Williamstown Planning Commission
Meeting Minutes

Date: December 13, 2006

Location: Town Hall

Chair: Doreen

Present Members: John, Doreen, Paige, Arthur, Al

Guests: Stan Corneille

CONTINUOUS ITEMS:

1. Review the agenda

2. Review & approve/sign last meeting minutes: Minutes were not reviewed.

3. Review mail: * Letter from ANR Carey Henngstenberg on the site investigation report on the Old Town Landfill. Letters are available on the Waste Management Division’s Williamstown information page website located at: http://www.anr.state/vt/us/dec/wastediv/SMS/UniFirst.htm.

Two letters were attached from Gerald Noyes in the Sites Management Section addressing old landfills, see site Investigation Report, Williamstown Landfill, Williamstown Vermont” dated February 16, 2006. * See below for more discussion .

4. Wastewater permit: BR97-0171.04 Billtown Moonshiners. Lot 4 for the construction of a meeting house and storage shed for equipment. The permit required additional submittals from the applicant (sewerage disposal conditions).

5. Review all Act 250 requests and updated status on others: Letter sent by Susan Baird, Assistant Coordinator updating us on the status of 5W0902-4, Williamstown Healthcare Company LLC. A letter was sent to Environmental Commission by the Planning Commission alleging improper service of the notice. Commissioners were unable to oppose, support, or be neutral on the Act 250 case because we never received any information.

+ Billtown Moonshiners Snowmobile Club (November 8, 2006): Lots 4 and 14 are recognized as non-developable lots (wetland area).

6. Topic area of responsibility updates: Media, Beautification, Partnering with other Towns, Flood Hazard Update. Arthur updated commissioners on the beautification project: barrels are all stored. Plans for next year are to expand the beautification efforts around the Welcome to Williamstown signs and if possible reestablish the area of Robinson Gardens on Garden Street off Route 14. See page 324 of A History of Williamstown Vermont. Contact information: Barb Hepburn at 433-5902 and Robbie Hepburn at 433-5446 . No other updates.

THIS WEEK’S AGENDA ITEMS:

7. The first 2 hours of this meeting, commissioners met to create the annual calendar and determine what we felt were the most important projects for the year. A motion was made and was unanimously accepted to meet only once a month and when needed for an Act 250 application/community meeting. Commissioners brainstormed topics of importance and prioritized them. To do: village beautification (including Rachael’s Garden), community spirit/identity (including community yard sale and annual events), Scenic Byway/Outdoor Recreation, Map growth, Ordinances, and Village Designation. Take of this year’s priority list: Economic Development (E.D Committee established and working), Housing (no interest), Capital Improvement Plan (lack of time), Natural Resources (need to get the Conservation Commission going), Infrastructure (Cell towers) and transportation (Committee established and running).

8. Village Designation (John). John attended a workshop on Village Designation. Village Designation was created by legislature to support and encourage local revitalization efforts through tax credits. To become a Designated Village Center, a community must demonstrate a confirmed planning process and develop a map of commercial and civic core of the village. He suggested exploring village designation to help make Williamstown more vibrant. There are 41 communities in the state to receive Village Center Designation.

9. Mini-grant updates (Doreen) Trees for Rural Communities, Parks and Trails, and Safe Routes to Schools Project. A flowering crab tree has been purchased for Lotus Lake Camp to be placed near the Welcome to Williamstown sign. A contract has been signed to have the Department of Corrections to build the information booth for Rachael’s Garden. Funding for materials is shy about $ 350.00 for the bulletin board, protective plastic and tracking due to our budget being cut. The booth will be stored until spring. DOC will pour cement and erect it under the same contract. There has been a fund established for Rachael’s Garden, thus more money is available to create a pleasant community garden. The Safe Routes to School project is going well. The Elementary School has had a number of meetings with the community to educate them on safe walking practices. This grant is 2 years long and focuses on culture and determining what infrastructure improvements are needed. The Town can apply for phase 2 of the infrastructure grant next year, 100% of which is Federally Funded. The Town will need to have a coordinated vision for sidewalks and crosswalks. The Parks grant we reviewed in last meeting had to be changed from signage for horse trails to the Old Town landfill. The application requested that we have the landowners signed permissions attached to the application. The mini grant was for $500.00 that requested signage for the Old Town landfill: interpretive signs, entryway arbor, caution signs, and direction signs.

9. Doreen handed-out copies of the Ethics and Junk and Junk Cars Ordinances to read for discussion at the next meeting.

10. Arthur said he explored the topic of class 4 highways and trails specific to the issue discussed on George Road (mapped class 4 highway) between Hebert and Flint roads pertaining to blocking of the highway. This is a Highway determined to still have legal Town right of way. According to VSA T19#1105: “A person who places or causes to be placed an obstruction or encroachment in a public highway or trail, so as to hinder or prevent public travel, or to injure or impede a person traveling on the highway or trail, shall be fined not more than $1,000 plus the actual cost of repairing the damage and a reasonable attorney’s fee, to be recovered in a civil action in the name of the town or state.” Stan Cornielle agreed to broach the subject with the Selectboard and Town Manager and talk with the land owner. Commissioners agreed to wait to send a letter to the Selectboard (we planned to notify them of the issue for correction).

11. Al’s roles and responsibility as a commissioner discussion: Al requested his roles and responsibilities be put down in writing, the following is that written list: Al will work with John on infrastructure maps. He will help Doreen with filing. As with all the commissioners, he will work together as a team with his fellow members; try hard to decide what is in the public interest before he votes; decisions will be made on evidence, local laws, State Statue and not on personal feelings. He will treat his fellow commissioners with respect and try hard to understand that all members have a right to express their opinions. When your opinion conflicts with other members, remember that no shouting or aggressive behavior is allowed. When the team votes to support a particular issue that you disagree with, you do not continue to argue. No individual discussions of projects outside the meeting (with residents or committee members) unless given specific notice by the commission to collect information, or if assigned as a sub-committee chair (to avoid contradictory and confused communications). He will attend regularly and call if he is unable to attend a meeting.

CONTINUOUS END OF MEETING ITEMS:

11. Set agenda for the next meeting: discuss the two Ordinances.

12. Welcome visitor’s discussion: Stan Cornielle, Selectboard member, updated commissioners on when they expected to start on the village sidewalks. The project is coming along slowly with many problems related to increased finances and finding creative ways to work with less money. For example, as part of the project, the town had to pay for VTtrans to conduct a Phase I archeological resource site survey on two portions of the APE along the west side of Route 14, on the floodplain between the Stevens Branch and on an unnamed tributary to the south. The survey was completed in November of 2006.

* Commissioners asked Stan for an update on the Agency of Natural Resources recent Old Town Landfill Site Investigation Report of UniFirst contaminated section. Stan informed Commissioners that the ANR found no contamination in the UniFirst section. The ANR put in a few new monitoring wells and is allowing the town to use them for ongoing monitoring of the closed landfill section of the Old Town Landfill, which is the second area of contamination. Site management is being transferred to the ANR’s Department of Solid Waste. The ANR has requested that the Town follow established closed landfill laws requiring monitoring of the soils. Currently, Williamstown is the only town is the State of Vermont not monitoring our closed landfill. Additional money is needed to monitor those wells. Doreen commented that before the Town uses the Old Town Landfill for a community park and nature trail that the UniFirst Consent Decree would need to be modified by the court. More information is being gathered and a letter will be sent to the Selectboard to notify them of the Planning Commissions desire to do so. Al’s point of view was he doesn’t want any taxes spent for a trail or for a community park. Commissioners informed him that any money used for the proposed park would be from mini-grants that do not need matching funds. Al was not convinced. More information will be gathered from the ANR before a letter is sent to the Selectboard.

13. The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.