By STEVEN JUPITER
PITTSFORD—The Pittsford Selectboard convened for its regular meeting on Wednesday, December 6. Board Chair Alicia Malay was not present. The meeting was run by Vice-chair David Mills.
Town Manager David Atherton offered his report. Highlights included:
- The changeover of the transfer station was effectuated on December 1. The new rates are available on the town’s website, at the town clerk’s office, and at the transfer station itself.
- The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) approved the town’s 90% completed preliminary engineering report and capital improvements plan for the Pittsford Florence Water Department. DEC has recommended that the remaining 10% be completed after VTrans finalizes the schedule for Segments 2 and 3.
- Mr. Atherton met with representative from the town of West Rutland to discuss contracting for police services from Pittsford. West Rutland is proposing a 5-year contract for 40 hours per week. Mr. Atherton asked that West Rutland fund an additional police cruiser and West Rutland asked whether the payments could be made over the course of the 5 years.
- The road rebuld on Oxbow Road has been completed. The Highway Department also removed several tons of milfoil and other debris from the bottom of the pond at the Rec Area. Mr. Atherton thanked Markowski Excavating for the use of their pump to drain the pond.
- Mr. Atherton learned that Pittsford will indeed be included in the internet build-out being undertaken by the Otter Creek Communication District, whose mission is to bring broadband internet to rural areas. There will be no cost to the town.
During the Public Comment segment of the meeting, a resident of Arch Street asked the Board to consider reclassifying Arch Street as off limits to through traffic in order to prevent GPS services from directing traffic down the street as a bypass from Route 7 through the village.
Board member Tom Hooker noted that the traffic on Arch Street “has been a problem for years.”
Reclassification of Arch Street would not prevent locals from continuing to use the street as a short cut around slow traffic on Route 7, but at least it would prevent long-distance trucks from being directed by their GPS down the residential street.
The Board was very receptive to the idea, though no action was taken at the meeting.
A resident of Whipple Hollow Road expressed concern that the transition at the transfer station had not been adequately warned. Many people had been surprised by the new, higher rates, he said.
Mr. Atherton replied that the changes had been announced at earlier Selectboard meetings , on the town website, and in this newspaper. He added that the town had been losing $40K to $60K per year at the station and higher rates were needed to offset the higher costs of disposing of recycling.
The Board then moved on to a discussion of a draft letter from the town to the state opposing the changes under Act 68. The Act gives the state control over the property assessment process. Up to now, the process has been carried out by assessors in each town.
Mr. Mills expressed concern that the letter didn’t specifically mention the uncertain appeals process under the Act. Before Act 68, there were multiple layers of redress for a landowner who believed their property had been overvalued, starting at the local level and rising to state courts. But if the state is the ultimate assessor, Mr. Mills asked, to whom could an unhappy landowner appeal an unfair assessment?
Mr. Atherton stated that the Vermont League of Cities and Towns did not support the Act.
Board member Joe Gagnon said he felt the Act usurped local authority.
Ultimately, the Board approved the draft 3 to 1, with Mr. Mills the sole nay because of the issue of appeals.
Lyle Jepson and Olivia Lyons of the Chamber & Economic Development of the Rutland Region (CEDRR) petitioned the Board for the town’s annual contribution to CEDRR of $3K. The Board noted that the money was already accounted for in the proposed budget, though a discussion ensued as to what CEDRR was specifically doing to help Pittsford.
Mr. Jepson replied that CEDRR has been working hard to attract new residents to the Rutland area and that some of the folks who had decided to move here had made their homes in Pittsford.
The Board also received FY25 budget proposals from the town management staff, though the members requested that the 15-page proposals be summarized in one or two pages for easier review. Mr. Atherton agreed to provide those summaries. The Board felt there was still enough time to review and approve a proposal before Town Meeting in March.
A proposal to reduce the speed limit to 25 mph in Pittsford village was passed unanimously, with Mr. Hooker asking that the motion also reduce the speed limit on Pine Woods Road to 30 from 35 mph.
The Board discussed the problem of people parking RVs on the side of Route 7, essentially camping on the shoulder. Mr. Winslow stated that it had been an issue near his home. Ultimately, he said, because Route 7 is owned by the state, the town has limited means to evict people who use the shoulder in this way.
Donna Wilson was appointed as Pittsford’s primary representative to the Rutland Regional Planning Commission.
The Board’s final piece of public business was the approval of orders in the amound of $246,707.20 to cover the town’s expenses and obligations.
