WOODBURY – The August 26 select board meeting began with Town Clerk Robin Durkee saying she had placed an ad for town treasurer in three area newspapers.
After the third verbal complaint of rats and excessive garbage on a Cabot Road property, a concerned neighbor will be contacting the state, she said.
Four unlicensed dogs need to be turned over to the town’s new Animal Control Officer Ed Dumas, she told the board. Dumas was appointed at the July 8 meeting for a yearly stipend of $500.
Ending her report, Durkee informed the board that an abandoned refrigerator in the middle of the village on route 14 must be removed.
Wolcott street scene showing (from left) Fire Department, Town Hall, former village store and Calais-Woodbury Church
Road Commissioner Alfred Larabee said that chronic-problem culverts have been replaced around town for the most part. Larabee said over the past two weeks the road crew has been hauling sand and completing grating. Ditch work is still needed in a number of areas. Larabee also explained to the board that Nichols Ledge and other grant work will be completed before normal work can resume.
Skip Lindsay delivered the recover officer’s report, saying the town will apply for FEMA disaster relief after calling the town’s program delivery manager (PMDG) to ensure Woodbury is eligible. Lindsay said FEMA is now asking for the GPS location and sources of all materials used in projects, which creates a ”nightmare” of documentation.
Lindsay’s project updates noted the town received $6,533 from the state of Vermont and two financial reports have been signed, amounting to around $70,000 added to the treasury this week. He told the board there are currently four projects waiting for money to be disbursed. Three projects are still in the queue, untouched since September. One application is still incomplete.
FEMA will write the mitigation plan for a separate project, Lindsay said. FEMA has estimates and engineer plans from Nate Sicard and other necessary materials to begin. He said they are waiting on their PDMG for the remaining requirements, but they should be ready soon. He clarified for the board that it will be more expedient for FEMA to write up the mitigation plan, and has an upcoming Zoom with FEMA within the next week.
To finish his report, Lindsay told the board that the donated labor to clean up the town offices has yet to be reimbursed, as it requires a different form for FEMA disaster relief.
Michael Gray provided an update on the Emergency Watershed Protection Program. After posting on Front Porch Forum and speaking to various residents, Gray has gathered a list of 11 recommended project sites submitted for consideration. The list includes both municipal and residential sites. Gray explained the list will be submitted to the Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) for consideration if the Woodbury Select Board agrees. They will then do a site inspection to determine if the various projects are eligible. Gray reminded the board that the funding is allocated for 2024 flood damage, not last summer.
The select board voted to become a sponsor for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program, with the stipulation that Gray determines whether the board is obligated to begin the construction work for the eligible projects.
To end the meeting the board motioned to appoint two candidates to the conservation commission, Natalia Zan and Libby Case.
Raymobda is a VTSU - Castleton English Major interning with The Hardwick Gazette.
