HARDWICK– The December 19 select board meeting once again had a mixed agenda, accompanied by ongoing budget discussions.
Town Manager David Upson delivered his regular update to begin the meeting. He shared that two of the three bank armoring projects through the Environmental Watershed Protection Program located on Route 15, have been completed by G.W Tatro. Upson also reported that he has been working with Aldrich & Elliott on the intended use plan for the wastewater plant, so that it can be on the priority list for funding in 2026 through the state’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Upson said they are finalizing a plan for the historic reservoir on Bridgman Hill. They have been working with the Shepard family, in order to formally lay out the parcel where the reservoir is, as apparently there was never a formal parcel created. Sunwise Surveying did the work, and this will be recorded in the land records soon. According to the board, this will allow the town to take ownership of the reservoir now that it is laid out.
Upson informed the board that the town will be rolling out TextMyGov in the next few months. There will be a widget on the website so that people can communicate via text to ask questions. For example, someone could text “how do I vote?” and they would get a response directing them to the place on the website with this information. The service will allow the town to do mass text alerts. People already using the current alert system will get an initial text to opt in to the new communications.
Police Chief Mike Henry appeared before the board, extending his appreciation to Morristown Police and the Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department for the backup they have provided in recent weeks. He reported Robin French has graduated from the police academy, and her field training is about to be completed.
Renaud Demers provided the board with an update regarding Hardwick Electric Department (HED), saying the department’s new general manager, Sarah Braese, begins on January 6. HED still has a full line crew with three linemen and three apprentices. Demers says they have 25 customer jobs pending, and more coming in regularly. They also have three contract crews doing work, primarily tree trimming.
Demers said HED has made the decision to enforce 13 V.S.A. § 301 in regard to people posting on utility poles. He said that it creates a liability issue for the company and a safety issue for their staff. The statute says, a “person who paints or posts a sign, advertisement, or notice on a telegraph, telephone, or electric light pole shall be fined $5 for each offense.”
Demers then informed the board that HED is seeking funding from Union Bank for improvements to their office and garage buildings in the amount of $250,000. The select board voted to authorize HED to borrow money from Union Bank.
Irene Nagle from the East Hardwick Neighborhood Organization (EHNO) appeared before the select board to explain they will be applying for grant funds from the State of Vermont’s Recreation Trails Program to undertake various improvements to the East Hardwick trailhead of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. They submitted a pre-application and were subsequently invited to submit a formal application. They are asking that the town sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for some of the match in the form of in-kind work. The in-kind work would be for clearing and grubbing the project site and being in the role of the construction management. Board member Ceilidh Galloway-Kane asked that the board have some time to review a draft MOU agreement.
The board then moved on to discuss the FY26 draft budget. Topics of discussion included changing the item “downtown beauty” under the highway budget to “downtown maintenance,” which would include items such as flowers, mulch and banners, and the capital equipment replacement schedule, with a consensus to save to purchase trucks and not borrow. The board discussed the recreation coordinator salary, but no decisions were made on relocating the funds.
The draft job description for a public works director was presented, in addition to the capital general fund categories. The board also discussed zeroing out the bike path in capital general and removing it, and decided creating a sidewalk schedule would be challenging since the cost is too high.
In other business, Chair Eric Remick mentioned a new bill that passed in the last legislative session that requires towns to adopt a policy around ethics, and assign a specific person to review ethics complaints.
Board Member Danny Hale attended a meeting about the Jackson Dam study, which focused on what the group wanted to get out of the study.
Remick asked about the flood modeling grant for the Lamoille County Planning Commission. Zoning and Floodplain Commissioner Kristen Leahy said they will begin in the spring.
David Upson reported Leahy has created a helpful document outlining the status of all of the current buyouts, and that they are going to pause additional buyouts at this time, considering them on a case-by-case basis.
Shari Cornish mentioned there are three open select board seats. Hale said the open seats were posted on Front Porch Forum a couple of times.
The board entered executive session to choose a dedication for the upcoming town report.
