Stamford Select Board

2024-07-18 · regular meeting
All meetingsDashboardSearchTopics← previousnext →

Stamford Select Board — 2024-07-18 (Regular)

102 min · town local · audio · minutes (town PDF) · markdown
Nancy L. BushikaMichael G. DenaultKurt GamariDouglas WrightJohn Dunn
Session: Regular · **Duration:** 102 min · Audio · Minutes
Regular 102-minute selectboard meeting (2024-07-18) with all five members present. The board approved the June 20 minutes, accepted the FEMA Class 2 structures and roadway grant agreement for East Road ($200,000 project, $160,000 from FEMA), and voted to hire a contractor for storm-damaged tree and brush removal using remaining ARPA money while pursuing state emergency reimbursement. Other business included a WAMC News inquiry about the school principal's resignation (declined as a school board matter), delinquent-dog enforcement, recycling list changes, an IRS payroll-tax dispute, a new town sign proposal, the fire-engine chassis payment, and an executive session on personnel.
On the agenda

Motions (4, 3 passed)

Approval of minutes from the June 20, 2024 meeting Speaker 10seconded: Speaker 11passed
“I made the motion that we approve the meeting minutes from June 20th.”
Voice vote, 'All in favor? Aye.' No count stated.
Acceptance of the FEMA Class 2 structures and roadway grant agreement (East Road, $200,000 project, $160,000 from FEMA) Speaker 12passed
“Can I make a motion to accept it?”
Second was made but is recorded within the same garbled diarization block, so the seconder is not attributed; approval is implied by the garbled 'favor' call.
Authorize hiring a contractor for storm-damaged tree and brush removal, using ARPA money in the meantime while seeking state emergency reimbursement Speaker 1passed
“do we want to make a motion to do that and let's go with it i'll make a second”
Exact wording garbled in the transcript; second not separately attributed. Accompanied by direction to take pictures and track time/equipment, and to hold off and consult the board if the price seems unreasonable.
Go into executive session for personnel Speaker 1no-formal-vote
“I'd like to make a motion To go into executive session for personnel”
No second or vote is recorded in the transcript, but the record continues with post-recess remarks ('just accepted Denault's letter'), showing the board did enter and return from executive session. Public works (Dave) was asked to stay five minutes out of the session for a separate matter, possibly a purchase.

Other decisions

East Road tree removal (trees at top of the lane)Town will take down the old maple trees as part of road improvement/widening since it is within its right; owner will be notified rather than asked to pay; chair to revise the letter to say the town will remove the trees when it can. A traffic mirror at the blind spot was discussed as a cheaper alternative but not adopted.
Funding for storm tree/brush removalUse remaining ARPA money now and, in the meantime, see if the town qualifies for state emergency aid (via AOT/Patrick Wilson) and possibly FEMA, then replace the money if awarded. Dave has no money left for summer maintenance after mud season and gravel.
Recycling list - air conditioners and refrigeratorsTake air conditioners (freon issue) off the list of accepted items; do not take refrigerators either - refer residents to a private disposal facility (a new recycling place in Adams that charges, e.g., for mattresses); update the informational sheet with links starting November 1.
Delinquent dog enforcementThe delinquent tickets have worked down to 10 people and 15 dogs; Luke was directed to proceed with the next step under the ordinance, which might be the court system.
IRS payroll tax disputeFourth quarter (Dec 2023) filing is resolved; letters disputing findings and requesting recalculation were sent for the first two quarters; third quarter is still undecided. Continue fighting to get the money back.
DV Fiber financial assistanceFinalize the application form: Select Board approves up to $500 per application per household for installation of DV Fiber; applications submitted with a self-certification form in a sealed envelope, considered as received and reviewed privately. The $500 cap was decided at a previous meeting.
Town sign design (school / town office / library)Two-sided sign; drop 'and' and 'public' so it reads 'School', 'Town Office', 'Library'; make a final draft, leave it in the office for Deb (zoning) to check including the post question, then file a building permit; citizens offered to donate money toward the ~$700 cost.
Upcoming meeting datesSite inspection Thursday August 1 at 4:45 ('quarter of five') starting at the Stamford school, going up to the intersection of Route 301. Next selectboard meeting: hazardous mitigation plan review for 15 minutes (planner to attend; date adjusted to August 15), with a liquor board meeting (Bill Muntz) the same day, so members will have to be early.
WAMC News inquiry on principal's resignationSelect board declined to comment on the school principal's resignation and his statements, stating the school and town are separate and the question belongs to the school board; one member said he had no comment.
Denault's letterPer a post-recess remark ('just accepted Denault's letter'), Denault's letter was accepted; the letter's content or purpose is not stated in the available transcript.
Mill Road burnt-out houseConcern raised that kids might be going into the burnt-out house on Mill Road (lights/flashlights seen); board noted an ongoing investigation and hoped power would be shut off; no action beyond awareness.
Emergency preparedness / neighbor assistanceDiscussion of cooling centers, shelter staffing, civilian emergency response team (Bob Briggs), phone trees, neighborhood captains, and an informational booth/pamphlets; no formal program adopted.

Who owes what (12)

ActionOwnerBy whenNoteWhere it stands
Submit as much FEMA information as possible (GPS beginning/end coordinates, dimensions) for the two pending Klondike Road projects to avoid a formal request and site/inspection visitDave and Lori (public works)next couple of days (informal FEMA timeline)If the numbers don't match, it becomes a formal request.open
no date in the minutes
Get prices from at least two tree/brush companies (Greater Heights, who they've used before, and a local company) for storm-damaged tree and right-of-way brush removal, then proceed using common sense; hold off and discuss with the board if the price seems unreasonableDave (public works)—Board gave him discretion rather than requiring three formal quotes and a board vote on the vendor; he would go around with the company to mark the trees.open
no date in the minutes
Take lots of pictures of storm damage and keep track of time and equipment, and keep in touch with Patrick Wilson at AOT about state emergency aidDave (public works)—AOT said the incident so far seems isolated for Bennington County; he will forward numbers to the Vermont Emergency Management Bureau.open
no date in the minutes
¶ ¶126
Revise and send the letter to the East Road tree owner saying the town will take the trees down when it can (notification, not a request for the owner to pay)Nancy L. Bushika (chair)—open
no date in the minutes
Proceed with the next step under the delinquent dog ordinance for the 10 remaining people / 15 dogs (possibly the court system)Luke (clerk)—Fee is $9 if done by April 1, $13 otherwise, plus $2 and $4 penalties.open
no date in the minutes
Mail the check for the fire engine cabin chassis ($107,670) to the vendor and call when ready——Fire department representative (Speaker 9) was coordinating; paid from the fire department account.open
no date in the minutes
Approach Adam's co-op for a loan rate similar to the favorable one they arranged for the Northern Berkshire two-ambulance purchase, now that the town is within their 6-month commitment windowPaul (fire department)—Money will have to be borrowed before 2027; first loan payment in 2025.open
no date in the minutes
¶ ¶324
Write a new warrant article (or amend) at the 2026 town meeting to continue the fire department replacement fund of $50,000/year, since the 2022 warrant article's five-year period (2022-2026) runs out—2026 town meetingWithout new permission, the remaining ~$141,000 to be borrowed in 2026-2027 cannot be committed.open
no date in the minutes
Get a price list from the Adams recycling facility (including what it takes and charges, e.g., mattresses) and refer refrigerators/air conditioners to it; add links to the recycling informational sheet—informational sheet update for November 1A participant offered to get the price list.open
no date in the minutes
Have the sign redone (take 'and' and 'public' off, just 'Library'), leave the draft in the office for Deb to review, ask her about the post, file a building permit, and consider the font-size/visibility guidelinesSpeaker 11 (sign proponent)—John Dunn offered to put money toward it (someone else already offered $250).open
no date in the minutes
Schedule the hazardous mitigation plan review (15 minutes, planner to attend) at the next meeting on August 15; remind members to arrive early for the same-day liquor board meeting—2024-08-15overdue
the minutes set 2024-08-15 and it has passed
¶ ¶546
Start the conversation on emergency preparedness / neighbor assistance (cooling centers, shelter staffing, phone tree, informational booth, checking in on elderly neighbors)Nancy L. Bushika (chair) to lead—Discussion only - no formal program adopted.open
no date in the minutes
Statuses come from data/action_status.json, which only a person changes; "overdue" means the minutes gave a date and that date has passed. Mark one done with scripts/action_status.py --done "a phrase".

Money (11)

FEMA subgrant - Klondike Road culvert mitigation¶ ¶37Only 75% because the town's hazard mitigation plan is not finalized.$11,602 total loss; FEMA pays 75% = $8,701; town portion ~$2,900
FEMA Class 2 structures and roadway grant - East Road¶ ¶75Grant agreement accepted by motion at this meeting.$200,000 project; FEMA pays $160,000; town pays the other ~$40,000
Fire engine cabin chassis paymentPaid out of the fire department account; with the $50,000 appropriated this year there will be $232,000 in the account, so no problem paying.$107,670 plus miscellaneous, with a $429.03 early-payment credit applied against the $525,000 engine
Fire department replacement fundWill need a new warrant article at the 2026 town meeting to continue; another ~3 years (2028-2030) expected to finish paying.$50,000/year, 2022-2026 (five-year warrant article from 2022 town meeting); ~$141,000 remaining to be borrowed in 2026-2027
ARPA funds available for storm workBoard decided to use it for tree/brush removal while seeking state reimbursement."113" (likely $113,000; unit not explicit in transcript)
Tree removal pricingUsed as a reference for the storm cleanup contract.~$500 per tree typical (Dave's estimate)
Town sign costFunding expected to be covered by citizen donations.~$700 (JB3 quote) for a two-sided 12-square-foot sign, plus installation; $250 donation already offered; John Dunn offered to put money forward
Delinquent dog fees¶ ¶35110 people / 15 dogs still outstanding.$9 if paid by April 1, $13 otherwise; $2 and $4 penalties; some references to a $50 penalty (garbled)
IRS penalty interest disputeCharged for not filing semi-weekly after IRS directed a switch to monthly deposits; town disputing for Q1/Q2, Q3 undecided.~$1,800 in penalty interest plus another ~$100 for a second quarter
Fire engine equipment and siren¶ ¶27Chassis prices cited as having risen from ~$36,000-$38,000 (2022) to ~$84,000.~$7,000-$8,000 new electric siren to go on the new engine; ~$10,000 budgeted for small equipment; old engine (bought from California) hoped to sell for $5,000-$6,000
DV Fiber financial assistance¶ ¶343Cap decided at a previous meeting; application form finalized at this meeting.Up to $500 per application per household

Public comment (1)

Josh Landis (WAMC News, based in Pittsfield, Massachusetts)Question about the school principal's resignation and his public statement alleging prejudice/homophobia in Stamford; asked selectboard members, as community leaders, for a response. Was told it is a school board matter, not the select board's; one member said he had no comment. Visitor identified himself and gave a card.

Follow-ups named in the minutes

What the extraction was unsure about

Transcript

587 paragraphs · 3 of the diarized voices in this recording carry a name; the rest stay "Speaker N" because the archive cannot match them to the minutes without guessing.
587 paragraphs
Speaker 1 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 2 — heard only in this meeting
Speaker 3 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 4 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 5 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 6 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 7 — the same voice as in 30 recordings (the archive does not name this person)
Speaker 8 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 9 — the same voice as in 39 recordings (the archive does not name this person)
Speaker 10 — the same voice as in 38 recordings (the archive does not name this person)
Speaker 11 — the same voice as in 58 recordings (the archive does not name this person)
Speaker 12 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 13 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 14 — heard only in this meeting
Speaker 15 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 16 — the same voice as in 13 recordings (the archive does not name this person)
Speaker 17 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 18 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 19 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 20 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 21 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 22 — heard only in this meeting
Speaker 23 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 24 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 25 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 26 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 27 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 28 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 29 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 30 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 31 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 32 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 33 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 34 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 35 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 36 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 37 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 38 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 39 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 40 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 41 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 42 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 43 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 44 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 45 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 46 — heard only in this meeting
Speaker 47 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 48 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 49 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 50 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 51 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 52 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 53 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 54 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 55 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 56 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 57 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 58 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 59 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 60 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 61 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 62 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 63 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 64 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 65 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 66 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 67 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 68 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 69 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 70 — no voiceprint match
Speaker 71 — no voiceprint match

Speaker 1: until next meeting or removing items from tonight's agenda uh yeah i came from the media to

Speaker 3: to the agenda such as changing the order of items no i just have some additional correspondence

Speaker 4: because i'm sorry w-a-m-c news for where from uh i'm based out of pittsfield massachusetts okay

Speaker 4: or school board oh yes school board let me ask you just in the capacity of like you know you

Speaker 5: comfort comfortable talking about that publicly in your personal life as interested in your real

Speaker 4: Okay.

Speaker 6: Oh.

Speaker 8: I made the motion that we approve the meeting minutes from June 20th.

Speaker 12: You can't just go by the length.

Speaker 13: He did it himself.

Speaker 15: Do a quick . . .

Speaker 15: Guaranteed, if it's too much, they'll come back to you.

Speaker 17: That's right. That's right.

Speaker 18: It's for a KNR and ChIP deal for East Road.

Speaker 19: and i thought oh i don't think so we're improving they're not dead trees right they are the land

Speaker 19: cut them down and improve the road for safety reasons well is that the dead one that's on top

Speaker 20: the lane over here would that help yeah because that'll be a lot cheaper i'm here i'm here you

Speaker 21: of whoever owns the tree to put the mirror on so how do you want to proceed then i i well

Speaker 17: how they're a liability to her really i mean i was just treating it like i assumed it was like

Speaker 17: travel part of the road oh yeah you're going to hit it with a plow some of them some of it

Speaker 19: I want to get back over mowing, more or less.

Speaker 15: Would it be overly optimistic to have some kind of money in the store?

Speaker 19: So we've used it before.

Speaker 23: And I haven't had a chance to get there yet.

Speaker 24: Dave, so you would go around with whatever company you call, mark the trees, because

Speaker 25: Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 25: Yeah.

Speaker 25: Yeah.

Speaker 23: Right.

Speaker 25: You talk about what's happening to the那hlelar to get a price for��고 ...

Speaker 24: when when are you available all in favor

Speaker 26: and some washboards and did some bunch of chloride yeah so i was on the shirt road the shirt road

Speaker 25: come back and he doesn't even know he didn't do it right okay that's what i do i was like this

Speaker 17: Get a lock right out.

Speaker 19: Don't open the wood stove.

Speaker 27: It's sticking on the wall.

Speaker 28: You're like a punchless guy.

Speaker 13: You'll, you'll fry your mind.

Speaker 23: It's a 3 inch bowl.

Speaker 23: You can't get it in the town.

Speaker 29: and you're going to expect them to throw the wrench that's what keeps me in business is

Speaker 19: well think about it see which one you can work on and i'll look it over again i thought the eyewash

Speaker 19: to be fixed the doors need to be fixed all right did you get a quote on the doors yet he didn't get

Speaker 30: okay i'm more concerned though yep use the harper money for the electrical fixes and

Speaker 31: stuff like that or no the lights i think we could put that on one big ball of maintenance

Speaker 17: did you get any quotes on the roof or anything on that or no i can i just didn't that's good

Speaker 3: behind we're on the list right so for the inspection i thought once they did the assessment

Speaker 32: grant that you may or may not get have we have they come down to do the assessment yet well they they're they're scheduling it right right that's the class i remember you saying they're scheduling

Speaker 30: have three years or something okay so we're so we're small if we don't want that's a good

Speaker 17: things it's not it's not okay what else on roads laurie put in our box the culvert on sportsman's

Speaker 33: to pass it well i can if you want to take on them yeah i just got this today so okay because

Speaker 34: i can just talk to mike cool about it yeah something i can turn it off

Speaker 35: it says oh this is the alteration almost looks like they're putting it back where the original

Speaker 35: one culvert instead of two well when they did it like that yeah that's why they did it like that

Speaker 17: they want to do yeah okay so it'd be two culverts so it'd be two and a half yeah oh up there and down

Speaker 23: it's just when you get it yeah it's to get is to put extra water somewhere yeah yeah well that's

Speaker 30: that issue you fix your problem just move it out yeah when i come in and color your trees down

Speaker 36: really okay um anything else then dave

Speaker 17: power yesterday right yeah and i didn't notice any bags up there

Speaker 17: save them for that guy with the refrigerator somebody tried to bring it to that and they

Speaker 32: air conditioner and what did we tell them i didn't speak to the person um it was the swift

Speaker 37: people who received the call you know what you know what you know well this is the easiest idea

Speaker 38: discussion a lot yeah we did up the last year

Speaker 36: storm for that guy up in the air there are we taking them off the list and then there's

Speaker 29: who's that we had a new recycling place in adam yeah i know the guys the guy that owns it i know

Speaker 31: yeah i can get a price list for what he takes i want to take them to your town and then bring them

Speaker 39: to get rid of stuff but they wouldn't take it from stamford you have no i mean i haven't

Speaker 40: it i mean you're a separate entity you're not it's invested yeah yeah i guess and so we're taking

Speaker 41: to borrow that money before 27 comes up at the end of this year okay yeah well yeah those interest rates are still going up that's all i'm saying at the end of this year we're going to have to borrow

Speaker 39: add to the end of it oh write a new article write a new article

Speaker 40: that we said might happen right but we know this all negotiated the purchase

Speaker 40: so they can give us a firm commitment so when do we expect to have this fire

Speaker 6: gotta use it

Speaker 34: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 40: All that I've got.

Speaker 42: This is worse than the taxes because it's pennies.

Speaker 43: $9 if it's deferred and $13 if it's...

Speaker 37: I mean...

Speaker 3: And then it's a $2 and $4 penalty.

Speaker 34: Lisa, you had a question? Yeah, I'm sorry, this is not the right time, but back to the emergency management, and Paul is still here in case he leaves. Like, what are we doing about, I don't know if this is the right board to talk about, but the heat, like, I heard like a lot of people are using the bathroom outside of Belmont, the floor potty and stuff like that. Do we, who's taking care of like when we have, are we gonna have that discussion about what happens during heat or storms when the power goes out?

Speaker 34: Yeah, that kind of thing. Emergency shelter. Cooling centers. Well, we don't have cooling centers. Because what happens if, because we have a generator, but like a lot of people don't, what happens when you can't use your bathroom, or what? I feel like if they're going to Belmont for the floor potty, I feel like we have a problem in town that we need to look into.

Speaker 34: I know. Because, you know, with extreme heat, it's not as bad as the cold, but it kind of can be. I thought of that, too.

Speaker 44: Is that under the emergency management people?

Speaker 34: Oh, it's served.

Speaker 45: Yeah, that's his, that's his.

Speaker 34: What kind of training would it involve? I think we have enough people in town that care that, you know,

Speaker 47: Well, not only...

Speaker 48: You know, my neighbors and I, we all say,

Speaker 34: Okay, I have a stove. Right. My neighbor has a better generator than us. Right. But she doesn't have a stove that works on that generator, and we trade around.

Speaker 48: Exactly, exactly.

Speaker 49: So maybe his neighbor was like,

Speaker 39: Yeah, well, she tells me that

Speaker 50: Well,

Speaker 38: I don't know.

Speaker 50: Yeah,

Speaker 34: I mean, what about something like that, like a phone tree? I don't know

Speaker 51: or anything.

Speaker 52: when you have

Speaker 42: good volunteers

Speaker 53: right?

Speaker 52: all this,

Speaker 54: sometimes,

Speaker 40: Do you need...

Speaker 55: condition

Speaker 18: so the irs loves it so we um you file your taxes and they're like oh hey

Speaker 56: they hit us again with another hundred dollars really maybe it's time to write our

Speaker 57: representatives or our senators well yeah you know we were in between with laura civilian

Speaker 56: what's our representative and i'm talking congressional because if it's with the irs

Speaker 32: change you finally got to talk to somebody right and i finally got to talk to someone and um

Speaker 3: right right but they're sending it in on time and so it's just been a difficult um but it's good that we're not going to be fine for the third quarter our fourth quarter yeah the first two we've already

Speaker 58: um i in in the survey that we did to the library community is actually to help our students how we

Speaker 56: they tell you one thing you call another one and you get something completely the

Speaker 59: that means they're still six or seven understaffed right so it's just this is

Speaker 39: in the world it's too happy just couldn't give him just a cruise when it goes out took aiem drive out a round he does and he has been you know I don't

Speaker 60: comes down turns around that presence he's a very nice guy and I will get his

Speaker 21: we do both sides so it's yeah so this is one side on top and

Speaker 36: within the zone take the end off Stamford school town office library yeah

Speaker 20: plans bigger I see him side by side

Speaker 36: just library yep and this one's 30 by 54 or something like that but there this

Speaker 61: Just library

Speaker 62: For color yeah, yeah, maybe just take the public on

Speaker 62: like the best I like this one if we get rid of the hand and just say library I

Speaker 21: like the long oh yeah you can probably do all in the same size right instead of

Speaker 63: Dave do you know that? It is online

Speaker 64: Okay

Speaker 39: So the next step then is

Speaker 34: What about the location then?

Speaker 34: But you also have to consider the The post that's gonna be on

Speaker 56: I would say no I mean You're talking the sign you know Yeah so

Speaker 65: So it's the same thing

Speaker 56: Okay Well what's the speed limit 30 isn't it Coming through town they shouldn't be going that fast anyway Not when it's not school time

Speaker 66: Yeah the size

Speaker 67: Four by four post sticking out that much isn't going to add much

Speaker 39: Yeah

Speaker 3: Oh the 15th

Speaker 68: August 15

Speaker 56: August 15

Speaker 69: We all are

Speaker 70: Just thought I'd mention it

Speaker 12: Oh I hope the homeowner's got good insurance In case someone gets hurt in there I believe there's an ongoing investigation so If they take the house down they won't be able to rebuild it That's you know I don't know I don't know

Speaker 71: I don't know

Speaker 12: I don't know I don't know I don't know I don't know I don't I don't know We know

Speaker 39: Johnny thought if you need any money for that sign, let me know, that's a no brainer.

Speaker 28: go from there.

Speaker 28: I feel like the 12 square feet for this town sign is...

Transcribed 2026-09-04 (faster-whisper large-v3, CUDA; names corrected per data/name_fixes.json). Names corrected against the minutes. Diarization is automated and over-splits one person into several labels. Raw model output with timestamps: SRT.