Town awards mowing bid
DUMMERSTON — DUMMERSTON - The Selectboard unanimously voted to award the 2017 mowing bid to Brett Castine at their Dec. 21 regular Board meeting. The $5,370 fee includes spring and fall cleanup and mowing the town cemeteries and the commons.
Roads Foreman Lee Chamberlin told Board members the town received only one bid for the job.
Castine, who had done the same work for Dummerston last year, raised his rates by $755.
When Board member Jerelyn Wilson asked why the fees went up, Chamberlin said his conversations with Castine revealed “he found he lost money” during fall cleanup because “it took more time than he thought.” Chamberlin also noted Castine's workers' compensation rates likely will increase.
Selectboard Vice-Chair Steve Glabach noted that during last year's bid process, “we had bids that were significantly higher than this.”
Selectboard takes on Zoning Administrator duties
DUMMERSTON - While town officials continue trying to fill the vacant zoning administrator position, zoning work is piling up, especially applications, Selectboard Chair Zeke Goodband announced at the Dec. 21 regular Board meeting.
“As in many cases in town government, if you don't have someone specific to do a job, it falls to ... the selectboard,” Goodband said, asking his colleagues to help “keep the wheels of zoning turning while we keep looking for someone” to become the next zoning administrator.
Goodband offered to step in, but he said he couldn't do it alone. After most of his fellow selectboard members “volunteered” Hugh Worden, Worden agreed to take a leadership role in reviewing applications on a temporary basis and vowed to work with former Zoning Administrator, and current Lister, Charlotte Annis.
Worden noted the Development Review Board can't do this “because it's a conflict of interest.”
Selectboard Vice-Chair Steve Glabach offered to work with Worden and Goodband on zoning tasks.