Issues addressed at June meetings: Saw Mill Property, CSWD franchising, and more

Sorry for the lapse in communication! It's easy to start a blog....not so easy to keep up with it! This has been a hectic few weeks: lots of work stress, kids ending school (and dealing with what to do with them now), 10 chicks in our garage growing faster than weeds (gotta get that coop finished, argh!), a severely injured shoulder causing pain with every movement, birthdays, father's day, etc. So those are my excuses, you'll just have to take my word for it: life in the Mercer household has been a true circus so far in the month of June.

But finally (and in the knick of time, for tomorrow marks the onset of JULY!) here are the highlights from the last two meetings:

Dickenson Street/Saw Mill property
So much could be said about this issue, and I've got to be honest, I don't understand all the nuances and scenarios that are being bounced around. A short overview: David Villeneuve, owner of the "Saw Mill Property" in Underhill Flats, has been trying to get something built on this triangle for a very long time. I can't speak to the historical snafus, but this latest problem has to do with the horrific traffic problem at the corner of Steam Mill Road (just south of the middle school), which the VT Agency of Transportation rated a level "F". I'm told this is what triggered the Act 250 Commission to consider preventing the development of a "Rehab Gym" on the Saw Mill Property.

David Villeneuve has developed a plan for traffic easement which the Act 250 Commission apparently agrees could work. It involves a redesign for Dickenson Street to open it up for 2 way traffic, thereby cutting the cars at the other intersection in half. Theoretically, the Selectboard is open to this solution but the problem is how to fund it. So there is a proposal on the table to create a new tax district ("Special Tax District") on the commercial property there, and to borrow the funds for the road improvement based on the future tax revenue from Villeneuve's property. Stay tuned for more on this - or call Todd Odit (Town Administrator) and ask him for the scoop.

Conflict of Interest Policy
A recent incident at a Planning Commission meeting prompted the evaluation of the town's Conflict of Interest Policy and how it might be enforcable if a situation occurs. We decided to send a copy of the policy to all members of town committees with a cover letter from the SB explaining that we take the issue seriously. Also, we stated that if ANY question of conflict comes up at a meeting, the chair of that committee should postpone the discussion and report the question of conflict to the Selectboard for possible investigation. The SB has the authority to remove any member of a SB-appointed committee if we believe there is a true conflict of interest.

New Truck for Road Crew
Kenny Barkyoumb, our road crew foreman, presented a compelling argument in favor of trading in the town's 5-year old truck for a new one. He explained that upcoming maintenance needs will only increase, and that the town has the funds budgeted for the purchase.

CSWD Franchise discussion
This issue involves the Chittenden Solid Waste District's exploration and research into the feasibility and benefits associated with the creation of a franchised pick-up service throughout it's partner municipalities. This idea inevitably would increase efficiency and reduce fuel expense and related pollutions, but it may also cause distress on local haulers. A concerned citizen sent an email to the SB and this is the CSWD's response (unformatted text from an email).

Skunk Hollow Road - condition complaint
A resident of Skunk Hollow explained that he had suffered property damage and witnessed 7 accidents in the same spot in front of his house on the gravel portion of Skunk Hollow. He was very convincing and said that he loves living on a dirt road but he believes there is a serious hazard in not paving this road that has become a "cut-through" for commuters to get the interstate. I have to admit, I use this road daily to drive to work in Burlington. Just yesterday on my drive home, I spied the evidence of an obvious wipe-out in exactly the same spot that the resident described. The road had been grated that day, making it slick and unpredictable. I wanted to take a picture, but alas my camera battery was dead.

We discussed the temporary, relatively inexpensive solution of a guard rail, which would possibly deter accidents, but would definitely create a way to record them. The SB plans to discuss the paving of this road in the next go-around (of course, public input and much more discussion will occur before a decision is made.)

Submit photos for town website
Kudos to the town staff, especially Paula Carrier, for a fresh face on the town website! You'll see the generic photos on the homepage if you visit the site....WE WOULD LOVE TO USE REAL JERICHO PHOTOS!!! Submit yours to me at kimnormanmercer@gmail.com or Paula or pcarrier@jerichovt.gov.

And finally, the agenda for Thursday, July 1st
The most interesting item is the discussion of the Jericho's burn policy. More info soon...

Agenda - SB Meeting 6/3/2010

In addition to the listed agenda below, we have added the item "Follow-up on Dickenson Road Issue" which will entail a discussion of alternative traffic options and possible funding solutions for the road. The plan on the table will convert Dickenson Road back to a 2-way street to ease traffic congestion at the corner of Steam Mill Road and Route 15. This could enable the current development plans, including the creation of a Rehab Gym franchise, for the Saw Mill property to proceed.

The problem is how to fund the road improvements, which are not covered in the town's current budget. Scenarios include a partnership with David Villeneuve, who has offered to undertake a large portion of the work himself, along with a loan to cover the remaining expenses, to be secured by the town with a guarantee of future tax revenues from the property.

Your input is welcome: call me at 343-1265 or email kimnormanmercer@gmail.com.

--------------

Agenda - 6/3/10 SB Meeting

7:00 PM PUBLIC TO BE HEARD

BUSINESS

7:05 Plains Road Streetlight Request

7:15 CSWD Trash Franchise Discussion – Bert Lindholm, Tom Moreau

CSWD Clean Up Fund – Michelle Morris

7:45 Request for Highway Crew Help at Jericho Center Cemetery – Bert Lindholm

8:00 Request to Purchase New Highway Truck – Kenny Barkyoumb

8:15 School Impact Fee Waiver Request

8:20 Acceptance of O’Brien Fay South Development Easement

8:25 Approve Recreation Program Counselor

8:30 Approval of 5/6/10 and 5/20/10 minutes

Possible Executive Session (if needed)

Other business

Adjourn

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.


View Larger Map

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)

------------------------------------------

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

------------------------------------------

4/15 Meeting Wrap-up

The agenda was rearranged to accommodate visitors, so they wouldn't have to wait while we reviewed the minutes.

Town Meeting VNA Follow Up Discussion

The brief back-story: several years ago the freeps ran a story outing the salaries of the top executives at the non-profit home health agency, Visiting Nurses Association. Following that story, at Jericho's town meeting in 2009, a resident relayed the story to those in attendance. He asked that the increased budget request from the VNA be denied, and suggested instead that the organization be level-funded at the same rate as the year prior.

After some discussion, the town decided to fulfill the VNA's funds request that year. The resident's asked that the SB send a message to the VNA asking for an explanation of the high salaries. The message was sent but there was apparently no reply.

Fastforward to last Thursday's Selectboard (SB) meeting: present to discuss the issue is VNA's CEO, Church Hindes, along with Anne Doremus, a Jericho resident who sits on the VNA's board of trustees.

It seems there have been a few misunderstandings:

1. Church said he received the letter from the SB last year and did respond: by phone.
   
2. Church had an amenable conversation with then-town administrator Bert Moffatt, who assured him not to worry about the issue too much. He advised that it would probably blow over.
   
3. The high salaries were described as $600k for the top 3 execs, which may have been misconstrued as $600k for each one. Actually that amount is divided among the three.
   
4. The execs, according to Anne, are in the 25th percentile for similar positions in the region.
5. The VNA asks for only about 80% of its Jericho expenses to be reimbursed with taxpayers' money.
   

So after we'd heard all there was to hear, Tim Nulty (chair of the SB) asked that Mr. Hindes write a letter describing his conversation with Bert. He also asked the chair of the VNA board to send a letter attesting to the relative compensations for similar positions at other organizations.

Proposed Reconfigured Hammerhead for Hunt Subdivision

Larry Young & Marge Hunt presented their revised plan of a turnaround for emergency vehicles and buses. The SB gave them their approval.

Approval of minutes

3/2/10, 3/18/10 & 4/1/10

We approved the minutes with a few typo fixes and clarifications. These minutes should be posted soon online.

Acceptance of Lee River Road Pedestrian Easement

The board reviewed the map and approved the easement as advised. Catherine McMains (who chaired the DRB for a number of years) noted that there are several such easements along Lee River Rd. She expressed the hope that they might all connect one day to create a pedestrian walkway for joggers and others on this town road with a minimal shoulder.

Proclamation of “Way to Go! Community Challenge” Week

We quickly approved this effort to urge residents to find alternate ways to commute for one week. Methods include: biking, taking public transit, carpooling and telecommuting. The Jericho Energy Task Force will spearhead this challenge, which pits Jericho in a friendly competition against neighboring towns. Find out more, sign up, way to go!

CSWD/RPC/MPO Appointments

• CSWD - We reappointed Bert Lindholm and Leslie Nulty to represent Jericho on the CSWD board.
  
• CCMPO - Tim Nulty was named the board representative, with Bert Moffatt and myself as alternates.
• CCRPC - Catherine McMains was named the board representative, with Bert Moffatt and myself as alternates.

Olde Yankee First Class Liquor License Renewal

No problems here. Since Jericho does not have a Liquor Control Board, the SB acts as one. We approved the renewal of Olde Yankee's liquor license.

Old Pump Road Dog Bite Complaint
Tricky situation. I won't describe the issue in detail, but prefer to just sum it up - some dogs escaped from the house and chased a teenage girl until one bit her. An onlooker along with the owner pulled the dogs away. The town's dog ordinance states that if an injury caused by someone's pet requires medical attention, the SB will hold a quasi-judicial hearing to discover facts and determine the best action. Because the girl did not seek medical attention, the issue does not warrant a hearing. However, the family of the girl wants some retribution and control over the dogs. The owner has promised several improvements, including an invisible fence and obedience classes for the biter. Seeking a solution, the SB will write a letter to the dog owner urging quick action on the promises, and a stern warning that the next bite will cause a serious response.

Open Meeting Law Discussion

We discussed the law for open meetings and reviewed a presentation from the VLCT (Vermont League of Cities and Towns) that covers different circumstances for executive sessions (legal matters, personnel matters), as well as email discussions. I spoke of my concern about email conversations, which seem to go beyond the "information distribution" type that the VLCT recommends, and trend toward discussions of substance. No one intends for an item of note--a simple informational email--to become a discussion that perhaps should be aired in a public forum.

Approve Recreation Program Counselors

This item included a review of the applications for summer camp counselrs. Approved with very little discussion.