WOODBURY – Woodbury is preparing for its first Saturday town meeting in the Elementary School Gym, beginning at 10 a.m., on March 2.
Select board member, Diana Peduzzi wrote the Gazette to say, “This will be our first Saturday town meeting. Last year the voters approved this change in an attempt to make it possible for more people to attend. We will be voting on elections and town and fire department budgets. However, we will have to come back on Tuesday to vote by ballot for the two school budgets, as well as the Presidential Primary.
Up early on the agenda at town meeting is the election of municipal officers. Select Board Chair, Chris Koteas, whose term expires this year is reported not to be running for the seat again. No one has expressed interest in the three-year seat yet according to Town Clerk Robin Durkee.
The Woodbury Community Library, cemeteries, and three articles for the Woodbury Volunteeer Fire Department (WVFD) lead the appropriations up for a vote.
General fund expenditures of $501,815.97 with an increase of 5.2% and highway fund expenditures of $654,462.00 at just 1.6%, seem lower than in neighboring towns.
When asked what about your budget helps improve affordable housing opportunities in your town, Peduzzi responded, “the town has little authority to impact the provision or construction of affordable housing. Nothing in our budget is relevant to that issue.
Peduzzi believes, “We have a great school. The school budget is crafted by the Mountain View District school board and the town government is not involved.”
The select board’s report for 2023 begins by noting. “No need to say it was a busy year.” But, of course, there is a need to say it, as their report continues making note of many significant events
January started a months-long conversation and analysis of whether the Nichols Pond Dam Road is a town road or a private road. After months of investigation, it was decided that all evidence points to the fact that it is still a town road and it will be reclaimed as such.
In May the town took title to the 28-acre Cranberry Meadow Wetland, thanks to $10,000 from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. The VHCB was granted conservation easements on the property so that it will be permanently preserved in its natural state. The town distributed most of the remaining ARPA money by contributing $150,000 toward the purchase of a grader, and granting $40,000 to the Woodbury Volunteer Fire Department (WVFD). In June they finalized the purchase of a 3-year-old grader for $215,000 with ARPA money and the Highway Equipment Reserve Fund that avoided borrowing for that purchase. The town is still awaiting delivery of a truck ordered in the summer of 2022.
In July there was the flood, and most Board business in the following months involved recovery from the flood damage. All of the volunteer efforts from the WVFD and other citizens, and the hard work of the road crew were noted by the select board. Norman Etkind stepped into the position of Emergency Management Director and got the town on a firm footing for compliance with various state and federal requirements. (John Gordon accepted the office after Norman completed his stint.) Skip Lindsay volunteered to take charge of all of the detailed work needed to insure that the town receives all of the FEMA reimbursement that is due. Danielle Livellara joined the team and the two of them did an incredible job with a mountain of details to ensure compliance with the federal requirements. Select board members are thankful for the professionalism and hard work of everyone involved and look forward to a significant reimbursement from the federal and state coffers next year.
Peduzzi wrote that “It seems to be impossible to predict how much reimbursement we will get from FEMA, and how much more we may have to expend as match for some unfinished projects, though the town report indicates, “at least 87.5% of the cost, and possibly more, of the town’s expenditures on flood repairs is expected to be reimbursed.”
The report ends, “November and December brought the excitement of large construction equipment, many operators, flaggers, and Woodbury’s first-ever traffic signals… Generators and floodlights around the clock disturbed the sleep of some living near the site but there were few complaints. The culvert was in place and operational during the December flooding, and seemed to do its job. The construction schedule suffered from our erratic winter weather but the site was finally buttoned-up soon after the New Year. Meanwhile the fire department has had to delay its building plans again, due to both the flooding and the culvert construction, but we look forward to construction activity in the village again as their plans come to life. They have worked hard to make the dream of a new fire station come true and the people of Woodbury will be well-served by their efforts, long into the future.
“As always, many of our town functions are handled by volunteers, low-paid officials and appointees, and somehow we keep things running. More interest and participation is always welcome.”
Town meeting details can be found in the Town Meeting Planner found elsewhere in this issue.
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
