Woodbury Select Board Advances Road Discontinuation, Hears Dam Repair Fund Pitch

Other Committee · Meeting of July 13, 2026

HARDWICK — Woodbury Select Board moves toward dropping a dead-end class four road and hears a dam repair pitch. The board signaled support Monday for discontinuing town highway 21, a class four road that runs from Route 14 into the interior of a private property with no connection to any other parcel; property owner David told the board the road's earthen bridge has a three-foot-wide, 12-foot-deep hole in the deck after flooding in 2023 and subsequent beaver activity. Greg Farnham of the East Long Pond Owners Association asked the town to serve as a fund-holder for a dam rehabilitation project that could run into the millions, modeled on a 2007 arrangement in which Woodbury held $350,000 in donor funds for the Nichols Pond Dam repair; Farnham said East Long Pond Dam is rated the state's top FEMA flood-risk priority.

Town Treasurer Lily reported the town ended fiscal year 2026 with a $12,784 net surplus but carries a combined $141,741 deficit across its FEMA mitigation and HERF reserve funds. The board approved a three-year winter sand contract with Gravel Construction at $9.30 per yard at the pit and tabled adoption of the personnel policy after duplicate language was found on pages 11 and 13 of the draft.

In the full story:

• Town Highway 21 Discontinuation Discussion
• East Long Pond Owners Association — Dam Fund-Holding Request
• Zoning Administrator Report
• Winter Sand Bids
• Washington Electric Line Extension Permit
• Department of Forestry Designation Update
• The complete report — 3,561 words

Source: the Other Committee meeting of July 13, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.