Meeting began at 7:00 PM       

Board members present: Selectmen Theodore Faris,  and Stanley Robinson.

Others present:  Town Clerk William Hoar, Leigh Larocque, Shirley Warden, and

     Jacob Grant of the Caledonian Record.

The Board met with the firm of Gomez and Sullivan last Monday evening and discussed their proposal.  Board read written proposal sent by the other firm they had met with-Milone and

MacBroom.  Milone & MacBroom’s proposal for the hydrologic analysis at Harvey’s Lake Dam outlined their scope of services.  The total price for this proposal would be $24,000.

Motion by Robinson to accept the proposal of Milone & MacBroom.  Unanimously approved.

Board approved permit for G.T. Hayward Trucking of St. Johnsbury, Vt..

Board approved request from Wayne Berge for a driveway access on the Groton Road.

This access will require a culvert with minimum diameter of 18 inches.

Read letter from the Vt. League of Cities & Towns on the status of health insurance rates for 2007 with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vt..  It appears at this stage, to renew our current arrangement with Blue Cross will require a rate increase of approximately 36% on average.

This average depends on which plan each town carries.  These negotiations are still on-going.

The VLCT Health Trust has their annual meeting in Stowe on November 17^th. 

-Signed Tax Map maintenance contract for 2007 with Cartographic Associates Inc. for the amount of $1,950.00.  This is the same amount as this past year.  The contract covers updates to all of our digital maps.

-Barnet resident Leigh Larocque appeared to get the feeling of the Board about the need in Barnet for elderly housing.  Leigh feels there is a great need for it.  Leigh is proposing to form a volunteer group to investigate this need.  Before anything can be done, we do need to know what the need is.  Ted Faris stated he would be concerned about senior citizens moving into this site and then creating housing for sale to younger people with school children which in turn raises the cost of tuitioning students to high school.  Stan Robinson felt there is no harm in at least finding out what the need is.  Leigh stated there will be no cost to do the survey.  Selectmen gave their approval to go ahead with the survey of needs.

-Leigh Larocque asked the Board how they feel about the so-called tax revolt by several towns to have something done about the statewide tax situation with education funding.

Ted Faris says he agrees that something needs to be done.

Meeting began at 7:00 PM       

Board members present: Selectmen Theodore Faris, Gary Bunnell, and Stanley

           Robinson.

Others present:  Town Clerk William Hoar.

Motion to approve minutes of meeting of September 25, 2006 as written.  Seconded and unanimously approved.

The Board has narrowed the choice of firms to do the proposed hydrology study down to two firms-Gomez and Sullivan Engineers and Milone & MacBroom Inc..    The Board met with Milone and MacBroom Inc. last week and have a meeting scheduled with Gomez and

Sullivan next Monday at 7 PM at this office.  A decision should be forthcoming shortly after this meeting.

Board approved permit for Acklin Humphrey of Sheffield, Vt. to haul wood products.

Board approved request from Calvin & Cherryll Bunnell for a permanent driveway access

on Brook Hill Road.  This access will require a culvert with minimum diameter of 18 inches.

Read letter from Vt. Agency of  Natural Resources saying they have reviewed the Town’s Post-Closure Certification Application for the former landfill and find both to be administratively and technically complete.  The Draft Certification must now be published and this will be done by the Waste District.

Board read and approved the following two (2) requests from the Board of Listers to correct two parcels in the 2006 Grand List Book under the Errors and Omissions statute.  These are

errors that should not have been in the Grand List as of April 1, 2006.  The two parcels are as follows:

-#04-01-28 for Michael & Margaret Hale.  Charged for 28 acres of land when it should have

     been 21 acres.  Tax map showed 21 acres and survey on file shows 21 acres.  Assessment

     to be changed from$178,600 to $172,300.

- #13-01-03 for Michael & Debra Oestringer.  Upon review of the building located on

     Garland Hill Road, it was discovered they had been charged twice for the foundation for

     the building in the amount of $10,000.  This change will reduce the valuation from

     $108,100 to $ 98,100.

Gave approval to Richard Downer to remove the fish ladder at the Harvey’s Lake Dam.

Mr. Downer expects to have this done before the end of October.

Meeting began at 7:00 PM       

Board members present: Selectmen Theodore Faris,  Gary Bunnell, and Stanley Robinson.

Others present:  William Hoar, Shirley Warden, Jacob Grant of Caledonian Record, James

     MacDonald.

Motion to approve minutes of meeting of August 28, 2006 as written. Seconded and unanimously approved.

Selectmen discussed proposals received and have narrowed the choice down to two firms.

The Selectmen will contact the two firms and set up a meeting to discuss their proposals in further detail.  Hopefully, they can meet with them next Monday evening.

Selectmen read letter from Vt. Dept. of Environmental Conservation with a detailed inspection report of the dam at Harvey’s Lake.  In summary, the report says the dam is considered to be in fair condition.  The debris and vegetation blocking the spillway is of particular concern.  Recommendations given in report.

Harvey’s Lake property owner James MacDonald appeared to go on record about various items dealing with the public beach area.  Mr. MacDonald owns the cottage on Sunny Beach Lane next to the public beach.  This is the first summer he has been here for the full summer and was bothered by the ongoing parties well after the beach was closed.  In particular the language used is bad.  He also complained about the buoys marking the limits of the swimming area which causes his family problems with boating.  He asked the Selectmen if they would look into having the Beach Committee moved the swimming area about 20 feet so he would comply with State law in staying so far away from swimming boundaries.  Other problems involve people driving down Sunny Beach Lane-which is a dead end private road.

Discussed placing signs instructing as such on the road.  The same people that use the road then either climb over the fence or walk around the fence by going over his lawn.  Ted Faris noted that this is the first time this matter has been brought to the attention of this board and they will make every attempt to resolve these problems in 2007.

-         Town Clerk William Hoar informed the board the town has received payment on damages the cables alongside Old Silo Road at the Waterford Town Line from an

      automobile accident.  We were quoted a price of $9.50/ft to replace the cable, but

      Road Foreman  Maurice Gingue has received a price of $10/ft. to replace it with 

      guardrail.  The Selectmen gave their approval to using the guardrail.  

-         Shirley Warden asked the Board about a decision we discussed at a previous meeting

About having new maps prepared by Cartographic Associates Inc. for use in the new

Town Plan.  Cartographics had given the Town an estimate of $1,500 for the maps.

The Planning Commission has decided against one of the maps and may try to make

up their own maps.  Selectmen did give approval to purchasing the maps if needed.              

Meeting began at 7:00 PM       

Board members present: Selectmen Theodore Faris,  Gary Bunnell, and Stanley Robinson.

Others present:  William Hoar, Shirley Warden, Jacob Grant of Caledonian Record.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF PRIOR MEETING

Motion to approve minutes of meeting of August 14, 2006 as written. Seconded and unanimously approved.

The Selectmen have spent time since the last meeting reviewing proposals submitted for work to be done on hydrologic and hydraulic studies for the dam at Harvey’s Lake.

Ted Faris has talked with Richard Downer, a resident on the lake who helped design the request for these proposals, and he will be sending a comparison chart to the Selectmen to aid them in making a choice from the five proposals submitted.  The Selectmen have decided to wait for this and hopefully with meet sometime within the next week to make a decision.

The five firms that submitted proposals were Gomez and Sullivan Engineers, Kleinschmidt Energy and Water Resource Consultants, DuBois & King, Inc., Milone & MacBroom, Inc., and Stantec Consulting Services Inc..

Noted that the bridge was opened for traffic last Thursday, August 24^th, and the work is just about completed.  The Selectmen made the comment that the contractor, R.C. Contractors, should be commended for doing an outstanding job under trying circumstances.  In a related topic, Board approved sending a letter to our engineering firm of Stantec Consulting Services Inc. discussing several points that the Town is not satisfied with in the services provided by the firm and have asked them to consider this is the charge for the additional services to be invoiced.

Board read letter from Paul Hannan, licensed surveyor and Chairman of the Board of Selectmen in Calais, Vt..  His letter outlines some of the points of interest in Act 178 passed by the Legislature this past session and offering his services if the Town feels some work needs to be done  No action taken by Board.

-Ted Faris and Garry Bunnell both reported they inspected the soccer field at the school to make sure it was left in good shape after the fire dept. auction per the request of fire chief Ron Morse.  Both said the field was in good shape.

-Signed request for reimbursement from the State of Vermont for a forest fire on April 22, 2006 in the vicinity of Ted Faris’ residence.  The total cost was $1.390.00.

BOARD OF SELECTMEN’S MEETING

TOWN OF BARNET, VT.

MONDAY, JULY 24, 2006

Meeting began at 7:00 PM       

Board members present: Selectmen Theodore Faris,  Gary Bunnell, and Stanley Robinson.

Others present:  William Hoar, Shirley Warden, Mark Miller, Jeff Tucker, Bob & Kathy Zita.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF PRIOR MEETING

Motion to approve minutes of meeting of July 10, 2006 as written. Seconded and unanimously approved.

Engineers Mark Miller and Jeff Tucker of DuBois & King Inc. appeared to ask questions about the Request for Proposals advertised and what the Board expects.   Mr. Tucker explained that the firm has done similar work on other dams and a recent project on Lake Bomoseen is similar to this request.  Ted Faris responded that the Board is looking to reduce nutrients being loaded into the waters of the lake plus solutions to prevent water backup that comes from the South Peacham Brook.  Beach Committee chairman Bob Zita mentioned that the beach area is much more shallow now that just a few years ago.  At one time we were able to have a floating dock but the water level is just too shallow.  Mr. Miller and Mr. Tucker thanked those in attendance for their input to help them prepare their proposal.

 Discussed meeting with bridge contractor Royce Conley, Vt. Agency of Transportation District representative Shauna Clifford, Town engineer Tom Knight, and the Board of Selectmen to discuss solutions to ongoing additional work being uncovered.  After this meeting, Royce Conley was asked to send in proposals for additional work that he felt was needed.  Royce Conley faxed a proposal to Tom Knight and Shauna Clifford suggesting that additional work should include replacing existing stringers (36 @ $840.00=30,240.00) and  cleaning, greasing beams and putting shims back on the outside beams ($8,000) for an additional amount of $38,240.00.  Selectmen so agreed to accept these recommendations and to have it added to the project.  Shauna Clifford agreed to submit an amendment to the grant that the Town has received from the State for this project to cover about 90% of the additional work.  Board signed the application to be submitted for this amendment #2. 

Board voted unanimously to sign contract with R.C. Contractors as of this date for the original amount that was bid ($120,800).  The above changes will be done by a work order change.

Approved application for highway access permit filed by George & Dorene Mears for a driveway on Somerhill Road in W. Barnet.  Board so approved.

School Board member Bob Zita asked the Selectmen about what they feel should be done to clean up the damaged trees on the school land on the West Barnet Road that was caused by the heavy wind damage caused in the storm on Tuesday, July 18^th.  Board felt that they should go out and look at the damage after this meeting ended.  Fire Chief Ron Morse reported that there was also several trees down near the Fire Station on Bimson Drive and that perhaps the town could use the wood or receive some money for the wood.  Board agreed to go and view both sites after the meeting ended.

Motion by Robinson to go into executive session at 7:30 P.M. to discuss an employee issue.

Unanimously approved.  Came out of executive session at 7:50 P.M..

Meeting ended at 7:55 P.M.

Department                                Homestead Rates      Non-Resident Rates

General                                            .3284                                 .3284

Highway                                          .2413                                 .2413

Local Agreement Rate                    .0023                                  .0023

Education Rates                            1.6813                                1.6790

                                                    _____________        ________________

Total                                               2.2533                               2.2513

2006

MINUTES

BOARD OF SELECTMEN’S MEETING

TOWN OF BARNET, VT.

MONDAY, JUNE 12, 2006

Meeting began at 7:00 PM       

Board members present: Selectmen Theodore Faris,  Gary Bunnell, and Stanley Robinson.

Others present:  Town Clerk William Hoar; Shirley Warden, Dennis McLam, Michael

                          Adams.            

APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF PRIOR MEETING 

Motion by Robinson to approve minutes of meeting of May 23, 2006 as written.

Seconded by Faris and unanimously approved.

APPLICATION FOR HIGHWAY ACCESS PERMIT 

Board reviewed application submitted by George Trefethen for a driveway on Brook Hill Road for property to be sold to Timothy McGee.  Adjoining landowner Michael Adams sent a letter concerning this driveway which would replace an access that crosses over a corner of Mr. Adam’s property and is jointly used by both parties.  Mr. Adams appeared at the meeting to explain that he plans to visit with Mr.Trefethen or his representative about giving an easement to access the property over the existing road.  Everyone agrees that to create a new access will be very difficult as the topography is extremely steep.  Mr. Adams stated that he is not against issuing the permit.  Mr. Adams feels that an easement will be worked out for everyone’s benefit.   Motion by Robinson to table the permit access request until we find out more about a possible easement.  Seconded and unanimously approved.

ZONING ITEM-BUILDING PERMIT IN TOWN RIGHT OF WAY 

Zoning Board chairman Dennis McLam appeared to request the Board’s opinion as to what the Zoning Board should do about a request from property owner Laura Jean Stuart.  She wants to build a retaining wall in front of her building across from the Soldier’s Monument in Barnet Village but anything she does is in the town right of way.  She came to the last Zoning Board meeting about this.  Zoning Officer Shirley Warden told her she could come out two feet.  Laura Jean wants to come out further than that. Selectmen do have concern about winter plowing in the area.  Selectmen decided to allow the two foot area for the retaining wall.

LETTER RE: INSPECTION OF TRANSFER STATION 

Read letter from Vt. Agency of Natural Resources concerning inspection of Barnet Transfer Station done on May 17, 2006.  Overall the facility was found to be in pretty good shape.

They did notice some litter accumulating around the rolloff boxes and asked they be cleaned up by June 9^th.  Selectmen Ted Faris and the road crew cleaned up the area on June 9^th and so notified the State that this matter has been taken care of.  In a related matter, Chairman Faris noted that this past weekend he attended a ceremony whereby Sean and Patrick Bishop received Boy Scout Eagle badges.  Part of their work for these badges involved work done inside the transfer station building setting up a cubicle for our attendant.

DIESEL AND FUEL OIL BIDS 

At our last meeting, the awarding of bids on diesel and fuel oil was delayed for lack of bids.

After receiving three bids, the Board awarded the diesel and fuel oil account to Fred’s Plumbing and Heating at set prices of 2.499/gal. for fuel oil and 2.589/gal. for low sulfur

diesel for the year starting June 1, 2006.  Fred’s was the only bidder offering a set price.  The other bids were KMJ Precision Fuels Inc. (.25/gal.over rack price for diesel; fuel oil pre buy

at 2.549 for 8,500 gal. paid in advance); Northern Petroleum (.215/gal. over rack price for

diesel).

OVERWEIGHT VEHICLE PERMIT 

Approved request for overweight vehicle permit for Murray Transport.

ZONING BOARD/PLANNING COMMISSION RESIGNATION, RE-APPOINTMENTS 

Read letter of resignation of Marvin Bailey from Planning Commission/Zoning Board effective June 8, 2006.  Board accepted resignation with regret.  Marvin’s term to expire in July 2007.  After discussion, motion made by Robinson to appoint Bruce Denio to complete term of Marvin Bailey.  Motion seconded and unanimously approved.  The Board has two members whose terms are expiring July 1, 2006-Dennis McLam and David White.  Both members have expressed a desire to stay on.  Motion by Robinson that Dennis McLam and David White be reappointed to four year terms as of July 1, 2006.  Seconded and unanimously approved.

OTHER BUSINESS 

-read letter from Vt. Agency of Transportation advising town that work will be done on the

 bridge on U. S. Rte. 5 at the junction with Joes Brook Road.

-read letter from Beach Committee chair Bob Zita outlining his feelings as to how the

 committee should be handling various matters this summer.

-we have submitted a preliminary letter for the Transportation Enhancement Program.  One

  of the requirements is that someone attend a training session at Lyndon State College.

  Ted Faris to go to the session on 6/19 at 6 PM.

-Ted reported that private fireworks need signed permit by someone in Town.  After some

  discussion, it was decided not to have anyone from the Board sign permits for individuals.

Meeting ended at 8:15 PM.

Meeting began at 7:00 PM

Board members present: Selectmen Theodore Faris, Gary Bunnell, and Stanley Robinson.

Others present: Town Clerk William Hoar; Shirley Warden, Patricia Trotter, Cathy McLam,

Bob Zita, Joyce Evans, Bruce Marston, Andy Mosedale, and Ron Morse.

Motion by Bunnell to approve minutes of meeting of May 8, 2006 as written.

Seconded by Faris and unanimously approved.

Residents of Meeting House Hill in Passumpsic Village (Patricia Trotter, Joyce Evans

and Bruce Marston) appeared to ask the Selectmen to assist them in acquiring permission from the Vt. Agency of Transportation to place a mirror on Rte. 5 so that people driving onto Rte. 5 can see on coming traffic from the north. Currently it is difficult to see northerly from Meeting House Hill. The residents along the street appear to be in agreement that this is needed. The Selectmen advised them that this is not something the Town can do-they do need approval from the State. The pole they wish it to be placed on is owned by Verizon.

They also suggested that the speed limit in the Village be lowered to 25 MPH and to be enforced. Bruce Marston is one of the Village Trustees and he agreed to talk with Agency of Transportation employee Denzil Whitehill about this. Mr. Whitehill also lives in Passumpsic and perhaps he can help find some answers to their questions. They will come back to the Selectmen once they have further details.

Beach committee members Bob Zita and Andy Mosedale appeared along with former member Cathy McLam to discuss this year’s program and beach maintenance needs.

At this point they have hired two lifeguards. We only have one lifeguard so far with any prior experience. This may be a problem down the road. Board said to have plywood put on the broken windows at the Brock Cottage, as we do not know yet what we will do with the cottage. Some projects for this season include grading the parking lot (which needs to be done by June 8^{th). Vending machines to be placed on the south side of the bathhouse building this year on a pad that the committee will install. This year there will be three machines and they will be hooked to the building to prevent them from being turned over.}

Bathhouse renovations and fence repairs will be done if a grant comes through for this.

Fire Chief Ron Morse appeared to discuss an invoice from Tristan Vaughan for $750.00 to install guardrails at the entrance to the new fire station on Bimson Drive. This was a condition of the permit given to the Fire Dept. when the new access was created before the construction of the fire station. The Town has been under constant notice from the Agency of Transportation that this needs to be done or possible withholding of highway grants would result. The Town contracted with Mr. Vaughan to do this. At our last meeting the Selectmen felt that the invoice should be turned over to the Fire Dept. to be paid from their own funds. This is a feeling that is not shared by Fire Chief Morse and he appeared to resolve this matter. Selectman Stan Robinson made it very clear that the Fire Dept. came out of this very well having to pay only $750.00. Ron stated that they (the Fire Dept.) are not going to pay this. After some discussion over who is to blame, Ted Faris stated that we need to get past poor communication problems and work together. Comment made about the guardrail now in place now giving enough room for the fire truck to make the turn into the driveway when headed southerly. They need to swing out into the northbound side of the road in order to make the turn. Stan Robinson asked if we are going to possibly tear the guardrails out and start over. He is not happy with this possibility. Stan said that the State is happy with the new guardrails-why should we change anything. Faris & Bunnell want to take a look at the problem area and will talk with Shauna Clifford at the Agency of Transportation. Ron to get Ted a copy of the permit with the requirements. After this, hopefully this situation can be resolved.

Read letter from J. P. Sicard, Inc., low bidder on the bridge repairs to bridge #10 in E.Barnet as awarded at our last meeting, notifying our engineers of their desire to withdraw their bid.

Upon reviewing their cost breakdown for their bonding company, they discovered what they felt was a significant error in bidding by not including funds for galvanized planks in the amount of $25,000. The bid process did not require a bid bond. Our engineers-Stantec Consulting Services Inc.(formerly Dufresne-Henry) have been talking with Ted Faris about our next option. More details to be forthcoming.

Approved the following overweight vehicle applications:

KNM Transport Inc.

Rooster Cruiser LLC

Bids were requested for pre-buy on fuel oil and diesel for the year beginning June 1, 2006.

Only bid received was one for fuel oil only. Board declined to accept or reject bid. To ask other concerns to bid and to talk with companies we sent bid requests out to. Board to try and decide on this before next meeting.

-Signed contract with Caledonia County Sheriffs Dept. for patrolling Barnet roads for the year beginning July 1, 2006. Hourly rate will increase from $25 to $28.00. They will patrol 6 hours a week from June through October and 4 hours a week the rest of the year. Board also instructed Town Clerk to contact them and find out if we are paying for their patrol along Route 5 and if we received any of the fines levied.

-Agreed to have Ted Faris sign an application letter for 2006 Transportation Enhancement Program for funds to hire an engineer to find out if our land located on Bimson Drive, or any other potential lot, is suitable for locating a new salt shed. Our present shed is located in a flood plain area in Barnet Village. Ted Faris and William Hoar met last week with Douglas Morton of NVDA to discuss this program and it was felt that sending this letter will at least give us time to decide if it is likely the Town would be given one of these grants.

-Discussed general highway maintenance issues with Road Foreman Maurice Gingue. The Board did convey their thoughts to Maurice about being more efficient with the use of Town equipment as the price of fuel is going to increase substantially. They also discussed their wish to see some sort of planning done by Maurice for ditching and brush cutting around town. Ted would like to see a plan for summer work on paper.

Meeting ended at 8:30 PM.

Board members present: Selectmen Theodore Faris, Gary Bunnell, and Stanley Robinson.

Others present: Town Clerk William Hoar; Shirley Warden, Norman Patenaude, Calvin

Willard.

Motion by Robinson. to approve minutes of meeting of April 24, 2006 as written.

Seconded by Faris and unanimously approved.

Norman Patenaude, district coordinator for Pike Industries, appeared to explain changes in pricing for proposed paving projects for 2006. In 2005, their price per ton for hot mix paving was $44.10/ton-in 2006 it has increased to $53.70/ton. His appearance was to clarify how the

Town would be billed in 2006. During the end of the 2005 season, the Town had a contract for Pike to pave the Barnet Center Road from Little France Road (TH#44) to Joes Brook Road at a price of $44.10/ton. Due to Pike’s commitment to finish paving on Interstate 91, they asked the Town to let them due this paving in 2006 at the 2005 price. The Town agreed.

In 2005, the estimated tonnage to do the Barnet Center job was 1,273 tons. We did use some

tonnage to cover the places where culverts were replaced and this will leave about 934 tons

that Pike will charge us for at the 2005 price of 44.10/ton. Any other paving will be billed at the 2006 price of 53.70/ton. The Barnet Center Road project is a project that is 80% funded by a Vt. Agency of Transportation grant. Board agreed to contract for the following paving in

2006:

-Barnet Center Road—estimated cost $59,393 – (934 tons @44.10-balance @53.70)

-W.Barnet Road-from Barnet Center Road to bridge over the Stevens River-

965 tons @53.70=estimated cost of 51,820 plus 2,000 for cold planer to

help level paving on bridge.

Calvin Willard appeared to inquire as to whether the Selectmen would allow him to do work

to upgrade a short section of Chamerlain Road (TH#34). He is looking into purchasing land adjacent to the class 4 road and wants to make a section of the road passable. He also inquired as to whether or not the Town would take it over and reclassify it to a Class 3 road if he brought it up to Class 3 standards. He estimates the total distance he is looking at to be 2,000 ft.. Both Gary Bunnell and Stan Robinson pointed out there is a substantial cost to upgrade a road to Class 3 standards. The Town might possibly plow the road once is a while, but not every storm. The Board sees no problem with allowing Mr. Willard to do some work to improve the existing road. Approved unanimously to allow him to work on road but would like to see his plans before work starts.

The status on the contracted repairs to the deck for bridge #10 located in E.Barnet Village appears to be clearer now. The Town has submitted two new funding applications to the State of Vt. Agency of Transportation to replace the earlier single application. The two new ones cover one for painting only (76,500) and the other for the work on the deck (110,000). This should alleviate the problem the Town was concerned about for overruns on the deck work. These two new applications add 10,000 to the funding. Board decided to have our engineers, Dufresne & Henry, go ahead and notify low bidder –J.P. Sicard Inc.of Barton, Vt.- that his low bid of $174,455 will be accepted and as soon as papers are signed, he can proceed with the work.

Read petition submitted by Green Mountain Power Corp. for the location of a new pole within the town right of way on Harvey Mtn. Road near the north end of the lake. Road Foreman Maurice Gingue met with Green Mtn. Power and looked at the sight. Board gave their approval to the request.

Approved the following overweight vehicle applications:

Donald Moore Jr.

Austin Construction Inc.

Read e-mail message from Patricia Peterson of the State of Vermont in response to a letter written by the Town in March of 2005 requesting permission to either sell or demolish the Brock Cottage located on town land at the beach. Permission is needed as the property was originally purchased with Federal and State funds. This e-mail confirms a phone conversation giving the Town permission to so dispose of this building. Exact method of removal is yet to be determined.

-Board gave approval to waiving zoning permit fee to 3 Rivers League for buildings at new

ballfield.

-Shirley Warden mentioned the Deborah Roy has signatures of several residents along Blaine

Drive asking for a change in the speed limit sign. The lowest we can do this per our o

Ordinance is 25 mph. We could put up lower signs, but they could not be enforced.

-Shirley Warden suggested that someone should be hired to look for missing road signs and

to oversee their replacement. Board agreed to have Shirley do this as time permits and to

pay her for her time and travel.

Motion by Robinson to go into executive session at 8:25 PM to discuss contract. Seconded

and unanimously approved. Came out of executive session at 8:30 PM.

Russ Bartlett appeared representing Hansen Const. LTD, the firm doing the reconstruction work on the McIndoe Falls-Monroe bridge project to receive approval to do some road repairs where the railroad underpass is located. In order for cement trucks to go through the

underpass, the road needs to be dug out for clearance purposes. They will repave when done and will clean drain out and make sure to channel water. They will be in contact with the railroad and the McIndoe Falls Fire District. No objection with the board. Motion by Robinson to accept the proposal and approve the work. Unanimously approved. The paving will cover about 85 feet of the road.

Gary Dwyer, son of Barnet property owner Reginald Dwyer of Lyndonville, appeared on behalf of his father to request access to his landlocked land through the former Barnet landfill. The Dwyer’s land is located southerly of the Barnet Landfill/Town Forest land and he is looking for a one year access to remove some lumber from his land. Selectmen explained that we do have some problems with allowing access through the former landfill area as it does come under scrutiny from the Federal Mine and Safety Administration (MSHA) and they do impose strict limitations on access to the area by anyone other than Town personnel. Selectmen will check with MSHA on any possible problems. In June of 1981, the town did enter into an agreement with Mr. Dwyer giving him permission to access his landlocked property by crossing the Barnet landfill for a period of one year. Gary Dwyer mentioned that at some point, his father may be willing to sell this land to the Town. The access to this lot has always been a problem and Mr. Dwyer does feel that possibly they have gained legal access through adverse possession. Legal proceedings may or may not come out of this. Board agreed to give Mr. Dwyer a one year access, but only after conferring with MSHA representatives first. We will contact Mr. Dwyer after this matter is cleared up.

Approved overweight vehicle permit requests from William Pinkham Jr. and Classen’s Crane Service.

Motion by Ted Faris to appoint George Pierce as Memorial Day coordinator. Seconded and unanimously approved.

-Road Foreman Maurice Gingue appeared to discuss ongoing highway maintenance work. He presented a list of culverts that need to be replaced this summer. Discussed sweeping of roads he plans on doing. At the present time, J.A. MacDonald of Lyndonville is crushing gravel. Stan Robinson reported that Tristan Vaughan called him with prices to replace the guardrail at the entrance to the new Fire Station on Bimson Drive. His price would be $750 if the Town uses it backhoe to dig the holes-$1,000 if he digs the holes. Board agreed to accept the proposal for $750.

-Barnet resident and district representative Leigh Larocque appeared to offer his thoughts on the repairs to be done to bridge #10 located in E. Barnet. Bids were opened on April 19^{th but have not yet been finalized. Leigh stated that he had the feeling that possibly we will find out that there is more work that needs to be done than originally thought and accepting any bid has its risks. He went on to note that at the present time the State of Vermont has verbally committed to funding up to $150,000 of this project with anything over that being borne by the Town. Leigh offered to go to the State offices in Montpelier to find out if there is another aid source that would better protect the Town in case the cost of this project escalates to a cost much higher than we anticipate. He expects he would know within a couple of weeks if another funding source may be available. Board decided to hold off making any decision on this bridge project until Leigh can check this out.}

Meeting began at 7:00 PM

Board members present: Selectmen Theodore Faris, Gary Bunnell, and Stanley Robinson.

Others present: Town Clerk William Hoar; Shirley Warden, William Warden, Maurice

Gingue; George & Doreen Mears.

Motion by Robinson. to approve minutes of meeting of March 27, 2006 as written.

Seconded by Faris and unanimously approved.

.BIDS ON MOWING OF TOWN PROPERTIES

Opened bids as advertised for mowing of Palmer & Stevens Cemeteries, the Library building lot, the new fire station land, the Soldiers monument in Barnet Village and cleaning around the Town Hall and Town Clerks Office. Bids submitted were as follows:

J&B Property Maintenance (Jeremy Bean) - $ 1,850.00 for the season

Wilderness Const. & Property Services (Zachary Drown) - $2,400.00 for the season

William Warden- $2,000.00 for the season

After considerable discussion on the bids, a motion was made by Gary Bunnell to award the bid to William Warden for $2,000.00 for the season. Motion seconded by Robinson and unanimously approved. Main reason for not going with the low bid was the desire to give the job to a person living within the Town limits if reasonably possible. The Board did ask Mr.

Warden to advise them in 2007 if he wishes to continue with the mowing and this will hopefully eliminate the need for bids.

A. Approved overweight vehicle permits filed by Gil’s Construction; H. A. Manosh Corp.;

and Yarde Metals Inc..

B. Approved the renewal of a Liquor license for 2006 for Barnet Village Store.

C. Approved the following highway access permits:

- Carl & Tricia Sanborn to change their existing driveway access on Comerford Dam

Road in order to make more room for vehicles.

- George & Dorene Mears for a new driveway on property currently owned by John

and Mary Becker on Somerhill Road in West Barnet. The Mears were present to

answer questions. They expect to have title to this property late this week or early

next week. Selectmen Gary Bunnell inspected the site and they will need to install

a culvert with minimum diameter of 18 inches.

Board is still looking for someone to take over the roll of Memorial Day coordinator. We contacted one individual and he was not interested. Board to be thinking about someone they think will take on this responsibility.

-Signed two applications to be mailed to Vt. Agency of Transportation seeking State Aid for Highways for paving work on a section of the West Barnet Road from its junction with the Barnet Center Road to the bridge near the junction with E. Peacham Road (est. cost of $55,000) and a project to reclaim and pave about 1 mile of the Barnet Center Road from near the Barnet Center Church northerly (est. cost of $65,000).

-Road Foreman Maurice Gingue received a price from J&J Auto Body to paint the 1999 Ford

pickup at the request of the Selectmen. Price quoted was $2,473.90. Truck has about 150,000 miles on it. After some discussion, board decided it was not worth it to paint a truck with this many miles on it.

-Discussed guardrail work and road sweeping work for this summer. Maurice is still receiving price quotes.

-Shirley Warden mentioned that the Planning Commission is nearly ready to submit a new proposed Town Plan to the Selectmen. They do need to have our tax mappers-Cartographic Associates Inc.- prepare new copies of several maps for the plan and asked for the Board’s permission to expend these funds. We are still waiting for a price but board gave the go ahead assuming the price quoted fits within the board’s current budget.

Meeting ended at 8:10 PM.

MINUTES

BOARD OF SELECTMEN’S MEETING

TOWN OF BARNET, VT.

MONDAY, MARCH 13, 2006

Meeting began at 7:05 PM       

Board members present: Selectmen Theodore Faris,  Gary Bunnell, and Stanley Robinson.

Others present:  Town Clerk William Hoar; Shirley Warden.      

APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF PRIOR MEETING

Motion by Bunnell to approve minutes of meeting of February 27, 2006 as written with a

note that the ending time of the meeting should be 7:20 PM rather than 7 PM.

Seconded by Faris and unanimously approved.

ORGANIZATION OF THE BOARD

Election of Chairman- Theodore Faris nominated by Stanley Robinson.  Unanimously

        elected Theodore Faris as chairman.

Appointment of Road Commissioners-Voted that Gary Bunnell and Stanley Robinson will

        be Road Commissioners.

Date and time of meetings-to remain as the 2^nd and 4^th Monday’s in each month at 7 PM at

        the Town Clerks Office.

NEW GRANT PROGRAM AVAILABLE FOR COMMUNITES

Read e-mail notice from Shauna Clifford of the Vt. Agency of Transportation of a grant program available through the Vermont Local Roads Program at St. Michael’s College called SAFETEA-LU which provides assistance to municipalities for projects to reduce water pollution generated by, or directly associated with existing public roads and road maintenance activities.  The sum of $3 million has been made available from 2006-2009 with the maximum grant being $150,000 and the Town having to match it with at least 20% of the total cost.  Among eligible projects would be stabilizing ditches, culverts and other drainage

facilities; stabilize roadside slopes, construct or reconstruct salt/sand storage sheds, related planning and engineering, land purchase or easements related to one of these projects, purchase of high efficiency street sweeping equipment.  Selectmen want to discuss this program further with Shauna Clifford.

CALEDONIA COUNTY NATURAL RESOURCES CONS.DISTRICT

LETTER

Read letter from Caledonia County Conservation District offering services to Barnet and Peacham to help cover costs of replacing problem culverts or related road improvement projects within the Stevens River watershed.   They have secured funding for these types of projects and are willing to assist the Town in applying for grant funding through the Better Backroads Program.  To contact Kerry O’Brien, District Manager for further information.

LICENSE AND PERMIT APPLICATIONS

A. Approved overweight vehicle permits filed by Carroll Ainsworth, Barrett Trucking Co.,

      Carroll Concrete, W. D. Fearon, Larry Flood, and S. T. Griswold & Co..

OTHER BUSINESS

Discussion on  advertising for bids for mowing of Stevens Cemetery, Palmer Cemetery, the monument in Barnet Village, the Library building grounds, the new fire station land, and to clean up around the Town Hall and Town Clerks Office. To place notice in paper as soon as possible. 

Meeting ended at 7:45 PM.