 I think we were going to have some people come to talk to public comments, but I don't see anybody Well, there's some public here. Anybody have a comment? I know you're here for the curb cut, right? Yeah, okay Yeah, I won't do that until Alfred gets here. Here comes public comment. Here comes public comment Yep, yep, seven o'clock. Is it? I don't have a watch We're ready for public comment. Would you have been expecting that you're going to make a comment or two? Yeah, Mr. Public Right because we don't have a lot of time under this public comment section, so we appreciate your coming Peter. All right There okay As as I did last year I want my pulled chervil on three sides of the road or two sides of three sections of the road Almost a while along each and I got roughly twice as much chervil this year as I did last year and Over the same stretch of the same stretch is here and but there were some places that I got just a little bit last year and We recorded And and some then I didn't get any this year those places And last year was wet and it was very easy to pull the roots came right up and by tap roots Ranged anywhere from this long to maybe that long on two to three foot high plants So you use the shuttle? No not last year. No this year this year I in places where the soil was wet enough or damp enough I could still pull roots up maybe half the places and then I used a Fork garden fork for the tough spots And but I there were some that broke off and and all that means is it's because it's a What I'm seeing and pulling up is the second year not the first year and that means there's still first year plants down there According to your information, but one of the others that was online seems my last five years or more So what I'm asking you to do is to I think I Well, I'm not sure Denise you email me back and said you could have both early Which would be very soon He started mowing on Saturday Saturday, and he's running two tractors Wow, okay, and he doesn't John can help me out. He said that he doesn't use a mulching thing. He uses something just a regular Yeah, and and if when you mow your lawn you find out that the Wetgrass gets stuck in there depending on what it is a couple of weeks ago I had to clean mine out five times in two hours for three hours actually yeah because it was Clogging up the machine right here and anyway, what happened is is that last year I didn't have any I only put signs up on follow-up and Then and I didn't I just didn't even think of putting them up in the worst year So we came around the corner from somewhere down around by Mike's that's where he stopped Mike Mike And he came up the road a couple of thousand feet before he started morning again at my driveway Now this year I have plans in my driveway for the first time that means they were from last you know a year ago This is the second year So if there were plants there last year But I just couldn't see because they weren't flowering in the high grass But I think you've got a real long term problem You get something to get your worst every single year and cost a lot more money every year I think you were your player here said it's something about going five times a year five times a summer If you want to go like who's flyer? So this is one. This is one that was a link that Joanne Garten had sent. Oh, yeah. Yeah, so If it wasn't this one that was one of the others that was a front porch form the other day No, here it is three and five times during the growing season. So for over six months I would like to propose that you try several things at the same time. I've worked You know one thing at a time all my life finish one thing start the next 70 I'm learning that is a real advantage into trying several things at the same time and finding out what works And and I would propose and I that you find a section of and I drove around some of the roads this afternoon It's the worst road that I found Was adamant road between fallow road and lightning ridge road And that's going back into gales field. That's already 300 feet back from the ground on the other side into the Geomusa's property all the way back to the woodline and I well I stopped and I looked at and I talked to Mike And it's thanks. It's this Very well-defined rectangle just up the hill from his drive from his garage He has it's only he's only noticed it for two years now. He doesn't know how it got there, but it's like somebody planted it It it's not it's not spreading by itself Um, and he does get it brush hogged And so if somebody brush hogged it and they started there that's where they would have laid the seed From from previous great. Well, I know that's why we we added an extra mowing Cycle, I don't know So we've got well, we've got two problems. We've got the road size which get it out here And it's coming up through 14 12 14 friend off. It's been there for 20. It's been working its way for over 20 years And and it's closed Pastures down there in hay fields because you can't hay this stuff and you can't the cows won't graze in it Yeah, it takes over. It's it's almost as bad and taking over a field or maybe as bad as is Japanese knotweed And but Japanese knotweed seems to outdo the chervil if you see a standard Japanese knotweed No chervil in it that I could find in any of the stands I looked at Um, I would suggest that what you do is you find an area where it's just along the roadside So hasn't gone in because it won't do any good to do roadside mowing to test it If it's out beyond the roadside already and mow it five times this summer We have a clean mower somebody who's just kind of dedicated. I know yours is broken, but if you can find Something like that and do a section just that single road So that Doug doesn't come on that road at all With condemnation for anything else And and try that and see if it really does work to mow it five times a year. Do we have um, Has he mowed because you were telling me the same thing about the road Well, I was saying to you and he doesn't he hasn't mowed that section yet. Yeah, I mean, it's that it's in flower now It needs to be done this week or next week over Right, I would say this week. Yeah, because it's already been a flower over a week I know so that's two weeks and I think that's about all you can depend on Yeah, the first time I said, oh, you're gonna start the secret Because they just it's been Looming and stages Because I can call Doug and ask him to do that section right away Why don't you have him do that and tell him not to come up on the road, please And I'll take care of my road sites. I'm also I pulled all the plants I can find I will continue because I've gotten more out since last last week On the on the three miles sections that I three one mile sections that I emailed you about Denise So I'd like to keep that from being mowed and that would be my experiment to see if pulling it aggressively, so what do you what? All right, so I'm going to call Doug and I'm going to ask him to do this adamant road Do it from the intersection of Leonard road it's called down down to I it's not north of that intersection. It's south of the intersection, but it's already it's too far gone to be a good experiment Well, I'm just saying no, we're just talking about mowing it before it goes to seed right now. Oh, yeah Yeah, okay, Denise wants to get in there tomorrow. All right, and it's part way down the hill towards the adamant coa And then it's along and you know where to have them swing up the driveway and geomusos and mow that take two minutes Because that's that's that's going to that's going to seed our roads It's gmail. So don't have a fit talk. I think you'd be happy but we'll talk to him because uh, he's trying to figure out what to do he's at a loss right now And uh, and then the gales field across the way is is acres of it already So, um, and this is what you know how randolph spread out And I talked to a farmer down there like four years ago and and they said It's gone You can't you know, you can plow it under you can plant corn if you plow it under every year But you can't use it for hay or pasture. Hmm. Yeah, it's a pretty wet and down in randolph north of randolph Just a little bit. I talked to a homeowner who said that she was out in her front yard and her house was surrounded by it And she said her husband's had a losing value with it for years It's just encroaching on the lawn further no matter what he does It's it's just creeping up towards the house and it's good at completely and golf the house So if that starts happening, I don't know what the best of property values, but You can't get rid of it. I wouldn't buy a house that was like that Right All right, so I will follow up with dug and have them not mow from Full length of follow the road six six. Okay. Don't mow And I will take care of that but the triangle is already, you know from okay, so I'm trying to be Full length of follow road So don't so don't mow follow road or this pond road Or old best church And I will take as long as it takes to get flowering plants out in there Okay, let's let's pull on road. Okay. Yeah, I happen my bicycle and I stopped every time And this is this experiment thing you're talking about. Yeah And we'll see how it goes This will be the second year that I've done the same thing in the same area Okay, so I'm going to tell and so alfred knows too because Peter's going to take care of pulling or Pulling the charitable on any flowering chervil follow the road lisp on road and old west church That's three miles of road And I got all the stuff from the On my the length of my property on singleton road. Yeah, and I came up that your road And it's bad on lightning bridge. You've been pulling it already too. It's all out Yeah, it's lightning bridge. It's bad right near my house. Yeah, and it's just as bad It's even worse going down from the intersection towards the co-op for the first few hundred feet. Okay, so I just have a question and I'm not below that. Yeah Peter, how are you going to take care of this? I'm pulling I pulled three to four hundred plants over Okay, and then we're doing with it though. I'm putting it and crushing it and running it out and it drives out one day And if it hasn't gone to seed It's the idea is you have to do it before it goes to seed then it won't start Okay, if you're going to see just so are you going to come and wobble the road out after we grade it and it's all up with gravel. It's already off on the edge Alfred, it's not a problem. You know, I mean this is going to be a little traitor Maybe a problem. You know, this is great. It's the weight that we throw it out Just wait till it dries out in a week. It'll turn to dust and it'll be out of there But it's it's less of a problem than it now is because we just have this insurable That's greater and more expensive problem And then so when I see you're throwing it out on the road, I just won't create those roads But it's a hassle to right here. Don't create them off. It's a hassle for everybody. Come on really It's I don't need that. It's a hassle for everybody. That's an attitude I think what we're asked is a simple question. How are you going to deal with it? Right? So, you know, so So we're not going to grade when No Peter is going to try and experiment Alfred to see if he can help eradicate this Problem is a very invasive Stephanie I thought She was 20 years to the north In and she used to have a website on The herald of randolph and I mean I've talked to the reporter at the editor at the herald of randolph I'm just the reason I'm asking is that I would love to know I mean, I used to know But I haven't talked to her, you know, that was really interesting to know what her experience was Whether she's had any success in 20 years. It would be interesting to know I did talk I went down The herald in randolph and she's been pulling for 20 years and writing articles on it for over 20 years And she's been pulling it on her road and trying to get other people to do something and nobody wants to do anything So is she made any progress? Yeah, I heard it looks good. Okay, and I thought it would be really interesting. Yeah, it would be nice It's what needs to be done If you do certain things and you can't throw it on the grass because it will re-roof You gotta put it on the road so it dries out and and gets crushed and dies I'm not sure that'll re-roof but it won't dry out. You put that tube on the grass. It's gonna re-roof I promise you The the the real big thing is to get it to dry out quickly because it's so wet That it won't dry out if it doesn't get crushed It's it's got to get crushed and the cars are the easiest way to do it And there have been people arguing that no you should bag it dig it all the way until That's really pretty but if you just can't and if it hasn't gone to seed yet, it's relatively safe Yeah, and the sap Doug did mention the fact that if you throw it in the road and it's seeded Then the cars and stuff's just to make it worse because it's Pull it at that right no because then you might have to leave it where it is Yeah, or bag it one of the two. Yeah, but we got to hit it before it goes to seed It was part of what Joanne's doing with the in um Resilient roads is she identifying roads that are in really bad shape with these invasives. Do you remember? I don't remember. I I do remember her saying that she doesn't really have the ability within the What she's doing her project to spend a lot of time on invasives But she I think she said as she goes around and she's she's going to mark it right she's going to indicate Yeah, there they are Well, I mean and this stuff is really bad stuff if people can't hay their fields That's a problem. Yeah, it's marching out into gales field right now. Yeah I don't want it on my fields. I tell you right now it's not going to happen And so I'll take care of the mowing. I don't want anyone mowing my roadside. I mow my own And you know the the old vermont way was and I don't know if their laws changed I spoke with Denise about it this afternoon It used to be a law representative bob kinsley dairy farmer from crash berry told me about this It was the law that you were responsible for mowing the mowing of the roadside in front of your property And you could actually get fined or a town could have paid a mow it and then you could be billed And something changed somewhere along the way since the 60s And and that's the problem because if everyone mowed their roadside your mower That's you doing that with is leaving the seed on your property You go and mow the entirety of the town you're spreading the seed the seed all over the town So that's the problem, right, you know Also isn't it true as Peter was suggesting if you mowed five times You might keep it down because it doesn't have enough chlorophyll You start before flower you start weeks ago. It's the first thing up. It's the first passionate family plant that flowers So it's real easy to find that way All the other parsnip for our family members are invasive from other places except for Queen Anseless, which is native and plants and animals eat it animals don't eat this stuff. Yeah Yeah, I know that I'm just asking if you keep mowing it down I know that people have suggested that about Bishop's week Where I had to be I was a big problem in North Calis that if you keep mowing it over and over again It doesn't have enough chlorophyll When I was a senior in high school, I stopped digging clams commercially and I went to work for the highway department And my main job was in the summer was running a tractor like Doug Grout does up all the roads and mow the road sides The town did it and I'd like to explore the idea of in addition to Doug Grout Doing his thing If we're going to do need to do it in between we have a town mower and we employ a part-time employee in the summer to mow Or one of our just employed. I don't know if they have time. We have so much work, but It was an interesting thought about requiring individuals to mow their own because because now that you have a charter It's conceivable. I don't know because I've looked into it, but it's conceivable you could Have an order but the farmers all mowed their own tractors back then and now you'd have to hire somebody who's just Lawdated back until when people use a sigh, but but now people would hire You'd have the same problem siding Yeah, because we got to move on I also checked all the way down to my earlier on the county road It's starting in county county road and working up from Montpelier We've only got a few individual plants one person could Maybe 20 or 30 plants between here and montpelier. That's including east montpelier But but you know, and it's it's it's working its way up through that and right now pulling one plant Is going to make a huge difference All right. Thank you, peter. All right peter All right Should I stay here? Is there anything else like this on the rest day? No, this is other country. No, she's okay I could go back and work in my garden. Go back and post a little chair. Thank you They'll make some chairbells do chairbells do and I do in the afternoon and when the sun comes out Late afternoon because it is the saddest phototropic which means it's uh, it's irritating to burns. I had to wash Chairbells? Yeah, it's lower out of bed. It's lower than the others. It's the lowest But as you don't want to get it in your eyes. Yeah, and I pull it very handed But then I go back in and I wash my hands right and and when it dries it's no longer theoretically It's no longer a problem. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you All right, Alfred I Do we have um Your ben reed right Join us that you want to sit down So we're going to do curb cuts curb cuts So let's do bends first since he's here So you want to I'm going to curb cut on your property on lightning ridge road Yeah And there's no existing curb cut. There's been one for 25 plus years So it means it's grandpa. So why do we I don't know I keep getting pointed to different people to get by whom Well, john suggested I go to alfred and alfred said it was okay. He was aware of it So I'm just going to try and really count on the property this year. So it's a change of use I guess there's a camp on the property It's been used here around I'm not sure it used to be an agricultural road through law Oh, okay. So that's the difference now they're building a house or a shop So it's a change of use. So okay, that's their legal access to that. That's what I couldn't figure out is why we're doing this It was already existing. It's a change of use. Okay, and I've looked at the site distance. It's fine. Everything looks good Do we doesn't need a culvert? um I really don't think so Okay, so I'm just trying to make a note so we can issue this no culvert Drainage is okay And this is okay. So that was I wasn't clear on it's a change of use From agricultural to residential Yeah, and Alfred's looked at it Anything else? Okay, so Somebody want to make a motion to approve the curb cut as discussed So moved Second right all those in favor, please say aye All right, I'll pass this around for people to sign and I'll finish filling it out on my other time So you're all set. Thank you for coming All right See ya All right, the next one is tim was do you know if tim howe was coming? I haven't talked with him. I talked to him early on about this and told him that He would need a right away permit Yeah, he wants to install water line across the road Three quarter three quarter inch line four feet deep We'll replace gravel with same Same and tamp and finish a small Excavator will be used and have you looked at it? Yeah Okay, I know where he's crossing Yeah As long as he goes four feet deep. It's nothing. We're gonna worry about hitting when we ditch or anything ditch Okay, the biggest thing is compaction and using the same gravel Right, and you always you have to sign off on it when they're done. So you'll know whether or not they did Yeah, okay, so um what I can write in here is exactly what he wrote install a water line across the road So on and so forth And maybe just right in there that he needs to notify me The day that he does it So I can go verify because if he puts it all in and Doesn't compact it. I'm not going to be able to know that Okay But all right, let's go to the job and see that he's got a compact to see what he's what he's doing Then I feel better about signing off on it. Okay, notify you Ahead of time so you can be on site on the day of the project. Yeah So I think john's only signed this. Yeah after After it's done. Oh, okay. Okay. Let's make it signing off I see And it's the same thing with this one. Alfred would sign off after the work is done to make sure they get a There all right something every day Okay, so would somebody like to make a motion to approve the tim how Right of way from it All right, I'll send this one around for signing and I'll fill it out as we just as we discussed All those in favor, please say aye All right next up um Guard rails on jack hill moscow woods project and the way I understand it as it was explained I think by alfred dot to you and I Is that the grants only? Um, when you get a grant the only ones that they'll approve the price of is those shiny new ones because of safety rate ratings Or or recycled the recent they will do the recycle. I wasn't recycled. Okay. Good. I wasn't sure about that So it's not the real shiny. It's been weathered. So I mean it's it's a little more of a dull color Meet the kind without galvanized Well, no, it's galvanized, but it's been out. It's been used in the weather. So it's not as sharp. It's not as So they're not allowing us to use the the bare steel anymore You're you're talking about the quartz and the rusty Yeah, kind of that's like the rust right does it it's not approved for for state projects So if we want to use that then we have to pay for itself and they don't also they don't Um approve wooden ones because of the safety issue, right? Well, our policy is to use the steel ones, right the rusting ones the the bare steel non galvanized Ridiculous, we don't put salt on the back Yeah So that was the question that you had asked is which ones do we want to use and I think we want to use what our standard is which is the The rusty ones Whatever they're called. I don't know They're a core 10. It's the name and core 10 and it's this rusty rail And it comes already rusted you mean? Yes It's been dipped in an acid that oh like it so it has a patina. Yeah, it's brown. It's like brush colors It's already well on its way to failure as the state looks at it He was telling you what I hear from them. They're telling me that Right on its way, but if we want to use something else, we can If you want to pay for it, right? That's all I mean that's the only thing we have to pay But it's not included into the right. Yeah, right. We understand that and we looked at the Wooden steel back rail that we have In north callus around the wall and that is phenomenal money It's like a dollar 30 something a foot versus $15 a foot So it's To put wooden rail there is like $50,000 that we'd have to come up But if we use this core Core 10 core 10 rusty rail I can look into that certainly 10. I didn't price that because I didn't Great, you know, I was looking at between the the wooden rail and the galvanized rail was the two Options that I looked at So I think we want to go with the Core 10 the rusty rail Okay, I didn't get a price for that. So I Once again, it'll be it'll have to come out of our budget, right? Yeah, we understand that included in the branch. Yeah, no, we understand that That's our standard. We set a standard here. I don't know why we're debating this anymore. This is like Well, because we on other projects we've used wooden rail and paid for it out of our hand Out of our pocket. This this particular job is a lot of rail. It's 200 something feet That's a big number to put wooden rail, right? I'm not talking about the iron. The wooden is not a standard standard. The the bare metal core 10 whatever you call it That's our standard in this town Yeah So we took I'm not arguing with you. I'm just kind of okay understand. All right We took out Core 10 rail in north calis and put wooden rail because that's what everybody wanted Right, everybody. That was okay. I was paying that extra money. That was a special project, right? So that's why I looked into the wooden rail on this project discovered. It's crazy money So that's why I brought the question up. No, I have no problem. You bring it to winter I'm happy to explore that actually I don't think it should be debating whether it's galvanized or core 10. That's my Right, so you're going to check out the it's good that you bring up that remind us of what works At an expense and that is not covered, but we shouldn't be Right. No, I mean, I think that's the standard That was good So Bare metal core 10 is no matter what the cost is Is that what appeared well, we need to know the cost is that right now that's it hasn't been Out of control. I mean the cost it's I think it was like double or something, but Yeah, just 15 times You could let us know what it is Okay, okay. I'm just I'm just hearing that that's our only option I think that's what we're saying Okay, so then we have to pay whatever it is. I mean, we have to have the rail there But we still we still should be informed as the difference It's just so we know that whether this policy continues to make sense. I mean, obviously it's 15 times We're going to have to revisit it Stephanie I'm interested to know 200 feet is a lot of the guard rail. Where's the guard rail? I'm going to be all along Jack Hill or also on Moscow woods It's it's just on that section where the new culvert's going at the bottom of jack hill where an intersection with Moscow was Right, we have to move the existing rail that's there Because we want to pull that out of the off the bank and try to straighten that corner up some So therefore we have to bring that rail down around to meet the existing rail So if we're in again, if we are changing the rail then we need to change the whole section If we used just galvanized second hand galvanized steel, it would match what's there We would only have to bring it back To to gain that radius to meet the existing radius Which would cut down a lot of a lot of rail that we'd have to buy Well, you can't you can't twice You can't it would look Very silly if you put Galvanized rail against this quartet. It would look Absolutely ridiculous because it's so much different in color and and all of that so So I had but we can hear price it for Doing the whole the whole thing in one type of rail And that's why the number is so big it's To over 200 feet. Yeah Okay, I'll set on guard rails Oh Stephanie He said Toby asked me to check out a tree. They want to come to Jackville. We're right near the intersection with Moscow woods It's a really cool big old basket on the downstream side growing just north of the stream there and it's in the way of the culvert It's probably one of those trees you appreciate every time you go by But I can't avoid calling it a house or tree I started using a house or tree assessment tool from the forest service And the tree is a lot of weak pecker damage and internal decay. So it's standard still. I don't think it's on death's door Yet I wanted to let you know to give you a chance to talk to Toby. I haven't had a chance I don't know if there's a way to do their culvert replacement without harming it In parentheses is practically growing the old stone culvert there, but it might be worth exploring. Uh-huh And so I wanted to do we have to have a tree hearing for that Not as None of it's a A hazard we don't have to do a tree hearing. No, we don't because The job is right there and look at it and decide whether it meets the criteria for hazard tree He's saying it does meet the have the criteria But just because it's a hazard tree doesn't mean it has to come down. So it it's a hazard tree. Why it's a hazard tree I guess So that's proof that there's okay. Yeah, okay So he's saying yeah, it meets the standards He uses from the forester as a hazard tree, but it's a beautiful tree and it's not on death's door So if there were a way around it, he's saying I want you to explore and I didn't have a chance to talk to him I assume he didn't talk to Toby about for you about Well, I'm gonna talk to him. I've seen I've seen the email that he's But they're really because of the steal of the brook and the winner the brook is So once we did that call it out that's going to destroy the roots The the old color the old box color I mean it's going to destroy those roots the roots are all growing into the rocks underneath and I just don't see that tree surviving Because we can't move the brook. We just can't stay is not going to allow us to move the brook 10 feet away from this tree so That's why we we had Neil go look at it. Yeah, and to see what we can do I do think that we can save the yellow birch that's on the other side of the road It would make it a lot more convenient if it wasn't there But because of the distance that it has from the from the mouth of the golfer I think we can save So that's kind of I don't know if you can look at that as a kind of a compromise or what but The basswood tree It is a beautiful tree. It's this big around. It's huge. Oh, but it's it is showing signs and it's really very much in our way and then if you do a bunch of work that's gonna Like I said further further make it a hazard tree because then the next storm You're gonna de-staple. I saw the roots. That's too bad. I mean, I'm sure those roots are all Worked down into those stones, which is part of the culvert stone bridge. Did you say why don't you take the culvert out? The tree's gonna go Well, we're just going to damage the roots To a point where it's not going to survive The tree's not going to survive. You know if we pull that culvert out Because like I said the roots are all within the culvert Or the bridge Oh, I'm sure while tree roots go on directions, but But the main roots are going to be inside of that Inside of those stones. Wow It's amazing where roots can go Who would have thought So what's the process that you're going to follow? Are you going to just take the tree down? Well the process is already taken place I mean we've thought to the tree warden If you're not going to take it, you're going to have us at work. You take the tree down We'll cut it first cut it down first, and then yes Whose property is it on? It's on fairs property. I've got a phone call into that. Yeah, because that technically belongs to them. That's right Right. They want it. Um, it's no good for firewood. It's not. It's no good for firewood It's like a maker. What do you use it for? Weaving baskets if you have any baskets If you that's right or if there's you can do Some log wood some you could cut it into some it's pretty very pretty wood. Is it when you mill it? So I don't know what but that would be the least might be hollow that might be hollow. Yeah, it might be hollow Right, so so back to the process the process is that we we engage with the tree warden He makes a rule and it's now one and then from here on out was the process The process is we cut it we cut it and we ask the landowner if they want it and what they want to do with it If they don't want it, we'll probably throw it over bank somewhere Just to get rid of it. When you cut it. Check the brush. You know when Not sure of that, but I've got more time on that project and I do have others so I'm probably going to hold off on that one We have a bid pre-bid meeting this thursday For that job. So then we've got a week Our 10-day after getting on the dates, but then It's just gonna be at least two weeks before we break down And this grant this particular grant doesn't have to be done by the end of june. No, okay This one is we've got until It's the summer Yeah, well we can't we got until october because we gotta be out of the brook Oh, right. But if you so that's our deadline Yeah, right. Okay. What kind of culvert's going in there? It's a little bit of pipe arch same as what we put on your road. Yeah It's already ordered. It should be great in a couple weeks and do the same thing with the stream bed We're going right through. Yeah, that's awesome. So it'd be buried two feet. It's great and We haven't chose a contractor yet. That's coming next meeting. We'll have to get that on the agenda Okay, good to know Might forget Yeah, because we'll have that one and the um We've already got we got loose. Are we done with jack Hill? Are you ready to move on? Okay, because we've got some other The tree's gone That'll be in the minutes phone starts ringing. Um, and we know why the fair is to be consulted And what did the fair say we want to see that stay? There's a great grandfather's tree right now with that tree We might revisit that conversation. There's a possibility. It would stay if they decided they But they were to convince us that it's important to them. Yeah, okay I don't foresee that but okay, I do have the phone calling with them and I'm sure they'll get back to you. Yeah So, yes, if they have a they have a problem, then we'll have to re-discuss it Right. Well, maybe neil can come out and talk to them, right? It's great that we have neil for a tree ward. Yeah, it's really great It is great Yeah, yeah, it's great on conservation All right, so we talked about jack hill Any other projects updated? I know we had this list So the same thing you're looking at. Yeah Yeah Uh, so we're working on the grant to aid project right now Which is just so everybody knows the grant to aid project Is the peak in brook road the berm removal? Right. It's actually goes to any road anywhere we can improve drainage and erosion Um, but we chose peak in because there's a major berm down there and The interior thought that would be a good one. That would be helpful for the grant So we're working on that as we speak Uh, Sadie Foss caller, I've already ordered the caller. We'll put that in at some point this summer in between More important deadlines that we have Is that a grant for Sadie Foss one? That is not we that's just on our own. Well I have not had very much luck getting an answer out of aot whether we're getting a grant for that When we talked to Shawn the Clifford, she was not real sure that we were going to get it So rather than waiting, I just ordered the caller because either way that that I feel needs to be done So we can do it out of our own budget If we don't get the grant and so I bought a caller that would That would satisfy the state's requirements So if they do Give us the grant that will be read first Okay And then Town Hill is uh, I mean Town Hall is another project that's staring me in the face. Yeah, uh, that's supposed to be in mid august But john emailed me today, and he's good. I'm sorry. What John McCullough emailed me today And he's got a couple small digs that he needs me to do Right away. Okay so If you see the escalator there, you'll know what it's at Well, look, there's John McCullough. Yeah, just look at that Convenient that he's handy, huh? Okay, and then you've got east calla stitching. I had me these calla stitching which is around the post office Comes off the water that comes off the batten road across as Moscow Woods And that's sort of tied into the whole gully problem with John Rossi and McCullough Oh the erosion thing the erosion thing So But we need to do that ditch and irregardless It's uh, there's water getting down and carrying sediment and if I stone line the ditches it'll slow water down So that should help help with the other issue help with the issue down below. Yeah, okay, which is Heating up No, you're a busy guy. Yes Yeah, and then we have these other two projects that need to be done by the end of June right so Woodbury mountain road is done. Oh, it is done. That is done. Well, that was fast. Yeah, that was a two day Two days and then we hauled gravel and that was a grant that was a fourth-class thing, right? That's right. That's a pilot project. I'm learning. Yeah Me too So and then we have apple hill which we are starting right away, right? Which we did the tree warden hearing on last week. Yeah, right? Yeah, and I have hired jojo bang to To go and take care of those trees for us. Okay. I met with him this morning and good local Told him my urgency for getting it done. Good. After after the trees are gone. I've got a It's going to take me a week. We might have to To do that. Yeah, does he ensure? Yeah He isn't sure Uh, that's a good point though. I'll have to get a copy of that. So yeah, he isn't sure Yeah, so that's The list that we then we have loose and bliss Loose and breathless are those are just Uh, small sections of row that we're going to do right. Well toby sent me this stuff I said this needs to be signed Okay Yeah, those are grants that are coming through the Regional planning commission. This is central mont regional planning commission. Okay All right So, yeah, it's uh, it's quite a list. Yeah, you guys are going to be busy. Clearly. We've got gradient that we're still doing in between Trying to get use use ed where I can further gradient But he's sort of limited as far as how many hours he can work right because of his right because of his environment So I don't use him every day all week And plus Him and his son are hanging so it's like I haven't leave him alone a little bit But I have been trying to use Dana also. Yeah, keep him interested and I think we've got a pretty good selection of people Yeah, you know, yeah with Dana. It's a little bit tricky because of his schedule, right? Because with his schedule two of his days are taken through the day through the week because He works eight to eight. So yeah Sometimes you follow something because sometimes yes, right? And it's got it staggered throughout the whole, you know So it's I got to look at the calendar every year all the time. Can I use him or can I not right? And we're not going to go over budget on salaries Oh, no And you're starting to meet with sandra about grants, right? Yes, I guess toby's coming in tomorrow and then I got to come in Wednesday and go over Yeah, I think it's going to be a lot easier to keep track of things once we get them in the network system Right, right. There was some confusion. I had to pay Pay some bill for one of the grants, which was a brand new grant And I didn't know how to label it. Yeah, so And she didn't know either because it was It was a quick books Code Oh, I see, you know, she didn't know if it was a new code or an old code So toby gave me I think that's where this game came from Was, you know, with the new code and it made sense to her. So that's we go over that hurdle But once we switch to to memory Right, so I'm told that it's going to be a lot easier Yeah Well, I noticed I mean you've been doing a good job on labeling stuff in the orders When I do when I come in I was in on yet I've been coming in on Sundays to review orders prior to a select board meeting. So Yeah Yeah, so that process will continue forward when you're more in memory Yeah Yeah, I mean, I think I don't know that the codes are all going to change or if they are I think they are And sandal sandal help you out with that. So she'll give me the list of the codes and um Sandra's waiting to do her treasurer update too. So I don't want to keep her waiting too long But can you tell us what's going on with the truck motor? I can I have news you have news Oh my god, it's not great and there's a lot of options Oh, but uh, but we don't do well with lots of choices, you know I do but But I will say right off the bat is that We need to do something soon Because we're getting along into the season where Right if we are going to get a new truck that it's going to take time to To get it order to get it fit it fit it. Yeah all that. So that's my first comment So my first actual transaction legal transaction that I got from him Is that Navistar not jnb the owner of jnb is who I've been communicating with So he's been trying to get an answer out of navistar, which is the owner of international trucks They are now saying that they will give us $10,000 For two options one for towards a brand new motor And two towards a used motor $10,000, but we have to buy an international What a international truck If we purchase a new truck, they'll give us $10,000 to fix our old truck But I thought it was going to cost $31,000 to fix the old truck. I know Oh, that's probably the problem Now the $31,000 is a brand new motor Mm-hmm And jnb is going is offered to only charge us $75 per hour to put the new motor in Which is half price. I mean, they're usually $150 Yeah, so man So then I asked him well, what's the truck going to be worth With a new motor versus a second hand motor for trading So a used motor Is third the truck will be worth 35,000 a new motor will be worth the truck will be worth 50,000 So a new motor the couple cost what a new motor put in was 30. So essentially we're going to pay 20 For a new motor because if we buy if we buy another truck on top of this If we buy the next truck we buy is from that same deal or navistar Another international yes, and you said you didn't want to buy any more international I would rather not right But what do we I mean, what do we do? I mean, they've kind of got us Well, of course they do because that's and they know they do That's why they're giving you this deal because they know it because right now The way the truck is with the bad motor in there, right? It's only worth $8,500. Right. I got a price That's with all the great guys. So if we were to buy a used motor Have j&b put it in they would still expect that we would buy an international the next We took the 10 grand that doesn't seem right to me, but But here's a good thing If we do go with international, which is not my favorite option We can put a Cummings motor in there Which we already have one truck with the Cummings and we've had no problems with it in the new in the new international If you can't put one in killing can't renovate you cannot renovate the existing That 2012 it was just it's just a nightmare truck, right? It's just we bought a lemon So one way or another we're going to take a hit here on this. I just don't see any way of not outrageous You know, I just spiked them. I just They're burned us for 150,000 hours My is depreciation it's I don't want to give that company another time Rose has something to say. Well, I'm trying to figure this out. So So we only would get the 10 grand Credit if we decided to buy a new international But would they still cut the shop rate to 75 an hour? No matter what either either new motor or second hand And is that jb or jb is giving us a break on the labor. Okay, so that's a jb break And this other deal is right. So I I haven't ironed that all out So the $20,000 I said we would be paying for the new motor might be less than that because of the break in the hourly rate. Yeah So I haven't I mean I was talking to him on the phone and he emailed me this and I said I need to get The select board something Let me make up for that There's more ironing out to do well, and I guess my question is too If we buy the Used motor and have that put in We're looking to maybe replace that truck next year anyways, right? Or would we not I would be afraid of the fear that it now just get rid of it So if it's a you know, it's not like it's probably going to be a watch we put the used motor in we spend 20 some on 25,000 say The truck's got 8500 in value now 25 plus 85. It's like 33 thousand dollars And that's what we're going to get in trade. So it's not like we We take the 10,000 for them when we buy another International which is not what we want and you know, we're not talking you or my budget We're talking a town budget And if we I think we can avoid international we should I I love western star those two trucks that we got right now. They are problem-free. They are They're a nice looking truck. There's plenty of power down the front jmb. Oh, you did western strength Which We're not tied to that either we can go to charlie boys. However with charlie boys. They can't do warranty work And and richman or whatever they are. They have to go to syracuse d york to their to their shop So that's why i didn't show didn't choose charlie boys the first time around So we're a bit in a bit of a tough spot. Yeah, we are. I just got this today. So I really I mean, I think that I think with the knowledge that I have right now I think that the off the best option is to just put the used motor in there Let the things set as much as we can order a new motor a new truck And then we get what we can out of this like is that going to cost us more or is it is it going to be a wash Or are we going to make a little bit doing that? And I take the 10,000 what do you mean order is new truck right now or after we'd have to do it after town meeting Uh, or have a special meeting. Yeah, we have to have a special meeting What is it is it in our capital plan after july 1st to replace? I think it's in the plan and it's up for next year and make it to the end All right, but I just fear other problems with this problem. Oh, yeah, this is not reliable at all. No Yeah, so that's why I was saying buy the cheaper motor. Yeah get out of it as cheap as you can Get the 35 000 as as trade trade and put that towards the new truck But that means we have to buy another international No, no, no, we're at least average saying without the 10. Yeah, don't take that 10 And then we can write and then we can do what we want. Yeah, I mean that that place. It's holding us hostage Yeah, yeah, that's ridiculous. There's only $10,000 That's dropping the bucket for a new truck for a new truck. That's right. That's not that's not much more Yeah, not at all but if you couple the The discount and the labor with that then it's something So when this when this idea first hit me, I was like, okay the town pays 10 Now the start pays 10 and JNB takes pays 10 then we have a new motor But we've still got an old truck that is is up anyways, and we've still got the same motor that we're having problems Right, and we still got to find we need to find a motor with lower hours than the one we had Because we know when they blow right so if if I don't know how many hour miles hours our truck had on it But if we buy a motor it's You know a few days away from the Well, it is that makes no sense That's the sour part about this whole thing that truck only had 88,000 miles on it. Yeah I think should go 500 that would try to find a motor for 2012 with less than 88,000 At this late date six years out. You may not be able to find one I mean it sounds to me it sounds like I mean maybe we gotta get the pencil out But sounds like it we could put a used motor in it and we're going to invest Enough money that it's going to be a wash if we took the 8,500 That's we'd have 8,500 we don't spend any more time on this Or we put a motor in for another 25,000 used And we get wind up with the same In hand 8,500 it doesn't make sense to do anything to me If that's how it works out, we should just get rid of it take it And maybe both Jamie give us a better deal on a What do you call that? What kind of star western western star? Knowing that the pain we went through can they give us a wholesale price? Yeah, and he's going to work on that also I asked him to work on that He couldn't give me a number today on the phone, but he said he would have numbers Tomorrow for for the price of a new one new western star or international Okay, so I'm finally getting him to move Yeah, and I've been hounding him about every day trying to get some answers Finally, I've got an answer and that's in writing. So I feel like things are moving here now, right? So what so let me just see if I can paraphrase where where we're at We're talking about buying a used motor to put in it But not take the offer from navistar Just pay pay for it ourselves And have j&b put it in Get a quote on a new truck and hold a special town meeting. Is that what I'm hearing? Well, we need to see what the cost Says here jb will pull the old motor out of the truck for free and only charge labor Installing a new motor so they have to find a low mileage motor right a lower mileage motor than what we had Although a higher mileage motor will we won't get 35,000 it says here. We'll get less than that So we're going to need to find and I don't know if they're out there Does he have one he's got one but we have some I don't know I don't know the lines I don't have the miles of this trying these because he's still have some it sounds like he doesn't know He said it was a higher mileage engine, but sounds like And he says I wrote this I will send over some quotes tomorrow on the new unit So maybe between now and the next select board meeting You'll have more information So you can put this on for next $2,000 difference is not worth your time the waste of time is a whole piece of junk out of here and Right well and get working on a new truck and get him to move on a new truck price Well, and maybe by next select board meeting tomorrow. I'll have the new truck price tomorrow. Okay But I'm just struggling with letting that truck go for $8,500 I know but I mean I but if it's if it comes out to $8,500 anyway to put a motor in what's the difference You know me so I'm saying right right So if we make a little money out, I think we should do that. It's not going to cost $25,000 Oh, it's not between a motor and the labor for long I used one used go to use motor. Oh really? Oh, okay brand new motor. You're looking at $20,000 out of your pocket Oh, okay. I didn't know that if we you've got a used one we're looking at um I would say it would be more like 11 or 12 But would we come out with more money in our pocket with the brain motor going in? On a resend well, yes, because if you put a new motor in Yes, it costs you more money, but you're going to get more money for trade Do whatever makes it more money. We should do right Or not Yeah, but we still need to get rid of the truck right because I didn't get right To death with this right and then trade it don't we don't drive it home trying to leave it there And maybe Maybe we don't even deal this maybe we work a trade a deal right now We we give we say we're going to commit putting a new motor in it We'll pay for it And then we need that to be part of part of your figured into your price on the The on the new one which I'll know tomorrow. Yeah, I'll know the elsewhere tomorrow. Okay. Yeah, and then I can Decide from there. Okay a little better as far as what to do with the So maybe you're going to be looking to the select board to help finalize the decision on the 25th But we meet again Well, yeah, I mean, I think what the select board needs to do is figure out if we if we are buying in the truck or not Right, and I think that's going to depend on what you find out between now and the next meeting Which you might have everything tomorrow, but we don't meet again until 25th Right. So so when he says I called a wholesaler Bill clearly Yeah, J&B I called a wholesaler and he Uh, that purchases town equipment. He would value your truck with a new engine at 50,000 today That doesn't necessarily mean that jb would pay us 50,000 trade It means that we get to sell it on our own in like the auto trader or would you take no? No, that means that means that this wholesaler will buy that truck for 50,000. Oh, he will buy that. Yes Yeah, he bought he buys all of jb j&b's second hand Okay, he's down in new york. So 50,000 is a nice price towards a new truck That's with a new engine and then the next paragraph it says if it had a Used engine it would be worth 35 Yeah Right with like mileage, but it might be harder to sell something Yeah This truck is going to be hard to sell no matter with it. Everybody knows about this 2012 and it's at the wholesaler Well, I'm sure he knows about it too, but that's why otherwise that truck those numbers would be a lot hard Right if that was if that was you know an older international truck those numbers would be a lot harder because it's just because Between 2000 and not 2009 and 2012 Yeah, they started making those jump motors without the urea and that's where they went back Right those motors are just problems. They just Okay, so the plan is It sounds to me like the plan is to put a new motor in it If the math works if the math works, right? You still have to get some more figures get a quote On a new western star. Am I saying is that the right one? Yeah Come back to the select board on the 25th with the numbers and recommendations and then If we decide we want to buy a new truck we'll have to hold a special town meeting And part of the purchase of us buying a new western star from this guy I hope we have better price than normal Would be the he also needs to take to give us the trade at 50 grand Yeah With with the new motor. Yeah. Yeah, it's part of this the transaction for a new truck Right, so Yeah, I mean, you can't pull any wool over my eyes because I I can I know what I can buy a western star From Charlie Boyce, right? Right. So I know what a cabin chassis goes for. Yeah, so we can't you guys say, okay? Well, I need 130 for the cabin chassis and I can buy it for 150 So I'm on this I just I just barely literally got this Well, yeah, you digest it you've done a really good job Nice nice detective and negotiating skills Yeah, well, it's it's my money too, right your tax dollars a lot of tax in this town I tend to look out for it. Yeah, that's what I'm doing here. Yeah Plus you need a truck to drive plus I need a truck to do my job, right Okay, anything else so we can move on I'm going to see if everybody nobody minds if we Pat Johnson is here who broke her ankle You do you have anything else Alfred? Okay So your proposal is to appoint a defective conservation commission. Yeah. Yeah An injured conservation broken truck and a broken conservation commission A better man come in threes, right What else is broken? I It's kind of taking things out of order, but I think this will take like three minutes So you can get back home and put your foot up So I met Pat at a conservation commission meeting recently. She lives on lightning ridge. Of course she does Rose knows her Stephanie knows her we're about I am down about a Quarter half mile I next to Rick Winston. Oh, okay cross from bent with a beautiful Beautiful flowers. Oh, that's you. Yeah, that's actually my husband Then it sees the amazing as I'm saying I'm not the gardener. My husband's the gardener. So my gosh. Yeah, I'm the admirer Yeah, I need to go full the occasional weed right Yeah, so Pat's willing to serve on the conservation commission And she would slot into I'm trying to say whose position They had a couple of vacancies and didn't have them filled And then they had I shouldn't write this down ahead of time conservation commission. So we have um Well, they both Lou Cherry and Richard Maisel Their terms expired in 2018 and I believe they're in their four-year terms So, um, I would like to make a motion that we appoint Pat Johnson to fill one of the vacant Is it a conservation? No, too. Sadly. I'm sorry. He's not To fill one of the vacant positions with the term expiring Four years from 18 is what 2020 2022 2022 Wow, wow, it's right. Yeah So we thank you very much for your willingness to serve. I'll second that All those in favor, please say aye All right Oh, thank you. Thank you. I need to ask names so I know. Oh, I'm sorry. It's okay. Denise Wheeler. Yeah Okay, I am your brother Okay No, I'll be at the conservation tomorrow night. We'll be there tomorrow. Okay. Yeah, I'm really interested in Yeah, and Cliff Emmons She takes the minutes for conservation as well Yeah, great. Okay. All right. Thank you I'm trying to recover it One much quicker. Yeah. Yeah Thank you. Good. Nice to see you. Say hi to Dennis too. Thank you. Yes Thanks You need any help? Thank you Did Stephanie leave Okay Yeah All right, Sandra pick it away So i'm sorry to make you wait, but nature of the beast That's right. I think it's to do Just a few so, um How do you we wanted to talk about I think the first thing we should talk about is the audit For f y 17 and 18 You've contacted Sullivan and Powers. Correct. I followed up on What uh, Donna had previously initiated for on behalf of the select board and um She had obtained A bid from Sullivan and Powers. I have spoken with Fred De Plasas recently to confirm Their interest and ability to audit the town They have made a proposal a three-year proposal f y 17 and 18 They can audit for 14,500 each year and f line 19 for 14,900 We budgeted an f y 19 14,000 for the audit and since I I believe that 14,000 was based on a conversation had almost a year ago According to Freddy was looking at us. So There was an increase Based on probably the passage of time Uh in can they do have availability to do our audits? Um It was uh the legal opinion of Jim Barlow that we were able to Forgo an audit of f y 16 It was the opinion of Fred De Plasas that because f y 16 was so remote in time That the information that would be obtained was not as valuable As if we started with audits f 17 and going forward So this is also converting to a cash Correct So, um Fred's Recommendation was that the town go from an accrual basis A modified accrual basis to a modified cash basis The audit proposal reflected the ease of an audit on a modified cash basis So his recommendation was based on three prongs one The audit is less expensive to The ease of administration of a cash basis accounting Practice was easier Administratively and three that the reporting is much more clear And he felt that the select board would have an ease of You know understanding the financial reports as opposed to an accrual basis I have I have been working with your accrual basis. I Accounting I don't have any trouble with it. I worked on a cash basis in the town of Worcester for eight years um, I I was also As the treasure there the town was audited by Sullivan empowers I I like a cash basis. I think that um As a town the size is not going to be gas be compliant That would require Practices that are not cost effective for the town for instance having all of the town Highways and buildings appraised and depreciated. It's it's a very expensive process having our pension plan Evaluated on a natural basis every year. So These are some of the elements of being gas be compliant Fred's comment to me was your a town your size is not going to be gas be compliant. There's no real reason to have an accounting process that relies on an accrual basis And then went on to say these are the benefits of a cash basis and numeric conversion on a cash basis There's no problem with that. No, I contacted numeric. We're in the process of designing the Chart of the counts and no material Changes needed to be made to reflect a cash basis. In fact, I mean we were going to do it. This is the ideal time So my recommendation to the board would be to follow the recommendation of red duplexus and And For a cash basis audit and to begin your audit years on f y 17 and 18 He included 19. So he gave us a deal for three years. I think that's a great idea. I also Recommend that we really budget for an annual audit. I think that we have Large projects going forward particularly the town hall project And the select board would be it would really be a handy tool for the select board to You know keep their fingers on the pulse. I think finances of the town So I think I agree and I would like to see us do an annual audit I think it it makes prudent Sense, you know fiscally going forward for Loans, you know, whatever. I think it's always it would be wise for the town to do an annual audit and with a price That we can budget in I think it makes perfect sense Um, it's just it's just a lot of turnover. It's a lot of turnover in this office of the last few years Right. It's good management. That's been inherited our longest. Yeah, it's just good management practice. It is smart to do One thing of note. We can We can proceed to the 18 audit immediate f y 18 audit immediately following the f y 17 audit We do have the room in our budget Because of a certain employee turnover. There are my expended funds that are available and will Cover the f y 18 cost of audit So we picked into that you do have the money I spoke with friend and he can begin the f y 17 audit The 20th and 21st of june That will allow allow us to reach into f y 18 budget monies. We do have some We do have a few thousand dollars of unexpended monies that we can apply to the work done in F y 18 to close the f y 17 audit. So that also releases money to pay for the f y 18 audit which was budgeted for in f y 19. Oh, you guys are following me So, um, I um, I hope the board would give some consideration to this and uh And move on it. I think it's a great idea. I think it's a good opportunity to get caught up get on a regular Auditing basis. I think it's a good good good management practice for the town So just for point of clarification Do we still have Auditors like do we still have an auditor or are we going to need an auditor? Or we don't if we get an annual audit We still the Charter says and I don't have it in front of me That the town Kid would appoint an auditor and have an audit an official audit audit every three years Currently we don't have an auditor per se. We have father gilce valley melanie and renais. Yeah, and Going forward and this is something that's going to come up is that Because of what I'm doing and we hope that in the future Barbara Butler the assistant town clerk Will be able to do the reconciliation of the checkbook What I'm doing with the the warrants I don't know who I who was it was it fred or was it somebody else said that that kind of covers An auditor an auditor, right the functions. Well, I think I think that from It We have two questions here We have what fulfills the auditing requirement as imposed by the town Charter And that's a legal determination and then what fulfills the internal controls To get us a good a good audit A good governmental audit So from the auditing standpoint, if we are beginning to put in place the internal controls that Auditors are looking for in particular a segregation of powers so that I am not Reviewing my own work every single month. Well, it wasn't the idea too that The renais or I guess melanie's would be leaving but That they would kind of fulfill that rule as the auditor Well, I was hoping that would happen and we have not firmed that up at this point in time Yes, I want to see what we really are looking at in terms of internal controls What is solid and powers going to recommend how how we can fulfill that and How then can we merge those requirements the auditing requirements with a requirement of the town Charter, right and um So that is yet to be that's to be worked out. Yeah So what do you need? Are those your customers? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, we don't that that is still a little nebulous But right now we really do have at least two auditors looking over my shoulder. They're not reconciling my accounts They're not Checking on checks, you know, is every check you counted for But they are looking over how things are being posted and we are formulating final balances Of the various accounts so that we can move Opening balances into the memory system. So, you know, excellent. There's a lot of stuff. There's a lot of moving pieces right now Yeah, yeah, there's a ton of moving pieces I'm beating up all the space John. I'm sorry. No, I'm taking the whole space We may actually the only need an auditor town auditor if we have good internal controls covered In house We may only need an actual auditor as required by the town Charter maybe once a quarter to come in Yeah, and maybe fsb will send someone in to fulfill that purpose The town Charter does not say how often an auditor needs to come in right So we have a little wiggle room there. I think that I didn't I don't think we even thought about it at the time We were draft from the Charter. I don't even think we Well, that was good because yeah yourself, right It can be wide open and mostly what we're after are is a very positive audit that That sees that we are fulfilling internal controls again a separation of segregation of duties. Yeah So what do you need us? Do you need us to make a motion and approve The um Contract the contract was solvent and powers. Yes, and do we need to sign anything? Yes the contract The contract is a malt is you know a multi-page Yeah, I did three year contract. I didn't read it word for word, but it's it is a Really standard fair For um audits five years. It's a three-year three-year Oh Okay Right and you know What bread says is if if you decide not to do the 2019 You know They would let us out of it, but I think I think that would just be important a regular. Yeah, so one might really want to Stay on schedule and and continue with this it's All goes well. There's no reason to change right. Yeah, things don't go as planned right right. I mean we can just try our best to keep on a regular audit schedule and All right, so would somebody like to make a motion or would my motion like to be seconded? I'll second your motion. Yeah, I made a motion that we approve the contract. Oh, it's all of it in powers Okay, then you oh for For cash basis audit for cash basis audit to do the audit for f y 17 18 and 19 as described in the Letter of the proposal provided by soulmen and powers dated June 5 Can we authorize you to sign on behalf of the select group? It's actually scope of services. Is that what's called scope of services Proposal Um, I think we can all just sign it. There's enough spaces. Well, somebody'll have to write beneath the line. Okay Um All right, so that's the motion. Is everybody in agreement? Is there a second? Second Any further discussion more questions? Okay, all those in favor, please say aye. All right. All right. I'll pass this around There's only three lines, but somebody can sign below And there's two All right, well, we're signing that do you want to talk to us about the blanket authority to close various bank accounts and why that's needed as we're moving into our Transition and to our numeric accounting system and also closing out f y 18 Uh, Melanie formally of probably going to golly now on her own, but while she was with father bill and so golly and Advising the town on its financial procedures recommended that we close all ancillary accounts and We have not identified exactly which I'm sorry what those accounts will be but We will determine that Melanie myself And Renee from who's currently with father bill and so golly the purpose of that is That accountants pay a lot of accounts. It's as simple as that in Worcester. They also Asked us to close accounts that were not That they do not deem necessary The reason that we can do that with safety is that Quick books, but in particular numeric can do fund accounting So we can keep track of all the money that was otherwise in those accounts The cemetery funds would remain segregated the swim funds would remain segregated But there are there's a the general surplus account that those monies really can be rolled into the Operating account They're not operating funds But they would simply be in one place in one place. She did recommend we maintain a money market account Just have one checking account one mark money market account and then the cemetery funds and the swim funds So it would be cutting it down to four and the highway would be Well, the highway is is just part of the operating operating account, right? And you keep trying to keep track of it in numeric, so right the surety account I think Frankly needs to be separate. We're earning interest for that and that really is the surety account The escrow you mean from the mccullough. So I would uh, I would maybe reach out to jim on that one And talk to father villains a galley. I'm not sure that we really should Consolidate that we're also holding right because I think we need to just I think that needs to be separate I I think it in probably does its own interest its own thing Yeah, we also are holding tax proceeds from the two tax sales and those clearly need to be separated from town funds that's There's not a statute on it, but that is the recommendation of gloria rice and if you read The the basic statute you certainly It's it's inferred if not specifically stated. So those funds must generate interest and um, and they have to be separate They they need to be separate gloria rice Yeah, recommended that and that's they will not be consolidated. So the consolidation effort really is not a big deal I think we have one account to fold in um But this is this is not this isn't the first time I've heard this So we will I will so plan. I just need an authorization motion Okay So I'll make a motion to give town treasurer sandra fervor the blanket authority to close various bank accounts As needed Does that do it? That does it. I'll second that Any further discussion all those in favor, please say aye. Aye Okay town hall You want to want to Maybe you'd want to do numeric. I should have put this different numeric Just give us a quick update on numeric and then we can do town hall because that'll lead into The further discussion So the numeric transition is progressing nicely Uh The accounts payable module is loaded our vendors are all in Payroll is loaded our current all the employees that we have Appointees and elected officials are all loaded Benefits are loaded. So other than transferring year to date Payroll information from QuickBooks into Numeric That module is put together. I will review each employee elected and appointed official Uh individually just to make sure everything is is tidy The transfer of year to date information will take place on June 29th We will pull the information out because that's our last payroll That would be our last bi-weekly payroll We will have that year to date information off of QuickBooks And from that report we will manually input each employee's information into numeric the idea being that the System will be loaded and ready to Run its first payroll on July 6th, which is the first week of payroll of fy 19 So that is the plan Numeric will be available remotely or she'll come in and renais at father gill and sacali who Is in charge of the payroll module that we use there. She is also Online for us that day That would be your Friday. So nice work. This is exciting. It is exciting Our chart of accounts is constantly under construction and refinement our Highway operations manager had asked for a couple of changes and in particular for more detail So he's looking for a detail on repairs and equipments per vehicle and also On loan and interest payments per vehicle So currently you have one equipment and repair line item They've asked for that to be broken out. The real work is for them whether it's keyed in on one number or 10 numbers It still has to be keyed in one way or another. So that's it just gives you more information and the loan payments currently are under one line item as well And really for good accounting purposes, we'll break that up in the interest and principle per loan payment And that gives I think I think that gives a lot of information that will be valuable. Absolutely. So we made that change This week an immigrant will be in on wednesday the purpose of their meeting uh with me and our operations manager toby and alfred Our room commissioner Is to set forth how best to use numeric to keep track of highway grants and in fact all grants In preparation for that toby's coming in tomorrow. He has a list of grants that will be Um ongoing or initiated in f y 19 and also a list of grants that we will Um be receiving payments on that for all intents and purposes They're the expended the expenditures have been submitted and we're waiting on payments We need a place to put them in nimre So what nimre will talk about is how to read a grant agreement and how to Then set it up each grant as she as it will be set up We'll basically have a mini budget and we'll have a revenue line For receivables and it will have you know labor equipment materials and so we can get around But we want to print out on a specific grant project To see how much it cost or why it went over We'll be able to do that and then you will also your highway grants will effectively be netted at the close of every fiscal year So whether you're in the black or in the red. Hopefully it's always in the black Right, um But maybe sometimes in the red because you'll be in progress. Some of these grants will straddle physical years You will you will have a better ability to know Where you are in the highway grant world Likewise the highway Fund will carry forward its own Fund balance and this will also apply to all all these other grants that we have too like the breeder grant and Right the general government grants general government grants Will will also live in their own world And they will be netted out at the close of every fiscal year. We are also going to create A town hall project Grant historic preservation grants The town hall project is so big that that will live in its own but the historic preservation grants I think we'll just go in with general government grants. Yeah So they will all net out and the purpose of the highway the town hall grant really is to allow you folks to keep an eyeball on Where we are at any point in the time the grant is different than the loan obviously There as I understand it there will be various grants that will be Applied for as well as the loan. Yeah And so you're going to be the keeper of the grants going forward Well, I'm not going to be the person to write for grants And I'm not going to be the person who will be sending in grant receipts right now. You're going to manage Yes, I I will be the person who will keep copies of all of the Invoices and the payment records And I will be inputting that information into Nimrick. I will essentially have my own grant file redundancy Actually, this is recommended in a situation like this Because in the event of an audit you really Um You can't have the person we would want to avoid the person being audited Having to say I just don't know I wasn't here at that time So same thing with highway grants. We I would have an internal file and highway should have their own files And they do they do a great job Toby has done a great job with the spreadsheet. I think we finally communicated how I need to organize his information He works so everybody's mind works differently. We have a family great spreadsheet that I think will pinpoint the information I need what time is he coming in to him? He hasn't said yet. He will get back to me But he has committed that day. So we're I think we wouldn't need more than an hour and an hour and a half for that Alfred is very interested. He's not here. Alfred is very interested in what's going on And he will be attending too because he oftentimes keys in grant information We did have a stream permit that Alfred was talking with you about earlier And I simply added a grant to our existing Quickbooks list because we have to write that expense out of it And set up the file and so we know the numeric number and numeric will give it A numeric number and we will be able to move these things Perfect. Wonderful. All right Town hall loan Town hall loans I went out to bed on three loans Only two came back So we're kind of twisted between right now Did the other one not get back to you did not they did not respond. It was a people's bank Isn't that what we use? No Merchants we use merchants formally merchants currently community Bank and a Oh, okay merchants is now known as community bank and a forgive me if I say community national bank They're so close. Yeah It might be easier for our conversation if we just say merchants and know at the front that it is actually known as community bank in it Yeah, Katie can put that in minutes merchants Or the formally known as all right, I'm afraid I will for purposes of recording I'm afraid I'm going to say community national banks for some reason that runs off Yeah, that comes out easier and that would be confusing So so Cliff and I had met with Sandra and asked her to get some figures Hopefully for our discussion tonight so we keep going on applying for the loan so For some sick bank is uh is now Recruiting or yes is recruiting governments Into their government Division And they have offered offered offered us a Loan at 2.74 percent fixed for five years for the $200,000 I spoke with Danny Lane today initially they were looking for audits and so I'm just going to rewind and say Every bank I contacted was looking for your last two or three audits and um, I Had some reservations about whether or not we were going to be successful in making this Loan happen because we just simply don't have that information nor would we have it in time We just simply wouldn't have it and and the time frame would not be relevant to what the town hall committee is hoping to accomplish in the near future So in speaking with uh, Danny Lane, I um They were willing to waive the audit requirements in favor of our town reports and financial quick book statements The balance sheet profit and loss What they did want to do Was subject the loan to a other you know other contingencies and one of which is that we That they hold our primary operating account, which is currently with merchants um That would seem to be a no-brainer, but that actually uh, well, I think We'd like to talk about that. I I do have an opinion on that So keep that in mind that 2.74 fixed for five years for the full 200 thousand Uh community bank merchants has offered us a loan again for 200 thousand dollars at 3.71 percent They uh Prepaid there and there are bank. They are our bank They also wanted audits and um, I spoke with her at length both of these people I needed to speak with at length because this process needs to move and we can't My concern is that the select were to make the time and effort to select a bank And then we could not meet other writing requirements and we would be another month out and as I understand the Catch flow needs here that could be prejudicial to the project and to accomplishing what needs to happen when the weather is good so I was um, so I pursued that and uh We're going to be able to do without our audit, but you know merchants was That they they was going to be agreeable with that Um They did agree to it, you know that they understood the conditions as well. We understood they understood We did not have audits and supported this loan The end that we could go we could go forward and if we accepted if we accepted their bid they would not Then respond by saying we withdraw the bid because you don't have audits. That's that was my concern These are inquiries, right? Well, these are written. This is what we will do if You may select one of these. Okay. Okay, so what what does it mean to What would it mean to switch everything from one bank to another? Well, it ordinarily might not be a big deal But we're in a I am transitioning into numeric that is really heating up into fourth to fifth year um I Have a lot of faith and the merchants folks. I have dealt with them for years and years They have a lot of history behind them when they write an offer They set it all out for you. This is this is their bid the real deal Which they will have all of your loan paperwork. That's who we buy this one if you have everything for them now this is This is for some sick banks offer Where is that bank? Well, it's in St. John's Ferry now sooner Then later they are going to have a branch in the Berlin mall Oh, really? So that is really the only thing that I have to say that would be convenient both of these Banks are in Berlin. I live in Berlin that I go to the bank You know sometimes once a week and during tax time it would be more frequent. So it would not be an inconvenience But certainly mailing in deposits initially is not a good idea. I I walk my deposits and I always have because The banks now use electronic readers which do not always capture Numbers correctly and you can't easily go back to a taxpayer Who wrote a five that looks like a nine or nine that looks like a five and say you know I was five dollars because the bank misread you check right it doesn't It just doesn't oh it could work like that, but it's difficult. Is it inappropriate to Ask community bank to match for some sick Well, I mean merchants or could you it's muni? Okay My thought to the select board is I'd like to go back to community bank. I'd like to tell them that That we have three hundred and thirty eight thousand dollars in a money market account in tv bank And would they consider matching The some sick If we were to bring all of our money over there or at least come closer So and let them know that some success they want our business in that and that we have the select board is considering Right because it's just considering moving all our business over there Right because it's money is so darn good Right now. What is one hit somebody on beyond being able to computer? What is that one percent on two hundred thousand dollars because it's darn close to a one percent spread It's a little bit less. Oh, yes. It is less. It's uh Point one zero seven percent difference On two hundred thousand dollars. What is that 14 john's gonna do it on his computer. I'm gonna pass it to sandi It's not 14,000. It's what? What's seven times four is 14 seven times two seven times two. I mean Plug in a number's there and a calculator It's not here. She hasn't seen that computer before Yeah, that's what they all say katie. Can you do a calculator? She's got it. I can though. I could pull it up next It's the race A thousand interest rate is I mean even if they were to come in close to the subset That's what i'm hoping. Um or lower would be even better If we move that td bank Over Oh, there we go Oh, I need a term five years um, it it would be What is what we really want is what we pay in the end? Right Total interest paid 14 to 40 61 as total interest paid on that 14 to 40 So that's that's a quite a bit of money. Well, and that is 2.74 and now we're going to go to 3.71 It's would be total interest paid would be 19,431 dollars 19,431 So $5,000 is not a small amount but administratively To switch everything to switch everything over and the switch over Is is uh complicated. It's not complicated. Nothing is complicated the switch over would Require an identification of all outstanding checks It would require moving money into an account to cover new Checks that we're going to write so that so that we can write checks while we hold back money For existing checks to come in Uh, it would require contacting the federal government. That's the hard one and the state of berlin to Alert them that their automatic transfers are going to be coming into the town Because they paid recording fees Directly into our bank account and then the federal government is the one that's going to lag behind More than anything Out we also have automatic transfers coming out that would be consult our phone Let's just say all those. Yeah, they're all right there on that way Correct. Also our tax payments are sweat. So there are Uh Too much There is a lot There are enough in and outs of our account that are done electronically and automatically that that would be tricky to manage so And it would it would be So i'm just saying from my standpoint that would add an additional layer Right, I am hoping with your permission that I Would be successful in reaching out to community bank offering them our TV bank money market account and Asking them if they could meet or at least approach that Loan rate So that's what I would hope that I would like to do Because administratively really that $5,000 would just be your you're paying a salary to really Push hard on that plus we're trying to consolidate right bank accounts right in addition to all of that So what do you what does the board want to do so that we can Otherwise if we don't make a decision tonight about Something letting sandy move forward and Discussing it. I mean we have to wait for the 20th for the next meeting to make a decision How would the board like to go see? I would be in favor of um definitely given sander the authority to pursue what she just said and um Who has to does the full board need to sign off on the loan or do you sign off on it? Oh, no, the word would be signed on resolution to take a loan as the treasurer. There would be a few Treasury documents that they can as you know, it would be bonded or whatever right? Well, I am bonded The lc through our liability insurance Your your all of your friends are right, but um There would be a few tax reporting documents as I recall that as the treasurer I would be signing or you would be signing the resolution um, it couldn't go without a select board signature the What I am concerned with is they're not going to come down to that 2.74 percent So they have some question about Who's in the town the bank the loan officer at the some sick? All right, I mean at a purchase so as I'm listening to at the back of my head I'm listening to alfred and he wants to get a loan for the truck for the truck right so That truck that those loans usually granted by the dealer we get them through the dealer Okay, good. Yeah, because and you might have to take a bite on that interest rate if you take it through the dealer You know most of our highway loans as I understand the documents are through merchants bank Yeah, I mean some of them are through the bank I think So, you know the truck loans are through no the truck loans are through the bank Oh, I thought we were getting through the dealer But you might say that we by the time we do that We'll have the finished audit for f by 17 Because if we have to hold a special town meeting, which duty wasn't here to hear that lovely piece of things I don't want to be that messenger. Yeah I can be though, but are you thinking it's like a carrot? Oh, you know, I you know, I I think that they will give us this loan I think though that they are looking hard at the town's Financial situation what they're looking at is a loan per capita ratio They're looking at whether or not we've had a deficit whether or not we've had a surplus they're looking at with the the loan Repayment schedule to budget overall budget ratio is she said she thought I said, how do we how do we look to you? She said, well you look Okay So, um, but she didn't look at any great debt. She did not look at us in any great debt She said it's a mosaic and she looks at whether or not we have reserves And um, which we do and we also have that money market Right now sitting there, which is which I'm sure they'd like to have at their bank Why can't they put a lien against the building like they would do a home mortgage? I don't think they do that in a government in a government situation. I I'm not, uh You know Well the value is in your taxpayers I understand it, but if they're unsure because of Our both kind of being in disarray could we're going through this transition Seems to me we can provide them a some kind of security backup Everybody was happy. We were going into an emirate. I can tell you Without a doubt that that was huge, right? That was a very large piece of my conversation And the fact that I said a select board seemed uh, receptive to having ongoing annual audits that Also, if you don't mind, I did say that because it seemed to be Recepted that yes, that's correct Recepted was the way that you could be the attorney I could be something when I grow up and um So I really pressed hard Because I felt that I needed to and so we do have these two hard bids now People's bank could come in but they've already told me they they're only interested in us if they had our deposit business So I know no matter what bid they come across with it would be contingent on moving everything over So we are facing that same situation Right Fortunately whether that's a cost as you explained so it has it does have a cost and you know and getting us into an emirate I can't we that is not a sacrifice. We want to make we don't really want to sacrifice The time it's going to take to get into the emirate For you know to move over those funds because that Was important to the people who I was speaking right and I think and like I said I think by the time we get to anything to do with a truck The f y 17 audits going to be done. They're going to be working on the f y 18 audit You've already noticed that we might have a little bit Boys timings great. I mean, so I think I think it's I think it's all good things feel like they are Knitting together. They're not entirely sewn together, but the things are Falling into place and I think that We're we're going forward in just the right way just the right time that that's my thing So if you would give me the authority to go back to community bank. Yeah top and You want to motion? You just need to be able to start your job right just go back to them and See if you can work out a deal with them with the TD bank account and Um, I have a long standing relationship with shelly quinn here is a leafy in the governmental position I used to work So whether that helps or not, I don't know but We've been a customer there for a long time that should help too Well, I um, I hope so I It's and tell her that we signed a contract tonight for an audit once a year for three years, right? So tell her we're being good good people here Well, I don't know if that is good for us or not good Yeah, we have a good credit with that one. We make our payments on time. Uh, we haven't as far as I know Never Um, we have we're great with our delinquent taxes. They're very We're pretty calm though at this point So, um, anyway, I mean, I feel really good about hope that we're In fiscally really good Place right now with never with the audits. I We're getting to the internal controls. It's all coming. It's all coming around. It took a while But we're getting there good people Yeah, yeah, and Barbara Butler You I think we're I think we're good. I feel really confident It feels it it feels right. We're we're Yeah, doing good today So that's where we are. I will um to to Further this I will send an email to all of you. Okay, hopefully But before the end of the day tomorrow letting you know where we are And I don't know if you are allowed to Decide by email. No You're not can we get for the authority to decide? No, that's what I was trying to get at. I mean, I'll be in on wednesday Oh, wait a minute If if she gives us a good bid and everybody if all they really need to do is move down some Right. They need to move down some. Yeah, they move down some I will have her just simply have the loan documents here to review on the 25th And then All right, we've got that but if you want to talk about it further, I'll be in on wednesday. Okay, well All right, very good. Thank you. I'll keep you any longer. You can go home. It's almost nine o'clock. Oh, well Would you wait the chickens are roosting? She's not working I did not remind them to close the man you're too late breakfast No, no not in the summers weasels in the winter. So you're giving me anxiety weasels in the winter We have a house. Yes, and that's very distracting for my family. I'm handing you out before I leave A budget to actual report We are This is through this evening the orders written up through this evening You are still on track where uh, look at the bottom line your bottom line. You're at uh So right now or Yeah, we're 28 000 to the good Under budget, right? Oh more than that. I'm looking at the last page sandra net income you are 83 percent of your overall Budget I'm on the very last page four So you're looking at it in that income You're you're looking at a percentage down there, but if you hop up You will see your have your total expenses. You're at 83 percent, right? So your budgeted expenses were 1.6 million plus and you have expended 1.3 million plus. So you are Okay, and we have one payroll left one payroll. Yes So no line item is really jumping out at me at this point in time And I've seen the bills come in from the highway stuff. So I know we're They're getting caught up with Stuff there with the sand. Yeah, I have an actually processed and sand bills and the reason uh something It was gravel gravel gravel on the sand, right? At this point in time you're on an accrual basis I probably if I come in on the 25th I would have another one of these for you It is possible that you will see the sand line item over budget That is because you are on an accrual basis All the sand expenses that were Paid last june Are For sand that was used in this winter and that's two separate This one here, right? So because you're on an accrual basis It's an accounting requirement that those expenditures get pushed in to your budget And then any expenditures made on the next board orders that would be on the 25th You would see possibly that line item Far and away exceeding what was budgeted for a minute Because then in time right then in july we Push them over into fiscal year 19. However, we're on a cash basis and we won't be doing that And so anymore so how the accountants are going to manage those journal entries and that is for them to Figure out in their magical ways and um, you're just not going to see that today. Yeah Uh Oh Real quickly the canon copier. I heard you guys Speaking of that earlier So I completed that transaction the transaction did require Completion and it is done as of now the bid held and uh, we will be treated hadn't gotten processed I thought we signed off. I thought that was all it was all so you uh, it's in the budget and it's but the paperwork hadn't been correct So the paperwork is complete and delivery will take place sometime at the end of this month I'm just hoping it's not when the auditors are here. It's a several day. We'll just tell them not to Seriously tell them not to well, we're going on. It's all going to be fine. We were really worried about this machine It making it's you know, uh, I know that's why I hardly ever asked anything to be printed here I just printed out my house until we get the new one. It's going to be fine And we're going to weather that it's going to be fine. It really is stock out in staples toner right now So anyway, that that is that's pulled together Um, and we're going to be getting our new machine it there will be some overlap between the time the new machine is installed tested Excuse me delivered tested Installed and then the removal of the old machine. So there will be maybe a week where we're going to have two copiers Yes, $500 will be retrieved So that's all fine and um, I think it'll be nice when it's here and up and running. I think you guys are all gonna like it Yeah Colors and expenses yes it is you need to meter that Oh, John, I mean I can't do financial reports of color If it makes it better to for you to do the financial forces Color anything that makes it easier for you Anyway, all of that aside, um I heard john speaking about the office and I do want to say that I appreciate the select board is Taking up that conversation with him It can be really noisy in here and um Uh, it can at times be difficult to Concentrate in fact, it can be really exhausting trying to Back out the noise and there have been phone calls. I'm sure that judy has experienced barbara and myself Absolutely where I can barely hear the person on the other side because really the noise in the office is actually Yeah So Um The one thing I love about this office and I hope does not change is the natural light because when you're working on a computer At least in my opinion, there's nothing nicer than being able to look out and sing blue and green But I'm really grateful that you're taking up this conversation and um And I hope that you would Talk to judy and I and barbara For our input because we're working really hard to make everything as efficient as possible But there are limitations. I'm hoping I think you know when we have a staff meeting You know, we can talk about some of the configurations and of course you would be included And then the select board, you know, it's going to cost money is going to get funneled It's been my relentless Unrelenting focus to make sure that building is utilized to the maximum possible downstairs when it's done for office staff as a first priority And you know town use as a first priority So that that needs to be configured so that this is the first priority downstairs Um, and so that staff aren't you know, you eager to hear while that thing sits Having birthday parties, right? So I think it's going to get a lot of municipal use once it's up and Running I can already see where things could happen over there that don't need to happen here during the day Right and someone needs a quiet space that you should be able to go over there and work Well, I have John it sounds like John is already putting his Probably over there creation his very creative mind to work and that's a great thing because sometimes, you know, the Designer hates to change the design, but um, it is flexible It's it can get it can get really noisy. I've well, I've spent enough time in here now To see how crazy it can be Well, I can vouch for it. It's fun. I mean it keeps you wait. Yeah, it is fine But I'm not here every day so Thank you so much I've had a great time working with you guys. It's It's a really good I'm enjoying myself good I work with great colleagues and I appreciate all the support that the board has given me and uh, especially in this transition So Everything All right town hall you guys heard all the stuff about the loans, you know where we're at with that Um, we need to talk about the lifting And on the facelift Up here so we're both like family Like family I'm very glad John was here, but he hasn't been here for the whole time that we've been throwing this around I guess that's why he said go ahead. Um, it's off drinking scotch. We were uh, it was a good book of uh, Jim Clark Ernie Parish and me that Talked to the They considered the two bids that we got We we got we had one from messier at 35 5 35,500 And we were really surprised that we got one from the ladies who's a I believe lifter Based in conquering Hampshire for 16,800 I am a huge difference Seven dollars difference Get these mail I think Jim Clark said it best it's really in the best interest of the town to me Look at them to accept the lowest bid I told messier that So it's our recommendation to accept the bid from And we're we're comparing their their comparable bids I spoke with Just He said it at first there's a question that they weren't comparable or cross comparable that there's some differences But they both bid on the same rft No, no, your approach one was going to have six Areas and this you know the guy's going to have four and is and how they were going to um And what that would allow the contractors to do and and forming up and setting up and reframing whatever you do They'll work underneath the building It would it would be different depending on who the contractor is. So I just wanted to yeah, Jim Jim and Ernie and I met this morning there and And we agreed that the four Crimin files will work. Okay. So there's nothing in Getty's proposal that Keeps the thing from happening And as as we go forward we'll we'll be talking to Getty said you You hire somebody and often, you know, there are changes We pay for them, but They're definitely comparable in experience. Yeah amazing videos So in the best interest of the town our recommendation is to accept the big The next step would be to work on the contract we're We're going to make a I could Get you the draft of the contract and the next day or so Is that it's the one that Jim this is the one that Jim did, right? Yeah Okay, so so a bit amount didn't change after your conversation. We play is still the same So we could prove that tonight and his availability He's our start and meet your time frame. He said he wanted a week either side of august 1st, but he's able to Excellent come with us Is that too late? No, it's not too late. That's not too late Sure, I mean no because some of the things got in the way the bill the There's a period of time after which We can only spend money after a certain date any money that we spend before In regard to accessibility stuff. We don't get any grant money So so our schedule Has been sort of knocked around by that. There's only we really can't dive into the thing till after july 1st Oh, okay, right because of the new physics. So this is august 11 August 1st I'll be here before we know that So how does that work and we don't I guess we're not talking about it tonight You can tell me at a building committee meeting, but what does he do? He comes in and lifts it up and puts it on its Things and then he goes away And somebody does the excavation piece and then he comes back and puts it down Yeah, just just the way you saw it the The house on county road, yeah Yeah, it's pretty amazing that you can do that the whole house or town hall All right, so I would make a motion that we accept the bid For the rfp from gettys and the amount of 16,800 dollars Any further discussion Please say hi. Hi. Nice. Nice work. Excellent. Nice work Not what I do. Yep. This is a good it's a good start. I mean you heard the discussion on the loan So we're getting that taken care of It's all good good teamwork Oh, we've got some wonderful volunteers. Yeah, they do. They just keep cranking. Yeah, it is. It's just beautiful weather Thank you. Yeah, but we let john have a couple weeks off. So now he's good to go for another what? Are you getting three weeks' work this morning? He's going to need three days just to recover from the job Yeah, at least yeah, it hasn't caught up with him yet. So So john's way past your bedtime Yeah, and scots and scots too Get closer scots To 12 yeah, john scott made the analogy of me showing up at eight o'clock meetings, which I have done except for one On wednesday mornings. It's like him staying up to midnight every night Which we can do yeah, yeah, it's not preferred but yeah For a little more time, right So it's the you know overall it's going great. Yeah So I know it's not on the agenda. It's not directly related any updates on the church spire there Any information you're Europe? No I only went and looked at it today I'm on the building committee for it, but No, I was actually I was completely underwhelmed They only took off the the top most octagonal section and it's not that big Hmm. No What's three sections? Yeah, well, there's four. There's the rectangular base and there's two octagons and there's a little cabinet thing They're they're scabbing in a scarfing in extension pieces Okay, so I've been trying to get us out of here $90,000 for what the church to fix that little cupola Yeah, I didn't call it spire. I didn't call it little. I know I'll make something expensive. So do you want sure is You're ready to move on? Yes. Okay. Thanks. You're all safe. Good night gentlemen. Thank you. Thank you very much. So As you guys know Cliff and I have been meeting with alford on a regular basis And I think we've come up with what I would say is a final draft And I just put it on here tonight To put it on your radar so that you could review it and make Comments suggestions. Send you to markups. Yeah um cliff's going to be out of town so I might just catch up with alford to Download from tonight and then I'll be in here Wednesday to for the town hall meeting and to meet with sandra and judy Just to keep things on track And that's been working. They really really appreciate The time that we're spending here. They really do And it's a really it's a really good team of people. I gotta say I'm really proud of the staff we have So there's a reason for everything There is a reason for everything One thing I must say about the job description is we are going to Take the bullet points and change them all that So hitting hard with the action right so what you're seeing represents The thought of it But yeah, don't worry about saying Actually works at the beginning of the sentence, you know ability to and yeah that kind of stuff We still have to think we still have to fix that but I want you guys to look at it sooner rather than later I actually looked at it today and I thought it was pretty good But the thing, you know, and this is because I'm married to a professional truck driver Under skills required or something to me the first bullet point is must hold a valid clean Commercial driver's license Because we can't you can't do anything without a valid Well, we can make that same. That's pretty easy to do. Yeah, so that just like hit me first Yep, yeah, so other than that. I really thought you know, it was good. Yeah, I mean we've been working on it diligently Yeah, it's really it took us a while. Yeah, it contains a lot. It does and he's really on board with it Yeah, he didn't really want to say junior senior entry. Yeah, just gotta be avoided to find it. Yeah. Yeah, it has to be Yeah So he's that scale requirement. He's come around. He's come a long ways in And his ability to talk with us. Yeah about this without getting defensive. Yeah, so it's it's been good Yeah, so maybe he's yeah maturing right. So he's he's growing into Yeah, thanks. We're just good um So that I wanted to give you update on that and then I'm gonna do my Chair update for my new job Beavers on Cantill Road John and I met with toby and alford and tyler brown from Fish and wildlife is it it's fish and wildlife right from off right and some other folks and um Stephanie was there representing conservation commission, right So the long and the short of it is that and rick purchases there that we're going to put Try putting in a beaver baffle And so, you know where that is this beaver dams right across on the south station Okay, yeah, I know where that is And river the stream or whatever I don't know where the stream is Right up tight To the river there where does that put the dam and so and there's a culvert going under so it's Raising the water table Where does that go into which river? Where does that go and goes to the beacon brook beacon brook? Okay Which goes into the north branch Which goes into the Which goes into the main step Right, so anyway, so that problem got resolved with St. March river Yeah I had to cut my shoe at you No, there was a dead beaver floating there when they were there Somebody plugged it. Yeah, probably but I think we got it resolved everybody seemed to be Didn't it wasn't a hundred percent Perfect, but everybody Realized that's the best solution to the problem right now. We're going to try to see if it works And so who's going to do the installation? Tyler Brown. Yeah is going to do the installation people said that they would come and help them When it was ready the town's going to buy the To the tubing or whatever it's what he has to have culvert culvert to make the We're going to buy the culvert piece Tyler's going to bring the the cage Piece he actually manufactures And it's going to be in about three weeks. Is anybody cleaning the ones routinely in adamant remember when they installed those? Somebody is supposed to take a hold of this pond. That's those guys are on their own to Keep those beaver things cleaned out Yeah, so I think it was a good resolution to what was temporarily a crisis And you know the Tyler Tyler Brown Brown Mm-hmm. He was saying you pulled the dam out. They're just going to keep rebugging it and so that's not a solution And the culvert Is a solution He said he said there was a chance that It wouldn't be quite deep enough where he's going to put it first So there's just some adjustments maybe to make Well, it seems like the ones in adamant. Yeah, they were very I talk by it all the time. Yep. Yeah. Yeah, they've been very here's the sign and she's kitty here Um, all right next up Roadside mowing we talked about that. Mm-hmm. I'm gonna. So I'd like the board to consider Maybe not right now, but consider and maybe it's for next season. I guess it probably is but the hiring of a summer summer crew summer help at least one one And and one thing they could do is this mowing in between and maybe we have dug do the main Mowing so this guy would be a gal would be available to do other stuff. Well, and you talked about also buying a Buying a tractor, right? with them that's one of those sidearm mowers There's one on how much was that was 7,500 or something for this used John here thing, right? It's an alamo. Um, yeah, it's on Craigslist. It's Might be sold by We could do it Then we could do it more often than even twice a year. Yeah, which would you know It really helped and then, you know, I also wonder You know about one of the other towns You know could you get I know the town crews don't like it, but could you go in on it together? No, because it just has to do it if they're not as good as we are if we're on this We will Mitigate the spread of the seed if they're sloppy with the use of it and they contaminate our machine the seed Oh, I was thinking like fire it up and spread it all over our town. I think this is a dedicated machine. Yeah well, and also It could maybe be used for Doing other things too. Like when the town hall stuff is done We're going to have a bigger one to mow there and remember the reason where do we'd be doing a Five-time mowing is different plants go to seed at different times during the season, right? So Some later some earlier and so you might hit them before they go to seed and then you want to hit them again At least once right or five times. Do you want to hit them continuously hit them so you put them back? wonder if the Vermont youth conservation or or through the state if they have like a bank of interns that You know, this would be a good project. You were going to say inmates. No that too a bank of interns that are interested in This invasive stuff. There was a woman that was an intern two interns pulling stuff at pot at no You know you hire them they Keep an inventory plus they do the mowing. Oh, you know, and you make it that's a dangerous piece of equipment You need to have someone on payroll with insurance I Don't think so. I don't think the state would allow them to use a piece of equipment. Tractors are dangerous Yeah, I don't know what you're doing But I do like the idea of maybe us just buying our own Yeah, it's not a piece of equipment. It's only look at what we spent on equipment and that'd be inexpensive I know Woodbury used to have their own tractor or the mower Yeah, I don't know if they do that anymore. Well, we should bring this up when we're doing budget Yeah Because we can put in You know mower into the budget All right, so don't forget when we're doing budget. Let's go get that in there. Oh Yeah tattooed Okay We met with George twig who is Welch's chief's chief of staff in Vermont Peter Welch It was of course two days after my fall and I looked Oh, I know you fell. Oh, yeah, it was it was bad. He didn't notice too. Right. Yeah. So I just like say, you know She's seeing the other guy Um And we talked about and I have The note where he followed up I don't think we put it. Did we put it in there? Is it in there? I read that. Okay. So you read that so I just wanted you to know that we had a good meeting with him Um, we complained. Would he say we complained about the speed of internet? Oh, great. Yeah, that was a good one. Yeah, and how much it costs in general um We talked about grants Do the things like that And what was his answer? Sorry. We can't do anything for you. We're too busy giving tax breaks to billionaires Oh I don't think that's him. I don't think that's him though, right us policy Is that lurch? No, that's congress and our president Oh, okay. So he yeah, but he works for welch. So I'm just yeah, I think but it's it's what the law is right now Okay, we already we talked about roaming horses And jim's advice is not to appoint a paddle keeper Because the town we don't yeah, so we have to hit that I talked to maryc kennedy who's lucky dog farm About helping me write a plan for animals for our leop So she and I need to get together We had our first tree warden hearing last week on thursday and I went It was There's the statute is like tells you nothing about the process So this training that I was at last thursday at the town garage. They're working on putting in Request to change update the statute. I don't think it's been updated since 1969 Um, there's absolutely nothing about process. It tells you nothing about how long Before a hearing you have to notice it It tells you nothing about how soon you have to have a decision nothing about an appeal Who the appeal would go to somebody doesn't like your decision Nothing about process So I brought that all those points up at this meeting and asked that they Put in some legislation for that. They're trying to take out the wording of ornamental Shade trees shade tree and make it be a little bit more I'll tell you what really what they're talking about. Yeah, so that was interesting I had a request from the school They wanted to do a 5k race sometime in mid-june It was gonna be up lightning ridge tucker road blah blah blah and if you remember recently we had A resident that was concerned about events taking place bicycles blah blah blah People putting water stands by this driveway The issue that he did raise which is really A good one was the town's liability So I double checked with the school checked with jim The town would be liable if there was a 5k race or even these bike races and somebody gets hurt They could see the town even though they the bike people never even asked the town if they can use our roads So and the school was going to try to get a waiver their insurance company wouldn't do a waiver So unfortunately the kids race got canceled. Oh, is that right? No, so Told us I Mentioned the resident request for consideration of an event ordinance So do we need to follow up on the the race issue overall through the liability and get We probably we should look at Some kind of an event ordinance I read that too. I wonder what the big town's like when you're skiing in burlington I don't know The league like that. Well the league, um Berlin has an event ordinance. There's brilliance. Yeah. Yeah, I read that. But what do they do in terms of Assurances, you know, we'll see we have to we'll have to check all that out because it's really a good point Yeah, you know the way things are nowadays people give You know any chance they can get to try to get some money Tripped on a pothole. Yeah Well, I'll pull him turbo So anyways that's kind of that um Poplar cemetery, I should have put it on tonight's agenda, but I forgot We're gonna inherit that right. I don't know why we don't really have anything to do with it They the current owners are going to fold the association is going under They have to do something with deeds and stuff to give it to the town which have to be recorded The cemetery commission gets stuck with now. They got another cemetery to take care of by operation of law The town is obligated to take on us and abandoned. Yep And so for them it's going to incur unbudgeted expenses Right. There's a little there's a couple of thousand. I think they said maybe In the current account from popular. They'll have to give it to Callas. Yep Um, the planning commission is Working very hard on some zoning changes shoreland, um Let's see other ones you haven't said but anyways shoreland overlay district, um Stormwater erosion So on they're going to be having a hearing on June 19th, which is before our next hearing our next select board meeting Um, and they're encouraging people to come. It's kind of like a this is what we're doing But if there's going to be three of us That would might attend. I'll need to do an agenda right Because it couldn't involve a discussion um But that's what it is Tuesday 6 19 here 7 o'clock Um, and I'm going to plan to attend The last thing and I'm hoping this is going to work out for everybody. Remember we talked about getting together at the school board Yes, doing a joint meeting Um, I finally got Susanna finally got back to me and she put the trash depot on the agenda. I did It needs to be on her agenda Right. Well, I'm going to do the agenda for our joint meeting I know but all right so but All right, so they'll adopt that the joint agenda. Yeah, they need to have it warned Yeah, no, I asked her about the trash thing or to work Right So the things that would be on the agenda. We're looking at trash depot community engagement at 46 So we're looking at july 9th At 6 o'clock You work that day or is this enough time that you could be here by 6 July what? Monday july 9th, which is our first meeting in july To do a joint meeting with the school board from 6 to 7 We'll do that in school We'll do it here Because otherwise then we have to adjourn there and come back here There's select board Well, they just go home Not So I thought what I could do too is I could order some sandwiches and Yeah, drinks and stuff for the media. John wants to eat. Yeah, I'm on that day I want to go home and stuff right here. I know I'm off that day. So can you put that down? Yeah, uh, six o'clock. Where are you available here here? Select board Um, oh mondays I never schedule anything on mondays Sure, we have a quorum right joint with Callis, okay, so I will let so there's one less Generic item There was a we had got I we was reviewing the billing or some things a while ago and it came up to rv tech Had a data storage Charge that I thought was very high for one time. Oh, we're gonna find out about that, right? I thought cliff was Oh, is that a cliff thing? Did you if not, it's okay, but I just want to know it. Um It's That was an annual fee that's right whether it was the annual fee in our monthly Was an annual fee it was annual. Yeah, okay. So that's right. Yeah. No good. I'm glad you're saying Cheaper than yeah, but that's an annual fee. So then right. Yeah. I mean if it's an annual fee, that's not too bad. Yeah Okay, all right. Um, I just want to make sure oh You wanted us to talk about the personnel policy at some point. So the conflict of interest policy Yep, at some point. So I went back. This is the most current one that we signed off on in november of 17 and I went back and looked at minutes prior to us signing this This is this this conflict of interest is for like um Is not for the employees We were going to incorporate this conflict of interest into the personnel policy for the employees So that's on my list of one of my next things to do. Okay. Thank you. Is that right? Yes, that's awesome. And then at some point, I don't feel so good now. You're you're on on stipend now, so You're taking on somebody feel guilty at this point. Oh And then at some point I do want to talk about You know, do you want me to continue to do this? Does it seem to be working out? I asked the office staff They're they're very happy. They think we have a really good team um cliff's been a huge help With a lot of stuff and working stuff off through the town. Thanks cliff. I mean, I think it really feels good, you know like sander was saying with the loan and nimrack and the town hall and I feel like you said it's very cohesive You know, and I'm in here at least once a week sometimes twice to talk to the staff And I come in on sundays and review the orders before our meeting So we said we'd try it until the end of june, so I just want to give you an opportunity to Why do you think john full review formal? I'm so pleased that you're doing this and you're doing such a fine job. I just want to know from Um The town's People's point of view. I mean you did the charter because you wanted a select board administrator Jonathan left now. We're trying this other model. It's working. Well Do we have to at some point say to the taxpayers? Right now this current model is what we're going to do and We'll switch to the no, I hear what you're saying is greater The Charter didn't Make it so we had to get a right select board administrator. That was part of the thought process Charter change had to do with moving statutory duties actually elected positions made them appointed positions Right and we thought that we were going to need this select board administrator. We have saved a lot of money I know and I I understand that and I I'm really pleased and so I just I don't want any of the you know people to say Oh, we put this money in the budget and now you know, he left and you never bothered Getting another one or you know, I just want to make sure that we're all clean and stir it up if you want Somebody will stir it up. You're right And even if it's all been for very good reasons saving money Better efficiency somebody will make it an issue and make us that guy Well, you know that the thing what we didn't anticipate is that we would end up with a treasurer appointed treasurer That was a former clerk right and a former treasurer right and Used to do the grants for the town of Worcester and the HR and is a licensed attorney And proficient and and you know, she's just a proficient member So lucky to have her bottomless Capabilities so we never anticipated. We didn't think those kind of people first existed Secondly, we come to work for this little Right, and she loves it. She loves it here. That's good. I'm glad right and you know There's just something that was found out tonight that she mentioned about the copier that we all thought was all set all done And it wasn't So well, I just you know, so it's like very but I think we're on a I think we're on a good roll great role so Like I said, I still think we need we need a sign Of the door threshold that says this is a no testosterone zone right If you'll know it's all I've been running this town and you notice how it's running like a wall away machine That's because we know what we're doing. All right. That's exactly right. So John's a good husband. Can you tell? Huh? John's a good husband. Can you tell notice this place? I think women I think men are what's wrong with the world. I got this. That's my theory women don't start wars They don't build atom bombs. They don't try to kill ratio. They try to take care of people women at work We should have one of them here It's the same as that of a co-op. This is women at work. Yeah, that's that's another example That place would be bellied up with guys. We'd be like that doesn't make financial sense. Shut the doors So anyways, I you know in july we'll have to come up with you know If you want officially Announce it in the minutes. Yeah, there wasn't right on here the chair and I saw someone put check marks as if they Audited these lists um garage maintenance That was the doors Vermont door company 1871. What did they drive a truck through the door? No, it was just a general maintenance on those big huge garage doors Holy smokes. They come off the tracks and everything else. Is this an Yeah, they just have them come out once a year and do maintenance. I thought I saw it too. I was like, whoa Kind of steep It is I'll make a motion to adjourn I'll second it All those in favor I