Glover town administrator tells House committee Shadow Lake Dam needs urgent state support after 2023–24 floods

Theresa Perrin, town administrator for Glover, told the House Committee on Government Operations & Military Affairs on Jan. 29 that repeated floods in 2023 and 2024 inflicted substantial damage on her community and left critical infrastructure at risk.

Perrin described being woken during the 2023 event when the Barton River 'jumped the bank' and said floodwaters and debris undermined the granite block embankment at Shadow Lake Dam, producing a 5-by-5-foot sinkhole at the auxiliary spillway and prompting a downgrade to an 'unsatisfactory' condition during subsequent inspections. She said the town has completed a temporary repair but faces a longer engineering process and a projected repair price 'over $1,000,000.'

Why this matters: Glover, population about 1,114, is one of several small Northeast Kingdom towns Perrin said would be devastated without targeted state assistance. She told lawmakers the town hall basement — the site of senior meal services — was gutted and rebuilt only after a year, that many residents lost furnaces and hot-water tanks, and that municipal responsibilities for roads, culverts and access compound local financial strain.

Perrin gave a brief timeline of technical work: routine inspection on 06/28/2023, a rapid inspection on 07/18/2023, and follow-ups in July and September 2024. She named engineers who inspected the site (Steven Hannah and Andrew Sampsell), cited a 07/26/2024 inspection recommendation by Ben Green (Vermont dam safety engineer), and said DuBois & King visited in August 2024; the town engaged Weston & Sampson to conduct a multi-part study and prepare a final report.

Perrin said the community has raised $26,148.27 toward the Shadow Lake Dam work but that the amount falls far short of the anticipated cost. She urged lawmakers to consider state-level financing options for small towns, and asked for help making buyout programs accessible — noting the paperwork and trauma families face after floods can make buyouts impractical without dedicated case-management support.

The committee thanked Perrin for the testimony and requested links and documentation she referenced (shadowlakedam.org; townofglover.com/lake) to inform continued deliberations. Perrin said she would remain available for follow-up.

Next steps: The committee is continuing work on flood-related legislation this session and indicated it will use the testimony and materials provided by Glover as it considers funding and program design.