Londonderry moves ahead with salt shed planning

By Bruce Frauman
© 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC

Moving ahead on plans for the construction of a salt and sand shed on the Prouty property on Route 100 between Londonderry and South Londonderry, Londonderry Select Board member Bill Wylie showed the board an engineering drawing for a wood frame shed at its Nov. 21 meeting.  Wylie said the excavating will be the biggest issue and will push the total cost to over $100,000.

Board member Paul Gordon has been working with manufacturers of a Quonset hut type building and prices for both options will be estimated and presented on Town Meeting day in 2017.

Last year, the Agency of Transportation told Londonderry it could no longer store salt and sand at its facility on Derry Woods Road. The sand has already been moved to land adjacent to the town garage off Old School Street.

At previous meetings, members of the Conservation Commission have objected to the placement of the storage sheds on the land and asked for clarification of its use. Citing research done by Road Foreman Duane Hart, Board chair Steve Prouty quoted minutes from the town meeting in the mid-1990s that gave approval to the purchase of the 27 acres. Construction of a salt and sand shed was specifically mentioned along with other possible uses such as a sewage treatment plant, a new town office building and a high school. No mention was made of conservation.

Town Treasurer Tina Labeau reported that there have been “no inquiries or applications” for the newly vacated Zoning Administrator position. Jim Muller had resigned due to heath problems. Planning Commission member Dick Dale said the Windham Regional Commission “has potentially put together a regional zoning administrator” to work with the many towns in the area lacking local zoning administrators.

Dale also reported on the unanimous vote last Monday by the Northshire Merger Committee to agree to merge the Mountain town RED towns of Londonderry, Landgrove, Weston and Peru as well as the towns of Manchester and Dorset into one regional school district. To be called the Green and Taconic Regional School District it would also include the towns of Sunderland, Danby and Mt. Tabor should they approve the merger.

The four RED towns and Manchester and Dorset must all approve the merger on Town Meeting Day March 7, 2017 for the new district to be formed. The new district will become part of the Bennington-Rutland Supervisory Union and the plan must be approved by the state Board of Education.