MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (WCAX) – With Town Meeting Day less than a week away, many communities are gearing up to decide on local issues that matter to them. In Middlebury, infrastructure is the star of the ballot.
On the line is $1.2 million to reconstruct Middlebury’s Bakery Lane to make it more pedestrian-friendly as well as decrease water and drainage issues. The town is looking to make improvements to make it more of a hub for businesses.
The infrastructure is lacking for a town center, which attracts customers for the movie theater, a tattoo parlor, restaurants, and Haymaker Bun Company.
“We’re kind of tucked off of Main Street a little bit here, which is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a very cool spot right down on Otter Creek here. But it is sometimes a little hard for people to know that we’re here,” said Caroline Corrente, owner of Haymaker Bun Company. She says although business picks up every year, they are in a frequent battle with the Otter Creek seeping into the building. “A lot of water runoff comes, so every time it rains or snow melts, we get water streaming through our basement, which is obviously not ideal.”
For town officials, the ballot item is nothing short of timely. “Since the floods last summer, including a lot of main breaks caused by a pressure surge last month. And our water system – like so many Vermont municipal systems – is 100-plus years old. And there’s always pieces of it that need to be taken care of,” said Middlebury Selectboard Vice Chair Andy Hooper. He says thr project has been in the works for years and would completely reconstruct the road to accommodate better walking and car traffic. “We need to walk and chew gum at the same time. There are always issues of accessibility. We would like people to come to our downtown and to do that they need to be able to park and get around to things.”
If approved, the upgrades would also replace the water main, the sewer system, and the pressure force main from the wastewater pump that’s caused major issues in the town over the last few weeks.
Back at Haymaker, Corrente agrees updates are necessary to the area. “We’re looking forward to it,” she said. Corrente is hoping her business is well informed about the progress from the town if it passes, noting there have been times when their water has been shut off and the road closed without warning. “I know it’s going to mean a lot of work. I think the bakery is going to be closed for weeks if not months in the summer. Which needs to happen, but having that heads up and transparency from the town is really needed.”
This is an item on Middlebury’s Town Meeting Day ballot on Tuesday, March 5.