BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – Project engineer David Jenson, of Stone Environmental, gave a report to the Rockingham Selectboard on Sept. 1 regarding the EPA brownfield cleanup activity at 30 Henry Street, the home of the Bellows Falls Community Bike Project (BFCBP). Jenson said the company has been overseeing work at BFCBP to address environmental concerns related to site contamination from “historical sources,” which pose a potential threat to the quality of the indoor air.
Stone Environmental began looking into cleanup requirements at the location in 2024. Since beginning the work, Jenson said, it has removed more contaminated soil than initially estimated, which must be transported off site to a landfill equipped to take hazardous materials.
Jenson reported that that work will start in the near future, and he hoped to have everything completed by the end of the year.
Town Manager Aaron Patt also presented his report, which included an update on the bond funds for the Bellows Falls Opera House roof. Patt reported the town received the final $798,000, and first payments will start next year.
“So, that whole cycle,” said Patt, “which you have all been part of all the way through, is now complete.”
A couple of items not on the night’s agenda were brought up by Bellows Falls resident Tim Knight, who first took a moment to thank the selectboard for acting to remove campers that had been parked in the Rockingham Park and Ride lot.
Knight also asked the board to address the situation he observed at the Rodeway Inn in Bellows Falls. The motel suffered damage from a fire in May, and, according to Knight, it seems some people have taken up residence in several of the rooms. “What is the latest on that?” asked Knight. “Are they going to fix it? Tear it down? Leave it the way it is?”
Board Chair Rick Cowan said it was his understanding that some unhoused people were living there via the state voucher program, but he wasn’t 100% sure. Knight’s concern was that the main building of the motel seemed uninhabitable.
Patt concurred with Cowan’s take on the situation, and mentioned that he had held “a significant staff meeting” with the fire chief, police chief, and town zoning administrator to discuss the matter. Patt told Knight he believed there were funds in place to rebuild the central section of the building that had sustained most of the fire damage, and said he would follow up and put the item on the agenda at a future meeting.
Further along the agenda, Patt, Cowan, and the selectboard held a brief discussion about setting up a town manager meet and greet event at the Rockingham Public Library. It was agreed that Thursday, Oct. 1, at 5 p.m., would be the target date and time, and once Cowan could confirm the availability of the library that night, he would lock in the schedule.
Finally, the board adjourned the regular selectboard meeting in order to conduct two executive sessions, one dealing with ongoing mediation between the town and Great River Hydro.
The selectboard’s next meeting will be held Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 6 p.m.