WESTON, Vt. – While disregarding repeated calls for their resignation, the three remaining members of the Weston Selectboard continued to hold meetings throughout August and September, convening a special meeting on Thursday, Sept. 3, at 4 p.m., at the Weston Town Office, to respond to complaints filed on Aug. 25. The first of three complaints, from Weston resident Ken Hall, alleges that the selectboard violated Vermont’s open meeting law, 1 VSA § 312. The second and third complaints allege that the minutes posted after selectboard meetings held July 28 and Aug. 11 were insufficiently detailed, as required by § 312(b). Specifically, those complaints referred to the public comment section.
At the special meeting, Vice Chair Jim Linville read aloud the board’s response. The written transcript can be viewed within the meeting’s minutes on Weston’s town website, or viewed on GNAT TV, at www.gnat-tv.org/weston-special-select-board-09-03-26.
Ultimately, the board determined no open meeting law violation occurred on two of the complaints but acknowledged a “possible violation” regarding the July 28 meeting’s minutes. The board voted to “cure” the violation by amending the posted minutes within 14 days to include the missing public comments.
The selectboard met again in regular session on Sept. 8, at which time Vice Chair Jim Linville announced the town had hired Brian Vandeweerdt as a member of the road crew. Linville said Vandeweerdt was available to start the next morning.
The board also heard from resident and Chair of the Weston Development Review Board Deborah Granquist. Granquist, also chair of the Wilder Memorial Library Board of Trustees, read a prepared statement expressing concern regarding the proposed Lawrence Hill Road Bridge design committee. The full statement is available for public viewing on the town website, attached to the end of the Sept. 8 meeting minutes.
Granquist referred to a comment Linville made at the recent special town meeting acknowledging the public’s apprehension regarding the specifications of the new bridge. Linville told residents at the time that the board intended to create a design committee made up of “stakeholders” who would consult with Stone Engineering during planning and design stages. Granquist made the point that any resident of Weston could be considered a stakeholder, stating that the bridge “is a town-owned public asset [and] an important transportation link” for residents. She asked that the item be added to the agenda for the Sept. 22 selectboard meeting.