Weston board OKs extending Lawrence Hill paving near Post Office loading dock

By Bruce Frauman
©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC

The Weston Select Board during its Zoom meeting on Tuesday, June 9 agreed in a 3-1 vote to pave near the loading dock of the Post Office building at Main Street and Lawrence Hill Road, where a puddle forms as deep as 6 inches forms and can turn into a skating rink in winter.

Postmaster Melvin Twitchell wrote to the board complaining of the puddle as well as “major wear” where the parking lot meets Lawrence Hill Road. Board member Jim Linville said paving Lawrence Hill Road is to start in the next two weeks. Fellow members Ann Fuji’i, Bruce Downer and Charles Goodwin voted in favor of the addition, Benson voted against and Linville abstained.

Linville, Goodwin and Fuji’i plan to meet with Road Foreman Almon Crandall to look over the situation so that they know what to ask the paving company to do. No mention was made of the need to warn this meeting as a quorum of board members will be together.

With no opposition and no discussion, the board passed a resolution written by resident Anne Hyde Degan. It reads “The Select Board of Weston, Vermont joins cities and towns across the state to condemn the brutal killing of George Floyd. We recognize this as a defining moment in history, and as such, we are compelled to speak in a unified voice as we help our communities strive for peace, healing and equal justice for all.”

With the town’s website down for the past two weeks, the Weston Board  agreed to let Kim Seymour, the Town Clerk and Treasurer, update it on a new platform starting in August.  In other tech news, Planning Commission members don’t want their private emails open to discovery in a lawsuit, and are requesting that email accounts be made available from the town. The board agreed to spend the $126 per year to add six or seven accounts through GoDaddy. Currently only Select Board Administrative Assistant Natalie Boston has a town email account, which board members can share, if they wish.

Fuji’i asked if town email accounts can be made available for Select Board members as well, especially since their personal accounts can be subpoenaed. After Linville and Benson said they were happy as it is now, the topic was tabled until the next board meeting.

Though its lease does not expire for another year, the Board accepted Seymour’s recommendation to sign a lease with Pitney Bowes to lock in the current monthly rate of $25 for the next 39 months. Pitney Bowes provides postal services including a postal meter.

Again on Seymour’s recommendation and with the knowledge that the Listers signed it, the Board agreed to sign a certificate to the state stating that the Grand List has no appeals or current suits pending.

Finding the current 2-foot square Plexiglas shield in front of Assistant Clerk Deb Moser’s desk inadequate, the board gave Seymour permission to do whatever she felt best to protect herself and Moser from Covid-19. 

After determining that he is a resident of Weston, the board appointed John Derek Croteau as a lister.

The board will decide at its next meeting whether or not to appoint Michael Smilovich as the town’s Emergency Management director. Smilovich said he is moving to Weston from Aurora, Colo., where he had worked for Advantage Security. He plans to attend Southern New Hampshire University for a graduate degree in Emergency Management. The board will review his references before making its final decision.