 Welcome everyone in the room and on the computer land to this October 23rd 2023 select board meeting of the town of Rochester which has had the agenda posted in three public places on the website and also emailed to interested parties so we can move forward and with this meeting and I would like to start with bringing forth the minutes from the prior meeting of October 9th which looked complete to me I didn't see anything missing from that right move to approve those I second all in favor and we have first item on our new businesses to the review of the September treasurer's report which thank you again for bringing this out and thank you for the auditors for recommending that we make a point of looking at this regularly that's some it's a good good process and I move to approve this report I second that all in favor if you want to sign that one there too so M T A P which is stands for the municipal municipal technical assistance program this is there's been some grant money put out from the legislature to help smaller towns get a fairer share of monies that might be out there to to help with anything from community assessments and opportunity assessments funding applications permit assistance project management and implementation we have been pre approved as a community that could have access to these and all we have to do is tell them whether we're interested or not I can't see why we wouldn't be interested doesn't commit us to doing anything in particular but it would give us some give us some help if we come across projects that have they talked about how much help there's no numbers on that but it's I mean I guess the first step is to say yes we're interested and then we could get in touch with them and say okay what are we talking about here I think a good target for our request would be the water and sewer department we already have compiled a wish list and a time frame of what would be needed for water and sewer over the next year five five ten ten twenty so we can pull that out when we were pulling together figures for arpo money and start applying whatever we could get yeah to those needs so I'd move to respond affirmatively to to them saying yes we're interested I second all in favor hi all right so we have an agreement with Nimrick for the reappraisal of the town which we voted to go with them in the last meeting and so this is the formal agreement assigned so I'd move to execute this agreement and the reappraisal process will be done in June of 2027 2027 so I second that all in favor hi is that the start nope june of 2025 is when it's going to start and in june of 2027 so we actually will have a couple more budget years to fund 96 well we're already set with that I think I'm being close to it and we funded we put some money into it this year too we did in addition to the state right yeah right we double we doubled what the state said I think I'm sorry excuse me the NEM RC for some reason I forgotten what that stands for if you could let me know that is the New England municipal resource resource center I couldn't hear you what Nimrick is the New England municipal resource center it is Nimrick is the the company that gives us the programs for our taxes our valuation our payroll cash receipts Nimrick is a municipal software program but the words are new England municipal resource center you believe so yes just say Nimrick I can confirm that tomorrow yeah for you okay all right thank you sorry to buddy they're always just referred to is Nimrick yeah okay I'll be sure to it that way instead sorry yeah I think you can go to 8,000 was the reappraisal figure right I think the state gives us like 8,200 or something and we put in another and we matched it I think our gang close to it so we up at 16 so I think we got the 96 already I think it's in our lock in the rate they've given you a figure there right yeah 96 so does that mean that maybe we don't have to put that in the next year's budget might not need to put the extra but start saving up for the next one the state okay yeah so we'll keep that contributing exactly keep that long nice for the state to increase their donation right but I think we just this past year we just decided to do that knowing we were going to be facing and we weren't sure what when it was going to cost so maybe in the future we might like this year we may want to think about maybe just putting it like a thousand dollars in there just to keep adding to it till we there may be somebody else that needs it more so very very true and we also may need to do another reappraisal in less than ten years right ten year rule is gone away even though we are at 11 years so this will be a telltale thing yeah yeah so we don't have Tony here from the library but their libraries looking a little spiffier than it well yeah except the yard there well I cleaned up a lot of it this weekend and then did you do that yeah I gotta see the they raked the loan out I gotta see it about the pierce hall parking lot pierce hall parking lot I cleaned that up they broke it up the bricks and stuff you mean right there and about no there's no broken there's nothing broken there that I could see they maybe then it did something what about the stone wall nothing wrong with that I cleaned it up this weekend you would know yep I was there so and I see I gotta see down the lawn that's it and then do some work on the pumpkin patch and I talked to Patty and Dave they might be able to just smooth that out around the yard with a with just rolling it where they made their own score around I walked around there it's really not that bad it just needs to be rolled out and smooth did they break it up where the paint chips haven't yet so we'll get on that to be done with it they're not gonna do it so I doubt it we'll be lucky if they come back they had a pretty late night there yeah they did so on to the highway the sand stash is pretty much the weapon ready to go right the sand stash is pretty well up I'm not sure where Bethel's at as far as closing the mountain road but they've talked about it for the month of November John has been asked to plow from the top down to the traffic light I don't know I I left that up to him it's his call not mine I don't know they were supposed to be awarding those bids I don't know if they have awarded them yet I need to call Therese to find out and they were supposed to be putting signs up out here to advertise the closing of the road for I don't know how long they talked about a month because they want to replace those two culverts mm-hmm and so they were putting them both out to bed and I said well it's getting a little late they kind of have to do it because they can't leave those lights up there in the winter and the cars will be piling up there and it'll be a mess so they really have to jump on it but that's all on them it's nothing to do with us so it's just whether or not John wants to keep the road above the from the top down to where those lights are so that's up to him yeah where did he turn around down there well it'd have to be somebody's driveway there it's not going to be easy so I don't know you know they have to come up and do Campbell Road anyway so I don't know but they won't be carrying salt for that yeah but there then again it's not going to be a through road so I don't know what would be the major issue there's a couple houses there but but that's all maybe it won't snow he said so but I left it up to him and so I'm gonna be up to him to whether I'm not I'm also looking at I've talked to the map people we're putting that taking the nuts road designation off from that Jerusalem Hill section going to Stuart Browns which is roughly almost a half a mile that'll be upgraded to just class 3 we don't have any we don't have to do anything as far as advertising for that because it's already a class 3 road we just have to take the designation as a nuts road off it it's a not up to standards oh so we've we've been plowing it and maintaining it up to standards but it's never been changed the only thing I have to do is is see where the trail stops and where that you know where that road is they the mapping people say it's just a Stuart's driveway that that class 3 designation goes to anyway so I just have to see if that coincides with what records have and I haven't been able to locate that I've got a call at the Bruce flowing to see if he has researched any of that at all so and I didn't hear about who's out Turkey hunt so I didn't hear back from him so my talk with Larry Strauss yeah I'll ask Larry to good chance he has a good idea he may know where that ends just just a quick question for Frank I wasn't hearing you very well and when you were talking about Bethel Mountain Road if I said Bethel Mountain Road will be closed for about a month for a color replacement work starting when is that correct or I'm not sure when at this point they're just it's up to Bethel the town of Bethel there they are required they'll be required to put all the signs up and and all that that'll be at their you know expense and all that so it's really up to them I I don't know what their status is they told me that they would be doing the signs this week but I haven't heard anything from them and I didn't call her today so so if I said it Bethel Mountain Road will be closed for about a month for culvert replacement work but you weren't sure you hadn't heard from Bethel as to when the starting date was yet that would be okay to say that would work thank you should probably check with Bethel yeah yeah you might want to check with Bethel first or let me call you tomorrow and I can call Bethel tomorrow to get some dates okay would you like me to do that Martha if you would if you have time and you wouldn't mind thank you very much I appreciate it I mean so many people use Bethel Mountain Road I know this is information people would like to know yes I know okay thank you there's gonna be a lot of people that aren't too happy with it better than getting stopped in a stoplight halfway up that well I'm asking what it's gonna be fixed so there we go but you have some idea of how much traffic is coming across it when they have to stop at that light yeah especially if it snows they're gonna be able to get up there well it'll take care of some of those trucks yep I don't presume Terry's in unzoom there no report from that how about Jeff get part no how about you got any updates on grants probably not really I just paid the last invoice for West Hill bridge what's in my AP run there so that will be working on looking for reimbursement yeah it's echoing because Robert has his own hand is computer on all right nothing the old business I we have anything that you guys got to know we still don't really have any and anywhere closer to setting a vote on the school the last discussion was to move the vote on to the day after town meeting day which is our primary day so that it would be a ballot vote there could be discussion at town meeting but the actual vote they're looking to go for a ballot but they will be coming in to discuss that with us yeah in the next few meetings all right that makes sense to probably get a more of a turnout and a vote and that way yeah might be more people voting in the primary than necessarily come into town meeting right yeah we'll open it up to any public comments if there's anyone in the room or on zoom that has I have a public comment yeah all right is that Robert yeah tune how are you what's what's on your mind Robert well I know I only have three minutes but with regards to the technology support that the state and New England is offering to the town of Rochester I would suggest that the town understands what what wrong with the technical problem on a previous meeting there was no announcement in the paper why the meeting was canceled and for what technology reason number two I want to ask Patty Harvey a question would you like me to ask that question the question is when you became a select board member of Rochester Vermont you insisted to me via email and phone calls to not communicate with you with regards to your business matters why did you do that I think that we were talking about I was asking you to use a different email than my real estate email so by the way your owl that you pay the thousand dollars for is not working with your voice I cannot hear you here's my concern and I put this fourth to Kristen and Julie the town clerk and the assistant month to two weeks or three weeks ago regarding the use of private or public emails being used to to promote and be involved with the town business so your your answer to the question I wonder why the chair of the select board of Rochester uses doing a green mountain bikes for his town business it's a serious problem and I warned you two years ago three years ago to separate his bike business from his town business but now we have to deal with the going through all of his emails business and and and town to search for information that people are in need of so do I'm recommending to you and to Frank Savry to set up an email address specific to your town business like Patty did so it's separate from your business it's very simple email account I appreciate I don't understand I don't understand why it continues to go on doing a green mountain bikes on your website when people from out of state are trying to get in touch with the select board and we have to deal with bicycles when they're trying to buy million-dollar properties it's not been a problem and it's not a legal requirement Robert it won't be a problem it won't be a problem it becomes a real big problem and you know I respect Patty Harvey for separating her business her and David's business from town business but one cannot promote a business or personal information or the conversations while being town appointed or elected officials this is going to be held up in the state house in the next board the next meeting up at the courthouse okay great thank you thank you thank you sir Robert thank you for your concern and we'll take it under advisement yeah well yeah so I think I guess I know I think you've had your three minutes Robert we got your point again but I'm not aware of anyone failing to be able to communicate with me through my emails so I'm not seeing the the the intensity of the problem as you do but that's so be it that was my email I was using when I started on the select board over 10 years ago and and it's um it's been working all that time so thank you for your concern does anyone else have anyone had to speak about something no no all right then I would move to adjourn I second on favor aye all right