--- title: "Stamford Select Board — September 4, 2025" date: 2025-09-04 session: regular speaker_labels: 1 cluster(s) named from the roll call and that meeting's chair in the minutes, 1 named from roster attendance, 8 of 10 clusters unnamed voice_ids: {"SPEAKER_00":7,"SPEAKER_01":9,"SPEAKER_02":12,"SPEAKER_03":6,"SPEAKER_04":4,"SPEAKER_05":5,"SPEAKER_06":3,"SPEAKER_07":13,"SPEAKER_08":1,"SPEAKER_09":2} duration_min: 99 audio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fnQ1bj8qXCGAIMW4o3MbtOJZcea7yi3t/view?usp=drive_link audio_source: town drive minutes: https://townofstamfordvermont.org/mediaItems/Sbd%20Minutes%209-4-25.pdf minutes_pending: false present: [Nancy L. Bushika, Douglas Wright, Michael G. Denault, Kurt Gamari, John Dunn] absent: [] transcribed: 2026-09-04 (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 — September 4, 2025 **Session:** Regular · **Duration:** 99 min · [Audio](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fnQ1bj8qXCGAIMW4o3MbtOJZcea7yi3t/view?usp=drive_link) · [Minutes](https://townofstamfordvermont.org/mediaItems/Sbd%20Minutes%209-4-25.pdf) **Present:** Nancy L. Bushika, Douglas Wright, Michael G. Denault, Kurt Gamari, John Dunn --- **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** 5.56? . . . . . **Speaker 1:** . . . **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** We called the meeting to order before when we went into executive session, but we'll do it. Pledge allegiance to the flag. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. **Speaker 2:** I think so. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Welcome to the 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'll 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. Select board members present are... . . **Speaker 3:** . **Speaker 4:** . . **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** . . . . . **Speaker 2:** . . **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **Speaker 5:** . . . . . . . . . . Environmental Conservation on the Flood Act 21. **Speaker 6:** Could you speak up loud, please? **Speaker 5:** Sure, sorry. Thank you. The Flood Act. And the Planning Commission, they would have liked to come in and talk to the Planning Commission, and I was just wondering if the Select Board had interest in also taking in that. Now, what was it? Lake Cheyenne Plain what? Lake Cheyenne Plain Sea Grant, working with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, and they want to come down and maybe present to us about the new flood claim stuff in the Flood Safety Act. **Speaker 7:** Automatically? Yeah. In new zones or whatever? **Speaker 5:** I'm not totally sure. When is it, Lisa? When is that? I haven't arranged it yet. We haven't met with the Planning Commission. Okay. But we're probably going to see if we like it. Well, let us know and see if anyone's interested, if it pertains to our area. I mean, I think it will. It's state-wide. State-wide. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** State-wide. State-wide. State-wide. State-wide. State-wide. State-wide. State-wide. **Speaker 8:** State-wide. Yeah yeah yeah. It's on behalf of county heads. All right. So far? **Speaker 9:** Yeah. **Speaker 8:** Some of that up there, I think, to review. They're redoing the flood. **Speaker 9:** Oh, it's just for the flood? **Speaker 5:** Yeah. I didn't know if it was their Lake Cheyenne Plain area. Flood mapping. I'm sure it's something we should probably be interested in. Do you want me to try to make a time that would work freshly for it to be there as well, or just whatever her schedule is and she might be making a circuit? I don't know. Okay. I'll be there. All right, just let us know. Anything else? Yes, Pete? I just have a question, I think, for Dave, and I already asked. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** okay just let us know anything else yes peter i just have a question i think for dave **Speaker 10:** and i already asked somebody else but i just want to confirm the somewhat sidewalk i guess that's in front of my house that runs from middle road to the vacant property that's next to me **Speaker 10:** 1135 is is that could that be fixed by the state e-trans or is that going to be something that the town would be able to fix what do you mean fix what's what if you if you walk or anybody has ever walked there recently there's no sidewalk it's decrepit and it's like is that part of the new one that was put in oh let's see yeah because the new one stopped at mill road oh okay so that from your corner there in front of my neighbors all the way to the end of my property before it hits one one two five um there's kind of like it used to be a sidewalk yeah just like in front of the school and elsewhere **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** yeah i was interested in rebar or something sticking up there it was at one point but i **Speaker 10:** i saw that off yeah just to the point where i just like to have everything out just because not that i i just don't want it there to be an issue at some point a lot of people walk there continue to walk there and then some people on horses and blah blah blah again i'm trying to avoid there being a big issue and i don't want somebody to have to come after me **Speaker 10:** and then me have to defer it to somebody else and i'm just not sure if it's dave or i'm assuming it's **Speaker 11:** the state but i just figured i would have because the state put in the sidewalk and then they said **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** the new sidewalk a little bit **Speaker 8:** yeah this is how i understand it it was the state sidewalk and we claimed responsibility on the new one that they put in the remainder of the old one is still the state yeah cool **Speaker 12:** and i don't believe they acknowledge that it exists right because it's buried in several spots **Speaker 10:** it's all they don't maintain it from my neighbor and it's somewhat all exposed to the front line and i mean you think it's a rough shape yeah but either way i did leave a message if it doesn't **Speaker 13:** exist and pete could take it out and nobody would say anything well we're in there right away right **Speaker 8:** that's my concern right that's in the state right away right and god that's how i understand it **Speaker 10:** anyways so anyway i left a message for them but i just figured i would ask this for here yep **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** anybody else reading and approval of right now i'm going to take a look at the records um and orders august 7th and august 25th august 7th i think just three of us are here i don't think mike and john john are not so you have a second second all in favor hi and then last week kurt and john were not present motion second all in favor all right yes a highway update **Speaker 8:** is scheduled the week of the 25th is 100 back to that little stone i expect that it'll improve certainly over the next couple of weeks you know as far as the stones kind of came out really well it's not very sticky now either so that's good the stone's setting in we've been also working on the 20 25 and 26 aid projects all the culverts are installed now. We're finishing up some of the stone line ditching and I've got to lay some gravel and then I'm going to have to approve it. So we have to sign the 26th. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** What's our match on that? Do you know what I mean? **Speaker 2:** 25% of 11.5. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** 11.5. 875 hours. Motion to sign. All in favor? Thanks for the cooperation of the residents up there. Good of us. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Got a question while we're going to pause here. Might be a whole business, but we talked about black tapping several times now. We talked about getting a quote on other roads. You ever get that? **Speaker 8:** So I talked to Ron Kowalski yesterday about coming around this fall. 8th Street up here in October. And we're going to look at some of the rolls that I'd like to potentially see paid. And to get budgetary figures for the chip ceiling project that should happen within our, you know, we do it every five years. So next year is the year to do the chip ceiling on the off-road for Egan. **Speaker 8:** So I'll have all that stuff, those prices for when we do our budget. Okay. In December. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Thanks. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** What else do you have for us? That's all I have. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Recycling review, the recycling updates. Thank you. The recycling updates. Anybody have a chance to look them over and the prices and how they compare with other places? You look them over, Dave, or what do you think? We're all over. **Speaker 4:** You know, the word is it's sure something, huh? **Speaker 8:** Yeah, none of it's really enough. I mean, some of it might seem absurd when you go through and try to throw something away and they want to start them out for, you know, the next year. But if you're not sure what you're going to get, you know, you know, a little rolled-up rug, and I would suggest you just put that in your energy bag and throw it away the hell away. **Speaker 8:** But, yeah, you can look at what it costs for a recycling center, where we're... Losing money. ...we're not taking enough money. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** I just had a 30-yard roll-off down at the building down there, and all the extra fees, $100 for this, $100 for that. You know, a little, you know, $100 for this, $100 for that, you know, a little... a little monitor 25 bucks you know i was lucky enough to have uh atkins and adams take all the electronics for me because uh they don't deal with the public but i ran it through my company and they allowed me to take it down there but it's amazing how much money they charge and how much we charge **Speaker 14:** i can just say don't complain the only thing i was thinking um under electronic waste is not **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** accepted lori if you could highlight that people can bring their stuff to bennington reedsboro searsburg for free this is all the laptops tablets monitors television printers computers the mouse keyboard they're accepted at no charge which one is that nancy the uh computers laptops what location uh reedsboro bennington searsburg transfer station you'll have to check and see when they're open and see uh bennington it's not the household hazard waste part it's just **Speaker 15:** the regular holton avenue do we accept refrigerators uh we yep how much fifty dollars we accept refrigerators so and we just uh it's a hundred dollars if you put it in the dumpster **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** you can crush it up in little tiny pieces and they find it it's a hundred dollars well i just you know i'm not just saying information see i wouldn't do that no he said if i did that it's the company **Speaker 16:** you keep exactly yeah yeah i'll pan that so you know anything about recycling smoke detectors **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** no do you i don't i don't know anything about that do you no i think i said i have a bunch of them you can buy them at buytysharesburg.com **Speaker 17:** smoke detectors no do i don't know anything about that do you no except i have a bunch of them on the way home **Speaker 18:** to get rid of I think the smoke you could take back to the place you bought **Speaker 1:** put it in the same place that rug I think the smoke since the ones you have **Speaker 19:** to the ionization ones are yeah bill you could go on to the Bennington County **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** solid waste Alliance and they have everything listed alphabetically there **Speaker 1:** there's this tab that tells you okay if you can a can I on their website they **Speaker 16:** say check with your local municipality to find out who says that kitty the manufacturer **Speaker 20:** oh yeah I did you also make fire yeah and that website for the people can go **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** on and check I thought we had it in there but I don't see it oh it's right on the third paragraph down on the recycling update it's these Bennington County solid waste Alliance bcswa org Bennington college Bennington County solid waste Alliance **Speaker 2:** know why **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** for the card of a punch card I think who are afraid **Speaker 8:** I'm good **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** all right yeah we could I think **Speaker 8:** Maybe look at, we're getting rid of a lot of stuff, that green, green recycling now. Are you? Okay. Maybe if we release the, especially on the, if the TV or refrigerator comes in, we can at least recoup what we have to pay in to take it. Right. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I think some of them were more to get rid of and some of them were less to get rid of, so it depends what we... Right. **Speaker 8:** The demolition, most things that aren't supposed to go in our demo don't because we sort. Right. We're pretty good about that. **Speaker 8:** We get chargers for mattresses differently than we do for the rest of the demo. A lot of the chargers that we take in up there, have they gone up over the last couple years? Carol's in place, she's kind of on the ball. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Carol's on the ball and she is collecting what? **Speaker 21:** I don't think they've been raised to it. **Speaker 2:** Too much though over the past couple years. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** No, 23 was the last time we raised the individual fees. Yep. And in 22 we went up to $95 for our punch cards. So maybe that's encouraging people to recycle. So are we good with leaving it as is? Yep. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Okay. Go ahead. Yeah, we'll look at it again next year. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Okay. Good, Laurie. Okay. So we're going to look at solutions of sustainability for Northern Berkshire Ambulance Service. All right. A couple weeks ago, there was three of us here, Doug and Kurt and I, and we reviewed this survey, a young fellow named Chris Nolan Zell who is a graduate student in the Masters of Public Administration for Westfield State University. This is part of his research project. He is a public administration. As we know, a lot of the country is lacking or their emergency services are lacking. People are not volunteering, and that includes our Northern Berkshire Ambulance Service. They cover 13 towns. They're only paid what insurance pays them, which is not enough. Okay. And they figure in a few years, they might not be able to even provide any ambulance service for any of these towns. So there's a questionnaire that we started to work on, and then we just said no. We didn't want to do it. **Speaker 8:** Same questions as two weeks ago? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Same questions two weeks ago. I'm all set. I'm all set. Chief Ethier thinks it's very good that we should get in on this to see if the town is going to be charged. Okay. Do we want to be charged for ambulance service? Do we want to be charged? If we say no, will the ambulance come to Stamford? Sorry, Paul. I don't like the questions. Well, it's not Paul's questions. I know. It's this fellow that's trying to do this research. **Speaker 7:** Questions were kind of... I think there were some questions, but the North Adams Ambulance Service has a board **Speaker 22:** of directors, and my understanding was each individual town had someone sitting on that **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** side of the road. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. **Speaker 10:** Okay. Okay. Okay. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. So we're not going to be charged, and what was your question one? We should also look into at that virtual meeting and if someone's sitting on that board of directors. Yeah. Yeah. Does Stamford have anybody, I recall maybe Mr. Curpio was on it one time? I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure it was him. But we should look into if we have a representative from our town that sits on that board of directors, and if we don't, we should look at getting someone to do that. I can look into that, and ask if my nephew was the president or was 회vig. All right. All right. Okay. All right. All right. **Speaker 15:** I think they want a feeling of what the towns feel like do if the towns are **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** going to be charged we be charged on population will be being charged on **Speaker 14:** previous years calls I have a question is this student part of Northam's **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** ambulance service at all no we heard from the Northam's ambulance service **Speaker 15:** that this is gonna be potential we did get a letter from John and he asked us to **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** fill this out for this fellow and it will help them to see what their future is going to be can they sustain going to these different towns without collecting **Speaker 23:** anything from the town **Speaker 24:** so they were at one time and I don't know if it changed because I wasn't in **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** the loop in the last couple years but I knew the ex-president of the ambulance service very well and they were considered one of the top five in with services in the country and then not in the county in the country they have all kinds of awards they make they were making substantial amounts of money paying their empty is a good money they have they just purchased the Don service station my ex shop building and are saving money through doing their own maintenance they actually hired the automotive technician from Don's stayed with them one of them and I'm just concerned that things are not going well in Northam's so I'm just concerned that this survey opens the doors to them saying oh we could get extra money yeah i think we should i'm going to ask if we have a representative to have someone sitting on board of directors um i do know they merged with williamstown and um a few years ago we got to like the **Speaker 12:** third question there's some people they seem like a fishing operation yeah how how we feel **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** we should be assessed to keep the answer to keep the ambulance service for coverage here in stamford and how important do we think it is to have ambulance service **Speaker 25:** well they i don't know that we should pay the insurance company pays for these calls now a **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** percentage **Speaker 15:** and i don't know the percentage if you're trying i just heard if the insurance company pays for **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** all the calls that that have insurance i don't know when you're saying not all of them or not all the money not all the money so if i charge a hundred dollars and i know the insurance company's gonna pay ninety i charge a hundred ten dollars and i get my hundred dollars yeah that's business **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** 101. is that correct if you what i had talked to someone there just the other day if they're not transported they don't get paid the ambulance service does not get paid well yeah i **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** know but i mean how many that means that they denied service they went up there someone denied service okay and they but if they work on someone they provide a service they do get paid even if they're not even if they're not transported okay so i know because i've had it happen you go up there and they work on you they provide a service and then they say we're going to transport you and say no i'll go to the emergency room on my own they send it they also get donations from many many people businesses they could i mean we could look at getting a give a donation i i wouldn't have a problem with that but to have a service that ties into our taxes i agree it may be opening the door i think we should look into it and talk to the ambulance service about a representative from stamford and then we should talk to john and uh this to me this student this is a project doesn't need to be done i'm just this is a lack of knowledge for me do the cities **Speaker 1:** the big cities city of pittsburgh they don't pay not just they just allow another ambulance service to come in action right ambulance takes on all the way out in worcester boston all that it's huge **Speaker 26:** they come into they're number one the number one money makers right right and i'm just saying **Speaker 1:** is that this is a fishing expedition to see if towns would be willing to pay on top of what they're making now from the insurance company they took that on themselves right so they should be going after the insurance company to increase their pay not the not the people that's that has insurance that we're paying for ambulances up front i agree thank you remember the insurance company is not the people that has insurance that we're paying for ambulances up front i agree **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** this is not a north adams entity this is a private corporation they they're a business they're not from north adams this is not north adams city who has big teeth that keeps the other **Speaker 1:** actual ambulances and all that in charlottetown oh yeah they need them on it yeah yeah yeah i get **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** yeah i understand well do you want to ask more questions follow up with this and absolutely i **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** mean i i'd prefer personally we'll have a discussion with john just because of my own curiosity i see him every week so i'm going to ask him but i would do it in the capacity of a slutman if you people want me to yeah i'm sorry yeah okay there was a time and i have no idea **Speaker 16:** what the current situation is where if you made an annual contribution you named the people who resided at that location and they did not charge for transportation of those **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** people that's correct correct you know i my business donates to this corporation and we we're very very close my nephew so i mean i my brother-in-law was the president for over 30 years i mean he 47 years on the analyst my other brother-in-law was an emt i mean i we're close you know i we're very close i understand all of the ins and outs of this and to this you're right i mean i i know that they were looking for donation you give an annual donation and you're all set uh you know other you know there's still going to be insurance costs but uh yeah maybe we should encourage people yeah make the donation right right it's just like uh our own volunteer fire department uh you know there's we can go back to the beginning of this there's a big concern in the country of these services because there's not the volunteers that used to be and i don't know why the population is higher but there's no volunteers so let's you know encourage yeah oh it just i don't know why well i do know why but that's an opinion i guess but you're right uh you know maybe we can put that out there and **Speaker 25:** you know at least it'll be in minutes what's that i believe i get like the mail mail every year enable us or what they send out yes yeah so they they solicit **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** you know but i i'll talk to them and just say you know i doubt very much that the northam's ambulance service at this time is going to reject the call from someone in the no this is uh nothing **Speaker 15:** nothing's going to happen right away right it's just a study i didn't see the questions i wasn't **Speaker 14:** here but i would like to have them they're online if laurie sent an email okay so they're in there okay i was probably having a baby yeah you had a lot of that's my new thing **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** now we have babies yeah okay but you'll follow up then all right planning commission grant and grant match lisa last time you weren't sure how much the match was but you did send us some **Speaker 6:** information have you applied for the grant yet um cali fish furnace started working on it so um **Speaker 5:** she's going to be at our planning commission meeting on the night couldn't apply for it until september 1st right yeah it couldn't be put in before then but so she's meeting with us on the night it's just **Speaker 27:** work seven o'clock you said yeah yeah um and this is for both the town plan and the i think we're **Speaker 5:** gonna go with the town plan because we have to pick one and that's what they suggested first yeah **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** and when will the grant be awarded um not before the end i'm not remembering what the answer is well just let us know how much what your match is because you'll have to let us know what budget time let us know what budget time because i have to ruin your budget **Speaker 2:** it is okay correspondence lori i think i forwarded an email from a lady who was working with a group to try and bring back the passenger rail system and to work out so that people from western massacres take a training right in boston um they're looking to get a big grant to make this happen and as much as we're in vermont because massachusetts is a federal ground she's just trying to gain as much support you know she figured we would all benefit just as much as anyone in north adams to be able to pick up a train and travel these so she's looking for you guys to do up a letter and send it in to her showing your support for this project and how **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** it would benefit sampler i didn't read she sent us a letter that we could use for a sample **Speaker 28:** um i don't know i didn't read it all it seems like that i'm sure there would be some kind of **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** trickle-down effect well that's what i'm thinking too um is if we say we like we are just adjacent to massachusetts only 10 miles from north adams we have close ties with north adams williamstown and the berkshire towns and like kurt said i'm sure this could uh curious how we're going to get **Speaker 7:** through the commercial music they used to do it they used to be done yeah yeah they used to tour like tourists yeah my grandfather used to go to charlemont and get off in charlemont and go fishing i mean it was definitely it's a high speed rail it's just passenger something he called chugga chugga chugga chugga coal high speed rail **Speaker 1:** well **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** that's it so do we want way kills the knotweed on the way down two birds with one stone they don't want to send a letter for support even vaguely resemble us **Speaker 4:** i would yeah and we should send the letter in this country should yeah should be invested in it for sure it's all different from like uh the election that's going on in town uh north adams right now right mayor maxi and the uh i was the other guy saying john or scott i was having a conversation with somebody even though it's not our town north adams is like the go-to right over here about shopping north adams and who runs north adams is i know we don't have a vote but it does affect us you know so north adams definitely is like what you said a trickle-down effect in the surrounding **Speaker 29:** areas i mean people would want to invest in coming in on that rail into north adams invest in the **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** surrounding community i'm sure they have airbnbs in stamford yeah they might want to come too oh there's definitely i know they're advertised in town someplace around lots of places in town so um john you made a motion to yeah send a letter yes and then a letter supporting gloria i don't know if you need to copy the whole thing or just make it yes we support them and very short and **Speaker 2:** sweet do you want to say that i have a second second all in favor yeah what was that **Speaker 30:** you'd like tomorrow to sign it or what's your thought yeah or next week there's no no rush no **Speaker 2:** rush uh any other correspondence story um municipal excess weight permit from mcelwain contracting out of ferrisburg vermont new docs we're getting more of these when we send them out motion accepted any seconds second all in favor 10 bucks **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** 10 bucks and certificate of insurance that's it for correspondence yes all business review draft of employee policy handbook um doug laurie mike and i have looked over the owing the day to looked over the employee handbook made some suggestions uh took some stuff out it seemed like over the years uh whatever board select board was here say yeah we want to add this and it kind of didn't go along with the rest of the handbook because it contradicted something in one part and so we tried to go through the whole employee handbook and revised it um the highlight spots in there would be for your consideration and see what you think nothing is separate from that in stone these are just suggestions so i didn't want to do anything until we had a full board **Speaker 15:** until the full board could look it over so we're going to wait one more meeting it's up to you guys **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** well i've had enough you've had enough yeah i'm good with it all the changes everything that's in there with the highlighted everything i'm good with it well there's some either ors like on page two put them both in there either ors **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** overtime holidays more vacation more vacation days **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** all right me i was in favor of the changes and not the always so the either or would be the changes that we talked about other than there was one about the overtime but the extra holidays i was in favor of favor of, the on-call that we talked about, Sundays I was in favor of, I mean we start our work week on Sunday, it's ludicrous, our work week should be Monday, just like the rest of the world, Sundays when you get called in and you're having a family event, you should get paid, more than regular pay, I'm in favor of all of that, the only thing I would like the board to look at I think is the difference between the overtime, 40 versus 8, I'm still not, I'm not married to either one. **Speaker 4:** So when you say 40 versus 8, 40, work 40 hours, anything more than 40 hours is time and a half, versus if you work an 8 hour full day, then come to find out you have to stay an extra hour that day, the extra hour becomes time and a half, so theoretically you could be getting paid. I would be getting paid overtime every day, without working a 40 hour week. Correct. **Speaker 31:** So if this was a big company, I'd be against the 8 hours, but because there's two guys. **Speaker 4:** If you work an 8 hour day, put in the hour overtime, then say Friday I don't feel good, calling in sick, do you still get paid a time and a half for those days? Yes, if you're doing the 8 hours you would. So, you know what I mean, I'm not saying Dave would play that game, but there are... But that's why... **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** I'm looking at it saying, two things John, just like Nancy said, it's not written in stone, we could try it, if it starts getting abused we could say something, but... **Speaker 4:** It may give incentive to get those things that need to get done at the end of the day, like oh hey, this needs to get done, well I worked my 8 hours, well time out, if I stay that extra hour to get done, I'm going to make a little extra, so why not let's stay and just finish it. **Speaker 32:** I personally don't think it's going to get abused by two of the guys. **Speaker 4:** I don't think so either. If we had like 30 guys working then... **Speaker 8:** It's not really going to change anything. **Speaker 33:** You don't think it might change just come Friday when you've got, you know, 50 hours **Speaker 8:** in already, and you can blow Friday up and you know that you're going to be plowing on Saturday and Sunday, it might just be like, well I'm not going to lose out on having to work them extra hours during the week, you know what I mean? Yeah. I really think it's as much of a benefit to the town almost, it encourages people to come in and say, you know what, I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that, I'm going to do that, I'm going to do that, I'm going to do that, I'm going to do that, I'm going to do that, I'm going to do that. I don't think it's as much of a benefit to the town almost. **Speaker 4:** I don't know. It's kind of... It's kind of a different issue. Yeah. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** the only reason why I don't think it is because when it snows they pop so it's not like you're going to say nope we're not calling because I got my eight hours they have no choice because later in the handbook it says if you're called in you have to come in so we have six months of on call time that they have no choice they have a half an hour to respond to Dave's call and there's one guy so I I'm not arguing for Dave as much as I'm saying I look at this and right down to the on call time if you go out in the real world and not a municipality and you said you're on call for six months of the year you can't have a social life you have to come in and people get paid for that when you get called in for one hour I pay my guys four hours minimum they get called in on a you know it's a Sunday night and everyone does that and you charge the customer here we don't have a customer we have taxpayers you know so I understand I should be looking out for the taxpayers but I think we have a duty to have a good service also I don't think it's going to get abused but I think we can look at it try it we have never tried it if it doesn't get abused we have the power to go right back and say sorry just going back to the way it was **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** so we're going to keep number two then get rid of the third one get rid of the first and the third and the fourth it may yeah oh no first and third we're getting rid of **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** right now overtime wages will be paid at a rate of double time for hours worked on holidays and Sundays so that's a P keep that one are we good with that **Speaker 4:** yeah you should be paid for the holidays right so he's working he's getting paid for the holiday and getting paid for his hours right he's not getting triple time right **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** no no and Sundays then on top of page three when the town clerk treasurer and select board secretary position are held by the same employee the employee shall be paid overtime wages at a rate of time and one half for hours work as a select **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** board assistant mm-hmm again we have people working here for over 40 hours that don't get paid for that that service is that right I'm the same is it right and down the road if we start when we just had interviews guys with you know looking for employees of this town if we don't have it if you go all the other towns in the state and you look at what they're doing how are we ever going to get anybody to apply for these just look at the for instance the Lister we got one Lister because there's no benefit to doing it you don't we need to start looking at the way we approach these things or we're going to be hiring people like Mimrick you don't want to get deep into that right now but look at what we have **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** and minimum pay well so keep that paragraph minimum pay for call-outs shall be four hours definitely down under a the PTO after five years of service they get 20 days PTO that includes sick **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** time that's what we're changing right **Speaker 14:** right it was 14 right two weeks and **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** we're changing it to 20 right six extra days four years you get 13 five years you get 14 six years you get 14 seven years 20 years you get 14 we give them 20 now. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** After five years right. **Speaker 4:** We're all having to use them for the year **Speaker 34:** to roll over yeah it says here on page 3 **Speaker 4:** secondarily so it can't accumulate over **Speaker 2:** time and carry over money and just get paid out the rest of your money so it doesn't feel as if it doesn't so if you don't use your **Speaker 1:** PTO time at all you get a bonus check basically for that. Dave ends up getting the **Speaker 4:** bonus check because he doesn't take any time off he's so dedicated to this town. Well it **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** depends if he gets a deer the first day **Speaker 12:** or not. Typically it's a couple days we get paid out. **Speaker 8:** It's one of those things six months out of the year you can almost not use it so when you expect you know and then the other six months there's a bunch of stuff to do so there's always something that has to be done by some time so we try to use it but typically. You try to go hunting right but you end up getting called in. Yeah if it snows I got it. Do you carry your rifle in the truck while you're working? Carry a lot. Your rifle in the truck while you're working? No. Sounds like there's probably a sentence for that. It doesn't say in there at all that's why I was asking. I think there says something about no weapon. No firearm. No firearm. That was okay. Yeah. **Speaker 4:** Cromwell. Yeah. There's something about firearms. What's the birthday holiday? Is that your birthday? Night birthday? I think we ought to take. I was going to say I think we should take. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** The birthday holiday? Yeah. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I think we should just give them the holidays that they talked about. Martin Luther King Day, June 13th, Juneteenth, Bennington Battle Day and take out the birthday holiday and the floating holiday. So actually they're getting one more holiday. There goes my road being plowed. There goes my road being plowed. Sorry, Dave. **Speaker 8:** Do you want to add to your opinion? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yeah. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Well, I don't see that. And I don't want to sound like I'm just going for the employees here, but that's not what we talked about. I don't see where we talked about taking away. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** No. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** So why is that added in today? **Speaker 15:** That's just my opinion. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Oh, okay. Okay. Okay. So we were given three days. You were saying we should take out the birthday holiday. And what other one was it? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** The floating holiday. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Floating holiday. **Speaker 2:** On the top of, yeah. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** So they're going to have one. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** One more. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Well, I mean, that's up to the rest of the board. I thought that we were going to, I was, when we talked about it for three meetings, I thought we were given three. I don't know. Yeah. I mean, that's what I thought we were doing. Yeah. We sat down with the other employees, and now he's not here, and we're changing things. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Well, we told them that, yeah, we told them that this was not. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Well, we didn't talk about taking away things. No, we didn't talk. No. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** So. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** And I'm only one, so. Yeah. Well, I thought we were in agreement. I would rather just give them the three. Why did we take out the whole paragraph I forgot on this part here, the assistant town clerk, town treasurer? It's duplicate. Okay. **Speaker 2:** If you look up above, it says basically the same thing. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Okay. Okay. Yeah. I do remember now. **Speaker 2:** Because we had it in one spot, and then we had it at the end, so. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Yeah. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Then on top of page five, we took out that paragraph. Yeah. **Speaker 2:** Now, another question on page six. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Because things weren't handled as part of this policy, so I don't know if that sentence should come out or not come out. The snow day? **Speaker 2:** Yeah. Any kind of snow day? **Speaker 2:** We shall be the only compensation for being on special snow season status for the entirety of the special snow season. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** No, I think they still get, both of them get the snow season status. **Speaker 8:** I think it should add a day. I never understood why it's four days for six months. Explain that one to me. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I wasn't here. Were you here? **Speaker 8:** No, it was before us, right? Up to four days of compensation. And you take it away. If I call you. Like, if I call Mike, he doesn't show up, he loses a day. One, you know. Right. He doesn't show up one time, or he's longer than a half hour, he's technically supposed to lose a day. But then he already worked. No, it's like a day off. It's 100 PTO days. So, it's expended a day. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** It's right here. **Speaker 2:** Just like it as it is. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Yeah, we're talking like, it's so minimal. **Speaker 8:** Yeah, I don't, I mean, I don't know why you want to take it away. You just gave some. But give, but add some, you didn't add anything here. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Right. **Speaker 4:** If you can't, if you add it at the beginning and take it away at the end, you got. You're getting one day for every 45 days. **Speaker 35:** Is that right? **Speaker 2:** Yeah, something like that. You guys talked about an on-duty compensation in addition to snow season status. And then this sentence says, the only compensation you get for snow season status is four days. That was my question. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** So, take out the word only. **Speaker 2:** Or because it. It contradicts. Any on-duty compensation is a part of this policy. It doesn't really matter. **Speaker 8:** I don't know if it's a compensation. I just more or less told the select one I was going to charge him an hour a day for **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** having to watch over the town very much. But that was different than this. That's right. That's why I'm asking is. So, what we talked about with Dave was a contract between the select board and Dave. **Speaker 2:** All right. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** So, then. Versus an employee. We're going to do everything the same. Can I correct that act? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yeah. Yeah. That's fine. That's fine. That's fine. But if you take out the word only maybe. The only compensation. Or to leave it in. No. Definitely. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** So, you're saying that if we take out only you can take this on any calling. Is that what you're trying to say? No. Because I. No. **Speaker 15:** He'll still get the four days. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yeah. **Speaker 15:** Yeah. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** So, why do we want to take out any of that? Because it said the only compensation he'll get is the four days. **Speaker 15:** Not the. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** The four days. The four days. That's right. not the hour oh okay **Speaker 28:** I'm just **Speaker 8:** I don't know if that's really compensation for being on duty as much as I just saying **Speaker 36:** this is above **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** this would be above that's just **Speaker 8:** something I guess I've done for free for the last 16 years and now I'm just telling you look at it it's only fair I charge you for at least an hour a day because when I'm home I have to watch forecast I have to watch the weather you know my head's on the window like I have to be around **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** but this I don't think we can change this because this is for Michael and you and if we hire a third person and then your what you're getting is not about this it's a whole separate thing it's really I'm just charging you for an hour that I'm actually working **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** more than an hour I understand I don't want to get two hours down there we already negotiated down one right all right so that's what they say I'm **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** good with it I just want to make sure it's on the right thing **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** I'd like to set it in stone tonight move on talk about something else we'll put a sign up page seven page seven 19 and 22 **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** 19 and 22 page seven yeah oh I did yeah what did you want to worry about with that unbecoming unbecoming **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** it's fire yeah I'm good with that that was the only other thing **Speaker 14:** what's unbecoming **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** it said one of the rules was displaced conduct unbecoming of a municipal employee that's fine I like that because it leaves a discretion up their slack board because it depends you can't be giving me the bird when I go by that's not right you have to prove it unless four other people agree exactly number one yeah they vote for it number two number three **Speaker 15:** number four **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** number five **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** number six number seven number eight number nine number ten **Speaker 2:** number twelve **Speaker 37:** number fifteen **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** number sixteen **Speaker 2:** number sixteen number sixteen and it's coming down to age two okay so you're just going to **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** go one down to twenty unauthorized personnel can we say anything about firearms in the truck there's no weapons you can can **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Daytreaux with a hammer has a weapon **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I didn't think **Speaker 14:** you could outlaw **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** twelve it is that's why they're so unauthorized in the area ah it is During hunting season. Only person that wants to carry one is going to include anyways. Motion to approve. Second. All in favor. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Aye. All of us. Thank you very much. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** When now this will be effective? **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** 2031. Okay. You didn't see that part, did you? Better late than never. That doesn't give you the right to shoot after light. Yeah, you still have to abide by the state hunt laws. You don't get experience. And it's mandated to be for all your sightings. **Speaker 10:** Or my area. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Okay. All boards meeting reminder September 11th at 6 p.m. Notices went out to all the boards. And we are encouraging at least a member from each board, whether the chairman or a member. **Speaker 5:** All boards September 11th at 6 p.m. here at the school. I thought in Lori's e-mail it said all board members. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Yeah. Anybody who wants to come. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yeah. If the chair of each board would contact the individual members, it would be fine. But at least somebody from the board. Okay. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Okay. Public can come. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Open meeting. Oh, yeah. Yep. Yep. Okay. 911 numbering update. Any list? Lori, have you heard from Bob Briggs? I did talk to Bob Briggs briefly at the window the other day. **Speaker 2:** And he and his team are working on it. Okay. Working on it. Town sign update. We said we're proceeding with the town sign. I'm becoming a select board member. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** He said we're proceeding with it. 67. The sign is the town sign. It's the town sign. It's the town sign. It's the town sign. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** It's the town sign. It's the town sign. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** It's the town sign. It's the town sign. It's the town sign. It's the town sign. It's the town sign. **Speaker 8:** And the sign, we said we'd like it to go on the school. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** The quote that we got from Winpo said they would put it on the school. They have some more luggage to- The school board, the principal had no problem, but the school board, did. Or they didn't. They did what? They have some questions. **Speaker 28:** Had a question. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** They have some questions. They have some questions about- Even though they said they moved- They said it was okay, they have some questions and asked music. at this point. So I'm not quite sure where it stands. **Speaker 16:** They approved it six months ago **Speaker 18:** when I asked a different board. **Speaker 1:** That's what I was told. Yeah. Is it gonna be something that we're talking about at the all boards? It doesn't matter. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** We could talk about it at all boards, but we can't make a decision. What happened to Kansas? **Speaker 1:** My problem is is that everything got approved. Everything said go do it. I volunteered to go do it. Right. And it was getting dumb when I was told to stop. So the guy is twiddling his thumb. He's sitting back twiddling his thumb. There's more to it than what I just mentioned, of course. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** And I understand. Why don't we address what the email said from the school chairman. And the concern that I read at least was when we put this up, when we talked about how it was gonna be put up with a frame that was gonna be supportive. The guy has insurance and so on. The concern was underneath that, the building could rot. **Speaker 15:** Okay? **Speaker 14:** Something with paint in it. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Who would, would it be prepped first or would it be, is it gonna be down the road if there was maintenance? And I'm under your understanding, and maybe I'm wrong. Doubt it, but I'm, but you're putting a sign that can be removed because we're building a frame that you remove the sign, fix whatever's underneath there. If it was rot, or if we wanted to paint the building, we wouldn't paint around the sign. We would take the sign down, paint behind it, put it back up. **Speaker 38:** It's their business. **Speaker 1:** It's their sort of business. Basically, the best way I can describe it is picture a frame and you take the sign, you slide into it. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Right. And then you pull it. Okay. And I'm all for that. So with that email, I don't have it in front of me. I think that's what was the concern. **Speaker 4:** I don't know if you guys read it or not. I don't know why you'd be concerned about maintaining. You can't put it behind the sign when you have all you can do to maintain the rest of the building. What's not around the sign. **Speaker 4:** I agree. I agree. Yeah, they wanted to make sure that the wall, the area was prepped **Speaker 2:** before the sign went up. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Right, which I don't know what that means. Prepped and supported. We put. **Speaker 8:** Yeah. My concern is there's sufficient lagging. I mean, what's in the wall for framing. They got something. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** This guy's an engineer, so I mean. You can't just put it in the cardboard. You have to put it in the stops. **Speaker 1:** This is really, really ridiculous. The main thing is is we hire, we're hiring a professional. **Speaker 26:** Right. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Just like we hired someone to do the roofs. We wouldn't question how they're doing the roof. That's their business is to put a sign. And that's why they have insurance. That's why they're bonded the whole nine yards. I have an opinion about this is we've gone down this for at least as long as I can remember now. Who's responsible for this building? And I, in my opinion is the town of Stamford owns this building. If we want to put a sign on the town of Stamford's building, we should be able to do this. That's my opinion. You know, and I can, and I'm sure I'll hear from the school board and get yelled at because I wouldn't be the first time. And I have all the respect in the world for those kids. Great indeed, that's loud. But I'm just saying is we, you're right though. We talked to the school board. It doesn't matter if the school board changed. It's just like if one of the members of this changes. It was passed. It was passed. That's what we made motions for. It was passed. It was passed here. I told you guys before I didn't want to talk about the sign anymore, and I don't. Well, this thing keeps going. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Well, okay. Now. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Why did that part of it stop the process of the sign getting put out front? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Do we know what the sign looks like? I mean, he can't give us any, he can't give us anything until we pay him half. How do we know we like it or don't like it or it's designed and. **Speaker 1:** Okay, this is a, you're asking for somebody to design you something, okay? So if they design you something and said, hey, this is what it looks like, right? Yes, sir. And now you take that, you take that. And bring it somewhere else. And you bring it somewhere else, guaranteed that they're gonna do it cheaper. So he's just protecting his business, and I understand that. And he's not, he doesn't want the whole thing up front. I mean, he just wants. Well, one thing. One thing that you also have to understand is, is if he gives you a design and you don't like it, you have, you, the contract says you, you can change it up to three times. Right. It's just like going to Beck's print. And I, and I told him, don't worry, we will. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Right. Yeah. So we don't. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** It's just, it's just like going down to Beck's and saying, hey, I want a sign, okay? You go down there, like a, a campaign sign. Yeah. And you look at it, it's not, I want, you misspelled my name. Right. That's what I say, check it over, make sure it's okay. And that's it. I just want it done. I want a sign up. Can we go ahead and have the old sign hung now? We already made the motion. I, I. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** We got to talk to the school board and see what they're saying. What are they, what are they saying about that? **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Again, I, I have all the respect in the world for the school board. And I, I have respect for the chairman. But we made motions. If we're going to do this, if we're going to keep doing this, why are we making motions? Why are we making motions? Why are we making any decision if we always, as this board, you guys tell me, maybe I'm wrong again. But if we go back every single time we make a motion, someone watches the video and then comes back two weeks later and says, hey, what are you guys doing? What about this? What about that? We're never going to get anything done. Never. **Speaker 7:** Motion to move forward with the sign as we discussed last time we discussed the sign **Speaker 39:** with the motion. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Second. **Speaker 40:** To install it on it. **Speaker 3:** To install it. **Speaker 4:** To install it on the building. So at some point, you do have to coordinate with the school because now school is in sessions. Right. So that'll also be coordinated with the school. So. So we'll do it on the sign for the weekend. You can't just be like, oh yeah, go ahead and throw a sign up because you're going to interfere with this class. Right. Do you hear that, Jim? You're. Jim, sorry. Did you hear that? I did. Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim. **Speaker 1:** We have to, yeah, we, the plan was, and he had everything all set to do it Tuesday night, the day before the school started. Yeah, yeah. And, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and as we had the approval at that time and that, but there was in that prior to that, there was some procurement issues that we had to resolve. **Speaker 4:** I think that's the best time to do it is after hours because then there's less people to **Speaker 1:** interfere with you, but he won't have to do it after hours or rope it off and we can, I mean, it is an area where. See the, the, the. The primary. The primary. The primary. The primary. In the process he's going to get staging and build some staging across and then have a pulley system up to hold everything up and then do the frame and then slide in the... So you are going to be tucked in behind the generator. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** And I did look at the suggestion of putting on the stone wall. I don't agree with that. I think that where we decided was better. Not that it was a bad suggestion, I just think how the building would be done. **Speaker 1:** We are cutting the trees down though. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** We talked to the principal about cutting the trees down and there was an okay with that. We also talked to the school board about that back in that same meeting and there was an okay with that. So I think we should, you remember that John, putting in the bushes. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Even the ones in front of the windows in that first grade room. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** There was some discussion, Doug said... **Speaker 4:** I volunteered. You're going to do it. I'm just super busy to get anything done behind now. The principal was like... I would, I mean you're going to keep trimming them. They're going to constantly need to be trimmed. I think you should just cut the things right down and get them right out of there. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Well we know we can cut the two big ones down with no problem. They've already said that. And that stone wall is beautiful. It would be nice to show that stone wall. But the principal was concerned about safety and Doug said the bushes are a place for someone to hide. And she said I never thought of that. I never thought of that. So that's a, yeah. **Speaker 1:** Not only that, but if you notice up in the eaves, the bushes are going right up into the eaves. Those two trees, yes. **Speaker 26:** Well the two big trees, definitely. **Speaker 1:** Those are ewes. They're actually shrubs. I second that. So that's a motion to second. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** So the sign is going on the building for $800. But the other sign, how do we know what it's going to look like? You're going to get an opportunity. **Speaker 41:** You're going to get an opportunity to just. **Speaker 1:** Change it. Before he puts the sign anywhere, we'll coordinate. As a matter of fact, give him half the money, he'll be able to show it to you. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** It's all computerized. **Speaker 42:** It's all on the CNC machine. **Speaker 1:** It's going to get. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** You can change it to anything. **Speaker 8:** It's not going to happen. What's that? We're expecting to make everyone happy. That's not going to happen. No. Might as well not have a sign. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** We like the one that John showed us. Just plain, simple. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** You got some old vials up there. **Speaker 1:** We'll paint on her and put her in a pile out there. I told him it had to be similar to the church. We'd like the colonial look. Right? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Did we go with colonial or straight? I don't remember what we. **Speaker 1:** So I told him, I think Lori and I had mentioned the colonial look as well. **Speaker 2:** Well, you had mentioned the colonial look. The last motion, the site board made was the one. The design from John. The straight. So you might want to. I'll keep the straight. That was prior to the new zoning or the zoning laws or whatever you guys changed. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Planning laws. The school is the whole century. **Speaker 4:** That all changed, right. So. Straight. You're a little bigger. Well, now's the time to think about it for a minute. I mean, I just was looking down the road and see the church and what everybody was mentioning. Geez, that's a nice, a nice sign. I mean, it's a nice, it's a nice, it's a nice, it's a nice, it's a nice, it's a nice, it's a nice, it's a nice, it's a nice, it's a nice, it's a nice, it's a nice, it's a nice, **Speaker 1:** it's a nice sign. Ours would be a little bit bigger than that. So that can be seen well. Colonial just doesn't go with the building. Maybe we can just change the point of handbook and have Dave out there waving the column. This is the column. You had your draft. You had your draft. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. **Speaker 5:** Yeah. Yeah. **Speaker 4:** Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. **Speaker 16:** Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yeah. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Yeah. **Speaker 1:** Yeah. **Speaker 19:** Yeah. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Yeah. Yeah. **Speaker 1:** Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. and we can say okay that looks good to us away it goes i know how design cnc works i am pretty familiar with that it's pretty simple it'll give you a computer render and so they'll bring it it **Speaker 31:** can be changed like that bring it right to you and let you look at it maybe on a half day or **Speaker 3:** something but it also takes about some hours because they want to look at it too i'm good **Speaker 4:** at whatever you guys decide move forward let's move forward you won't like my next motion so **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** so we're talking about two separate things we are we kurt said move forward the whole deal because we're talking about certain things the the sign and the design is so much separate than what bill wanted so we're moving forward on everything we don't need to have a design for what bill wants we've decided put the sign up accountability. Jim is talking that this guy wants his money up front or down, half down, so we can see the design. We can, we got an option to look at it and say yeah we'd like this instead. He could change it. Once he has the design, it's easy to change. Takes time to draw it up and program it. That takes time and it costs money. Once he has that, you can go right into the drawing, say here you go, boom, change it, and we're good. Yep. Paying 50%, let's see a design. Yep. And I'm not, if I'm not mistaken, 50% is probably already donated. Pretty close. **Speaker 43:** I'm not going to let him put the sign up front without your approval. I'll bring it to you. **Speaker 19:** Now, now. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Not me. I don't want the lesson. We'll let the board decide. We're going to see it on email. Once you see it, we can all look at it, PDF it. Done. You got to be careful. You're good to go ahead. You got to be careful. I just know the words. I don't know how to go ahead. **Speaker 2:** So, go ahead and put the sign up, paying 50%. Are you all just going to wing it with the email? Okay. Or do you want him to come back two weeks? Whoa. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Do you want three of us to look at it? I don't want to make the decision alone. Does that break open meeting? **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** I mean, if you worry about open meeting, it's up to you guys. But I just don't understand. We already made the approval. All it is is the design itself that we are making sure we're going to look at it for errors. Yeah. That's all we're looking at. Okay. You make a sign, we're going to look at it for errors. It didn't fall within the size. It didn't fall within the size. Yeah. It didn't fall within the shape. It wasn't spelled right. That's all we're looking for. We're not looking at it saying, oh, well, we're going to change the color and all that. Yeah. We just want a sign up. It's not open. If you have to have a meeting for that, go ahead. **Speaker 8:** I'm done with the open debate about the sign at this point. All right. Enough is enough. We don't like the color. We don't like the lettering. We don't like the way it's shaped. Right. We don't like direction and spacing. So, is that a final vote? No, that's us. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** That's overstepping the chair. **Speaker 1:** Make a second, dude. I would love to be the one to blame. So, I'd be more than happy to take this on my own and approve it myself and go with it. And then you guys can answer. **Speaker 43:** What are we worried about? **Speaker 1:** What are we worried about? **Speaker 44:** If we want three people, if we want three or four people that tied this up by two years to choose the sign, we'll just send them the picture and let them choose the sign. **Speaker 7:** That's enough. All right? It's enough that it's ridiculous. Yeah. It's enough. It's slowly enough. All right? 50%. We can make the decision as the five plus or we can send it to the four people that they voted for. We can send it to the four people that didn't like the last sign. And they can choose. **Speaker 45:** And they can run for select board next time. **Speaker 7:** It's enough. **Speaker 2:** Our select motion as far as I had was motion to move forward with the sign and to install it on the building. **Speaker 8:** That's a first. We're now two years into a sign that's like five grand on a sign that we had that was already up in front of the building for free. **Speaker 4:** And the motion is to move forward with the second sign and start the design process. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** So, Kurt made the motion. John, second. Moved. **Speaker 2:** I think I made one guess. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Mike, second. All in favor, can you read it back? **Speaker 2:** Motion to move forward with the sign and to install it on the building. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** And to install the old sign on the building. There's two separate signs. Make sure we don't install the one that's designing on the building and put the other one. Mike. **Speaker 2:** Move forward with the sign. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** No, I just want to make sure it's clear so I want to hear it, you know. **Speaker 2:** And to install the old sign on the building. Both. All in one shot. Yes. Mike, second. Aye. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Aye. Aye. Okay. Pay him the $50. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Pay him the $50. 50%. Jim, you will handle talking to him? **Speaker 41:** Thank you, Jim. Thank you. **Speaker 1:** I'll have, I promise you, I will not move forward with anything until I get your approval and your approval. Okay? I'm nothing. Yes. Yes. **Speaker 16:** Yes. I'm nothing. I'm nothing. **Speaker 8:** I'm nothing. **Speaker 28:** Yes. **Speaker 8:** I'm nothing. I'm nothing. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I don't even know where he's come from. **Speaker 12:** Okay. **Speaker 8:** I don't know where he's come from, I don't even know where he's come from. I'm not even aware of him. How about you? I'm not sure what the right way is. So. So. Yes. So, the right way is to mark on the... No, there's... It's marked? It's marked. ...because there hasn't rained in a while. There's two posts, one on each end of the... The old... ...the sign that was just previously there is not in the right place. So where that flower bed is. Yeah. ...is the whole side. **Speaker 8:** where that flower bed is and the whole sign was, it was totally fine. Yep. **Speaker 1:** So I put a little mark in front of it where I measured it from the road, **Speaker 43:** where what the good guy told me. **Speaker 8:** So just to be clear, the situation that was solved two years ago, we're now like five or six years. **Speaker 43:** No, it's not, there's plenty of time. **Speaker 1:** Shut up, Kurt. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Okay. **Speaker 1:** It was worth it. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** John, go down to the sign, that's it, no more. **Speaker 4:** Dogs, delinquent dog. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** John, are you gonna take care of the tree, son? Coordinate with the tree? **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** That's another old subject. When and if. That's something that we're gonna do. Wait. That has nothing to do with the sign, though. Okay. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** All right, hold on. Delinquent dog update. **Speaker 2:** We're down to two dog owners. **Speaker 21:** Four dogs. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Do the two dog owners, are they working on getting them? Two. **Speaker 2:** Eric Malinchuk had said he had an appointment near the end of August to have a rabies certificate and he would come to LA and see her again. And then Kuzo, Jamie Kuzo, her rabies was good through September of 2025. So she may- **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** No communication, though, right? **Speaker 2:** She may come in and get in under the wire or another couple weeks. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Where are you going? Okay. Oh, you're gonna get your way and then- I had enough. How about waters? **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Well, they should call and tell Lori the dog is dead. **Speaker 2:** Well, she has two. **Speaker 8:** Yeah, because they have dogs, so. That we'll take care of, all right? **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Can't be harmed, so I'm sure, but I don't think we have one. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Well, the owner needs to call Lori and say- **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Have they gotten letters- Notices. The notices and all that? Yeah. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Messages. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** No fines went out or anything, yeah. Yeah. Don't, just let the process happen and if they don't- Still there, so. And Waters has done his? No, he's moved away. Okay. He's moved. He's talked to his daughter, he's not alone. All right, so just Aaron and Kusa. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** If the dogs are dead- **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Just tell us, that's fine. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** I wish we'd known about it before we- **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Just tell us, I just don't- No. Just communicate. Say, like if Aaron's communicating with you, that's great. Then all we have to do is say, good, let's do it. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Okay. Emerge, any other old business? **Speaker 2:** You guys had, we talked about that opioid case lawson, I don't know what it's called. Settlement. Case settlement, and you guys had decided you wanted to jump on the bandwagon. I signed to fill out the paperwork and sign up for it. So we have to designate the person to be receiver of correspondence, signer of correspondence. It's all digital and online, it's not a paper thing that you do. So I don't know if you want to pick Nancy's chair, if you want to just pick me. **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** That sounds good either way. I nominate Mike to do it. **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Lori, can you fill that out and just keep us informed, and what you're gonna be doing on it? Okay, we agree with that? Yes. All in agreement. New business. Emergency management binary blizzard meeting September 10th at 6 PM at the fire station. That is a planning session for the October 22nd, I believe it's like a table top exercise for emergency management. So if anybody, any selectmen can get together on September 10th at 6 PM at the fire house to discuss the topic. I will not be in town on the 22nd of October, so I don't think I should attend the planning meeting. And Bob is gonna get in touch with Dave too. And I think you all have the email on it too. Lori sent it to everybody. And review school safety update. The principal had a visit from the state police and gave her some safety suggestions. For the school, and we, select board met with Julie a week or so ago. Walked around the school, saw the safety concerns, and something. I don't know where they are with the suggestions. She's gotta discuss it with the school board, I believe. **Speaker 15:** Yeah, it was just- **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** Suggestions. Informational thing we did. Yeah. No expense. No expense to the town that I was aware of. They just wanted to know if it was okay for them. I am a little weary that state troopers just stop and ask, and start giving suggestions. But hey, maybe they did. But all they had to do was walk a little bit, and they would have found it. They wanted to put a gate in through that fence. And we walked over there 20 feet, and there's a big opening in the fence. So they said, that's good. So I just walked out there and looked, you know? And then on the back side they wanted to put a gate in on the fence. And we said, yeah, go ahead. But it was nice of them to ask. We didn't make a decision, but I mean, if you guys want to argue the point and say, no, they can't put a fence. We didn't make any actual decisions, but we said we didn't think there was any problem. We just wanted to make sure that we could get the gate. And we did. And we did. And we did. And we did. And we did. And we did. And we did. And we did. And we did. And we did. And we did. And we did. And we did. And we did. They were putting a gate in on the fence. And if they're afraid, they are not going to put a fence. We didn't make any actual decisions, but we said we didn't think there was any problem with putting that. They want to put a fence out where their students are. They just wanted to. They're going to have to put a fence in the back. Well, they have a fence where the young kids are, I guess by state law, they have to be fed . So they just want to put a fence going out to the neighbors. A gate. So instead of, if there was any problems, instead of having the kids go this way and run up into the driveway. Yeah. way they can just go straight there's an option for them to the side the other than that uh they **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** talked about a sidewalk or crosswalk so the kids could cross from the school to the church up there instead of crossing at the crosswalk down there going up the sidewalk crossing in front of stevens lane as the trucks were coming out to go to the church we talked about that but crosswalks in the state highway that would be the state yeah i think that's something we could talk about at the joint **Speaker 7:** or the school board there used to be one but the bottom of the middle road was the third **Speaker 14:** crosswalk this is i don't remember what the whole thing when they put in the sidewalks one thing i **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** don't under i mean and i'm going to talk about this to him at the school board or our joint meeting that we have they have uh personnel like well they stop traffic you know so the fire trucks are coming down and they stop traffic and their plan is to go across this crosswalk walk up their concerns that the fire trucks are coming down if you're stopping the traffic why don't you just tell kids come up here across right there it's just to me at least it's just common sense you don't need a painting on the road just i mean we're talking you know 100 feet here we're excited **Speaker 8:** school and you go up across right over to the third part yeah right i mean it just seems like **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** right it seems like it'd be pretty simple and instead of spending money on sidewalks and they go nowhere and crosswalks and all that but hey i mean the state will tie this whole mess up right **Speaker 8:** the sidewalk should have been in the crosswalk should be right in the center of the yard out there so that when you walk into the school you can walk right into the door instead of walking with your back to the traffic that's coming in you go past the school if you're coming from this way and then you walk into the loop here with the traffic at your back right you know it should have been right in the center of the where the sign is the crosswalk should have been there and **Speaker 36:** then you don't have traffic we have rules of people that cross from that parking lot to this **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** parking lot there's a crosswalk everybody uses common sense they look both ways you know remember when we were told by our parents to look both ways and we look both ways and we cross i don't know anyone's paying much attention to the crosswalks here right now no of course not just like dave said it's emergency situation we already stopped the traffic there's personnel put the kids in the line tell them **Speaker 45:** right there and i'm sure they'll follow that line do they have to do they have to leave school **Speaker 7:** grounds if there's an emergency why don't they just go to soccer i don't understand if they **Speaker 38:** evacuate the school we have to get the church is where they go to that's their center which there **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** was a suggestion of using the other church down here there was an offer to go that way what do **Speaker 16:** they do when they're at the church right they're waiting for you to come and entertain i mean do they stay out of the parking lot no **Speaker 46:** they get in the church and wait for the bus or whoever comes i mean if it's just a fire **Speaker 7:** bill and you're staying out in the parking lot can you do that anyway if it's a regular fire **Speaker 2:** drill they just do it on the circle out here yeah but if it's a real evacuation **Speaker 16:** i got a little involved with that because pastor jim had stopped me a month ago and said they changed the locks on the door and so i asked maya she does not have a new key for that and the fire department doesn't have a new key to put in the lockbox yet okay while julie brought up something about state police wanting to see a barrier across the hall we forgot about that **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** you didn't forget or just coming up right here yeah that's another barrier at the front door so **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** a car could not drive through the front door and then see laurie and maya right there um either uh some kind of uh stones or stones boulders or stones but then you've got to watch to make sure that **Speaker 14:** suggestions turn into ideas sometimes then you've got to watch to make sure that **Speaker 12:** the ballards are there right down the whole front of the school **Speaker 4:** so you can put something in the ground that's removable they're like there's a base and this box in so it's removable during like winter time if you need to clean up and enable the failures that are not set like permanently again i think that's that's good **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** when we go to the meeting we can suggest that because it's their is their concerns and their dollar bill i guess they and again i don't want to get into it at this meeting but you do remember when we talked about financial stuff the superintendent was at this meeting or well i've looked at it there's really nothing we can look at i'm almost in trouble right now none of us know what was going on right now but you're right about it that's what you did is right Kentucky was not doing something about順接 why you couldn't get him into traffic however he wants to close down he was cutting his car so that he's getting a rail on the line whether he can do a return car or something or whatever they're going in and jamming into the back of the park there's not a power situation going round look at i'm a little concerned about all that but that's another subject but yeah money seems **Speaker 4:** to always be an issue you know they're but they don't have a problem spying inside so **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** yeah they seem right but like that was one thing that we did bring up as dave goes and backtracks some of that snow we got boulders there now the janitor custodian whatever you call this guy is going to have to do more snow removal or difficult snow removal compared to what it was **Speaker 4:** what's stopping anybody from driving around the building and just driving in over here **Speaker 32:** you're going to batter the whole building right you know again that's something that **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** i don't even want to get into it security is just like your uh police recommendation yeah we don't have to follow it well yeah and that's what i'm saying at that meeting we can discuss it some more with the school board because the school board was a little uh upside i guess yeah they weren't even told about this they had a school board meeting right after we met so that it wasn't us i didn't know that they weren't invited so you know we got kind of in the email we got kind of scolded and it wasn't us that did the inviting it was the superintendent and the principal so they should have notified their own board to show up too so we'll mention all that at the meeting but i mean i like you said they sounded the the superintendent and principal sounded like they wanted to do it but then you **Speaker 8:** got to go through their board so we'll see down the road anything in front of you yeah if snow falls on a rock and that snow melts during the day when the sun comes out guess what there's a **Speaker 36:** puddle on the ground now you got ice you know i look at it like this how many kids slipped on ice **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** how many how many cars went through the building how many kids are going to be climbing on it **Speaker 40:** come up at some point you know wheels yeah boulders too could be a hazard if they're **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** dragging hoses in the building if they're around it's okay but if there's a shelf under there **Speaker 8:** that seems more like some you know maybe make the building a little more sturdy and put a barricade in front of it i'm worried about a car going through the front door maybe there's got to be some kind of steel **Speaker 4:** is that something julie um who who initiated it all the state troopers according to them these **Speaker 32:** are all suggestions by a state trooper was this while he was in patrol in stamford just like oh **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** i'm just gonna swing in here guess so that's the way i was under impression he happened to be in **Speaker 32:** town and started to make these jet work i did hear he got like eight i'm not true it is eight **Speaker 47:** maybe dui people stopped well one was in the paper so yeah we know one yeah we said stamford's a house **Speaker 8:** for all that stuff i'm surprised that i'll patrol here more just you're gonna booze **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** the other was uh the school has applied for a grant for a proper safety glass for maya and laurie i said and laurie but i'm not quite sure if that's gonna but it kind of has changed **Speaker 4:** man my mother used to feel like just regular glass you know you left you left this here you know **Speaker 48:** now you guys you're locked up like i know just i'm not i'm all for it **Speaker 8:** i'm all for safety and being aware of it and all that but we're a little paranoid **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** we're way paranoid if you want real safety if you want real safety for all these these actual shootings you armed someone at your school simple as that and that's not an opinion that works you arm someone out of prison they don't go after after the prison you arm someone at the bank they don't go after banks you arm people and they won't do shootings and if they do it'll be a lot less all this put a window up and we got a million windows here kids could we open on doors and they walk by the rocks that they're gonna put out there if they want to get on a school bus it's a false this and again it's an opinion but it's a false sense of security is what we do when you have false sense of security you have no security **Speaker 14:** it's not paid this will be just it's a debatable thing yes in the upcoming meeting and what you're **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** see where it goes um any other new business i'd like to set a quick bca checklist purging that **Speaker 2:** you guys did a month or two ago with the justices of the peace i'm thinking i basically need to just report the results to you so your next meeting is september 18th if you wanted to do something at like four or six yeah i don't need much more time than that yep i have a a quick question i **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** was uh approached today i think it was by a resident and they had a appeal for taxes or appeal for their not their uh assessment and they had a meeting i guess there was two meetings with john from memory and they were told this is what they're saying now they were told that the town was going to let them know when there was going to be appeals and they never were told and i'm not sure if this is true or not what i'm asking is do we have a check and balance that if nimric has a meeting with someone and then it goes to the board of appeals is there a check and balance to know if who out these letters to say this is when your meeting or your hearing would be so at the **Speaker 2:** lister level with the lister grievances everyone who has a change of value gets a notice with dates that they have to respond by now if they appeal the lister's decision to the bca that comes to me and at that point i send out the letter so i don't know what stage this **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** they said they sat down with john so they should have they were told they were going to get a **Speaker 49:** notice never received the notice of a date for an appeal so they the way it should work is after **Speaker 2:** that meeting and he makes a decision notices should have been mailed out either with a change or supporting just keeping whatever value they put them they decide there should have been a notice **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** with a date to come back to just come back with that okay and that notice comes out by us by you you're the one that sends a notice no at that point it would be um okay so if they don't do that is there a way of knowing unless the person complains we would never know that's what i'm going to do unless personally we would know okay i actually asked the person to come to the meeting tonight and plead their case and said this is what happened because i don't want to put you know standing up for one person you know i don't know i haven't talked to the sally and john **Speaker 49:** but i just want to know the process it should be on their schedule they should have a schedule of **Speaker 2:** everyone they met with and they should have copies of the letters that were sent out to verify that **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** the address could it still be coming up it's already passed right that's right i think yeah **Speaker 15:** okay they can get ready for next year right right but **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** it that's i wanted to know the process i didn't know the process of where we our side of the process but if i talked to him again i could say this is but i told him today what they should have done right away is contacted the town and said hey i was told i was getting a notice and it's been a week too you know i know the mail and in this town as well but you know i i feel bad if they're telling the truth which i i believe they have no reason not to they didn't get their opportunity right yeah okay i'm just asking **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** because it does go out certificate of mailing but that's not to say that you get the mail right **Speaker 15:** you just say that it was which proof that we sent it i would you know if it was me i would have called **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** the town after two weeks and said hey what's going on all right i just want to know the process so is that it **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** anything else you got somewhere to be it's okay any other business otherwise a motion to go into executive session for personnel matter and the pending or probable civil litigation **Michael G. Denault (inferred):** we don't have to do that at least second that's that so we'll just do the first one okay have a good session take care of everybody second **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** bill we'll get that signed up before we go we want in here yes we do want baby thank you good night Oh **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** Motion to come out of the executive session by Kirk made a motion to come out **Speaker 28:** And second by John, okay, we're out of executive session **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** We are offering the job to James McPherson, and I will call him tonight That was the motion yes Kurt second you made the motion Sure Yep motion to **Speaker 17:** During the meeting make motion we adjourn the meeting **Nancy L. Bushika (Chair):** like you all in favor aye