Town of Bethel special meeting, held on Jan. 22 in the Bethel town hall.

BETHEL — On Wednesday, Jan. 22, the town of Bethel held a special town meeting to discuss budget additions and plans for the water waste treatment plant moving forward. There were a total of three items on the agenda, which were reviewed over the course of the 10-minute meeting.

There were about 18  who assembled to place their votes on the agenda items, the first being the nomination of a moderator for the meeting. Town matters were discussed in articles 2 and 3, which both passed.

The issue that took the longest on the agenda was the discussion of funds for upgrades and repairs of the wastewater treatment plant. This plant has been discussed by the selectboard and budget committee at a previous meeting. One question posed at the meeting was whether or not the current grant would be enough to finish the work at the waste treatment plant that needs to be done.

Town manager Sharon Jackson explained that, “There will still be more work to be done.” Multiple grants have gone towards this project, including a USDA grant of $3.4 million. The town voted to accept another $1 million grant, that required a 20% match from the town itself. The town does not yet have an estimate for what the final cost of the project will be. “It’s identified on an ongoing basis,” said Jackson.

The third item on the warrant was budgeting for upgrades and additions to the Bethel airport. A total of three FAA grants were discussed, with a total town match of $21,250. These upgrades include an automated weather observing station, taxi lane, and hangar development. FAA will cover $237,500. The town has $20,000 budgeted in capitol, with the leftover $1,250 being budgeted in for the next fiscal year.

 

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