JAMAICA, Vt. – The Town of Jamaica has appointed Mike Tuller as its new town administrator. Originally hired last year to serve as the town’s flood administrator, Tuller’s new position was announced at a recent selectboard meeting.
“I was originally hired by the Town of Jamaica in 2021 to serve as part-time flood administrator, as I was also serving a similar role for the Town of Wilmington as their zoning administrator, where the work involved reviewing flood maps and determining what permitting would be required,” Tuller said in a recent interview.
“Prior to the pandemic, I attended a training session where I met Jamaica Selectboard Chair, Greg Meulemans. He had recently been selected as the chair and I offered to help the community if needs dictated in the future, based on my background as a planning consultant.”
A year later, Tuller would be approached by Jamaica to serve as their flood administrator, and because the duties were minimal, the position would not affect his work demands in Wilmington. Then, when Jamaica offered the town administrator position in 2022, it coincided with Tuller’s appointment date in Wilmington being renewed.
“I took the opportunity to shift my occupational duties a little closer to Manchester Center, where I live with my family,” Tuller said. “It has been an honor to serve as Jamaica’s first Town Administrator, and my work is focused on improving operations in the town departments and evaluating repurposing town buildings in the community.”
Having spent much of his career in planning and helping communities plan and develop their town-supported projects, this is the path he also plans to pursue with Jamaica. Initial areas of interest include helping to improve the operations of the road department and transfer station, as well as assisting with town administration.
As with many Vermont towns, Jamaica has multiple historic buildings. However, these buildings are in serious need of upgrades such as structural improvements and public accessibility. Tuller believes that these structures can be rehabilitated to, once again, be improved assets to the community.
“Jamaica is currently evaluating potential improvements to the old town hall building and the historic bank building across the Route 30/100 roadway. The improvements conceptualized include potential energy source conservations, ADA accessibility, and customary maintenance opportunities. Also, the Jamaica Memorial Library Trustees are developing plans for the library on Depot Street and potential uses for the Rawsonville School House building at the commercial node of VT Routes 30/100.
Ultimately, the decision in moving forward with these improvement projects rests on the Jamaica community and the selectboard in budgeting these projects for implementation activity. In my role with the town, I will be providing the selectboard with the necessary background research, improvement scenarios, and cost estimates in assisting their decisions regarding development priorities posed. Jamaica has also made monumental efforts in the last 10 years in addressing the need to improve water and sewer infrastructure.”