SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – The Springfield Selectboard convened on Monday, March 24, at 6 p.m., and heard a presentation from Chris Rivet of Dubois & King, a local engineering consulting company, on the status of the town salt shed. The board was required to make an official choice before moving forward with the grant application process.
Rivet began by quickly outlining three alternatives, previously reviewed by the selectboard, to address the failing structure. The first option, “do nothing,” Rivet said, is not a practical choice based on the shed’s deteriorated condition, with the main concern being the safety of town employees.
The current location of the shed, adjacent to the Black River, is at risk for flooding in the future, which could create “significantly more” structural damage than has already occurred, and would likely cause the release of salt material into the river. Rivet told the meeting that if the shed is to be rebuilt in the same area, the structure would have to be moved further away from the river.
The third option, recommended by Dubois & King, would be to build a new, larger shed at the town garage site. Years ago, the shed was relocated away from the town garage due to some contamination of the town water supply, but that issue has since been mitigated, according to Rivet. The move would eliminate the need for road crews to travel between the two sites, which they must do now when hauling sand and salt during the winter season.
Town manager Jeff Mobus told the meeting that the town’s latest grant request had been denied, and, since they have been “putting aside $40,000 a year to do this,” they have the funds available. Mobus said that the town had been advised to do a scoping study as part of applying for the construction grant.
The board voted in favor of moving forward with the scoping study.
Complaints of a vicious dog located at a residence on Holt Street were once again in front of the board for review, this time with several neighbors and others in attendance to share their experiences being terrorized by the dog. The board was presented with a packet of violations and warning notices, as well as signed statements from victims and witnesses.
Lauri Slaight, resident of Charlestown, N.H., gave an emotional account of her experience during a visit to the Holt Street property on Easter Sunday 2024, when she was viciously attacked by the dog. Slaight had to wipe away tears several times, admitting that she is an “animal lover,” but was compelled to come before the board because she wanted to be sure no one else would get mauled by the dog, called Diablo.
Springfield resident Robert Hotsenpiller remarked, “I’ve been bit by the dog; my children have been bit by the dog. I’m not playing the game no more.” Additionally, Hotsenpiller alleged that the owners of the dog are squatters, and have been living in the house for the past five or six years.
Holt Street resident Larysa Cox, who testified that her dog had been attacked by Diablo several times, added that the legal property owner had passed away from cancer, and had no family in town. “She had been trying to get rid of this property for quite some time, and I believe [the house] was just auctioned off.”
Everyone expressed compassion for the dog – most were dog owners themselves. However, all agreed that this had been going on for several years, the owner had not been compliant, and the dog was becoming more and more aggressive and dangerous.
Police Chief Jeff Burnham was at the meeting, and relayed further details about what the department had done thus far, and how the owner had not responded or paid any of the tickets they had received. Burnham stated that the owner was unable to provide evidence of current rabies vaccination.
After meeting in judicial discussion offline to resolve the vicious dog complaint issue, Vice Chair Mike Martin read the board’s decision. “Under Chapter 193, we have determined that this is a vicious dog with a long record of attacks, and that prior attempts at restraints by the owner…have failed to protect the public.”
The board voted to confiscate the dog and destroy it, with Martin stating, “It’s in the chief’s hands now.”
The board acted on several FEMA-contracted construction projects, including the Weathersfield Dam project and the Lincoln Street erosion project.
Mobus welcomed new executive director of Springfield on the Move Vanessa Rebentisch.
A public meeting will be held before the April 14 selectboard meeting, with representatives from the state in attendance to discuss the Riverside culvert project. Mobus reported that the state had awarded the $3.5 million project, with work scheduled to begin this summer. A short section of Route 11 between Fairground Road and the redemption center will be closed between July 4 and Aug. 18 to complete the project.