Ancient Roads Committee Meeting

Ancient Roads Committee Meeting
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Next Meeting

Attendance: Brian Gray, 895-2807, Larry Labor, 895-4112, Dianne Moore, 895-2764,
Robert Guyer, 895-4651, Don Bennett, 723-6056, Allan Wooley, 895-4322, Ruby Jenness 895-4144
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Meeting called to order by President, Brian Gray at 7:05 PM.

Ruby returned as Secretary.

Minutes of last meeting approved.

Larry met with Tammy Morin, Treasurer. She has expenses compiled to date.
Allan said he had submitted a bill to Tammy for a recent trip to Lyndon State
College reference to college students’ possible involvement in Ancient Roads
research.

To incur greater local attendance at meetings Robert suggested posting meeting
notes and date of meetings in at least two places. Brian will post such on
Bulletin Board at Town Clerk’s Office and at the Morgan Country Store.

Brian has talked with Brent Curtis re the Middlesex Repository. A trip to same
seems indicated and will take place in the near future.

Jonathan Croft, Dept. of Transportation Mapping Division, promised to send a
packet of inventories dating from 1930 to the present. Not received to date.

Allan has completed initial research on town records, Volumes 1 —1780-1807
and Volume 2 —1824-1835. Ilene Douglas and Allan will also do Volume 3 –
1835-1922. Diane Moore volunteered to do Volume 4 – 1933-1980. Larry Labor
will do Volume 5 -1980 to the present. Allan emphasized photo-copying the road
surveys and discontinuances and keeping references to the surveys and
discontinuances by volumen & page.

Allan reported that in Volumes 1 and 2 about 35 roads had been surveyed. None
had been decommissioned.

There are 68 volumes of Land Records. Should there be a requirement for these
volumes to be perused and notes taken, it would prove to be too time-consuming
for this committee to consider.

The Committee has met and talked with Tracy McIntyre of NVDA mapping section
re mapping techniques. They can be very costly. Using Lyndon State College
student labor would be cheaper at about $200. John DeLeo has scanned maps and
produced an overlay on google maps. Decision made not to use LSC students at
this time.

Allan has a digitalized disc of the big compilation map which is on the wall
in the town office.

NVDA charges $65 / hr. Map Draw runs $130. plus $10. for discs.

Surveying requirements were discussed. Paul Hannan, who is already familiar
with many of the town roads, charges $75. per hr. He is already under contract
to the town re its cemeteries so would not charge extra for the trip up here.
He agreed that the Map Draw is the better way to go. Before having him come
this committee must be ready with as much detail as possible. Allan will ask
Paul what he needs to have done before he comes.

Larry read excerpts from the most recent Vermont Property Owners Report. Of
the 252 towns in Vermont only 89 have grant aid re Ancient Roads. There are
horror stories regarding costly conflicts between towns and property owners
where an ancient road infringes on perceived rights of one or the other.

A reiteration of the purpose of this committee was voiced—document location
of the Ancient Roads, hand over results to the Selectmen who will then post a
30 day notice to the public re their recommendation as to action to be taken.

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The next meeting will be on Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 5:30 PM.

Meeting adjourned 8:15 PM.

Respectfully submitted, Ruby P. Jenness, Secretary