Rutland, MA Earthworks Board
Meeting Minutes – January 18th, 2018
Members present: Peter Craine, Norm Anderson, Glenn Kauppila
Members absent: Butch Nadeau
Guests: Kate Gervais
Meeting was called to order by Peter Craine at 6:38 PM.
Discussion
Election of officers:
Peter nominated Norm Anderson to the office of Vice Chair
2nd: Glenn
Vote: Unanimous at 6:43 PM.
Election of Secretary tabled until next meeting.
Communication Norms:
Peter stated that the Earthworks Board will have a town email address: earthworks@townofrutland.org. IT has yet to assign it; Peter will share details on accessing it once he has them.
The Earthworks Board will take over the former IT mailbox outside the Town Clerk’s Office.
The Earthworks Board will not have a phone number for the time being. Once the Town’s phone system is upgraded, the Board will decide if a phone number and voice mailbox will be necessary.
A webpage for the Earthworks Board currently exists in very sparse form. This may be a space for the public to access forms, policy, and regulation.
Peter noted that the website has been deemed acceptable as the official means of communication for compliance with Open Meeting Law.
There exists one open Earth Removal permit. Peter will obtain details from the Conservation Commission.
Meeting Minutes
The meeting scheduled to be held on January 4th, 2018 was cancelled due to inclement weather, and as such, there are no minutes.
Glenn moved to accept the minutes from the December 18th meeting.
2nd: Norm
Vote: Unanimous at 7:01 PM
Further Discussion:
Members:
Kate expressed interest in the At-Large position. She will write a letter of interest to the BOS. Peter will also write letter to BOS asking that she be appointed to the position.
Earth Removal By-law;
Peter has sent modifications to Town Counsel for their review.
As a general by-law, a public hearing is not required, but is a good idea. Best time for this would be after it is seen by the By-law Review Subcommittee.
Like-Kind Soils:
How polluted can a soil be, and still be considered for use as fill?
Does Earthworks Board have enough authority to regulate like-kind soils, or will there be a need for an additional by-law?
Regulation vs. by-law: which is more appropriate for the circumstances?
Discussion to be continued at forthcoming meetings.
Earthworks Board Mission Statement:
Section 6B, still in progress.
Needs to be fair to all perspectives, and all parties involved.
Discussion to be continued at forthcoming meetings.
Next Meeting:
The Board’s next meeting will be February 1, 2018 at 6:30 PM.
Adjournment:
Norm Anderson moved to adjourn the meeting.
2nd: Glenn
Vote: Unanimous at 7:27 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Kate Gervais
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