Water Street site access granted
PUTNEY — PUTNEY - At the Oct. 8 regular meeting, the Putney Selectboard granted Environmental Compliance Services' request to access Water Street, which is on town property, to complete an environmental assessment.
Patricia Mousel, property owner of the Mountain Paul's General Store site, has contracted with ECS to test the well on the site for petroleum.
Town Manager Cynthia Stoddard said she conferred with Town Attorney Lawrence Slason, who said ECS needs permitting and a plan for truck traffic during the project.
Stoddard also notified the Soundview paper plant; ECS agreed to not interfere with their operations.
The boring is expected to take one day. Because the project is reliant on ECS receiving permits, it is unclear when it will begin, but ECS told Stoddard they will provide five days' notice.
Computer replacement moves forward
PUTNEY - Town Manager Cynthia Stoddard recently reported her computer-replacement research to the Selectboard.
At the Oct. 8 regular meeting, she presented data from three vendors to replace the town's computers, the server, virus protection, and other relevant components.
Although this expenditure was not discussed at Town Meeting, Stoddard assured the Selectoard the project could not wait until next March.
“The biggest concern I have now is with security,” she said, noting the computers the town offices have now may be at risk for viruses which could wipe out the servers.
“We need to have online banking at some point,” Stoddard told the board, but added that she will not get online banking using the town's current computer system.
Stoddard said she went through the town's finances, and found money to reallocate that was not spent and is not expected to be spent by next Town Meeting.
“I think we can squeeze it out of this budget,” she said.
The most pressing issue is Administrative Assistant Laura Barcomb's laptop, Stoddard said. It is so outdated, Barcomb cannot do her work.
The board decided to replace Barcomb's laptop immediately, and table the rest of the decision until the next Selectboard meeting so members can go over the information Stoddard collected from the three vendors.
“Considering how quickly technology advances now, it makes sense to buy it right rather than skimping,” board member Steve Hed said. “Otherwise,” he said, “we'll just be having to do this all over again soon."
Hickory Ridge Road bridge project bid awarded
PUTNEY - After receiving six bids for the engineering design and planning portion of the culvert replacement on Hickory Ridge Road, the board chose Bell Engineering.
Town Manager Cynthia Stoddard said she worked with Highway Superintendent Brian Harlow to review the bids.
Although she said all six firms submitting bids were qualified to do the work, some were concerned they could not complete the project within budget. Others included the cost of a hydraulic study in their bids, even though the state already completed one and the project must be built to it.
FEMA approves HMP
PUTNEY - “Today we got the green light from FEMA,” Town Manager Cynthia Stoddard told the board at its Oct. 8 regular meeting.
Pending the Selectboard adopting it, “we have an approved Hazard Mitigation Plan...finally,” she said.
The board then voted unanimously to adopt the local Hazard Mitigation Plan.
“Whew! Three years later!” Stoddard said, in response.
Putney's Hazard Mitigation Plan was approved by FEMA, Stoddard noted, with “the first submission - there were no corrections."
Stoddard made special mention of Alyssa Sabetto of the Windham Regional Commission, saying she “did a really good job. She worked very hard."
Animal Control Officer may be shared
PUTNEY - Town Manager Cynthia Stoddard recently attended a meeting with five Windham County town administrators, including Brattleboro Town Manager Peter Elwell, to discuss the possibility of sharing an animal control officer (ACO).
Many area towns are having a hard time filling the position, Putney included. This meeting was the first in an ongoing process between the towns.
Stoddard told the Selectboard at its Oct. 8 regular meeting that one idea Elwell had was to hire out Brattleboro's ACO in 7.5-hour scheduled increments. She said she will contact town officials in Dummerston and Westminster to see if they wanted to establish regional coverage and share the ACO one day per week.
When some members of the board expressed to Stoddard the ACO was needed for emergencies because pet issues do not tend to follow a schedule, she said Brattleboro's ACO would be available for emergencies, but “part of this process is defining 'emergencies.'”
Stoddard's plan is to use the ACO “proactively,” such as visiting homes to encourage pet owners to license their dogs.