City Council

Remote Winooski City Council Meeting Monday, October 19, 2020, at 6 PM • Attend Online: https://zoom.us/j/93503966943 Attend by phone: 1 646 558 8656 • Webinar ID: 935 0396 6943 • View our Remote Meeting Procedures and Public Comment Request Form at winooskivt.gov or call 802 655 6410 I. Call to Order II. Pledge of Allegiance III. Agenda Review IV. Public Comment V. Consent Agenda a. Approval: City Council minutes of 10/5/20 and 10/13/20 b. Approval: Accounts Payable Warrant ending 10/19/20; Payroll Warrant for period 09/20/2020 – 10/3/2020 VI. Council Reports VII. City Updates VIII. Regular Items a. Discussion: Introduction: Nathaniel Eddy, Library Director – J Baker b. Discussion: Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) Annual Presentation – J Baker c. Discussion: Green Mountain Transit (GMT) Annual Presentation – J Baker d. Discussion: Winooski Valley Parks District Annual Presentation – R Coffey e. Approval: Grant: Center for Tech and Civic Life Award for Elections – C Barrett IX. Adjourn Mayor Kristine Lott - klott@winooskivt.gov Councilor Hal Colston - hcolston@winooskivt.gov Councilor Jim Duncan - jduncan@winooskivt.gov Councilor Amy Lafayette - alafayette@winooskivt.gov Councilor Mike Myers - mmyers@winooskivt.gov Jessie Baker, City Manager - jbaker@winooskivt.gov  MINUTES The Mayor called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Councilor Myers led the Pledge of Allegiance. Members Present: Mayor Kristine Lott Councilors: Hal Colston, James Duncan and Michael Myers. Amy Lafayette was absent. Officers Present: Jessie Baker, City Manager; Janet Brouard, Sr Asst City Clerk; Heather Carrington, Economic Director; Ray Coffey, Community Services Director; Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director; Nate Eddy. Library Manager. Others Present: Charlie Baker, CCRPC; Mike O’Brien, Winooski Rep to CCRPC; Jon Moore, GMT; Austin Davis, Winooski Rep to GMT; Nick Warner and Lauren Chicote, WVPD; Erin Dupuis, Winooski Rep to WVPD. III. Agenda Review – none IV. Public Comment – none V. Consent Agenda MOTION by Councilor Duncan seconded by Councilor Myers to approve the City Council minutes of 10/5/20 and the Accounts Payable Warrant ending 10/19/20 and the Payroll Warrant for period ending 9/20/20-10/3/20 as presented. Voted and passed 3-0. MOTION by Councilor Duncan seconded by Councilor Myers to approve the City Council minutes of 10/13/20 as presented. Voted and passed 3-0, Councilor Colston abstained. VI. Council Reports Councilor Duncan – none Councilor Myers attended the Municipal Infrastructure meeting. He said they are right in line with the direction of the Masterplan. He wanted to reinforce that when VTRANS does the concrete replacement work in the Rotary next year, that we should be respectful to the downtown businesses They can’t have another year of upset to their business. Councilor Colston – none Mayor Lott said that she and the City Manager attended the Sound Commission meeting at the airport. They submitted a draft of their implementation plan. She said several other meetings occurred since the last Council; Public Works, Finance and Charter Commission. All are on track. Lastly, she wanted to thank Ray and staff for all the work they are doing to pull off the Festival of Pumpkins event. VI. City Updates • Ballots – Remember to read the instructions carefully. o As of today, we have received 1,466 ballots back. o Last week we installed a new Clerk’s Offices drop box for ballots by the entrance to City Hall. Ballots (and future water/tax payments) can be left there 24/7/365. o If you feel more comfortable, they can also be dropped off in person between 9:00 and 3:00 Monday to Friday. • Fire and Code Enforcement continue to do site visits to congregate settings in Winooski to distribute masks and give out other Community Risk Reduction information. o Last week we distributed 35 cloth masks at Great Cedars and the Veteran’s Housing complexes o Remember, if you are interested in cloth masks, they can be picked up at City Hall during open hours • Tomorrow a small, socially distanced and masked, team of city and school employees will host the USDA – Rural Development site visit with the State Director and staff. USDA has funding the School construction project and Main Street. They are considering another non-governmental application in Winooski as well. We are excited for their continued support of Winooski. • This Friday a team of City staff and partners will interview with the Working Communities Challenge grant team on our proposal. We should know if we are funded by the end of November. If awarded, this will fund an Equity Director, Equity Commission, and the expansion of the Community Liaison roles. • Adam Dubroff, Winooski Hotel Group, is working to submit a new Act 250 permit for the development of a hotel on Lot 9 o Per our past practice, the Downtown Association held a meeting last week to consider this concept o City staff continue to work WHG on many agreements that will be needed to realize the redevelopment of this site o We anticipate this will come to the Council this Fall or Winter. • Halloween in Winooski – visit winooskivt.gov/Halloween to sign up to carve pumpkins at your home and Join us Thursday the 29th through Saturday the 31st in the Rotary! VII. Regular Items a. Discussion: Introduction: Nathaniel Eddy, Library Director – J Baker Ms. Baker introduced Nate Eddy as our new Library Director. Nate officially started on October 13th; however, he is currently quarantining in Alburgh. She said that Nate brings 15 years of experience to Winooski. He has had multiple roles at the Free Library of Philadelphia. He has worked extensively with New American/Immigrant communities. He admits that what drew him to Winooski. He was born and raised in Rutland, went to UVM and when this opportunity came up, he immediate applied. He is thrilled to be coming back to Vermont. Ms. Baker also wanted to thank the interview team, we had many great candidate4d and are thrilled to welcome Nate to the Team. The Council expressed the same thoughts and looks forward to meeting Nate once is quarantine period is over and he is here in Winooski. b. Discussion: Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) Annual Presentation – J Baker Ms. Baker said that Charlie Baker, Executive Director of CCRPC is here to present their FY20 Annual Report of Winooski efforts. Ms. Baker said the CCRPC is a critical partner as we implement the Strategic Vision of the City. In advance of considering the FY22 budget, Mr. Baker requested the opportunity to address the Council. Mr. Baker gave an overview of their efforts here in Winooski over the past year. See attached FY20 Annual Report attached. The Mayor thanked Mr. Baker and Mr. O’Brien, Winooski’s Representative to the CCRCP Board for being here tonight. c. Discussion: Green Mountain Transit (GMT) Annual Presentation – J Baker Ms. Baker said Green Mountain Transit currently provides transportation needs to many of our Winooski residents. Ms. Baker introduced Mr. Jon Moore, new General Manager for GMT. . Mr. Moore thanked the Council for allowing him to come before them tonight. He began with a PowerPoint presentation., who we are, our mission, financial background and an array of services provided. Discussion ensued. Council gave some insight to services, the Mayor said she has been asked several times why the buses don’t run past the Winooski line into Colchester, such as to Shaw’s or Costco. Mr. Baker said that will be something to look into. d. Discussion: Winooski Valley Parks District Annual Presentation – R Coffey Mr. Coffey said the Winooski Valley Park District has been a strong partner in the City’s recent efforts to improve our park and natural areas, including actively supporting the development of our Parks and Open Space Master Plan. They also have provided technical assistance, equipment and labor towards several projects within the City. Mr. Coffey said that WVPD remains a critical partner in our local efforts and they continue to be a fantastic resource to our residents. Mr. Coffey introduced Nick Warner, Executive Director, Lauren Chicote, Office Manager and Erin Dupuis, Winooski Representative. Mr. Warner began with an overview of what the WVPD is, what they do and what programs they offer. See attached. Mayor Lott thanked them all for being here. She said she knows that we haven’t paid the amount requested in previous years and this year she has instructed staff to try not to have an increase. She appreciated all that the District does but times are tough and maybe we will be able to give more in future years. e. Approval: Grant: Center for Tech and Civic Life Award for Elections – C Barrett Ms. Brouard said that the City Clerk was contacted by the President of the Clerk’s Association that the Center for Tech and Civic Life was offering grants to help with the added expenses and any modifications needed for Election purposes. We immediately jumped on it, sent our application and last week we got notification that we were awarded $5,848.00. These funds will be used to pay for the balance due on the new drop box installed at City Hall, signage for such, and a new computer to help with election day registrations. The Mayor thanked the Clerk’s Office staff for being diligent and acquiring grants to help with additional expenses incurred this year due to COVID-19. MOTION by Councilor Myers seconded by Councilor Colston to approve the receipt of the grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life Award for Elections as presented. Voted and passed 3-0. IX. Adjourn MOTION by Councilor Myers seconded by Councilor Duncan to adjourn the City Council meeting at 7:44 p.m. Voted and passed 3-0. ATTEST: ____________________________________________ Sr. Asst. City Clerk