City Council

To be approved at 05-28-19 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held May 21, 2019 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 John Steinman and Jeffrey Tuper- Giles; from Ward II, Councilor Teddy Waszazak; and from Ward III, Councilors John LePage and Rich Morey. Also present were Manager Steve Mackenzie and Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: From Ward II, Councilor Michael Boutin. Adjustments to the Agenda: Mayor Herring said he is adding in item under Visitors & Communications: Council approval of a Certificate of Local Government Approval for a Sexual Assault Crisis Team grant application. Approval of Consent Agenda: Council approved the following consent agenda items on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Regular meeting of May 14, 2019  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2019-21:  Accounts Payable: $212,635.11  Payroll (gross): $118,574.88 o 2019 Licenses:  Taxi Driver Licenses:  Kevin Finnegan, Central VT Green Cab  Brian McAllister, Central VT Green Gab  Cassandra Bergeron, J&D Taxi Service Council considered a 2019 Entertainment License for a gathering in City Hall Park on Saturday, June 8th, from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM for the VT Workers’ Center, which will include a march down North Main Street beginning at noon. The license includes closing N. Main Street for the march from noon – 2 PM, use of City Hall Park electricity for speakers, and billing the VWC for police coverage necessary for the street closure. Other conditions included health officer inspection of food service preparations, fire extinguishers provided by VWC for the grill, and carrying out all trash accumulated during the event. Council approved the entertainment license with conditions on motion of Councilor Waszazak, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. The City Clerk/Treasurer Report –  Results from the May 14th BUUSD school budgets election are posted on the City website.  Fourth quarter property taxes were due May 15th. The delinquency rate for the quarter is 4.27%.  The Board of Abatement is holding hearings on Thursday, May 30th, at 6:00 PM. Councilors are encouraged to attend to make up the necessary quorum. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. Applicant Address Todd & Karen Edwards 33 Country Way Andrew Liptak & Megan Charles 15 Mill Street 1 To be approved at 05-28-19 Barre City Council Meeting Council ratified the following building permits that did not get approved as scheduled last week on motion of Councilor LePage, seconded by Councilor Waszazak. Motion carried. Applicant Address James & Jean Woodward 21 Delmont Avenue Garr & Penny Bullard 15 Perrin Street Evared & Deborah Shedd 1 Blodgett Avenue Pamela Tower 24 Circle Street Liquor Control – Councilor Tuper-Giles said he will be abstaining from liquor control actions going forward, as he now holds a liquor license for Reynold’s House. Council approved a request for alcohol use at Rotary Park for a Bagalio family anniversary all day on Saturday, August 17th on motion of Councilor Steinman, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried with Councilor Tuper-Giles abstaining. JJ Norway, new operator of Mister J’s at 377 N. Main Street, formerly the Fastop, appeared before the Council as a new liquor license applicant. Mr. Norway said he is opening a craft beer store. Council approved a new 2019 second class liquor license for Mister J’s LLC on motion of Councilor LePage, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried with Councilor Tuper-Giles abstaining. City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  Attended last week’s VT City Managers conference. The guest speaker was St. Albans city manager Dominic Cloud, who gave a 10 year review of development in the City. Manager Mackenzie is meeting with Mr. Cloud to get some additional information on St. Albans’ development and revitalization efforts that might be appropriate for Barre City.  Bids for the Pearl Street Pedway and Keith Avenue Parking Lot projects came in higher than anticipated. The bids are being reviewed.  The Cemetery Department announced cemeteries will be ready for this coming Memorial Day weekend, however, due to wet weather and soggy ground, monuments scheduled to be installed this spring will be delayed until the ground firms up.  Governor Scott is making an announcement on a working communities program at the Barre Opera House tomorrow.  Starting labor contract negotiations with the Fire Department and Steelworkers unions.  Seeking volunteers for openings on City committees and boards. Council will approve annual appointments at the June 18th meeting.  The City will do a week of curbside pickup of yard waste beginning Monday, May 27th. Visitors and Communications – Anne Ward, executive director of the Sexual Assault Crisis Team, requested Council approval of a Certificate of Local Government Approval to accompany a grant application. Council approved the certificate on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Waszazak. Motion carried. Mayor Herring said ratification of Council’s action will be on next week’s agenda, as it hadn’t been warned for this week. Old Business – NONE 2 To be approved at 05-28-19 Barre City Council Meeting New Business – A) Ordinance Change 2019-01: Chapter 11. Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions. Second Reading and Public Hearing Warned for 7:15 pm. Mayor Herring opened the public hearing at 7:19 PM and asked for any comments or questions from the Council or public. Hearing none, the Mayor closed the hearing at 7:20 PM. Council approved the ordinance changes as presented on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. Clerk Dawes said notification of the changes will be published in the Times Argus this Saturday, and the changes will go into effect 14 days after publication. B) Barre Partnership Update. This item is deferred to a future Council meeting. C) Old Labor Hall/Rise Up Bakery Update. Barre Historical Society board president Ruth Ruttenberg and Rise Up Bakery director Carolyn Shapiro updated the Council on recent developments. Ms. Ruttenberg said the hall is used frequently for events and rentals. They received a cultural facilities grant which allowed restoration of the front green room, which is available as a smaller rental space. They are looking forward to this year’s Soiree Sucre as part of the Heritage Festival, and are adding French Canadian meat pies to the desserts that will be sampled and judged. Ms. Shapiro said many people and organizations are to be thanked for helping to get the bakery open. They have run the oven four times since they opened, and have recently hired a baker to operate the facility and offer workshops. He is expected to start by Labor Day. D) Discussion on Progress Addressing the Opioid Crisis. Eileen Peltier from Downstreet Community Action said Downstreet is taking a lead role on developing additional recovery residences in the area. Ms. Peltier said she is a member of the Governor’s Opioid Coordination Council, which has been focused on discerning the effects of substance use disorder on communities. They will be shifting their focus to concentrate on prevention moving forward. There was discussion on goals for the Coordination Council, acknowledging substance use disorder as a disease, establishing safe injection sites and recovery centers, and the need for more recovery housing especially for women and women with dependent children. Downstreet expects to begin developing a new recovery housing site in the area this year. E) First Reading of Revised Vacant Building Ordinance. Planning Director Janet Shatney and Fire Chief Doug Brent reviewed changes made since the last Council discussion on the ordinance. Council approved the first reading, and warned the second reading and public hearing for May 28th, on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Waszazak. Motion carried. F) Status of Municipal Pool Opening for Summer 2019. Manager Mackenzie said there was a pre-opening inspection conducted by an engineer and the City’s insurance carrier. Some items were identified that need to be repaired before the pool can open this year. The Manager said the goal is to keep repairs at or below $2,500. One larger repair – the replacement of the electrical panel in the vault – will be covered through bond funds, as the new panel will be salvaged and used in the pool refurbishment. The pool is expected to open by late June. 3 To be approved at 05-28-19 Barre City Council Meeting G) Approval of Merge and Rename the Routes & Trails Advisory Group with the Charles Semprebon Memorial Bike Path Committee. Council approved merging the two groups into the Paths, Routes and Trails Committee on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. Round Table – Councilor LePage said he is once again offering rototilling services in exchange for donations. This year he’s asking donations be made to Peoples Health & Wellness Clinic. He said there will be an update from the Community Garden Committee in the near future, and that raised beds have been constructed and soil delivered. Councilor Morey said he and Councilor Waszazak received concerns from a resident regarding trees hanging over her property. The Councilors passed the concerns on to City staff, who are working to address the problem. He said BCEMS student Hayden Ross has completed his term as a page at the VT Statehouse, and was honored by the Governor for his exceptional essay. Clerk Dawes read Concurrent House Resolution H.C.R. 178 honoring Barre granite craftspersons who created the monoliths for the 9/11 Memorial Glade in New York City. Copies of the resolution are being sent by the state to Rock of Ages/Polycor, Barre Granite Association, Vermont Granite Museum, Barre City Clerk, Barre Town Clerk, and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City. Mayor Herring reported on the following:  New flags are up along North Main Street.  Vermont Granite Museum held its opening over this past weekend.  The next neighborhood watch meeting is May 22nd at Highgate.  The Planning Commission meets May 23rd to finish discussions on the zoning ordinance changes.  City Hall will be closed on Monday, May 27th, in honor of Memorial Day.  The Memorial Day parade and ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 30th.  There is no regular Council meeting on June 4th, as the Councilors will be hosting neighborhood gatherings in their respective wards. Mayor Herring led the Council in a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday, sung to Clerk Dawes, who was celebrating her 60th birthday this day. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 8:45 PM on motion of Councilor Morey, seconded by Councilor LePage. Motion carried. An audio recording of this meeting is available through the Clerk’s office. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 4