Post-Town Meeting Selectboard meeting a quiet one

Only Selectboard members Lane Morrison, Fritz Tegatz and Frank Tenney, along with Town Administrator Dean Bloch, were in attendance at the March 12 Selectboard meeting at Charlotte Town Hall, which dealt with a variety of mostly minor matters.

Following adjustments to the meeting’s agenda, Tegatz clarified comments concerning benefits for the town health officer. He said that this position was covered under the Zoning Administrator’s payroll and that any remaining funds in the health officer’s stipend would be returned to the town’s general fund. The Selectboard also approved the continued advertising of the Charlotte Beach in the Lake Champlain Paddlers’ Trail Handbook.

Estimates for Articles 4, 5 and 6 from the March 6 Town Meeting were briefly mentioned, but the Selectboard declined any further discussion on these items until after the April 3 vote.

Green Up Day Co-coordinators Kim Findlay and Ken Spencer were reappointed for a one-year term that will expire in April 2019. The pair announced plans to make this year’s Green Up Day a one-day event with the goal of maximizing efficiency and volunteer interest. The two also expressed interest in a community recycling program with Trex, which will donate a composite bench to the Town of Charlotte in exchange for 500 pounds of plastic waste. The two did not request a budget as bags and bins are free.

Canine Control Officer Cali Griswold was also reappointed for a one-year term that will expire in April 2019. Griswold said she’d had an unusually quiet winter and was happy to continue her work as canine control officer.

A request to use town roads by Chris Ouellette for the Cycle4CMT fundraiser was approved by the Selectboard after some informative discussion. The fundraiser will take place August 26 at the Old Lantern on Greenbush Road for its fourth consecutive year. Cyclists will be able to choose from one of four routes throughout Charlotte, and proceeds will go towards Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) research. CMT is a progressive neurological disease that currently affects 2.8 million people worldwide, including Ouellette’s nephew. More information about Cycle4CMT can be found at cycle4cmt.com.

Imanol Echeverria and Susan Ballek presented an application for three highway access permits—two on Mount Philo Road and one on State Park Road. The application was subject to lengthy discussion as the 53 acres of land in question contain stretches of wetland fed by Kimball Brook. Other concerns for road placement included the location of a utility pole and limited sight range. The application was ultimately approved pending the location of the future road.

Charlotte resident Gill Barlow will be refunded $100 by the Selectboard for a highway access permit application for which he shouldn’t have been required to pay.

The closing motion of the evening regarded modifications to the job descriptions of both the zoning administrator and the town planner. The Zoning Administrator will now serve as the primary staff person for the Zoning Board, a job previously overseen by the Town Planner. The Zoning Administrator will also oversee the Thompson’s Point design review committee for permits on Thompson’s Point. The changes are intended to ease the town planner’s future workflow. Both the Zoning Administrator and the Town Planner will work 40 hours a week.