Hog Hollow Road residents Chris and Linda Joyal suggested that the town implement an emergency management plan to contract with three to four local companies that can be called in to respond in emergency situations to repair the roads.
In reference to the May 26 storm, Joyal asked why Dubois & King was hired to repair a culvert and reopen the road following flooding; she said it was a conflict of interest for Washburn, who is employed by the company and serves as road commissioner.
Washburn said that Dubois & King’s involvement was circumstantial and that there were “no other choices” at the time. The work came at no cost to the town, he said.
“Do you really consider that a conflict of interest? When a road is closed to traffic and I can get somebody up there in 30 minutes?” he said.
Town Road Foreman Stuart Grandfield said that he called Dubois & King and that the incident had nothing to do with Washburn.
“The only other time I’ve called them is when a dump truck got stuck and I was thinking of the commuters coming home,” Grandfield continued.
Washburn said, “We’ve done the culvert on Jones Brook and Ward Brook only when there were no choices. We didn’t have to do it; we don’t need the work that bad that we’re going to put our company on the line and seem like we’re partial to work in Moretown. It’s really not true.”
Select board chair John Hoogenboom said the select board has “been very careful, in some cases too careful” concerning potential conflicts of interest.
Grandfield continued, “I called Rae for the culvert. We came down to the garage, got our material and went up and smoothed it with a loader. Rae had nothing to do with the deal.”
Joyal asked why the town has been spending money on Class IV roads when there are Class III roads that could be completely lost in another storm.
The state’s standard for Class IV road maintenance is once per year, including drainage work and grading.
Ward Brook Road resident Johanne Gray said that her road was graded once in March and once at the end of May. Grandfield said the 20 inches of rain that fell in May has created poor road conditions everywhere.
Gray said that her numerous phone calls to the road foreman were unreturned. Grandfield told Gray he would “Be willing to come up and take a look.”
Washburn told Gray, “It can’t be that bad because your mother didn’t call me.”
Herring Brook Road resident Deb Sargent said that she was “pretty happy with the fast response to the Jones Brook culvert that washed out. I was amazed how fast they came out and fixed it. Moretown roads are always better taken care of than Berlin.”
Select board member Reed Korrow said, “This year has been an extraordinary situation.”
Washburn said, “We don’t have the money to do it all.”
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