---
title: "Stamford Select Board — October 3, 2024"
date: 2024-10-03
session: regular
speaker_labels: 0 cluster(s) named from the roll call and that meeting's chair in the minutes, 0 named from roster attendance, 2 of 2 clusters unnamed
voice_ids: {"SPEAKER_05":34,"SPEAKER_11":34}
duration_min: 58
audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIrqNsjJT0g
audio_source: YouTube (@jgramlin78)
minutes: https://townofstamfordvermont.org/mediaItems/Sbd%20Minutes%2010-3-24.pdf
minutes_pending: false
present: [Nancy L. Bushika, Michael G. Denault, Kurt Gamari, Douglas Wright]
absent: [John Dunn]
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 — October 3, 2024

**Session:** Regular · **Duration:** 58 min · [Audio](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIrqNsjJT0g) · [Minutes](https://townofstamfordvermont.org/mediaItems/Sbd%20Minutes%2010-3-24.pdf)

**Present:** Nancy L. Bushika, Michael G. Denault, Kurt Gamari, Douglas Wright
**Absent:** John Dunn

---
You gotta go. Me and you would have to go to the surgery of the state's workers. 54 hours. I'm not going to be there. I did. I already went there. You're not going to be there. I'm not going to be there. Okay, I'll meet the orders of the President of the League. I want to do it again. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America

**Speaker 1:** and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible,

with liberty and justice for all.

**Speaker 2:** Welcome to a meeting of the Stamford Select Board. If you have a matter to discuss that is not included on the agenda, you may do so by addressing the chairperson and stating your name and 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. Discussions will be held in a calm and civilized manner and respectful of others.

The select board members present are Nancy L. Bushika, would it be any adding the items or removing the items from tonight's agenda? Any additional comments

**Speaker 2:** to the agenda at all? Will there be any adjustments to the agenda such as changing the order of items?

**Speaker 1:** Okay, here are the visitors. I would like to remind and have in the minutes the resiliency fair that happens on Saturday, October 19th from 12 to 5 here in the school. All are welcome.

**Speaker 2:** Reading and approval of records and orders from September 19th. Motion. Second.

**Speaker 3:** All in favor. Early conditions. We finished up our grant and aid project actually for next year but we finished it this year. We came and inspected it.

Jim Hunterson from DCRC came down and inspected it today and it's all set. We just got to submit all our rules for that project. Mike and I did the complete project ourselves. Skips and rows. Two culvers and some stone line ditching.

**Speaker 3:** I know we talked in the car here at some point. I had gone to Westminster because we had some

transmission issues.

**Speaker 3:** They repaired

what they said. They repaired the issues but only got it back. They weren't repaired. It was something different. We brought it back up there and put in it.

**Speaker 3:** I'm not really happy about the fact that they said they were going to repair it. We still haven't got the bill for the repair. They told me it was $4,900 for the repair. Transmission was $11,000. We needed trucks so I just went ahead and had it done because winter is right around the corner. I tried to talk to him about he spent $5,000. He said no. I said I'll give you guys the other shot. I didn't have any luck. There are other places but it's kind of like everything else. They're all the same owner. We can all manage trucks. I'm just saying if this guy paid $5,000 for nothing, and if he doesn't want to help us at all, maybe we'll go somewhere else. We definitely can do that. I don't know. This one's pretty convenient.

**Speaker 4:** I guess we have to

**Speaker 3:** pitch up battles. I have to pay so by the time I go there I've tried being diplomat. Sure.

**Speaker 2:** We'll be here and we're done

**Speaker 3:** paying the loan off on that. Yeah. It's always been maintained. It's just the quality of most everything just isn't there anymore. It was supposed to be a fairly simple fix. There were some valves that were sticking in it but I guess it's not. I guess I could have brought it somewhere else

and get a second opinion on it.

**Speaker 3:** If he did want to get it I thought about that. He's starting to go down the road now. Yeah. I've already spent probably $4,000 back and forth

**Speaker 2:** already with this truck. See what they say, when we get the bill we can talk to him again. But you get it back by snow which we've been pretty lucky so far

**Speaker 3:** because we've had October snowstorms. I definitely couldn't hold off on that for a long time. Speaking of snow, we're going to need our sand salt.

Stuffed out with contact me today actually told me that he's going to trucking. So I'd just like to go ahead and use him this year. We haven't had much luck in the past.

**Speaker 3:** Yeah. We're going to now move our excavator up on the climb from the Clarksburg town line up through the glass floor from the side and hopefully I can lead back around where I finished here a couple weeks ago on the county road side. So that's where we're going to be. We should be doing our fall grading. Still waiting on a little more consistent rain to do a lot of the trucks. We'll get it all out. It'd be nice to just do it one more time. I don't think anything's really terrible

**Speaker 2:** here. Can you put the Millar road on your drive on your road?

**Speaker 5:** I know it's not a high priority.

**Speaker 3:** I did put some drainage in off of that road just so that the puddles would drain. It's more important when it comes down to traffic how much it's really being used in the road. All this respect to the cemetery

**Speaker 6:** but probably gets...

**Speaker 2:** No I know that's not much there but I figured... We're still grading.

**Speaker 3:** Yeah we will. You know where my driveway is? Something else isn't getting done. I don't know if any of you has got to take a ride up on Fort Jack to assess that. I did. And I also saw an email come in from his son. Yeah I saw that letter. I think it's just an attempt to bully to get what they want. That's what happens in Chelsea we know. We worked up there last summer. So to come now and create some accusations is a little ridiculous. Oh that wasn't just recently? The way you're talking is yesterday. Last summer we did some work up there and the son came out and was yelling and screaming and having a fit. So the way you talk I thought was...

**Speaker 6:** That was over a year ago.

**Speaker 2:** So what did the board find with Fort Jack Road and the drainage?

**Speaker 3:** He needs to drive with them. Yeah and we have a policy. Okay. Yeah and this is what I've been telling them now for a long time. I can see what... I mean that's not... Yeah that's something that's been there. It's a run off there as well. 25 years or better anyways. But you know years ago they would you wouldn't have a driveway caller and you had a little sweat on your driveway.

**Speaker 2:** So do you want me to call them and tell them we the board decided and went up to look and...

**Speaker 3:** We have a policy.

**Speaker 6:** He's responsible.

**Speaker 2:** I think Laurie should send them a letter.

**Speaker 3:** As for widening the road if you look at where the driveway is I don't see the road going six foot. No in fact we're well within our right of way. I mean I think the road is really in the right of way. The front porch is probably sure by the way. How old is that road? It's been built for a long time. It's new. We certainly aren't working on our right of way. We haven't done anything. But I don't see it going beyond where I guess that little swale he has in the front like straight line. And the road's even with that. The road hasn't changed much.

You know we also have to be able to pass. I mean it can't be a ten foot wide road.

**Speaker 3:** If somebody's going up and we're coming down in the wintertime. There's not much I can do on the other side of the road. I mean the town has paid those that you can't do anymore two years ago.

We're doing a lot on the other side.

**Speaker 7:** Alright that's fine. Thank you.

I was going to say

**Speaker 8:** before you move on to the roads I received payment for the Hyundai Road repairs from last year's storm. The little $8,000 one. The Mill Road project has gone through all of the channels and I have a grant agreement for you guys to sign. The cost for the Mill Road repairs was $69,000 and some change. And $69,000 and some change. And what we're looking to get back from FEMA

**Speaker 2:** will be $52,000. Did we get back from Klondike Road? It was at $11,000

**Speaker 8:** and we got $8,000 back. And we still have the other five roads that had the wrong GPS coordinates and that's gone back this year.

**Speaker 9:** I apologize. I don't know what this should have been and hearing the visitors but I wasn't here last week so I apologize. Did anybody follow up with National Grid? Yes. So I was curious.

**Speaker 2:** Yeah. I didn't bring them. National Grid is not going to be changing any lines this year. The only work being done this year is by Riggs-Disler. They are providing access and changing a few poles. But it's that whole transmission line starts at the Pana Line goes to Greensboro. So there's going to be three access points. Warrenbrook Basin and

**Speaker 9:** where's the other one? Yes, thank you. I was aware of that. I was just curious what their policies are for remediation for all the

**Speaker 2:** Riggs-Disler, nothing. It's all under National Grid if something happens. And they followed all their transportation laws and everything that they're supposed to follow. The fellow from Riggs got right back to me and apparently he called his boss at National Grid and she got right back to us with a nice email telling us when it's going to happen

**Speaker 3:** and when everything's going to happen. So in the event that there was damage

**Speaker 10:** they would, but right now

**Speaker 9:** Because we all just got our letters in the mail from National Grid today. Oh, okay. Well, you're not in a butter too.

**Speaker 11:** Right.

**Speaker 3:** It's in the butter of the line.

**Speaker 2:** Right. You're not doing anything yet, right? Oh my gosh, they most certainly have been doing quite a bit. But is that Riggs or National Grid? Riggs. Well, National Grid is up there too, trust me. Their jobs are up there. But if we can prove that they're doing something, then I think we would be able to go

**Speaker 9:** after them. Again, it's not small potatoes. It's a big deal that we weren't notified prior to. It just started happening and you have to be totally fine.

**Speaker 3:** In that email, they didn't say they don't necessarily do notify accounts, but they said something about the butters. And they did, clearly. They didn't clearly start before they ignored us, right?

**Speaker 1:** Although we don't have a mailman. Right. We did. I will say,

**Speaker 3:** after witnessing the last few weeks, not that I consider any damage, but the traffic is pretty extreme.

**Speaker 1:** Oh, you better believe it. Starting at 6 a.m.

**Speaker 3:** It's 6 p.m. Pretty unprofessional to come in here and take over the road.

**Speaker 9:** You cannot believe the traffic.

**Speaker 12:** I mean, really.

**Speaker 2:** Well, I see them go by my house. And that's just because I happen to be out, but I don't... If you're living there, you hear them all the time.

**Speaker 3:** They're making trips. They come by your house to go to the... Then they're going from the mill yard up County Road. Yeah, they're bringing stone in, too. Yeah, stone trucks. The forwarder came back down today

**Speaker 9:** when they lost the entire mill road. So that machine coming down the road.

**Speaker 2:** And they said they don't need flaggers

**Speaker 9:** anymore. So what was that machine? They had a wide load.

**Speaker 3:** It was clearly, it said wide load. Okay.

They had a... See, an email that also said that.

**Speaker 9:** All our trucks, all our machines right now are not any wider than normal. That machine is wider than normal.

**Speaker 3:** Then why did they have a wide load?

**Speaker 9:** Why did they have a, what do you call it, the escort?

**Speaker 10:** The escort, exactly.

**Speaker 3:** That's what it is. So, I mean... I just... I mean, we shouldn't be telling them, look, you have to tell us when these things are happening.

**Speaker 2:** Well, maybe... Maybe they didn't say anything until we got a call and called in

**Speaker 5:** and said it's been notified.

**Speaker 3:** You know what I'm saying? They're telling us that they're not going up, because we're not here all day, I'm not here all day to see this, but they are. They are. They weren't. If they're not going to notify us, we can shut the road down for them.

It's our roads. Don't go do it.

**Speaker 3:** If they're going to have wide loads, go out there, make sure they have flaggers. Safety is more and more important.

**Speaker 5:** Well, they said they weren't following

**Speaker 2:** all their legal things.

**Speaker 3:** They said they weren't bringing up a wide load either.

**Speaker 13:** Well, I live up there, and they go by my house, and I haven't had a problem. I mean, it's a little bit of an inconvenience, but they've got to do their work to it. And I haven't seen the road any worse as a result of this. I don't mean there's something wrong there. I think the road's good.

**Speaker 3:** Yeah, I don't think the road's that bad. I mean, for all the dryness we have, I mean, the road's... There's some washboards, but it's not bad. Like I said, you go down by Pirells on the other side, and it's worse. The washboards over there are worse than up where you guys are. Every night, I don't see the trucks because they're not doing what I go through. But if they are lying to us, we've got to tell them, you've just got to notify us. Our townspeople deserve a little respect. Absolutely.

**Speaker 14:** I have pictures of the excavator, but they also have other equipment up there, too. All the boards that they brought in to make the plank, and the beds over at the top. Padding. And I also have a 4x4 forest seeker side-by-side that they're using up there, as well. I thought so, Laura. I thought you didn't see any up there. You said it was ATVs, but it's not.

**Speaker 15:** It's them.

**Speaker 16:** He was driving around London up there.

**Speaker 14:** Yeah, I have a picture of that.

**Speaker 16:** The 4x4s?

**Speaker 2:** I think that's on National Forest.

**Speaker 13:** It's on 264. We don't know what kind of permission they've gotten or arrangements. I mean, a game warden can ride right up county road on his ATV to win his job. That doesn't mean, well, you're doing something illegal.

**Speaker 3:** That's why I think the slot

**Speaker 14:** should have the right to go up. It's not all the way up, though. It's up to the brook, where the brook goes up to the high tension.

**Speaker 3:** It's right at the high tension line. I understand. I'm not disagreeing at all. I just don't like it when they lock. And that's where she's coming out and saying they're lying. She's got pictures of them and it's not safe to do. You're going up there and you come around the corner at 25 miles an hour. It sounds like you're going slow, but it's dry and you put your brakes on and you slide. I don't care what you have. You never slide.

**Speaker 9:** And I just think if in a situation like that where they knew that there was going to be this huge influx of really big vehicles, as a courtesy, we should have been really careful.

I think it's extremely disrespectful

**Speaker 9:** and unprofessional and it can be a dangerous situation on Mill Road. But you know off the side you're in the brook. Some of them are also going very fast. I disagree with you, Ben.

**Speaker 17:** Well, I disagree with you

**Speaker 13:** because I haven't seen them by the way. I mean, I agree with you. You're always nice straight away. Just to ask them, I went along the brook, and I've never seen them.

**Speaker 3:** And I'm just interested in that. We're giving you a place in residence.

Oh, yes.

**Speaker 9:** They've been putting signs out saying it works for them. If you see that, it's important. I still think they should have notified us. Well, that's fine.

**Speaker 2:** Okay. Can I go back to this public safety grant? And it says $11,000 and we're getting $8,000 back.

**Speaker 8:** How much were we paying in Klondike? $69,000 and we're getting $52,000 back.

**Speaker 3:** Sign it. Motion to sign.

So I get some of my money back now that I signed all this up for? Oh, thank you. I have a question for Dave

**Speaker 3:** because I had it still on a couple weeks now. Sure. Okay. I'm just saying I went up I always turn around in a jeep. I went up the other alley and two cars come down so they came and turned down and they almost hit me

**Speaker 13:** because they were on the wrong side of the road

when they touched me. They used to pick on Massachusetts

**Speaker 3:** but they were both in Massachusetts. But they almost hit me I'd rather have me hit my truck than my jeep It is tough right there. I didn't give them the go-ahead on it because I don't want to say for sure but it's over $6,000. To cut three trees? Yeah. So I figured I'd let you guys make that decision. I think it's $6,500 but I know it's not what it's over the border. You want to get a second quote? The problem is this is with everything we've been talking about it for months and years. Nobody's doing anything. So if you've got someone doing it they know. Right. Are you talking with these owners? We're talking about safety I think this is a safety thing too. I just don't have the money in my budget.

**Speaker 6:** Go for it though.

**Speaker 3:** Like you said when you plow it's just a matter of time I can't see at all. That's a rough shape though. The little door stomp I was thinking about putting winter on it. I had

**Speaker 2:** anything else on the energy assessment? I don't think so. Roof it's ordered.

**Speaker 3:** Oregon I did

put in for the

**Speaker 2:** energy grant.

**Speaker 3:** Very good. There's going to be something the hydraulically connected road segments. We're going to do a winter assessment every five years. We could do it ourselves. Last time the state did it for us because I complained and they didn't have the time. It was ridiculous. Now they're not going to do that but they're giving grants so that we can pay

**Speaker 8:** ECRC to do it

which I think we should do. The board is probably getting down pretty quick about that. Just to sign that letter

**Speaker 3:** that we're going to apply for and then apply for it.

**Speaker 5:** We're forced to do it.

**Speaker 2:** What else Dave do you have? Did you have anything more on this?

**Speaker 13:** I don't have anything.

**Speaker 18:** Last meeting

**Speaker 2:** we talked about reviewing the highway ordinance. Lori sent you all a copy through email. Dave you've got a hard copy in your box. We should go through this. We should go through this page and see what we need to update. Do we want to have a separate work session?

**Speaker 3:** Do it here at a meeting? I don't think there's much. I'm going to find out a lot to change in there. The trail which is going to be similar to class 4 road except for we're going to have zero lanes. As far as if somebody wants to do work

**Speaker 2:** I remember I've been making notes through the years on guard rails. Guard rails? What are they Lori? I think they're guard rails. I think they're guard rails too.

**Speaker 5:** No they're guide rails.

**Speaker 2:** Alright. Watch your mouth.

That means you can run up against them and guide your road. That's what they do with the flies. There's a few things you can do.

**Speaker 3:** There's an awkward deal how you follow the guy.

**Speaker 2:** There's a few things in here we have to change on the roads like Lincoln Road. Shippy's driveway is no longer in here. Bellows Road. I don't know. Bellows Road was never mentioned in here because it goes down to Jim's house, right? Brown Brook Road we have to change the name of that. Oak County Road to Brown Brook Road. So there's a few updates in here

**Speaker 5:** but they're just minor. So do you want to work on this with me?

**Speaker 14:** I can, yeah. Are you adding open roads to that too? Doing what? Right? Is that what you were supposed to do? Is that open roads to the ATVs to that town ordinance as well?

**Speaker 19:** Something about the class 4 roads.

**Speaker 2:** Yes, that ordinance that that motion that you made last time. Anything else roads? Recycling. Nothing? Yes.

**Speaker 16:** So I picked up I don't know eight or nine paint cans. up at County Road and brought them down to the dump on Monday and put them in front of the dumpster. We're also planning Sunday morning we're going to do some more cleaning up there. How do you guys want this stuff bagged up and where do you want it?

**Speaker 2:** I need to talk to Dave on it but as much as you can recycle, recycle.

**Speaker 20:** But I'm sure it's probably a lot of just

**Speaker 21:** garbage.

**Speaker 20:** You just want it in a regular bag?

**Speaker 2:** Yeah, regular bag. Can they put it in the compactor?

**Speaker 5:** Because if you leave it out

**Speaker 3:** What's typical?

**Speaker 5:** Put it in the demo?

**Speaker 14:** Yeah, just bag it and throw it in the dumpster. You know which one's demo?

**Speaker 15:** We'll have to ask my mother.

**Speaker 22:** We'll talk to my mother.

**Speaker 2:** I should have brought my paint cans up there because didn't you charge for them?

**Speaker 3:** Did you say you picked them up on the side? What were you going to bring up?

**Speaker 13:** We're walking down the road.

**Speaker 16:** Why don't we go on the motor? Look at the piles of juice.

**Speaker 2:** Let's take pictures right now before we get there Sunday. Oh. It's too bad that they you know, people just

**Speaker 23:** go up there.

**Speaker 16:** There's all kinds of stuff up there. It's ridiculous.

**Speaker 14:** I know if it's light green paint

**Speaker 16:** it's you.

**Speaker 14:** That's it on recycling.

**Speaker 2:** We're good? Did you revise highway ordinance? I'll work on that. Permit fees. What do I have for permit fees?

**Speaker 3:** I don't see that.

**Speaker 2:** No, I have permit fees. Is somebody asking about permit fees? Circle back. I'm going to circle back. Thank you. I know what it was. When we update the highway ordinance we should look at the driveway permit and the right of way permits. Because we never revised those when we did the building permits and the fees.

**Speaker 3:** I'd like to apply for a driveway permit now. Please.

**Speaker 2:** What's going on with my paint?

**Speaker 3:** Before the prices go up. Discuss that.

**Speaker 2:** Correspondence, Lori.

**Speaker 8:** We had a reservation from a planning commission meeting. It was in a minute so now we have two letters of interest.

**Speaker 3:** Okay. That's why I gave you that one. I'm wondering.

**Speaker 9:** Go ahead.

**Speaker 3:** This one says I understand that there's a position available for a planning commission. I would like to be considered for this appointment. Jim Stimson. Wednesday, September 25th. Okay.

**Speaker 2:** And this one stated October 3rd. I would like to be considered for the open position on the planning commission. I feel a deep dedication to the future of our town and hope that my active participation in our town governance including service, including serving as justice for the police, conservation committee, and green update coordinator demonstrates my commitment to the good of Stamford. So we have two applications and one open. Did you run the planning commission before?

**Speaker 24:** No, I was A.O. but I went to every meeting during the whole process of the revisions when we rewrote the

**Speaker 25:** file.

**Speaker 2:** Two years.

**Speaker 24:** Was your wife on it or something?

**Speaker 26:** She was an

**Speaker 25:** alternate, not an organ.

**Speaker 2:** So what's your

**Speaker 5:** Just one position open, right?

**Speaker 3:** Thank you.

**Speaker 5:** Because I like you both.

**Speaker 2:** I know. Can't we both be on it? No, that would be an uneven number, wouldn't it? What? It would be an even number. Yes, I'm sorry, even number.

**Speaker 7:** And we dropped it down. We went from nine to seven.

**Speaker 2:** Well, we can go with who submitted first. You know, they dropped it down because it was too hard to have meetings and not everybody was there.

**Speaker 6:** They couldn't get a warrant.

**Speaker 7:** I don't know. I don't know that that was necessarily

their reasoning.

**Speaker 7:** I don't know that that made much sense in either direction. Right. You should have shown that it might be easier to have a form if you have nine. I mean, that's what Aaron said. Yeah, well, I mean, that's

**Speaker 3:** The more you have, the easier it is to be cool, right?

**Speaker 27:** Yeah, it all depends on how

**Speaker 7:** committed the people would be to the board and serving the board. I think these are two people that would definitely be committed to it.

**Speaker 24:** I agree. If you keep it at seven, I'd step back and I'd want to do it.

**Speaker 1:** I was going to say, I'd step back

**Speaker 7:** and review. These are two awesome candidates that we would have to say no to while they're at the

**Speaker 28:** state.

**Speaker 1:** Well, I'd certainly love to review.

**Speaker 3:** I would like to review, too. What if you want to hang the nine?

**Speaker 1:** Yeah, there we go.

**Speaker 3:** Would you do that? I should be on that anyway. You should be. I don't like you.

**Speaker 14:** I'm just saying.

**Speaker 7:** Just let one support the other. We're down to six. We're at six right now, right?

I don't know.

**Speaker 7:** I'm not sure what I can end up.

So we're at six 40 members since we went to three more. I mean, we just created an incredible board almost right here. Exactly.

**Speaker 7:** That would have been amazing. You've got a lot of knowledge here. At a time that we really need to focus on planning.

**Speaker 29:** Are you going to ask me a question?

**Speaker 14:** Make a motion.

**Speaker 30:** What's out there with pro tem?

**Speaker 13:** Is there an office here they can deal with pro tem? Ex-officio. Ex-officio. I mean, you're a justice of peace.

**Speaker 7:** She doesn't have to do that. I only did that because I just didn't want any, I mean, I don't know that I necessarily had to do it. There's no conflict.

**Speaker 31:** That one's non-conflict.

**Speaker 7:** The only conflict was the

**Speaker 9:** What's that mean? Energy. It made no sense to me.

**Speaker 4:** But I think like

**Speaker 3:** the AO couldn't be on the board, right? Yeah. Why just step back because

**Speaker 9:** somebody else

**Speaker 3:** That doesn't make sense because if the AO makes a decision she has to vote against the AO and she has to step down. Then now you do have an even number and now you have ties.

**Speaker 24:** The problem right now, I don't want to get too far off of this, is that if Deb was on the plan and she continued on, the problem is that you have two people that are on the I'm sorry,

**Speaker 32:** what's the one that

**Speaker 7:** Zomia Yeah. I mean that's something that should be considered.

**Speaker 3:** That's a definite conflict. It's happening right now.

**Speaker 10:** It's happening right now, yeah.

**Speaker 3:** I don't understand why this board We get point people. I don't understand why this board doesn't act. Yeah. People have points.

**Speaker 6:** David would be the one.

**Speaker 3:** Of course. David, Sheila.

**Speaker 33:** Sheila and David.

**Speaker 9:** Two Sheilas. Sheila people are also on the plan.

**Speaker 8:** Sheila's not on the plan. I thought she was.

No. I'd like a motion right now to bring it back to nine if these are the three candidates.

**Speaker 7:** Second. Wait, who's the three? Dave, which is an amazing out of the bullpen decision right there. Jim and Mark. Second.

**Speaker 3:** Sorry. That's okay.

**Speaker 7:** I think that a very crucial time for planning. We just made a really good board. I should go vote in the exam. He should be involved. A lot of what's going to be planned in the future in land development is directly related to roads. So it only would make sense that he should also be involved. Like the road commissioner

**Speaker 34:** should also be involved.

**Speaker 7:** It's the knowledge. Right. Jim's loaded with knowledge. And a lot of the bylaws

**Speaker 13:** as they exist now.

Is the motion up to nine? Seconded.

**Speaker 9:** All in favor?

Aye.

**Speaker 9:** Thank you. So now,

we'll appoint these three that are interested.

**Speaker 8:** Spare your terms. So what do we have right now?

**Speaker 14:** Which one is going to fill Maura?

That's what I'm saying.

**Speaker 8:** What's that?

**Speaker 7:** Maura is 20-25.

That's a one-year term.

**Speaker 7:** So we got to put them in their slots now. There's different terms. Who wants the one-year term?

**Speaker 8:** I'll make the one-year term.

**Speaker 3:** There you go.

**Speaker 8:** Maura will fill Maura's term.

**Speaker 3:** Maura.

**Speaker 8:** Right, Maura.

**Speaker 7:** And what are these new terms starting right now?

**Speaker 8:** Well, I think they're four-year terms,

**Speaker 35:** but you want to stagger them

**Speaker 2:** so that they all break up right. So make it two with a four?

**Speaker 3:** Make it two with a four.

**Speaker 2:** We've got three 25s, one 26, and two 27s.

**Speaker 36:** So do two years remaining

**Speaker 8:** on a four-year term before 26. Two-year on

**Speaker 2:** two-year on 26. Who wants it, Jim or Dave?

**Speaker 37:** What's that?

**Speaker 7:** A two-year. We've got to stagger the terms

**Speaker 2:** so we're just trying to figure out... We could do them both, 26.

**Speaker 3:** Yeah, because if we did 27, we wouldn't have...

**Speaker 8:** So then what would we do? Three, one, two, three, and two.

**Speaker 2:** Mm-hmm. Oh, wait. Oh, this goes 28. Peter Greenbush is four-year term.

**Speaker 8:** Jim had a two-year, Dave had a three-year.

**Speaker 7:** I mean, you basically serve for as long as you want. One will be 27,

**Speaker 38:** one will be 28.

**Speaker 7:** I mean, once you're serving, you basically get reappointed.

**Speaker 39:** James 27, James 28.

**Speaker 2:** Probably will be a four-year term. Okay. So 28. And Jim is three-year.

**Speaker 5:** Dave's like, four years?

**Speaker 2:** Three years. No, that's good.

Oh. Meetings are Monday, the 7th. At 6, at 7 a.m. Do you want to make something in writing?

**Speaker 3:** Yeah, that'd be super. Do you want to copy Jim's? Of what? Say what? No, no, no, no.

**Speaker 40:** Sorry.

**Speaker 3:** I've been working for the town, for my rim,

highway department. What else do you have, of course,

**Speaker 2:** Donovan's Law?

**Speaker 8:** Business. The dreaded sign. So we submitted a permit for the new sign. It was denied by death because it doesn't meet the 50-foot setback from the road. So I guess your choice would be to appeal her decision and sign an application to the ZBA or to go back to the 51, 50 feet?

**Speaker 2:** I think it was staked out with what, 31 or something? We staked it out at 35. Looks like it's right in the middle of a flower.

**Speaker 3:** I have a question for you. A while back, and maybe I'm wrong, there was a provision in your job title that said something about giving variances. Yes, waiters. What is that? I was going to say, what's that?

I think a 15-foot

**Speaker 9:** difference is...

**Speaker 11:** What are we looking at?

**Speaker 9:** You know, if it was a foot or two, that would be something...

**Speaker 3:** Something that there's a big rock here

**Speaker 9:** and you have to move it over.

Exactly, but when you're...

**Speaker 9:** And given the scope of what's been going on, I thought... No, I don't blame you. I get it. I would rather see it closer to the road. It makes sense. But I think it's more of a committee decision at this point. But yes, I can do really just like one waiver, but only at my discretion.

**Speaker 41:** Like a 10% thing?

**Speaker 9:** I think you're right. I was going to call you, but I think it's like 10%. Yeah, so... So that being

**Speaker 3:** said, it's still, you just made a statement. It makes sense. And it does make sense to have it closer. So I would like to appeal the decision to the zoning board. That's my motion.

**Speaker 2:** Any seconds?

For me? Closer. Okay. I'll go back to it.

**Speaker 3:** Remember Sesame Street? It was a whole lot of money. I do apologize because I did lie. It's definitely a whole lot of money. Yeah. Yeah.

**Speaker 2:** But that's the town law.

What's the state law? We don't know. I think we should be... The state law is... It's the easiest way to make the county sound. I think so, but I don't know that. I don't know.

**Speaker 13:** I think we might be right because

**Speaker 9:** like with real estate, we can only go 25 feet from the center line if we're, if then we approach on their right-of-way and they I've had my signs taken. So it is confirmed for the state.

And those aren't permanent signs either? No, they're not. Exactly.

**Speaker 3:** I wonder why we're so far away. I mean, 50 is a long way. The state's only 25. You can build a house 50 feet from the center.

**Speaker 2:** I just don't think the town should say that 50 feet from the state highway why do we have to go on the state highway? How far?

**Speaker 7:** I think municipalities should be exempt. Churches should be exempt. Certain things should be exempt. I truly believe we are, but that's another rule.

**Speaker 34:** That's for your planning permission. We've always, always, every meeting I ever went to was made on municipalities where churches, Bible, 3C, you don't need a permit. You just need a notification. However, you gotta still you still gotta abide by the regulations. But this is bullshit.

**Speaker 40:** No, I am sorry.

**Speaker 3:** I truly believe we are exempt by the law that we've read. Apparently, we have a board and this, I'm sorry. We have a board.

**Speaker 24:** Who's the zoner board?

**Speaker 3:** No, the board you were referring to.

**Speaker 11:** The ZBA?

**Speaker 9:** Zoning Board of Appeals?

**Speaker 7:** This is like But you never appealed this one. Yes, we did. This is a whole other sign. New sign, new place.

You didn't see the old one? Same fat shit. Same shit.

**Speaker 24:** No. No, you didn't complain. Any other rules?

**Speaker 34:** We can work together. That's why I'm here. That's why we've got good people now.

**Speaker 42:** Well, if some of them

**Speaker 1:** come to the Planning Commission to have a bylaw amended, they could have done that.

**Speaker 7:** That's something you can work on right now.

**Speaker 43:** Yeah.

**Speaker 1:** Monday. Monday I can't come Sunday.

**Speaker 3:** Yeah, and I thought they wouldn't

**Speaker 1:** even want to do it. You and John were supposed to come and I have all my research lined up for that day. Well, Monday's another day.

**Speaker 44:** Maybe I'll get sick.

**Speaker 3:** Why don't you come Monday?

**Speaker 13:** Maybe I have a death in my family. Speaking of dogs,

**Speaker 1:** how many do we have left? Oh yeah.

**Speaker 8:** We're down to three people, four dogs. And one is questionable that they no longer live here but I don't have coverage. So that could be down to two people. And are they working on it? One is working on it. He needs a rabies.

**Speaker 45:** He seems to be ahead of schedule now. Is it too much to tell these people that Tractor Supply has clinics twice a week?

**Speaker 46:** Big billboard.

**Speaker 3:** Do they know that? I know. I mean, we do have it in our minutes that we said that. But they don't really know.

**Speaker 2:** I'm sure Luke has probably told them

**Speaker 1:** directly. My neighbor saw a raccoon acting weird during the day. Is that an issue for Luke? Fish and game. Fish and game.

**Speaker 7:** Unless it's Tractor Supply. Luke won't deal with any animals

**Speaker 1:** that are weird. Right? Except animals.

Dogs.

**Speaker 2:** New business.

**Speaker 3:** I hate to even bring it up but a resident brought up a bees nest on a bridge and wanted the town to do something about it. I don't really think that's in our

**Speaker 27:** jurisdiction.

**Speaker 7:** What's he doing on a bridge?

**Speaker 38:** Walking.

**Speaker 7:** I just don't want to you know, I wouldn't spray anything

over the river.

**Speaker 7:** What would they be doing? They could have asked to pollinate the flowers.

You've never heard of

**Speaker 7:** stardust birds and bees yet? Were they They're just out there being responsible for 60% of our food production. That's all they're doing.

Where are they at?

**Speaker 3:** I'd say they're in the winter. They're European. They're going to hibernate soon. It's October

and then they're all

**Speaker 14:** summer.

**Speaker 24:** And they're actually plenty right now. It gets warmer in the winter. We're a lot closer

**Speaker 47:** to the same level.

**Speaker 9:** They like fermentation

**Speaker 31:** on spruce trees.

**Speaker 7:** They like fermentation on spruce trees and fir trees. They will act a little

**Speaker 24:** copious.

**Speaker 7:** You know, that makes all the sense in the world. They go after that fruit. It's fermented sap, basically, that they're getting drunk. Yeah, animals tend to think elephants migrate hundreds of miles

**Speaker 8:** Okay, any other new business? Sorry. I neglected to put this on the agenda. I should have, but we'd like to discuss your trick or treat Halloween hours. It falls on a Thursday. Normally in the past

**Speaker 2:** you've always set six to seven Thursdays. They can participate again

**Speaker 45:** this year.

**Speaker 2:** Okay. Do you want to step those out?

**Speaker 7:** Yep. Make a motion.

**Speaker 14:** Six to seven Thursdays.

**Speaker 7:** All in favor?

**Speaker 14:** Aye. So that night, six to seven Thursdays? Yes. That night we're planning on I've already reached out to the church for the parking lot. We're going to go down and hand out Halloween candy to the kids with the

**Speaker 2:** side-by-sides and trucks. Are you trailing them down? Your side-by-sides or four-wheelers? Yeah. You want us to know what time to go there. You know they're going to be around, right?

**Speaker 14:** They're going to be around. We're serving the community. They all got their own thing. You want to take the ticket? That's not my problem. That's fine.

**Speaker 48:** Okay.

**Speaker 45:** Somebody's going to watch out for the crossing the road children?

**Speaker 2:** Well, maybe it's the fire department or...

**Speaker 14:** The fire department's going to be on the other side. I'm going to be on this side.

**Speaker 2:** But usually parents are walking them and should be careful. Any other new business? Yes.

**Speaker 3:** This is... You're a wizard.

**Speaker 14:** The mailboxes. Does anybody know what happened to them? Those things on the way up there? No? Well, I made a complaint to the postmaster. He's calling me back on September 24th. I drove down in the morning. Went to work. They were fine. Come back, checked my mail because that was the first day to deliver it after we had no mail for weeks. And the mailbox was twisted and I took a picture of it. There's more than just my mailbox opened. The lid is folded over. I can't shut it. It's bent to hell and it was crooked on the whole post and somebody swiped it. I made a complaint. The postmaster is calling me back and I'm quite pissed because this is

**Speaker 3:** the third goddamn mailbox.

**Speaker 49:** It's here at the end.

**Speaker 14:** No, it's in the middle of all of that.

**Speaker 3:** Did you say that he's calling you back

**Speaker 14:** or he already did call you back?

**Speaker 49:** I called him today, again,

**Speaker 3:** because I have no comment.

**Speaker 14:** So you said September 24th but does it mean October 24th?

**Speaker 50:** No, September 24th.

**Speaker 3:** We haven't even gotten to October 24th yet.

**Speaker 14:** Well, I thought you said he's calling me back. But the incident happened on September 24th. And I didn't know if there was any I didn't know if there was anything on any other mailboxes. Because they were all opened. I took pictures of mine.

**Speaker 2:** I just want to ask everybody to get their absentee ballot.

**Speaker 51:** Are you sure to bring it?

**Speaker 1:** Will you vote? Should we say something since it's going to be in the tape and stuff about that? Just to make sure everybody

**Speaker 2:** And it's going to be Laurie has it in the minutes, too.

**Speaker 9:** Bring your suppression. So if somebody comes at 7 o'clock at night Is that when polls close? So if somebody comes and all the ballots are gone and they didn't bring theirs they don't get to vote.

**Speaker 8:** Yes? No, we have a small stock

**Speaker 52:** of ballots available.

**Speaker 9:** No, I'm saying if you gave them out during the day. Like you've already given out your small stock. And somebody comes at 7 and they don't have their ballot. They can't vote.

**Speaker 8:** Yeah, they'll be able to vote. You can't not have people vote. We're just going to have to not use the last ballot and make copies and

**Speaker 52:** you can make copies.

**Speaker 41:** I just wanted to

**Speaker 7:** They have to get the sign, right?

**Speaker 53:** Come at 6.59 anyway.

**Speaker 34:** 7 o'clock, it's done. Sounds like they do.

No, I think it's good that it's on

**Speaker 1:** basically the information but I think we have to kind of blast it out on both Facebook pages where it's really simple like Alert! The ballot you receive in the mail is your ballot. Bring it Bring it on the day or drop it in the box. Oh, drop it in the box. Yeah.

**Speaker 7:** Some people just throw it out. I don't vote by mail. Exactly. Or they think it's a separate ballot.

**Speaker 3:** I would've thrown it off if it wasn't

Exactly. So I really think

**Speaker 2:** You're like a leader. Do you want me to do it, Lori? Lori made up one, right?

**Speaker 51:** But it was kind of wordy.

**Speaker 1:** It is. It needs to be like Attention. Important.

**Speaker 54:** That is your ballot. Bring it.

**Speaker 8:** We'll just put that on it.

**Speaker 1:** Or put it in the drop box. How many copies can we have? Right? Boy.

**Speaker 51:** And you go to Seraf's about that hot pink paper

**Speaker 2:** that I know Deb can relate.

**Speaker 5:** Deb votes.

**Speaker 3:** Put it in the box first. It's also

**Speaker 1:** Are you sending what you want then? You have to have different names. It's different than how it's ever been. And so the lack of clarity, transparency, and education around essentially changing how we get our ballots

**Speaker 43:** is

**Speaker 7:** The end goal is probably to have like no voting in the election.

**Speaker 55:** Right.

**Speaker 1:** Yes. Yes.

**Speaker 56:** But it should be nationwide.

**Speaker 44:** Do it all at once.

**Speaker 1:** Yes. Yes. Your eyes.

**Speaker 2:** Did you know if the school made a decision yet about closing on election day?

**Speaker 36:** Have you heard anything?

**Speaker 8:** So Erica called me the day of the meeting and said that was her intention. I have not heard a follow up confirmation that school board

**Speaker 2:** Okay. Well if there's no other business can I have a motion to go into executive session regarding legal matter.

**Speaker 57:** Motion to go into