2008 Report of The Select Board

This year I had the honor of serving as Select Board Chair.  The new team worked well together with great respect for each other and their ideals.  At Town Meeting there are two positions up for re-election, and Preston Bristow and I have both decided to run again.  We look forward to working together for the future to help the Town get through these difficult economic times. 2008 was a fairly quiet time with lots of positive things happening.  We worked on a new Alarm Ordinance, new road names for the updated 911 address system to be completed by the end of 2009.  The Town has purchased a new fire engine pumper truck along with a new 4 x 4 ambulance.  The East Central Vermont Community Fiber Network (EC Fiber) is coming together well, with at least 23 communities supporting the effort to build a better and more accessible high speed internet service that will serve every household. With the cooperation of the Ancient Road Committee, the Select Board has adopted a policy to guide us through the process of making decisions on ancient roads.  This will facilitate the work of determining whether a road will remain a formal town road and be included on the town road map or be discontinued.  Landowners affected by these decisions will be invited to participate in the process of site visits and public meetings. I am pleased to report that the Route 12 Rec path has finally been completed and can now be enjoyed by all. The Select Board and the Village Board of Trustees have agreed to work together for improvements to Vail Field.  There is a Special Article to be voted by Australian Ballot at Town Meeting asking taxpayers to support this work. As the year came to an end with the economic crisis hitting close to home, finances are on everyone's mind.  The Select Board has worked very hard to present a lean budget to the taxpayers with no tax increase.  We have cut expenses wherever possible and recognize the importance of prudent fiscal responsibility.  There will be more difficult times ahead and there are probably a lot of unknowns ahead of use, so we must all work together to help weather the storm. I would like to offer special thanks to the employees of the town, whose hard work and commitment to their jobs keep Woodstock running as smoothly as possible. Respectfully submitted, Grettie Howe, Chair