[0:12] Good evening everyone.
[0:14] Welcome to the
[0:15] elected
[0:16] council meeting. September 2026
[0:18] . I didn't hear
[0:20] them say that
[0:21] recording was in progress.
[0:22] Uh, no, not on this one.
[0:23] Okay, 5:00 p.m. And our
[0:27] meeting was announced in
[0:28] three different places in the
[0:29] city. It has been posted
[0:31] on our website and
[0:32] emailed to
[0:34] interested
[0:35] parties. Therefore, we
[0:37] believe that we can
[0:38] continue to
[0:39] hold legal
[0:40] open meetings. Yes
[0:43] . The meeting complies with
[0:45] open
[0:46] meeting laws. Too many
[0:48] meetings. Let's start
[0:50] again. Um, the first
[0:51] item on our
[0:52] agenda is the
[0:53] minutes of the previous
[0:54] meeting. And our
[0:55] last meeting was on
[0:57] September 14, 2026. Um, I
[0:59] reread the protocol, and
[1:04] , uh, except for a
[1:05] typo
[1:07] where the vortex should have been the
[1:08] apex. And I thought
[1:12] maybe we should
[1:13] add, uh, two words
[1:15] to the part about the flag
[1:19] in the park being
[1:20] lit up at night.
[1:23] Um, I propose
[1:24] to accept the minutes of
[1:26] the meeting of September 14,
[1:28] 2026.
[1:30] Second.
[1:31] All in favor? Yes.
[1:35] Not bad.
[1:39] Do we have any
[1:40] additions to the
[1:41] agenda?
[1:47] Shall we move on to the reports of
[1:48] our departments? Do
[1:50] we have an update
[1:51] on the
[1:52] energy coordinator? I
[1:53] don't think there is. Uh,
[1:57] an update on the
[1:58] grants? The
[1:59] only update on
[2:00] the grant is
[2:01] that we received, um,
[2:02] well, as of
[2:02] today it's
[2:03] in
[2:04] pending status, our
[2:05] reimbursement to the
[2:06] USDA
[2:07] for the
[2:08] Haynes project. Hmm,
[2:13] so that's 136,439. Hmm, and
[2:15] yes, I requested, um,
[2:16] a refund for that
[2:18] last Tuesday. Hmm
[2:21] , they
[2:21] work great and
[2:23] do it quickly. So it
[2:24] was
[2:24] as wonderful as it may
[2:26] sound.
[2:26] Yes, of course. Yes,
[2:28] exactly. Hmm, and that's all
[2:30] I have for now.
[2:31] Okay, thank you.
[2:34] Traffic Department.
[2:36] Paving on
[2:37] Cory Hill. I hope that
[2:40] , if the weather
[2:41] cooperates,
[2:42] it will be done in two more days
[2:43] . And we
[2:46] are trying
[2:47] to prepare for
[2:48] winter.
[2:50] What? Sprinkling
[2:52] winter sand? Hmm.
[2:58] Do you think you
[2:59] will have
[3:00] problems
[3:00] getting salt again
[3:01] this year, or is it too
[3:02] early to know?
[3:03] Sorry? Do
[3:05] you think you
[3:06] will have
[3:07] salt problems again this year, or is it
[3:08] too early to know?
[3:13] I think not, but I don't
[3:15] know.
[3:16] It depends on
[3:18] whether there is an ice storm in New Jersey
[3:19] .
[3:20] Yes.
[3:21] Wow. Supposedly they
[3:23] solved the
[3:26] problems they had
[3:28] . I have other
[3:30] ways, but they
[3:31] cost more
[3:32] money. Many.
[3:40] So, our salt is
[3:42] Syracuse. Yes.
[3:43] Does our salt
[3:44] come from Canada?
[3:45] It is coming to the
[3:46] Syracuse area.
[3:47] Good. This is a plus. From the
[3:51] city. I was driving
[3:53] past the old town.
[3:54] Perfectly. That's why there
[3:58] is salt in the ocean. Something
[4:00] spilled. They both
[4:03] fell
[4:04] into the water. My God.
[4:06] Good.
[4:07] Library update?
[4:13] So, the AGD grant, which was supposed to
[4:14] be announced
[4:15] at the end of the summer,
[4:17] was postponed to October.
[4:19] So we're still waiting
[4:20] for that.
[4:21] Good.
[4:23] Um, we're moving
[4:24] forward with the drainage. Um,
[4:28] we thought it was a
[4:29] bigger project than it
[4:31] actually was. So it seems like
[4:32] it's a simpler thing, which is
[4:34] good. We'll put
[4:35] gravel, um, around
[4:36] the building to
[4:37] prevent splashing. And that's what
[4:40] will help
[4:41] wet the wall
[4:42] in the spring and all that.
[4:46] Um, we set up a
[4:47] platform in front.
[4:50] So a lot happened this summer
[4:51] . Um, and it
[4:53] was, um,
[4:53] funded by
[4:54] the Friends of the Library.
[4:56] So we can
[4:57] use, um, the
[4:58] furniture that we have, but
[4:59] we couldn't
[4:59] use
[5:00] before. So, this was
[5:01] done to
[5:02] create more
[5:03] places for people to
[5:04] spend time. Um, there's a
[5:05] sapling nesting there
[5:07] , um, in the lilac. So we
[5:09] finally found
[5:10] someone to take it down
[5:11] . So they're
[5:12] going to remove it. Um,
[5:16] and the stained glass window was installed,
[5:17] um, in July. So, I
[5:21] think this is the fifth of the
[5:22] sixth, um, in the whole
[5:24] restoration
[5:25] project. So, it's actually
[5:26] going very well
[5:28] . Um, we had a
[5:32] few shelves collapse. Um, I
[5:35] think they
[5:36] checked all the other
[5:37] shelves, and I would say there
[5:38] is some deformation
[5:40] . So, it was
[5:41] temporarily fixed
[5:43] , um, but that's something we're
[5:44] going to start
[5:45] looking into, um, that could
[5:47] be replaced. Um, but
[5:50] we'll figure that out. And Maya is currently
[5:54] working on
[5:55] weeding out
[5:56] fiction and
[5:57] nonfiction so that she
[5:59] can keep up with
[6:00] all the current
[6:00] information. And our
[6:04] disaster recovery plan has been completed
[6:05] and updated. And, uh,
[6:10] well, I was busy.
[6:11] We haven't had a good report in a while
[6:12] , so
[6:13] this is a good discussion.
[6:14] Yes. Perfectly.
[6:21] Some updates from the council.
[6:23] Um, I really don't have anything to
[6:24] share. Um,
[6:27] my email
[6:28] was compromised
[6:30] at the end of August,
[6:31] so I closed it for a while
[6:32] , and so, um,
[6:33] I kind of fell out
[6:35] of touch,
[6:36] relying on
[6:37] the women here to
[6:38] do things, so, um,
[6:39] I don't have anything to
[6:40] report.
[6:44] Um, I guess I have
[6:45] two things. Um, at our
[6:49] last meeting, um
[6:51] , I said that I would, um,
[6:52] contact the
[6:53] state engineer,
[6:54] um, regarding the, um,
[6:56] sidewalk project. Um, Katherine
[6:59] Shankman asked for
[7:01] some information. Um,
[7:04] and I received from them,
[7:05] um, the final plans for
[7:07] this project. Hmm, I
[7:10] gave them to Catherine. Hmm, have
[7:12] n't heard anything else,
[7:14] so I assume
[7:15] they gave her what
[7:17] she needed.
[7:20] Yes, and we still
[7:21] expect this
[7:22] project to happen in
[7:23] October.
[7:24] Any day. Uh,
[7:28] secondly, again, from the
[7:30] last meeting, I
[7:31] mentioned that, uh, I'm
[7:39] going to talk to a
[7:39] Norwich
[7:41] Solar representative about the resiliency zone project
[7:42] at the, uh,
[7:44] gravel pit on
[7:45] Route 73. Uh, I didn't
[7:47] learn anything that I didn't
[7:48] already know from my
[7:50] conversations with Green Mountain Power.
[7:56] Uh, but, uh, they from
[7:57] Norwich contacted us
[7:59] , and I think that's a
[8:00] good sign. Uh, and
[8:07] they're currently working with
[8:08] Green Mountain Power to, uh,
[8:10] rework
[8:11] the administration of the
[8:12] project, you know,
[8:13] contractually, uh, which is
[8:14] expected to be
[8:15] completed in the near
[8:17] future. Um, so there will be a
[8:26] contract and Norwich
[8:27] will get permission to
[8:28] start work, but, uh
[8:30] , in terms of the timeline, I
[8:31] got the same response from them
[8:32] as I
[8:33] did from Green Mountain
[8:35] Power, which is that
[8:37] the work is expected to, uh, be done
[8:38] next year. Uh,
[8:44] in the summer. Uh,
[8:48] we're still
[8:49] looking forward
[8:50] to it.
[8:50] Yes. In the meantime, I will
[8:52] periodically
[8:53] inform them so that
[8:54] they don't forget about
[8:55] us.
[8:56] Yes, well done.
[9:00] I'm fine. What is it?
[9:03] Drew Hudson just
[9:04] dropped by.
[9:05] Okay, we want to
[9:06] go back and
[9:07] see if
[9:08] Drew Hudson has any
[9:09] updates on the
[9:10] energy coordinator for us?
[9:14] Wait, I'll
[9:15] press the magic
[9:16] button now.
[9:19] Greetings. Uh, sorry, I
[9:21] just got here. I'm not
[9:22] sure if you've
[9:23] talked about this yet, but I
[9:24] think the main
[9:25] update for me
[9:26] is going to be the same as the
[9:27] main update
[9:28] from Mike, who
[9:29] talked about solar
[9:30] panels, so...
[9:31] We haven't gotten to
[9:32] that yet.
[9:32] We haven't discussed
[9:34] this yet, so stay tuned
[9:35] .
[9:36] Perfectly. I will be here.
[9:38] Good. Uh, the
[9:40] utilities department. There is
[9:43] no report this time. I'll just say
[9:44] that the people from Massanetta
[9:46] echoed Terry's...
[9:47] Mmm...
[9:47] Erm, about them
[9:48] coming to visit to
[9:49] check out the
[9:50] leech field in November.
[9:51] November...Well, okay.
[9:53] Water pump station
[9:54] ...Yes. Yes.
[9:58] VHI management update?
[10:01] I have...Can you hear me?
[10:04] Yes, we hear.
[10:05] Greetings. Greetings. Well,
[10:07] you know, autumn
[10:09] has fully begun in the center. Ours
[10:11] said that the schoolchildren
[10:13] returned to the
[10:13] building, which was very
[10:15] fun when their
[10:16] noise and excitement
[10:17] returned to the
[10:18] building. Um, ours
[10:19] said no, they did
[10:20] n't hire an
[10:21] art teacher. They
[10:22] hold a series of
[10:23] exhibitions by
[10:25] resident artists. So it's actually really
[10:27] fun to have different
[10:28] artists work with the
[10:29] kids and
[10:29] exhibit their
[10:30] work in our
[10:31] art zone. Um,
[10:33] they also have music and a
[10:34] band in the building, so that
[10:36] was fun. Um, we're
[10:37] also partnering with
[10:38] Amy Brown, who, for
[10:40] those of you who don't know,
[10:41] is an
[10:43] outdoor activities teacher for
[10:45] preschoolers and sixth graders.
[10:48] Um, and she came up and
[10:49] asked if
[10:50] the students could take
[10:51] responsibility for
[10:53] looking after Kate's garden, the
[10:54] memorial garden
[10:55] by the music
[10:56] room. So she
[10:58] sees it as an important
[10:59] part of
[11:00] science education, as well
[11:02] as community
[11:03] service. So, um, we
[11:04] 'll work with
[11:05] her to ensure the
[11:07] garden is taken care of. Um,
[11:10] also, the center is now
[11:12] open, um,
[11:13] Monday through Friday
[11:15] mornings, usually from 8:00 a.m.
[11:17] to 12:00 p.m. And there's, you know, a
[11:20] quiet space for
[11:21] remote work, and
[11:22] there's also a more
[11:23] open space
[11:24] for people who want to
[11:26] come in, get out of
[11:27] the rain, and enjoy
[11:28] each
[11:29] other's company. Um, and of
[11:31] course, we'll
[11:32] work closely
[11:34] with the people who
[11:34] are opening the bakery
[11:36] to make sure that
[11:37] we're not competing,
[11:38] you know, we, um, we're
[11:39] partnering with them
[11:40] to make sure that there
[11:42] are open spaces
[11:43] for the community. Um, oh, we're
[11:45] also having, um, uh
[11:47] , like last year, a
[11:48] children's
[11:49] Halloween party, which will
[11:50] take place in
[11:51] mid-October. So
[11:53] , again, so that it
[11:54] doesn't compete with the
[11:55] Pierce Hall events or
[11:56] anything like that. Um, and
[11:58] we'd like to have a
[11:59] late fall event
[12:00] for adults so
[12:01] they can have some
[12:02] fun. Um, and
[12:04] the last thing I want to
[12:05] say is that Holla,
[12:06] our
[12:07] art program, our
[12:08] art classes,
[12:09] are starting soon. So we will be
[12:11] posting the, um
[12:12] , fall
[12:13] art class schedule soon. Um,
[12:16] I think that's it. Do you
[12:18] have any questions or
[12:20] what door do you
[12:21] want people to
[12:22] use, Asha?
[12:24] Oh, okay. Sorry. Um,
[12:27] due to
[12:28] safety protocol with the, um,
[12:29] elementary school, the
[12:30] theater wing is
[12:31] completely closed, um
[12:33] , when children
[12:33] are in the
[12:34] building. So, the door
[12:38] to access the
[12:39] office wing, which is,
[12:41] um, you know, the
[12:42] remote workspace
[12:43] , the gathering place,
[12:44] my office for
[12:46] any issues
[12:46] related to the hub, um
[12:48] , fabric sales,
[12:50] bone builders, um, all these
[12:52] different office
[12:53] spaces, it seems like
[12:54] they're getting more and
[12:56] more every
[12:57] week, um, we're
[12:58] using the
[12:59] office wing door, um. And
[13:02] actually, there
[13:03] 's a blue sign above this door
[13:04] that says "office," from back
[13:06] when it was
[13:07] , uh, the main office.
[13:08] So, these are the doors that
[13:09] will be open
[13:11] Monday through Friday
[13:12] mornings. Thank you for this
[13:13] question.
[13:18] Hmm, I will say that, uh, there is
[13:20] a video that, uh, Rob
[13:21] Gardner, uh, made
[13:22] a little
[13:23] documentary
[13:25] about 8
[13:26] minutes long about the
[13:28] center project. Um, and so we're going
[13:29] to put a link
[13:31] , sorry, a
[13:32] YouTube link to, uh, this
[13:33] documentary
[13:34] in the minutes and on the
[13:35] city's website so
[13:36] people can
[13:37] watch it.
[13:38] Oh, great.
[13:39] This is a great little
[13:41] video. Worth
[13:42] a look.
[13:44] Very expected.
[13:47] Hmm, Drew raised his hand.
[13:49] Okay, Drew. Yes, I would have
[13:51] a few
[13:53] questions about BHI and
[13:54] Efficiency Vermont and, uh,
[13:55] heating controls.
[13:58] Oh, sorry. Oh, sorry.
[14:00] Hmm, Asha might be
[14:01] better at answering the
[14:02] question about
[14:02] heating control. I
[14:03] was just going to
[14:04] mention, uh, so that the
[14:05] election commission would
[14:06] know as well. Um, we
[14:07] added some
[14:08] information, including
[14:09] a little flyer about
[14:10] solar energy
[14:11] downtown, not
[14:12] solar energy at
[14:13] city
[14:13] hall, um, to a
[14:14] recent
[14:15] grant report that was
[14:17] sent to some of the
[14:18] state sponsors of the
[14:19] project. So, the cat is
[14:20] out of the bag,
[14:21] or people were told that
[14:22] we were doing it too. Um
[14:24] , and so, um, just
[14:25] wanted to let
[14:26] you know that this was
[14:27] reported, um, as part of the
[14:28] normal
[14:29] grant reporting
[14:30] that we do through Two
[14:31] Rivers and People. And there
[14:32] was a mention of the
[14:33] part of the project
[14:34] that we usually
[14:35] reported to them about until now, which is the
[14:36] reconstruction, the roof, the
[14:38] walls, the interior of the
[14:39] building, all that other stuff
[14:40] . Um, we haven't
[14:41] really talked to
[14:42] them about
[14:43] installing
[14:43] solar because
[14:45] they don't fund that
[14:46] part of the project.
[14:49] Good. Thank you. I think
[14:52] this brings us
[14:53] to the relevant
[14:54] information. People
[14:55] we should
[14:56] ask at Asha about
[14:57] effectiveness?
[14:58] He, I think, yes, do
[15:00] you know anything about it?
[15:03] We actually
[15:04] met with...we
[15:05] actually
[15:06] met with
[15:07] someone from...uh, Efficiency
[15:08] Vermont...uh about
[15:09] insulation, especially...
[15:10] uh, the theater
[15:11] wing, which is used pretty much
[15:12] constantly
[15:14] during the cold
[15:15] months. Uh, and we have
[15:19] a lot of good ideas,
[15:21] a lot of
[15:22] DIY projects that the council will
[15:23] take on...Uh,
[15:24] about doors and windows.
[15:27] They suggested
[15:28] a lot of good ideas
[15:30] that are fairly
[15:30] inexpensive
[15:31] options for us.
[15:33] Of course, there are some more
[15:34] expensive options
[15:35] that could help
[15:36] . But right now we're
[15:38] going to work
[15:39] with our volunteers
[15:40] and install
[15:41] insulation for doors and
[15:42] windows, potentially
[15:44] looking at window
[15:45] dressers and all the other
[15:46] options we
[15:47] can do
[15:48] ourselves. And
[15:49] we hope that this will
[15:50] have a great
[15:51] impact. We also
[15:53] work with our
[15:55] pneumatics control specialist
[15:56] to really isolate
[15:57] certain areas that are not
[16:02] being used,
[16:04] to lower
[16:05] the temperature in certain
[16:06] rooms and so on. So we're
[16:09] monitoring that, and
[16:10] we're hoping that
[16:11] this season we'll
[16:12] see some
[16:13] fuel savings
[16:14] compared to last
[16:15] winter.
[16:18] Yes, especially this
[16:19] winter. And someday,
[16:21] maybe we'll buy
[16:22] you a new boiler.
[16:26] Yes, it's something of a
[16:27] relic.
[16:31] Yes, that's just my opinion
[16:32] . Okay, thank you. So,
[16:38] I think we're ready to
[16:39] move on to new
[16:40] things. So, the first
[16:41] item on our
[16:42] list for new
[16:43] business is a
[16:45] catering permit for
[16:46] special events
[16:47] at Pearce Hall on November 5th and 6th
[16:48] from 4:30pm to 9:30pm.
[16:50] We had to ask around a bit
[16:51] about what kind of
[16:53] event this was. We
[16:54] understand these are
[16:55] Ridgeline Outdoor
[16:57] Collective bikes. People are hosting
[17:00] an event, and this application is from the
[17:02] Red Clover Ale Company. And
[17:07] they will, I believe,
[17:08] serve beer and
[17:09] ale during this
[17:11] event. So, they
[17:13] had to
[17:14] apply for control of the
[17:16] liquor and lottery department,
[17:17] which Israel approved
[17:18] statewide, but we also
[17:20] have to
[17:20] vote to
[17:21] approve it verbally.
[17:25] So, I move to
[17:26] approve this
[17:28] special event permit
[17:29] for Red Clover Ale Company to
[17:31] serve alcohol at
[17:32] Pierce Hall on November 5th and 6th
[17:33] for the Ridge Line
[17:35] Outdoor Collective.
[17:38] Second.
[17:38] All in favor.
[17:39] Yes. Yes. Yes.
[17:42] I understand.
[17:43] Sounds fun. Um, I
[17:49] looked at the, uh,
[17:50] July
[17:51] Treasurer's Report, and, uh, there's
[17:52] only one
[17:54] month left in our
[17:55] fiscal year,
[17:56] so there's, there's, there's a lot to
[17:57] think about; but from what
[17:58] I've seen and
[17:59] analyzed so far,
[18:00] revenues
[18:01] have decreased a bit, but so have
[18:02] expenses, so
[18:03] we're operating
[18:04] unevenly. And so
[18:08] I move that we adopt,
[18:10] uh, the Treasurer's July 2026 report second
[18:13] by
[18:15] second.
[18:15] All in favor.
[18:16] Yes.
[18:20] And then we'll move on
[18:21] to August.
[18:23] We hope there
[18:25] will be more data there.
[18:30] Next on our list
[18:31] is signing the letter of
[18:32] intent for
[18:33] fiscal year 2026 with
[18:35] city auditors
[18:36] Melgett, Janette, and
[18:37] Crow Wisner. We just
[18:41] completed the 2025 audit
[18:43] . And here it is, and
[18:47] since this was the
[18:48] first year with these
[18:49] auditors, it
[18:50] took a long time,
[18:52] and it's just
[18:53] getting close to the
[18:54] start of the 2026 audit
[18:55] . So I expect that
[18:57] perhaps this year the
[18:59] audit will be conducted in a
[19:00] more timely manner. We
[19:01] can actually
[19:02] have better numbers in
[19:03] our
[19:04] city report. And I am very happy
[19:08] to sign this agreement.
[19:12] One question
[19:13] first, Kristen, what does it
[19:14] say about the
[19:15] schedule?
[19:18] I didn't even really do that
[19:20] .
[19:20] They are already working on it
[19:21] .
[19:22] I didn't share this.
[19:23] Well, I'm not so worried
[19:24] about the foreground, I'm
[19:25] more worried about the
[19:27] background.
[19:27] Yeah, I don't...I mean,
[19:28] things are going great right now,
[19:30] and when he was
[19:31] last time, he
[19:32] was here for two full
[19:33] days last week, and
[19:34] he, um, took a lot of
[19:36] information, um, and
[19:37] checked me on
[19:38] a few things, um, that
[19:39] I needed to
[19:40] research, and that was
[19:42] good. Hmm, he took the
[19:45] whole trial balance and
[19:46] all that back and will
[19:47] work on it. Hmm,
[19:49] he said he would
[19:50] probably
[19:51] come back again
[19:52] to check on some
[19:53] invoices and
[19:54] make sure I
[19:55] could pull them out, hmm,
[19:57] like he does every year.
[19:58] So that's good. He was very
[20:01] apologetic about how
[20:02] long it took, but
[20:03] I think we got off to a
[20:05] really good start and
[20:06] he said he
[20:07] got almost everything
[20:08] he needed so he
[20:09] didn't anticipate any
[20:11] problems. So we'll
[20:12] just continue to
[20:13] work closely
[20:14] with him.
[20:19] Okay, I mean,
[20:20] I would prefer there to
[20:21] be
[20:22] some kind of contractual
[20:24] obligation on their part to
[20:25] deliver by a certain
[20:26] date.
[20:27] Well, I don't know if
[20:28] we've had this in the past,
[20:30] even with Nathan, but
[20:32] like last year, I do
[20:33] n't think it's a
[20:34] forbidden request.
[20:36] This was also an
[20:37] initial audit. So
[20:39] ,
[20:39] if you think that
[20:40] this year is
[20:42] different and we can
[20:43] play by ear, I will
[20:44] follow your
[20:45] opinion.
[20:46] Yes.
[20:48] If you need me to
[20:49] talk to
[20:51] them at any time to
[20:52] bring them up to speed, I am
[20:53] willing and able to
[20:54] do so.
[20:55] Good. Yes. So, I
[20:59] propose to accept
[21:01] this contract.
[21:02] Second.
[21:03] All in favor?
[21:04] Yes. Yes.
[21:06] that's right. Thank you.
[21:15] Sign a
[21:16] grant agreement for a local
[21:18] road safety improvement program
[21:19] . This is a nice
[21:21] little package of
[21:22] grant agreements. This is a
[21:25] $40,000 grant
[21:27] that we have no
[21:28] equal. So,
[21:30] thank you very much, State of Vermont.
[21:34] Hmm, this is for the road
[21:35] department and
[21:36] the use of the
[21:37] $40,000 might be
[21:38] mainly for signs.
[21:43] Hmm, that seems to be what it's
[21:45] aimed at.
[21:48] Yes, these are your fences
[21:49] and then the trees.
[21:50] Fencing, signs.
[21:52] Kennedy Drive.
[21:54] Curvy. Yes.
[21:56] Repeat this again. Do
[21:57] you do fencing and
[21:58] tree work on Curvy
[21:59] Drive?
[22:00] Tree—Hooker.
[22:01] Good. I thought so.
[22:03] The fences will be
[22:04] on Maple Hill and
[22:04] Curve.
[22:06] So, this grant
[22:07] will cover the cost of
[22:08] removing that
[22:09] tree on Curve
[22:09] Drive?
[22:11] Yes.
[22:12] Good. Well, this is good
[22:13] news for the
[22:14] property owner. The
[22:15] property owner
[22:16] will be patient.
[22:17] Yes.
[22:18] Say whatever you want.
[22:19] Yes, and you work with
[22:21] Rita.
[22:23] I propose to accept
[22:25] this
[22:26] $40,000 grant from the
[22:27] State of Vermont for what
[22:29] we just
[22:29] discussed.
[22:31] Secondly.
[22:31] All in favor.
[22:32] 1.
[23:02] Heart Committee Update. Uh
[23:03] , it's me. So,
[23:04] last week, on
[23:05] Tuesday and Thursday,
[23:06] we had two
[23:07] informational
[23:08] meetings for
[23:09] anyone interested in
[23:10] volunteering
[23:11] and helping with
[23:13] park maintenance. Uh, we
[23:14] publicized these
[23:15] meetings in several
[23:16] ways. We
[23:16] talked about this at the
[23:17] last
[23:18] board meeting. I
[23:19] published a press
[23:20] release in the Herald. It was
[23:22] posted on the
[23:22] Front Porch Forum and I
[23:23] emailed
[23:25] directly to everyone
[23:26] who had received a
[23:27] park permit or had spoken at a
[23:28] board meeting about their
[23:29] interest in
[23:30] caring for the park
[23:31] over the past
[23:32] year. Uh, three people came to these two
[23:33] meetings
[23:34] . They are Nancy
[23:35] Woolley, Dan Ward, and
[23:37] Annie Brown. And, uh,
[23:38] one of the goals of these
[23:39] meetings was
[23:40] to see how much
[23:43] commitment and
[23:43] interest we had, and whether we had
[23:45] enough people to
[23:46] actually
[23:47] staff a
[23:48] full
[23:49] park committee, and I think the
[23:50] answer to that
[23:51] question is no. So, in the
[23:53] absence of an entire
[23:54] park committee, the
[23:55] next ideal
[23:56] option would be to have
[23:57] someone in a
[23:58] volunteer position as
[23:59] park coordinator,
[24:00] much like
[24:01] Nick Picciuto is
[24:03] Green Day's coordinator.
[24:04] So this person would be
[24:05] responsible for making sure that
[24:06] all the things
[24:07] related to the maintenance
[24:08] of the park
[24:09] were done. But my
[24:11] three volunteers are
[24:12] only interested in
[24:13] volunteering, not in
[24:14] coordinating.
[24:16] Therefore, my
[24:16] recommendation to the council is that
[24:18] we
[24:19] disband the
[24:20] park committee as such, so that it is
[24:21] no longer included
[24:22] in the city
[24:23] report. I believe
[24:25] we should appoint a
[24:26] park coordinator,
[24:28] even if
[24:29] it is currently vacant. It seems to me that this is the
[24:31] best way to
[24:32] move forward in
[24:33] park care. In a
[24:34] better world, we would have
[24:36] , um, one
[24:36] person who is not on the
[24:39] board of elections who we could
[24:40] give a list of
[24:41] tasks and proper
[24:42] support to, and then
[24:43] they could
[24:44] organize the
[24:44] volunteers. Um, in the
[24:47] absence of this
[24:48] person right now, um, this
[24:49] will be our thing,
[24:50] so I decided that with
[24:51] three volunteers,
[24:53] we would go over the
[24:54] list. Um, and I'll
[24:55] discuss this with them again. Um
[24:57] , and they chose what,
[24:58] um,
[24:59] worked best for
[25:00] their schedule. Um, and
[25:02] then I...Basically, the
[25:04] most empty thing that
[25:05] will be left is spring
[25:06] cleaning. Um, and so
[25:09] I'm thinking about some
[25:10] ways we could
[25:11] incorporate some of
[25:12] this into something
[25:13] like
[25:14] tree care, depending on
[25:15] what the arborist
[25:16] brings back in terms of
[25:17] fertilizer. Um, so, um,
[25:18] the report for me to you
[25:20] and for everyone else is that
[25:22] we don't have enough
[25:23] people to form a
[25:25] committee. We should
[25:26] create a
[25:26] coordinator. We do
[25:27] n't have it. We have these
[25:29] three wonderful
[25:30] volunteers who will be
[25:31] assigned to perform
[25:32] certain tasks. Um, and,
[25:34] um, we need to
[25:35] find ways
[25:36] to take care of the park,
[25:37] given what
[25:39] we have to
[25:40] work with. So,
[25:43] we need to
[25:43] define the position of
[25:44] park coordinator
[25:46] and his specific
[25:47] responsibilities.
[25:47] Yes, before we
[25:49] formulate it, and I'm
[25:50] right...
[25:50] before we
[25:51] formulate it. Yes. Yes.
[25:54] Uh, I'll be back
[25:55] at the next
[25:56] meeting, probably with
[25:57] some more
[25:58] specific details,
[25:59] like I don't have
[26:00] anyone to
[26:01] raise or lower the
[26:02] flag. Um, but right now
[26:03] I only have three
[26:05] wonderful volunteers, and
[26:06] we're working on
[26:07] what exactly they can
[26:08] do.
[26:10] Good. Stay tuned for
[26:13] updates. And
[26:16] last on our
[26:17] new to-do list is the
[26:19] selection and discussion of the
[26:20] final
[26:22] MERP grant scope of work items.
[26:23] Yes. Em. So, we're kind of
[26:28] completing, uh, the
[26:30] scope of
[26:31] work for the MERP grant.
[26:37] Um, you know, we
[26:38] were able to get, uh,
[26:40] about
[26:41] $380,000, uh, to
[26:42] improve the
[26:43] efficiency and
[26:45] sustainability of this
[26:50] building, the city
[26:51] hall or, uh
[26:52] , the city garage. Um
[26:56] , and, you know, we're trying to make the
[26:58] best use of this
[27:00] money. Um, you know, and it's
[27:05] only in the last
[27:06] few weeks that we've
[27:07] gotten bids
[27:09] on the work to
[27:10] find out how much it's
[27:11] all going to cost. Um,
[27:16] plus some of the jobs
[27:17] we learned we're
[27:18] not able to do.
[27:25] In particular, insulation of
[27:26] the attic in the garage, because
[27:28] the ceiling there is not
[27:29] load-bearing. And that would be a
[27:34] much, much
[27:35] bigger task.
[27:37] Take part of
[27:38] the garage out of
[27:39] service for
[27:40] a while. Plus, we didn't
[27:41] receive any
[27:42] tender offers
[27:43] . So this part of the
[27:45] planned expenses
[27:46] disappeared. What we're
[27:52] going to do in the
[27:53] garage, and, uh, some HVAC
[27:54] upgrades
[27:58] . This will be a
[28:00] new heater to
[28:01] heat
[28:02] the room better.
[28:05] The heating mode is
[28:06] a bit too small for
[28:07] this space. And, uh,
[28:11] we're going to
[28:12] install what
[28:13] they call an ERV, which will
[28:14] help with the
[28:15] moisture issues, uh
[28:17] , in there, because we don't have a
[28:18] drain in the floor. When the,
[28:22] uh,
[28:23] snow trucks come in, it
[28:25] gets really wet
[28:26] and humid. So this will
[28:28] help. But we still
[28:33] have the remainder of the grant. And, uh
[28:37] , we're looking at
[28:38] some options for
[28:39] solar
[28:40] photovoltaic
[28:41] panels here in the office.
[28:46] Uh, the request for
[28:47] proposals has been
[28:48] sent. Um, we
[28:51] had, uh, five applications
[28:53] . Um, three of these applications,
[28:57] uh, I think we're pretty clear
[28:59] that
[29:00] we're going to consider them
[29:01] inappropriate. There are two
[29:04] that we consider
[29:05] appropriate. Um, and
[29:11] both of them
[29:12] involve, uh,
[29:13] ground-based, uh, panels
[29:14] that will be placed
[29:16] in the northwest
[29:17] part of our
[29:18] parking lot, uh, in front of, uh
[29:20] , the office. Um, this all
[29:26] happens in
[29:27] real
[29:28] time. Um, we need to
[29:33] , uh, request more
[29:35] information from both of
[29:36] these contractors, uh,
[29:37] to determine the details
[29:39] that were unknown and
[29:40] how exactly this
[29:41] will work. Uh, but,
[29:45] uh, I would say it
[29:46] looks
[29:47] promising right now that it
[29:49] could come to
[29:50] fruition. Um, and, uh,
[29:53] you know, a
[29:55] 15
[29:57] kW photovoltaic array, uh, would be a nice
[29:59] addition. This would
[30:01] significantly reduce the
[30:02] operating
[30:03] costs of this building.
[30:05] And, you know, it would be
[30:07] 100% paid. Uh,
[30:09] no
[30:09] co-financing is
[30:11] required, uh, from the
[30:12] city. Um, Drew, are you
[30:16] still participating?
[30:21] Yeah, I hope that,
[30:23] you know, we don't
[30:23] have to do this
[30:25] right now, but maybe
[30:26] we could
[30:27] chat
[30:27] tomorrow and maybe
[30:29] set up a schedule to
[30:30] interview
[30:31] these two
[30:32] contractors.
[30:36] Yes, that sounds good.
[30:37] And Phil is here too, from
[30:39] Catamount Solar. If you have
[30:40] specific questions
[30:41] about this particular
[30:43] application...Um, and I'll just
[30:44] add to say, you
[30:45] know, I was glad to
[30:46] see it, I think
[30:47] it's a great
[30:47] use of what
[30:49] is essentially leftover
[30:50] money that we wouldn't
[30:51] want to leave on the
[30:52] table. Because, as
[30:53] Mike says, MERP grants are
[30:54] fully
[30:54] funded, we don't
[30:55] need to
[30:56] double them or
[30:56] provide any
[30:57] city funds. So it's
[30:58] like free money.
[31:00] If we can do
[31:01] good things to them,
[31:02] we should
[31:02] try to do
[31:03] good things to them. Um,
[31:04] and this is a relatively
[31:05] small project
[31:06] compared to, for example, the
[31:07] solar
[31:08] installation that is
[31:09] proposed in the
[31:10] center building. Um, it's a
[31:11] much smaller
[31:12] system, a much
[31:13] easier-to-
[31:13] use project.
[31:15] Um, and one big
[31:16] concession we
[31:17] made is that
[31:18] we've heard before, and
[31:19] repeatedly, that the
[31:20] city
[31:21] hall roof is not
[31:22] designed to support the weight of an
[31:24] additional solar
[31:25] installation. So we
[31:27] excluded this part
[31:28] from the project plan. Um, and
[31:32] they did a ground-based
[31:33] installation instead. Wait,
[31:34] my other phone
[31:35] is ringing. So...Um,
[31:39] and so you see
[31:41] the proposal is to
[31:42] put
[31:43] the panels in the parking lot.
[31:45] Those would be both
[31:46] suggestions, as
[31:47] Mike says, we need to
[31:48] get a few more
[31:49] details, but both
[31:50] suggestions that could
[31:51] work are that
[31:52] they would be installed
[31:54] on high piles. Um,
[31:55] so you can
[31:56] park your car under
[31:57] them. Um, that wouldn't
[31:58] necessarily reduce the
[31:59] total number of
[32:00] parking spaces
[32:01] on site. Um, and there
[32:02] should be enough on
[32:03] the side so we can
[32:04] plow around it,
[32:05] pave around
[32:06] it, do
[32:07] other types of
[32:08] maintenance that
[32:09] we need to do
[32:11] in the parking lot without getting in
[32:11] the way. You know, it's
[32:13] going to be a new structure in the
[32:14] parking lot, but it's not going to
[32:15] ruin what we
[32:16] use
[32:17] the parking lot for. Uh, so
[32:18] basically
[32:18] we clear the snow from it
[32:19] and park the
[32:20] cars there. This is what we
[32:22] do with parking.
[32:23] Um, there might be
[32:24] some questions about
[32:25] where
[32:26] the panels are if they
[32:28] line the
[32:29] property line and snow
[32:30] comes off them and lands on a
[32:31] non-
[32:32] city lot. Um,
[32:33] you know, we'll address
[32:35] some of these, uh,
[32:36] questions or
[32:36] concerns, but in
[32:37] principle, this could
[32:38] work. Uh,
[32:39] both project plans,
[32:41] uh, will fit
[32:42] where they're proposed to be
[32:43] installed and will significantly
[32:44] reduce, uh, the new, uh,
[32:46] electric bill for the
[32:47] building, which we
[32:48] just increased because
[32:50] we added all these nice
[32:51] heat pumps. We've
[32:52] also made
[32:52] the building more efficient
[32:53] , so hopefully it
[32:54] will be
[32:55] warmer, more
[32:55] comfortable, and
[32:56] cooler when
[32:57] needed. Hmm, but it
[32:58] will increase your electric bill a little bit
[32:59] because we've
[33:00] shifted some of the
[33:02] heating and
[33:02] cooling load to these
[33:03] new systems. Hmm, and this is a
[33:04] great way to
[33:05] offset some of
[33:06] those costs, uh, and
[33:07] generate our own
[33:08] electricity so that
[33:08] we can run
[33:09] our heat
[33:10] pumps from our own
[33:11] solar energy
[33:12] at least for
[33:13] part of the year, uh
[33:14] , and it will make a significant
[33:14] difference to the overall
[33:16] electricity bill for the
[33:17] city.
[33:19] Yes, thank you, Drew. This is
[33:21] great additional
[33:22] information. Hmm, I'll
[33:23] just say, uh,
[33:24] Phil from Catamount, uh, we'll
[33:26] contact you
[33:27] tomorrow to
[33:28] arrange an
[33:29] interview.
[33:31] Good. Yes, that sounds
[33:32] good.
[33:33] They expect
[33:34] to be
[33:35] stationary, not
[33:36] on trackers.
[33:37] They are not on trackers.
[33:39] Hmm, yes.
[33:40] Under the name. Yes. Yes.
[33:44] Well, thank you. Sounds
[33:46] exciting. This could
[33:47] be the talk
[33:48] of the town. What's
[33:50] happening in
[33:51] Rochester?
[33:52] Yes.
[33:53] I have nothing in the
[33:54] "old business
[33:55] " section. Does anyone have any
[33:56] public comments?
[33:58] Anything extra?
[34:02] These people are
[34:03] fine. Yes, change is
[34:05] good.
[34:05] I propose to close the
[34:06] meeting.
[34:07] Second.
[34:08] Everyone "in favor"?
[34:08] Yes.