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Selectboard awards roadside ash-tree removal bid after mixed responses from contractors
Summary
The Royalton Selectboard reviewed four bids to remove roadside ash trees along Royalton Hill Road and voted to award the contract to the Webster bidder after discussing mileage discrepancies, landowner permissions, and an $8,000 grant that limits the town's outlay.
The selectboard voted to award the roadside ash-tree removal contract after reviewing four bids and discussing how much of the 1.8-mile corridor each contractor would cover. Greg Stolaskey, speaking for the conservation commission, presented the bid summaries and noted the town has an $8,000 grant that functions as a fixed contribution toward the work.
Stolaskey summarized the offers: Bridal Webster LLC proposed work on both sides for about 2,700 feet with a five-day schedule; Cam’s Tree Service submitted a single-dollar amount covering 1.8 miles but did not follow the bid directions; Vermont Tree Company LLC (Isaac Sackett) left the mileage blank but listed 2.5 days of work and equipment; and Thompson Timber Harvesting offered 0.15 miles (792 feet) in 1–1.5 days. Stolaskey cautioned that some bids needed clarification on how many feet each contractor would actually clear and whether they intended to remove wood from private parcels where the town lacks landowner permission.
The board discussed density of ash trees concentrated in the first 2,700 feet and the legal limits on entering private property. Stolaskey explained, “We have the right to cut trees in the right-of-way under Vermont law … the purple just indicates we don't have permission to enter outside of our easement, and we don't have permission to remove the wood.” After debating options to ask contractors for clarified bids or to renegotiate with the lowest compliant bidder, a motion to award the bid to Webster carried by voice vote.
Next steps: staff will notify the winning bidder and coordinate scheduling with the conservation commission and affected landowners to confirm access and logistical details.
