Two new members for Weston Select Board; voters approve raising expenditures

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A voter checks in Tuesday morning at the Weston Playhouse. Photos by Shawn Cunningham. Click any photo to launch the gallery.

Weston has two new Select Board members. On Tuesday, at the Weston Playhouse, Weston voters voted in Bruce Downer for a two-year term and Tim Goodwin, to a one-year term, filling a vacancy left by Elizabeth Currie, Weston Clerk Kim Seymour said. Jim Linville was elected to a three-year term as Select Board member after being appointed to serve an unexpired two-year term held by Jeff Yrsha. That three-year term had been held by Darrell Hart.

Carrie Chalmers was elected to a three-year term as school director for Mountain Town Regional Education District, a seat that had been held by Duane Hart. Wayne Granquist was re-elected town moderator and Kim Seymour was re-elected town clerk and treasurer. Ron Prouty was elected to a three-year term as lister in a post formerly held by Tim Goodwin. Malcolm Hamblett was elected to a five-year term as Trustee of the Wilder Memorial Library, a post formerly held by David Chioffi. Nicole Pfister was re-elected to a three year terms as Trustee of Public Funds.

Weston voters filter into the Playhouse to begin looking over the articles to vote on on Tuesday.

In the post of cemetery commissioner, Andy Foster was re-elected to a one-year post on the five-member board. Town constables Tia Rosengarten and Ryan Hart were both re-elected to one-year terms.

Sandra Goodwin was re-elected to a one-year term as collector of delinquent taxes and Wayne Granquist was re-elected to a one-year term as grand juror. Lexi Young replaces Tom Greene in a one-year term as town agent.

Voters also approved Articles 5 through 10: To appropriate $35,000 for the Fire Apparatus Replacement Reserve Fund; $3,500 for the Town Annex Paint Reserve Fund; $4,000 for the Town Annex Building Maintenance Fund; $85,000 for the Equipment Replacement (amended as Reserve Fund) Fund; $75,000 for a Bridge Repair Fund; and $25,000 for paving within the Highway Maintenance Fund. And Article 16 would appropriate $155,000 to go toward replacing the box culvert on Chester Mountain Road.

Moderator Wayne Granquist listens intently as state Rep. Oliver Olssen speaks to Weston voters.

Articles 11 through 13 were approved to exempt from taxation for five years real estate belonging to each of the following: The Old Parish Church; the Weston Rod & Gun Club; and the Weston Recreation Club.

But Article 14 — which called for selling two parcels, one 17-acre parcel on Boynton Road, and the other 1.7 acres on Route 155 — were divided into two separate votes, with selling the 17-acre parcel approved, but selling the 1.7-acre parcel voted down.

Article 16 — to amend the Zoning Regulation to allow for an extension of building permits when construction times exceed the permit — passed overwhelmingly by Austrian ballot 100 to 8. This would help in the construction of the new Walker Farm annex of the Weston Playhouse Theatre Co.

Five articles were amended before adoption: Articles 17, 19, 24, 25 and 26.

Those articles and amendments are:

Article 17:

• $5,000 each for Cold Spring Park – WCA and Farrar Park Association;
• $500 for the Weston Cemetery Commission; (amended to $8,000)
• $6,500 for the Weston Recreation Club;
• $750 for the Weston Conservation Commission;
• $21,825 for the Weston Volunteer Fire Department;
• $12,600 for the Wilder Memorial Library;
• $2,000 for GNAT-TV;
• $630 for SEVCA;
• $4,052 for Mountain Valley Medical Clinic; (amended to $9,000)
• $2,000 for Flood Brook Athletic Association;
• $50 for Green-Up Vermont;
• $750 for The Collaborative;
• $2,000 for Neighborhood Connections; (amended to $3,000)
• $100 for the Vermont Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired;
• $230 for the Vermont Center for Independent Living;
• $990 for the West River Sports Association;
• $630 for HCRS;
• $2,350 for the Visiting Nurse Association;
• $250 for the Current; and 5
• $1,600 for Council on Aging – Senior Solutions.

Article 19 allocated $10,290 for the Planning Commission to update the Town Plan, as opposed to is for $12,920 as originally proposed.

It also amended and fixed Article 24 to say that taxes are due on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015 as opposed to on or before Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2015.

Article 25 was amended to raise the total General Fund expenditure for operating expenses from $458,608.16 to $483,056.16 of which $348,963.95, instead of $324,515.95, is to be raised by taxes, $109,855.00 by non-tax revenues and $24,237.21 by prior year surplus. Amended to update the amounts; adopted as amended.

And the last of the amended articles, No. 26, authorized Weston Town government to OK a total Highway Fund expenditure for operating expenses of $1.103 million as opposed to the proposed $1.028 million. $592,834.48 will be raised by taxes, as opposed to the proposed $517,834.48, $344,270.00 by non-tax revenues, offset by a prior year surplus of $166,382.52.

Adopted outright was Article 18 appropriating $3,000 for the Londonderry Rescue Squad  and $600 for Windsor County Youth Services.

Article 20 also allocated $11,000 to preserve and duplicate certain town records. Articles 21 and 22 allocated salaries for the town treasurer of $21,500 and town clerk of $16,500; and Article 23 set  Select Board compensation at $1,200 each.

— Cynthia Prairie