LUDLOW, Vt. – The Ludlow Selectboard met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, Dec. 4, opening the floor to comments from citizens.
Resident Eric Alden inquired as to the status of the long-discussed restroom to be installed at the Ludlow Transfer Station. Town manager Brendan McNamara told Alden that the project had gone out to bid, and would likely be underway in “three or four months,” meaning that transfer station workers would spend most of this winter without a restroom.
McNamara then updated the board on flood recovery and expenses, and the process of FEMA reimbursement. According to McNamara, Ludlow has spent $2.5 million on flood damage repairs, 75% of which, or about $1.9 million, is FEMA reimbursable. While he acknowledged that the number may continue to increase slightly, McNamara said that flood related expenses were tapering off, and that FEMA should begin to reimburse funds within the next 30-60 days. To ensure that all costs are properly documented and reimbursed, Ludlow has hired Kelly Murphy from First Responders Inc., to work on the FEMA reimbursement process. Murphy previously worked with FEMA after hurricane Irene, and her fees are eligible to be reimbursed by FEMA.
The board was then set to renew Okemo’s lease on the Stearns Pit, which is used by the mountain as a parking area. There was some back and forth between residents and the board over the provisions of the lease, mostly regarding whether the town or Okemo is responsible for maintenance of the pit and of West Hill Road, when Alden noted that sections F and G of the lease contract appeared to be missing from the board’s packet. As a result, after some confusion later in the meeting, the board voted to defer approval of the lease renewal until their budget meeting on Dec. 12, pending review of the full lease contract.
The next agenda item was a discussion of a local options tax, something which has been discussed previously, and defeated at a town vote in the past. “A local options tax is…something we need to look at as a community,” McNamara said. “I’m not saying it should be approved or shouldn’t be, but…it’s a detriment to the town to say we didn’t look at it.”
The local options tax would involve extra fees on one or more of room and board, meals, and general sales within the Town of Ludlow. McNamara told the board that the revenue generated by the tax would would defer some of the costs to taxpayers that are now generated by property and other taxes to Ludlow residents. Some took issue with the notion of the money being placed into the general fund, preferring that the money be earmarked for projects such as dam repairs and maintenance. Ultimately, McNamara told the board he preferred to have a full, warned meeting devoted solely to the local options tax at some time in the future.
The board then approved a bid for use of OnSolve’s CodeRED, an emergency alert software used to send text message alerts. The town will use the software to inform those who sign up of emergencies in Ludlow. “This [software]…really will fit the needs of the town from everything from an event like the flooding…to a water break,” McNamara explained to the board.
The board had previously discussed holding a town meeting concerning Ludlow’s STR registry, and the board then set the date for the meeting on Dec. 19. A full meeting warning will be forthcoming.
Finally, McNamara gave his municipal manager’s updates, addressing continued concerns about damage and repairs to the Jewell Brook Dam sites three and five spillways. McNamara said he had spoken to USDA conservation engineer Bob Thompson, asking how concerned the town and its residents need to be while the dams await repairs. Thompson had told McNamara that, in both cases, even if there were another storm before the spring when the dam repairs commence, there is likely not an immediate danger of dam failure on either dam site.
The Ludlow Selectboard will next meet on Monday, Jan. 8, at 6 p.m., in the Heald Auditorium at Ludlow Town Hall.