SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Springfield town manager Jeff Mobus ran through a partial list of appointments for local committees, boards, and commissions, and presented the board with five applications in the meeting packet for their review.
Recently-elected selectboard member Mike Schmitt resigned his position on the planning commission, and was appointed as selectboard liaison to that commission. The board then approved the appointments, or reappointments, of Susan Fog, John Middleton, and Britton Herring to the planning commission, Erin Hunter as an alternate on the Springfield Development Review Board, Peter MacGillivray and Kurt Staudter to the airport commission, and Scott Richardson and Taylor Drinker to the capital planning committee.
The board approved several event permit requests, one from the North School Preservation Society to hold an antique/classic car show and flea market on Saturday, June 29. Two annual events sponsored by Edgar May – the Touch-A-Truck and fastest kid race on April 6, and the Springfield Dam Run on June 8 – have been held for several years without incident, and Mobus reported that he’d discussed all three applications with Police Chief Burnham, and neither had any objections.
Mobus asked the board to sign an agreement between the town and Edgar May that would allow the summer use of their pool by Springfield residents. Mobus first alerted the board to the proposal during budget discussions last year, reporting that repairing the town pool was not fiscally possible, and an agreement with the recreation center would give residents the opportunity to swim at the facility on Clinton Street.
Beginning June 23 and extending through August 31, Springfield residents will have access to the lap pool and wading pool for a total of 35 hours, seven days per week. The schedule offers swimming midday, evenings, and weekends, with locker room access to residents who show proof of residency, for a fee of $1 for children ages 4-17, and $2 for adults 18 and over. The town will pay Edgar May $20,000 for the 10-week agreement.
Mobus presented a request from the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) asking the board to sign a letter of support for Hartness State Airport. “Last year,” Mobus stated, “VTrans had planned on repaving the existing runway and improving safety areas, but found that a more costly reconstruction of the runway was needed.”
The FAA had approved funds for the repair, but for a shorter and narrower runway, and VTrans is trying to obtain funding through a Congressional Direct Spending (CDS) request to cover the additional $4,000,000 required to repair the current runway without reducing the length and width. The letter, addressed to the Vermont Congressional Delegation, argues that the reduction in the runway’s size “will impede our ability to maintain the current use of the airport and its ability to support the current economic development of our community.”
“Furthermore,” the letter states, “Hartness Airport is a critical resource for FEMA as the only airport to handle C17 transport aircraft used in emergency relief situations, as seen in Vermont’s tragic July 2023 floods.”
At the March 11 selectboard meeting, planning and zoning administrator Chuck Wise had presented the board with the Town Plan. Mobus went over the schedule Wise proposed for board and public review of the plan, which suggested a board review on April 8, followed by two public hearings, on April 22 and May 13. The public hearings are to be held at the town hall, beginning at 6 p.m.
In his manager’s report, Mobus updated the board on several items. A break in the sewer line was discovered on March 18 along River Street, and Mobus stated that, after digging 14 feet down, it was determined that an entire section of the main was broken. This break caused discharge to flow into the Black River, which was reported to the state.
Gurney Brothers worked with the town wastewater and water departments to repair 65 feet of the main. Mobus said, based on the age and condition of the damaged pipe, the section of main adjacent to the break would be inspected, and if that examination reveals similar decay, the town will have to replace those lines as well.
The culvert on Slab City that had washed out in the December flood has been replaced, reported Mobus. The new culvert was made larger, to prevent future washouts, and the project is eligible for FEMA reimbursement.
Vice Chair Mike Martin announced that the preliminary meeting of the capital planning committee was held last week, and the second was yet to be scheduled. The committee was formed to oversee the evaluation of Springfield’s longterm capital needs, versus its debt capacity.
The selectboard’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 8, at 6 p.m.