HARDWICK – At its regular meeting on February 1, the Hardwick Select Board discussed moving the fire station, received an update on police officer hiring, and chose a date for an informational meeting before town meeting.
In his regular report, Town Manager David Upson mentioned that he had a meeting with potential funders about moving the fire station. As with the wastewater plant, the potential funders suggested working with FEMA and using any money awarded for flood repairs to help fund a move.
Upson added that he talked to representatives of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) about Community Facilities Grants for the fire station move. They think that there will be a disaster supplement, which would be beneficial to the town. Select Board Chair Eric Remick asked about Municipal Technical Assistance Program (MTAP) funds for moving the fire station. MTAP is a program from the Vermont Agency of Administration intended to assist those communities with a high need for state and federal grants but lower capacity for accessing and applying for assistance. Upson explained that a finding of “substantial damage” is critical to funding a relocation.
Upson also went to a Hardwick Rescue Squad meeting. Members of the squad want to be involved in the planning of the overall emergency services campus that might be built on Creamery Road.
Upson also shared that the first debris project was approved, so the town should be starting to see some funds for that soon. The temporary bridge projects are also getting close to being approved.
The road foreman’s report noted that the road crew has been catching up on maintenance, including fixing an electrical issue on one of the trucks. A water leak on Buffalo Street was fixed and a representative from Caterpillar came to look at the generator in the basement of the wastewater plant that was flooded. He estimated that repair work would cost approximately $30,000.
Hardwick Police Department (HPD) Chief Michael Henry reported that the snowmobile that was in the shop is back, but now the trails are not in good condition for patrolling. He shared that they took board member Elizabeth Dow’s suggestion and put up a speed sign on the trail coming into town.
Henry has interviewed prospective new officers. The next full-time police academy session is not until August, so he is looking enrolling any new hires in the part-time academy in March. This approach would accelerate the new officers’ training, but they would be on the payroll before they could be fully utilized. HPD does not pay a fee for the academy training, but it does pay officers’ salaries while they are at the academy.
The board approved Henry’s request to pay trainees while they are in the part-time program.
Next, Upson reported that he and Remick attended a meeting with representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) about the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program. At recent meetings, the select board has discussed three properties in town that could be candidates for this program to repair their riverbanks. A sponsor is needed for the match portion of any grant, and the town was asked to provide those funds. In the past, select board members were not willing to pay for repairs to private properties with public funds. After discussion about the need to find funding sources that did not rely on town tax revenues, they voted to move forward with the EWP application.
The board then discussed choosing a day and time for a public information session prior to town meeting. The meeting was expected to last 30 minutes. After discussion, the board decided to hold the meeting on February 29, at 5 p.m.
