WOODBURY – A preliminary town budget discussion presented to the Woodbury Select Board (WSB) at its December 8 meeting, showed a general fund increase of 11%, with 15% for the highway fund. Discussion was to continue at the special meeting held Monday, Dec. 15.
In other business, the FEMA buyout of the fire station property was accepted, the town will ask to keep excess FEMA funds and the zoning board of adjustment’s deliberations over the Swenson Granite Company’s request to expand its operations generated much discussion.
The board signed an agreement for the FEMA buyout of the old fire station for $128,000, giving the town ownership of the empty lot. Fire Chief Paul Cerutti said the funds will be used toward matching funds required by the USDA agreement for the new fire department’s addition.
Plans for that addition have been sent to the USDA. Once they are approved, the project can go out to bid.
Town officials had been under the impression that unused FEMA funds for bridge replacement could be kept by the town for additional flood mitigation projects, but that became less certain in recent months.
Recovery Officer Skip Lindsay reported the Vermont Public Assistance office sent an email indicating that FEMA will be expecting the return of unused funds for the bridge replacement work.
Some of those funds have already been spent, leading to discussion about options, including only returning unused funds and asking to keep what has already been spent, but it was decided Lindsay will write a draft letter asking to hold on to the remaining funds.
Zoning board of adjustment (ZBA) Chair Jonah Meacham talked about the November 18 hearing on a Swenson Granite Company application requesting approval to expand, which the ZBA must consider and determine is not a detriment to the community if it is to be approved.
The board’s deliberative session was scheduled for December 11, with a decision to be based on issues raised in the hearing. Meacham said noise, dust and traffic safety from the additional trucks were the main concerns raised there.
The amount Swenson pays to the town hasn’t increased in 15 years, but is outside the purview of the ZBA and will be negotiated by the WSB, along with other things that might include more control over the scheduling of the trucks.
Two candidates have applied for a position as the third road crew member. An interview scheduled for December 15 with the most promising candidate, which Alfred Larabee will attend.
A discussion about how long Larabee, who has resigned, but agreed to stay on until the position is filled, ended with Larabee saying he doesn’t intend to leave the town short-handed and is willing to help train the new employee.
A quote to replace five town hall windows came in at $17,000, which was thought to be too high, but no further plans were made.
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
