10-26-2020 Joint
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VILLAGE OF ESSEX JUNCTION TRUSTEES Online TOWN OF ESSEX SELECTBOARD Essex Junction, VT 05452 Monday, October 26, 2020 SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA 6:30 PM E-mail: [email protected] www.essexjunction.org Phone: (802) 878-1341 www.essexvt.org (802) 878-6951 Due to the Covid -19 pandemic, this meeting will be held remotely. Available options to watch or join the meeting: • WATCH: the meeting will be live-streamed on Town Meeting TV. • JOIN ONLINE : Join Microsoft Teams Meeting. Depending on your browser, you may need to call in for audio (below). • JOIN CALLING : Join via conference call (audio only): (802) 377-3784 | Conference ID: 142 554 11# • PROVIDE FULL NAME: For minutes, please provide your full name whenever prompted. • CHAT DURING MEETING: Please use “Chat” to request to speak, only. Please do not use for comments. • RAISE YOUR HAND: Click on the hand in Teams to speak or use the “Chat” feature to request to speak. • MUTE YOUR MIC: When not speaking, please mute your microphone on your computer/phone. The Selectboard and Trustees meet together to discuss and act on joint business. Each board votes separately on action items. 1. CALL TO ORDER [6:30 PM] 2. AGENDA ADDITIONS/CHANGES 3. APPROVE AGENDA 4. PUBLIC TO BE HEARD a. Comments from Public on Items Not on Agenda 5. BUSINESS ITEMS a. Approve Town of Essex / Village of Essex Junction Public Works Winter Operations Plan with COVID 19 Impacts 2020-2021 b. Accept traffic study with change in speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph on Sand Hill Road near Founders Road (Selectboard only) c. Approve passage of revised Motor Vehicles, Traffic and Parking ordinances and warn public hearing for final passage (Selectboard only) d. Discussion about local options tax for March 2021 ballot – Sarah Macy e. Update on Out and About event 6. READING FILE a. Board member comments b. Journal of the New England Water Environment Association, “Essex Junction, Vermont, design with energy in mind” by James Jutras c. Upcoming meeting schedule 7. EXECUTIVE SESSION a. *An executive session is not anticipated 8. ADJOURN Members of the public are encouraged to speak during the Public to Be Heard agenda item, during a Public Hearing, or, when recognized by the Chair or President, during consideration of a specific agenda item. The public will not be permitted to participate when a motion is being discussed except when specifically requested by the Chair or President. This agenda is available in alternative formats upon request. Meetings, like all programs and activities of the Village of Essex Junction and the Town of Essex, are accessible to people with disabilities. For information on accessibility or this agenda, call the Unified Manager's office at 878-1341 TTY: 7-1-1 or (800) 253-0191. Certification: _______________________10/23/2020 _________________ Memorandum TO: Evan Teich, Unified Manager, and the Selectboard/Trustees FROM: Dennis E. Lutz, P.E., Public Works Director/Town Engineer Ricky Jones, Village Public Works Superintendent DATE: 30 September 2020 SUBJECT: Winter Operations Plan for 2020-2021 ISSUE: The issue is whether the Selectboard and Trustees will approve the Winter Operations Plan for 2020-2021. The Plan has been placed on the Town and Village website as a draft document for public comment and input. Approval of the Plan is requested at the Joint Selectboard/Trustees meeting in October. DISCUSSION: The Selectboard and the Trustees have previously approved a Joint Winter Operations Plan. The process serves many purposes as noted in the Introduction Section of the document. Changes are noted in the draft document in red. It continues to preserve the independent actions of both municipalities but provides a joint framework for issues that are common to both. It has been developed with input from both Village and Town Public Works staff. As in the past, there are two versions — an internal version with contact phone numbers and radio call numbers not available to the public and a public version without these numbers. Many of these numbers are private cell-phone numbers needed for internal communication and contact but not appropriate for public disclosure. GENERAL COMMENTS: The Town and Village winter salt and overtime costs were relatively low in the winter of 2019-2020 due to weather. However, the sand usage on gravel roads in the Town remained high due to fluctuating temperatures and rain falling on frozen roads. The overriding issue facing the Town and Village this winter is the potential impact that COVID-19 could have on the workforce. In the past, many employees have worked through colds, temperatures and sometimes the flu. The current situation differs greatly from the past in that employees may be directed to stay home if exhibiting early symptoms of the virus, In addition, if any employee or a family member does contract Covid-19, the employee may be absent for an extended period and the entire workforce has a greater potential to also become sick. Fully qualified and experienced plow operators are in short supply. Even if other Towns help and contractors are asked to help, the level of service that has been provided for years may not be obtainable. This may impact emergency services, school openings and closings, bus delays, access to work, commercial deliveries and a host of other transportation uses that depend upon the roads being cleared in a timely fashion. Hopefully, this doom and gloom will not happen but the potential for it happening cannot be ignored. To this end, both the Town and the Village Plan reflects the potential for three levels of service. The plan refers to them as green, yellow and red but, they also could be referred to as normal operations (good), somewhat delayed or reduced operations (fair) and extremely reduced operations (poor to bad). Without healthy, skilled plow operators, the trucks will not roll, and snow and ice will build up. It also takes significantly more material and effort to clear roads once the precipitation has had the opportunity to set up and freeze in place. TOWN ISSUES: This year's plan remains unchanged from last year's plan with respect to coverage, sidewalk clearing and plow routes. Additional temporary help has been hired but they do not posses CDL licensees and cannot drive the large plow trucks. Some residents have already contacted the Town about increasing sidewalk clearing on sidewalks not currently in the Plan. They have been told that no changes will be made this year. From a personnel basis, the Town has 8 experienced and qualified (CDL) equipment operators (including the Superintendent), 2 added qualified operators (water- sewer employees with a CDL) who are fully qualified plow operators, 1 fully qualified temporary plow operator with a CDL , 1 operator with limited experience, two Parks and Recreation employees for pick-up trucks, and from two temps with limited experience for use on sidewalk plows. There is a total of 11 fully qualified operators. There are 13 separate vehicle routes of which 8 require a CDL operator. In addition, a combined road/sidewalk route in the area of the Town Center will be done by contract. The contract cost is $26,341.30. VILLAGE ISSUES: There does not appear to be any significant issues with respect to the Village portion of the plan. It remains largely unchanged from the previous year. REVIEW and PUBLIC NOTICE: A draft external version of the Winter Plan has been provided for comment on the Village and Town websites. With few changes this year, the request is that the Selectboard and the Trustees consider and approve the Winter Operations plan on October 26.2020. A short presentation on the content and changes to the document will be provided at that meeting. The final approved documents will then be placed on the Town and Village websites and remain there throughout the coming winter. RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the Selectboard and Trustees approve the Winter Operations Plan for 2020-2021 after hearing any public input. Winter Operations Plan Town and Village staff have updated the joint Winter Operations Plan for both communities. A draft of the complete document is on the Town webpage under the Public Works Departmental Section. The public is invited to comment. Both Boards will be discussing the Plan at their Joint Meeting on October 27, 2020. The Plan remains virtually unchanged from the previous year with the important exception being the impact of operating under the COVID-19 pandemic. That information is described in the document but also provided in the following paragraphs from the Plan: SPECIAL CONDITIONS FOR WINTER OPERATIONS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC CURRENT SITUATION: All Public Works and governmental operations continue to be impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic at the time of preparation of the Winter Operations Plan (September 2020). Municipal offices remain closed to the Public, masks are required when in buildings or when people have less than six feet of separation, no vaccine has yet been approved or distributed, and all meetings continue to use remote conferencing. It is anticipated that all operations for the entire winter will continue to occur under these conditions. Public Works winter operations are at great risk of being severely interrupted due to the pandemic. Both the Village and the Town have limited staffs with very few personnel available for back-up in the event that employees are sick and cannot work. It requires a significant amount of training to properly and safely operate the heavy-duty plow trucks, sidewalk plows and other winter equipment. In the past, many employees have come to work with colds and with minor flu symptoms. With COVID, some of these employees may have to be sent home if they experience symptoms similar to those of the pandemic.