Seeds of Change Planted
In Bethel During 2006
By Chris Costanzo

The year 2006 saw the beginning of what might prove to be profound changes in the town of Bethel.

Downtown

Good things happened in Bethel village in 2006. Last spring the Second Cup Café opened its doors to provide a long-needed venue for breakfast and early lunch. Although it closed its doors in August, it reopened in November with extended hours under different ownership.

The Cockadoodle Pizza Café also appeared on the scene offering lunch and supper of pizzas, sandwiches and other goodies.

This fall saw the opening of the Used and Unique Home Boutique, selling used furniture, antiques, and a multitude of decorative items.

Also this fall, the new Church Street Bridge opened. Although its final decorative touches won't be completed until the spring, it gives every indication of sleek good looks.

Town Hall

Bethel selectboard members have said that Bethel's old town hall is now "on prime time" for restoration, and the town hall finance committee outlined a phased restoration program.

The construction committee tackled the first phase by digging a swale that seems to have solved the perennial moisture problem around the foundation. Forthcoming phases include the restoration of the roof, and also work on the lower portions of the brick veneer.

Bethel's town hall fund contains about $85,000. The selectboard is expected to ask for a further appropriation at the next Town Meeting. Meanwhile, the finance committee is busy seeking ways to raise supplemental funds from private sources.

Taxes

Early in the year the school board had pared down the school budget in response to apparent voter dissatisfaction regarding the rising school tax rate. But, at the annual school district meeting, the voters amended the proposed budget upward by $80,000 in order to retain certain employee positions in the Bethel schools.

An ensuing voter petition with many signatures called for a new school district meeting at which the $80,000 was eventually removed by a lopsided vote.

Municipal taxes have held firm these past three years, but will probably increase in 2007. A segment of the population complained extensively regarding the condition of Bethel roads last mud season, and any remedies will surely cost money.

Also, the local ambulance service will be asking about 40% more in town assessments this year, which will probably drive up Bethel's municipal tax rate a few pennies. Other expenses continue to hang over the town, such as the fire station which has not yet been paid off, the new debt for the town's share of the Church Street Bridge, the need for a new police cruiser and the desire to increase the town hall fund. 

Bethel moved from calendar year accounting to July-June accounting to match the school accounting calendar. The taxes voted in 2006 were, on a one-time basis, for an 18-month period.

The upshot is a tax payment schedule that allows Bethel taxpayers to defer about 44% of their 2006 tax payments to the first half of 2007, somewhat easing the tax pressure this one year.  

School Consolidation

Inexorably rising school costs prompted the school board to explore ways to achieve an economy of scale by pooling resources with other schools. But formal consolidation talks between Bethel and Royalton fizzled last summer when the predicted benefits were not sufficient to induce Royalton to join.

The idea of joining the Randolph school union also fizzled when it became clear that it could mean losing control over the education of Bethel students. In late December, school administrators floated a proposal to consolidate with Rochester to form a joint junior/senior high school.

The Community

For the first time in over a decade the town did not hold a fall festival, but many hope that someone will take up the organizational task and that the tradition will revive in 2007.

A farmer's market opened once a week on Main Street this summer, and may open again next year.

The town has a new constable who is trained and certified for law enforcement. It is hoped that his visible presence will deter speeding through the village.

The town offices are being made handicapped accessible, and the process will also increase the usable space. Finances, and the difficulty of an alternate location, precluded the possibility of acquiring a new town office building for now.