PLYMOUTH, Vt. – The selectboard held an emergency meeting Tuesday, July 11, to get an assessment of the condition of town roads after the July 10 flooding.
Emergency coordinator Al Poirier updated the town on emergency services. A shelter was opened in the community center on Monday, July 10, and aided 10-12 people that had been stranded by the flood. A few people were extracted from their flooded homes after the storm, and there were also campers stranded at Coolidge State Park, who were able to shelter in place until they were rescued out of the park.
Board chair Jay Kullman reported that “about five to six homes were severely damaged,” and emergency management might encourage them to contact FEMA.
Road foreman Larry Lynds gave an update on the road conditions. Hale Hollow, Johnson Farm, Messer Hill, Grand View Lodge, and Kingdom roads all have severe damage. Subcontractors have been hired to help the town road crews in providing temporary repair work, with one lane access in most locations, until FEMA can assess the damage and approve permanent repairs. The town had scheduled an appointment with FEMA for this week.
Kullman said, “The highway department has done a great job at getting most of the roads passable,” but there was still question about Kingdom Road and its condition as of July 17. A temporary fix on the Route 100 Bridge should also be completed by the end of this weekto get it opened back up.
Vermont river management engineer Todd Menees added that the town must get any municipal road permits and stream alteration permits necessary as the road repairs proceed. He also said the town should be aware of the proper terminology used in FEMA documents; for example, “landslide” should be termed “mass slope failure.”
Kullman asked about applying for a line of credit to cover the expenses of the work and materials needed to repair the roads. Lynds suggested a line of credit for at least $1.5 million, to be repaid as the town receives FEMA reimbursements.
The board discussed leasing a trailer to be on site for storing all FEMA documents and to be used for meetings with FEMA representatives. They stated this will be a multi-year process, and will require meticulous record keeping in order for the town to be reimbursed for all the expenses related to the storm.
The board also signed the Series 2 Loan document for the $800,000 bond for the municipal building, which was due to the Vermont Bond Bank by July 12. The loan was approved by the Vermont Bond Bank’s board of directors, and will be dispersed upon closing on or around Aug. 10.
A regular selectboard meeting was held Monday, July 17. Details will be reported in the next paper, July 26.