ANDOVER, Vt. – The Andover Selectboard postponed their regularly scheduled meeting to Wednesday, July 12, due to the impacts of the flood. Board chair Chris Plumb updated the board on the road commissioner’s report, stating he spent two days with engineers from VTrans measuring ditches. This is one of the first steps to acquire funds from FEMA.
Plumb said the road crews are working as hard as they can to fix roads, but traffic volume impedes their progress. There was some discussion about ordering signs and hiring flaggers.
As of Friday, July 21, Davis Road, Howard Hill Road, Dorman Road, Simmons Road, Andover Ridge, East Hill Road, and Hill Top Road are open. Weston Andover Road is open, but will continue to be one lane in places. Little Pond Road is open with one lane only and no through traffic. Lovejoy Brook Road is open to property owners only. North Hill is open to property owners from the Weston Andover Road side, but no through traffic as you cannot get past #2846 to East Hill. Middletown Road is open from the Weston Andover Road side to property owners, but no through traffic as you cannot get past #578 to Route 11. Schmidt Road is closed for the foreseeable future.
The town asks for continued patience as road crews work to make repairs, and to stay on paved roads as much as possible. It is more efficient to perform road repairs with minimal traffic interruptions, and traffic can further compromise the damaged roads.
The board reminds residents not to place any debris on roadsides, regardless of the direction from the state. The Town of Andover is not participating in that program as they do not have resources to do so. The town is currently working with the regional planning commission on a more logical solution.
Individuals who suffered losses in the storm should continue clean up and repairs, and should take photos and document expenses. Damages should be reported to Vermont 211, which allows FEMA to reach out to applicants directly.
The board reviewed documents on various tax rates and how much municipal revenue it would generate. The board approved the motion to set the municipal tax rate at $0.58 per $100 of assessed value for fiscal year 2023/2024.
Board member Susan Leader asked about using some of the ARPA funds to make improvements on the sound quality in the Town Hall, especially for the purpose of meetings. There is difficulty having hybrid meetings, in person and on Zoom, as viewers online are having a hard time hearing.
Leader then remarked that there were a lot of negative remarks in the public comments on the Zoom meetings, and wanted to eliminate the Zoom option. The board discussed that there would be an issue trying to make sure those who can’t attend meetings in person have access to them, so the board tabled the discussion.
Richard Griswold, vice chair, reported that many people are in favor of pursuing the ability to have school choice, despite the many hurdles outlined by Kelly Pajala in their last meeting. The town would have to jump through many hoops with no guarantee the State Board of Education would approve Andover residents leaving the current unified school district.
Leader wondered about starting a fund to set aside the $50,000 that is a prerequisite to the process. Leader said she planned on attending the next Cavendish Selectboard meeting to get their perspective as they are having similar conversations.
There was a request from Gary O’Neal to declassify a portion of Steinle Road. The board briefly discussed options other than declassification, as other property owners still need access, but the topic was tabled for the next meeting since O’Neal was not present.
The selectboard will meet Monday, July 24, and their following meeting will be held Monday, Aug. 14 at 6:30 p.m.