Moretown’s sidewalk construction project and stormwater improvement project are well underway. The projects are being carried out by DuBois Construction, Inc., the low bidder for the construction contract with a bid of $691,870.00. For both projects, grant budget splits are 80% federal and 20% local.
Currently, sidewalk and curb installation is continuing on the east side of 100B from the Moretown General Store to Hurdle Road, following the drainage reconstruction operation currently taking place. According to municipal project manager John Hoogenboom, the sidewalk and curbing is slated to be completed by July 24 and drainage improvements should be completed by June 26.
Since 2015, Friends of the Mad River has been working with town leaders to resolve stormwater challenges in Moretown. With the help of Hoogenboom, Friends of the Mad River created a stormwater master plan for Moretown with an emphasis on flood resilience.
One component of this flood resilience project is that catch basins along Route 100 will now have "sumps" which allow for solids, trash and debris to settle out at the bottom of the basin, instead of running off into the river.
“Before, much of the upland and road runoff was going through aging catch basins but draining directly into the Mad River without filtering,” said Corrie Miller, Friends of the Mad River executive director.
Together, the sidewalk and stormwater projects will make the village more pedestrian friendly and more equipped to handle flooding. “I'm thrilled that this project in Moretown will better filter water before it reaches the Mad River and pollutes the swim holes we all love,” said Miller. “Thanks to John Hoogenboom who has served on Friends' Ridge to River taskforce since 2015 and worked tirelessly to incorporate better stormwater management into Moretown's infrastructure.”
