As mud season continues, some Warren residents want Fuller Hill Road paved. The Warren Select Board heard that request at its March 22 meeting.
Bob and Sandra Grant requested a section of Fuller Hill Road be paved, beginning at the bottom of the curve up to the top of the hill. Bob Grant said there have been numerous problems on the road over the years, including accidents, difficulty passing the road during mud season and ice during winter. The board also received a letter from other residents that board chair Luke Youmell said was strongly opposed to paving any section of Fuller Hill Road. He proposed that residents come before the board on April 12 to discuss both sides of the issue and to give the public time to respond. Youmell added, “We’ve kind of paved everything we intended to pave,” and board member Bob Ackland said, “I thought we made a pretty firm decision” on paving. Youmell said, “That doesn’t mean we can’t talk about it.”
The board approved the town roads for the Vermont Gran Fondo cycling race on June 25, 2022. The race’s website said, “The course begins in the village of Bristol, Vermont, and heads east towards Lincoln. You’ll climb up towards the center of Lincoln and then on towards Appalachian Gap. From Appalachian Gap, you’ll descend into Fayston and then climb out of the valley heading south towards Warren and the turn to Lincoln Gap.”
The issue of town resident Michelle Bennett’s dogs being found off her property and in the roadway once again came before the board. The Valley Reporter reported on the recurring issue on March 10 and erroneously stated that Bennett’s dogs had been accused of attacking another dog. The dogs have been repeatedly found roaming off her property but have not been accused of attacking other dogs. Bennett has been fined and warned that her dogs could be impounded if the issue continues.
Bennett vehemently defended herself and asked why she was being fined when other dog owners regularly allow their dogs off leash. “The dogs have been contained and laws need to be applied to all people,” she said. Select board members said the dogs have been found repeatedly running across a major road and there have been several reports of the dogs in the road, which causes a safety issue.
“You’re implying it’s only one neighbor and it’s not,” Youmell told Bennett. “We’ve asked you repeatedly (to control the dogs) and you haven’t.” Board member Devin Klein Corrigan called it a “significant public safety issue” and said the board has received multiple complaints about the issue. The ordnance says dog owners not in compliance with the law may be fined up to $500. “We’re applying the fine because we’ve been talking about this since July,” Youmell said.
Later in the meeting Lexi Leacock discussed the need for developing a town climate action plan. “This is something I’d love to do,” she said. “It’s a huge task. I think it would be great to involve the planning commission to help me on it.”
