CABOT – Work went on for weeks in the bottom of the Willey Building, updating components of the town hall lift. Work stopped multiple times to wait for parts, but the task is done and state inspection is complete.
Lift refurbishing, along with other improvements in the Willey Building and wastewater plant, was paid for by a grant secured by former Town Clerk Betty Ritter. Ritter said she was hoping to see the work done before her departure, but time ran out.
She speaks highly of the assistance she received from Sam Lash of the Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission. The grant Ritter and Lash developed brought about half a million dollars in infrastructure improvements to Cabot.
The lift upgrade cost about $40,000, and is critical to meet requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and to facilitate the movement of heavy items into and throughout the building like office equipment, musical instruments and library books.
The new setup doesn’t look different: the key is needed and the lift button is pressed while the lift moves to the level requested, but the components are new. The key to access the lift is available from the town clerk’s office or library.
This article first appeared in the July issue of the Cabot Chronicle.
