WOODBURY – A request for a monthly community pot luck, needed elementary school repairs and future financial planning were considered at the Woodbury Select Board’s October 13 meeting.
Woodbury’s representatives to the Mountain View Union Elementary School District (MVUESD) Darren Usinowicz and Heather Meacham were at the meeting to bring up an issue with school expenses required for the elevator in the Woodbury School and replacement of the fire escape.
Estimates for the elevator work total $123,000 to deal with rust on the carriage and a control panel upgrade.
The estimate for the fire escape replacement came to $360,000. That cost would also cover creating exits from the school’s basement rooms with a window well, as there is no sprinkler system there and no means of exit.
The total of $483,000 in school investments would be covered by the union district, said Usinowicz and Meacham.
They suggested difficulty within the MVUESD in discussing repairs to the Woodbury School in light of the fact that the school district does not own the school.
The town retained ownership of the building when the district mergers became mandatory and established a lease arrangement with the school district for use of the school.
There was discussion of funding options but no town capital funds are set aside and it is unknown whether MVUESD voters who recently voted for a bond for work on the Hardwick Elementary School would do the same to fund the work on Woodbury’s school, or even whether the administration would be in favor of it.
Town Clerk Robin Durkee asked the select board about accepting a request from Cindy Gordon to have a monthly community pot luck dinner in the town hall, starting sometime this fall. The board thought it a nice idea but expressed concern about whether the heating system could handle winter use of the hall, with the water usually shut off during the coldest months. If those issues can be dealt with, the board said they would support the idea and informally agreed to the idea.
Durkee said requests for appropriation are starting to come in for town meeting, with some of the organizations asking for increased amounts, which requires a petition from 5% of the town’s registered voters.
Durkee received copies of the newly updated town highway map, one of which will be posted at the town office and another on the town website.
In her treasurer’s report, Lilly Baron said the budget is tracking as expected, though RB Tech remains over budget. She suggested it may be worth reviewing alternatives to them, which was discussed briefly with no action taken.
Baron has started working on a capital equipment plan for replacement of highway equipment. She asked Alfie to review it and hopes to have a draft to share with the WSB at their next meeting.
She attended a Vermont League of Cities and Towns session on capital planning, which can help envision a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The plan would look at a 10 to 20 year interval for infrastructure projects and have the benefit of stabilizing tax rates, she said. Developing a full CIP would be a longer term project that could warrant its own town committee. The board decided to explore and discuss this idea at future meetings.
Baron made an inquiry to the Village Trust Initiative program sponsored through the Vermont Council on Rural Development. The program funds community revitalization and infrastructure projects for small towns. Durkee and Baron plan to meet with the director soon to learn more and explore potential opportunities.
John Reid reported on the town website, where a form for users to ask questions of town officials has caused confusion over who gets the inquiry and who is responsible for responding.
The select board approved a one-year extension to the Emergency Watershed Protection Program grant for Buck Lake Brook/Cabot Road bank stabilization project that had a final completion date of December 31 this year. The Natural Resources Conservation Service has been unable to complete design work due to federal shakeups, layoffs and confusion, said Select Board Assistant Michae Gray.
Road Commissioner Alfred Larrabee said the crew has completed hauling 3,000 yards of winter sand and the new truck was expected to be ready for pickup October 25. Work on the other trucks to prepare for winter plowing is ongoing.
He said the road crew is hoping to get to an East Hill project before winter sets in to fill a deep ditch on a bad curve that was carved out from flooding. The board approved work within the town highway right-of-way for the Walker property on Sand Hill Road after Larabee wished to recuse himself from signing the permit as road commissioner. He will be the contractor for the construction and wanted to avoid any perceived conflict of interest.
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
