Maple Corner Net

Date: June 17th 2008

The Maple Corner Net Newsletter is now being published 2 times a month, usually on the 2nd and 16th, depending on how much info I get, and how busy I am. You can easily contact me with news, comments, criticism, or compliments, by just replying to this email. This Newsletter now has 442 subcribers.
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To search & read archives of past newsletters, see:
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Address Change: I am eliminating some of my older email addresses, including steveg@songseek.com , which Ihave used for 7 years, and some of you may have in your address books. To find out my new email, go to www.songseek.com and click on the "contact me by email" link. There will be a form there which you can use to email me. I will reply with a working email. - Steve Gallagher

As of right now the Newsletter is being sent from steve@maplecorner.net , which is working, but may be changed in the future.

Contents:

• Carolan Festival
• Home for Sale in Kents Corner
• My Notes & Occasional Comments: Calais Selectboard meeting, Monday, June 9,20 08, by Peter Harvey
• House sitter needed
• Woodbury - Community Dance: Friday June 20th
• Dot Naylor's Unadulterated Notes, 9 june 2008
• Thanks for the Floral Assistance
• Maple Corner house for sale
• Authentic Turkish Baked Goods for Sale
• House for Sale in Calais

 

Reminders and Updates:

• Maple Corner Community Center Spring/ Summer Potluck Schedule!
• Look at what is coming to the Kent Museum in June!!
• A cookout! - August 9, 2:00 PM - At June & Alden's, in Maple Corner
• Maple Corner Community Market
• Rabbit Run Garden Seedling Sale

 

• Important Calais Web Links
  
  
• Community Quote of the Week
  

 

 

 

Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2008
Subject: Carolan Festival

 

 

 

Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2008
Subject: Home for Sale in Kents Corner

Cornelia, Paul and Addie are selling their wonderful home in Kents Corner (note NOT "CORNERS"!) to move to newly coined SoCal (south Calais). We’re hoping for the dream family/individual to buy it and love it as much as we have (and our neighbors have this same dream as well).

If you’d like to have more information about our house – the price, the dimensions, the wonderful surroundings – or you’d like to come see it for yourselves, please give us a call at: 223-5528.

 

 

 

My Notes & Occasional Comments: Calais Selectboard meeting, Monday, June 9, 08, members present (clockwise: Paul Hannan (chair), John Brabant, Denise Wheeler, and Cy Lamberton.  Anne Winchester was absent. Rose Pelchuck, the Board's paid meeting secretary, took the official minutes. There were 2 people in the audience tonight: Dot Naylor, and myself.

An easy going, shorter, summer meeting this hot, muggy evening. There was no executive session at tonight's meeting.

MINUTES: The Board approved the minutes of May 26, 08 with several clarifications, 4-0.

REVIEW OF 4TH QUARTER TOWN & HIGHWAY EXPENDITURES: The Board looked at and briefly discussed spread sheets provided by Town Treasurer Eva Morse.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION: The Board voted 4-0 to have Paul sign an extension for grant #3B to have the Historic District Guidelines printed. The Board also voted retroactively 4-0 to have Paul sign an application for grant #4, to update the surveys of the State Historic Districts of East Calais Village and North Calais Village. David Schutz, the new chair of the HPC, had shown up at Paul's door last Monday morning requesting Paul's signature to meet a * deadline. No money is involved in the application. If approved, the HPC will have to come back to the Board to sign off on that new grant.

BRIEF UPDATES: 
- Curtis Pond Dam: John reported that Morris Root has had another death in the family, stalling further progress. He also reported that Mr. Root has been waiting since January for Alan Quackenbush, from the Agency of Natural Resources to get back to him about wetlands permits. John will ask Mr. Quackenbush for an update to get things moving.
- Batten Rd. billing: John reported that Steve Duke has not yet paid the bill to Knight Engineering for review work done last year. It came out at tonight's meeting that Eva has forwarded all the bills to Steve Duke since last fall. Steve Duke had told John that he would pay the bill last month. Citing that this is the second time this year that the Board his having trouble getting contractors to pay for work already done (the other is Chad Scribner), John proposed having future applicants put up a performance bond. The Board asked John to draft a letter to Knight Engineering, CC to Steve Duke,  that would put in writing that Steve Duke is responsible for paying that bill.
- Dispatch Service Rates: At their last meeting, the Board had discussed a letter written to the Town that the dispatch rates for E-911 phone calls will be raised a substantial amount. John & Cy attended a meeting in Montpelier last Monday about that increase. They reported to the Board that past rates have been on the very low side and that the new police chief in Montpelier is looking to bill the 17 central Vermont towns that use the dispatch service in a more business like way. At that meeting, several formulas for assessing towns were discussed. The towns are working together to agree on which formula to use. The new rates will take effect January 1, 09. Currently Calais paid $1,649 this fiscal year as a line item on the Selectboard budget, in the center of page 29 of your Red Book under "FIRE COSTS."

When we dial 911, the phone call goes first to Williston, then is routed back to the Montpelier Police Station where Capital West Dispatch Center has its office and equipment. Capital West then notifies the fire and emergency departments, directing them to the scene. Capital West has 5 full time employees to cover the office 24/7. The budget being discussed is for operating expenses. Costs such as updating/modernizing the equipment are billed separately.

EMFD INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT: Speaking for the fire department, Rose summarized a list of new changes that the East Montpelier Selectboard gave the fire department at a meeting last Monday evening. The Calais Selectboard had already approved it. So, we are in for more go back and forth before both Selectboards and the fire department agree on a final contract! The Calais Selectboard will discuss the changes at their next meeting.

OTHER BUSINESS:
- Act 250 permit: Denise reported on her review of the Act 250 permit for subdividing the WCI (Willey Construction Inc.) lot (the building with the baseball field on the east side of Rt. 14 near the Woodbury line). She said she saw no reason for the Selectboard to get involved.

- Zoning Ordinance update: Rose reported that she has finished updating the changes to the Zoning Ordinance that were voted on at Town Meeting. The Board asked her to look into printing copies. It will also be available on the Town website.
- DRB: Dot reported that Anne had attended last week's DRB Hearing to see if the Board should follow it more closely. There was a short discussion about an upcoming DRB application for a curb cut on or off of Max Gray Rd. Joseph Murray of Northfield has bought a lot that has road frontage on a discontinued road or class 4 road (not yet determined). So the question will be which road he needs a curb cut for. By state law, even if a road has been given up by the town, all the land owners retain permanent use of that right-of-way. Max Gray Rd. appears to have been moved sometime in the past century.

The Board adjourned at 8:41 The Board will be meeting at the Calais Town Hall for the summer. The next scheduled meeting of the Board will be 7:00 PM, Monday, June 30, 2008. Agendas are posted at the Calais Town Clerk's Office, the 3 stores in town, and the East Calais Post Office. Only items posted on the agenda are voted on at any meeting. Those wishing to bring items before the Board should contact Chairman Paul Hannan at 223-5528. Agenda items for the next meeting need to be received by 6 PM, the Wednesday before that meeting.

 

 

 

House and pet sitter needed July 12-July 19. I will pay $100 for a resposible person to take care of my dog and an outdoor cat. Backyard is fenced in, so you do not need to take dog for walks. Please contact Rachael at 802-224-7006 or email me at rachael222@comcast.net
Thanks, Rachel Backman

 

 

 

 

 

Sent: Saturday, June 14, 2008 11:00 PM
Subject: Dot Naylor's Unadulterated Notes, 9 june 2008 Calais Selectboard Action Monday June 9, 20087:00 P.M. SelectBoard members present: Paul Hannan, Denise Wheeler, John Brabant and Cy Lamberton. Anne Winchester was not present.Also attending were two members of the public, including myself and Rose Pelchuck, Recording Secretary. 1. Call to order – assess agenda time allotments
2. Review and approve Selectboard minutes of May 26, 2008 - Among the several small changes was a request by Denise to quote her reason for her ‘no’ vote on a curb cut at the previous meeting – she requested the minutes reflect the fact that she did not object to the curb cut, she felt the location was not safe.
3. Review of town and highway expenditures to date - A review of the town and hoghway expenses revealed we are very close to the bottom line. Paul stated that if we were short on highway money we can raise it in next year’s taxes rather than move it from the general fund. 4. Selectboard participation in DRB process. The board discussed an upcoming permit application on Max Gray Road which will require a curb cut from a ROW to max Gray Road. The Development Review Board will be looking at the Right of Way to the property and the two boards sometimes touch base to be sure the decisions balance. Since Anne Winchester will still be out of town on Tuesday, June 10<sup>th, Denise was volunteered to attend that DRB hearing.
5. Historic Preservation Commission grant application authorization. These grants provide funds for our Historic Preservation Commission to study various aspects of Calais. The grant voted on first was for an extension of a previous grant. It passed 4-0. Then Paul told the Board he had signed another grant application last Monday so the HPC could meet a deadline; he asked that the Board vote to approve his action, which they did 4-0. That grant is to provide the funds (Calais folks provide labor in kind to satisfy matching funds) to update town inventory of significant structures in East Calais and/or North Calais. The HPC uses the format established by the National Register. They do not intend to establish any other Design Control Districts.
6. Various brief updates:
- Curtis Pond dam (John) last routine inspection by the state was May 20, 2008. Morris Root, the engineer assisting the town in planning the repair has another personal interruption. Root had not heard from a state engineer, Quackenbush, as expected. John said he could contact Quackenbush if necessary.
- Batten Road bill (John) – The Knight bill for the second opinion of a possible Batten Road improvement to serve the proposed Duke/Sayers subdivision has still not been paid. Steve Duke has agreed that he is responsible for it and has said he would pay it, but so far he hasn’t. This is embarrassing for the town. The Knight review prevented an unsafe road from being built and ultimately saved thousands of dollars in a road upgrade. In the light of this and the $3000 owed the town by the Scribner subdivision on Chapin Road, John said he thought the SB may want to form some sort of policy regarding financial agreements with private individuals. - Dispatch services rate increase update (Cy & John). John and Cy attended a meeting where the reason for this huge increase was explained. But just how the 17 towns will be charged still has to be worked out. This is the operating budget for the dispatch service. (There was an article in Thursday’s Times Argus discussing Montpelier’s rational for the cost increase to the 17 towns.) It seems the total amount of money to be raised is clear, but how each town will be assessed is a moving target. 7. Review "draft" revised EMFD interlocal agreement and possibly sign. East Montpelier SB has suggested a couple more changes – these have to pass through Calais’ attorney and probably the EMFD attorney. Possibly this long awaited agreement between the two towns will reach finality this summer. In the meantime a document to be attached, an inventory of the rolling stock, has been completed. 8. Zoning violations, appeals, litigation, etc. (likely executive session) – None tonight.
9. Other business:
a) Date for joint School board/Selectboard meeting – likely will be 25 August. b) Rose Pelchuck noted a stone wall was being constructed in the town’s ROW on Tucker Road and asked if they had a permit.</sup> c) Paul asked about a curb cut approved on Dugar Brook Road and wondered if the approach was properly constructed. Cy said he would look at it and check with Don Singleton, Road Commissioner.
10. Tentative Meeting Agenda for June 30, 2008: a) Review and approve road commissioner orders and town invoices b) Re-appoint Road Commissioner; Salary/benefits for town employeesc) d) 11. Adjourned at 8:30 PM tonight .  
Thanks to those who helped create the flower bed in the stop-sign triangle at Worcester Rd and County Rd:
 
Elizabeth and Wayne Morse - beautiful geraniums from their extensive collection, and lovely impatiens and marigolds
 
Steve Cusick - weed-whacking, mulch, extra marigolds, and extra-good company
 
Felicia Messuri - watering, a watchful eye, and the surprise guest.
 
Chris Miller - weed-whacking and creating such a great environment that the triangle begged for planting
 
Deb Burke - for organizing U-32 kids to dig the bed last year, for support and encouragement and all the extras
 
Thanks to everyone who appreciates our efforts. It's a small piece of all the wonderful projects and accomplishments for the Community Center and our village. Thanks for all the amazing things that get done around here, Olivia Gay

 

 

 

 

 

Authentic Turkish Baked Goods for Sale: - Fridays at Adamant Co-Op Market from 4-6pm
Saturdays at Calais Community Market at Maple Corner from 9am-Noon

Baklava: by the piece ($1) or by the whole pan ($28 for 32 pieces)
Spinach Borek (Filo rolls filled with spinach, onion, and white cheese):
$2.50 each or buy 10 get 2 Free.

Any size special order for your special occasions with at least 24 hours notice!
Ceylan Cross 456-8159 or ceycross@yahoo.com

A Taste of the Mediterranean Right Here in Calais, Vermont!

 

 

 

Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Subject: House for Sale in Calais

We have a great single story house with 3 bedroom, 2 baths with a large family room in the basement. A large 2-car and garden shed situated on 32+ acres with about 2 acres cleared. Location is 1294 Bayne Comolli Road.

We also have an 11+ acre wooded lot for sale that would make a great building site. You can purchase them separately or as a package.

We built our home in 2004 and are selling because we are moving to the mid west to start a venture together. We will be operating a hunting outfitters business and are very excited to get started.

If you know of anyone who may be interested in our home or land please contact me directly. I have attached the link for the real estate listing below that will give you all the information with pictures, feel free to forward it to your family and friends!

http://www.nnerenmls.com/nne/maildoc/b005Zt7511.html

Have a great day!

Lori Delphia

 

 

 

 

Community Quote of the Week:

"Too bad 90 percent of the politicians give the other 10 percent a bad reputation." - Henry Kissinger

 

This e-mail newsletter is open to submissions from the public, as long as they are noncommercial, and appropriate to the community. Please remember that it depends on you, the subscribers, to let people know what is going on in town. Have you written something you want to share with the community? Do you know of an upcoming event in our area? Contact me by just replying to this email, or call me, Steve Gallagher, at 802-223-0505, though the actual notice has to be emailed to me. You can get an idea of what has been posted in the past by reading the archives at: http://www.songseek.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi?f=list&l=maplecor

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