Select Board closes public hearing on Cranes 101 dealer's license, sets conditions to finalize April 27

The Select Board closed a public hearing on April 6 for a proposed Class I dealer's license for the Cranes 101 business (license described in the meeting as "Clap One"/dealer's license) and agreed to proceed with a conditional approval that will be finalized at the board's April 27 meeting.

At the hearing the applicant described plans to upfit certain vehicles (remove a boom from an abandoned truck and refurbish it) and said most dismantling and refurbishing work would be done inside the building, with only limited work (removal of the boom) occurring outside. Neighbors and board members pressed for stronger enforcement language because of a long-running concern about unregistered vehicles, noise and stormwater impacts on adjacent properties.

Board members and staff said town counsel (KP Law) advised that the board can attach detailed conditions to the license and that doing so makes it easier to enforce standards. The board agreed in principle to several conditions and edits suggested in a staff memorandum, including restricting the number of vehicles offered for sale to two at a time, defining the area where vehicles may be stored and viewed, requiring the timely removal of unregistered vehicles and specifying that most refurbishing activities occur indoors.

The board closed the public hearing by motion and directed staff to draft final license language with the agreed conditions; the board will take a formal vote and sign the license on April 27. Staff also noted the planning board had issued development and stormwater approvals and that the planning approvals include performance criteria such as noise and vibration.