CAVENDISH, Vt. – At the July 17 Cavendish Selectboard meeting, town manager Rick Chambers gave an update on road conditions, reporting that “all town roads have sustained a lot of flood damage.” Chambers did say most roads are now passable, except for sections of Brook Road and Cavendish Gulf Road.
“We ended up with four work crews here,” Chambers stated, explaining that was due to limited access to different areas of town. “A lot of local equipment and materials are being used, and a lot of [residents] have offered their help.” He added that the emergency coordination seemed to work well, and he believed every home in town was now accessible, although some driveways were still impassable. He told residents to report damages by calling 211, or online at www.vermont211.org.
Board member George Timko inquired about the bridge on Meadowbrook Farm Road, and mentioned that last year the board had been looking into replacing the bridge.
Chambers reported that both the bridge and culvert had been washed out, but the crews had been able to reinstall the culvert.
Board member Stephen Plunkard remarked, “There are recurring issues in the same spots. It appears to me that we basically rebuild, for the most part, the way they were. I’m wondering if, with historical records, we can come up with some new solutions, since this probably won’t be the last time we have flooding.”
Chambers agreed that now was the best time to “have real conversations [with the state] about what we can do to stop this from happening in the future.”
Plunkard asked Timko if ARPA funds would be available to use toward repairing the damage, and Timko replied that he would have to see how that would work, since there was an established committee and application process in place. Also, the funds are earmarked for Covid-related costs, so there may not be the option to use the money for flood repairs.
Margo Caulfield commented that one use of available ARPA funds would be to set up a Zoom link for the board meetings. “A lot of people want to be here tonight, but there’s no Zoom option, so we need to step up our game, and ARPA funds can help us do it.”
Chambers said the town had not contacted FEMA yet, but were documenting damage sites, taking photos, and planning a way to collect photos and videos from residents, in anticipation of applying for FEMA relief funds.
Bob Glidden, a member of the fire department, and the town’s emergency management director, thanked Chambers, “the ladies in the town office, and the highway crew. The communication was awesome,” Glidden said.
“As soon as we got [the shelter] open, they took care of everything. It’s unfortunate, but we know what we’re doing since we’ve done this before.”
“Just to [go back to] what you were talking about, George, the Meadowbrook Campground,” Glidden continued. “It was our most challenging place to get to, also had the most people who needed medication, and had no food because they were trapped over there, and the only way we were able to access them was to go into Ludlow on our UTVs and ATVs, and take the snowmobile trail that brought us right into the campground. We actually had to throw waters over the culvert on Monday, because we couldn’t safely cross it to reach them.”
The emergency crew was able to reach the campground with food and supplies on Tuesday.
Caulfield brought the discussion back to FEMA, commenting that she was already seeing people’s claims denied, and she compared the disaster to Hurricane Irene.
Speaking about the shelter, Caulfield said, “We have a lot more medical issues this time, than with Irene.” She told the room the biggest request was for dehumidifiers.
Caulfield also reported that many places were getting cleaned up, through volunteers and town workers, but she felt it would be a long and challenging recovery. “We have people delivering the food and talking to everyone. We’re taking care of the work crews.”
“Because of the way we’re using social media, we are getting donations from all over, which is great,” Caulfield said. “But we’re going to need a lot more people willing to come in and do things, because families don’t have insurance, [or] the kind of resources to put things back together.”
Chambers announced that there are dumpsters available on Depot Street, set up after the transfer station quickly filled up. He said that he and Glidden would work together to review the emergency response, and “see what worked, and what didn’t, so if there’s anything we can improve on, we’ll do it for the next time.”
Diane McNamara, town clerk and treasurer, addressed the meeting, saying that she and the selectboard had reviewed the proposed fiscal year 2024 tax rates. McNamara explained that there are four tax rates because there are two fire districts, each with a homestead and non-homestead tax rate.
Each district saw increases from last year, $0.35/$100 for fire district one, and $0.25/$100 for fire district two. Glidden explained that the fire district one budget increased due to payments on a new fire truck, which will be spread over the next six years.
The tax rate was approved at $2.4572/$100 and non-homestead at $2.5154/$100, for district one, and district two homestead at $2.3814/$100 and non-homestead at $2.4396/$100.
Chambers moved on to discuss the removal of lead goosenecks from residential water systems. He said the state was sending in contractors, and the work would be fully paid for by the state, at no cost to the homeowners. The town will locate and create an inventory of all locations to provide to the state contractors.
A project that has been discussed in previous meetings, installing new LED streetlights, is finally moving ahead, Chambers reported. After incentives from Efficiency Vermont, the new lights will cost $10,073.35. With an estimated savings per year of $3,247.20, the cost will be covered by savings within two to three years, Chambers calculated.
The board approved a request presented by Chambers from the Energy Committee, to apply for a $4,000 grant which would be used to begin the process of making the town office ADA compliant.
Regarding an appointment to the school board, Sandra Russo began the discussion, admitting she did not know either of the two candidates applying for the vacant position, but she appreciated both for volunteering to serve their community. Russo listed the qualifications she felt made Lisa Sanders the best choice, and gave her endorsement of the candidate.
Candidate Megan Jones was in attendance and addressed the meeting. “I can’t compete with some of those pieces, but my wheelhouse is mental health, the impact of trauma on brain development, and special education.”
The board makes a recommendation for the position, but does not appoint the person, as Chambers explained. He read a letter to the selectboard from Sanders, who could not be at the meeting.