ROCKINGHAM, Vt. – Municipal manager Scott Pickup mentioned that with the Depot Street bridge project delayed by 12-18 months, the town will take the opportunity to work on updating the utilities along Canal Street, before the start of construction. Pickup explained that they would need to stay on top of the schedule to utilize the grant funds awarded to the project, which will no longer be available beyond fiscal year 2028.
“It seems the state agencies have had a hard time keeping up with their workloads following the floods,” Pickup stated.
Regarding the Bridge Street bridge funding, Pickup said he’s hopeful that, after speaking with Windham Regional Commission (WRC), they will be able to put the project back on their Bridge Priority Project list. Pickup reported they’d been on the list in 2023, but the funds ran out, and the commission expects to have additional funds available in 2025.
Laura Sibilia, director of regional economic development strategies and programs for Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC), presented the board with an update on funds allocated by voters last year and the programs they’ve helped support. Including student workforce programs and community vitality efforts, Sibilia detailed how BDCC connects individuals and communities through shared ideas, information, and experiences.
Pickup added that BDCC has been extremely helpful with grant opportunities and applications, offering the town greater access than they would have on their own. This allows the town to grow while maintaining its infrastructure in the face of mounting climate-related challenges.
The board approved a highway permit request from Green Mountain Power (GMP) to complete the final phase of the grid update project, which will finish at the Grafton town line. GMP is currently working on phase two, and hopes to begin phase three by early November.
The validity of town meetings was discussed at the September tri-board meeting, a conversation led by board members Rick Cowan and Bonnie North. Cowan and North had been collaborating on creating a survey to present to the community for feedback.
Cowan announced, “Unfortunately, my partner on this project, Bonnie North, suffered a stroke.” Cowan said he’s received an email from North that said she is unable to continue the work at this time, and told the board, “I don’t feel comfortable moving forward by myself on this really complicated project without some staff help or volunteers from the town.” Cowan proposed delaying the issue, to be continued at a future meeting.
Board chair Peter Golec presented a bit of information he’d compiled, quoting data from 2019-2023. “In 2019,” Golec stated, “we had 71 people attend the town meeting, and 499 people voted. In 2020, 147 were at the town meeting, 1,162 people voted.” Golec explained the uptick was due to the primary and presidential elections of that year. He continued, “2021, 57 people showed up at the town meeting, and 528 people voted. 2022, 26 people at town meeting, 15 on Zoom, and 477 people voted. Last year, we had 105 people at town meeting, 22 were on Zoom, and 392 people voted.”
Cowan stated there were about 3,600 total registered voters, according to records kept by Kathleen Neathawk, town clerk.
Golec expressed his concern regarding the $1,600 cost to send out the survey, when they will likely only see 300-400 people respond. His feeling was that holding town meetings allows for discussion among voters, as opposed to voting by Australian ballot, and did not think the number of voters would change much.
The board voted to approve the Rockingham Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) Scoping Study. Applied for and discussed previously, the project looks at trail extensions and riverfront connections between towns, in collaboration with WRC. Pickup said the reason for putting this item on the meeting agenda was, “to make sure the board was aware there is a scope of services, and a $5,000 portion that [the town] will be responsible for.”
Cowan asked, “This scoping will include the consideration of a roadway, not just a path, coming from Liberty Hill down to the water treatment plant, true?”
“Yes,” Pickup responded, and remarked that there had been a preliminary engineering study done almost 20 years ago that would at least give them a baseline from which to start. Pickup said the process will be transparent, and include many opportunities for public input.
Pickup presented the board with a review of paved road conditions in Rockingham. At the start of the town’s five-year effort to improve roads, initial findings had reported 37% of town roads were in good shape, and not in need of repairs. Pickup was pleased to announce that five years later, as of October 2023, that percentage was up to 62%. The increasing costs for oil contribute to higher expenses for road repair work, Pickup explained, but he praised the success of the improvement plan.
In 2025, the town will be eligible for another pavement grant, Pickup stated. He said he’s been communicating with the town of Westminster, which also hopes to receive grant money to use for paving a portion of Route 121. If Rockingham can work in conjunction with Westminster to pave sections of 121 within each respective town, both towns would see greater efficiency, and a real potential to save on project costs.
Updating the board on ongoing town projects, Pickup mentioned that the town had about $60,000 in unallocated funds that need to be spent prior to the end of 2024. He suggested the board start to think about where those funds could be best utilized, and be ready to issue a warning before the town meeting next year.
The next selectboard meeting will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 7.