town government Dummerston Selectboard White and Davidson Replace Resigned Board Members

By David Baxendale

This seems to be an opportune time to take a step back and reflect on the last three years—a retrospective so to speak. Opportune because COVID is now largely in our past—and tragic and disruptive as it has been, we have managed as a nation, a state, and a community to survive and perhaps even to flourish. In a sense, though it seems at times that we ‘lost’ the last three years, and without question the impact of the pandemic will linger and will be remembered for decades to come, are we not perhaps stronger as a community having faced the darkness and come out the other end more or less unscathed?

If I may be permitted a personal note, it is perhaps symbolic that the first selectboard meeting in March 2020 that I attended was at the town office where the board had always met. The pandemic was just gaining momentum and showing its ugliness and the board decided to move the meetings on to ZOOM and eventually to the much larger space at the Dummerston Community Center where safe social distancing would be possible. This arrangement was to continue for over three years until May 31, when we moved back to the town office, perhaps symbolizing a return to normality. That meeting was also the last selectboard meeting for me as I resigned from the board effective June 1.

Lewis White was appointed to the board in May to replace Terry Chapman who resigned for personal reasons after many years of faithful service to the town. Lewis was elected as vicechair of the board. Zeke Goodband continues as chair and Maria Glabach as clerk. David Baxendale’s seat will be filled by Todd Davidson. These appointments will continue until town meeting in March 2024, when new elections will take place.

Two major storms impacted our region and town during the past two years. You will remember these well. In July 2021 devastating tropical storm Ida hit southern Vermont resulting in significant damage around town – washing out culverts and breaching many of our roads and highways. The highway crew, as well as private contractors and the town office, did a terrific job getting us back on track within a very short period of time considering the extent of damage. The town qualified for FEMA aid and the town has now received most of that reimbursement. Work continues on some of the projects.

In March of this year a late winter storm brought two to four feet of wet snow to the region and our town resulting in a multitude of felled trees and limbs knocking out power and blocking roads. Power outages lasted for days, and up to a week for many residents. There was a glitch in the power company’s allocation of mitigation resources which extended the length of some of the power outages. The board addressed this situation with Green Mountain Power at a selectboard meeting in April to ensure that this would no longer be an issue. Once again, the highway crew performed exceptionally well to get us back up and running, although, because of the severity of the storm the process took longer than might have been hoped.

The town received around $520,000 as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). Requests for funding have been received and reviewed by the board and about 50% of the funds have been allocated. Additional requests are being received and reviewed with approvals expected over the balance of the year. Priority will be given to projects that benefit a maximum number of our residents and to infrastructure improvements.

My years on the board were most rewarding and informative and enabled me to learn more of how our form of direct democracy works. It is wonderful to see. Remember that this system works only if we continue to have volunteers who are willing to give their time and skills to the town; volunteers are vital in keeping the town running, and we appreciate all their time and effort. There are a number of positions that are

Sponsors

Gordon & Linda Evans

Heather & Gene Rostov

Akara Draper & Linnie Jones

Elizabeth Catlin & Jared Flynn

Cliff Adler & Lynn Levine open and residents can view the current list to see what may be of interest to them. Please contact a board member if you have any questions. We are a small community but a powerful one, working together to help maintain a good life for us all. Stay safe and healthy and do not hesitate to contact a board member if you have any questions or concerns.

File Homestead Forms

By the Listers

State law requires that all Vermont residents who are residential property owners file their homestead declaration form HS-122 and the household income form HI-144. Penalties may be assessed for non-filing these forms. While the due date to file was April 18, homeowners can still file Form HS-122 and Schedule HI-144, until October 16, and may still qualify for a property tax credit. A $15 late filing fee will be deducted from the credit for late filers.