Town of Woodbury Select Board Meeting Minutes
September 28, 2026
Attendees
Select Board Members: Chris Casey, Diana Peduzzi, John Gordon
Town Officials: Graham Christie (Town Clerk); Lilly Baron (Town Treasurer)
Town Employees: Peter Dailey (Road Commissioner); Michael Gray (TH Admin. Asst ., WSB assistant)
Members of the Public: Larry Ferno, Robin Durkee; Susan Garbo & Greg Farnum, (ELPDA): Beth & Scott
McCullough; Carol Ray
Media: Jerome Lipani – HCTV
Call to Order Chris called the meeting to order at 6:04 p.m.
Adjustments to Agenda Beth McCullough - application to join the WPC;
Approval of Meeting Minutes The minutes for the 9 /14/2026
WSB meeting were approved.
Public Comment Beth McCullough has expressed interest in being appointed to the Planning
Commission (WPC) ; she has a real estate background. Diana asked Beth if she supports the concept of Town
Planning and Zoning, and she confirmed that she does. Graham – Woodbury’s ZA - emphasized the town’s need
for updating the zoning ordinance and the need for a Planning Commission to do that. T he grant cycle for financial
assistance for the zoning ordinance “modernization” update has a December 2
nd
deadline. The Planning
Commission now has only two members and is unable to meet or do any business. Lilly is also interested in
serving on the WPC and will check to see if there is a conflict of interest with her role as town treasurer. The WSB
appointed Beth to the WPC.
East Long Pond D am Association with Susan Garbo and Greg Farnum
Susan and Greg updated the WSB on t heir meetings with HED. Scott Johnstone, manager of HED, was encouraging
but in the end, the HED B oard of Commissioners was not willing to be fiscal sponsors for the dam project. Susan
and Greg are meeting with the WSB this evening to request that the town act as the fiscal sponsors for Phase 1 -
the preliminary engineering phase of the project. There is a time constraint because the study work must be
conducted before winter. All parts necessary for the engineering - hydraulic study, site survey etc. are lined up.
Chase and Chase will do some of the surveying work and Jeff Tucker will do the engineering. The ELPDA provided
the WSB with a joint operating MOU – between HED and the Town - for select board review. Chris shared a
statement from David Mears, the town’s lawyer, who reviewed the MOU for Phase 1; in his opinion, the limited
scope and responsibilities of the town for Phase 1, relieves the town of any significant liability and large time
commitment for the treasurer, as a fiscal sponsor. He was less concerned with the revised MOU, than he was with
the earlier proposal. Once the site study and the preliminary engineering are complete, the Town’s commitment
will also end and there will be no obligation for the town to be fiscal sponsor for Phase Two . The ELPDA has
$17,000 in private donations committed towards Phase 1 work; the total cost rstimated for Phase One work is
$40,000. They also plan to apply for a grant from the Woodbury Fund, and that grant requires that the applicant
have a fiscal sponsor in place (deadline 10/1). A motion is made to approve the joint operating MOU, and passed .
Road Report with Peter Dailey and Michael Gray
Regarding the purchase of the F350 – Peter explained that the original quote for t he F350 of $82,000 does not
include an extended warranty. The cost for the F350 with a 7 year warranty would be $87,662. Peter has been told
that rebates for the purchase that are included in the offered price will no longer be available after October 1
st,
. so
it’s time to make the decision. The WSB approve d the purchase of the F350 and a plan is made to get a check to
the Ford dealer by October 1
st
. There were questions raised about why the town would do a cash purchase
instead of financing. Years ago the voters approved setting up the Highway Equipment Reserve Fund. Funds are
raised in the Highway Budget each year, and set aside into the HERF so that the Town does not have to borrow and
pay interest when purchasing highway equipment.
Peter reported that the road crew has finished the Foster Hill Road grant work and will continue ditching to the
bottom of the hill. Peter will be moving the excavator to Buck Lake Road to replace a couple of culverts and then
the road crew’s focus will be hauling winter sand and grading. Chris will meet with Peter to figure out a temporary
fix for the garage ceiling before cold weather sets in. Chris will also be meeting with the architectural firm, Coe &
Coe, to begin preliminary talks about a new garage.
Peter will be on vacation, starting October 13
th,
, through the 24th. Dana Huoppi will be filling in for him.
Michael reported on new information from USDA/NRCS regarding the EWPP Buck Lake Brook /Cabot Road project ,
that came to him shortly after the requested one -year extension for the project was accepted. Bob Thompson, of
USDA/NRCS, now anticipates that the work needed will be much more involved than originally anticipated –
possibly closer to $500,000. Michael suspects this will drive up the cost for implementation, maybe out of reach
of what the Town could afford . Whether the USDA grant would also be increased, is not known. A further note
indicated that the agency is unlikely to extend the grant beyond the one year just approved. Michael will try to put
together a meeting of experts to review options.
Town Clerk’s Report with Graham Christie
Graham presented a new contract with the Hardwick Emergency Rescue Squad (HERS) that also has new payment
options. Lilly suggests the town go with the quarterly payment option. The WSB approved signing the contract and
using the quarterly payment option. Graham has posted the notice for the special town meeting in the usual town
spots and the designated newspapers. Ballots for the general election should be coming in the mail soon.
Graham and Lilly have been working on getting more of the town’s “paperwork, such as time sheets and cash
receipts, recorded digitally; this will allow for more efficient preparation for all auditing and grant reporting, as well
as saving office staff time once it gets up and running.
Graham also suggested the town have aa appreciation potluck gathering for all town employees and volunteers.
The WSB approved the effort.
Town Treasurer’s Report with Lilly Baron
$685,119 have been collected in current taxes and $30,036 in delinquent taxes to date. Lilly discovered that the
previously approved premium for insurance of the new town highway employee was a bi- weekly rate and not
monthly. The monthly premium is $704.08. She requests the WSB formally approve the monthly premium amount
so that the record shows this premium rate has been approved by the WSB. The WSB approved the stated monthly
rate for the new employee (the benefit itself was previously approved on hiring). Lilly proposes a small process
improvement for projects involving vendors or contractors. She would like to establish that the project point of
contact provide the t reasurer with the vendor’s W-9, COI/Non-Employee Work Agreement and the signed contract
at the start of the project. This would eliminate the need for the Treasurer’s office to backtrack and contact
vendors for documentation after work has begun. Having these documents upfront will help streamline the
process, save time, and ensure we have the necessary records for annual 1099 reporting and workers’
compensation audits.
Voting for the PACIF board will be done by mail- in ballot this year. Lilly requ ested the WSB designate her to cast
that vote for the town. The WSB approved Lilly to cast the PACIF board vote for the town. Lilly will attend the VLCT
Town Fair in October and asked that the town reimburse her for mileage and time attending the fair. The WSB
approved – this is standard practice for employees attending training events.
Lilly explained more about the automation process they are implementing at the office. It will be used to process
payments in the accounting software. Grant tracking is another area they are working on with Michael and Peter.
The goal is to better connect our work and give the treasurer better visibility into the breakdown of grant costs and
where the money is being spent. Bonnie and Lilly have also been working on organization, audit preparedness, and
streamlining HR and payroll documentation.
Swenson Status Report
Chris reported that the WSB has finalized negotiations regarding the reimbursement rate (transportation impact
fee) to recompense the town for the additional expense to maintain the Cabot Road. The agreed-upon fee will be
applied for every cubic foot of granite or granite product, moved from the quarry. The rate has been 6.5 cents per
usable cubic foot, for the last 25 years. Polycor, owner of the quarry , has agreed to an increase in the rate. The
new rate will be 9 cents per usable cubic foot for the first 500,000 cubic feet and the 6.5 cents for any additional
beyond that amount . ( 500,000 cf is close to the amount the quarry has produced in recent years.) The Stipulation
will also allow an annual increase to the fee, either 3% or the annual rate of inflation, whichever is less . As long as
the District Commission approves the Stipulation, there will not be an Act 250 hearing and the Swenson/Polycor
permit will be issued to allow the changes requested in the application filed last year.
Updates on Buyouts with John Gordon
The asbestos abatement work is underway. The old firehouse was finished last week and the old residence will
done by the end of the week. Larry Ferno has begun demolition work on the old firehouse and this work is
discussed. Larry suggested not burying the concrete on site (which has been designated in the scope of work for
the project) as this may interfere with possible future groundwork in the area, such as the septic system. At
present, the exact whereabouts of the septic leach field is uncertain. John will explore this option to see if this
would be okay. How to improve the supports for the addition on the T own Hall is also discussed – Chris and Larry
will look at it and come up with a plan to make sure that the addition can support the weight of the pressure tank
and water heater.
Updates and Other Business
The Hovey Road property, subject of a neighbor’s complaint, has been cleaned up.
Bills and Payroll: Bills and payroll orders were signed at the end of the meeting.
Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
Signatures and Approval
Chris Casey ______________________ Diana Peduzzi _________________________
John Gordon ______________________ Date Approved __________
Guide to Acronyms
ACO - Animal Control Officer; ANR – Agency of Natural Resources; AOT – Agency of Transportation; AP – Accounts Payable; BR- Better
Roads; BRIC – Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities; CDT – Collector of Delinquent Taxes; CIP – Capital Improvement Plan;
COI – Certificate of Insurance; CR – Cash Receipts; CVRPC – Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission; EL PDA – East Long Pond
Dam Association; EMD – Emergency Management Director; EMS – Emergency Medical Service; ERAF – Emergency Relief Assistance Funds;
ET – Electronic Transfer; EWPP – Emergency Watershed Protection Program; FIRM – Federal Insurance Rate Map; FPF – Front Porch Forum;
FY – Fiscal Year; GF – General Fund; GIA – Grants in Aid; HED – Hardwick Electric Department; HERF – Highway Equipment Replacement
Fund; HF – Highway Fund; HMP – Hazard Mitigation Plan; H&H – Hydrological & Hydraulic; HO – Health Officer; LEMP – Local Emergency
Management Plan; K – thousand; LHMP – Local Hazard Mitigation Plan; MMA – Money Market Account; MRGP – Municipal Roads General
Permit; MOU – Memorandum of Understanding; MVUESD – Mountain View Union Elementary School District; NEMRC – New England
Municipal Resource Center; NEWT – Northeast Wilderness Trust; NRCS – Natural Resources Conservation Service; OSSU – Orleans
Southwest Supervisory Union; PR – Payroll; PTO – Paid Time Off; RBT – RB Technologies; RC – Road Commissioner; REI – Road Erosion
Inventory; RFP – Request for Proposal; ROW – Right of Way; TAN – Tax Anticipation Note; TC – Town Clerk; TH – Town Highway; THO – Town
Health Officer; TM – Town Moderator; TTr – Town Treasurer; USDA – United States Department of Agriculture; VDH – Vermont Department
of Health; VEM – Vermont Emergency Management; VTRANS – Vermont Agency of Transportation; WCC – Woodbury Conservation
Commission; WCL – Woodbury Community Library; W/CFS – Woodbury/Calais Food Shelf; WCSD – Washington County Sheriff’s
Department; WEC – Washington Electric Co.; WNRCD – Winooski Natural Resource Conservation District; WSB – Woodbury Select Board;
WPC – Woodbury Planning Commission; WVFD – Woodbury Volunteer Fire Department; ZA – Zoning Administrator; ZBA – Zoning Board of
Adjustment; ZO – Zoning Ordinance
