 So I don't on the agenda are the minutes of September 7th 2021 is there a motion to approve Move we accept them subject to modification Is there a second second? page 1 page 2 Now under number 8 the muddy brick culvert replacement project Third line from the bottom talks about available money in the general fund. You should say the general fund balance or the stormwater fund and page 3 Hearing no other corrections, then all those in favor of approving the minutes of September 7th 2021 say aye Hi, I'm any opposed. There's no extension. So we have done it It's now time for public comment. There's anyone in the audience or on the The internet wishes to make a comment. This is the time Don't see anybody in the audience who wishes to anybody on chat No one in the chat. Nobody in chat. Nope. Okay Move on then to our liquor license application renewal We'll only be dealing with one of those tonight and that's the one for juniors and Eric You can if you would bring us to where we need to talk to mr. Andres Got a new restaurant juniors so preparing to open and cottonwood crossing and they have an application Or I'll have a first and third class license tickets to consider How are you focusing tonight, so thank you. Okay, so we're just interested in what your proposal is I think you have a number of other Establishments as well. I just want to win whiskey I've been there for three years my violations. I've had any problems Everybody complains filed for any Deviations or you know So they can roll my customers and stuff and make sure we usually cut them off early But we close usually are pretty early. Anyway, you know, we 839 o'clock we're out of there. So I don't really have like any kind of like sports bar theme going so I want to track that kind of clientele also, you know, I know some of those guys And So You'll be you're looking for a first class and third class immediately serving Alcoholic beverage on the premises and to take out to Well, no, well not to take out But you don't finish your wine And you're aware of the trainings needed for your staff from for liquor control. Yes, I I'm fully certified through the DLC. I have certificate No, my manager will also have it and then we will do in-house training I'm there every night and so is my manager be there every night other questions Did I hear all staff all staff who serve liquor will be trained? Me and General manager will have the DLC training and under if we are DLC certified Then we can just train in-house The other staff but usually a lot of the staff that comes has their own to get their certificate to every two years if you know Okay, hire people that are in the business But if not Usually we you know, we can train in-house and we provide certificates, which I have a binder Okay. All right. Good. Thank you. Oh, and will this be sorry. Will this be inside indoor consumption only? for for now the next summer I did apply and Receive my outdoor seedy through the town well The landlord actually apply for the permit and received it and I have to pay them But it is set for in the next year. I will apply when I renew my liquor license and April I will apply for outdoor consumption. Okay. All right. Good. Thank you Area and I will have it all rolled off and everything like that What and what what's your seating capacity going to be? I believe it's it'll be under 49 seats in the restaurant and I believe Remember it's been a while between 15 seats outside, but I would say no more than that 15 16 seats other questions Terry one question I was reading the agenda item and Didn't quite understand it because it says from Texas Roadhouse. Oh, that's been taken care of Yeah, there were going to be two applications. Oh, okay. Okay. Okay. I see. Okay. I Understand how it reads now Any further questions for mr. Andrews if not I read looking for a motion Move to approve a first and third class liquor license for a new ski boy ink doing business as juniors will extend through April 32nd and a second second Any discussion on the motion? If not, those in favor of the motion say aye I heard five eyes. So thank you for coming in Thank you Moving on to the opiate distributor lawsuit settlement that Eric's gonna lead this off and one will Say hello to our good friend Josh Diamond Thanks, Terry welcome Deputy Attorney General Josh Diamond joining us this evening He's gonna walk the board through a recent settlement agreement from National lawsuit against opioid distributors That Vermont was a part of the settlement has a sentence based on units of local government signing on and Wilson's asked to Consider on its terms to our population size Borking consider action tonight following the briefing or staff can follow up on any additional questions brought forward We'll turn over to Deputy Attorney General Point of order before we begin I am I am an assistant attorney general so this is to some degree my law firm that's making the presentation and Mr. Diamond is my direct supervisor He's great at it But I Don't I don't think this is actually a conflict of interest, but I may I may abstain at the end And you really tell us how you think at the end to yeah if the Conversation comes around to you're being uncomfortable with that certainly but you're not afraid to say no That's fine So you might want to do mass so we can hear you better sure and I am bogging up as well so So folks, thank you, Mr. Chairman members of select board Eric Wells and others. Thank you for the opportunity to discuss this national settlement which Benefits the state of Vermont and the town of Williston potentially But before I go through the overview and I assume that you all have received the memo That kind of details. It's an executive summary of this rather large settlement both with the distributors But also a manufacturer called Johnson and Johnson in their subsidiaries, which I'll refer to as J&J But before I do I really want to acknowledge that The scope of the opioid crisis how it has affected our state Community our neighbors our family members our friends. I suspect Like myself many of you probably know someone if not a family member a close friend who's been impacted by the opioid crisis And if not, certainly you're one degree of separation away from someone who has in ninth excuse me in 2020 we lost 157 Vermonters to opioid addiction or to An overdose I should say that was a 38% increase over 2019 the crisis is still with us and There's probably no amount of money that could truly One could recover to bring back a loved one Or someone whose life has been devastated by the opioid crisis But what these settlement monies do is they put money and a significant amount of money to help Deal with the crisis to help abate it. It's not going to solve it, but it does help Hopefully put into programs that can help our communities our families our neighbors So with that said, let me go into some of the numbers and then happy to take questions They're a long way or afterwards the distributors there are three The three largest national distributors who operate nationally but also in Vermont are McKesson Cardinal and a Marisaurus Bergen And I should note that the Vermont Attorney General's office Has been litigating a case against McKesson and Cardinal for almost two and a half years related to their actions in perpetuating and And and causing the opioid crisis whether it be their failure to To recognize that there were excessive prescriptions going on throughout our communities both locally and nationally and taking no action to stop that Or in their efforts to market these drugs jointly with some of the manufacturers and let me just say When General Donovan took office in 2017 addressing the opioid crisis and holding those companies who? Caused and perpetuated the opioid crisis was really priority number one and Even with these settlements there are many other cases that are ongoing that hopefully will be able to talk about not tonight But if they resolve positively we can share that information with you at a later date The distributors have agreed to a twenty one billion dollar national seven After reducing some attorneys fees and Also other offsets for Native American tribes That leaves about eighteen point five billion to be distributed to the states and their localities The J&J settlement is a five billion dollar settlement that is paid out over essentially ten years and Once again taking off some of the offsets for attorneys fees and others that leaves about four point 264 billion dollars to be divided the distributor settlement will be paid out over 18 years and Those monies will be paid out into three different tranches or buckets that are sometimes referred to there will be a 15% bucket for the state of Vermont Their general fund although the monies need to be used towards the abatement or remediation of the opioid crisis It can't be used for prisons or roads, but it has to be used to address the opioid crisis 15% is coming back to Vermont's cities and towns and counties over 10,000 people and then the bulk of this money 70% will go into what's called an abatement fund and Once again that money has to be used for what it says abating the opioid crisis and The mechanism roughly will be that there will be a designated state agency Who will submit a? Request for funds that have to be part of a list of approved uses which is Consistent with I believe exhibit E of the materials that were sent to you And that agency needs to be guided And advised by a board that is comprised both equally of members of the state of Vermont but also representatives from the localities so that Vermont cities and towns can have a voice in how Those monies are allocated So the reason why I'm here Tonight is because a decision point will be needed to be made by the town of Williston About whether or not to accept the terms of the settlement and we're asking you to approve the settlement for essentially three reasons one is What the distributors in J&J are getting an exchange from their perspective is global peace that they are Resolving the case against the states but also a number of municipalities cities and towns have sued them as well and so Before they sign off fully on this settlement They need to know a critical number of states which already Exists but also cities and towns and counties Have signed off those greater than 10,000 people and that decision will be made in I believe late January early February And that's why we need a decision from you all by January 2nd The second reason is that in order to maximize the payments under the structure of these Settlements, we need to have every community in Vermont over 10,000 people as well as the for litigating communities Which are Bennington, Bradover, O'Sharon and St. Albans to sign off. Otherwise, we can't maximize the payments under this so and then third It gives Williston the opportunity to receive a direct payment under the settlement terms Williston receives a percentage of that 15% based upon our population and some other factors such as those who may be diagnosed with opioid use disorder opioid deaths and what are called morphine milligram Equipments and I believe those percentages are set out in exhibit G So just Going down one step further in the granularity Before I maybe open this up for questions In each case with the distributors and J&J there's a base amount that will be paid Assuming that the distributors accept in the case of The distributors it's 55 percent. That's the base and I believe with regards to J&J The base amount is 45 and then there's a set of incentives And that's where it comes to what I said earlier where we need the towns and the cities in towns and litigating towns to accept the summit so we can Achieve all of the incentive or bonus payments that are available With regards to J&J there's an additional Incentive if you will that if we can get everyone to sign off By January 2nd or shortly thereafter Then they will expedite the first four payments. We will get the first four payments In 90 days and there's real value to that. It's Approximately six plus million dollars to the state of Vermont and then divided out into those buckets. Otherwise We may not get those payments except for over time in addition There are injunctive relief terms that Both the distributors and J&J must follow J&J must cease its marketing of opioids They can still sell them, but they can't market them to promote them and for the distributors. They're going to have to set up an administrative Program so that they can better track the sales of opioids both internally as companies But between them so that if there is evidence of a red flag that Too many prescriptions are being shipped to a particular pharmacy or provider then the other Distributor will be able to see that and not just replace Distributor A and and so that we can really cut down One can't be played off the other in a way to clamp down on the oversupply of these very dangerous drugs at the end of the day So that is the selling terms in a nutshell, but happy to take any questions that you may have Questions for Josh Just for clarification on that last that last one. So if if a drug store is Distributing excessive quantities of this How would how would that work that there'd be a reporting system? That would alert people Right and at the over the the the big picture of that is that there's got to be a monitoring of how many Sales are happening There are industry norms about what would be appropriate on a prorate basis You are in excess of those numbers that someone needs to investigate and then it needs to be reported into a national reporting system That the three distributors will have access to And what do they do with that information? That information needs to be shared with the authorities and they also have to take action Josh the hard part for me is is It's really difficult for me to understand what this settlement means or what are the liabilities to this settlement? And so I'm going to ask the question in two parts. One is is anyone in Vermont Objecting to this settlement if you were sitting, I don't know if that's the right way to put it But what are the concerns being raised about this settlement? And then asking the question maybe differently if you were sitting in my seat here What would you want to know? What should what would you want to know about you the the liabilities of this settlement or? You know, what would be a reason not to approve it? Well, I think the calculus in any type of litigation is can you do better at the end of the day? How long will that take you? What kind of expenses will it require? And so This type of litigation we've already been fighting Some of these companies for two and a half years and this will be a long if we have to continue to fight it will be a long Dragged-out piece of litigation where any in any case as any of the lawyers here will know even in the best of cases There's always a risk. I think we have a solid case but A twenty one billion dollar national settlement from the distributors we think is meaningful Again, it's not ever going to be sufficient to truly address the problem But I think on balance to get money to the states and our communities now so we can better address the problem instead of Taking a gamble on what might happen ten years from now You know if you think about all the appeals and everything else The old adage a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush. I think that's part of the analysis Have those four towns Bennington Brattleboro St. Alvin's in Sharon have they indicated their willingness to Agree to the settlement. I don't want to speak for them because I can't but we have been in touch with all the municipalities over 10,000 And the four litigating towns and we have reason to believe That there is general support for this But I can't speak specifically to their decisions going to be And I I would add So just two pieces of information one is the numbers for Vermont Approximately 53 million dollars will come to Vermont from the distributors and approximately 12.2 million Will come from J&J so close to 65 million dollars total to To us all so again, I think you know in that balance of What makes sense risks versus reward of litigation But the other thing I want to share with you is just because Williston didn't Join in its own litigation. It is no worse off in those towns that did You all will be getting the same opportunity To have an opportunity to receive proceeds under the settlement. Okay. Good. Thank you Yeah, I just have a few questions. So So my understanding is then in order for Williston to receive You know this and to approve it We have to become a participant in the litigation first. That's the first step You have to become a participant of the settlement, right? Okay, so we need to sign on that and then Questions a little bit about the kind of oversight of the the funds you mentioned that you know that That the vast majority of the funding will go into the abatement What will be the oversight in terms of the town portions for utilization of those funds? Yeah, and I with the mechanics I would have to get back to you on but generally speaking the Purposes that are identified and exhibit E Would be the purposes with which you could spend so Similar to the state. They can't use it on bridges or roads, but it has to be based upon those identified which is a pretty broad list from education to Therapy or medically assisted treatment I'm not saying that that would be the purview of the town necessarily not having a city or town hospital But there are a lot of options housing support for first responders And you mentioned That a designated agency was going to be oversee the distribution of funds that that's separate from the designated mental health agencies. I'm assuming or That's my understanding the legislature or Frankly the governor's office will have to figure out who that agency is that designation has not yet been made My understanding the mechanics will be Based upon the advice and guidance of the advisory board then the agency will make a decision About which programs it wants to fund And then it will have to make a request of those monies and provide some Articulation that it's within those purposes of exhibit E and then the fund administrator to the agency and if If one of the subdivisions one of the towns over 10,000 or one of the the four Litigating other communities if they don't accept then that that's it for you know the entirety of the state How does that yeah, so? And this is where it gets really complicated into the details, but depending upon the population of that entity And under which particular deal If one of the towns over 10,000 does not join it doesn't mean it's there's nothing It means it's just a reduced amount And then you mentioned also some other outstanding litigation separate from From these two settlements and so this will have no impact on on Continuance of though that litigation Okay, and what I can say is to that the state of Vermont has been litigating against Purdue pharma and the Sackler family That matter is currently in bankruptcy court the bankruptcy judge recently issued a decision last Friday on a bankruptcy plan and Vermont is Considering whether to appeal that decision in part because It is a bit unconventional that the Sacklers under the order of the judge have been granted releases from the claims that we're pursuing the states and others Without being a formal debtor to that process, so they're not having to put up all of their money necessarily to To the bankruptcy judge to redistribute That raises some serious questions about fairness American system of justice and to those victims, so we are trying to analyze what the next steps are Be needing to make some decisions Thank you One last question Josh, when are you hoping to hear from towns like Williston? So certainly before January 2nd, okay, 2022 the national settlement administrator is going to send an email most likely to Eric and To the to the chair of the select board by the end of this week With instructions about how to sign up for a doc you sign And then the language which I think is reflected in the exhibits About release language will be forthcoming. So there'll be a process You know we would Hope that you don't wait until the very last moment, but certainly there's time and if you have questions happy to entertain those My question had to do with Just to get opportunity for the public to weigh in who might be watching this meeting Read about it in the newspaper that type of thing So if we were to wait a select board meeting or two, you don't see that as an issue. I don't okay Good. Thanks So tonight as a matter of history, we were we were approached a fair member by who but it was Over a year ago with some entity asking us if we wanted to pursue a lawsuit on behalf of the town And we didn't do it. We chose not to join the four towns. Yeah it It seems I mean am I right and maybe this isn't maybe this is speculation but it seems like towns that are over 10,000 people are more being asked to sign on to this because the The the defendants are saying look if we're gonna if we're gonna resolve this we want to resolve it entirely If you're gonna get any money from us, we don't want to write a check and then two years from now have the town of Williston Sue us so if you want the money get these people get these entities municipalities and to Sign on to it. We get finality. You get money And that's that's why we're being approached because the first my first reaction to this was was that It wasn't shocked or anything, but I was curious that you know, we didn't join these lawsuits but it seems to me that the reason that we're being approached is because The the pharmaceutical companies are saying look if a municipality has the right to continue suing us Then we're not gonna we're not gonna We're not gonna settle it because it's not really settling it for us because we were out of check to you guys and for you Know it towns of 10,000 people are more suing us As these other four towns do that is correct and in the details of this settlement I think it was put forth in the memo there in the distributors case in particular as it impacts Vermont There's a 5% hold back So if any town has sued after year six or by year six, I should say in the 18-year spread and that case has not survived the motion to dismiss I think within six months then Five percent there's a lack of recovering 5% if no municipality has sued Then that extra 5% kicks in and flows back to everybody Perhaps I'm not sure if Eric remembers that case that we had before us a year or so ago Yeah, remember it was Attended a meeting about at the front League of Cities and Towns when it was a Law for right to leave from out of state see hey, and you're not towns wanted to join in that litigation and we decided Against it at the time. I can't recall the the name of the farm, but I remember that dialogue taking place here So is there any other information that we need? from Josh tonight or as we get public input we can Have more questions perhaps that we can forward to him and as usually usually with a situation like this we put the Actual motion to accept a couple of weeks in advance Or down the road so that we have a chance to get more input from folks And if that's acceptable to the select board, I think we're Good for tonight them So we appreciate the information Again happy to entertain any follow Good, thanks So we're running a little bit early, but do we have our two next presenters Jake for Borgeson and Joe gay Yeah, Joe here, okay Let's get Jake on the the line and we can Eric you can start off with the The preliminaries on this and we go to the two presenters Jacob I'm gonna connect you right now This is the noise ordinance variance request a jake you just need to unmute You can hear me if you can give a sound test here. I can hear you just fine on my end here, Eric There we go. Thank you. We can hear you too. Thank you. So Eric will lead us off and then Jake will go to you And then to Joe gay Thanks, Terry. So this is a continuing discussion for the board this evening On a noise ordinance variance request from the USDA to use pyrotechnic noise making devices I think a cell facility on Avenue B in town Select boards discussed this topic a couple times previously this year and received information on sound levels of devices Sort of the field Jacob from USDA is here and Joe was here from Kasella They I believe there's some modifications to the request that they'll present this evening and answer additional questions the board Has brought up in previous discussions So I'll turn over to Jake and Joe So Jake are ready for your presentation Yeah, absolutely. Thank you. Thank you all once again for revisiting the topic here in the situation We're kind of trying to deal with that the Kasella Avenue B location I really don't want to go into too much of the history again I think we've kind of indulged on that at long lengths at this point having chatted with Joe Recently and kind of keeping Eric involved as well You know, we we're still open to any possibilities that the town may grant us on on an even trial basis to Utilize just to begin with just to utilize the Screamer pyrotechnics only I think under our our field study that we did with Eric and the folks at Kasella In in you know response to our neighboring community there and in our child care facilities That definitely seemed to have a very minor impact on the overall community Within the adjacent area to the Avenue B location So I think we've kind of focused primarily just on that technique And leaving the bird bangers off the table because they did have a little bit of a higher Overall decibel reading and those seem to be somewhat more audible than the screamers I think some of the folks that were involved You know with our little field trial there that at times the screamers weren't even really Heard at any of the neighboring facilities within reason so Joe I think wants to touch on some of the topics at hand that they deal with Under a lot of state guidance and regulation of what they're supposed to do at a facility to keep things kind of tidy and You know wildlife and bird free to the best of their ability. So I certainly don't want to steal any of that from him I'd like Joe to kind of be able to chat in some sort of detail here on what the facility is looking forward towards doing You know, I think there's some exploratory Possibilities of other techniques that you know, Kasella would like to adopt there as well as the the pyrotechnic You know utilization so Joe if you want to certainly take it from there, you know, we're we're still here as far as all ears and possibilities So My name is Joe gay, I'm an engineer with Kasella I've been with a company for about 23 years and one of my primary focuses for the company is engineering and permitting but also environmental compliance and and Compliance for facilities With unique situations like we have here in Williston so Just a couple things I want to touch on one of our Permits that we have with the agency and natural resources to manage Waste and recycling there as well as food scraps requires us to control vectors and When gulls come to the site and they they're Marging for food If they become a nuisance and they can collect certain food items and Fly off with them. So that's uncontrolled vectors So it's our responsibility to control vectors And we have a long Standing relationship with USDA. We have a full-time USDA person at our landfill facility in Coventry And that's what they do all day long is control birds We have proximity to airport up there as well as we do here And certainly the proximity airport is is something probably Jake would speak to more But I'm here tonight to speak to our concern that our facility and the compliance of our permits So recently we've permitted a food scrap managing facility organic facility at the site And I don't know if there's a correlation with that coming online this spring, but this spring we saw the most significant impact From gulls that we've ever seen it may be related to that it may not be One thing that that I think that we have learned through the years is Today probably tomorrow next week gulls are an issue It's at certain times sometimes it's hard to predict I would offer that is Probably more prevalent in the spring With migratory patterns But it all depends on what's going on in the in the area for for foraging for food If there's not an abundance of food out there and some of their normal habits They'll come to the transfer and they'll look for opportunities So it's it's somewhat unpredictable But what's handy with USDA is we can very over at the airport so we can call them up and say hey You know right now we've got an issue And they're very responsive. They'll come right over And help us with with the situation but because this spring it was worse than it had been We had them involved a little bit more and We started brainstorming ideas on you know, what can we do? and That's what culminated with this application on the noise ordinance was they proposed the banger and the screamer and I think you guys are familiar with both of those techniques Both pyrotechnics We're willing to take the banger off the table when we did the study. I think that was more noticeable For sure, you know at distances away from the site The screamer is not so much You know, I I Didn't read your staff notes, but I I think they were barely noticeable Maybe not noticeable, you know at some distance away, so I think what we would like to do is Try the screamers And see how that works And you know that that would require parents from the noise ordinance and you know give that a shot I think we obviously would be very responsible We could come back and and discuss this further if things don't work out like we think they're going to We think it's going to be a very useful technique to control gulls And one other thing I'd like to mention too that it's important to me personally as well as the people of the site is Our drivers and our transfer station operators manage one of the most dangerous industries Today that we have when they go out and collect trash recycling food scraps They're at high risk every day and then they get to come back to the facility at 2 or 3 o'clock Only to have seagulls defecating on all their vehicles perhaps sometimes on them It's just not pleasant frankly for for our people there And so it's it's yes It's a compliance matter for our permits, but it's also a quality of life issue for us as well We don't think there's going to be a negative impact where our facility is to the community for the screamers We've got a very responsible partner with USDA so I think collectively you know, it's the right thing to do is to Have this tool in the toolbox to control Dulles more than than we currently have so I think that's You know, we do have other techniques we use effigies we do have an audible distress That that we use there We have installed specific bird Resting devices that discourage them from roosting on not roosting but Landing on roof edges. They're called daddy long legs. We put those up. That's helped The audible distress helps with the girls get used to that frankly effigies same And so The gulls are smart, you know, they're a smart animal and they adapt and unfortunately we all create trash and food scraps and What's happening out there? Some are reflection of our of our culture and we just need a little help to help control that that's all and So we're looking for the variance for them for the noise ordinance Good. Thank you. So I think earlier we had heard that the the prime time for this would be during May and June and I Just wonder just for the purpose of discussion for the board and for you too is if we allowed a variance for streamers only starting like on the middle of April And ending in the Middle of July Would that be something that you think would possibly work? Yeah, I you know, I think at this point we take anything I think you've kind of spanned the time frame that we think we probably have the worst issue I would just ask if we go through that time frame maybe one year maybe even two years and we don't really have a problem You know, maybe that could be expanded beyond that if if we have a call issue We're only gonna do this if we have an issue. We're not Obviously, you know fire off pyrotechnics just prefer the fun. So let's say in November We have a migratory issue. We have a bunch of gulls and we haven't had issues or complaints I would just ask, you know after the trial period if we could go to something a Little more flexible than that and I could come back at that point in time, too We could discuss it, but yeah, we'll take that Other questions or discussion on my proposal So to make sure I heard it correct just want to make sure I heard it correctly is the concept Being discussed right now is a trial period in April May 2022 of Screamers only half of April May and June and half of July Okay, then ends up being a how many months long period so that's Three months total, but it's you know a half a month two months. Yeah, okay So for a three-month period next spring into early summer it was next year. What's that? We'll start next year, right? Okay Jake does that sound like it spans our? time frame of concern for the most part Yeah, I believe so Joe the the only concern I have obviously with what we've seen in Times is just through climate change You know, I think old-school Vermont used to show up in mid-April. Well now sometimes it's it's mid-March So I am all open for what's on the table currently here with with mid-April through July that that's More than you know, I think adequate to cover the the prime time that we're gonna see there I Would also like to just kind of piggyback with yourself there on the fact that there is somewhat of a flexibility type situation if we do and indeed run into You know an early onset of spring where where that in our opinion is when the gulls are Really looking for those supplemental food resources when The the overall natural forage that they would typically whine and dine on so to speak in the Champlain Valley is not there You know when things are still frozen or still in the You know the the early stages of thought You know that Coupled with the you know onset of migration the returning of these birds that is certainly where we're gonna see these issues Evolving there. So I'd be more than willing to stick with what's on the table with with just the notion of a possibility of some flexibility that we can certainly Approach the town at the time if we do start to see early on sets of this sort of issue from a you know from a Neustence level with the facility as well as is also a hazard level with the airport So so my my my concern is that it unfortunately it does the timing still does align with the time when when children and everybody's going to want to be outside and any barriers to The the sound will be even lessened because the children will be out You know using outdoor spaces at the at the daycares and and and so forth and I understand that you know day during the day timing doesn't work to do it after you know business hours because that's not when the goals are Primarily becoming a problem, but again, you know that the timing doesn't work great for The needs of the the the children and the businesses in the area So that you know that that is a concern for me my other question though really is about the monofilament I know I in the Request email I'm seeing you know that there's you are still looking into the monofilament. What is it? Where is that in the process? What's the hold-up there? I'm sure obviously it takes time to install and yeah So I tried to get some information on where that stood Before the tonight's meeting and I I know that we're trying to collect pricing to get that done its installs requires installation poles We're spanning a large area too. So there may be some some Guy wires that are required We've got natural gas fueling for our trucks out there. It's it's not a lot of space on the ground even though It's somewhat wide open you get the poles and and span those Again, I think we're also trying to keep costs down. I mean trap the price of Waste recycling and organics management has gone up significantly for the monitors and We're also sensitive to that this this would be a costly project to put the monofilament up and we we think this power technique technique is Going to be cheaper and More effective We've seen marginal success. So we've understood from which it was all wasted to the monofilament I think USDA has been involved with that as well Again, the girls get used to it So I we are looking into it But I I think you know, it's another tool for the toolbox, but there is no perfect Scenario to manage gullies So I think it is something that we're gonna continue to look into If the gulls get used to monofilament and they get used to to stress balls, why wouldn't they get used to screaming? Well, I'll let Jake chime in here, but I I think my response to that would be They'll they'll see the truck come in and believe it or not and they get used to the truck because we know that from the landfill they'll see Jake get out and And then the screamer of course is somewhat like a bottle rocket. So it's you know, it takes a somewhat of a obscure Trajectory up into the air and it scares the birds. It's something again. It's not something we're doing all the time It's it's it's something that we're doing when they're there, you know collecting food scraps and become a problem for our people and And so, you know, Jake's Annie's out. He does it and they take off and it seems to What I can tell you is when we did this the evaluation about a month ago our gulls have There's been fewer of them since since since the demonstration about a month ago, but I imagine that the Imagine that the distress yielded results at first to the distress call it's I Don't think it personally. I don't think it works at all It's it's on the side of the building. It's you know, it's kind of a constant repetitive type thing And I mean I I can certainly chime in on on this Joe as well I mean, I know in quite a few meetings past I gave a little bit of history of gulls and what What we as humans have been doing over time To control gull issues and and wildlife services with USDA has been at the forefront of these gull issues that landfills across the country and worldwide One of the primary Tools that we've ever used that seems to work time and time and time again our pyrotechnic Agriculture from from the get-go and they've been rapidly Used since then to deter, you know, not just gulls, but birds as a whole at all sorts of facilities airports included municipalities You know landfills transfer stations the lake You know, it is the number one non-lethal method for deterring gulls I'd also add that the agency Highly supportive of the use of pyrotechnics Jeff, you know, I know maybe in your older your days past you you might have run into this but We have Very clear understanding with the agency about their position on vector management and and all management and And it is important item for them Which? You know, obviously why we're here tonight and why we have a full-time person at the landfill It's it's it's you know, they're an issue and frankly they're an issue for our people when they come back to the site as well We have a quality of life issue With it you can come out and interview any of our guys if you'd like it's It's not pleasant the one comment I have right now is I'm liking the idea of a test period to find length But I would also ask or I'm going to throw out there and see what your response is that the test period The understanding being is that the tap may choose to end it at some point if we hear Significant negative feedback from those affected by it Absolutely, I think that works both ways if if there's significant impact or significant cause complaints I'll even end it before that. Okay, I would ask if you hear no complaints Maybe we can extend Deal well, I would assume the concept of the test period is ultimately to make a permanent decision Are we gonna granted? What's the word? Sorry during a blank a variance or not. That's the goal here Yeah, I agree. I think I think this is the perfect method to allow a Responsible company and a responsible Regulatory agency to work together to find a solution And if it doesn't work for the neighbors, we'll come back to the table and we'll you know, we'll We'll take we'll take the pyrotechnics off the table Okay I'm not sure I'm in agreement with a test period But if there was going to be one I would not want it to be two years and furthermore, I would want it to sunset automatically So that if we did not take action then the variance would no longer exist Okay, as opposed to we have to come back and take action to withdraw the But I'm not sure I'm in favor of that either at this point. I'm back I think I got disconnected at some point. That's my apologies here I'm not sure where I where I was speaking when I got disconnected earlier on I Think we heard yeah, we thought we thought you were done. Oh No, it's okay, I think at some point I was disconnected I had to reconnect but anyway I concur with what you know you all have decided or discussing here at this point You know, I just want to continue on the preface that You know, these devices are not new this is nothing new. This is not you know at the forefront of modern technology You know, we've been utilizing pyrotechnics in Vermont for for more than the last 20 or 30 years And in city areas as well So I don't think there should be a great concern for the the folks that are going to be utilizing these at that facility I think Joe has also mentioned that, you know, we are trained authorizing permitted under both state federal guidance To utilize these devices at any facilities that you know, we're permitted to do so so But like I said, I I think we'd entertain any sort of possibility at this point to try to try to do the right thing at this facility Remember the public who'd like to comment on zoom. Would you like to go to any comments at this time? Sure There's no more questions from the ward at the moment. We can go to the public comment Laura, I'm gonna get you connected just a moment. Well, you'll just need to unmute on your end. Hi, can you hear me? Yes, we can Great. Thank you so much First of all, I want to say good evening I want to begin by thanking you for the opportunity to share my thoughts and perspective this evening My name is Laurel Maureen and I'm the owner administrator of EJ's Kids Club located at 45 Avenue D EJ's has been a part of the Wilson community for almost 29 years and I also happen to be a very proud 25-year resident Of the town of Williston. So I have deep roots here At the last meeting you heard from a teacher at the Wilson Enrichment Center who spoke with eloquent expertise About child development and the serious questions we need to ask ourselves regarding the impact of pyrotechnic testing Being conducted in close proximity to the children the business community and the residents that both work and reside in this area I would like to echo her concerns regarding the potential impact on the social and emotional development of the children Looking through the lens of mental health the unpredictable nature of the pyrotechnics could impact children's self-efficacy Their ability to feel safe and to self-regulate particularly because the first five years of life are the most formative years Was up to 90% of children's brain development completed by age five Factoring in mental health is also a consideration that should be weighed and investigated So the recent cell phone testing completed indicated decibels in the range that are deemed acceptable and remain Concerned about the cumulative effect of the noise on the children Isolating one single sound may be deemed an acceptable decibel level But what happens when the sound's combined into one auditory experience for children? The layered effect of the noise from the traffic from the jets from the unpredictable unscheduled pyrotechnics or screamers It's concerning and it begs the question. What is the possible impact of children's hearing? Unfortunately, we simply do not know a study has not been conducted An expert pediatric auditory specialist has not been consulted A pediatric mental health specialist has not been asked to weigh in on this matter These are main lingering nagging concerns for me my teaching team and the families we serve every day I feel confident the other areas Businesses in the area including wilson enrichment center are trying to find the answers to these same questions So I wonder how a decision can be made confidently or safely without all the information needed to do so A question if it is fair to assume that it would be safe long term for the children We love and are responsible for What if it's not safe? What if we learn in a few years that children are experiencing auditory or mental health complications That could be attributed back to the layer decibel impact Potentially engaging the health and safety of developing children even when unintentional Causes me a great level of concern We just simply don't know and I'm I'm feeling very wary about if this is a risk that we should all willingly take Even more worrisome in my opinion Is the fact that kasella has not exhausted all of the mitigation strategies Before moving to pyrotechnic devices Although pyrotechnics are considered an effective tool Would it not be reasonable to ask kasella to try the other strategies first to determine if they could be effective? and before we're moving to any form of pyrotechnic be it the Loud one or the screamer bird banger or screamer um Listen ejs is a business customer of kasella and I do empathize with their situation I am incredibly grateful for their excellent customer service and the resources they provide to our community It is not my intention to car Harm to kasella in this process But rather to invite them to partner with the community as they have often done in so many other ways In doing what is right and best for the children families businesses in the greater community in this area It is not an easy decision, but with all due respect. It is the right decision The responsibility of the select board is great and I do not envy your position I recognize the importance of finding a solution that benefits kasella While still honoring the needs of the children in the community. However, this Solution that gets generated should not be at the expense of developing children when so many uncertainties remain unanswered I urge you to be thoughtful and deliberate when crafting a plan that first exhausts other mitigated strategies before moving to the use Of pyrotechnics It's our responsibility as a community to find a solution that protects the children and the community members It still enables kasella to address this very important matter at hand I'm very grateful to you for the opportunity to speak this evening. I'm available for additional conversation Um, I appreciate you listening reflecting and prioritizing the needs of children in the greater community And like you know, I've listened very carefully to jake as he spoke and you know respectfully As gretta also said the time frame outlined from april to july is like the time of year when we are outdoors the most Um and screamers remain an unpredictable pyrotechnic for children So the unpredictability of them is the very Cause of children perhaps and I'm not an expert Having difficulty with self-efficacy down the road Um It feels like it's a cost-concerned cello which I fully understand But can we let cost be the reason we subject children to these experiences? Is one more important than the other? Um, I just feel strongly that monofilament should be investigated fully before you move to any form of pyrotechnic I understand that they are not a new device. I understand that they are a device to work The question for me remains Is this the right application for these pyrotechnics? The situation feels unique. Um, given the residential business and early education components in this area So I just ask you to take these thoughts and the consideration and um, I appreciate everybody's time Thank you One other person who would like to comment Terry. Let's see Terry maren. I'm going to connect you right now. Just a moment Hi, can you hear me? We can Terry So my name is Terry maren and I'm a resident of wilson I'm also a member of the conservation commission in wilson But i'm not here as a representative of the conservation commission. I'm here as a concerned citizen Uh in wilson And so I just wanted to you know, also express my concern that cicella Is putting cost in front of um, you know the community and that the monofilament grid system Should be considered and installed before these screamers Are implemented I think that they really need to You know give that a try As I say, I go to the dump once a month on redmond road. I drive by I see no gulls Hardly I see mostly crows and a few morning doves and Pretty much gulls are off to this, you know, if they're They are off to the side. I think it's a a very good system and it should be used You know, it's a cost of doing business in this kind of Operation and obviously they they know they knew what they were getting into Um, I really I do think that this Bottom line is it's the wrong place for the wrong for the this type of operation Not sure how they got You know the permit to put in this type of facility right next to an international airport and also right next to National guard international guards, uh where they had at that time if 16s and now the f-35s and other you know airplanes commercial um I just really think that it needs to be in a different Location. I know that gisela doesn't really even want to think about So the investment they've made but i'm pretty sure that they do own other properties The other issue is that The facility on redmond road actually has plenty capacity That to handle waste food wastes from the area and it's underutilized at the moment um, and then my other concern too is The recent acquisition of gisela just bought grocon Which is located in outside of waterbury and I'm just concerned that that facility will be closed and all the Food scraps from that area which used to go to grow compost Will be coming to williston, which will just increase the amount of Food source for the gulls You know it just the more the more food there is and the more they You know the more the gulls will come and and they will you know, that's just You know, they when the compost facility was at the interrail It was great birding For lots of gulls and you know, they just are persistent and it's not their fault It's they're just you know trying to patch out a life But I think it's irresponsible for us as humans and Because of this compost to be putting that there and pointing the finger at them For this problem with the airport and the quality of life of the employees. I feel sorry for them, but um, you you have Developed you have bought a You know a situation where they will come so I just like I said, I really Think that they the gisela should invest The monofilament grid system try that They need you know, it should be installed prior to the winter You know get it get it put in and be ready for spring and someone mentioned climate change And yes, they might start coming in March as opposed to april. So um, I would really urge the select board to Urge gisela to to move in that direction. Thank you very much for listening Anyone else on the line So, um What I tried to do with Proposal is to recognize the public safety aspect of the airport and the Reality of the goal is coming this way and also taken into consideration the The children at the to daycare or childcare centers and So I think we need to wrap this up tonight Either to pass a motion or to deny the the request for variance the the the concept, um I am starting to favor and and Part of it is because I've learned some things tonight. Um aids limited to screamers Be limited to a specific time period, uh, which right now is a three month period in 2022 Um, and also with the understand and have it clearly identified as a test or trial period The variant should be labeled somehow along the lines of maybe a temporary variance With the understanding that the act um the trial Um Will need to stop if the select board Feels what it is receiving as significant. Um, I'm going to use the word complaints. Maybe it's not the best word About the screamers So those would be the conditions that I feel comfortable with I I believe the the board couldn't deny or Deny the variance at any point in time when we I would assume so. Yeah problem. Um, it exists. So yes Reluctantly I'm I'm actually I'm opposed to The variance Is a conceptual matter if we're going to do an experiment with the screamers for three months I would not want to do that until we had an experiment with the monofilament and see what the answer is to that And to You know, it's it's I don't know if the screamers would be a burden or not I suspect they would be noticeable whether that's a burden or not I don't know But it is a risk of a burden and I I don't think I'd be inclined to to Support that even that risk if we haven't said that it is a matter of last resort. So I'm I would not be in favor of of the variance if there was a variance So I would not recommend that it be that the select board can withdraw I would be that the variance is for a time certain and then it sunsets unless the select board is exact Which is different Um, I don't think I'd join that motion any Okay I am I have I agree with with Ted. Um, I at this time I just can't could not support a variance for The noise ordinance without knowing the effects again that there are so many You know questions about even the screamers what the effects might be on the The the children and the residents of the area And and I do feel that there are alternatives that have not been utilized at this point and and I very much appreciate that that This is is a challenge for the staff of kasella and that it is You know problematic at the airport and and there is a cost issue But I do I do feel that without other methods being utilized first. I could not support a noise ordinance variance I'm on board with that. I'm why not thinking right now myself. I mean at first when I came here tonight, you know, I'm like Pretty minimal impact for noise and whatnot But I also think There are other avenues to pursue. I under totally understand on the business aspect of it's costly But it's still an avenue that needs to be pursued Or at least study In more depth So I'm I would also be reluctant and not Moving forward with that So it sounds to me like there's not enough support for a proposal that I floated so um I think we can say that the the board Well, I think we need a motion to say that we deny the uh, the uh variance Move we deny the request for a variance a second Serious discussion on the motion Very none. I was in favor of the motion to say aye. Aye. Aye I was opposed to say nay. Nay. Nay And the ayes have it three to two and the variance has been denied So thank you both Jake and Joe for being here tonight and uh, well carry on So we'll move on then to the talent energy committee and administrative support And Eric, uh, I'd like to have you Begin with the overview of what's being will be discussing tonight as far as the the committee Thanks, sir. Get a get a drink of water here. I don't want to take too much air of time It's a little dry out there So good evening everyone and a lot of folks here in the room and listening at home So when I was preparing for the meeting tonight, I thought it might be helpful to just kind of recap where we are on our energy work Energy plan was adopted as an amendment to the town plan about a year ago prior to that Work which is a lot of work went into it from a subcommittee and planning commission The town had made investments in audits and weatherization In buildings over the last decade or so some work. So it'll be done there We've also invested in solar for net metering credits Some some small steps we've taken so far in our energy work So the energy plan outlines many goals objectives and potential pathways to get there And we can think about these pathways as having four main buckets for these elements the energy plan One we'll call external town with a little team. It's facing community education Engagement assistance. The next is energy land use policymaking Next internal to that big of town with the big team planning municipal governance systems from the town as an organization as a government Then renewable energy generation So a couple more thoughts on on these buckets the external pieces Focus on providing education and connection of resources and programs Residents and businesses to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to different energy sources Energy policymaking contains several elements to consider the town Regarding energy efficiency and land use planning In practice the planning commission serves as our lead policymaking committee on objectives pertaining to any amendments to the development by-law considered by the select board Then internal town with a big T these elements address municipal government operations We give about energy use and efficiency in town facilities our vehicles equipment among other things Purchasing compliance with state and federal regulations and then tracking the progress made and the milestones for each and then a big part of the energy plan is renewable energy generation and This has an arm of the regional and state goals relies heavily on an increase renewable generation in town Through this energy plan siting policies were identified and guidance to increase renewable energy generation in town The plan also covers local constraints for consideration in energy siting Which accompany federal and state constraints in this act 248 siting process that any application need to go through And the town can also identify preferred sites for these facilities So the next phase of working on energy plan is is asking What hands are going to take the leads and carrying these different bucket elements to kind of Continue my metaphor here. I'm walking through The plan has identified possible lead entities as an energy committee and town staff resources So if the select board should be interested in pursuing standing up a town energy committee I've included draft charge as a starting point for discussion with with my materials this evening This chart was drafted using our usual format for for town committees and commissions And the focus of this committee draft charge To start off conversation should the board want to take it up It's three primary areas Direction of the planning commission the committee would serve an advisory function concerning town energy policy as a component of land use policy It could develop and implement community outreach and educational opportunities to provide residents and businesses with resources to help Reach goals objectives identified the energy plan And it could invite advised town administration on strategies to increase the amount of renewable energy generation in wilson and town programs that could be considered to be offered I think I'll pause there kind of my My bird's eye view overview of where we are in the energy plan and considering in a possible energy committee for the board So tonight we're looking at the the charge for the committee and We'll be looking for board questions comments and then looking for citizen Comments as well as far as the draft charge goes So we're focusing just on the committee right now. Yeah, okay We'll be discussing The position of a coordinator at another meeting Questions comments from the board I Think the draft is is is for the committee is fine One thing I would Like to see is we don't know right yet I don't believe we know right yet all that this committee we might want them to assist the town on So I don't want to Define their role Um, I want to I want their role to be able to expand in the future If if appropriate and as needed So there we do we do have a town plan and the The committee is part of the town plan and so we're trying to define What they'll do as far as trying to Give us input on administering the the town plan regarding the energy usage in town and That could change as the town plan changes. I I guess I see that It's more the concept of What are going to be the appropriate I don't know what the right word is activities policies processes the town has is going to be evolving and we can't predict that And We can't we can't predict how that need For these again actions policies, what have you is going to increase in the future So that's where I guess that's the area. I want to focus on a little bit is How do we make sure that this committee can be you know, again engaged in whatever ways You know, it should be in the future as opposed to defining what that role is right now Does that make sense? I understand what you're saying. Yeah Oh, I'm not sure that We know well, we we don't know how right we don't know what we don't know. Yeah Any other comments seemingly the the first charge of the committee would be to establish You know the the goals of the committee itself and and how that that would implement the energy plan Um and and I noticed that in the in the charge There's a lot of language around at serving an advisory function My concern is that that will pigeonhole them into Not having the capacity for action Um on on certain items and so I do Mentioned a couple times, you know that that is um kind of their their function would be advisory And so again, I don't Maybe that language could be removed so that That they could proceed without, you know Yeah, I'm just What would you have? What powers would you give? I'm I'm not sure. I'm I'm you know and then and but but but I but I you know The energy plan has been adopted and you know, so so seemingly, you know, the time to move forward with it is now And so some some action Does need to be within their capacity Well, okay, but I mean it's it's a I guess in terms of structure of governance. I mean it's it is a committee. Right. It's it's I you know the I can't think of a committee that has power in town You know, I mean that they the DRB is not a committee Um and even that it doesn't have the power to Set zoning law that's that's the planning commission which actually comes back to us And the select board has the authority because we're the elected ones So I I don't it's a matter Concept and I don't want to be too highfalutin, but it's a matter of democracy I don't know that we could give or that should give any committee actual authority over stuff And the other thing is in terms of implementing it, you know, that's that's going to be the Manager and other you know employees of the town that actually have to Implement it. So I I don't know that I would Go with that. Um, and can I just say in terms of Jeff your situation? I We we can modify the charge Right. Um, so I don't know that we need to You know Try to figure out what the known unknowns are and work around them tonight No, I appreciate Greta's comments because it helps it's helps solidifying what my question is and it's really that question of Where should this group? I'm going to call it a group right now sit should sit as a committee Or should it be more? I mean, should it be a a commission? Should the town of willison have an energy commission? I realized our energy plan doesn't say that right now But It may be more appropriate that this group have more More statuting stature. Yes in town And so we go through with a board. We'll go to your accounts. Yeah, so thank you Greta. That was good Thank you for clarifying. I need that sometimes. Yes Yeah Further questions your comments from the board Right now. All right, then I'll recognize people who raise their hands. Yes, sir It's probably easier to unmask when you get to the microphone Hi, shape and cater and I'm on the planning commission and I chaired the planning commission during the Development of this plan and so I think I can answer what the planning commission's intent was About the questions that were just asked The first thing is that you established a Citizen task force to develop the energy plan. So the Pathways are already defined. This isn't a group that needs to decide what to do The plan is there with specific pathways and and they are to be implemented The second is that the way that the Goal one point pathway one point two is stated in the energy plan Is establish a permanent volunteer staffed energy committee to assist the energy coordinator with implementing the measures contained in the energy plan et cetera So there we had the Explicit idea that this committee would report to somebody who did have some authority So the committee didn't need authority. It was an advisory committee But the energy coordinator would be the one with authority would be a department head as your other department heads are reporting to the town manager So the way it's been defined in today's thing is a weaker Structure of power if you will And it says that the select board determines policy and the town manager determines administrative actions But it doesn't say who does the plan or who has authority to do anything about the plan For instance, who writes grants To to get assistance in buying energy efficient or battery operated vehicles such as green mountain transit operates battery electric buses that cbsd has two battery electric school buses and yet when we look at our We the planning commission have looked at the Every year we look at the capital budget And we don't see any exploration of grants to be able to buy energy efficient municipal vehicles So to me Somebody has to advocate for these things and the planning commission assumed it would be an energy coordinator But then everything sort of falls into place So the questions you're raising to me are because there's no energy coordinator in today's recommendation I hope that helps Other folks who wish to comment. Yes um Great, so Yes, i'm kailyn mccamp I'm a five-year resident of willis din work in uvm's office of sustainability and a member of the group sustainable willis din And a lot of us from sustainable willis din and Beyond are here tonight to talk about this topic. So thanks for having us I wanted to just quickly have people raise their hand If they're here in support of moving forward on an energy committee just to show you not everybody's speaking And if you're on zoom too, I don't know if you can share if anyone's raising their hand on zoom Indicating that they're here for this topic supporting the energy committee See two hands raised on zoom. Okay. Thanks So just so you're seeing some familiar faces. I know that we're not just a vocal minority Um So like I said, we're here to support moving forward with the energy committee And thanks to chapein for making some really good points about the charge And so i'm going to speak briefly about the structure of the committee and a little bit about administrative support But i'm glad to hear the energy coordinator will be on a future Agenda so first the structure I think that representation from a low income resident should be prioritized in the committee selection process And that that person should be financially compensated for their time A few weeks ago I talked to christalie McSweeney of the community justice center who said that they currently support various energy related needs in willis din And provided the report in your packet tonight to quantify that So it shows residents of willis din have urgent transportation weatherization and utility needs that they aren't being able to to meet And reducing these needs is part of what's called a just energy transition. So making sure this snazzy energy plan really works for everyone And research has shown that people who volunteer in local government tend to be wealthier Whiter older and more likely to be homeowners than the population at large It's a privilege to have the time in bandwidth to volunteer and i'm someone with that privilege and even though I consider myself aware My lived experience informs my worldview and I have blind spots So for example, I've never had to rely on the bus as my sole transportation option And wouldn't it be important for someone who has had That reliance to be giving input on a future transportation center for willis din I've never had to seek financial assistance to keep my house warm or legal action to convince my landlord to fix Windows indoors with leaks shouldn't somebody who has actually navigated those support systems Help inform the improvement of those services So I think this lived experience has immense value and uh, Burlington and the vermont climate council have recognized that and are currently Paying people either an hourly rate or with a stipend for their participation in their committees. So I really hope you can follow their lead Then second on administrative support So I know last at the last meeting jeff asked about creating an energy coordinator position in this fiscal year And so I was a little bummed not to see that as one of the support options in eric's Proposal, which was clearly really well researched and thought about a lot of options Um, and so I just want to say that although I firmly support moving forward with a committee as soon as possible That the administrative support outlined Can't be mistaken for long-term support that an energy coordinator could provide um, and a few quick reasons why first, um The purpose of an energy coordinator sort of as jeff and said is Far more than just administrative support. So that example of And the the manager report of uh, department heads looking at what to do with arpa fund So right now who is doing that for? The things in the energy plan really needing someone With that background dedicated to that second the eco americor position Is is a nice idea and I just want to share my my personal experience supervising Students at uvm a lot of whom go into americor as recent grads sort of The general demographic of who can be supported with a living stipend instead of a salary And so I know well what the skill level of that student is and just that it is it's not The match of this level sophistication that we need the typical americor profile and that's not quite what the job is You know asking for compared to say the hartford energy coordinator and what that job Description looks like And then finally I think overlying on the ccr pc energy project manager position Is is a little unfair to our neighbors. So we are well resourced town and that position has to serve 14 towns I think with the focus of a just transition coming from the legislature There's going to be an imperative for that person to work on the towns with the most need first and I don't think That That is necessarily willyston We have a well resourced resident population and adopted energy plan And there are models we could use like south berlington using arpa funds to add new positions Knowing they'll have to take them over eventually or our Access in the reserve that we have so I think there's a really unique opportunity to set up a strong system of support that goes Beyond what is kind of outlined right now as a short term Model and just want to be clear that there's a lot of people here to support moving forward But not to mistake the current administrative support for what an energy coordinator can ultimately provide So thank you Anyone else who wishes to speak Good evening. My name is brian forest. I'm the volunteer town energy coordinator and a member of sustainable wilson I would first like to thank our town manager eric wells for his thorough analysis He went through regarding implementation of energy plan The proposal but the proposal used an assistant town manager slash hr coordinator And while eric was rick's Assistant town manager the staff person for the energy plan task force And valuable asset in that plan and coming together. It's a much more Time-intensive position as I'll outline later Plan The staffing plan proposes some time from person from the regional planning commission whose time will be divided between 14 towns Which leaves us another part-time Person working on a plan An americorps volunteer, but I don't think we'll materialize that position Has been for poor and undeserving towns underserved towns and we are neither The plans proposed will then review their progress over seven years to determine if these folks are performing up to expectations This could put us years behind where we need to be if we are to keep our plan from uncontrolled heating Um, I also um I'm talking about jeff. I'm mentioning the town coordinator at last uh Last month's meeting and I was surprised that it wasn't included as part of the staff person um From the from the rfp for harford's energy coordinator position will require a person of knowledge who can work this board to establish Um and write rfps for studies and projects develop annually the town's energy program budgets apply for grants Act as liaison between town departments and energy projects Managed consultant energy consultants and contracts Review project permit applications and systematically review the implementation of the energy plan In other words a full-time energy coordinator Those who needs a functioning and funded energy committee to work with the energy coordinator Encourage this board to make both these happen soon Hartford Vermont with a population slightly smaller than ours Has the climate action plan last month? Then become carbon neutral townwide by 2030 And had a full-time energy coordinator for 10 years and just hired the second one And has a robust energy committee and the climate action climate advisory committee They had 30 diverse members and a consultant working on their recently passed climate action plan They're moving forward. What is stopping us from doing the same? We've contributed to this crisis. We need to be responsible for correcting it We need to stop treating the climate crisis as a minor annoyance that gets crumbs from our taxes administered by whoever we can find Rather than public safety Christ that it is a greater threat to citizens of wilson than fire and police protection Which we allocate millions of dollars a year Wilson is not a poor town. We have the largest Gross revenues in the states since 2005 and are in line for receiving over two millions in arpo funds South burling is funding three positions for arpo money If no excuse for not funding an energy coordinator and our energy plan We need you to work with our energy coordinator our energy committee the town manager town departments Civic organizations and town people Figure out how to get things done how to raise the money how to prioritize our efforts Who do I hire to get these things done? If only a few years to get this right, there's no do over if we fail in our thinking Climate change is defining issue for our generation. We can't tell our children that we thought protecting their future was too expensive But a new police dispatcher was not For our children and grandchildren to have any chance of surviving the effects of our heating planet I asked you to hire an energy coordinator create an energy committee and fund them both rapidly and with urgency Thank you for giving me the opportunity Anyone else that wishes to speak Yes I'm sam lash. She hers Um, I'm new I actually just moved here in june, but I grew up in shover and not too far from here I'm super excited to be here. Um, and I just want to say congratulations on your energy plan. That's awesome So, um, I'm currently a phd candidate frowning university I study paleo climate so climate change in the past And basically how people dealt with it in rural situations. Um, but actually I sort of shifted my, um, Work to work on contemporary climate action Um, I work with the nature conservancy in the wrought island infrastructure bank. Um, on their municipal resilience program so basically Leveraging a total of 14 million dollars from green bonds brick and other things to Support towns to um come up with climate dedicated climate action grants So I was hoping to offer a little bit of a sort of outside perspective and also, you know, I'm here to help if I can in any way So I just I want to add my support to the formation of the energy committee and also to a full-time permanent position And I appreciate hearing that from all of you too. That's absolutely wonderful um So yeah, so I guess um at the municipal level, uh, I've seen sort of throughout That needs to identify and address wide range a wide range of sort of climate resilience issues and energy issues Are not met cohesively That they may have a hazard mitigation plan, which you do, which is awesome But also having to think about land use and climate policy and strategic nature-based and low impact development Strategies, um, if I may be so bold as to caution that I've seen a sort of striking chronic Understaffing and lack of capacity at the municipal as well as sort of regional and federal levels as well To address the systemic changes that our adopted plans actually require Um Often where there's 1% hired usually permanent or seasonally, I should say or part time Really, there needs to be a whole team So just sort of wanted to provide that perspective and Voice my support. The bottom line is we all want a more resilient future right now. It's awesome That we're focused on an energy transition, but that won't be sort of the end of it all The reality of landscape of the reality of the landscape of federal and state funding is that municipality is fundamentally need to have Two things to take advantage of those funds That's fierce advocacy in the room and when I say the room, I mean all of the rooms So somebody who's there full-time advocating for that municipality They also need shovel ready projects and I don't want to be you over the head with this You've heard this several times already from you and from other people in the room tonight But that means grant writing and a lot of it And that means writing having this sort of lens in mind So that projects can be merged together It can be negotiated to benefit multiple people at once and multiple multiple departments at once Otherwise, we end up leaving a lot of money on the table and towns with more resources We'll be able to take advantage of those Of those grants and opportunities I've only been here since june, but I have been working with vcan And many of the town energy committees across the state both on a communications collaborative and also on Sitting in on nearby meetings. So that includes select board appointed Committees and Essex will dodge is like super excited to work with Willison should they sit want to on the transportation quarter and a variety of other things But also south brolington huntington shelter and richmond and charlotte among others So I guess I just want to say that there are a lot of resources available if someone has the time the paid time to take advantage of them So Yeah, I guess I had a few other recommendations, but I don't really want to take up any more of your time Maybe some more people I think who might want to speak But I just wanted to say I hope to see that in addition to the planning commission also public ricks And others being involved. I hope membership again would include at least I said at least two Paid spots Not only for low income, but also for young and diverse members of our community and our growing community at that We are all definitely one of the municipalities in the chitin county that is growing The charge again, uh, revised or amended by select board. I think is wonderful flexibility But I would love fixed expectations. So annual reports and an annual review I think is key to get in that language early I had noted the same advisory sort of issue, but I think that will come up next time At our conversation about the energy coordinator I guess I will leave it at that, but I'm excited to see how a Committee in a potentially permanent position would evolve in the town of Ellison I think In three to five years in addition to energy transitions, we'll be talking about water So droughts have been increasing since my entire lifetime in Vermont and we'll be talking about topsoil Fundamentally, we're an agricultural state. So we've got to get to thinking about that how we're going to provide ourselves food as well, so Thank you. Thank you for your time Any further comments from yes, sir Sorry A little bit of comedy Uh, Kevin Thorough like resident of Williston for the past almost eight years now Um, so first I'd like to thank Eric for the for the work on this I know you've been getting a lot of emails from me and a lot of folks in the audience here We know that you have a lot on your plate and this is only one component of that and so you thank you for that I thank you for that As many of the folks have pointed out Unfortunately the proposal As a stand state does not meet the intent or maybe necessarily the spirit even of the energy plan that was passed about a year almost exactly a year ago I think rather Hit the nail on the head the plan outlines the pathways we need to take But there's hard problems and hard decisions that need to be taken in order to follow those pathways This you know these hard decisions these hard problems they require an energy coordinator a professional in this field and they require a town body rather than all these bodies of committee that is going to be able to Do more than just advise. I believe we're past the point where an advisory committee is all that we need the The biggest concern I have is that we Say that we need more time to think about this because time right now is of the essence Every decision the town makes every day has an impact vehicles are purchased Installations throughout the town heating cooling etc are done equipment is purchased for the rec and parks department for the you know maintaining our roads and Decisions are taken around development every one of these decisions has an impact on the energy on the topics in the energy plan and on the climate And the impact of those decisions is felt for years to come a vehicle purchase today Is a vehicle still on the road five years down the road for the town So kicking the can down the road is not a case of kicking into the next select board meeting It's potentially kicking it down the down the road years into the future We need to move ahead today We need to do this in a way that allows for the evolution of the body that's defined in the energy plan I think that's what Greta was trying to call out and I fully support that The cost of delay is is is too great at this point and I would ask you know the select board What can we do today to move this plan forward in a way that is meaningful and Follows the intent and the spirit of the original plan While not requiring us to take more weeks months You know it's it's been a year up to this point to actually start taking action and start putting things in In progress Thank you How many others know we should speak tonight? Yes Kim harding mercy and I've been in town since 1993 With a brief sojourn to a different town, but I'm back So, um, I I just want to reiterate that Um Those of us who are reading the science on a regular Basis, it's pretty depressing And just today I got a document that said peer-reviewed science is now saying that one in five deaths worldwide are caused by burning of fossil fuel pollution 350,000 people in the u.s. Die every day Um, I think if you're reading the news The fires the floods the droughts It's terrifying And your energy plan is very Helpful and specific and eric was involved in that Some of our uh, sustainable milk, uh, wilson people were involved in that. It's very specific It asks for the energy coordinator and the energy committee To do very specific tasks that no one is yet doing because they're the hard tasks of transitioning municipal residents and businesses off of fossil fuel to heat pumps um electric vehicles and weatherization and You know the vermont climate council is meeting and a lot of money is about to become available But they're very specifically talking about not just carrots but sticks So if you're not prepared and if you haven't followed through on your plan There it's going to be more expensive To complete it because they're gonna They're going to have the carrots there and we should grab them But they're also going to have sticks if you have a plan that you haven't implemented So I brought you, uh, just a brief. It's a it's less than two pages It's about hartford And I don't want to live in hartford But wow They've been moving in a direction that is very exciting and healthy and they're implementing their plan And it involves having the energy coordinator And I believe they actually have two different energy committees. We just would like one With an energy coordinator Any last comments from anyone who was just to chaplain Jeff fairs like an issue or chaplain cater Jeff fairs had asked at the last meeting which I watched online for energy coordinator position to be considered in the current fiscal year's budget and is and I May have misinterpreted the packet as as trying to address that and Can you Clarify because I had some comments related to the energy coordinator itself Which I didn't give because we were talking about the committee Right So the the proposal tonight was just to talk about the the draft for the new energy committee And try to get that underway so we can come back another Another meeting either two weeks from now or four weeks from now and have that In process so we could start appointing the members of it My thought is that because It's a much different conversation to talk about hiring An energy coordinator during this fiscal year because it has budget considerations And certainly if we did not do that now we would be doing it During budget season so and we still depends on what we Do as far as the The coordinator position in this fiscal year It would certainly have implications in the next budget as well So there should we will plan on having a separate discussion on that Okay, so could I Preemptively say a couple things about money and the long-term view That I had prepared that do apply to both And might help inform you have the floor. Thank you So the state of Vermont established the comprehensive energy plan in 2016 And it was in response and that set goals for what we're doing and that's what the climate action council is working on right now I would just like to say that the first goal in that plan Was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with a 50% reduction below 1990 levels by 2028 And so you can see between 2016 and 2021 And you may know Vermont has not made any motion in that direction So, um I just want to say we're trying to carry out a 2016 plan with 2016 goals In accordance with that you as the select board appointed that task force that Eric oversaw through 27 meetings over more than a year to develop the energy plan and then your town Planning commission held hearings and worked with it and all of us worked with cc rpc staff help and That result in the plan given to you in may of 2020 which you adopted in the fall of 2020 Um, and so we are now a year past adopting the plan Which is why I think a lot of people feel like You know, what are we waiting for? last year Um, when you adopted the plan several select board members very appropriately said, you know, we're in a pandemic We don't know what's going to happen to our Local option tax. We don't know how our funding is. We're cutting all our budgets No, that we're not going to be able to fund this position right away Even though it's number one in the plan and I really appreciated that honesty But it turned out that the year of co vid did not hurt us financially And in fact there are funds that we didn't expect now available So not to consider doing this in this current budget year doesn't make sense To me at least as someone that worked hard on this plan Getting it here I would like to Say too that we That the planning commission we on the planning division considered hedging on the energy coordinator position But we just didn't see how this plan could be carried out without a staff person Overseeing and grant writing et cetera. And I don't need to go over any of that So how can we position ourselves to take advantage of grants and other incentives that are already in the pipeline for meeting the Climate change and this is a little bit what Brian was talking about And keep in mind that many of the pathways will save Williston residents and businesses money Pathways such as better weatherization of homes more efficient appliances More generation of electricity on people's roofs and in their yards These are all things that put money in the pocket of residents that you represent Some of the goals will reduce municipal costs not only savings of fuel and An electric use but also in less need to upgrade intersections If we can make good progress on the land use and transportation pathways that reduce the number of automobile trips in town If we meet our energy our renewable energy production goals, which are primarily solar They will put money in the pockets of businesses as well as residents And just as an example you have in the solar orchard back here I think about 30 000 dollars worth of electricity generated every year because you Invested in that and it's paying for itself in less than 10 years and has a perpetual payback to the citizens of this town It's hard to measure the value of doing our part for the planet As kim was just advocating which is so important But it's easy to see that there are direct financial benefits to the town and pursuing the pathways in the energy plan I don't mean to portray the energy plan as all about saving money But not implementing it would in fact cost money in some areas And if we don't fund the the energy coordinator position, we will be doing a short-term savings For a long-term loss Because of lost opportunities So i'm just going to go to my summary If you care about climate change As in general Or if you care about meeting the state's energy goals and Carbon goals or if you care about implementing wilson's town plan, which i know you do Or if you want to give wilson residents the benefits and the cost savings of the that will come with implementing this plan Then please please go ahead and implement it as quickly as you can And if you were to say Right away say you're going to hire someone in the current budget because we have funds available And by the time we don't Say 2025 and the arbor funds are gone if other climate funds have not come um Sorry, I lost that train of thought but Oh, I know what that's going to say if you were to approve it right away Even if the funding is somewhat temporary By the time you Created the job description and interviewed maybe in january. We're talking about maybe having an energy coordinator in march And so whatever the annual cost would be it would be maybe a quarter of that in this fiscal year So I really don't think you should let the money part About this year affect your decision if we wait for the budget process And we wait for the budget to be approved in march And we we are probably not going to have someone on staff till late in the summer at the earliest this might guess So I just think it would be nice to get a jump on this for all the reasons that I mentioned. Thank you So thanks everybody for coming. I expect we'll see you again In a few weeks and uh, so We'll close out the discussion tonight on the energy committee and we'll proceed with to see what we could Do as far as your suggestions. So thanks again And we'll move on and then to on the before we do terry. Yeah So similar to chappan I first my admission is I was confused when I um Read the material that was in the select board packet. I had assumed that this was A proposal that dealt with the energy committee as well as what was the energy coordinator position But a rethinking of it. I've learned that that is not the case And I'm looking to eric a little bit to help too You know, is there something you are able to tell us about what is the thinking about How the energy coordinator will fit into I'm hearing that there is going to be discussion about energy coordinator position I'm just curious about what is it we can learn tonight I'd like to know what we can learn tonight about what the energy coordinator position you're that's being envisioned How it will work how it will Implement the energy plan Yeah, the the board has a lot to think about so my my intent with that Document was trying to think about the committee aspect of it But then think about the administrative piece of it and what some available tools for missing on that I do apologize for that. Well, that's fine You know and whatever sequencing the board wants to take in approaching those two But I I thought as part of the discussion knowing those other administrative Options I was getting some research done on might might be helpful to benefit the committee The committee part of the discussion. Okay Is it possible, um, you know, I'd look at this thing You know our our planned agenda for what you can put down on paper into the future And I don't see the energy coordinator any thoughts on when we will be having that discussion Are you able to Pin things down at all or no, like, you know, I think I would tarry some more in setting our Our agenda, but just how the board wants to sequentially Look at these two items. I would need some direction whether it's You know One, you know committee first or kind of in tandem a little bit so I can I can help the board Tackle those discussions with any additional information to to bring forward. Okay. Good. Thank you All right They will proceed on like on the agenda. So thank you again for coming You're welcome to stay because we have a couple of other things to deal with tonight And next is the money brook culvert replacement project funding which we thought discussed at the last meeting And so we have We'll talk a little bit about that and the reason and information we received from the town attorney And the bruce and charlie are here as well, but just a follow-up on the last meeting's discussion Just to recap we're working on the culvert replacement project for muddy brook. The big came in higher than was expected The town is considering before the board how to make up a shortfall in funding The initial discussion the board has some follow-up questions for the town attorney Specifically on the regarding what was defined as a culvert in the ordinance Provide for you the attorney's interpretation on on that question Attorney's viewpoint is Any type of device install whether it's a pipe structure or a bottomless structure would meet the intent of the ordinance but It's approach the board consider the presidential impact For something like this It might be viewed more as a transportation improvement project than a store modern improvement project that the the board was discussing a bit last Meeting as well and then this discretionary decision falls to the board's authority So just uh, just to recap um, the shortfall is about two hundred thirty two thousand dollars Staff's asking the sub board to consider identifying up to an additional four hundred thousand dollars in case of any change orders Both the storm water In general fund balances are possible sources of funding for the shortfall and it's the board's discretion What source of funding or combination of the two should be utilized? There's some reasons really are here. There's just one clarification question eric When you were talking about an additional four hundred thousand dollars, that's not in in addition to the two thirty two That would be including the two thirty two. Yeah, that's correct. Yeah, I just want to make sure So the question is do we do it from one fund or only or from both funds and Um, there's a suggested motion, but you need to put some monies into Left it pretty open for the board. Um, if the board does lean towards storm water, um, you'll see in the memo The attorney advises to make some additional findings in that motion. So Well, I'll I'll start the discussion. Um, let's have an emotion first Oh, okay I presume you want to talk about one or the other Well, yes, but My thought is is and I think the our attorney kind of picked up on it is, you know What is what is the potential impacts down the road of using the storm water fund? And and and what is this project? Really about I shouldn't sit that didn't maybe come out That's maybe not the best way to say but what is the core reason for doing this project? and to me to me it's it's At least I feel it's pretty clear the reason is is because we had a A road system that failed And we needed it back And this was how to do that project We weren't trying to solve a storm water problem or issue or address it. We were trying to fix a road failure And so That's going to lead me to feel that that has led me to feel We should only be using the fund balance for this and not to the storm water fund other comments You had discussed this at the last select board meeting actually and and you know and thinking about that I've definitely come come around to your way of thinking about that and I do I do actually agree that I do think that It should come from our general fund balance. I think that the precedent it sets Is not one that that we should be setting So let's have an emotion All right, then I will I will move To designate up to $400,000 from the fund balance reserve for the muddy brook call it replacement project Is there a second? a second It's for discussion on the motion I agree But do you agree with the motion? Yeah, I agree with the motion Any further discussion All those in favor of the motion say aye I heard five ayes So the motion is carried and we're moving on to the Water main extension policy, which we again discussed At our last meeting I think the of the language that Ted recommended is in the Latest draft That's correct. Thanks Ted for emailing it over to me Is there any any comments or questions regarding the policy If not a motion would be in order move to adopt the town water main extension policy as presented Is there a second second? Is there a discussion on the motion? Very none. All those in favor of the motion say aye Aye I heard five ayes again, so we're Moving right along And the american rescue plan act preliminary overview and eric are going to talk a little bit about that and we have a memo from you as well Here we go too many memos Found the right one Yeah, just briefly tonight. I want to give the board a preliminary overview of our buzz. We've solidified What our award amount is going to be after a little bit of back and forth this year I want to wait till we knew our number before kind of digging into this a little bit more We've got to we've got some time here. So we will be receiving Just or just over three million dollars through ARPA, which is a You know a significant opportunity for the town to get for federal aid dollars and we've received about Looking at surely just about half of that so far Understanding and we gained the other half over the next year So the rules to use ARPA funding have been established by the u.s. Treasury and it's an interim final rule released in may It's a it's a heavy document to work through and there's a lot of room for interpretation and I've relied on of vermont league of cities and towns as a as a resource and Conferring with some of these additional documents online vlc. He's actually hired A position to assist towns and interpreting ARPA and answering questions So our name is katie buckley and she's resource we can draw on as we as we think about this year Some some big deadlines for the community to be aware of It's we don't have to spend this money tomorrow. We've we've got a little time to think about it Has to be allocated by the end of 2024 and spent by the end of 2026 Which uh, you know, it's not tomorrow, but it will come up rather quickly as as town operations goes But the town's got some time to think about and be diligent how how wants to utilize these funds The the interim rule outlines four broad criteria and they are very broad Responding to public health emergency and it's negative or it's negative economic impacts Including some assistance to households small businesses non-profits To respond the workers performing essential work during COVID-19 public health emergency with by providing premium paid eligible workers provision of government services to the extent of the reduction in revenue due to COVID-19 Emergency relative to revenues collected in the most recent full fiscal year prior to the emergency it's a wordy way of Bringing out there's a calculation that surely is currently working on With these standards and the rule that will identify what our lost revenue calculation is and Given where we ended up last fiscal year and not knowing where we're going to end up our preliminary Gut feeling here is that number won't be, you know, I'll bear a large number. I don't know surely if you've gotten any I know you're working on it right now, but The Officer's Association Came up with a calculation that's been approved that's four minutes But but there's a lot of numbers behind it in the year so work on that now. So I don't have that feeling but Your first getting to look at your growth for seven And then Sure So you look at multiple years and you look at the growth percentage And so then your lost revenue calculation based on your actual revenue Is either your growth percentage the average or it's 4.1 percent if it's less if 4.1 percent is Is a greater than what your average growth is so A few parts of it and some of it is Based on a calendar year, which we don't do well in our numeric reporting system So you have to take two fiscal years and sort of combine them together and and then there's five years worth of Historical data that you probably feel so that's what I'm working on right now. So I don't have a good sense of it I have I probably have When surely has a number we'll share it with the board but um, you know through looking at arpa that that is the most Flexibility I'll call it in terms of using the funds where it's lost government revenue It could be applied in any type of government operational capacity As as the board thinks about possible future applications that That number of that three million is what is the most flexibility to And then the last areas making investments in water sewer broadband infrastructure, which Which has a lot of potential application to think about as well Um, then there's expenditure categories. I won't go through each one that they're in the memo So what I've asked department has this preliminary step just to start thinking about this Looking at these broad criteria to start making a list of possible ideas I think that's one of many pieces to this What I wanted the board to see back on was I can draft a process proposal to be thinking about this and We sent that to the board moving forward and thinking about the public participation involvement piece I this thing that vpr done some reporting on it this morning on the way into work and just hearing about how other towns are Starting to approach this this discussion And and at the board's discretion Another thought I had is you'll be tackling the the fy 23 budget coming up here soon So we may want to start designing the process But maybe jump into the process after you've got a town meeting warning established And it might also dovetail into a bit of thinking about water and sewer budgets into the future as well just some some initial thoughts, but And we'll certainly have more information and more feedback and The great thing about this is every town is receiving ARPA money So I've got a good network of manager peers and we'll be talking about this at our conference coming up And we can we can learn from each other and get some ideas and Also think about leveraging other funds that are out there as potential match dollars and the state's receiving ARPA money as well So understanding, you know, what might be a state grant application versus a local allocation to to achieve some of these goals. So It's kind of where we are right now. I mean any questions the board has a first overview of this Oh I mean, I'm assuming I'm sorry. I'm assuming they're going to be regulations That federal government will Yeah, it's put out in the code of federal regulations and all that. Um, so this may be answered in the future anyway, but Just The the four categories include respond to public health emergency or some negative economic impacts And then the other three don't really seem to Be worth it. My question is leading that the seventh expenditure categories says public health and infrastructure So I'm wondering like Can we can we implement some of the energy policies? With this money or are they going to say wait a minute? Global warming that was way before covid And I guess we'll find out what the regulations say but that's that's one of the areas I would ask the Yeah, that's exactly the the questions I've had and the challenges here with these these broad areas and Yeah, they We're not asking the government saying hey, we're gonna use the money on a b and c project They put it in our bank account Then we spend it and then we have to report to the government how we spent it So I want to make sure before we spend it. We've got to That's what scares me. Yeah It's kind of like doing your taxes when your tax when your taxes are really complex Where you're like, well, I I took that deduction and I thought it was okay and It's three years later and here I am sitting with you, sir and you're telling me it's not Um, and it turns out I don't have the money to give you back And I think that's that's what I'm worried about with the town is like if we if we spend money on on Whetherization or electric vehicles or something like that and then it comes back that, you know, well That that's nice, but that wasn't anything to do with the pandemic then, you know, I'd rather know that going in Yeah, me as well I I hope we'd have a resource where I could envision that we go through a process We've got a we've got a budget. We've got a plan and then we have someone to as a Who has some authority on this to tell us? Yeah, does everything pass muster with the with the regulations? Then we can look to spend the money In a perfect scenario Senator ted's question is um I saw the article where south burlington is planning on hiring Renew positions using arpa dollars Um, and I just want to verify that that's possible to do that And then the question becomes if that is possible Would an energy coordinator be a position we could Fund on some sort of a basis with arpa dollars. That'd be really good information to have Yeah, I'd have to talk to city manager some more my my initial thought maybe they used The lost revenue provision of it to apply it that way because I I've seen it jump in surely for Anything you have to add, but I think that might be the application that you okay, and then the other question I had was Can we use arpa dollars? Under the first category Similar to how we use the fund balance to reduce the property tax rate That is not allowed. That is not allowed. Okay That answers that question I would be surprised if it was but when they talk about, you know, the negative impacts of An economic downturn Okay, I think that's where they get the lost revenue piece where you can bring in the taxes Okay You've heard of me say it before and you know, I'll say it again Don't use one time money for ongoing expenses because you're running the trolls. Yeah Other questions for Eric If not, we'll move on then to the vast agreement to winner 2021 22 You have a memo from Melinda regarding this and the Essentially the agreement is the same that's existed for many years I think add to that Eric. Nope. Um, nothing's changed and no complaints. So Not a lot you have to weigh this So I'd be looking for a motion I'll move to approve the use of public land by the wilson hill hawks from the vermont association of snow travelers And authorize the town manager to sign the agreement for the 2021 to 2022 season This is your second second What's your discussion on the motion All those in favor of the motion say hi Hi, we have five eyes Next thing is manager report I'm getting late. So I'll be brief on this a couple items. Um, looks like we're planning to schedule those Select board retreat on tuesday, october 12th Most folks if you haven't just let me know. We're going to have our Overview of the fire services analysis report with our consultant and staff and Expect to get this report to me this week. Hopefully I know the consultant's doing final edits and proof reading So I know it's an extensive report. So I'd like to get out to the board with plenty of time to to review and this retreat will be more will be a deep dive into the report and a review of operations and thoughts moving moving ahead for for service And then also on fire our two new apparatus have recently been delivered May recall bond boat approved in 2018 for the mini pumper and the quint The quint is multifunctional and provides pump water tank fire hose and the aerial and ground ladders So the department's currently getting all members trained on on these two new apparatus and I'll have an update when when those will be put into service here in the in the near future Any board members would like to like to do then we can set up a walk through with the department. Good idea And also the recreation parks committee approved a slight name change for the park behind central school From community park to village community park and I I chose with the board earlier in the week But one thing we're exploring is addressing a long-standing radio coverage issue in town for fire and police I've tasked sergeant Eric Shepherd who's our tech expert to look at possible solutions and One thing it's exploring. It's kind of a a puzzle of all these components to put together and one is Looking at a site on old creamery road. There's a repeater on a small tower there right now land owned viper my electric co-op It might be an opportunity there to Put a different type of structure With our repeater to look to improve communication So that's a piece of the puzzle and we'll have a better idea once we get a report this month on whether that's viable or not And if it is we'll likely come back with a capital project for the board to to consider coming up this budget season We'll have to nothing else to report this evening Thank you. Other business. We do have some catering permits to take up tonight We've got three and it's winding down the wedding season here coming up folks. So The first one I have is on october 1st. It's at the red bar and gardens. It's by 80 from 802 cocktails. It's the wallcott wedding Staff's review and it has no objections to this Any questions for your record on that? Looking for a motion Will we approve? Zero second Any discussion? All those in favor say aye Aye May I have five yeses? Next next one same caterer 802 cocktails and this is at the the aisham barn. It's a wedding No one says aisham wedding It's on october 9th. Again staff has no Any questions for Eric? Looking for a motion Will we approve? It's zero second Any discussion? All those in favor say aye Aye May I have five eyes? One more and the last one is also on october 9th. There's a bike race taking place that catamount outdoor family center We talked spoke to melinda about this and the we've approved a special event for this It's alcohol service and I followed up with them to talk about what the alcohol service would look like And they said from 11 to 5 30 in a designated area near the finish line cans only So I ran this by um staff and police chief and staff didn't have objections to to that structure to consider here Any questions? Yes. This raises a question. This is this on town owned property? And do we have a policy about the uh alcohol on town owned property? Now let's see this this did come up last year for another event there. Yeah, okay I'm trying to recall how we handled it, but I Yeah, I talked ahead tonight. I would need to know that before I could vote on this sorry um We could have a motion and we can see if it passes or not or uh leave it Uh october 9th or meeting or not meeting before that or On the second uh the fifth I think Okay, yeah, I don't want to leave them hanging. I mean, I don't want to leave them hanging. That's the real problem Like I could also confirm this for the board Tomorrow, um as a another approach get the information shorter. Yeah, it's sorry about this, but I know that's a good question I just over say Could we have a motion that says it's approved pending? Further information so moved through second I'll second Any discussion for the discussion on this? I understand the the uh the problems Yeah So pending the further information would be whether There is a town or midge prohibiting this from happening Okay, I guess I'm okay with that All those in favor say aye. Aye I don't think we have five eyes on that one any other business to bring you forward tonight. I just wanted to mention I um Gotta be careful how I phrase this but the um, I was drawn in in my professionally in the attorney general's office with a um department for children and family situation involving Williston and the Williston police department last week and um, I dealt Lieutenant Moore, uh a lot on it and it was again because Juvenile court and confidential and and rightfully so they've involved a very volatile situation a very vulnerable young child and some potential violence and mixed in with mental health issues and the Williston police department, um, I will say I just wanted to officially moment not officially I just wanted to say Congratulations to them because they they did a wonderful job with no Violence then it took a lot of patience and a lot of time And a lot of I'd say emotional discipline And uh, I just wanted to acknowledge publicly from what I saw on my end that it was it was very well handled and Exactly what we're looking for Because I'll check with them surely Let's be clear where they're delineating for the service area because there is some area that isn't townland. So maybe that's Yeah, I'll get that confirmed for the board Any other business Just report that I was at Adams orchard on sunday in a different role and Duke the dog and the comfort dog was there a lot of his Handler and he was the hit And they sold a lot of little dogs So if there's no other business then I'll call us adjourned