Welcome to The Plymouth Press Online

Reprinted with permission from The Vermont Standard

8/28/23

Well, the month is drawing to a close, but there have been many visitors to our area of late, despite the continuing roadwork.  According to Dana Dolloff, he was told by the work crew in front of the Tyson Store that the road closure will actually begin on Tues, 8/29, despite VT Alert information that the road would be closed 8/28. In any case, getting from Plymouth to Ludlow will be a challenge for the next few days. Please note that the back roads are barely passable.

At last week’s Select Board meeting, Rick Kaminski gave an update on the roads, noting that we have moved from emergency repair to rebuilding.  Kingdom Road should be ready for paving by mid-September. It will be a couple more weeks for Dublin Road. Scout Camp Road will be ready for gravel within a couple weeks as well as Hale Hollow Road.  There are a some dead end roads that the crews haven’t gotten to yet, but Grandview has been roughed in and base work has started on Lynds Hill.

Since FEMA generally covers only about 75% of repairs and those payments take some time, it was discussed that the town will be considering the new program offered by the VT Bond Bank that can be utilized for this situation. Apparently the rate will be reasonable and it can be paid back early.

So much going on this upcoming holiday weekend. Consider attending the Shakespeare Alive performance at the Union Christian Church at noon on 9/2, plus don’t forget the Plymouth Folk and Blues Festival from 2 – 5 PM on 9/2 & 3. Bring a chair and enjoy this outdoor festival. These are free events, but donations are always appreciated, as are donations for the VT Food Bank. 

Money Brook, photo by Jay Kullman

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) is using accelerated construction to replace Bridge No. 102 (and the failing culvert) on VT-100 in Tyson. DATE: August 23, 2023 TRAFFIC IMPACT: Bridge 102, along VT-100 in the vicinity of Tyson Store, will be closed beginning at 6:00 a.m. on Monday August 28 until 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday August 30. A regional detour is marked via VT-103, Route 7/ Main Street in Rutland, and Route 4. Detour signs and message boards are in place to direct traffic. Please travel with caution. Approximate location CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES: The contractor, Belden Construction, is placing message boards and mobilizing at the project site this week in advance of next week’s scheduled closure. Next week, Belden will be using accelerated bridge construction techniques to replace the bridge with a new pre-cast box. Following this, they will commence paving operations. LOCATION: VT-100 in Tyson, 3.4 miles north of VT-103, before VT-100-A. PROJECTED COMPLETION: September, 2023 Regional Detour Route as marked Note: Some local roads are closed due to the July flooding. Please plan ahead.

The next Select Board meeting will be held on Monday, September 18, 2023 at 6:00 PM as there will not be a meeting on Labor Day.

*agenda to come

Reprinted with permission from The Vermont Standard

8/21/23

As August comes to a close, students are preparing for the start of school. I imagine some youngsters are pushing hard to complete summer reading assignments that have been put off for the last couple of months. 

The vote regarding the Short Term Rental regulations was close last week, but in the end, it was voted that the original ordinance be maintained.  That means that Knox boxes are still mandated, as well as relevant insurance coverage. The idea that all residences should be installing Knox boxes to allow emergency personnel access was discussed at length.

On a sad note, I received word about the passing of Angela Miccio. Folks may remember that she had the B & B across from Plymouth Elementary School. She was also an integral part of the Plymouth Press in the initial stages as we organized, cut and pasted the paper in the early day of publication. 

The Book Group will meet this Wed, 8/23 via zoom to discuss the delightful Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt.  The books for the next few months will also be chosen.

Consider joining Cyndy Bittinger, author of Grace Coolidge, Sudden Staron Sunday 8/27 at 2 pm at the Bridgewater Grange Hall. Some of us remember when Cyndy had her Coolidge Foundation office in the basement of the Union Christian Church.

In addition to the Shakespeare Alive performance at the Union Christian Church at noon on 9/2, don’t forget the Plymouth Folk and Blues Festival from 2 – 5 PM on 9/2 & 3.  Bring a chair and enjoy this outdoor festival. This is another free event, but donations are always appreciated, as are donations for the VT Food Bank. 

Bethany Mennonite Church extends an invitation to their picnic lunch on 9/3 after the 9:45 outdoor worship service. Join the fun with various games for all ages, plus hot dogs, kielbasa, salads, and ice cream cones. All are welcome.

Town of Plymouth, Vermont
Select Board – Regular Meeting
Monday, August 21, 2023 @ 6:00 PM
Community Center Meeting Room

Agenda
Topic: Plymouth Select Board Meeting
Time: August 21, 2023 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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1. Call Meeting to Order:
2. Consideration of Any Changes, Additions or Removals to Agenda:
3. Approve Meeting Minutes:
   a. August 7, 2023 Regular Meeting Minutes
   b. August 9, 2023 Special Meeting Minutes
   c. August 15, 2023 Town Voting Minutes
4. Traffic Ordinance on TH50 – Speed Limit 25 MPH:
5. Town Roads Update:
6. Mail and Warrants:
7. Other Business:
8. Possible Executive Session:
9. Adjourn:

The flood waters have receded, and, for most of us, life in the Woodstock area is starting to feel almost normal again. However, there are many individuals and families in our community who continue to face significant financial challenges because of flood-related losses and damage and lost income due to persistent business closures. 

If you have already given to The HUB’s 2023 Flood Response, thank you! The HUB and its community partners have already begun helping more than 70 individuals and families from  Barnard, Bridgewater, Killington, Plymouth, Reading, and Woodstock who were hit hard by the July flood. 

If you have not yet made your gift or are able to give again, we still really need your support! The amount The HUB is able to raise will determine how much help we can provide in the months to come. Gifts of any amount are truly appreciated; every gift will be put to good use. Learn more and give at https://woodstockcommunitytrust.org/the-hub/flood-2023-relief-fund.html

Thank you again for your generous spirit,

The HUB Leadership Team

Denise Lyons, Jill Davies, Marian Koetsier, Meg Seely

The HUB is a project of Woodstock Community Trust, a 501c3 non-profit organization. 

Reprinted with permission from The Vermont Standard

8/14/23

I was away this weekend at Lake George, but I understand from a neighbor that the skies are blue today, 8/14, and the rain that was received on Saturday night hopefully did not cause any additional damage. Here at Huletts Landing, the storm was pretty intense.  Heading home today.

My late phlox are blooming and that always makes me a bit melancholy because it means summer will be coming to a close. It doesn’t seem like we have had much of a summer with all the rain and so strange for VT to have such humidity, too. Maybe we will have a glorious autumn!

At the select board meeting last week, I learned about the phases of repair with FEMA. The emergency phase allows emergency vehicles to get to folks, so now we are onto the repair stage, which is most welcome. Caution was expressed again about traveling on roads that are marked closed, such as Kingdom Road in Tyson. It is rather dicey to travel on it, but more than that it causes disruption in the repairs, so the request is not to use it at this time.

At that same select board meeting in Rick Kaminski said that that the structural supports have been done on the town building end he still hopes the town office can be re-opened there by late October. The bond has been requested, per the previous town vote.

Don’t forget the important special town meeting on Tuesday 8/15 at 7 PM at the community center regarding short term rental policy. The initial provisions were approved by town vote, but later some revisions were proposed. A petition by several concerned voters has resulted in this new vote because they would like the original ordinance to stand.  You can check out the details on the plymouth town website. Please note that there are no absentee ballots, so you need to attend the meeting in order to have your vote count.

This seems to be a hot button issue in many surrounding towns, some of which are looking to Plymouth for guidance. Although there is no official count of the number of STRs in town, there is thought that it may be over 100.  Issues at hand center around parking, noise level, and waste water.

Although work is being done at our beloved Camp Plymouth State Park, it is looking doubtful that it will reopen this season. There is no official word yet according to Tiffany.  In the meantime, we send our best to the staff, as they continue their cleanup and restoration efforts!