ROCKINGHAM, Vt. – Recently elected Rockingham Selectboard Vice Chair Amy Howlett led the Tuesday night, April 7, regular meeting in the absence of Rick Cowan, board chair.
At the outset, the board heard from Highway Superintendent Glen Schreiter regarding a proposal from Green Mountain Power (GMP) to install underground power beneath Cambridgeport Road.
The project would take place this summer, with a September 2026 completion date. GMP wants to install three-phase underground power from the intersection of Fisher Hill Road to the Route 103 end of Cambridgeport Road. The work would require the use of a complex piece of machinery that will cut an approximately 4-foot deep, 8-inch-wide trench in the roadway and would necessitate the replacement of all crossover culverts that are currently in use throughout that stretch of road.
Schreiter told the board he had raised several questions and concerns with GMP and was looking to see some assurances that the town’s road infrastructure would be protected in the years after the project is completed. Many culverts in that area have been replaced by the Rockingham Highway Department over the last four years, and Schreiter wants GMP to use the same high-quality materials again so that the investment made by the town will not be lost with the installation of standard-grade culverts.
Board member John Dunbar mentioned that some public concern had been raised at the most recent tri-board meeting regarding EMS response times. Alex Torpey, interim town manager, relayed that the fire chief, Shawn McGinnis, had contacted the concerned resident directly and was addressing the issue.
Dunbar added, “I should mention that I saw a report that there were four [emergency] calls this morning in a 30-minute span, and all were addressed with good response times.”
One member of the EMS department in attendance confirmed Dunbar’s report, stating, “Yep. Four calls in 34 minutes, average response time: 6 minutes. And, we still had some coverage back at the station [in case of] another call.”
Executive sessions were conducted offline by the board before the meeting was adjourned, where two personnel matters were discussed, as well as a review of legal advice given to the board by the town attorney. An additional matter regarding potential litigation was settled with no further action necessary.
The board will meet again on April 21. Some of the items on the agenda will be discussions on the Flatiron bump-out and listers compensation.