GREENSBORO – The December 11 select board meeting had a packed agenda Wednesday evening with more on the ongoing sign discussion, a request for a new tree in the town park, plans to safeguard town data, the cost of replacing vs. repairing unreliable road crew snow removal equipment and the ongoing discussion of planning for a wastewater system.
Board member Bobbi Nisbet provided an update to the ongoing sign policy situation. The new policy went into effect November 26, only applicable to signs posted on town property.
Some audience members addressed the board, explaining their confusion on the sign policies implementation.
Davis Barnett said “I’m just wondering when the select board might follow the policy?”
Barnett questioned whether or not a recent event at the Highland Center for the Arts fell under the policy’s purview. Nisbet explained that the HCA is not town property, therefore exempt from the policy. Barnett then asked if the signs were technically infringement on the right-of-way. Nisbet provided further explanations on the specifics of the policy.
“No, the only people that need to have a permit are artists that have galleries, of which we have two galleries in town. We have one down on Country Club Road, and we have a gallery up on Town Highway 8. Both of them are allowed to have signs in the town right of way. And they need to come and are required to apply for a permit, according to the state . . . And that just allows them to put their sign in the right of way. Political signs can go in the right of way only for two weeks before an election. Other than that, there are no event activity signs.
“Haven’t we created a tempest in a teapot, about signs? The only reason we’re talking about it is because certain people didn’t like signs that went up that were against what they were supporting; the RuralEdge project,” said Mike Lammert. “Are we going to come up with some kind of restrictions that we’re going to live with forever only because some people didn’t like the nature of signs that were put up. This whole thing seems to be ridiculous.”
Celnik explained the reason there hasn’t been a bylaw previously is because the issue was tabled after “no one could come up with an answer to it.”
Celnik elaborated, “I even have a copy of what that was years ago when I was on the planning commission, but to answer you, the Greensboro zoning sign, we have a zoning policy that’s in our zoning that has to do with the size of a sign. Right, size is not an issue. On your own property, they have to be 25 feet from the center of the road. That’s not a bylaw. It’s already been in our zoning for eons.”
Audience member and former select board member Judy Carpenter said; “Well, I have to agree with Ellen because when I was on the select board many years ago, we wrestled with this and we had ideas and we didn’t get this far, but it was a problem years ago and I want to compliment whoever did it, because right after the election, all the candidate signs disappeared and all the other signs moved further back and it looked a lot better and I didn’t feel that everything was in my face. It’s tricky and it’s testy, but it’s a good thing.”
Gary Circosta said “There were 19 signs that the constable took down. All 19 were ‘Save Town Hall.’ There are dozens and dozens of signs in the right of way all over town that were not touched. This is a targeted enforcement. This policy is unconstitutional because it started July 25, when Bobby mysteriously got possession of five ‘Save Town Hall’ signs. This policy is only targeting ‘Save Town Hall’ signs.”
Circosta said that the whereabouts of the confiscated signs is still unknown, which is theft of private property.
Board member David Kelley said in response, “Gary and Davis raised a good point, and I think we need to go back and do some clarification of this. . .”
Chair Eric Hanson thanked everyone for their feedback, acknowledging the points of contention raised by the audience. The board agreed to re-examine the policy on issues like right-of-way, and return to the policy discussion in January.
Stuart LaPointe used the time for public comments from the audience to present a proposal regarding the purchase of a tree for the town park across from Willey’s store. LaPointe suggested a soft maple or a yellow birch would be suitable for the soil conditions. The board approved the $200 expenditure to purchase a yellow birch, noting they have $7,000 in the budget for next year for grounds-related expenses. The board thanked LaPointe for his extensive volunteer work on the Rail Trail, as well.
The board informed the community they have opened the Giving Closet for individuals affected by the recent fire in East Hardwick, noting Irene Hill volunteered for the task. Seven families have been displaced, according to the board.
A bid from the Orleans County Sheriff was received to serve for the next fiscal year, with the board noting a $5,000 increase. A decision regarding the new contract was postponed to compare contracts from surrounding towns.
Road Foreman Tom Camarra addressed the board next, providing an update. “The road crew work diligently to keep things open . . with all the bad weather Mother Nature threw at us.”
Camarra said, despite the long hours, everything is looking pretty good, though the sidewalk machine had broken down again. Parts for a repair have been ordered, totaling $1,000 which is less than last year but still an inconvenience.
He suggested the board consider investing in a different piece of equipment, saying, “Instead of continuing to dump money into this piece of equipment that we only use six months out of the year, maybe we should look into doing something different. What we had proposed in the beginning is something that we can use all year round for versatility, instead of just using it for six months and having this thing keep breaking down and putting money into it.”
Camarra said last year they spent $17,000 on breakdowns, adding, “I don’t know if we want to continue, and the winter hasn’t even started yet.”
The board discussed possible replacement options, with Camarra agreeing to later provide further details about the particulars.
The Shadow Lake Bridge contractor selection process was up next. The board has received bids ranging from $308,000 to $497,000 for its replacement. The engineer recommends taking the low bid, saying they’ve worked with a firm in Wolcott that did a good job with the bridge there. The board unanimously approved the motion to accept the $308,000 bid. Construction on the bridge will hopefully begin next summer, in May or June.
Renewal of the contract with Cargill salt was approved, noting it’s only 25 cents more a ton than last year.
Town Clerk Kim Greaves then began her report with the disaster recovery for the IT in the office, introducing Andy Mosdale, who has been working with the town for about a year providing support for printers, computers and the network.
Mosdale explained some of the improvements recently made, along with his recommendations to improve the overall security of sensitive files. “So, most of the best practices in this day and age are done through a snapshot image of all these files and folders that gets sent off again to somewhere externally through the internet. And then if there is a catastrophic failure or catastrophe, you can take those files and then reseed them, basically repopulating them on a working computer.”
Mosdale said this method saves everyone a little peace of mind, and requires less management regarding these files in the event of a disaster such as a flood. This backup service would require a monthly payment.
“And like they were saying, Kim’s got a lot going on, so this would be kind of a seamless easy way to lighten her load and also protect the town’s assets digitally.”
Board member Ellen Celnik expressed her support for Mosdale’s approval, saying “You know, this is not just another cloud service, it’s an actual place that has a separate server. So that if there’s a disaster, it literally would seamlessly do things that if we had to recover in many different ways would be time consuming, probably way more costly during a disaster. And this is really a way of preparing. You know, you can be penny-wise and pound foolish but I’d rather be wise.”
The board unanimously approved the motion to pay the $399 monthly quote, which includes training and support.
Greaves went on to report that the town offices have moved back downstairs, and that water has begun leaking through a crack in the wall. She thanked Assistant Town Clerk Lily McMurtrie in particular, for all her assistance in recent weeks.
In the absence of Brett Stanciu, she said they are doing their best to manage the workload. “Randy Smith from Woodbury is helping us some, but the financials that Brett did so seamlessly is something that I haven’t ever done so . . . this town report may not be like it was last year but we’re going to do all we can.”
Greaves said, as Woodbury’s longtime treasurer, Smith has been phenomenal in her recent assistance helping Jennifer Lucas with the budget meetings.
Three hours after the meeting began, the board went into a 25 minute executive session.
Before adjourning they authorized engaging a third appraisal firm to value the Town Hall building, “approved by the Vermont Housing Finance Authority, to resolve differences in the purchase price and extend the option agreement with Rural Edge for six months with the intent of getting to a vote on a proposed conveyance at the 2025 Town Meeting.”
Raymobda is a VTSU - Castleton English Major interning with The Hardwick Gazette.
