The Waterford Selectboard addressed a resident's claim that the town owes him for gravel removed from his pit, along with a zoning office vacancy and other business at meetings on June 1 and June 15.
Resident Kevin Gillander told the board June 1 that the town removed gravel from his pit in November 2024 without payment. He said the deed governing the arrangement requires payment within three months, and that a separate $100 annual access fee for 2025 has also gone unpaid. Board member Will Jones said the 2025 Town Report indicates the $100 fee was paid; Gillander disputed that. Jones agreed to investigate and report back. At the June 15 special meeting, Chair Tim Yarrow said he would schedule a meeting with Gillander that he and board member Shawn Hallisey would attend.
The board also confronted a backlog of unsigned building permits after outgoing zoning administrator Matt Walsh did not come in to sign them, leaving some construction projects on hold. At the June 1 meeting, the board had approved Gary Allard as interim zoning administrator pending a Planning Commission recommendation. On June 15, members voted 5-0 to authorize Allard to begin signing permits immediately without waiting for that recommendation.
On a 4-1 vote, the board approved a temporary job description for the road commissioner position, based on a draft submitted by Road Commissioner Ron Gray. The description is subject to amendment. The board agreed the role is primarily a communication link between the board and the road crew, without supervisory authority. Town Clerk Deb Benoit will combine drafts for a final vote at the June 22 meeting.
The board voted 5-0 to replace the town's phone system with a 36-month contract from Broadvoice, at $207 per month plus a one-time equipment purchase. The existing system costs about $200 per month.
Other business included approval of the annual Local Emergency Management Plan update and a grant to the Waterford Historical Society for a book about Revolutionary War veterans, to be distributed July 22 at the library.
NEK will be looking into the status of the gravel pit deed and whether the town has made payment as required.
Originally reported by North Star Monthly.
Photo: Franco Garcia via Pexels. Photo is illustrative and not from the scene.
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