LUDLOW, Vt. – The Ludlow Selectboard began their April 7 meeting – the first since Town Meeting in March – by electing Brett Sanderson as chair and Justin Hyjek as vice chair, both continuing in these roles from the previous year.
The board then appointed interested parties to the town’s appointed positions, with town manager Brendan McNamara noting that none of the positions were contested. For a full list of appointments, visit the town’s website, www.ludlow.vt.us.
Terry Carter, chair of the Ludlow Planning Commission, spoke to the board concerning the commission’s recent work on a short-term rental (STR) registry proposal. Carter noted that the planning commission has investigated the requirements of surrounding towns’ STR registries in order to inform their process, and recommended several requirements for an STR ordinance. These requirements included fire safety certification, a major concern for Ludlow in the wake of the Trailside fire at Okemo in October 2024. STRs with a maximum occupancy of eight or fewer would be allowed to self-certify, while those with an occupancy greater than eight would need to be inspected by the state fire marshal. Proposed requirements also included on-site parking only, a lower registration fee for Vermont homesteaders, and casualty and liability insurance. The requirement of a Knox box, allowing access to the property by fire department personnel in the case of an emergency, was left up to the discretion of the fire marshal.
Concern centered on similar issues as previous STR registry discussions in town, in particular the large influx of inspections which would need to be carried out all at once upon the enaction of the ordinance. Ludlow Fire Chief Ben Whalen told the board that there are “around 1,000” STRs in Ludlow, and estimated that about 800 of those had occupancies of more than eight, thereby requiring fire marshal inspection. However, he noted that the fire marshal had likely already inspected many of the units, and that he believed Ludlow would be able to work with the fire marshal to access this data, obviating the need for inspection of those units.
Some board members and residents took issue with the insurance requirement, with board member Noah Schmidt saying Ludlow does not require any other businesses to carry insurance. Resident Eric Alden questioned whether an insurance requirement would result in a higher level of safety, saying he believed it would not. Hyjek countered that, as a business owner in Ludlow who carries insurance, he is subject to regular inspections by insurance adjustors, and that this does lead to an increased level of safety, though he did express apprehension about a requirement being included in the ordinance. Schmidt also noted that homeowners insurance may not be as comprehensive as commercial insurance, as he believed no adjustors had inspected the Trailside condominium prior to the fire despite insurance requirements imposed by the condominium association.
The planning commission did not propose a fee structure, preferring to leave it to the selectboard to determine registration fees. After discussion, the board ultimately directed the planning commission to come up with a fee structure, and compile an ordinance for the selectboard to review. Some discussion of potential fee structures ensued, with board member George Tucker noting that the fees should be structured to ensure that the program “pays for itself.” Planning commission member Ryan Silvestri told the board that he believed the program could also serve as an opportunity for Ludlow to “bolster its full-time fire department staff,” to counterbalance the increased responsibility on the fire department, and that these kinds of cost considerations should be factored into the planning commission’s fee determinations.
Later in the meeting, Schmidt, who had been serving as the selectboard’s liaison to the planning commission for the past year, also spoke to the board regarding his perceptions of how the boards can better work together. “I don’t think that we [the selectboard] are necessarily giving them the tools where…they’re able to come up with some very impactful things,” Schmidt said, urging the selectboard to give more specific direction to the planning commission.
Silvestri also suggested to the board that a full-time planning and economic development coordinator may help the town to be more directed in its development efforts, have more follow-through on projects, and facilitate greater communication between boards. “If the town is serious about tangible change…that is imperative,” Silvestri said, noting that the planning commission, though able to set a tone for the town and come up with ideas, does not have the relevant engineering, architectural, or urban planning background to fully develop and bring projects to fruition, and meets too infrequently to move projects forward in a timely fashion. Hyjek expressed agreement, noting that there had been discussions of adding a planning coordinator in the past, and that he would like the board to move forward with hiring one in the near future.
Moving on, McNamara gave his updates to the board, explaining that the Resilience Initiative for Vermont Empowerment and Recovery (RIVER) project, which was a federally funded project to develop “floodplain compatible” recreation along the Black River in the areas formerly occupied by the Timber Inn Motel and Ludlow Little League field, is now “dead in the water” due to federal funding cuts. McNamara described the situation as “unfortunate” noting that “a lot of time and energy” was put into the project.
The Ludlow Selectboard meets on the first Monday of every month, at 6 p.m., in the Heald Auditorium at Ludlow Town Hall.