Bids Awarded for Beecher Hill Bridges
Caught between the FEMA shutdown and the need to move forward, the selectboard voted to move forward with repairs despite not knowing when and how much the federal agency will reimburse the town.
The Record Staff Report
So if you were Town Manager Todd Odit or a member of the Hinesburg selectboard, what would you do in this situation?
FEMA, the federal disaster relief agency, has, at each step in the process, given the necessary approvals for 75 percent federal reimbursement to rebuild the two Beecher Hill Road bridges damaged by floods in 2024.
For the last year, FEMA has been erratic about reimbursement, particularly after former Department of Homeland Security (FEMA’s parent agency) Secretary Kristi Noem required her sign-off on all projects over $100,000. (Her replacement pledged to Congress that he would eliminate that requirement and speed up the process.)
Since Feb. 14, DHS (and FEMA) have been closed because of a Congressional dispute over funding the agency, and there is no end in sight for the dispute.
For the town to get into this year’s construction cycle, it must move forward: that is, accept the best bid and get going.
On Wednesday night, the selectboard listened to Odit’s recommendation and voted to accept the second-lowest bid and begin work.
Odit admitted there was a little risk, but “I’m not worried that (FEMA) won’t come through. It’s more a question of timing and having some assurance. … The disaster was declared, funding was approved.” But it would be nice to know, he added, how much money FEMA will actually send to the town – and when.
But he explained that the need to move now was because the winning construction company needs to get orders in for cement culverts in time and otherwise the project could face major delays.
The board approved the bid of Poulin Companies for $1.22 million, which Odit said was well within the budgeted amount. As some of this project was part of a bond issue (approved by voters last fall), Odit is working with the Vermont Bond Bank to free up cash as needed for the early part of the project.
As a side note: the lowest bid of $1.12 million was not accepted because the bidder failed to finish the bid application, Odit said. The company didn’t sign it nor was there any of the required information about a construction bond.
The bridge closest to North Road was given a temporary repair after the summer 2024 flood, but the lower bridge is completely washed out.
The rest of Wednesday’s meeting was fairly routine. Here’s what happened:
Fire Chief Prescott Nadeau gave a 12-minute presentation on the latest with the fire department; including that several “volunteer” firefighters gained emergency medical certifications and recruiting has started for the new firefighter approved by voters several weeks ago. The full-time firefighter/EMT position doesn’t start until July 1.
An engineering firm presented drawings on the planned reconstruction of the sidewalk on the east side of Route 116 from the Waitsfield Telecom building to Mechanicsville Road. Odit said the town has received a grant for the project. Work is not expected to begin until 2027, with completion sometime that fall.
The selectboard approved reappointments of the following volunteer members of various town boards: Caroline Carpenter (Affordable Housing Committee); William Scott (Conservation Commission); Ted Bloomhardt, Richard Jordan and Branden Martin (Development Review Board); Karen Tronsgard-Scott and Rachel Seller (DIEB Committee); Becky Alfred (Planning Commission); and Maggie Gordon and Rachel Kring (Town Common Committee).
Police Chief Chris Romance has lined up the necessary courses he must take in order to be certified as a law enforcement officer in the state of Vermont. This is required even though he had 29 years experience in New York State and was the top uniformed officer of a 56-officer department. Vermont laws, policies and procedures are different, so any policeman must receive training for certification. Odit said that Romance should be certified by early April – much sooner than anticipated.