By STEVEN JUPITER
BRANDON—In a special meeting on Monday evening, before their regular meeting at 7:00, the Brandon Selectboard appointed Heather Fjeld Nelson to fill the vacancy left by Seth Hopkins when he left the board to become Brandon’s town manager. Ms. Nelson will occupy the seat for the remainder of Mr. Hopkins’s one-year term, which ends in March 2024. At that point, she will have to run for the seat in a public election if she wishes to remain on the board.
Five people had submitted applications for the vacancy: Ms. Nelson, Doug Bailey, Marielle Blais, Ralph Ethier, and Samantha Stone. The board conducted interviews with the candidates in executive session during the special meeting.
In announcing Ms. Nelson’s appointment, to great approval in the room, board member Cecil Reniche-Smith said, “She’s a different generation. She’ll offer a different perspective. She has long ties to the town and is raising a family here. Her devotion to the town came across in her interview and in her letter of interest.”
“You don’t choose where you’re born, but I was lucky to grow up here,” said Nelson. “I’m a speech pathologist…I’ve been in hundreds of Vermonters’ homes. I’ve got good experience with people. I’d like my kids to see me doing this.”
Tracy Wyman, who would remain vice-chair for only several more minutes at that point, said “it was a rough decision” to choose from among the five candidates.
Ms. Nelson was then sworn in by Town Clerk Sue Gage, to much applause, before taking her seat at the table with the rest of the board for the regular meeting.
After the usual opening formalities of a regular meeting (convening and approving the agenda), the board moved to reorganize itself by appointing new officers. Seth Hopkins had been chair of the board before his transition to town manager and the position needed to be filled.
Ms. Reniche-Smith moved to appoint Vice-Chair Tracy Wyman as chair. Mr. Wyman addressed the room, saying that he was “not a computer person. You can talk to me. You can call me. I will return calls. But I’m not an email person. Please bear with me.”
When comment from the board was solicited, board member Tim Guiles questioned the nomination.
“Tracy, I have the greatest respect for you as a board member,” said Mr. Guiles. “But I have concerns that things the chair needs to do are not things you could pull together, like the Town Report, emails. I’m not sure it’s a great fit.”
“The chair is there to run meetings,” replied Mr. Wyman. “The chair is not statutorily obligated to do any of those things. The Town Report is put out by the town manager.”
Ultimately, Mr. Wyman’s nomination as chair was approved by all members except Mr. Guiles.
Ms. Reniche-Smith was appointed vice-chair and Ms. Nelson, as the newest member, was assigned the position of clerk.
Town Manager Seth Hopkins then read highlights from his submitted report, which is available in full in the May 8 board packet on the town website.
Highlights included:
- Mr. Hopkins has continued to acquaint himself with the operations of the town, meeting with the various departments and staff.
- Mr. Hopkins and Deputy Town Manager Bill Moore have exchanged offices.
- A replacement mechanism has been ordered for the clock on the steeple of the Congregational Church. The clock is an antique and the mechanism must be custom made, which will take several more weeks.
- The town received a $4000 energy resilience grant.
- The State of Vermont is mandating that the groundwater at the town landfill on Corona Street be tested for PFAS, the toxic “forever” chemicals that have contaminated groundwater in other parts of the state. The tests and analyses are costly and would likely result in a recurring $10,000 budget item. Since the landfill is owned by the town, the town would be responsible for remediation if any PFAS were found during testing. There is no specific concern that any contamination has occurred. Testing is simply a precaution.
- The Otter Creek Communications District, which works to provide adequate access to communications for residents of the Rutland area, will not be needing the $56,000 of ARPA funds that Brandon had allocated to the organization. This money is now available for other Brandon projects.
- The state is conducting a scoping study on the North Street bridge.
- The paving of Arnold District Road will be a priority this year. The paving was done so poorly by the contractor last year that payment was withheld. The ARPA funds returned by the Communications District plus grant money will cover the costs.
- All of Brandon’s roads comply with state stormwater requirements.
Recreation Department Director Bill Moore offered his report:
- The town-owned parcel behind the American Legion will be prepped for use as a disc-golf course.
- The Brandon Fire Department will hold Safety Day on Saturday, May 13, with a full day of activities.
- The first Brandon Extravaganza will take place at Estabrook Park on Saturday, June 3. The event is meant to foster community partnership. More details to come.
During the public-comment portion of the meeting, board member Cecil Reniche-Smith reminded residents that the Brandon Planning Commission is holding a public discussion in anticipation of the readoption of Brandon’s Town Plan. See the Planning Commission’s piece in this week’s Reporter for more details.
Doug Bailey asked that Jim Leary be thanked for his efforts organizing Green-Up Day last weekend.
The board then revisited the issue of the floor in the main hall of the Town Hall. At the board’s previous meeting, the Friends of the Town Hall had requested an $18,000 appropriation from the town to cover 1/3 of the cost of a new hardwood floor. After some discussion of alternatives to hardwood and whether it was wise to allow certain activities in the hall, the board approved the amount, to be taken from the $56,000 of ARPA funds returned by the Communications District.
The board voted to approve the inclusion of Proctor in the Otter Creek Watershed Insect Control District. Previously, Proctor contracted with the District for insect control but will now be a full member.
The board voted to form a Brandon Emergency Preparedness Committee, which would study and propose protocols and procedures for the town to use in emergencies, such as natural disasters that affect communications. The committee would not be involved in the implementation of any procedures during an actual emergency; its role would simply be to propose a framework for the town to use, such as how to help residents with mobility issues. Partnerships with neighboring towns, such as Goshen, would be formed as well. Anyone interested in participating should contact Town Manager Seth Hopkins.
Jim Emerson of the Brandon Energy Committee encouraged the board to install a town-owned 250 kw solar field at a cost of approximately $210K after rebates, to save the town $25K per year in energy costs. Mr. Emerson also explained that the panels, when decommissioned decades down the road, could be sold at a profit. He also noted that the Water District has suitable sites for a solar field and recommended that the town partner with the Water District to share the costs.
The board appointed Claire Babyak-Schick to fill a seat on the Energy Committee.
The board agreed to interview Neil Silins and Sara Stevens for the seat left vacant by Bill Mills on the Planning Commission. After discussion of expanding the committee to 6 or 7 members, it was agreed to leave the number at 5.
The board appointed Seth Hopkins to be the authorizing official for the RAMP Phase II grant.
The board voted to implement a new payroll procedure whereby the town manager would compile a list of paid employees, with their salaries or hourly wages, that the board would approve so that payroll checks wouldn’t have to be approved every two weeks. The list would need to be changed only when there was a change in employment status or payment amount.
Finally, the board approved a warrant to pay debts and expenses in the amount of $377, 188.62. Much of this amount was the result of the ongoing construction at the wastewater plant.
