Moretown resident Carl Wimble asked the town select board for help in determining how to improve access to a proposed sugaring operation on 149 acres at the end of Bradley Road.
Wimble, at the select board’s May 6 meeting, sought help and asked what methods would be best for upgrading a 0.8-mile section of Bradley Road that is Class 4, making it passable for sugaring trucks.
Wimble, who owns land around the end of the current Class 4 section of Bradley Road where the operation will take place, added that there will be no sugaring house on the property, so trucks hauling the sap will need to be able to drive to and from the site. His sugaring partner is Tim LeBoeuf.
Wimble said he would like the road to be at least passable and said that he had been in contact with Moretown road foreman Martin Cameron about the project.
To upgrade the road costs about $1,000, according to Sasha Elwell, assistant town clerk. Wimble suggested that the select board throw up the road so he can make a private drive parallel to it on higher ground. This would be a new private road and the current road would no longer exist. Wimble is looking into what his best option is.
Cameron, who was in attendance, said that the highway crew would have to build up the road from its current level by adding fill. The town currently uses the end of the Class 3 road for a turnaround spot for town plow trucks.
After discussion on the topic, select board members suggested having a site visit to the location. There was no action taken. Board members decided they would like input from the zoning administrator and planning commission during the select board’s next meeting.
As of press time, Wimble could not be reached as to how many taps he will be using or the size and weight of the trucks proposed for the sugaring operation. Cameron could not be reached for comment on how much or what kind of fill would be needed to upgrade 0.8 mile of Bradley Road.
