J/U Joint Meeting

Hey everyone! Our regular meeting last week was replaced with a joint planning meeting at the Underhill Town Hall with the Selectboards and Planning Commissions of both Jericho and Underhill. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss plans for the Riverside Flats area, and to coordinate our efforts with the hopes of developing the area in a cohesive way.


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One interesting thing that occurred at the meeting: David Villeneuve produced drawings for a proposed to change for Dickinson Street. Apparenetly, VTrans has given the intersection between Steam Mill Road (Pleasant Valley Rd. - going past BRMS) an 'F' for traffic and this has stimied development plans on Villeneuve's commercial property. The proposal involves revamping Dickinson Street for 2-way traffic, thus lessening the load on the intersection between Steam Mill Rd. and Rte 15 (across from Jolley's), and would cost the town more than $200,000. Since this is not in our town budget, Villeneuve proposed doing a large portion of the work himself, saving the town some $100,000. The Selectboard will hear Mr. Villeneuve's request at a public meeting soon - I'll keep you posted.

Here are the (DRAFT!) minutes from the meeting. In this case, the minutes explain the meeting better than I can.

Update on the Riverside/Underhill Flats Community Forum

A big joint meeting is scheduled for Thursday to address the issues of Village Center designation in the Underhill Flats area.

Coming together for this forum will be: the Jericho Selectboard, the Underhill Selectboard, the Jericho Planning Commission, and the Underhill Planning Commission,

The meeting will take place at the Underhill Town Hall, Thursday, May 20th 7:00 to 9:00 pm and includes an hour of time set aside for discussion and public input. Come find out the latest on the development issues and voice your opinion to all parties involved!

More information:
Meeting agenda
Other public meetings about the Flats

Thoughts on the 5/6/10 Meeting

First, a word about an item not actually addressed at the meeting. The Streetscape construction in Jericho Corners is underway, as everyone surely knows. Bob Penniman, former selectman, is our foreman on the project. If you have questions about the construction, please contact Bob (he is in the book) or visit Town Hall and talk with the town administrator, Todd Odit. I'm sorry that I don't have all the answers, but in a recent conversation with Bob he informed me that the project is going very well and could be finished a month or more in advance of schedule.

Town Service Officer Appointment
Louise Moon Rosales is our new Town Service Officer - hurray! She is a nurse practitioner with many ties in town and she is perfect for the job - thanks for stepping forward, Louise! In the past, we've appointed the town administrator to this position just to complete the statutory requirement. But one of the first documents I read as a new selectperson was a letter from the Department of Children and Family Services asking us to appoint a person to the position who really knows the community and will serve in a way that can really help those in need. Louise is that person.

Vermont Sustainable Heating Initiative
We appointed two members of the community to a new collaborative effort: the "Solid bio-fuel Feasibility Study Steering Committee" of the Vermont Sustainable Heating Initiative. The local Energy Task Force recommended Don Tobi and Tom Baribault and so, the Selectboard approved these nominations.

CSWD Update
Tom Moreau, director of the Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) presented the organization's budget and gave us his overview, which we received with a very positive response. Among other things, they are planning to take and recycle sheet plastic (bags, packaging, etc.) and also looking into taking compost from residents. Wow!

There really isn't much more to tell - all else is quiet in Jericho.

Agenda - 5/6/2010 Meeting

This meeting will involve a lot of appointing, pretty routine. There are a few interesting topics, though not particularly controversial in my estimation. We will interview Louise Rosales for the Town Service Office job, talk with CSWD's director Tom Moreau about their annual budget, and discuss the VNA's executive compensation issue.

Let me know if you have any concerns about these items, or other issues!
Kim (send email)

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AGENDA - Selectboard Meeting
Thursday, May 6, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
Jericho Town Hall, 67 Vermont Route 15
(All agendas are subject to change)

7:00 - PUBLIC TO BE HEARD

BUSINESS
7:05 - Approval of 4/15/10 minutes
7:10 - Town Service Officer Interview – Louise Moon Rosales
7:20 - (Various business)

• Re-appointment of Town Forest Fire Warden
• Appointment of Delinquent Tax Collector
• Approval of Bond Amount for 23 Browns Trace Wireless Facility
• Appointment of Town Representatives to Solid bio-fuel Feasibility Study Steering Committee

7:30 - CSWD Budget Presentation – Tom Moreau
7:45 - Authorization to Purchase Highway Truck
7:50 - Grace Letter Regarding Old Pump Dog Bite
8:00 - Acceptance of Bridge Inspection Summary Reports
8:10 - Approve Recreation Program Counselor
8:15 - Discussion of VNA Follow-up Letters (see last blog entry for details)

Possible Executive Session (if needed)
Other business
Adjourn

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