WEBVTT

METADATA
Video-Count: 1
Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=_9jJh07AoNM

NOTE
MEETING SECTIONS:

Part 1 (Video ID: _9jJh07AoNM):
- 00:00:00: Meeting Called to Order, Minutes Approved, Attendance Noted
- 00:01:57: Joint Meeting Postponed, DCR Land Acquisition Announcement
- 00:03:52: Connectree 5.1, Dignity Index, & Community Discourse
- 00:10:00: Grant Updates, Shelburne Falls Earmark, Fire Truck
- 00:11:19: Senior and Veteran Tax Work Program Assignments
- 00:12:11: Festival of the Hills Car Show Discussion
- 00:13:50: Proactive Discussion of Proposed Solar Project
- 00:17:18: Announcements and Motion to Adjourn the Meeting


Part: 1

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Okay. Um, welcome everyone to the February 2nd meeting of the Conway Select Board. I hereby call the meeting to order. >> There you go. Look at you. [laughter] >> Finally. >> Finally got it. Um, first item on the agenda is vote to approve the minutes of

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January 26. Those look good to me. So, I'm going to make a motion to approve. >> Second. >> All in favor? I I >> Um, all right. Meetings attended by select board members since last week. >> Uh, none. Uh, I went to the

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531. What what's it called? >> Connect 35. >> Connect 351. >> Uh, which was well worth going to. >> Um, very informative meeting tonight. >> I thought Yeah,

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>> that's a great idea. Let's post. >> You're welcome. Sorry. >> Read all the way through. [laughter] >> Yeah. All right, that's good to know. >> You said it was a good idea and came anyway. [laughter] >> He missed us. >> I just want to make sure that you weren't fake news. [laughter]

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>> Oh, well, >> you can go home and have dinner. >> Sorry, Ellen. >> I don't have to make dinner. >> I'll [laughter] make dinner. >> Um, anyway, it definitely is a worthwhile conference. It is a lot. >> It's a lot. I I wish I had stayed

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longer. Um, we just did the I mostly mostly did Friday, >> but um I didn't realize it was so all the way to Saturday with intensive things. Um, but it's definitely worthwhile. I assume you're going to talk about

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this. >> Oh, sure. >> Yeah. >> Um, okay. Public comments. I don't see anyone here from the public. Um, no unfinished business and our >> so efficient. >> Yes. [laughter] We take care of our business.

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>> Um joint meeting with finance which was supposed to be at 610 has been postponed until next week because uh there's some information we're waiting on for some of these budget lines. But um oh oh and the town clerk um is out. So um next week will be town clerk budget transfer

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station and board of health. Uh new business. Okay. Um announcement from the department of conservation and recreation land acquisition. So, we have an email from the DCR um stating that they are considering the

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acquisition of an interest of 107.7 acres of land in the town of Conway. The property currently consists primarily of forested land. The proposed use of the land is conservation and recreation. And there is a map uh marked exhibit A which

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we will make available on the um town website so that everyone can see exactly where this portion parcel of land is. Um essentially we do not need to take any formal action but our clerk does need to certify that this has been announced at a public

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meeting. So again, DCR has an interest in acquiring a parcel of land located in the town of Conway, and that map will be um available on the town website. >> And Conway does not own that land. >> And Conway does not own that land. >> Where's

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it's on a map, but I don't have it pulled up. >> Yeah, for some I I can't get the attachment on my phone. I don't know why. >> Um >> on my station. >> All right. So then Adam, our clerk, will just have to I think >> I'll put it in the minutes. Yeah, I

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hereby >> you will certify unless you want to, you know, be on camera and certify right now. >> So I hereby >> I hereby certified. >> Certified. Okay. It has been duly announced. Okay. Um items not anticipated 48 hours in advance. Um

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there's nothing that I see. TA update. >> Um okay. So, yes, I did go to Connectree 5.1 as well, and oh my goodness, it is it's amazing. It's an overload of information. You can't even get to all the different

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um seminars and stuff that they hold. I think I mentioned a little bit about this the last on the online one because >> I was talking about AI and how AI is going to be coming up and >> but I will mention this the dignity

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index. So, Tim Shrivever um uh a teacher Kennedy he Yeah. Yeah. The Kennedy family um started this thing called dignity us and

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his premise is that our country has made having contempt for someone who does not have your view be the norm and that that needs to change. So this card that he has that I'd love to put around

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town that all the different board meetings and everything. It's called the dignity index and it goes from one to eight. One being they don't agree with you. Those people aren't even human. It's our moral duty to destroy them before they destroy us which is violence to eight which is the

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best which is each one of us is born with inherent worth. So we treat everyone with dignity no matter what. kind of reminds me of that saying that I may disagree with you, but I will defend your right to say it, >> you know. Um, so that's that's something

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that really struck home with me um just about the way discourse happens in this country and I just wanted you all to weigh in about whether or not we should, you know,

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>> so he's doing a lot of research on this. He's got different doctoral programs helping him out. Uh he's also um uh you know bringing in the point of every click you do on your phone, every

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like, every whatever. We know this, but really making the point. I wish we had this slide there of >> um like basically um every every click you make, somebody's making money and their whole goal is to divide us, >> you know. uh but he really does a nice

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job of emphas emphasizing how that works and uh how it prevents us to have this kind of discourse and they've done some research on you know putting people together with opposite views and and how how they realize you

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know I mean NPR does these conversations sometimes like how they more like them they do different and how healing that is and how it helps conversations um but he He jokes. He makes jokes about how like him and his wife will be having a

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conversation. He goes, she goes, "Is that a two?" You know, actually Jen and I have started doing that and I'm like, "I think that was a two." You know, [laughter] um to just sort of shine a little light on we all have tended to slip into it, you

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know, um and how it doesn't help anybody. Uh so I just thought it was very interesting. Um, and of course well researched. So >> it felt very Conway to me too. Like you know this is how I feel everybody in

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Conway strives to be but it just it felt like putting it in >> I was going to say black and white but it's a color card but [clears throat] >> right >> I don't know maybe make these available at town meetings. This goes a long way. I mean this hand in hand with what um our town moderator Jimmy Recor always reminds everyone at the very beginning of

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>> y >> of town meeting. But yeah, I think it's a it's a good um >> we're not paying for these >> things. >> Those [laughter] I I got a couple packets for free. >> Yeah, >> we can always order more and I don't know how much they cost if we want to. >> I'm not going to run them off on the blind market.

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>> And for nonprofits, I'm sure they do something to municipalities. I mean, >> he does have a consulting, you know, thing to you know, but it's all in a nonprofit space, >> right? Yeah. I mean, hand them out if we

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have them for free is what else that >> Yeah. >> Cuz I also have >> I know like how a lot of people would. >> Oh, sure. >> You know, >> sure. >> So, >> sure. >> Yeah. It's just sort of trying to ground the conversation in something, >> you know, and that's why it's so simple

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to be like, you know, oh, I strive to have, you know, conversations above five, but, you know, >> don't go to Defcon 4. >> Right. >> Right. Right. So it it does it's simplicity uh in that way but there's a lot of

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depth to it which is kind of cool you know. >> So >> yeah he did a great job and the governor and lieutenant governor were there and I think I might have said that they had their they were Jen Jen was with me. Jen was like they have

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sneakers on. It was like odd. Like they're in front of, you know, I don't know how many thousands of people and they have these sneakers on. And then the lieutenant governor goes, "By the way, these are New Balance. We are like, you know, because they're made a Boston based company." So they're like, "We are

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like wearing these to, you know, I'm sure they were giving them to to rep New Balance." So that was kind of funny. >> And then they sort of prepped for their >> budget announcements. Did you go to the budget drop on conversation on Friday? >> On Friday? No, I don't think I did the

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budget one. And then we had Warren and Marky on >> Yeah, it was >> Saturday morning. >> That was That was something. >> In person or video? >> Oh, no. They were there. >> Oh, cool. >> Oh, yeah. They were there. Yeah, it was

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really interesting. It was much more powerful than the I've only been there twice as an attendee. It was It was something. >> Oh, that's really something. >> I've seen market before. I don't think I've seen one before. >> Yeah. Yeah. So, um, so what else was on

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my update? Just a few updates about the grants that we're working on and, um, >> Chelber Falls ear. >> So, we got, yeah, we had $75,000 for, um, Shelurn Falls that was earmarked by, um, Senator Mark Forest,

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which is great, which >> America just signed for us tonight. And then um I'm meeting with USDA in a couple of days to talk about the $700,000 earmark for the fire truck, which is very exciting. Um MVP, we meet

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a couple times a month and it's it's pretty intense. [laughter] Um and we're lucky that Howard um Bordon, who's on the team, has offered the library basement for us. So that's where we met the last time, which was nice. Yeah. >> Never been down there. How is it?

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>> Oh, it's my closest. Oh, never been to that one. >> No. >> And it has our Conway flag that the hand quilted. >> Yeah, >> there's the matching one that's up at the state house, but >> Oh, cool. I've seen that one. >> Yeah. Took me a while to find it. >> Oh, there's a map.

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>> And then um I'll let Adam talk about he's in charge of the senior and veteran tax work program this year. >> Oh, so I went with the three of them. Um two were on board with Well, they were all on board with the district. thing.

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Um, and one could still garden and whatnot. So, she really wanted to do that. And >> then the pollinators sent an email a couple days later that said, "Oh, you know, we hire somebody to do it with somebody on the,

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you know, senior thing want to do it." So, >> that's a win-win. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. So Kate came in today and just said it would you last year the person they hired was about 75 hours or so, >> but it depends on the weather. >> Yeah.

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>> So it's, you know, planting, watering, just making sure everything is. >> You have to point out they have to stand out there and protect the from weed whackers. [laughter] >> Well, that's up to them. I do the time sheets.

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>> [laughter] >> Okay. Um, select board member comments concerns. >> Uh, I reached out to the Festival of the Hills committee to see if, um, we can do the car show again this year. >> Oh, nice. >> Uh, to discuss that. They said they had

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a meeting, I believe Wednesday, maybe that was last Wednesday or this Wednesday, and they'd get with me afterwards. >> Yeah. And I suggested to them too that we meet with or that they meet with Shawn um sooner rather than later because they've got their own separate bank accounts. And so it's just the

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finances and everything. We're going to have to figure out how that's going to work. >> Well, the first thing we need to do is set up the official committee. So they need to propose members based on the new bylaw that was passed. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Kind of get on get on that cuz even if we want to do the car show again, I mean it took a while to get to

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permits. >> Mhm. Right. >> So that's why I would kind of was like there's some urgency here. So >> yeah, that that I think that's number one is they need to set up the formal committee because then the committee can talk with Sean about >> Yeah. >> the financial end of things. >> So I think and they and they've said the

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same thing that they're they want to have their meeting first and then >> so I think that's going to be the financial piece is is what's kind of giving me anxiety. >> Yeah. >> But I think I trust Sean will be able to figure it out. Help them figure it out. Sean and and seiz.

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>> Yes. >> Our accountants will be huge in that. >> Yeah. >> Honestly, because Mike has big >> Yeah. >> getting that figured out. >> I was wondering if we should, you know, with the solar project that's being proposed if there's any

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utility to speaking with the land owners. um is that appropriate or to see if there's you know I mean could we work with them on like having like the land trust buy development rights like the um

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uh Pman's did you know they still have the right to farm it but >> development rights are purchased so they have money >> um just to just to see like what what is driving this and is there another

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resolution we have before we have to get to have it be a it's going to be a fight. >> Yeah. >> Well, and that's never pretty. >> No, to the best of my knowledge, Blue Wave hasn't put in an application yet um to the planning board. >> So, that's their next step. I don't I don't know about the

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>> Yeah, I was just wondering about being proactive. >> Yeah. >> And you know, maybe it could be a conversation to start with Howard. I mean, I don't know if that's appropriate or not, but >> it's not Howard. >> No, I know. But he knows the family. >> He knows he's not involved. [laughter]

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Yeah, I guess that is a good question though. Would it be appropriate, >> you know, considering it it's not really it's a private owner? >> It is, but it's it's got to be in 61A, I would think, >> which gives us right of first refusal not being sold, >> but do we have any say in what happens

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on the property >> when something's in 61A? >> Um, first we should check if it's right. >> I mean, we have to check first. So that Donna would be able to figure out this. >> Yeah. Yeah, I could speak with that. >> Yeah.

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>> Yeah, I do. Yeah, I think it is very good idea to be proactive because I do believe it's going to be very contentious >> considering the location especially >> right with the school. >> I saw the sledding. >> Yes. >> Snowmobiles.

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>> Jeez. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. I just don't want to be reactionary. I'd rather >> see what's driving it, which is probably of course just living, right? um you know to see is there any way we can help

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you know and and you know I mean it it's a similar process played out with Tottman's land when >> you know they went to sell a lot and it was 61A and the town did exercise its right which protected all of my station road

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>> which was upsetting to the land owner at the moment but further down the road they then put it all in protection sold the development rights so it's kind of a win-win in they keep it to farming forever. >> Um but it's protected >> to look like it is, you know.

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>> Yeah. I think not just solar, but but we're going to see like large scale battery store, like permanent battery storage. I know Hley's dealing with that already. >> Yeah. >> So, right. And it is also a conflict for people because lots of people like alternative

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energy in this town >> you know and it's kind of like you know not not my >> nobody nobody wants >> near them right and that's you know I mean I wouldn't want wind near me you know what I mean

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>> because the birds >> well birds and first people have health issues and I don't know if that's reality or ex you know whatever But, you know, it's just I just think it's worth >> not [laughter]

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fine. It's totally fine. Um, okay. Mail. None that I saw. Announcements. I don't think there's any except for our next meeting which is uh next Monday, February 9th at 6:00 p.m. And there will be a joint meeting with

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finance again at 6:10. So, with that um motion to adjurnn, >> second. >> All in favor? Hi. >> Hi.