Leaky notice board, blown out culvert Weston Select Board addressing issues

By Bruce Frauman*
©2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC

Town Clerk Kim Seymour told the Weston Select Board last Tuesday that notices posted in the plexiglass-cased bulletin board in front of Town Office got wet several times this winter because it fails to keep wind, rain and sand out.

Board member Jim Linville told Seymour his concern is that she is spending time to maintain a bulletin board that is not serving the town all that well. Seymour said she has received one quote to repair the structure and is waiting for a second. She added she expects the quotes to be in the range of $4,000, but has only $500 budgeted.

She said much of the cost is due to the replacement of the plexiglass. Seymour and Linville agreed that unless there is major need to repair the bulletin board this year, the money will come out of next year’s budget.

Seymour also said that a $57,000 payment to Merchants’ Community Bank was to repay the loan for the construction of the 300-foot stone wall on Lawrence Hill Road. Seymour said there was $1,800 in interest this year plus one more payment of $57,000 next year.

The wall was replaced in 2015 at a cost of $359,000.

Shaw Knoll culvert repair

Linville said he and and Board member Charles Goodwin, who was unable to attend the meeting, walked along the Landgrove portion of Shaw Knoll Road where the culvert “blew out.”

Linville said depending on how the repair to the culvert goes,  it would be best if, in August, the town of Landgrove could cut trees and grade Shaw Knoll Road beyond the culvert. He added that trying to get proper access through that deep valley is as expensive as doing a repair and that, during the culvert work, Weston emergency vehicles need to be able to get to the four houses on Cody Road, three of which sit in Landgrove.

Chair Denis Benson said they will know more after they speak with Scott Jensen of Environmental Conservation Department and to Marc Pickering of the Department of Transportation.

Linville said he would like to see a new roof put on the Town Garage this year, solar panels installed in 2019 and then have the town consider installing heat pumps.

Board member Ann Fuji’i said she and Linville attended a seminar put on by Sun Common on the state of solar system development. Linville said he learned that after 15 years, Sun Common would give the owners the option of returning the panels or continuing using them for free.

*Bruce Frauman was unable to attend the meeting in person. This report is taken from the GNAT video.