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Selectboard authorizes contractor and seasonal hire to speed FEMA-funded road repairs
Summary
The Dalton selectboard authorized hiring a contractor for excavating and approved posting a part-time seasonal road position after staff warned the town cannot complete FEMA mitigation work with its current crew and must show substantial progress to meet August–October extension windows.
The selectboard authorized town staff to hire a contractor to complete FEMA-related excavating and mitigation work and agreed to post a part-time seasonal position to help with fabric, riprap and road dressing.
Board members heard from road maintenance staff that the town’s small crew cannot finish the scale of ditching, culvert and riprap work needed after recent flooding and that outside equipment and an additional truck are necessary to meet FEMA deadlines and qualify for extensions. “75% of it should be covered,” the board chair said when discussing FEMA reimbursement for eligible mitigation work. Staff noted the first contract extension runs through July 15, later extensions through July 30, and that FEMA requires evidence of substantial progress before approving an extension to October.
After discussing sites that need work—Harriman, Union and the large Blakesley stretch—the chair moved to authorize hiring a contractor for excavating on FEMA-related work and to recruit a part-time seasonal employee at $18–$25 per hour (no benefits), typically 5–20 hours a week. The motion was seconded and members voiced approval.
Town staff outlined the contractor tasks the town expects to contract out: exposing and dressing ditches, installing fabric and riprap, replacing or extending culverts and repairing headwalls where recent storms caused blowouts. The selectboard emphasized prioritizing FEMA-eligible mitigation work over routine grading when resources are constrained and agreed to use last year’s position description when posting the seasonal job on Indeed and the town website.
The board also discussed operator safety and training for graders and heavy equipment, and the limits of in-yard practice before allowing operators on the road. Members said they will stagger equipment purchases and maintain a capital reserve fund to avoid back-to-back replacement costs.
The motion’s approval authorizes staff to move forward with contractor procurement and recruitment; staff will post the seasonal position immediately and scope contractor work to align with FEMA’s approved mitigation items. The selectboard scheduled follow-ups as materials arrive and as FEMA evaluates the town’s progress.
