LUDLOW, Vt. – Seated in the Heald Auditorium, backed by paintings of rhinoceroses and tall savannah grass in place for the forthcoming June 5 production of The Lion King by Ludlow Elementary School students, The Ludlow Selectboard met on Monday, June 3, at 6 p.m., for their regular monthly meeting.
During the meeting, Ludlow resident Steven Webersen spoke to the board about a class 4 road near his property, which encompasses a small portion of Preedom Hill Road. Most of Preedom Hill Road is a class 3 road, meaning it is open to vehicle traffic, but closed to ATVs. However, a small stretch of the road is classified as class 4, and, Webersen claimed, it has recently been used by ATV riders, causing what was once a walkable, grassy path to become “a disaster,” rutted and muddy due to being churned up by four-wheelers.
Town manager Brendan McNamara said he had visited the site, as had selectboard member Scott Baitz. Both agreed that the road was in poor shape, and that the section of road was not well suited to use by ATV traffic. Additionally, ATVs are not allowed on class 3 roads, the board noted, meaning that the only way to access the class 4 section of Preedom Hill Road on an ATV entailed breaking the law.
Several options were discussed by the board concerning how to limit access to the road by ATVs. The board largely rejected the notion of “throwing up” the road, meaning abandoning it and allowing it to become private property, explaining that they preferred that the public right of way remain for other uses. Webersen was also in favor of public use of the road other than by ATV traffic.
Another option McNamara raised was for the town to pass a class 4 road ordinance. Currently, Ludlow adheres to Vermont state statute in what uses it does and does not allow on class 4 roads, but an ordinance would allow the town to further restrict activities on these roads. This would, McNamara explained, require the usual warnings, meetings, and processes involved in passing any town ordinance, and would take time. McNamara felt that this would be “the most seamless way” to deal with the issue, and that it is “something that is not uncommon in towns.” The possibility of reclassifying the road as a trail was also noted. In the end, the board determined to pursue the matter further, and expressed their support of ending ATV use of the road.
The board also approved the use of ARPA funds for a number of projects, pursuant to special meetings held with residents to discuss the funds: $50,000 for the transfer station bathroom, $45,000 for the dog park relocation at West Hill Recreation Area, $15,000 for the Jewell Brook Dam level alert system, $25,000 for the mountain bike trail system behind Fletcher Farm, $15,000 for audio/video upgrades to the Heald Auditorium, and $65,000 for Dorsey Park recreation upgrades. This leaves a balance of $116,926 left to allocate.
Several board members felt that the amount allocated to the mountain bike trail project should be increased, as it had originally been set at $10,000, while $50,000 had been requested by the group in charge of constructing the trail. McNamara explained that these amounts could be amended, and that the remaining funds could be allocated in the future however the board desired. The amount was increased to $25,000 before the board approved the allocation.
Board member Justin Hyjek expressed his feeling that the funds allocated for recreation should be increased, particularly the $65,000 for Dorsey Park, rather than using the funds for projects that could be accomplished through other budgetary means, such as the Jewell Brook Dam alert system and Heald Auditorium upgrades. “I have sat through enough budgets to know that the rec department will get sabered every single time. As soon as there’s a slight overage, it’s really, really hard to pass recreational improvements,” Hyjek said. “This money should go towards something that the town wouldn’t necessarily get otherwise, and I don’t think we’re executing that properly.”
Despite these objections, the board approved ARPA fund allocation as listed above.
McNamara informed the board that a special town meeting had been scheduled for Monday, June 17, at 6 p.m., in the Heald Auditorium, to discuss a local options tax and the merger of the Town and Village of Ludlow. The selectboard’s next regular meeting will be held on Monday, July 1.