BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – At the Tuesday night, May 14, meeting of the Bellows Falls Trustees, Rockingham town manager Scott Pickup presented the summer schedule for the joint boards. With the exception of handling urgent matters, the trustees agreed to a once-per-month schedule, and set their next meeting for June 18.
Pickup announced that the police department, in collaboration with FACT TV, will be producing a short video/public service announcement to inform the public about traffic and pedestrian safety in the downtown Bellows Falls area. The PSA will run ahead of movie screenings at the Opera House.
“The PSA will remind folks about using crosswalks, and basic pedestrian awareness and safety,” said Pickup.
Continuing with regular business, the trustees approved open air permits for annual events at the Bellows Falls Middle School and the American Legion Auxiliary.
The board then addressed some items of note presented by Pickup, including an update to a no-parking traffic ordinance at the Griswold Drive trailhead.
Trustee Conor Floyd presented a counter argument to the parking ban, as an advocate for creating more accessible trails in Rockingham. While at the same time acknowledging the homeowners’ concerns, Floyd commented that there was “a public interest in access to the Griswold Drive trailhead.”
Pickup brought up the Kissel Hill water plant project, which had been previously discussed and warned, but, as Pickup stated, some of the residents are protesting the project. “If folks had questions or comments about the proposed Kissel Hill project,” said Pickup, “this would be the time, I think, if the board wanted to entertain that.”
A resident of Kissel Hill was at the meeting. He did not state his name, but asked the board permission to speak. “I just found out about this very recently,” he stated, “and I think part of the problem I have with this is the process, since we’re not residents of Bellows Falls, we don’t get notice of these meetings, we don’t get notice of this agenda item, and we are not allowed to participate in the vote.”
He went on to say that, according to the proposal, it’s a tax that only affects Kissel Hill residents. “By my calculations,” he continued, “this will be to the tune of $16,000 per household. It’s a $650,000 bond proposal, and I believe there are 39 households on Kissel Hill.”
“I think that’s about right,” agreed Pickup.
“That’s quite a hefty tax,” the resident commented. “Not being able to vote on that tax is the definition of taxation without representation.”
Referring to the 2007 water agreement between Westminster and Bellows Falls, he said, “It pretty clearly doesn’t allow this.” He then read from the agreement to support his comments. He went on to point out that when there are repairs in Bellows Falls, the Kissel Hill residents contribute to the cost of those, and this repair should be treated no differently.
Pickup told the resident that they are waiting for approval for an additional $650,000 from the State Revolving Loan Fund. “This ACP line that we talked about,” said Pickup, “is an asbestos distribution line, and it was put in in 1971 and it’s approaching failure. Our attorney feels if we are successful and we get bond authorization and the state pays 50% of the cost, it would be in the best interest of the Kissel Hill residents to pay for that additional cost. If they don’t, his legal advice probably at this point is to say there’s no reason to continue this agreement.”
“If the people of Kissel Hill don’t want this done, then we won’t do it,” remarked board member James McAuliffe. “You keep saying it’s a tax, but it’s not a tax. It’s a cost of providing the water service to you.” He added, “If you don’t want this done, and you want to build wells for your water, that’s perfectly acceptable as far as I’m concerned.”
Bellows Falls Village President Paul Obuchowski reviewed and assigned the articles for the annual meeting on May 20, and the board discussed agenda items for the next meeting, including an update on the fire feasibility report and parking and traffic study.