Rutland Town wins $500,000 culvert grant; select board defers excavator purchase amid paving shortfall

The Town of Rutland won a $500,000 structures grant from the Vermont Agency of Transportation for a Stratton Road culvert project, but VTrans denied the town’s Class 2 paving grant request for the upper portion of East Pittsford Road, town road commissioner Dave Sears said at the May 6 select board meeting.

The grant approval will still need VTrans’ final administrative steps before it is fully obligating, Sears said. “That’s what we applied for — 500,000,” he said. Sears added the town has time to budget and complete the project, noting the grant’s period of performance extends into next year.

The denial of the class 2 paving grant prompted board discussion about how to cover paving needs without that outside funding. Sears said he could likely complete part of the planned paving this year by shifting priorities but that the town’s carryover balance will shrink if large capital items are advanced.

The board also discussed whether the highway department should buy an excavator or continue renting. Sears said the crew has rented equipment frequently: “About 42,000 since I’ve been here — 2 and a half years — so we’re spending 20 a year,” he said, characterizing rental costs at roughly $20,000 annually and quoting an approximate purchase price for a new machine in the mid six-figure range including trailer and warranty. He and other staff warned that buying a machine now would draw heavily on the highway carryover and could force the town to delay or reduce paving and other projects.

After extended discussion of budget trade-offs, timing and alternatives (including used-equipment auctions and VTrans surplus), the board did not authorize the purchase. Select Board members and staff agreed to revisit the purchase once year-end carryover figures are final and after staff refines cost estimates. That decision was described in the meeting as a postponement rather than a formal denial.

Board members and staff also discussed other highway items in the packet: mapping and cleaning stormwater basins this summer; regular manhole-flushing operations; and green-up collection (Sears reported 89 bags collected so far). Sears said the town will put the Stratton Road culvert out to bid once easements are secured and engineering is finalized.

Why it matters: The VTrans structures award pays most of a major culvert replacement that protects a local road and related drainage infrastructure. The choice whether to buy heavy equipment now affects the highway department’s ability to carry out paving, culvert work and other maintenance without adding to the tax rate.

What’s next: Staff will return to the board with refined estimates for the excavator and a paving plan that reflects the denied grant and the final carryover balance. The VTrans grant must complete agency processing before work is advertised.