BENNINGTON SELECT BOARD MEETING BENNINGTON FIRE FACILITY 130 RIVER STREET BENNINGTON, VERMONT 05201 MONDAY, MARCH 26, 2012 MINUTES BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Joseph Krawczyk-Chair; Matt Maroney-Vice-Chair; Jason Morrissey; John Zink; Chris Oldham; Justin Corcoran and Sharyn Brush. ALSO PRESENT: Stuart Hurd-Town Manager; Brenda Jones; Deter Drake; Jim Douglas; Patrick McCardle; Neal Goswami-Bennington Banner and Nancy Lively-Recording Secretary At 6:00 P.M., Joseph Krawczyk called the meeting to order. 1.PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all. 2.MINUTES - MARCH 12, 2012 Sharyn Brush moved and John Zink seconded to approve the Minutes of March 12, 2012 as submitted. The motion carried unanimously. 3.WARRANTS The warrants were circulated for signatures after Mr. Hurd answered questions on traffic control, boots, ballots, CVPS smart meters, sludge cake removal, memorial wreaths and markers, fire facility radios, and Clifford's Pizza. 4. CITIZENS Ms. Jones read the Chamber of Commerce letter stating that they would not express an opinion of support or non-support to a zoning change that would affect a specific individual property due to a conflict of interest. Mr. Morrissey clarified that his request was for the Economic Development Committee to come back with an opinion on the re-zoning of the Johnson Control site, and Mr. Shanahan said that he would place it on the agenda of the next EDC meeting. 5.TOUR OF THE DRAGONS UPDATE Mr. Douglas shared the following information with the Board on the upcoming Tour of the Dragons bicycle races: * The Tour of the Dragons is now under the umbrella of Anthem Sports represented by Deter Drake. Anthem Sports is the organization that has sponsored the Tour of the Battenkill in Cambridge, NY for eight years, and has expanded participation during those eight years from 200 to 3,000. * Race dates are May 5, 2012 in Bennington and May 6, 2012 in Manchester. * 550 racers are expected which will bring around 2,000 people to town. * The schedule is: May 5th - 7:45am to 6:20pm - with the Individual Time Trial on South Stream Road and the Downtown Criterium in downtown; May 6th - 8:00am to 4:30pm - Long Road Race finishing in Manchester. * The downtown businesses will be kept apprised of the schedules and the overwhelming majority of businesses have been positive and supportive of the event. They have been made aware that it is a for profit event this year. * All avenues of communication will be used for information about the races - the Banner, CAT-TV, and WBTN. * There are specific break times of 15 to 20 minutes between races when the streets will be open. * The Police Department has been very supportive in efficiently re-directing traffic. * Safety is first and foremost in everyone's minds. * The race will be billed for extra police time and should bring thousands of dollars of income into the region. * This is a for profit organization that will donate $300 to any non-profit in the region that supplies 10 volunteers, or $750 to those that supply 20 volunteers. * The event carries too much overhead to make it worth an individual non-profit - such as United Counseling did last year - to sponsor. * It is too hard to predict the event's profit at this time but a report will be given to the Board when the amount is known. * All racers are expected to participate in all races on both days. 6.PROCLAMATION - NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK Chris Oldham moved and Jason Morrissey seconded to accept the Proclamation, National Library Week, April 8-14, 2012 as presented. The motion carried unanimously. 7.2012 LIQUOR AND TOBACCO LICENSE APPLICATIONS The following 2012 Liquor License Renewal Applications were circulated for signatures: First Class Renewals - 1.Lil' Britain, LLC 2.Peppermill's of Bennington 3.Publyk House 4.RT Ryan's Second Class Renewals - 1.Apple Barn 2.Elm Street Market 3.River Street Variety The following 2012 Tobacco License Renewal Applications were circulated for signatures. 1.Elm Street Market 2.Paulin, Inc. 3.River Street Variety The New 2012 First Class Liquor License was circulated for signatures: 1.HLH Enterprises of Bennington, Inc. 8.MANAGER'S REPORT The Annual Financial Plan - Town Highways was circulated for signatures. Mr. Hurd reported that he and Mr. Monks met with FEMA representatives, representatives from the Agency of Natural Resources, representatives from the Agency of Transportation and their contractors, as well as, Congressman Welch's office via phone for the most positive meeting on debris removal since Irene. This is mostly the work that has been done in the three-mile stretch of the Roaring Branch. We are very hopeful and will know more on April 3rd. 9.OTHER BUSINESS Mr. Morrissey and Ms. Brush thanked Mr. Zink and Mr. Maroney for their six years of service on the Board. Mr. Krawczyk noted the excellent rating that the Town received from Environmental Conservation on our Water Treatment Facility. Kudos to the staff. Mr. Krawczyk thanked the citizens that attended the Rural Development seminars with their positive attitude, and encouraged everyone to attend the upcoming seminars. However, the previously scheduled meeting on April 19th has been cancelled, and an alternate date has yet to be determined. Please see all forms of public communication for the date. Mr. Krawczyk warned everyone that ticks will be especially plentiful this year because of our mild winter. Mr. Krawczyk announced the following openings on Boards and Commissions: Constable 1 position 1-year term Development Review Board 3 positions 3-year terms Historic Preservation Commission 2 positions 3-year terms Housing Authority 1 position 5-year term Board of Listers 2 positions 2-year terms Planning Commission 2 positions 3-year terms Regional Commission 1 position 2 year term Town Service Officer 1 position 1-year term Contact Mr. Hurd at the Town Office if you are interested in any of these openings. Mr. Krawczyk stated that the Board had sent a letter of non-support for the General Assembly's proposed redistricting of our area. We presently have two 2-member districts right now that make sense and the lines are clear. If you think that this is "a dumb move", please call your legislators and Chairperson Sweeney to inform them of your opinion. Mr. Hurd announced that the semi-annual hydrant flushing will take place April 2nd thru April 6th and April 9th thru April 13th. Mr. Oldham asked when the winter parking ban is over, and Mr. Hurd answered on April 1st. At 6:50 P.M., Chris Oldham moved and Justin Corcoran seconded the adjournment of the meeting. The motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Nancy H. Lively Secretary