SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – At the Monday, Dec. 9, Springfield Selectboard meeting, town manager Jeff Mobus asked the board to approve a loan agreement for preliminary engineering to begin sewer main replacement along portions of River, Main, and Mineral streets.
Mobus reported that, as a result of the sewer main break on River Street in March, the state is requiring the town to replace several sewer mains. The agreement, for $45,000, is a loan from the state with terms that see 50% loan forgiveness in 2029, and deferred payments until that time. The remaining balance will be paid overfive years at 0% interest. The board voted unanimously in favor of the agreement.
The selectboard approved the new edit of the town employee handbook, revised for the first time in over 40 years. A copy of the handbook is available to view on the town website, on the human resources page.
Mobus gave the board an update on the Weathersfield Dam removal, referring to the proposal as “my number one project I wanted to take care of.”
“I didn’t want to leave it for someone else to deal with,” Mobus stated.
Mobus said the town had recently received the grant agreement from the state, with money from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) covering 90% of the project’s total cost of $840,830. The town match of $84,083 will come from the Weathersfield Dam account, Mobus explained, and with $100,000 in that account, Mobus said there was some leeway in case costs exceed the initial estimate. Board Chair Kristi Morris added that the money had been previously allocated to go toward the dam, as voted on by Springfield residents.
Originally constructed in 1903, the Weathersfield Dam served as a municipal water supply until it was phased out in the late 1970s and replaced by wellfields in North Springfield. Currently classified by the Vermont Dam Safety Program as a “significant hazard” structure, the dam has deteriorated over the past several decades, and poses a significant threat to the town in the event of a dam failure.
The plan now, Mobus told the board, is to notch the dam, allowing a controlled release of water to pass through while leaving the wings in place. “The water will return to its natural stream,” Mobus explained, also saying the board will need to start planning for what to do with the nearly 87 acres that is currently separated into two lots. Morris pointed out that it could prove to be a small revenue source for the town.
Springfield Trails & Rural Economy Committee (ST&RE) Chair James Fog announced his resignation from the committee via a letter read at the meeting by Mobus. The board thanked Fog, who was attending online, for his leadership since 2019, and for helping to define the purpose and focus of the trails committee. Mobus and Morris each praised the committee for their work, and Mobus mentioned they had been awarded three grants over the past two years, and had made significant improvements in Hartness Park and along the Toonerville Trail.
Most recently, ST&RE had recommended to the selectboard the restriction of firearms in Hartness Park. After the board voted in agreement, the proposed ordinance was challenged by a group of Springfield residents who petitioned to put the issue to a townwide vote. Ultimately, the voters voiced their disapproval, and the new ordinance was overturned.
The third budget workshop, which followed the selectboard meeting, was a review of the fire department and capital budgets.
The selectboard will convene again on Monday, Dec. 23, for their regular selectboard meeting and the fourth budget workshop.