BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – The Rockingham Selectboard met on March 17, at 7 p.m., in the lower theater, where Board Vice Chair Amy Howlett presented an update on the search for a new municipal manager. Howlett reported that the notice for applicants was posted in February, and the town had received 44 applications since then.
Retired Montpelier city manager Bill Fraser, now working with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, had been assisting the hiring committee with vetting the applicants. The committee, which consists of Howlett, Selectboard Chair Rick Cowan, Bellows Falls trustee Wade Masure, and town human resources manager Heather Hitchcock, pared down the field to five of the most qualified candidates, and, after conducting interviews, selected two to come back and meet with town department heads, the Rockingham Selectboard, and the Bellows Falls Trustees. Ultimately, a vote by members of both boards will determine who will fill the position.
During public comment, Bellows Falls resident Laurel Green addressed the board as a representative of the local chapter of Indivisible, a grassroots pro-democracy movement, regarding an application for an upcoming No Kings event at the Waypoint Center. Green noted the application was not on the meeting agenda, although she had spoken with Alex Torpey, interim town manager, about the group’s request.
The event is part of a national day of action, Green told the board. “We are planning a rally at the Waypoint Center with speakers, music, singing, dance, and games for children of all ages,” Green said. There will also be an organized march through Bellows Falls, returning to the center.
Rockingham resident William Keating identified himself as the “safety coordinator” for the group and reported that there would be 17 trained safety volunteers at the event, and that he had been meeting with Police Chief David Bemis to discuss safety procedures.
More than 60 people have volunteered to assist at the event, Green offered. The program will begin at 1 p.m. and run for about 45 minutes before the march commences.
The event was approved by the board, pending further discussion with Torpey, the town legal counsel, and the town’s insurance company regarding the request for an insurance waiver.
Organizer Susan Brace asked for clarification about the requested insurance waiver, explaining that insurance is not issued for political events on a federal level, and that requiring something the local group cannot provide infringes on their first-amendment rights of freedom of speech and assembly. Torpey acknowledged that town policy required some revisions to better and more clearly establish guidelines for all future event requests.
Development director Gary Fox was in attendance to report on the Bridge Street Depot project, which VTrans recently announced would be delayed by four years due to lack of funds.
Fox requested the board sign a letter addressed to Gov. Phil Scott focusing on honoring the commitment VTrans made via a State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) in 2020. In the meantime, Vermont state senators are calling for a congressionally directed spending request.
“There are a lot of communities in Vermont that are in trouble right now, with VTrans [delaying bridge projects],” stated Fox. “What is different about this is we’re not talking about a bridge for transportation [only]. We’re talking about a number of different economic development projects, developers, [and] funding we have lined up.”
Fox told the board, “Bellows Falls Area Development purchased two lots on the island to have site control and redevelop. Sustainable Valley Group purchased two lots under the hill to have site control and do that cleanup and redevelopment.” Fox relayed that to put an additional four-year delay on the construction would be “untenable.”
The board approved Fox’s request to ask Gov. Scott for his support to complete the project during the 2027-2029 construction schedule.
Ray Perry, tree warden, and Polly Thompson, member of the tree committee, brought a green and financially beneficial idea to the board at Tuesday’s meeting. Together, Perry and Thompson presented a concept to turn an unused space within the fenced-in community garden at the bottom of the ski tow hill into a community tree nursery.
Thompson told the board they ordered 10 trees for $80, and in four or five years those trees will be worth $1,000. Recently elected board member Dalila Hall moved to support the effort and suggested including local schools and arborists. The board authorized the motion.
In other business, Hall moved that all selectboard materials be provided in a digital form, and that the packet be made available for the public to view online. Hall said she believed this might help boost attendance at selectboard meetings. Torpey agreed and said both boards should approve the new protocol, indicating that he would present the idea to the trustees at their meeting on March 24.
The Rockingham Selectboard will meet next on April 7, at 6 p.m., in the third-floor conference room.