Spear Street to close again, just three days

Only a month after the long-awaited reopening of Spear Street, it will become impassable again for three days next week.

From May 5 to May 7, a pair of contractors will finish the thoroughfare’s months-long reconstruction by repaving the stretch between Lime Kiln Road and Carpenter Road, which last summer’s heavy rains washed away at Mud Hollow Brook. Since April 6, drivers have traveled over dirt.

The Federal Highway Administration’s window for reimbursement for the emergency repair has closed. Charlotte will foot the bill for the $37,000 paving job, plus another $4,000 to $6,000 for cleanup at the work site, using its highway budget, according to town administrator Nate Bareham.

“The good news is we did receive that check for well over $900,000, reimbursing us for the vast majority of the work,” selectboard chair Lee Krohn said.

Rec commission grows

On April 28, the selectboard approved a resolution that added an extra seat to the town’s trails committee, which previously had nine members. Six residents had submitted applications for five open spots.

“Surplus is good because it’s a lot of physical labor from time to time, and some of us have some injuries, and none of us are super young,” committee member Elisa Fante said. “So, the more people want to shovel gravel, the better.”

Frank Tenney dissented in a 4-1 vote, citing a preference for “a steady size.”

Each spring, the selectboard makes appointments to the town’s 10 volunteer bodies. Two newcomers, Josh Bagnato and Thomas Hengelsberg, joined the recreation committee.

Old Lantern Inn well agreement

Negotiations over the shared private use of a town-owned well represented a final hurdle for the anticipated sale of commercial property, according to Lisa Gaujac, co-owner of the Old Lantern Inn & Barn. The selectboard signed the agreement on Monday.

Abutting commercial and residential landowners on Greenbush Road have long relied on the same well, which came under municipal ownership in 2000, for their supply of water. More recently, Gaujac and her husband subdivided their property, with the intention of selling its barn, a wedding venue, to a group of investors led by the operator of the Burlington-based food truck Farmers & Foragers. The Gaujacs will continue to operate their adjacent bed-and-breakfast.

The subdivision required the drafting of a new four-way agreement. The Gaujacs will cover the full cost of the well’s operations for the first year, after which the three private landowners will divide its expenses in proportion to their water use, remitting payments to the town.

After a lengthy negotiation, the parties still haven’t necessarily ironed out all the details. The selectboard’s approval permitted subsequent “non-material amendments” to the language of the document, moving it forward to avoid delaying the upcoming property transfer.

“It’s been a long two years,” Gaujac said. “We close on May 15. We can’t close without the water agreement.”

Zoning administrator wanted

Charlotte’s zoning administrator, Aaron Brown, has submitted a letter of resignation, effective June 20.

“Sorry to see Aaron go,” selectboard member JD Herlihy said. “He was a great zoning administrator while he was here.”

Alongside selectboard members Frank Tenney and Lee Krohn and town administrator Nate Bareham, one member of the development review board and one member of the planning commission will sit on the hiring panel tasked with replacing Brown.