BRISTOL — At its Monday meeting, the Bristol selectboard approved a town improvement project in Memorial Park proposed by Eagle Scout Taylor Allred, a senior at Mount Abraham Union High School.
In his project, Allred will clear brush and rebuild a portion of the railing system on the back side of the stream, targeting a specific area where he will replace 16 fence posts that are rotting and unstable.
The selectboard gave permission for the project to begin, and voted to fund 50 percent of the cost of project materials, pending a complete list of supplies from Allred.
In other news from Monday’s meeting, the Bristol selectboard:
•  Approved an application from Ariana Bora to fill the AmeriCorps position at The Hub teen center. The candidate later declined the position.
•  Discussed the winter maintenance of East Street/Gardner Lane at length. At issue was whether the town wanted to take on legal responsibility for a portion of Gardner Lane. The town has plowed for some time although Town Administrator Bill Bryant said the town does not get state aid for Gardner Lane. The selectboard were split over whether to plow or not.
The board postponed decision-making until all members were present at the next meeting.
•  Gave the Boy Scouts permission to have an overnight camping trip at Eagle Park.
•  Noted that the school board had received the selectboard’s letter regarding school bus routes. The selectboard had requested that the bus drivers be routed away from Pine Street, which has no sidewalks. At present, the buses remain on that route.
•  Had a discussion regarding the future of Bristol’s gravel extraction site near MAUHS. Town Administrator Bill Bryant updated the selectboard on the status of the site’s profits and expected timeline. Selectman Joel Bouvier noted that the rocky slope depicted in a photograph published alongside an article on the pit in the Sept. 24 Addison Independent actually showed a man-made defense against erosion, put in place after the 2004 floods.
•  After an executive session, the board authorized the town clerk to submit a settlement agreement concerning a tax appeal to the courts; authorized the town office to offer a contract to Michael Furey to appraise a historic building that the town is considering acquiring as an addition to the fire department; and authorized a contract with Nop’s Metal Works to inspect the building and determine what it would take to preserve and transport it.
Reporter Xian Chiang-Waren can be reached at [email protected].