 All right. Well, it's six oh one and I'll start our little entry and keep an eye on the waiting room. Hello, Mr. Chair of the Rochester select board. I find that due to the state of emergency declared by Governor Scott as a result of the coven 19 pandemic and pursuant to addendum six to executive order. Thank you for joining me and act 92. This public body is authorized to meet electronically. Welcome, y'all. We're having public access to the meeting using the zoom platform, and you can find access to that connection information by either going to the town website, referring to the posted meeting warnings throughout the town or asking to be given emails directly from the town clerk. And and no one else is in the waiting room so at this time I'd take any additions to the agenda as it was typed up. Anybody. Okay. Just had some information to share about what's coming up this week for meetings for me. So it's not really an item. Okay. I'll also add that I sent the select board. Data on energy use from the Rochester High School for the last few years. That's what that is. Okay. And your inbox right now. Okay. Yeah, I think I saw that come in. I just wanted to print the agenda before I unplugged my main computer and went to my computer with the camera. So I, I, if I miss anything, you guys, let me know. I'm the only guest mentioned in the very beginning and I think you say if I saw that. So we'll start with the minutes from the last meeting. And I didn't see any, any corrections on that. Did you guys. I don't know. Me neither. I'd move to approve those then. I second that on favor. I. Yep. So Martha, you are on the list as a guest. What did you want to talk about? Well, I wanted to talk about fourth of July. I know the governor has been talking about how things would be back to normal by fourth of July. But when I talked to the person I talked to up in the. My failure. Her impression was that what he was talking about was parties at people's homes, you know, that would be allowed in that kind of stuff. But she wasn't so sure about big events like parades and things, and that's what I was worried about so I haven't heard back. I've left a couple of messages I haven't heard back anymore. We haven't made any announcements, of course, in public about, you know, whether we'd be allowed to have parades and stuff. And I know because in event like concerts on the park, like we have and stuff, people can stay far enough apart. But at the parade, we get a big crowd and everybody's all clenched together. So and you can't guarantee everybody's going to wear a mask. I don't know. I basically what I wanted to let you know was that I was working on trying to figure out if we were going to be allowed to do it by the state. And also I wanted to find out how the select board felt about it, because if you do or don't, if you do want me to go ahead and try to keep to work on finding out if I can get it done, I'll do that. I'd be happy to. If you'd rather I didn't, if you think we should wait another year, then that's a, you know, I'll follow whatever you guys think. So how far ahead do you need to be planning that, Martha? Well, let's see. I need to know by, at the very, by like the first of May, because I need to, usually that's when I send out all the invitation letters to everybody. You know, so that would be like another month in another like five weeks before I need to know. So I just was trying to give you guys a heads up, but I just wanted to see what you thought, you know, I don't, I don't have a real opinion. And I'd like it to happen, but on the other hand, I don't, I don't want, you know, to cause a problem. Yeah. Well, I think that at least we can wait another month to make the final decision. We'd have more information, but hopefully I'll have heard back from somebody in Mount Helier. Right. So we might have more information there. I think that's the best we could do right now, unless you guys wanted to say, let's hold it for a year. No, I think we, I think don't know why we just don't hold off for a month or so. Yeah. I might have better information then. Yeah. I would, I would follow the state guidelines with questions coming up and it, it'll be a specific point in one of Phil Scott's meetings coming up. So. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Thank you. I've been listening to the ones that they have at lunchtime on the, on the, you know, on channel three, I think it's when they, you know, and, but I haven't heard any, the only thing I heard about fourth of July mentioned a family, family picnics and it didn't mention any sort of large, big, large events. So, okay. I just was trying to get my ducks in a row. Thank you. Thank you. We'll keep the ducks in the barn for another month. Okay. Yeah. I think the first item on new business was at the liquor license for Max. Yes. Yes. So I would move to approve. And I read that over and yeah, please. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. On favor. All right. All right. Okay. And was the next item, the Jeff given us some information. A driveway permit it says on my driveway permit. Okay. Okay. We'll keep it on. So I did call the. Joseph peck. And they have a. They're looking at the, the Ainsworths property. And the application for a driveway, if they should close on that property would be off of Austin Hill. And basically it's not specific, but it's some, you know, when you're headed downhill from the intersection up with Huck, there's a big field on your right. When you're going downhill as soon as it starts turning to forest again, somewhere between there and where it gets to the crest of the steep hill. You're not sure exactly where it is, but it's a pretty straight shot. And I would say it would have to be far enough back from the crest of the hill that there's a good line of sight. And I don't see any problem with that. It looks like he had Mack McGuffin lined up to put the culverts in. He's aware that has to be a minimum 15 inch diameter culvert. So. There is a partial drive there. Already been there for forever. Yeah. He said when he went across from Poops driveway. Yeah, it was covered in snow. And so he didn't know exactly, but yeah. Yeah, it's just across from Poops driveway. Yeah. I think, I think some of the guidelines don't like the idea of two driveways right across from one another. I think when you have a choice, you like to stagger the drive ways. But the. Cooter will be on that. So yeah. When we approve it, it should be footnoted that. Cooter also would have a final say about. The visibility of where they're putting it. For people that are traveling on the road and. Yeah. He's comfortable with it as well. We do use that side of the road for drainage off. Yeah. Oh yeah, it's a good drainage. So it had to be a significantly. Right. We have going up for that road. So, um, I would, I would definitely footnote it that, you know, when, when the moment comes that he owns the property and he said. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Moving equipment on there that he should. Also have cooters blessing. Yeah. So I should say that the board notes that, you know, the John champion will have the final say on the exact placement. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. So. Get sold to. Pardon that. Did that lower field get sold also. It's under contract, but I don't know that it's a closing quite yet. It's definitely fast track and may already be closed. But, um, that, that one is fast tracking that as a realtor. I see that that one's under contract, but it's not closed yet. So. I don't know. Yeah, I don't think it closed yet. He, when I talked to him today, he said he was anticipating it, but he didn't say it was a done deal yet, but you just. I don't think it closed yet. I don't think it closed yet. I don't think it closed yet in this paperwork set out. So I guess I'd. Move to approve this condition on. One that the, you know, him actually becoming the owner of the property and two with the final. Okay. Like cooter on the placement. Second that. All in favor. All right. Jeff, you wanted to give us a little report here. Yeah. You emailed it to us, but can you give us a summary? I can. I was given a computer file. By the. Amy Wilk got ahold of it for me. And I was able to. Identify almost all of the Rochester high school accounts. There was. The first one. I just want to, I just want to give you a little, some question in my mind. The spreadsheet that I sent to you will show a fiscal year, 17, 18, 19. And a tiny bit of 20, there's not much data on 20. And I think on fiscal year, 19, we must have already been ramping back. In fiscal year 17 and 18, There is an oil tank, there's a tank three and a tank five and I am not clear as to whether one or both or none are part of Rochester school. And so the custodian is supposed to be getting me the information on that if that's the case then the numbers are $1000 higher roughly. But it's an odd, there's some odd cost things happening here, the electrical expense in fiscal year 2017 was almost $19,000, yet, and the oil cost was $49,000, $495, and then fiscal year 2018 the electric expenses went up almost to $34,000 and the oil cost went down to $34,000. So it was quite a bit of fluctuation, we'll need to be looked at as to why. So do you have neither of those years we're in the mothball state, correct? 17 and 18 I don't think we're mothball it looks like 19 was. The last graduation was June 2018. And you know I did split those numbers by fiscal year not calendar years. So where were they coming from with the estimate that it was $20,000 to mothball the place. Question. Good question. All right. I'll continue to investigate I'll find out whether the, whether the tanks are our schools or not. And I can also look at heating degree days to see if that explains the, the heating field use. Yeah, but that shift in the electric is kind of strange. Yeah, it's another one. That was the where the school buses. Not being plugged into their block heaters one year and then maybe they would return to the school who knows could have been that I don't know. But that'd be a lot of block heating. Yeah. All right. Well, thank you. The puzzle continues around that building. So that is the other piece on the agenda is the, the question of the select board support for the application for planning grant around what could happen with that building is that something. And to hold a public hearing about the grant on April 8, according to what mine says. So Pat, we got some, some background on that, where we're coming from. We are having a meeting tomorrow as well with a couple of the school board members. Also looking for their support for us to obtain the planning grant, because they are technically still owners of record. I'm looking for their support on going forward with that. This is a planning grant. So this is a grant that will enable us to hire somebody to really tear apart the ideas that we have for the school. How much square footage. They even explore how much energy, you know, what, what would be the requirements for being commercial spaces. And that's what a planner would do for us to see if the maker space and the childcare and all of that conform to the building that we have. I've already had a few meetings with certain entities around community development, got some good connections. So what we're looking for is just a, a kind of public blessing that we continue to seek funding that will not cost the taxpayers anything in order to explore the possibility of what the options are that the repurposing commission has come up with. And, and whether or not they're feasible. It's kind of a feasibility study. So this is the first thing that the first step before anybody takes takes us seriously for any grant money is that, you know, we have to be substantiated in what we want to do with the building. So, thank you, Pat. I have a question about that. If it says here to submit a high school planning building planning grant application and to hold a public hearing about the grant on April 8 this public hearing is that's not something where anybody would vote this is just an informational hearing right. Am I correct. It's an informational hearing so that the public will be made aware. So just, you know, saying it during select boards, the requirement for the grant is, we go out to the community and say, we are we are hiring someone to investigate the options that we have for the building does anybody have any additional options do you have any criticisms of the options that we have, we have selected. And so it'll just be a public opinion. So just to get information about the situation and express opinion. Yeah, it's a request for the planning grant. Of course, of course, I just wanted to make sure it wasn't anything where anybody will be voting so I make sure I got this correct in the paper. Not yet. Okay, thank you. Those those days will be coming. Okay, thank you. Sorry to thank you for letting me interrupt. Thank you. This is this all is in the name of full transparency. Okay. That and then the discussion that I'm having with the school with a couple school board members tomorrow along with. Probably will be surrounding the same thing. Will the school board come forward and do a letter of support for us to explore the planning grant. With that, there may be additional visits to the internal part of the building with specific people. So are they going to be cooperative to that? And if necessary, will they do the letter of support and possibly sign off on certain things so that we can continue exploring what we would like to do with the building so that when we do go to the town and say, here are the options for the building A, B, C and D. We are very clear about what those options are. And so, so it's, so right now we're talking about the select board, voicing support for that application, but it really that seems like the main support for that has to come from the school board because it's still their building. Yeah, that would be my guess. Yeah, we don't own the building. They grant. We might still have to sign off on it. Right. The grant, the form for the grant actually has a question or a section where you can determine when you can identify that you don't own the building yet and that the current owner is approving this. That's, there's a language all set up in the grant application itself. So this grant application is by the town on behalf of the, the Envision Committee. Is that correct? Or is it the committee that's applying with support of the town? It has to come from the town. Yeah, okay, because they, yeah, more likely to give money to municipalities than just groups of people. So the select board is actually submitting the application. Am I correct about that? Yes. Okay, thank you. And in, in, in collaboration with the school board at this point. Yes, you're asking them for a letter of support for us. Okay. So we have a report of Vermont council on rural development who's providing this grant. Writing, we're a study, a feasibility study basically. Yeah, basically gathering more information, which is. Yeah, yeah, so we can make a better decision on what we want to do. Yeah, the grant is coming for the rock council on rural development. If we, if we get it. Yeah. Okay, thank you. I'm not sure if that's where the grant money would actually come from. That's where that's where the writer, the grant writer, Alyssa is submitting the application to them though, right? Is that correct? I think part of what they do is they identify all of the grant funding sources for different types of, or different components of the project. Kind of going down the whole stream. And it's a feasibility study has to, you know, lay the whole process out. Yeah. Okay. So I guess the next question is, to what extent would this application be construed by the school board as a gesture of good faith in their demands that we make our decision by the end of the month to whether or by the building. Because we did we ever get any response from them on the letter that we sent the second letter from Jim. I don't believe that second letter is passed on to them that that was just Jim's response back to us I don't think we went we're still that was something I want to talk about was how. How do we present now this this information here this application of a grant seems like it would be a part of what our response to them and our request that I think we need to make that they, they are a little more lenient with their deadlines about our decision. But by the end by the looks of the cost there, they have, they're not, there's not a lot of cost involved with them as far as their heat and electricity. If they leave the building as is for another year or so while we try to figure this out, right. I know that they are. They, they are talking to the Suzuki people. And, you know they're not at this point in time, the information I get, which is, you know, unofficial because I don't think they've made a deal with Suzuki, I don't think that's all finalized yet but as of right now they If Suzuki people are coming in July they're not pulling the plug on the power in July in that building. I think that the power will stay on and, you know, of course they won't be assuming a lot of heat bills during that period of time. Yeah, that's that threat of plugging the power that Suzuki is kind of saving us from all of that for right now. I'm going to have to move all their communication out of there if they pull the plug on the building anyway. Yeah, yeah. Communication for the elementary school goes through the high school. The Suzuki festival brings a lot of people into town and a lot of money and stuff so it'd be a good thing if we could continue to have that. Don't have to sense us. Oh yeah, no, I'm sorry. And on Wednesday I'm meeting with Joe, Joan Goldstein, who is the Commissioner of the Department of Economic Development. I've known Joan for a long time so I kind of called in hail buddy old panel and we have a meeting on on Wednesday where we're going to start talking about new money that's coming down the pike to towns from this most recent APR, the latest COVID grant. There, a lot of that's going to be related to municipalities. And, but they're not exactly clear for what reasons. So, they're waiting for the guidance on that on how we could use it but you know if, if Burlington's going to get $19 million out of this kidney. You know, we should be getting a substantial little amount relative to the size of our time. I'm not going to speculate as to how much we would get but there could be money there that could, could be utilized towards this or it could be utilized towards something else which would free up funding towards the high school. So we're going to have that conversation on Wednesday. I would think that it's a good idea for the select board to express its support for this application for the grant. Yeah, I would, I would think we'd want to do it to make it to a better educate ourselves on if this is a feasible project, which I have my doubts but that's me. But I think we have to look at it. Yeah. Right. It's this planner, you know, he's going, he's, he's not going to like be on our side or anything he's going to be very candid and if I realize that path. The thing that I fear is that we don't have the numbers to substantiate these wonderful entities that we want to start we just don't have the population in our valley. But that's what, that's what he or she will discover for us. And that's why we should do it. Yeah. I think. Yeah. So I get the move that we would. When time comes right a letter of support from behalf of the town for that grant. All in favor. Right. Right. Okay. That also means that we would the select board is okay with a public hearing on April 8. Are there any details about the hearing that you'd want me to put in the article. There is another paper before the eighth. There's one on the first, but I just want as far as like a time or, you know, you know, get the zoom link on the town website or something like that. From vicking Catherine. Okay. So they'll probably get in touch with me to put something in the paper about it. Okay. Thank you. Yeah. All right. Like I said, I don't have the agenda printed. What else is on there? Probably about better ask Joan. I see the usual stuff like Jones upstates and the highway and. Yep. All right, Joan, what do you got. My thing is, I just finished the, all the reports and various documents that need to be filed with the trans for whenever we have that annual meeting with them. So just want to let you know that I'll be leaving, I'm going to send it electronically to Julie so she can print it out for you. And if the three of you sometime the next few days could come in and just sign their couple documents and I'll ask Julie to label them for you. And then she'll send them back to me. Right. This is for. It's the beach and will be trans reports financial reports and other documents that they that we file with them every year. Okay. Yeah, no meetings though. I don't know what's happening with that. They're supposed to get in touch with us. And if we do have it's likely to be virtual at this point. I did meet with Chris bump and and John there last week. And we walked in the village there a little bit to look at the storm drains. And he's under the impression that we're going to have to do our own raising of our shutoffs for the sewer and water at our expense. So we'd have to contract the, the paver whoever gets the job to do that so we may have to order the parts for all those shutoffs. So we'll have to be in touch with Terry on that to see how many we got to deal with. They are, they will be our issue. And that's in 2022 next year, correct. That's right. They're going to do the culverts this year, and there's somewhere around 30 of them. The actual culverts are cross drains Frank, the culverts are starting at the beginning of the job and coming right right through they're going to do those this summer. I think we're going to get into about the storm drains that they have any input on those the storm drains they felt they were adequate. We told them the one right there by the skit mark and the park. That gets plugged is plugged or something they're going to have to deal with that this summer at some point. They didn't feel it would be necessary to do anything there by the hardware there where that storm drain gets covered up with the snow. They, they felt that that could be taken care of by maybe trying to do a different approach to plowing that. So, they weren't too interested in adding anything. Yeah. Thank you was this that you met with I'm sorry that you did the walkthrough I didn't catch Chris Chris bump from V trans right. Yeah. Okay, thank you. And they are going to pave out all like to the grass at the library. And, you know, so it's got a nice flair to it. And thereby the skit mark right through to probably just about where the sidewalk is I think is the way they're going to leave it I think and kind of shape it to make that storm drain work better. They figured they could do it all with shaping that not pond at all. Joan, did you have anything else. No, no. What's on the horizon for you. Putting out the next the rest of the FEMA jobs, putting them out to bid beginning of April. I'm going to coordinate with the bid that goes out for the retaining wall by the town office. And resubmitting struck two structures grants that we submitted last year. Resubmit those and update them. They're due on April 15. And still working on FEMA stuff. Okay, thank you. What else is on that agenda. Go ahead. That's about it. Yeah, the other things were like library. Yeah. We're still doing porch pickup, but things are changing quite rapidly. So the best way to get information is probably in the paper. And bulletin boards around town, because there may be a more opening time. That's good news. Hope. Yes. Okay. If anything else anyone wants to chat about tonight. I just got one thing. Jeff talked to me about. Us making Marvin the energy coordinator. Yeah. And I think we, we kind of. Have Jeff doing all our energy coordinating. I'm wondering if. Yeah, if we should change that appointment, nothing against Marv or anything, but Jeff is doing a lot of stuff for us at this point. Yeah. And it might make it just a little bit smoother thing. Is that fair enough with you guys? I think that makes a lot of sense. Yeah. Yeah. So I'd move to. Yeah. Recordinate the energy coordinator towards Jeff instead of Marvin. I'll second that. And I'll tell him. Okay. All right. Tell him we're still. We thank him very much for all his due diligence, but. Yeah. But Jeff certainly had a lot of solar into this town. Yeah. I mean, you know, I think he's a really solid waste alliance. Committee, right? Yes, he is. All right. When is he coming back? You know. I'll be getting a man. Okay. If it's okay. I mean, I don't know if it's okay with it not being on your agenda, but, um, I thought about it when Martha was talking about the fourth of the month. I was thinking towards planning a mo electric. Campaign day. Um, and, and approach the select board a few weeks ago about the, you know, who do I need to get approval from? I would see this as being a, an event with fewer people than attended the farmers market. But we certainly would have to abide by the state guidelines, but I think that if they are no more severe than the farmers market, we could certainly, you know, do it in a distance manner. Um, What was the name of this event? Something electric. What? Uh, the mo electric campaign. Oh, electric. Yeah. M o W. Electric. And, and. There's a statewide campaign that has been developed. And we have some statewide producers of actually some of the best of the electric commercial electric mowing equipment. And then we'd want to get residential mowing equipment in as well. Um, the likelihood I am told from these vendors is that you've got a really a two year conversion process with the commercial people. Um, but you know, I, we can't do it too early because we need to have something to mow. It's got to be like mid May or early June. Um, so that's not, that's another reason why it's not likely to have an impact in, you know, the year that they see it. Um, and the other thing that, um, you know, I will do more work before I formally pop this question to you, but we got to look at the economics of this. I am told by the people are using the equipment that it is very good. And if that is the case, um, we would have an opportunity with the next town mowing contract to say that we need this done electrically. So you said something about your, your work, you want to have a mow electric day. So this would be like an event. Demonstration. It probably won't go a whole day, but, um, you know, something. And that may on the park would be a good location. It could be done at the ball fields too. Some, some other places, but, uh, the park is a good one. You know, our actual transportation energy use as a state is worse than our building energy use. So, uh, and lawn mowers are actually very inefficient pieces of equipment. So it's a start and it's something that if we were able to accomplish it, it would be something that people all over the community see. Yeah. And you know, how come that mower is so quiet as it's going around the park. It would be nice. Speaking of the park, I know that, um, I'm on the rec committee and I know that, um, Joe Shankman has organized already organized. He told me eight different concerts for the park for this summer, but I don't think that's going to happen. Um, because there's no reason we can't have them because they're outdoors and people can be far enough apart. So that's something that's coming up. Um, and I don't think he's ever had to ask permission from you as a board. I don't think so. Uh, no, it's, it's on this part of the rec committee. I think that was. He asked me if he just wanted to let me know about it because he's going to have me put something in the paper when it gets all the time. I don't think that's going to happen. You know, when I hear the farmer's market, it's going to happen. So, um, I'll let you know if I hear anything more from the state about the fourth of July, I don't know. I'm willing to do it. I, I just want to make sure I just want to be a safe event. That's all. Yeah. I'm sure it'll be in the news as time. Yeah. Thank you. Sorry. Sorry. No worries. Yeah, Jeff, I'm, I'm fine with that. Um, demonstration event at a time to be determined. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I've got, there are three different vendors and then there's the fellow that's operating the campaign aspect of it. So I'm talking with them about what's a good date. To get their equipment here and do I need to review this with the rec committee also. Yeah. Yeah. I'm actually the park committee. And I, I've had to sign on. I would actually hold that down at the ball field. Actually. Yeah. That might be a better. Yeah. Okay. Wherever you want to hold it. Okay. Better. That might be a better venue for it. Okay. In which case, I don't think you have to ask anybody. Although it would be no, I mean, You wouldn't get a pass through person stopping. They'd have to know about it probably. Yeah. Yeah. The thing I was thinking about was the park was you're right. People would be going by and going, Oh, what's happening. And stop to see, you know, We could have signage. Yeah. Yeah. That's a good idea. I can do it either way. It's not a. Everybody loves our green. Yeah. Yeah. The talking Nancy. I'd see your lips moving, but I didn't hear you. Nope. No. Okay. All right. Well. Anything else? Nope. Then I guess I'd close this part of the meeting and, and move to go into executive session. Just to talk a little bit more about real estate issues. And thank you all for, for coming. Yeah. to talk a little bit more about real estate issues. And thank you all for coming.