Newfane fires Sheriff's Department
NEWFANE — NEWFANE - Citing his displeasure with the Windham County Sheriff's Department from the perspective of his role as Roads Foreman, Chair Todd Lawley suggested to his fellow Selectboard members that the town decline to renew the department's contract.
Lawley's complaints involved what he saw as a lack of responsiveness from the department. He said he had asked the sheriff to send someone to the Selectboard “once a month” to give an update, and that has not happened.
“We've asked them to do patrols on the back roads because there have been so many break-ins, and I don't even know if they're doing that because nobody shows up here to give us an update,” Lawley complained.
Administrative Assistant Shannon Meckle said she noticed receiving an increase in revenue from the department just before the contract was to be renewed; this money came from traffic tickets.
Board member Mike Fitzpatrick said the Selectboard “specifically asked them not to” increase traffic patrols and give tickets. Instead, he said the Board requested the department increase their presence on the town's back roads by patrolling them.
Lawley also mentioned asking the Sheriff's Department to help remove cars from rights-of-way in the winter so the town could plow the roads, and to assist in directing traffic during an accident on Grimes Hill Road. Lawley said the Sheriff Department's response was “Ask the Vermont State Police."
So, they did.
At the July 6 regular meeting, Fitzpatrick made a motion for Newfane to enter into a one-year contract with the Vermont State Police to patrol the town. With the exception of Carol Hatcher, who was absent from that meeting, the Board unanimously passed the motion.
Steepway Road update
NEWFANE - The work on Steepway Road continues, according to Selectboard Chair and Road Foreman Todd Lawley.
The road was damaged when Wireless Connection, the company that installed AT&T's cell tower on Newfane Hill, “took it upon themselves to haul stone, fill our ditches in, and leave a bunch of stone in the road,” as Lawley told the Board in May. [See “Steepway Road Suffers Damage,” Town & Village, June 3.]
After receiving complaints about the condition of the road, the town contacted Wireless Connection, which agreed to restore the road to its original condition.
Lawley informed the Board at its July 6 regular meeting that he recently met with the contractor, crews have done some work on the road, and that there is still some more work to do.
“The road's quite a bit better than it was,” Lawley told the Board, noting “the ditching they did looks good,” and “at least you can get over [the road] now."
SeVEDS visits Selectboard
NEWFANE- Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) Executive Director Adam Grinold and Laura Sibilia, BDCC's director of economic and workforce development, visited the Selectboard at its July 6 regular meeting to update the town on the Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS) project.
Sibilia shared with the Board some of the findings of SeVEDS's recently completed Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), which is an “economic roadmap to diversify and strengthen the regional economy,” according to SeVEDS's website (seveds.com/ceds-projects).
“We need to increase the size of the workforce,” Sibilia said. “That's a pretty big agenda [item] for SeVEDS.”
This includes attracting new skilled workers to the area, and retaining those who are already here, partly by raising young people's awareness of regional employment opportunities.
Board member Marion Dowling asked Sibilia and Grinold how the Newfane Selectboard could help the BDCC with SeVEDS's plans to “grow the economy.”
“You're doing it,” Grinold said, by learning about and understanding Windham County's economic situation.
Grinold said the BDCC is “actively seeking input on economic development,” and where the town may see a challenge, the BDCC might see it as an opportunity.
He told the Board, “we have a lot of different tools that we can use that can help the economy.” Grinold and Sibilia listed a few, including the Entergy settlement funds, the paid college internship program, the CEDS study, and access to federal, state, and regional entities.
“The beauty and the curse of Vermont is, one person can do a lot, or can stop a lot,” Sibilia said, noting the “common challenges” small towns share, but “a lot can be done.” SeVEDS can help, she said, by bringing tools and helping towns connect.
Planning Commission seeks members
NEWFANE - Lynn Forrest, co-chair of the Planning Commission, informed the Selectboard at its July 6 regular meeting that her group wants to add additional members, and asks for their help with recruitment.
The commission currently has four members, and Forrest explained that at least one more person would help it run more smoothly, especially when someone is sick or unavailable. Board Chair Todd Lawley told Forrest the commission could have seven members if it saw fit.
Discussion ensued with audience members, past Planning Commission officials, and the Selectboard weighing the effect adding members would have on meeting quorum, and promoting better representation for Newfane and Williamsville.
Noting the Planning Commission is authorized to have five members, Town Lister Doris Knechtel said “my recommendation would be to find that fifth person,” and then if the commission wants it, the Selectboard can decide to authorize seven members.
On Newfane's official website, the vacancy for Planning Commission is listed at newfanevt.com/news/vacancies.
Selectboard fills vacancy
NEWFANE - After coming out of executive session at the July 8 special Selectboard Meeting, the board announced it would appoint Dennis Wiswall.
Wiswall was one of three applicants for the position.
The board had a vacancy to fill after Rosalind Fritz resigned on June 5. [See “Fritz calls it quits,” July 1, Town & Village].