City Council

To be approved at 04-10-18 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held April 3, 2018 The Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council was called to order by Mayor Lucas Herring at 7:00 PM at Barre City Hall. In attendance were: From Ward I, Councilors Sue Higby and Jeffrey Tuper-Giles; from Ward II, Councilors Brandon Batham and Michael Boutin; and from Ward III, Councilor John LePage. Also present were City Manager Steve Mackenzie and City Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: From Ward 3, VACANT. To be filled at the April 26th ward caucus. Adjustments to the Agenda: Mayor Herring said the mayoral proclamation would be moved to before old business. Approval of Consent Agenda: Council approved the following consent agenda items on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Special meeting of March 27, 2018 o Regular meeting of March 27, 2018  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2018-14:  Accounts Payable: $127,747.21  Payroll (gross): $126,183.93  2018 Licenses & Permits – o Food Establishment:  Gusto’s, 28 Prospect St (new owner) o Food Vending:  Spaulding High School, 155 Ayers St o Entertainment:  Gusto’s, 28 Prospect Street (new owner) o Pool Tables/Video Machines:  Gusto’s, 28 Prospect Street, 2 pool tables, 3 video machines (new owner) The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk Dawes reported on the following:  The office licensed 452 dogs by yesterday’s deadline. Licenses are still available with a $3 late fee.  Barre City charter changes have been designated as H.925, and have passed through House Government Operations. The bill was considered on the floor of the House today.  The FY17 audit has been finalized and uploaded to the Federal Audit Clearinghouse. The auditors will attend a future meeting to present the audit to Council. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Tuper- Giles, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. Applicant Address 150 Washington Street LLC 150 Washington Street Tom DeMoya & Nicole Justine Tatro 16 Short Street Liquor Control – Council approved the following liquor license renewals on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Higby. Motion carried with Councilor Boutin abstaining. Establishment Address License Cornerstone 47 N. Main Street 1st class American Legion 320 N. Main Street 1st class 1 To be approved at 04-10-18 Barre City Council Meeting Elks Club 10 Jefferson Street 1st class Jerry’s Sports Tavern 30 Summer Street 1st class Ladder 1 Grill 8 S. Main Street 1st class & outside consumption Mister Z’s 379 N. Main Street 1st class Mulligan’s Irish Pub 9 Maple Avenue 1st class & outside consumption Mutuo Inc. 20 Beckley Street 1st class Quarry Kitchen & Spirits 210 N. Main Street 1st class & outside consumption Smolder Mist Pub 107 S. Main Street 1st class & outside consumption City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  Main Street has been swept and the sweeper is getting out into the neighborhoods.  The official Barre City Facebook page should be going live before the end of the month.  The website employee portal should be going live before the end of the month.  Attended yesterday’s VT Department of Corrections forum on public safety at the aud. The focus was mental and behavioral health impacts on drugs, public safety and local law enforcement.  The office is getting requests for placement of banners in the gazebo. The Manager will put it on a future Council agenda for discussion around creating a policy.  The winter parking ban expired April 1st. Visitors and Communications – NONE New Business – H) Mayoral Proclamation – National Service Recognition Day. Central Vermont Council on Aging and RSVP representatives Beth Stern, Mary Hayden, Jeanne Kern and Dan Noyes showed a video on the senior companion program. They said they have 40 volunteers in the Barre area, and there are over 3,000 AmeriCorps and Senior Corps volunteers statewide. Clerk Dawes read the proclamation naming April 3rd as National Service Recognition Day, and Mayor Herring presented the proclamation to Ms. Stern. Mayor Herring noted it was past time for the public hearing, and so he moved it up on the agenda. A) Public Hearing 7:15 PM – Closeout of the VCDP Planning Grant 07110-PG-2014-Barre City-00002 for Granite City Cooperative. Mayor Herring opened the public hearing at 7:25 PM and invited comments and questions. Barre Area Development executive director Joel Schwartz reviewed the history of the grant, which helped cover costs associated with membership development, site research and marketing materials. Granite City Grocery vice president Clay Whitney said they are seeking additional funding support and looking to grow their membership. The annual meeting is April 18th. Mr. Whitney thanked the Council, Mr. Schwartz and the VT Agency of Commerce & Community Development for their support. Mayor Herring asked if there were any additional comments or questions. Hearing none, the Mayor closed the public hearing at 7:31 PM. Old Business – A) March 13 Storm – DPW Response Briefing. Director of Public Works Bill Ahearn reviewed the March 13th storm, and said the speed and strength of the storm maxed out the capacity of the staff and equipment. Mr. Ahearn reviewed the plow and snow removal routes and schedules. He said he will be looking at winter operations and possible changes in winter service. There was discussion on providing public notice in advance of storms, letting people know the anticipated plowing and snow removal routes and days. New Business, continued – B) BADC Update. 2 To be approved at 04-10-18 Barre City Council Meeting Mr. Schwartz gave an update on BADC activities including:  Ongoing marketing efforts continue. The project was expected to run through the end of this month, but has been extended to allow for the participation of as many stakeholders as possible.  Relocating Barre exhibits from the Vermont History Center to locations throughout the City.  Exploring rail options, especially during the Heritage Festival.  Working with a beverage vendor to relocate to the Barre area.  Reminded people of the availability of loan funds for businesses.  Partnering local facilities with Efficiency Vermont.  Will be conducting an employment survey of Wilson Industrial Park in Barre Town.  Reviewing the zoning revisions as drafted by the Planning Commission. C) Barre Partnership Update. Barre Partnership executive director Josh Jerome gave an update on activities including:  The Currier Park summer concert series will begin on May 30th and run through August 15th.  The farmers market in Currier Park will run from June 6th through September 26th. Because the market runs after the concert series ends, the Partnership is requesting that the market move to Depot Square for the last six dates, as a trial for that location.  Working on downtown walking tour project, for which they received a $5,000 grant from National Life. They are seeking additional funding, and guidance from VTRANS on signage restrictions.  Work has begun on this year’s Heritage Festival.  Partnering with Millstone Trails to recruit volunteers.  Exploring options to hold a disc golf tournament.  Holding the Granite City Classic Soap Box Derby race down Washington Street on September 22nd.  Looking to start a new music series in City Hall Park on the 1st Fridays of July through October.  Looking to start a pop-up business space model in the downtown.  Working on downtown Wifi re-licensing for 2019. There was discussion on the recently closed antique shop in the Wheelock House and their attempt to create a downtown antique center, and expanding the board to include at least two Spaulding High School students. D) Reappointment of Michael Smith to CVPSA. Barre City-appointed representative to the Central Vermont Public Safety Authority board Michael Smith said this is a do or die year for the authority. They expect to come before both the Barre City and Montpelier Councilor by November 13th with a list of deliverables. Council re-appointed Mr. Smith to the CVPSA board on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. E) Discussion of Planning Commission Communications re: Pearl Street Ped-Way Project. Manager Mackenzie said the project is 2-3 weeks away from being put out to bid for this construction season. Planning Commission chair Jackie Calder said the Commission will be working on the City master plan in the near future, which will include work on the Summer Street plan, and this may not be the right time for the ped-way project, which could be tabled for the time being. Commission member Michael Hellien said he would like to explain why he is asking Council to table the project, and why he is making the request at this time. Mr. Hellien said he didn’t ask before because it seemed the rules were going to be broken and there was no option for change. He said the current master plan calls for pedestrian ways, but this one will only connect to a parking lot. He suggested focusing on calming traffic on Summer Street, and said the ped-way is not part of the municipal plan. Manager Mackenzie said the ped-way is not an explicit part of the plan, but is compatible with the overall plan. The Manger said the ped-way will make the area much more secure and attractive, and is consistent with the plan’s goal to make the downtown more pedestrian friendly. 3 To be approved at 04-10-18 Barre City Council Meeting There was discussion on the changing nature and projects proposed for the area, improving the parking lot served by the ped-way, lack of easy pedestrian access to North Main Street from the east side of the City, and getting an update on the previously proposed Park Place development in that area. Council did not voice any opposition to continuing to move forward with the ped-way project. F) Policy Discussion re: Selling of Wheelock House. Councilor Batham said he is not in support of selling the Wheelock House. Manager Mackenzie said the City received an unsolicited offer to purchase the property, and he is seeking guidance from the Council as to whether they are interested in selling. Council did not voice any support for selling the property. Manager Mackenzie said there have been a couple offers to lease the building. He will bring the topic back for further discussion. Mayor Herring said any discussions about specific lease arrangements would be appropriate for executive session. G) Assign Charter, Ordinance and Policy Workgroups. Mayor Herring asked which workgroup Councilors were interested in serving on. The final assignments are:  Charter – Mayor Herring and Councilor LePage  Ordinance – Councilors Boutin and Tuper-Giles  Policy – Councilors Batham and Higby Round Table – Councilor Higby passed out the new Art Stroll map, which shows the locations of the public granite sculptures located throughout the downtown. She said world-renowned artist and Barre resident Frank Gaylord recently passed away, and there will be a celebration of his life this Saturday at The Gardens in Williamstown. Councilor Tuper-Giles said he attended Saturday’s annual egg hunt, which was great fun. He is working with City recreation and police departments and the Barre Lions Club to hold a bike rodeo on May 5th at the civic center. Councilor Boutin apologized to Representative Tommy Walz for criticizing his vote on gun legislation. He said former Councilor Randy Copping passed away last week, and led the Council in a moment of silence. Councilor LePage said with the return of spring, his thoughts turn to gardening. He encouraged people to get involved with the community gardens near Elmwood Cemetery and at the BCEMS School. Councilor Batham said the Aldrich Library Spring Fling fundraiser is April 28th and he encouraged all to attend. Mayor Herring said he attended the Family Literacy Center art show, featuring art by teen parents. He attended yesterday’s public safety forum at the auditorium, and Saturday’s egg hunt. He is setting up a neighborhood watch forum, and he said Representatives Tommy Walz and Paul Poirier will be attending next week’s meeting to give a legislative update. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 9:45 PM on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. An audio recording of this meeting is available from the City Clerk. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 4