Cavendish SB Meeting Report 1/8/18

Select board (SB) meetings are recorded by Okemo Valley TV and are available at their website and on Comcast Television.  Written minutes are available at the town’s website. The following action was discussed/taken at Monday night’s meeting:

Telecommunications: TDS did not respond to Brendan McNamara’s request to attend the January SB meeting to discuss what their plans are for Cavendish. The Telecommunications Committee is meeting this week and will be contacting Senator Leahy to see if his office can help us in this regard. It was noted that there have been changes with the CEO of TDS and this might explain why they have not been responding. It was also noted that Comcast has yet to sign the agreement with the state for the grant they were awarded this summer. The grant reimburses Comcast for wiring the Tarbell Hill and Knapp Pond areas of Cavendish.

Intersection of 103 and 131: Recently there was a school bus accident at the intersection of 103 and 131. With the closure of the Depot St. Bridge, Dec. 2015, the town office has been talking to VTrans about “calming measures” with the intersection. The request was made for a sheriff and a blinking blue light on winter weekends. VTrans said they would do a traffic study, which they did on a Tuesday. This was their justification for saying there was insufficient traffic to warrant the expense of precautionary measures. With the most recent accident, followed by a lengthy discussion on Cavendish VT Facebook page, town manager, Brendan McNamara, felt it was time to go back to VTrans and ask for traffic calming measures. The SB agreed. The issues with the Whitesville Bridge were also discussed and McNamara will be discussing that location as well as 103/131 with VTrans.

Town Constable Position: With Seth Perry’s resignation, due to health issues, the town has been without a constable for the last seven months. McNamara felt the town needs were being met with the combination of VT State Police and the Windsor Sheriff’s Dept., which is in town four days a week. In addition, it was noted that the state wants to see towns give up their Constable positions. While the SB can remove a town constable they can not abolish the position without the consent of the voters. Therefore, at this year’s town meeting, voters will be asked to decide if they wish to continue the town constable position.

Open Positions for 2018: Below are the positions open for election. Those interested in seeking an elected office, should obtain petitions from the Town Clerk’s Office, Monday-Friday, 9-4. Deadline for filing with the Town Clerk nominating petitions for town offices to be voted on by Australian ballot is January 29, 2018 by 5pm. Election will take place on March 6 by Australian Ballot.

Town Moderator                    1 year

School District Moderator      1 year (This will no longer be necessary since there will be no informational meeting for the school budget this year at town meeting. Instead there will be an informational meeting on Feb. 27 (Tuesday)  in Chester as the Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUSD) goes into effect July 1, 2018. . Voting is done by Australian Ballot on school budgets.)

Select Board                            3 year and 2 openings for 1 year term

Town Agent                            1 year

Lister                                       1 and 2 year terms

Auditor                                   1, 2 and 3 year terms

Library Trustee                       5 year

Trustee of Public Funds         3 year

Town Grand Juror                  1 year

Constable                                1 year (This need for this position will be voted on at Town meeting)

Town School Director             2 positions for 3/6/18-6/30/18

GMUHS                                    1 position for 3/6/18-6/30/18

Note that the school board positions end June 30 as the Green Mountain Unified School District goes into effect on July 1, 2018.

2018 Certificate of Highway Mileage. There are no changes this year. It was adopted and signed by the SB members.

Removal of Two Members of the Planning Commission: Due to lack of attendance, and no response to repeated attempts to reach them, the SB received a written request from the Planning Commission to remove the inactive members. This was approved. Anyone interested in serving on the Planning Commission should contact the town office 226-7291.

Warning of Town Plan: The board approved a warning for adoption of the town plan for Jan. 29, 5:30 pm at the Cavendish Town Office. This will take place an hour before the SB’s budget meeting. Copies of the town plan are available from the town office either in print or electronically. Call 226-7291