Town Office Petition
Is Successful
By Pamala Yerrington

The Randolph Selectboard heard Tuesday that there will be another vote on where town offices should be located.

Jim Hutchinson reported that a petition drive to re-vote the recently defeated question regarding pursuit of purchase of the 24 Pleasant St. Trilllum Condominium had been successful with 217 signatures gathered.  

Hutchinson promised "a whole library full of facts for people to consider" will be presented in relation to this question.

The Municipal Building Committee is also working up the RFP for the Summer St. project while gathering all the facts they can on both Summer St. and Pleasant St. for comparison by the voters.

Kingsbury Bridge

Selectmen opted to upgrade the Kingsbury Covered Bridge to six-ton capacity after reflecting on the weight of today’s vehicles and agreed to the fire retardant spray recommended in a previous presentation to the selectboard.

Concerned with the best preservation of this historic covered bridge, they also requested further information on the guardrails recommended to gain a better sense of the types of railing that could be installed. It was noted that the bridge will be closed during construction which may take a year to complete.

Fluoride

Stewart Skrill had asked the board to look into abandoning the use of fluoride as discussed at a previous town meeting and taken under advisement. The board scheduled a Public Informational Meeting for Feb. 26 at 6 p.m with location to be announced. The meeting will offer an opportunity for both sides to present their cases on fluoride use.

Inner Traditions

A presentation regarding a request for tax stabilization by Inner Traditions was offered by owner Ehud Sperling. The management of the company continues to actively explore Randolph as a development site for an expansion of their current operation.

Randolph could receive $1 million in local construction expenditures and $150,000 annually on local goods and services if the project is brought to completion, he said.  

The company’s philosophy of commitment to the Vermont community and "green" principles were outlined. The board unanimously approved forwarding the request to the Tax Stabilization Committee for review.

Zoning Amendment

A proposed amendment to the development standard for all Districts, correcting some technical deficiencies, was unanimously denied by the Selectboard. The public hearing held prior to the Selectboard meeting gave voice to concerns that this change at this time would have a strong impact on the Blakeman Sunset Hill situation, now in appeal, and could be misconstrued.