ROCKINGHAM, Vt. – Shortly after Selectboard Chair Peter Golec called the Tuesday, Sept.19, meeting to order, he asked municipal manager Scott Pickup for his report. Pickup’s first item of business was regarding some work the railroad had done near the river following the recent storm events. Pickup stated there needed to be some follow up to address the way the site had been left. “I’m not an engineer,” Pickup said, “but it certainly looks like they’ve changed some of the river course.”
Board member Susan Hammond emphatically agreed, “Yes, they certainly did.”
Hammond said she lives near the site, and the railroad brought in a large excavator after the July flood, and dug a deeper, narrower river course through that section. They also left a massive pile of rocks and gravel where the old riverbed and floodplain were previously. Two properties near the area had flooded during Irene, and the recent storm, Hammond relayed, saying, “and they’ll probably flood earlier now that we lost the floodplain.”
Ultimately, Pickup said he would contact the railroad directly to try to get them to send out an engineer and explain what they were thinking, and to rectify the situation. Once that’s done, Pickup will report back to the board.
Pickup then presented updates on multiple proposed bridge projects. His statement, that the town’s bridges would likely be under construction, one after the other, for the better part of ten years, was met with groans from board members and citizens alike. Pickup mentioned that the 2025-2034 10-Year Transportation Improvement Plan was available to view and comment on, on the New Hampshire Department of Transportation website.
The Vilas Bridge Rehabilitation Project start date has been moved back one year to 2029, with a completion target of 2031. Funding is still in place, Pickup reassured, just the schedule had changed.
Regarding the Bridge Street Bridge Project, Pickup said the town planned to reapply to VTrans this fall for funds for the rehabilitation and repair of that bridge, currently under a weight restriction due to its deterioration. Pickup stated, “The utility work on Canal Street will probably start in 2025, but the actual bridge work won’t begin until 2026.”
After Golec restated the aggressive construction schedule, resident, board member, and president of the organization Rockingham for Progress Bonnie North remarked, “We can’t be in a situation where there’s no access to the island.”
Pickup and Golec commented that the timing was tricky, but the projects would ideally proceed consecutively.
The Rockingham Meeting House rehabilitation plan will hopefully go out to bidders in January 2024, and Pickup said he’s been trying to pull together engineers and architects this fall, so the town can get started on the project in the spring. “The goal is to have all of that done, with a rededication of the building roughly [scheduled] for July 4, 2026.”
An official state effort is underway to review the issues communities across Vermont are experiencing with local EMS response. Called The Vermont Regional Emergency Medical Services Coordination Study of 2023, Pickup explained it is “a lot of verbiage” to say they are collecting information, and will send their recommendations “up to Montpelier,” so there can be action taken at a state level to address the issues the Town of Rockingham and the region are facing. Pickup said, as a member of the committee, he is participating in a series of public meetings and will work to complete a full study and compile a complete set of recommendations. “I’ll certainly keep the board in the loop,” Pickup stated. “I’m hopeful it will give us some good opportunities to work with the state on solutions, because certainly right now we’re caught up in a lot of concerns about the way EMS is being delivered, and the future of EMS as we move forward.”
The board considered the 2024 Vermont Historic Preservation Grant for the Rockingham Meeting House. Pickup explained that Walter Wallace, Rockingham Historic Preservation Commission Coordinator, had requested additional funding outside of the Save America’s Treasures Grant. Instead, this is Wallace’s effort to fund some additional work, primarily to the roof, according to Pickup. Pickup suggested they use the 2025 meeting house maintenance fund to cover the local match portion of the grant application. The board approved the application and appropriation of $11,800 from the maintenance fund account.
An opportunity to move forward on a municipal planning grant for a bicycle and pedestrian master plan was considered, with Pickup mentioning that the planning commission has reviewed the proposal, and supported it. Rockingham can co-apply with the Town of Westminster for a consortium grant in the amount of $50,000, and requiring a 10% match from the town, or $5,000. If Rockingham chose to apply alone, for an individual grant, the available funds would be less, around $20,000, also with a 10% match. The proposed project is “a comprehensive and thorough plan” with “a huge amount of public engagement” that is looking at building a connected bike-walk trail system between towns, such as Bellows Falls and Saxtons River, while prioritizing safety and efficiency.
Pickup announced the fall meeting schedule for the three municipalities. The Bellows Falls trustees will hold a singular meeting in October and November, the tri-board meeting will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 26, and the next selectboard meetings will be Oct. 10, and Nov. 7. Pickup said the selectboard would most likely meet twice per month in December and January, as they continued working on the town budget.