Rutland Select Board accepts easement deed from Green Mountain Power for pocket park; grant planning continues

The Town of Rutland Select Board voted Dec. 3 to authorize the chair to sign an easement deed from Green Mountain Power to accept property for a pocket park. The motion was made and seconded after a brief executive session to receive legal advice and passed unanimously.

Barbara Noyce Pulling, who is working on the grant application for the pocket park, told the board that a significant portion of the parcel along Simons Avenue lies in the floodplain — and that a quarter to a third of the parcel may be in the floodway. She said the town’s floodplain manager recommended avoiding developed infrastructure in the floodway and concentrating permitted park infrastructure on the more stable southern areas of the parcel.

To meet permitting and grant-application requirements, Barbara recommended reconfiguring trails so most signage and improvements are on the south end and using the plateau area for looping trails. She also suggested limiting north-end parking and noted potential VTrans/AOT right-of-way complexities on the north parcel. Board members suggested adding a landscape architect (or Otter Creek Engineering) to the grant application to assist with survey, acceptance requirements and erosion/stabilization planning.

What’s next: Barbara will continue the grant application, incorporate a landscape-architect scope in the proposal, and coordinate municipal permitting and surveys. The board approved the acceptance/authorization to sign; Barbara will draft application materials that reflect floodplain constraints and will present permitting questions to DEC and town staff as needed.

Vote/action taken: Motion to authorize Chair Mary Aschoff (as recorded in the transcript) to sign the easement deed from Green Mountain Power and for the town to accept the deed carried 5-0.