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Woodstock kicks off $30,000 stormwater asset management plan, DES allows combined meetings
Summary
Horizons Engineering and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services led a kickoff and level-of-service meeting for Woodstock’s $30,000 ARPA-funded stormwater asset management grant, setting an October 1, 2025 completion deadline and outlining inspection, training and budgeting goals.
Tavis Austin, a project manager with Horizons Engineering, and Sarah Ridgert of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) led a kickoff and level-of-service meeting on a $30,000 ARPA-funded stormwater asset management grant for the town of Woodstock.
The meeting established preliminary mission and level-of-service goals, confirmed that much of the field data had already been collected, and highlighted an October 1, 2025 grant completion date after which work is not eligible for reimbursement.
The discussion centered on what the town should expect from the final plan: an inventory and condition assessment of stormwater assets, replacement-cost estimates, inspection schedules, and a training program for town staff. "You do have a $30,000 grant, and I know you have already started the work partly because you were doing the wastewater system," Sarah Ridgert said, noting the ARPA funding timeline and DES review requirements.
Horizons indicated that prior field work is largely complete and proposed combining the required kickoff meeting and the level-of-service meeting into a single session to reduce extra committee work. Austin presented two draft mission statements and said the plan should do more than list assets: it should produce actionable level-of-service goals and a tool the town can use to inform annual budgets and a capital improvement plan.
Key elements discussed included annual or biannual inspections of culverts and stream crossings, developing a checklist for assessing clogging and structural condition, documenting known problem flooding areas, and considering a capital reserve or a dedicated funding line for stormwater projects. Austin noted that Woodstock does not appear to have a standalone stormwater operating budget and that replacement costs for some stream crossings can exceed six figures.
Board members present generally favored the approach and accepted using the draft mission statement as a working operating goal. DES asked that Horizons provide meeting notes and a final draft report for DES review and sign-off; DES staff will be involved in the wrap-up meeting and training. Austin said he will prepare the report, add numeric metrics to the level-of-service goals, and coordinate training and report review with DES.
No formal vote on the plan was taken during the meeting; the session functioned as the required kickoff and level-of-service review for grant compliance and project planning.
The town was advised to document existing informal practices—such as lists of problem culverts and pre-storm inspections—and to consider making those practices part of the formal asset management plan so future budgets and maintenance schedules reflect them.
