The Waitsfield Select Board agreed this week to put $3,000 from the town’s parks budget toward site work at the Pines rest area, while pressing the state to clarify both its responsibilities and its schedule for removing two dead pine trees at the heavily used site.
The Pines, a roadside pull-off and picnic area off Route 100 often used for carpooling, river access and snowmobile parking, is widely understood to be owned by the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans). Board members said all available records point to state ownership, but the town and its regional partners have been unable to locate formal documentation.
“Everything online says it's the state, but that doesn't really mean anything. We cannot find the book and page,” town administrator York Haverkamp said, noting that planning staff and Josh Schwartz of the Mad River Valley Planning District had conducted extensive research.
SEVERAL YEARS
Schwartz himself and volunteers with stewardMRV have been mowing and maintaining the Pines for several years. The state has done little routine maintenance. StewardMRV, has stepped in to coordinate and manage the work at that site. The program was created in 2022 by the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce. It is led by program coordinator Tom Spencer, who also oversees trash and portable toilet management in high-use recreation areas throughout the Mad River Valley.
Spencer has made it a personal mission to remove the aging, concrete picnic tables from the Pines. Board members said VTrans agreed to remove the tables, and the Waitsfield road crew assisted in the work. With the concrete now gone, stewardMRV has secured a grant to install three new picnic tables, including one ADA-accessible table, and two grills. A community volunteer day is envisioned to clean up the site and help with minor improvements.
To support that effort, the board voted unanimously to spend $3,000 from the current-year parks maintenance budget on site work by contractor Ed Reed. His estimate includes about $1,500 for fill and grading to address voids left by the old tables, and another $1,500 for an ADA-accessible gravel path and a 12-by-12-foot pad where the accessible table would sit closest to the parking area.
FULLY SPENT
The town has roughly $6,000 budgeted for parks maintenance this fiscal year, and officials said the account has not been fully spent. The approved $3,000 will come from that line item.
From the municipal side, town road foreman Josh Rogers indicated the road crew can take over mowing at the site, formalizing a task that has been handled informally by volunteers. In turn, the town hopes VTrans will address bigger-ticket work, including fixing the parking lot and removing two large dead pine trees that are still standing near the picnic area.
Board members said the trees pose both a safety risk and a potential threat to the planned improvements.
Board members noted that two of the trees are dead, pointing out that they are large and need to be removed before any new fill or surfacing goes in. Members also raised concerns about timing, intending to have the site improved and usable during the current summer season.
TIMELINE
The board agreed to have staff contact VTrans for a firm timeline. If the agency cannot commit to timely removal, the town may seek private tree-removal quotes and decide whether to use local funds to complete the work.
Beyond maintenance and safety, the board discussed longer-term governance of the Pines, including the possibility of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with VTrans to clarify roles.
The board plans a short follow-up meeting to revisit the tree issue and any additional funding questions once staff have either secured a schedule from VTrans or brought back private cost estimates.
