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Select Board signs water-department emergency plan, addresses Town Hall flooding and seeks pump and efficiency funding
Summary
Hinsdale’s Select Board authorized signatures for an updated Water Department emergency plan, acknowledged a frozen roof drain that flooded the Town Hall basement, and reviewed grant applications and funding needs for pump replacement and energy-efficiency projects.
Town Administrator Kathryn Lynch presented an updated Emergency Plan for the Hinsdale Water Department at the March 4 meeting and requested that she and Chairman Steve Diorio sign the documents covering the North and Downtown water systems; the board approved the request unanimously.
Lynch reported that a roof drain froze and water “exploded in the Town Hall basement” earlier that day. She credited quick action by Highway and water crews and other staff for limiting damage and said she had ordered lunch in thanks. Lynch said this is the second year the town has experienced a roof-drain freeze issue.
Community Development Director Josh Green updated the board on several infrastructure and grant matters. He said he is working with state officials on a Type 1-B permit to site a solar array next to the landfill cap, pursuing a Timber for Transit grant to improve the rail trail, and applied to a T-Mobile Hometown grant to fund energy-efficiency measures at Town Hall following a prior audit. Green also described efforts to obtain funding and parts to replace two aging wastewater plant pumps that are obsolete and use excessive electricity.
Green and Bob Truesdell discussed a plan to acquire a paper shredder for the Transfer Station to eliminate a roughly $600 monthly disposal expense; they said they will pursue donations and nonprofit channels to lower acquisition costs.
Why it matters: approving an emergency plan formalizes response roles for the water system; the roof-drain failure highlights a recurring facility maintenance issue. The pump replacements and energy-efficiency projects could reduce operating costs and improve reliability if funded.
What’s next: the emergency-plan documents will be signed; staff will continue pursuing grants and funding for pumps, solar permits and Transfer Station equipment.
