Columbia board approves public‑works hire, names planning commission alternate and wins TRIP grant for bridge

The Columbia Board of Second order on July 1 approved the hiring of Thomas Pearl as public works highway maintainer, appointed Jason Arico as an alternate on the planning and zoning commission and learned the town secured a TRIP transportation grant to rebuild the Thompson Hill Road bridge.

The board voted to appoint Thomas Pearl after a member described him as having more than 20 years of experience in a neighboring town and “interviewed very well,” then approved the placement of Jason Arico as a planning-and-zoning alternate following an endorsement from the Republican title committee. A board member who spoke in support said, “He’s a good man” and noted he is a former naval officer.

Administrator: The administrator reported an official statement dated June 11 for a $5.5 million new‑money bond issue (4% coupon; the administrator said the yield came in near 2.9% and that the effective interest translated to about 3.17%). The administrator said the town received a double‑A plus and an SP1+ rating on the financing. “We applied for a TRIP grant…they’ll pay 80% of that towards Thompson Hill Road bridge,” the administrator said, describing an estimated project cost of $1,479,899 and a town share of about $295,000.

Finance and bills: The board approved payment of a refund totaling $27,341 and authorized payment of bills totaling about $63,879.69, which the clerk and members described as comprising emergency, regular, credit-card and payroll items. Members questioned a $3,500 radio purchase; a board member said the radio was for a DPW truck and added, “Radios are real expensive ones.” The board also discussed a catch‑basin cleaning item of roughly $14,000 and said one town employee accompanies the contractor to document work.

Outreach and facilities: Officials said the town has set up an online survey, postcards and Facebook notices to gather public input for the 10‑year plan of conservation and development. A resident asked whether the survey prevents repeated submissions; officials said they would check whether the form blocks multiple entries and reiterated that a QR code and a direct link are available. The administrator also noted a donated weather‑forecasting station has been installed on the Murphy house roof and is accessible via the town website; staff are exploring adding a camera feed and an app link.

Procedure: The board suspended the regular meeting to hold an executive session and reconvened at 7:45 p.m., saying no action was taken; the meeting was then adjourned.

What’s next: The board discussed the possibility of transfers or a special meeting around July 15 to ensure quorum for transfer approvals, but no firm schedule change was made at the session.