Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. **Speaker 27:** Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. **Speaker 39:** Thank you. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** We passed. We had a model deed and one said this is a voluntary commitment, is it formed. **Speaker 23:** Means you're not being paid for it, nobody's holding a gun to your head. Voters in majority line-up. Yeah, thanks, Bill. **Speaker 36:** One of the process is that, basically. Going forward, the entire town is not allowed to participate in this programs. Nobody else. Apparently not. Nobody else. I want to make that very clear. A petition could be put in by… Well it did, it all came from Ronald серьез about a pieces of construction. No, noLE vino. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Well, we did the first motion was we wanted to participate. **Speaker 5:** Right, and we made that motion. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** And that passed. **Speaker 5:** We just voted not to sign papers for a particular person. Right. **Speaker 110:** Well, that's pretty discriminating. **Speaker 36:** That is unbelievably discriminating. Yeah. That is one particular person. **Speaker 5:** This is what the FEMA project said. We can say yes or no to each individual one. Yeah, that's what I've been saying a lot. It's a case-by-case basis. I don't want the committee to know. So what we did is we voted to participate in the program under other select corps members for one. Now we're voting not to sign for a particular person. This signature is for one person, not to get out of the program. No, it's not to get out of the program. **Speaker 115:** So that's what her question is. **Speaker 26:** It's a case-by-case basis. Right. **Speaker 36:** So I need to wait until the next one comes in. **Speaker 26:** I'm just choosing the way I see it. Your question is can anyone else participate? And according to this, it sounds like they can. Anyone can participate. **Speaker 112:** Anyone can put an application in to participate. **Speaker 23:** It's our lousy job, unfortunate job, to decide on a case-by-case basis whether we feel this property should be in the program. Right. It doesn't have to be every property. Because it's a yes to her, which is a property that definitely needs mitigation, and we could say no to 15 other people. Or we could say no here, and we could say yes two weeks from now for somebody else. It's not a whole blanket vote. We just voted not to sign the papers that that needs to proceed forward with the process. So in my opinion, it's dead. She can't proceed forward. That's the way I see it. Correct me if I'm wrong. **Speaker 116:** Thank you. **Speaker 36:** I don't understand it that way. Yeah, that is what you're doing. You're stopping it from me. **Speaker 23:** The process is over for us. **Speaker 36:** The house is going to end up in the river. We're going to have an abandoned property in the street. So you will have an abandoned property. **Speaker 2:** What is the contact information for these people? Because I wasn't involved. Oh, my gosh. Then you shouldn't have voted. Well, that's why I didn't want to sign it. You should have abstained. **Speaker 117:** You should have abstained. **Speaker 27:** Okay. Somebody make a motion to reconsider. So here's the thing. **Speaker 117:** This is why I wanted to vote. **Speaker 2:** So I'm not eligible to sign it because I wasn't involved with the Zoom. I'm not familiar with the whole thing. **Speaker 5:** So if both you and Doug, again, we respect both of you, you were involved in the process, and if you're not signing it, because you're not sure, you shouldn't not vote because you're not sure either then. So we've got to look at it and say, we've got to look at it like this. When you voted no, you didn't know what you were voting no against. Is that correct? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Not enough information. **Speaker 5:** Not enough information. Right. Because these papers were years or months and months ago when we voted on this, a couple months ago at least. Then we voted and moved forward. So, you know, I mean, if anything, if we can do this and give you guys time to get educated on it and then vote again next week, the next meeting, I think that would be a accomplishment. I'm not trying to talk you out of it. No, I would feel comfortable with that. You know, I'm not trying to talk you out of the vote. I'm just saying that it seems like **Speaker 2:** Make a motion to vote again next week and then It seems like I don't like the numbers for these people. The education. I don't like the people that she keeps I'm hearing these names and I don't even know who these people are. Yeah. You know. Here's the bottom line. I would like to communicate and hear something. **Speaker 5:** Yeah. **Speaker 2:** Yeah. Because it did. We already voted. That's what you read. That's what you read. That's all I'm blue in the face. I'd like to hear somebody say, hey, you can do this or you can't. Right. And there's names that Deb has given that you can call and talk to those people and they'll give you a lot of advice. Because I look at it and it's like an advantage right now. It's like, I don't know. **Speaker 5:** I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. It's like an advantage right now. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. **Speaker 2:** I don't know. Is it worth another zoom meeting? I think I'd just make a phone call. I'd reach out to people in the state, but they don't get back to these. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Well, Brian does. Brian does. **Speaker 2:** Stephanie does. Yep. What I would recommend is that you ask for the contact information. Give them a call. Next meeting will be have. We don't have a contact information at the moment. **Speaker 107:** Yeah. **Speaker 36:** So I would recommend that you make a call. Next meeting will be have. What's your name? **Speaker 5:** My name is Stephanie. Oh, my name is Brian. Brian. Brian. Brian. Brian. Brian. Brian. Brian. have, bring this subject up again, I know it's time sensitive, and look at it again. I'm looking at both sides of the fence. It's a big deal. I feel like it's a big deal. I'm just saying if we still allow it, if we voted to get on the program all together, that's different. That's not what we just did. This is just an opinion. **Speaker 72:** My personal opinion here is the fact that since it's been kicked down the road so many times, the past select board said, yes, we're doing this. So to constantly be saying yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no is now kicking it down the road. And now that paperwork that should have been filed two, three months ago is now to a different board. It should have been done. **Speaker 118:** So that was my suggestion. **Speaker 23:** We have already voted in place to proceed with the process. So by signing the papers, we're just proceeding with the process. If we wanted to unproceed on the process, that would have been the motion. We don't want to sign, we're not going forward with the process. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** So can we make another motion to rescind that first motion or override it or what do we do? **Speaker 27:** A motion to reconsider. You can take the vote again. **Speaker 5:** What's going on here? What's going on is what we voted for versus what we voted for tonight are two separate, you know, two separate entities. We voted to move forward on the whole FEMA project. That debt for charge, we bought it for charge. Properly, we voted to go through the whole project. Then these papers came in. You know, we didn't go yes or no a lot of times. But yes, it has been, the papers were here last meeting. We did vote once on the process of going. Now we've got to make sure we know what we're voting for on this next one. If we want to vote to pull out of the whole project, that's another start. But if we stop this in the middle of it, I hope we understand that sort of thing. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I gave you the papers last meeting. And there's a lot to read in there. And there's a lot to go online to read in there. I think it's section 40 or something in there that you have to read. 44 CFR part 80. There's a whole bunch of rules in there. **Speaker 23:** So, I mean, we can still back out at any time. Even if we sign the papers tonight. I know that would be a crappy thing to do to the applicants to pull out when we're late in the process. But we could very easily sign the papers tonight and then just continue on. Until more research was done by the two guys. And they could make a stance where they want to be. And then have another vote. We are already proceeding. If we just sign the papers, we can still un-proceed two weeks from now. **Speaker 5:** I'd like to make a motion. Would we reconsider to vote to make sure that the new members understand what we're voting for? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Is there a second? **Speaker 23:** I'm second. Does that all make sense? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** All in favor? **Speaker 23:** Aye. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I'm abstaining again. I'm abstaining. You? So? **Speaker 3:** So, we'll reconsider and vote. **Speaker 27:** Yes. As you made it to begin with. **Speaker 25:** I'm abstaining. **Speaker 119:** So, John's not comfortable with signing the papers tonight, correct? **Speaker 5:** Correct. So, I'd like to make another motion that we table this to the next meeting and then sign it. Or unsign it. Second. **Speaker 36:** Yeah. **Speaker 72:** So, what I want then, as a member of this town, is that if paperwork, if they haven't done their job, that the paperwork gets signed next week, no matter what. Because if you're basing this on the fact that those two people actually sit down and read it, come back and say, hey, yes, I've made an intelligent decision, yes or no. But if they come back and say, I didn't get time to do it, I think there has to be a... It's not a matter of time to do it. **Speaker 2:** I feel like there's other options. No, I'm just saying. **Speaker 72:** Because I'm tired of this being kicked down this road. I want it to be done. And to be fixed. **Speaker 2:** I look at that drive-by every day. I want it to be done. Again, we can't. **Speaker 72:** If somebody says, I didn't have time... I understand your feelings, but we can't make an election if they ever said it at any time. **Speaker 5:** No, no, I'm just saying. There should be... I feel like I don't have enough information. We're holding up the process. Yeah. For the state and the applicant and everything. **Speaker 72:** Yeah. But we can't tell an elected official. **Speaker 5:** They were elected by the people. **Speaker 97:** We can't tell them, hey you gotta read this and you have to do this and you have to do **Speaker 5:** that. They can... There's been a lot when they actually went to jail or still selected while they were **Speaker 26:** in jail. **Speaker 72:** What I'm saying is that I want the game to stop being a game. I want a decision being made. each or the next meeting we're going to make that decision then i no matter what i think you make the **Speaker 23:** decision i mean we could assign and continue down and still did research and back out into as well but i understand that you know and i appreciate the fact that he wants to get more knowledge on it maybe there's an alternative out there or something that we haven't discovered yet **Speaker 45:** i mean i've been looking at things every day i recommend that you actually discuss the contact **Speaker 92:** information with them and call those people yeah and you prefer not to go directly through me **Speaker 36:** no i just want to wait wait i don't want to make it look like that i'll send it to you **Speaker 41:** yeah i would love to have time to send this to you i'll send you the contact information **Speaker 38:** all right so now we're doing this thank you i just have one question i've heard from the board that you've been in contact with people in the state in terms of how to proceed with this program my question to this board is have you also pursued answers on why you shouldn't do this program from professionals yes yes you have to assume yes and they came up with all the reasons **Speaker 5:** i've asked questions both in person but as a board two two professionals two of them on the zoom in meeting i've asked from yeah for both the people i've had an email i've had an email no i've emailed people and yes i've asked both ways and you're right that's why i'm so hesitant because i'm not **Speaker 87:** curious i mean i need a member of the board we have two members this guy's only been here one **Speaker 37:** week here yeah i'm talking true why we should why we shouldn't do it well i mean you could make an **Speaker 23:** argument for the tax base is why we shouldn't do it but the professionals in the state not what we they're not that this is the way they're doing flood hazard mitigation they're not going to give you um if if it's a if it's a property that is necessary to have something done to it they're not going to give you a reason not to do it **Speaker 38:** i'll let it go i'll let it go when willington got wiped out by the flood the whole town went down with us right at that point they're in the floodplain what do they do they rebuild the whole time right so why they rebuild right the floodplains here the word about a house that may or may not go down the river and there's 51 right across from me it's got this there's so many houses that have this issue i just think the selectors will be overloaded you're not okay thanks dave okay **Speaker 27:** bill i'm done i think david has stated his negative approach and his opinion of this so many times that he doesn't deserve to have any more time to stay okay now we let **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** everybody speak here i'm sorry laurie what did you have a question i guess i feel like i feel bad for the board because excuse me we don't want that in the office here please thank you **Speaker 109:** never mind just i don't know what she said you said well okay thank you for what you had said **Speaker 38:** oh thank you answer i feel like you're getting heat no i'll talk to you after **Speaker 25:** kicking the can down the road but i feel like you guys did your zoom meeting you started the process and then when the documents came in there were a lot of questions that were unanswered but instead of stopping and getting questions marie made a motion to move forward even though we didn't know what we were doing and then more documents come in with more questions and you just keep making motions to continue a process that you really don't have your feet under you yet and it's a big process and it's a huge decision but if **Speaker 120:** that's the entire town i completely agree with you laura **Speaker 121:** so so we we're going to go until next week you're going to look into it **Speaker 122:** mowing bids this should be a little easier **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** we got one no we i sent you the bid application that we sent out last year uh invitation to bid and then also we asked the mowing company if they would clean up the schoolyard including fixing file damage and picking up branches especially along that ditch there that's pretty bad there and i don't think they did that last year well we might but then a lot has fallen since then so do you want to modify this invitation to bid to include clean up the yard sure so we want to say fix following the image picking up branches on the lawn on the lawns lawns yard ditch school grounds school ground oh on the grounds on the grounds **Speaker 1:** don't get me started i know the ground **Speaker 123:** started **Speaker 124:** on the ground **Speaker 25:** how come there's fixed ground damage how come there's fixed ground damage fixed ground damage **Speaker 25:** fixed what fixed ground damage **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** yes we don't want to pick up the sticks we do it **Speaker 2:** and clear around the ditch right **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** i wonder if that would be included when they do the uh inspection the uh site visit what's that **Speaker 23:** what's the inspection **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** well if it's a new mowing company we've got to show them where to mow like soccer fields **Speaker 27:** what's included in the company **Speaker 14:** remove the leaves instead right no **Speaker 1:** get rid of all of the are all kind of all you gotta do down okay **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** get ready to take the sign **Speaker 23:** do we want to have to pay so many to do that because i dug it out last plan to be done hate image picking up debris okay so when do we want to start mowing when do we want to have a site visit who want to send one we started last year process **Speaker 50:** You wanted to add somebody else too. You wanted to add... **Speaker 5:** Well, you can't add the person I had because he does not have the charts, so... **Speaker 74:** Well, he might have it by then. **Speaker 5:** No, he won't. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** No? Okay. **Speaker 5:** He's pretty much told me I can't afford it. Well, you're never going to afford it if you don't get it. **Speaker 2:** That is the worst threat. I'm actually interested in looking at it. I'm not sure if it's something I'd be able to do. I'd look at it. **Speaker 1:** Okay. **Speaker 26:** If you can do it, you just can't vote on it, right? **Speaker 5:** I don't vote when my cousin comes up. John is just about to stand on that one. Yeah. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** That came up last year, the mountain home landscape and countryside. We needed to have a Deerfield Valley property. We only got one backlash. **Speaker 1:** Yeah, I'd say it exceeded my eight cents, but... **Speaker 23:** Three and a half? Three and four? **Speaker 27:** Yeah. **Speaker 23:** Obviously, over in the end, he's the only one that responded last year. **Speaker 27:** Yeah, that's the next thing we can do is go ahead and challenge everybody. Eddie. Dan. **Speaker 25:** John. So, Western Mass and the KAW came back undelivered. Right. So, I don't know. I don't know if Casey will be able to return. **Speaker 97:** My fear is that it's too bad. **Speaker 5:** Yeah. **Speaker 97:** Someday. **Speaker 5:** It'll come up. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** So, just those three? **Speaker 5:** One man's project, sir. You need to give us one quick. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Dan, John Dunn, and Lawrence. **Speaker 5:** Maybe I'll work for you. I mean, I have insurance. **Speaker 2:** It's not that expensive. I know. You've got to have it. Yeah. Okay. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Okay. When... What does it say? Same job description and specification. Okay. When do you think they can start mowing? Site visit. It's no Saturday. It's not tomorrow. Do you want me to pick a date in April to do a site visit? **Speaker 1:** Yeah. One of us should be here to greet anybody next to you today. I mean, I want to visit like a lot of times. All right. And... Tomorrow. Mowing dates that we liked. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. **Speaker 23:** Yeah. Yeah. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. **Speaker 23:** Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. **Speaker 2:** Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yeah. **Speaker 22:** Yeah. Yeah. **Speaker 2:** Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. **Speaker 61:** week of that, May 1st or whatever. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** We just had the beginning of mowing season. We kind of left it open. Because we can't say you're going to start **Speaker 41:** mowing May 1st. I'm sure we'll make **Speaker 2:** that determination. I'm sure if it gets an ice out, we cut the grass sooner than later. **Speaker 41:** Right. That's why we never set it up. **Speaker 1:** They got a number of mowers anyway, right? We did. **Speaker 24:** Okay. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Lori will just give me a call on this and we can fit that sentence in somewhere and **Speaker 57:** send them out to the three people. Do you want to have the minutes back for your **Speaker 25:** next meeting April 4th or the second meeting April? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** It would be nice. Next meeting April 4th. Let's see how that goes. May. What do you think? Get it back as soon as we can? Yeah. Two weeks? **Speaker 58:** Yep. So then you'd have to have your site visit before **Speaker 25:** so they can get the minutes in. Oh yeah, that's right. **Speaker 26:** Why don't you tell us that first and then well Dan's going to vet. He knows the site. Do a site visit. **Speaker 42:** Alright. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** No one showed up anyway the last couple of years. **Speaker 25:** Second meeting April 11th is June. **Speaker 2:** So we're taking the sign down and we can do a walk through. What's that? When I'm taking the sign down I can look around and check it out. Okay. Should we look way back around the **Speaker 29:** foundation for the site? You know, keep it going. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Keep it going. Being with school directors. I emailed Erica and she has to talk to the board first. See when they would, if they are, want to do a joint meeting with us. And we'll work on a date. Board of Civil Authority training. I still have no definite date for Mount Lagos Cities and Towns. **Speaker 51:** So that tentative is 4 o'clock on the 4th. **Speaker 125:** That's not happening. 4th of April? **Speaker 51:** No. It's not happening. Okay. **Speaker 36:** But it could happen if they get back to you. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** It's kind of late now. I guess so. I'll email her again and see where we are on the state board. **Speaker 51:** So most likely it would be on a select board day but at 4? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** That's what I'm hoping for. Thursday, 4 o'clock. She said it should take no longer than an hour. So you'll review drug and alcohol policy. **Speaker 50:** So I pulled out. We want to do this tonight? Well, I have to talk to you about it. **Speaker 5:** Listen, we're elected. We're elected. We're not employed. We're going to have to go by force. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I know. This drug and alcohol policy came about through Vermont Lagos Cities and Towns. Wade Masur? Yes. Yeah, that's the guy's name. As soon as he came down and reviewed our highway insurance and stuff. And we have two fellows that have CDLs and he said we need to have a drug and alcohol policy. So. We copied the model from Vermont Lagos Cities and Towns. They provided it in 2014. And I tried to get a more updated model from VLCT and no response from them yet. So this model, I'm sure there is more drugs and stuff in there. **Speaker 126:** And it's only for our CDL drivers. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** What about any other employees that we have that don't need a CDL license? Or any town employees? We're a town employee. **Speaker 24:** Laurie? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I know. I'm sorry, Laurie. **Speaker 27:** Do you understand what their drug testing program involves? CDLs? No. For employees. Broadly for employees? Yeah. You know how it works for the CDL. And if they broadcast that, and if they broadly apply it to everybody else, they pull you up and say that morning, you come pee. They don't care about your job. **Speaker 5:** Someone's got a medical marijuana card, and they have marijuana in their system. Are they going to fail? Because they would fail. I'm not saying they're smoking. **Speaker 32:** I'm saying you couldn't have medical marijuana. I'm always saying go slowly before **Speaker 113:** you talk about the rest of the town employees. Well, this is it. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I thought it covered all our town employees. **Speaker 23:** They have to go through the process for a CDL. **Speaker 50:** Right. And that's what this covers, the CDL. We're not going to want to institute anything that doesn't help. You've got libraries, you've got a lot of people. **Speaker 5:** We have people working here that are kind of almost volunteers. Are you going to give someone a urine test for 24 hours a year? Yeah, I wouldn't be giving them a urine test for 25 hours a year. That's a weird job. You guys should be paying me more than all the other processes. **Speaker 115:** That's what I mean. What's your policy? You can test for marijuana, and you can test for positive, but **Speaker 23:** it's legal. Marijuana is the only thing that's going to be in there. **Speaker 127:** It's PCC, cocaine, marijuana. **Speaker 23:** We need 35 days. **Speaker 42:** Fentanyl kills us. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** So, I'll try to get a new drug or an updated drug and alcohol policy for our CDL drivers. **Speaker 5:** Yeah, I would just make sure that all of the same **Speaker 128:** drugs are all the same. Do they need it? **Speaker 61:** I've never had a federal DLT test. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I get one two or three times a year. A recommended by our insurance **Speaker 1:** provider. And I had one the other day, not last week. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Mike just got pulled in last week. Yeah, I don't think, if we see there's a problem, Lori or Teresa will deal with it. **Speaker 1:** We might just have to fire that. **Speaker 26:** I don't know, she's black, too, right? **Speaker 14:** Yeah, so we can't fire her. We can fire Dave, but we can't fire her. The thing is, in that policy, then you really have to offer counseling. **Speaker 129:** Yeah, fired her. Well that's what... **Speaker 5:** That's why I like to fire at Will. Where do you fire him? No, I'm just, I just don't like the way it looks. **Speaker 130:** Then we have to impeach any elected official. **Speaker 27:** Exactly. **Speaker 5:** That's what I was trying to do. **Speaker 74:** Counseling. **Speaker 49:** Yeah, impeachment. **Speaker 1:** I think impeachment takes a three-quarter vote, not a two-thirds vote, so that's going to be tough. Okay. **Speaker 25:** Correspondence. Lori. All right. Let's start with the Uniform Municipal Access Way Permits. We have Consolidated Communications and Mayor Gass. That's what I'm looking at. **Speaker 1:** Motion to sign. Pay them. I don't know what they want. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** We got the insurance. **Speaker 25:** Insurance and check. Does anyone second? **Speaker 31:** Second. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** It seems like we're getting more in on it than we said we wanted. Yeah. Is it pretty, really? And then on... **Speaker 27:** Were you recording? Oh, the tax sale issue. **Speaker 27:** Were you recording? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Well, we had tax... Were you recording, Jeff? Thank you. **Speaker 27:** You're supposed to tell people. I did. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** You did? **Speaker 27:** I did. You did. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I did. You did? Well, I guess I missed it. **Speaker 1:** Yeah. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I know you... We said... **Speaker 1:** Yeah, we said... **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Oh, yeah. **Speaker 1:** We pointed right at it. Yesterday, there was a tax sale here at the town office. Five properties went up for sale, and the town bought three of them. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** One Alphamall property and two properties across from Belmont's. And then there's a request for... I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. **Speaker 25:** I'm sorry. **Speaker 58:** And then it also put in a price for purchase of Town's Interested in America. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** So, one of the properties that we bought was already... **Speaker 131:** We bought a swamp? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** We did. We did. Okay. But you can build in it, some... **Speaker 26:** With flood plain, river courier, anything. Swamp across from Belmont? I don't think you can get a builder building there. Can I sell it to FEMA? **Speaker 23:** Why not? Should I build a shed out of it? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** so um we have an offer to uh sell the town's interest on the 5.75 acre perry property to laurie shepherd motion to assign our interest **Speaker 24:** is there a price oh yeah what's the price oh she wants our assignment so **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** it's whatever is calculated it's not it's not next to mcshane's it's the one on the other side right is it the big is it next to mcshane's there's two lots **Speaker 58:** is **Speaker 27:** there was a big pond there before yeah i mean it's it's **Speaker 66:** a flower garden i don't know what you're looking for i'll look i'll look maybe the back part **Speaker 23:** i'll look at it you buy it for 500 dollars or whatever it is and go to the bank and say hey i got five acres 20 000. sure and they'll say it's just persuading you to wear it because i'm just thinking it's something that you might want **Speaker 132:** to do **Speaker 51:** your intentions already i mean there's a reason there's a reason i'll leave that to you after this one because we're going to get some more money from you today and i'm not going to leave it to you now is that right now we're going to leave it to you later you're going to leave it to us but we are always going to keep it out of that room next week i'll keep it out of that room too and maybe you want to put it out of that room next week **Speaker 23:** Well, it's not vacant since the beginning of the time in the town where it seemingly should be developed, right? I mean, if you drive through town and the pattern goes where there's houses, there's a reason why there's no houses and no spots. Just food for thought. **Speaker 5:** I'll make a motion in the way it's out there. If she wants to pull out, she can. Sure. Second. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** We'll vote for tax sale in a couple of years, right? **Speaker 54:** Right. **Speaker 26:** Just don't pay the taxes. That's all I have. Second? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yeah. All in favor? Aye. Thank you, Lori. Okay. We'll see. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I just felt bad that it sat there. So we had probably about 10 people here yesterday. **Speaker 5:** Maybe we'll donate a sign to you. **Speaker 61:** Yeah, that's a good idea. Did Costean's land go here today? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yes. **Speaker 2:** That 10-acre piece that you asked me about. I'm sorry? **Speaker 36:** How is it accessed, like the Costean property? I was kind of looking at it. How does it go? **Speaker 92:** Right away through. **Speaker 5:** There's a road there. **Speaker 133:** It's a Collins Road, too, right? Yeah. **Speaker 61:** It's actually a Collins Road address, but you may get in there. You can't go through there? No, because you'll have to travel across the National Forest probably. It only goes up to the ground that was can. But you can't, even though it's a right-of-way, you can't go through National Forest, huh? Well, there's no road there. You can't land block it. No, there's no landlocked. But I think the right-of-way originally came through the National Forest. And the land block is just a little bit further out. There's a lot of land there. There's a lot of land. There's a lot of land there. There's no road there. There's a lot of land. All right. **Speaker 5:** Even though it's a right-of-way, you can't go through National Forest, huh? **Speaker 61:** Well, there's no road there. You can't landlock it. No, there's no landlock, but I think the right-of-way originally came through right before there's a right-of-way about 25 feet wide in Alpenwald. But they're going to make sure that you pay your dues. But it's the right-of-way to that one. It's the best way to go in. You're supposed to pay that $300. I looked into it. I was going to pay it back taxes and everything. **Speaker 36:** Wasn't there an indication, though, that somebody in the past wanted to log it, but Alpenwald wouldn't let the truck go over to Alpenwald? **Speaker 23:** Empty sections between the locks? Alpenwald connects it all kinds of ways. It's based on one road, too. **Speaker 5:** Yeah. No, I know. I just thought that . . . I've seen it all. **Speaker 134:** Nice little piece of property a long time ago. **Speaker 27:** Didn't know what it went into. **Speaker 61:** . . . Okay. Any other old business? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** New business. I talked about the VLCT training there. There's going to . . . on April 17th, there's going to be a webinar we can sign up for and have it here. It's for the Open Meeting Law, if anyone's interested. 10 to 11.30. I'd like to view that again. April 17th, Open Meeting Law, 10 to 11.30. You could sign us up for it. **Speaker 61:** That's a good one for one guy. Yeah. Everybody. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Any other new business? I do. John, you sent us something just for an announcement about the DEC. The DEC revision to Vermont above-ground storage tanks for fuel. Do you want to say anything about . . . I did. Yeah, I think it came from . . . No, it came from . . . Sorry. Your statement just loaded it on. **Speaker 23:** Okay. More rules based around flooding. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** And above-ground storage tanks, but it's not quite a rule yet. **Speaker 23:** I think they're . . . It's going to be. I don't know what the new compliance is, but there's new regulations, right? 20 and 30, I think, that he has to do. We're supposed to be on some of that . . . Engel tanks? Yeah. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Above-ground storage tank rules. **Speaker 23:** I think they're lengthening. They're lengthening the length of the tank. Probably different check valves and stuff like that. They probably want a containment around it. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** That holds petroleum heating fuel. **Speaker 23:** Yeah. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** So that's . . . if you want to look . . . **Speaker 23:** It's all based around flooding and all the tanks that got washed away up in the state this year. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yeah, talking about . . . Our hazardous mitigation plan. It's ready for public review. And I'm not sure, did it get put on our website yet? We need to do that. Okay. You could put it on our website. And it's, I think, around . . . I looked. I think it's around 95 pages, if anybody wants to read it. Bill. **Speaker 27:** I don't know if Lori was reminding Bob Briggs about . . . about a webinar. Was that for the one that's coming Monday? On the 25th? **Speaker 25:** So it's Thursday, March 28th from 8 to 4.30 p.m. in Londonbury. **Speaker 27:** Okay. This is . . . that's something else. On Monday the 25th, there's a webinar that starts at 2 o'clock. It's on what goes into a local emergency management plan. And since you all signed off on it, you might want to consider it. Dara Zink sent out notice about it. I'm pretty sure you were included in the distribution. You probably need . . . What time is it? . . . the next day or so. What time is it? 2 in the afternoon. You do it here, also. Monday, unless . . . This coming Monday. And the other thing I wanted to ask was, do you want to restore $50 for green-up day out of your discretionary funds? Otherwise, Brian has nothing to worry about. Okay. So, you're saying that you're going to work with . . . You did not put it in the budget because you didn't have a green-up for . . . I thought Marta was just going to . . . Well, besides the cookies that Marta bakes, they might want to . . . The $50 doesn't go to them. It goes to the state. **Speaker 135:** It goes to the state. **Speaker 25:** But then they . . . They've got these posters and . . . They've got these posters and bags and everything. They never requested . . . **Speaker 136:** Well, can we catch up to it or not if we had the $50 and gave it to the state? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** No. It wasn't . . . . . **Speaker 54:** So, it wasn't . . . **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** . . . . . **Speaker 5:** . . . **Speaker 137:** . . . **Speaker 26:** . . . . **Speaker 115:** . . . **Speaker 119:** But it's never been donated so that they can set up what they set up. **Speaker 25:** That was all just . . . It goes to the state. **Speaker 27:** Okay. I thought the money was supporting the effort here. I didn't know it was going to the state. No. It was the state. Does it go to the state so that they send us all the green bags? I think they send them to us anyway. They send us green . . . I got the bags from . . . Well, we need . . . **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** . . . That box says a green bag. . . . . . . . . . . **Speaker 61:** . . . . . . . . You'll need them for the sandbags for your land. **Speaker 1:** Thanks, thanks. Brian, if you need anything at all about that, for finances. That's important. **Speaker 138:** First Saturday of May. **Speaker 5:** You might even have the Christmas tree down by the time. **Speaker 89:** The fourth. Luke's taking fruit and nuts. **Speaker 31:** For the goats. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Any other new business? Make a motion to go into executive session for personnel. **Speaker 36:** All in favor?