City Council

To be approved at 09-24-19 Barre City Council Meeting Special Meeting of the Barre City Council Held September 17, 2019 The Special Meeting of the Barre City Council was called to order by Mayor Lucas Herring at 6:00 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 (arrived 6:05 PM) and Rich Morey. Also present were City Manager Steve Mackenzie, Police Chief Tim Bombardier, Caroline Earle representing the Fraternal Order of Police, and Tonia Parshley. Absent: From Ward II, Councilor Michael Boutin. Those in attendance introduced themselves for the record. Executive Session – Councilor Tuper-Giles made the motion to find that premature general public knowledge of contract issues to be discussed would clearly place the City of Barre at a substantial disadvantage should the discussion be public. The motion was seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. Council went into executive session at 6:05 PM to discuss contracts under the provisions of 1 VSA § 313 on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. Manager Mackenzie, Chief Bombardier, Ms. Earle and Ms. Parshley were invited into the executive session. Council came out of executive session at 6:57 PM on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Waszazak. Motion carried. No action was taken. The special Council meeting adjourned at 6:57 PM on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. There is no audio recording of this meeting. Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held September 17, 2019 The Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council was called to order by Acting Mayor Jeffrey Tuper-Giles, Ward I Councilor, at 7:00 PM at Barre City Hall. In attendance were: From Ward I, Councilor John Steinman; from Ward II, Councilor Teddy Waszazak; and from Ward III, Councilors John LePage and Rich Morey. Also present were City Manager Steve Mackenzie and Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: From Ward II, Councilor Michael Boutin. Councilor Tuper-Giles chaired this portion of the meeting in the absence of Mayor Herring. Adjustments to the Agenda: Councilor Morey said the agenda item on the taxi ordinance will be a discussion, not a first reading. Approval of Consent Agenda: Council approved the following consent agenda items on motion of Councilor Waszazak, seconded by 1 To be approved at 09-24-19 Barre City Council Meeting Councilor Morey. Motion carried with Councilor Steinman abstaining.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Special meeting of September 10, 2019 o Regular meeting of September 10, 2019  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2019-38:  Accounts Payable: $177,941.40  Payroll (gross): $124,268.99 o 2019 Licenses: NONE The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk/Treasurer Dawes reported on the following:  The Board of Civil Authority is holding property tax assessment appeal hearings this Thursday, September 19th, beginning at 6:00 PM. Councilors were reminded they are members of the BCA.  Water/sewer bill payments are due by September 30th. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Morey, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. Applicant Address Bernadette Skrocki 16 Daniel Drive Russel Masi 115 Maple Avenue Angela Andreoletti 20 Nichols Street (2 permits) Curt & Sheila Kreis 12 Pouliot Avenue Kellie Stefaniak 88 Smith Street John & Sandra Quinlan 151 Quinlan Drive Nancy Tyler 14 Grandview Avenue Sidewalk Village LLC 136 N. Main Street Anthony Davis 257 Washington Street Liquor Control – Council approved an outside consumption permit application for Mulligan’s Irish Pub for Thursday, September 26th, from 4:00 – 10:00 PM, with October 3rd as the rain date, on motion of Councilor Morey, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. City Manager’s Report – NONE Mayor Herring arrived during the following at 7:09 PM and assumed chairing the meeting. Visitors and Communications – Camp Street residents Mel Chambel, Lisa Liotta, Jacob Hemmerick and Cheryl Anderson thanked the City for the recent reconstruction of Lower Camp Street. They voiced concerns about the length of time it took to complete the project, communications between the City and affected residents, planning, and financial accountability. They said residents had little notice in advance of the project, or of the potential personal expenses associated with possible private contractor work they might need to take on as part of the project. They said they hope this feedback will help with future projects throughout the City, and they said the workers on-site during the project did a great job and were very accommodating. Bruce Haines said he owns property on Midland Street. [N.B. The correct street name is Midway Street.] Mr. Haines said he’s heard closing the street is being considered, and he is concerned about being able to access his property. Mayor Herring said this would be part of the discussion about Merchant Street later in the meeting. 2 To be approved at 09-24-19 Barre City Council Meeting Councilor Waszazak said the Aldrich Library has invited the Council and Barre Town Selectboard to attend a meeting at the library on Monday, October 21st, at which the library will give their annual report. He asked Councilors to let him know if they can attend the meeting on the 21st. Old Business – NONE New Business – A) Public Hearing: Merchant Street Traffic Concerns. Mayor Herring invited people to share their thoughts and concerns. Robert Marsh asked for details on the repaving of Midway Street, which is scheduled for next month. Mayor Herring said notice will be provided to area residents through the City website, Front Porch Forum, and possibly through hand delivery. Jessie Ritorelli said she has concerns about cars not observing the stop sign at the Midway/Merchant/Warren Streets intersection. Jesse Rosado said he’s had the same experience at the stop sign. He said traffic coming from Route 14 doesn’t slow down as they enter the residential neighborhood, and the street is considered by many to be a throughway. Mr. Rosado asked how often and where does the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) meet, and what is the process for getting an item before them for consideration. Joann Kindestin said City plows dump snow in her driveway. Ms. Kindestin said Merchant Street becomes a raceway after dark, especially on Thunder Road nights. Nancy Bouffard said there are concerns about the Merchant/Wellington Streets intersection, and she offered a drawing of a proposal to make the steep part of Merchant Street one way down to Summer Street. She encouraged the City to make changes so as to accommodate pedestrians and children. Gianni Badeau said repaving the street would cut down on noise created by cars going through potholes. Deputy Police Chief Larry Eastman spoke about speed enforcement, and use of the speed cart to gather data on numbers of vehicles and speeds. He said there are some resources available for additional police patrols through the Governor’s Highways Safety grant program, and he asked residents to report specific incidents to the Police Department. Public Works Department director Bill Ahearn talked about traffic calming devices that might be deployed in the area including speed bumps, speed tables, and cadence mitigation efforts. There was discussion on reforming the TAC structure and process, how to balance needs and alter behavior. Councilor Waszazak said he wants to mandate that the TAC meets at least every other month; that they establish a clear process for taking complaints, holding hearing and making recommendations to Council; they explain all recommendations – both pro and con – to the Council; and if complaints aren’t handled in a certain period of time, the complaint comes directly to the Council for action. There was discussion on the way TAC works with staff to develop recommendations and actions. Manager Mackenzie said the next TAC meeting will be held within the next 3 weeks. They will establish a bimonthly schedule and minutes of the meetings will be furnished to the Council. Councilor Waszazak made the motion to mandate that the TAC meet every other month, and they bring all concerns with recommendations to the Council. The motion died for lack of a second. Councilor Steinman made the motion that the TAC meet regularly as to be determined by them, and they report to the Manager. The Manager will include anything significant in his weekly Manager’s report. The motion was seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. Mayor Herring called a five minute recess at 9:10 PM. 3 To be approved at 09-24-19 Barre City Council Meeting Mayor Herring reconvened the meeting at 9:18 PM. B) Briefing on Municipal Pool Upgrade Rescoping Plan. Manager Mackenzie said the City will work with staff, the consultant and the advisory committee to create an a la carte menu of options for the pool redevelopment and bring it to the Council at the October 8th meeting. The anticipation is that a new RFP for bids would be issued in February and construction would occur during summer 2020. Councilor Steinman said he’s heard from ward residents that only the minimum work necessary to reopen the pool should be done. Manager Mackenzie said that option will likely be included in the menu. He said the pool cannot reopen without at least a minimum of required improvements. D) Approval of Spaulding High School Homecoming Parade and Bonfire. Council approved the SHS homecoming parade request for October 5th, contingent upon details being worked out with the police department, on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. E) Discussion on Request for Public Funds Policy/Process. Clerk Dawes reviewed the history of the establishment of the current process, and asked Councilors if they are interested in changing the process to move it towards the original goal of establishing a community fund. Councilors Tuper-Giles and Steinman said they would review the policy and process and work on proposed revisions. Clerk Dawes said any changes wouldn’t be effective for the 2020 Town Meeting schedule. C) Pocket Parks and Pilot Parking Program Update. Mr. Ahearn reviewed the recent pop-up traffic and parking changes, and said the ones on Ayers Street, Washington Street, South Main Street and North Seminary Street will be made permanent. The one on Mill Street has been problematic, and Mr. Ahearn said he intends to work on setting up a more robust version and seeing how that goes. The next round will include a crosswalk near the Cumberland Farms on South Main Street, a crosswalk near North Barre Manor, changing lower Camp and Charles Streets to one way, and converting Elmore Street and Glenwood Avenue to one way. All second phase pop-ups are expected to be in place within the next 14 days. They will also be installing speed tables on Ayers Street approaching the high school, and on Circle Street. He said all changes are meant to make Barre’s streets safer. There was discussion on the crosswalk on South Main Street near Hill Street, and the Hill Street exit from the South Main Street parking lot. The exit is temporarily closed because it is being abused by people who are driving the wrong way through the one way exit. There is ongoing discussion as to whether to close the exit permanently or install a one way speed bump that would allow people to exit onto Hill Street, but would make it difficult for people to enter the lot from Hill Street. F) First Reading – Taxi Licensing Ordinance. Mayor Herring noted this has been changed to a discussion instead of a first reading. Councilor Morey reviewed the proposed ordinance language. There was discussion on fees, safety, ride share companies, inspections of vehicles, and surcharges for trips. Councilor Morey said he is waiting to receive feedback from city attorney Oliver Twombly. Councilors are invited to offer additional notes and suggestions directly to Councilor Morey. G) Parking Fees and Rates. Councilor Morey reviewed a matrix of current City fees and proposed revisions for parking meters, parking tickets and parking permits. Clerk Dawes said there is a cost associated with reprogramming the 4 To be approved at 09-24-19 Barre City Council Meeting meter heads which needs to be taken into consideration. H) Use for purchase of Cameras. Councilor Morey said he had done some research on costs associated with installing cameras along North Main Street from Route 62 to City Hall Park. One year of the projected revenue from the proposed taxi surcharge fee would cover the cost of the cameras for five years. There was discussion on balancing capital needs, responding to public perceptions, and imposing on personal liberties. Councilor Tuper-Giles left the meeting at 11:02 PM. Round Table – Councilor Waszazak reminded Councilors to let him know if they can attend the meeting at the Aldrich Library on October 21st. Councilor LePage said he is fortunate to be a Councilor as he appreciates that the public can express its views directly to him. Mayor Herring reported on the following:  There is a public safety forum on Thursday, September 19th, at 6PM at the Elks Club.  There is a neighborhood watch meeting for the Ayers Street area on September 26th at 6 PM at Alumni Hall. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 11:10 PM on motion of Councilor Waszazak, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. An audio recording of the meeting is available through the Clerk’s office. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 5