BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – Town manager Scott Pickup began last Tuesday night’s regular meeting of the Bellows Falls Trustees with an announcement. “Now that we are hopefully into spring, we’ll start the Pine Street sidewalk work again.”
The project had been suspended in late November, with plans to finish up this spring. “So, you should see some work progressing on that,” Pickup stated.
Pickup mentioned that leaf bags are available for residents for yard clean up projects, and reported that the town was in the process of repairing any damage caused by winter plowing. Pickup told any resident who feels their property has been overlooked to email him at manager@rockbf.org, or give the town hall a call to get added to the list.
There was some discussion about traffic enforcement in the downtown area, following a recent pedestrian accident. The incident is still under investigation, but initially it appeared that the pedestrian was crossing the street outside of a crosswalk, and it was unclear whether speed was a factor. Further consideration will be forthcoming, with the potential for a reduction in the speed limit.
Pickup reviewed budget increases in water and sewer rates, due to several projects that were approved five years ago. He presented the board with historical data, stating that the biggest factor contributing to rate increases was the $9 million bond taken out to cover upgrades to the wastewater plant. Utility customers should expect a 3% rate increase in September 2024, and again in March 2025.
Calling it a “creative way” to pay for the final improvements without ratepayers incurring additional costs, Pickup told the board about a Department of Energy grant. He stated that the grant money would fund the replacement of the existing drying unit at the wastewater facility, which was produced by an overseas company. The town plans to purchase a new, domestically manufactured unit from supplier Process Wastewater Technologies LLC (PWTech), and Pickup explained that sourcing the equipment from a U.S.-based company will alleviate the delays he’s dealt with in the past – sometimes waiting up to a year for parts to be shipped for the current machine.
PWTech is working with a professional grant writer at no cost to the town, said Pickup, stating, “If we pool all our sources together, including ARPA money, the Long Island Sound grant, which we’ve already applied for, and the clean water state revolving fund money, we won’t have to bond for any of these improvements at the sewer plant.”
Upon review of the proposed budget and general fund, Pickup reported that finance director Alyssa Harlow was able to rework the numbers, applying $100,000 from the fund balance to offset tax increases.
An additional $50,000 was appropriated to cover a portion of the cost for new equipment in the police department budget, with Harlow acknowledging that $102,000 reflected the total cost of the communication upgrade for the department.
Board member Wade Masure commented that he’d been testing the signal with the department, and it was “much improved.”
The next trustees meeting is scheduled for April 23, where Pickup will present the final financials to the board.