SHAFTSBURY — At its first meeting following Town Meeting Day, the Select Board appointed member Art Whitman as its chair.
“I will try to do my best,” Whitman said at the March 15 meeting, adding, “I’ve got some pretty big shoes to fill,” a reference to his predecessor Tim Scoggins, who opted not to seek reelection this year after approximately eight years of service.
The other members of the Board — Ken Harrington, Joe Barber, Tony Krulikowski and newcomer Michael Cichanowski — voted unanimously in favor of Whitman assuming the leadership post. Krulikowski will serve as vice chair.
Whitman, first elected to the board in 2014, formerly owned Whitman’s Feed Store on Route 67, which was acquired by Poulin Grain in 2015. Whitman and his wife Kathy currently own A&K Agriservices, a spin-off of Whitman’s that spreads fertilizer and lime on fields.
Whitman has also served on and chaired the town’s economic development committee.
In a brief phone interview, Whitman said Scoggins “did an excellent job” as the board’s leader but that he’s not concerned about its future prospects, given its balance of youth and experience and the continued tenure of David Kiernan as town administrator.
One matter that is now cropping up on the board’s agenda is the prospective renewal of a contract with waste management firm Casella, which expires on June 30. Casella manages the town’s transfer station on North Road.
Kiernan said during the March 15 meeting that he would look into possible alternatives to Casella for the board’s next meeting but suggested that negotiating with the region’s “main player” is the town’s best course of action.
“I would prefer if someone in town had a few rolls-offs and a compactor and wanted to take this over, but I don’t see it on the horizon,” Kiernan said.
Along with Kiernan, Whitman and Harrington will represent the town in talks with Casella.
Another priority is resolving a dispute with the village of North Bennington essentially over the rate the village charges Shaftsbury for water that serves some town residents. The board voted to retain Scoggins as an ad hoc, non-voting member of the town’s water board to help it navigate the unresolved issue with the adjacent village.
Toward the end of the March 15 meeting, Whitman asked each board member for the next meeting to compile a list of goals that they’d like to see the board accomplish this year.
As an example, Whitman said he’d like to see the town adopt an “aggressive” policy for removing dead trees throughout the town, which has more than 70 miles of roads.
In the most recent town report, Jim White, the town’s tree warden, warned that the recent arrival of the invasive emerald ash borer “could be a budget buster.” White estimated that the town has approximately 7,400 ash trees, nearly all of which will die as a result of the pest. White’s list of recommended steps included conducting an inventory of ash and hazardous trees and keeping road crews versed in felling and chainsaw safety practices.
The $2.2 million budget recently approved by voters for the next fiscal year represents a minor increase in spending and taxes and accounts for no major construction projects other than a long-planned culvert installation on Shaftsbury Hollow Road.
Whitman said the town has diligently built up reserves for fire department equipment purchases and will be looking for grants and ideas for further improvements to Cole Hall, which saw extensive interior renovations in 2019.
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March 24, 2021 at 05:30AM
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