Okay. So, it's just us. This is the board of health. And this is um uh July 8th. Oh, it's Fab's birthday. Um and we have a quorum. Oh, here's Whim. Yay.
Um we have even more of a quorum. Me, Katherine Hilton, Garrett Simson, um Claire Ples, and Whim. Hi, Whim. >> Hello there. Sorry, I just walked in the door. >> Oh, bless you. Thank you for uh thank
you for coming and being with us. >> I'm just changing my name here. Okay. And so we also have Whim and uh and so that is a quorum. Arlene is not going to come. Uh this is Claire's very first meeting as um an elected board member.
Welcome. I'm so glad you joined us. >> Thanks. >> Congrats. [laughter] >> Um so minutes of last meeting. Did I send them to you? >> Yep. Yeah. I'll I'll move to approve. >> Okay. >> All right. >> Second.
>> Okay. Any discussion? Any changes, recommendations? Hearing none, let's vote. Garrett, >> yes. >> Whim, >> yes. >> Claire, >> yes. >> Cat, yes. Okay, so we have a disposal works
construction project for 285 Pelum Hill Road, which is Walter Tibbitz's place. Um it's simple and straightforward and Megan Children has um has reviewed it and she says that we are good to um
approve it and interestingly enough she says we have to tell them I I should make a note on this tell them to um let them know when they have done the excavation part but before
they've laid anything in because they do a bottom inspection um presumably to make sure that it really is um above the water table. Um I've never heard of anybody else doing
that. I mean maybe maybe they were kind of arranging that among themselves, but um except for Megan and not even every time. I should talk with her about it and find out what
her where she's coming from on that. But in any case, it's uh it's ready to approve. There's nothing uh exciting about it. Do I have a motion to approve this permit?
>> Yeah. All right. >> I was going to let you do this one. [laughter] I move to approve this uh the Walter Tibik Tibbit septic system as presented. >> Second.
>> Okay. Any discussion hearing? None. Let's vote. Garrett, >> yes. >> Lim, >> yes. >> Blair, >> yes. >> Cat, yes. Okay. I will get that out. Um, if you're
wondering how I how I organize, you know, I don't call on people by by alphabetical order or anything. I follow the line of little boxes on the street. Um so
the continuing saga of 80 Lake View um the owner has asked me to look into the possibility of getting a um a betterment loan and I have found that we
do have we do have money in the actual betterment loan grant lines. It's not very much, but she probably doesn't need very much. Um, we also have, maddeningly enough, we have another
budget line that goes way back into the '9s, and it is for uh a septic system repair program. um that
it seems to me it was coming from Furcog and this is kind of ancient history. It's hard for me to remember it. Um and we only gave one betterment loan or it wasn't a betterment. It was just a loan, right? And that was paid off years ago.
It was over on West Palm Road. There are still $19,000 in that budget line. and I would very much like to spend it for something else, but the town
accountant um insists that basically we have to use it for septic system repair. Um now it's a little bit tricky because the state grant that we that we have
given many many loans on um it has it's structured in such a way that it puts a lean on the property if the borrower defaults. there's no lean
unless there's default. Um, and apparently we don't have that option with this other money. So, there's a certain risk to it, I guess, that if the borrower should default,
um, we don't have we don't have the ability to put a lean on the property. And the way these leans work is is that if there's a a bankruptcy or something, the a town lean is very high up on the
list of who gets repaid. Um I'm going to assume that um the amount that we have left in the state betterment loan grant will be
enough for this purpose. Um, and if it isn't, we can possibly just take some money out of out of the that other budget line, that big budget line, and um and and use it. The way the
way this works is probably not none of you um was around for for this. Um, we have to make findings. We have to find that um
to tell you the truth I don't remember really well but we do have to find that the system has failed right we make some other findings of that sort that it's you know prot protective of the public health blah blah blah and um then we we
enter into a loan agreement with the homeowner that's recorded at the registry. Um the loan is structured they have mostly been 20 years. Um we
could we don't have to do it that way. Um it's the payments are made twice a year with the tax bill. They were intended to be quarterly, but
as it turned out, they can only be paid with actual tax and not estimated tax. So the part of the year when we have the exact amount um for the tax bills and the known
amount, those are the two unfortunately consecutive um tax periods where the betterment loan repayment amount is added on. And this is a 5% interest loan. Um,
we normally don't like to lend money for somebody whose place is for sale because it ties up the money. Um, it doesn't go back doesn't go back in to be reloed. It just goes back into
a state better state re repayment line which you've heard explained at town meeting probably a hundred times. Um uh so so it's a it's not a great use of the money for us. But in this case the
budget line is so low I I think it makes sense to um to go with it and >> is it a standard amount the principle of the loan? What are they looking for?
>> No, there isn't a standard amount basically. Thanks for bringing that up because I I I forgot to add that. Basically, the way it works is we can reimburse, but we can also just pay the bill. So, they get um they get estimates
um they do the work, they send us the bill, we pay it. So, we can pay for we can pay for the excavation and the installation. I think I think in this case we can pay
for the repaving over the driveway because I have I'll have to dig that out. Um and I think we can also pay the um the registry fee for registering recording it at the registry.
You know, there's some other things that we can't pay for if they're really only peripherally um u concerned with it. So us, so it's just exactly we loan out exactly the amount that they spend
or that they're that they're invoiced. >> I'm just trying to think through how this plays out at a closing though because that loan wouldn't transfer to to the new owner because they would they would want all of that
cleared out at closing, >> right? Um I don't know how they how actually they arrange it among themselves. So basically the loan gets paid off as part
of that that the um final negotiations >> right. So they generally come to us and ask for the amount that they owe and that amount gets paid back to us and then they then we release
the Betterment and that the release of Betterment is also recorded at the registry so that they have clear title without that. Um the the the buyer could assume it if they wanted to, but nobody's ever wanted to and I don't know
why they would. All right. So, so you mentioned this to that uh property owner and they're interested. >> Yes. Yes. And uh she's getting getting um an estimate from Dennis Clark.
um the the the way we used to do it, it was very complicated and they had to get two or three estimates and and so on. Um I I mean I could ask her to get another estimate or I could just ask her to um
or we could just wave that if we want to. >> If it's a known vendor like Clark, you mean? And would Clark um take into consideration that this is
the town is involved in this or no? It's a it's a market price. >> Yes. >> All right. >> Yeah. >> So, she's not ready yet or I guess or she would be here. But uh next time we
meet, we can probably we can probably wrap this up and I'll I'll get all the various paperwork together and also remind myself how it works because it's been many years since we've done one of these. They were very popular for a short
period of time and uh we gave out I don't know a couple dozen loans probably um and um most of them have been repaid by now. Um but I think the first round of them they
might have been no interest and then we went to 5% and um at that point it just wasn't really attractive to people to potential borrowers. So that's that's the story. It seems to
me that if we if we in the future want to use that other budget line that's not doesn't have a lean on it, we could probably we could probably loan it out at less
interest or, you know, lower interest or even no interest. But that's uh that's all hypothetical in the future. So that's really just a heads up. We don't have to take any action on it now.
I just want to get this sort of the sense of the meeting that this is that this is okay with you guys to do. Well, and I suppose it's entirely possible that in the sale negotiation that they come up with some other
arrangement um that doesn't require them to have to come to us to apply for the loan, you know, that they put the burden on the buyer. >> You know, if there was a buyer um right-handed that could be true, but I
don't think there is one. >> Yeah. Um >> that's my sense too. >> Yeah. Yeah. And uh places are lingering on the market these days. You probably noticed that. So I don't expect it to go fast. And uh so
>> um I suppose well I mean she's expressed an interest in this loan. the the way that it could work otherwise is to just let it ride until they have a a buyer and then work it out with that buyer. But I
don't I don't uh you know since she's expressed interest in getting it done, I think we should probably go with that. >> Oh, yeah. I'd like to for us to provide assistance if we can. >> Yeah, me too. Yeah, sounds good.
>> Okay. So, do I don't I don't have any unanticipated business, I don't think. Is there any anybody have anything to tell? >> Is there a valley health meeting tomorrow, Kat? And are you able are you
able to go to it? >> I am. Okay. Okay. Good. >> And I don't have anything uh to report on MAFco because we're we just started the new budget period. Excellent. Excellent. Um,
oh, Gail Fshaker from the um the web committee asked me who's going to be our um emergency management team representative now that Norine is gone.
>> So, I've been that person and Norine's been backup. >> Oh, okay. >> Yeah. So, >> Okay. So, you're still it? >> Yeah. And I'm still happy to do it. >> Still willing. >> It connects with MAF and all of that. So, >> excellent. Thank you. Um,
>> yeah. So, you can tell Gail it's me. >> Okay. Um, and there was I thought there was another one. Was Norine on something else? Let me see what Gail said. Was she on something related to the
lake? >> No, that's me. Oh, >> okay. Let me see if I can find her. Okay. She said, "Oh, Eastern Franklin County Regional Health District. That's me, too." Okay. Okay. So, I know the
answer to all these questions. That's a That's a That's a rare thing. Okay. Um so, let's think about our next meeting. Um, I am not. So, this is the 8th. Normally,
we would meet on the 22nd, but I am not free on the 22nd, and I don't see any point in meeting on the 15th. And I know that Claire is not available on the 15th. So, will the 29th work three weeks from today?
>> Yeah, I think so. >> Yes. >> Okay, great. That's uh I will I will schedule that. All right. Anything else we should be discussing or any gossip or anybody know
any good jokes or >> I don't have anything. >> Okay. Okay. Well, I guess we might as well close the meeting and uh we'll meet again in >> 29th. >> Yep. >> Yeah.
>> Okay. >> Well, thank you all. The meeting is over and I'm turning off the recording right now. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. And uh you know, we should think about having a party. >> Yep. >> We can have a farewell to Norine party
and a welcome to Clare party and we can try to get all our significance there. Although that never quite works out. There's always somebody who can't make it. But um maybe we should have a
one of those documents where we try to figure out who's who's free when. >> Yep. I'm good until the end of September at this point. >> Excellent. Excellent. And then are you gonna get a vacation? Yeah, we're going to go uh see my sister
in Montana for a week. So, >> that sounds nice. >> That would be nice. >> All right. Okay. >> All right. You guys >> Yeah, we could do a goo a Google poll. >> Yeah.
Anybody know how to do that? I bet Claire does >> because she's young. >> Certainly can figure out a Google poll. I know how to do a when to meet, but that requires you to at least have some days off as options. Um, >> I'll figure something out. [laughter]
>> Okay, that'd be great. >> Um, if we have a sense it do we have at least a sense what we want to try for like a weekend day sometime between now and end of August or
>> I would think so. Yeah. Yeah. A Saturday or a Sunday. Maybe an afternoon. Okay. All right. I can I can see what I can put together for that. >> Okay, that'll be great. Thank you. >> We could meet on the deck of my still uninhabitable house.
>> Cool. That's a beautiful spot. That'd be a great a great place to >> Yeah, it's a nice deck anyway. >> Right. All