By STEVEN JUPITER
PITTSFORD—The Pittsford Selectboard gathered for its regular meeting on Wednesday, February 5.
Town Manager
Town Manager David Atherton delivered his final report to the Board before his resignation took effect at the end of that week. The Board appointed Ann Reed, who had been Mr. Atherton’s assistant, to be Interim Town Manager. Board Chair Alicia Malay stated in a subsequent phone call that the Board has not made any further plans or decisions.
The Board thanked Mr. Atherton for his contributions to the Town of Pittsford over the previous two years and expressed regret over his departure.
“He’s leaving us in a good place,” said Ms. Malay.
“I, for one, hate to see you go,” said Board member Dan Adams.
“It’s been a fun two years,” said Mr. Atherton, adding that it was simply time for a change.
ATV Ordinance
The Board reviewed the draft ATV ordinance that had been submitted to the town’s attorney. The ordinance would allow the use of All-Terrain Vehicles on town roads. The attorney didn’t have many revisions to the draft but suggested that the waiver fees be made “more reasonable,” in keeping with those of other towns with similar ordinances.
Vice-Chair David Mills questioned the necessity of closing roads to ATVs in the winter, stating that it would suffice to fine users who damaged roads. Other Board members agreed and the provision was removed from the draft.
And because the town does not have a decibel meter, the language limiting decibel levels was stricken and replaced with language barring modified exhaust systems that create excessive noise.
The full text of the proposed ordinance, as it stood on 2/5/25, is available in the Selectboard packet on the Town’s website.
The next step in the process is to hold public meetings to present the ordinance and receive feedback from the community. No dates have yet been set for any such meetings.
Ft. Vengeance Mural
The Board heard from local artist Doug Lazarus regarding his proposal for a mural depicting the defense of Ft. Vengeance in 1781. Fort Vengeance stood in Pittsford—there is a marble marker on Route 7 north of the village—and was the location of an infamous raid in which all the local men were abducted, leaving the women to defend the site. The mural will be part of the celebrations of America’s 250th birthday in 2026.
Mr. Lazarus, who lives in Brandon, distributed preliminary sketches and assured the Board that the funding for the project had been secured and no money was requested from the Town. Instead, Mr. Lazarus and a representative of the Pittsford Historical Society said they wanted to place the finished mural on the town green. The Historical Society said they were enthusiastic about the project.
Mr. Lazarus has painted numerous figures and scenes from Vermont history. A portrait he painted of Thomas Davenport, who held the first US patent for an electric motor that he invented in Brandon in the 1830s, hangs in the Brandon Town Offices. Several years ago, he painted a series of portraits of important personages from Middlebury’s past that were displayed in downtown Middlebury.
Mr. Lazarus said that students from Otter Valley will help work on the mural and that there was interest in having a copy of the mural at the Vermont Welcome Center in Fair Haven as well.
The Board expressed support for the project. No further action was taken.
Pittsford Village Farm Grant
On behalf of the Pittsford Village Farm, Isaac Wagner submitted an agreement for the Board to sign as a “pass-through” for a $450K implementation grant from the Vermont Community Development Program. The grant money would be awarded to the Town to be “passed through” to Pittsford Village Farm.
The grant requires the Town to complete several forms regarding insurance, municipal codes and policies, financial monitoring, and an anti-displacement plan.
The Board was willing to sign all the documents except the anti-displacement plan, which required the Town to guarantee that it had a plan for anyone who might be displaced from their home because of the funded project.
Even though the project would not affect property owners outside of Pittsford Village Farm, the Board thought it would be prudent to have the Town’s attorney review the document before committing the Town to its provisions.
The Board ultimately signed all the other documents and sent the anti-displacement form to the attorney for review.
Otter Creek Watershed Insect Control District
Pittsford’s representative to the Otter Creek Watershed Insect Control District (OCWICD), Stephen Belcher, explained to the Board that the Selectboard in Salisbury was refusing to pay $17K of the $25K it had voted to provide OCWICD for the 2024-25 spraying season. Salisbury claimed that it had not received the spraying services it had been promised and therefore was going to pay only $7K for the larvicide that was applied.
Mr. Belcher sought the Board’s guidance as to how OCWICD responded to Salisbury. Other OCWICD town representatives have approached their respective Selectboards for similar guidance over the past month or two.
Mr. Belcher outlined three approaches: 1) accept the $7K as full payment and drop the matter; 2) demand full payment of the remaining $17K or withhold services; 3) take legal action.
Mr. Belcher explained that last summer’s spraying season was hindered by wet and windy conditions that did not allow application of pesticide.
The majority of the Board favored option 2: full payment or services will be withheld. The other participating towns in the District will not be responsible for Salisbury’s missing share.
The Board also appointed Will Mathis, who is an employee of OCWICD, to be Pittsford’s second representative to the District’s Board.
Police statistics
The Pittsford Police Department released the following chart of crime statistics for the Fiscal Year 2024-25, which began on July 1, 2024 and will end June 30, 2025:
