GREENSBORO — The Wednesday evening meeting was packed with members of the community, with few chairs left empty on October 9.
The meeting began with the board passing a motion to adopt new parliamentary procedures for discussion, to moderate the level of discourse after the September 19 meeting spiraled out of control with disruptive and accusatory remarks.
Chair Eric Hanson said “I don’t think anyone is satisfied, both the board and the public need to do better. Board member Bobbi Nisbet was in agreement, saying “We’re all better than this.”
The board reiterated the importance of working efficiently to best serve the public body. Nevertheless, disruptions continued throughout the evening.
The board has adopted new rules for public participation based on a model from the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, with slightly different rules than before, such as each person can only speak once on an agenda item. Personal comments would be grounds for removal.
Other rules for public participation included that the board would hold a public comment period at the beginning of each meeting and after each agenda item and individuals would have two minutes to speak, time that could not be yielded to another person.
As the board moved on to public comment, Gary Circosta used his time to inquire about the board’s recent activity. “I just went back to July first to today, there were about 11 select board meetings. I can’t find recordings for about seven of the 11 meetings on the town’s website, and I think that would be a violation of the Open Meeting Law. And for those 11 meetings, the minutes were uploaded late, which would be a violation of Open Meeting Law.”
The former grange building in Greensboro sits idle on October 15, It was a subject of a comment by Gary Circosta at the October 10 select board meeting after the board agreed to allow Caspian Arts to use the building again for its summer show in 2025. Isa Oehry advised Circosta and the board that Caspian Arts does not use water in the building.
The board’s response was “There have been no special meetings since September, except for budget meetings.”
After concluding public comment, the board moved on to other agenda items.
Isa Oehry, representing Caspian Arts, addressed the board saying “In the names of all the members I want to thank the select board for letting us use the Grange for our summer exhibit. We feel that it’s a great addition to the attractions of the Town of Greensboro. We had roughly 300 visitors and some wonderful comments.”
Oehry asked that Caspian Arts be able to use the space again next year, from July 4 to September 29.
Board member David Kelley said, “I would certainly support that, it’s been a great use.”
The board unanimously motioned to approve the use of the space by Caspian Arts next year, and opened up public comment.
Circosta then read off some previous concerns raised about the wastewater system in the Grange, saying “The board should budget in for installing two wastewater tanks, which could be between 10,000 to 20,000 dollars. The board had a discussion about the RuralEdge project and the town hall, and the Grange could impact this. If we’re going to extend use for Caspian Arts, we should at least find out what’s happening with that permit.”
Oehry volunteered to respond, “We are aware of the wastewater situation. When we use the Grange, we do not use any water. We’ve been happily using the church bathroom next door. We are not in use of any septic.”
The board then moved on to the road foreman report, delivered by Tom Cammara. He proposed to the board a new lease program for town equipment. Unlike a retail note, a municipal lease would be an annual payment with unlimited hours. A representative from United Construction and Forestry provided further explanation for the board.
Cammara suggested the board replace the sidewalk snowblower with a skid steer having an attached materials spreader, to allow for year round use, saying “If we’re going to get a piece of equipment it should be versatile, used year round.
He reported all grant work has been completed, roads have been resurfaced and Young and Richardson Roads are finished as well. The crew has begun hauling winter sand, he said, in closing, he said the town has not received any bids for the town truck. Plans are to move forward on a trade-in to the Mack dealership for $45,000 toward the price of a new truck.
Board member Ellen Celnik gave an update on the RuralEdge project, saying “The purchase and sale agreement is with the lawyers, there’s nothing else to report at this time.” Both RuralEdge and the town have had the site appraised, and the reports are posted on the town’s website.
David Kelley will replace MacNeil to work with Celnik negotiating the purchase and sale agreement for the Town Hall property with RuralEdge
During public comment, Gary Circosta questioned the price difference between the appraisals. Celnik explained that the higher quote includes mitigation work and ADA and permit costs.
In other business, the miscellaneous bylaws presented by the planning commission were approved by the board unanimously.
The board discussed adopting a new sign policy for municipal property, but after a number of disruptions from the audience, decided to delay the conversation for a future meeting.
Board member Bobbi Nisbet said residents of Greensboro Bend are feeling unsafe, with particular concern for the daycare and younger residents. “What we’re looking at now is a quality of life issue in The Bend. Many have expressed close calls on that corner, she said”
The board discussed having the town pursue increasing speeding patrols and plans to utilize a speed monitor to gather further data.
An earlier version of this article incorrectly indicated the meeting was on Thursday, October 10..
Raymobda is a VTSU - Castleton English Major interning with The Hardwick Gazette.
