Duxbury Selectboard approves Camel’s Hump Road repair, sets tax rate

August 4, 2024 | By Cheryl Casey | Correspondent 

The five members of the Duxbury Selectboard last week unanimously approved $85,000 to repair a section of Camel’s Hump Road that was damaged when flooding once again swept through the area last month. 

File photo

At a special meeting called on Monday, board member Patrick Zachary reported that portions of the 130 ft. section of road above Scrabble Hill Road have developed large cracks and settled some eight inches. 

Dale E. Percy, Inc., of Stowe, was awarded the contract with a proposal to repair and stabilize the slope down to Ridley Brook using slope armoring, a technique that uses a layer of large stones to reinforce the structural integrity of a road slope. The work will reinforce the slope down to a plateau that sits about 70-75 ft. below the road, according to board Chair Richard Charland. 

The plan offers a long-term solution to a problem that has plagued the road since Tropical Storm Irene, Charland said. 

Because the damage has been ongoing and not caused directly by the floods last month, Charland confirmed that the project was not eligible for FEMA funds. However, Zachary confirmed that it was “still in the running” to receive funding from Gov. Phil Scott’s $100 million fund for storm-related mitigation. An application was submitted by the town at the end of June. 

Charland said that Percy’s proposal did not include the cost of a traffic control subcontractor, a new guardrail, and final road grading, all of which would be the town’s responsibility to cover. Lafayette Highway Specialties, in Essex Junction, will be brought in to install the new guardrail.

Work is expected to begin on August 12. Nine homes are located above the closure point, affecting 14 residents, Charland confirmed. 

In the meantime, town officials have imposed a lower weight limit on Camel’s Hump Road to limit further deterioration and posted it as closed to all but local traffic. The closure affects access to the Camels Hump State Park trailhead and parking area. “We posted a weight limit of 12,000 lbs. at the bottom of CHR in an effort to keep the road open to residents and to minimize any further impact on the bridge,” Charland wrote in an email to town residents on Friday. 

Charland said town officials are aware of heavy commercial vehicles continuing to use the road and he asked local residents to adjust scheduled work and deliveries such as fuel deliveries at their properties until the road repairs can be completed. 

“All residents are asked to please stop scheduling contractors for such work until we can stabilize the bridge. All contractors and delivery truck drivers should please adhere to the weight limitation. Closure of the bridge to all traffic is not a pretty picture, we’ve been there before,” Charland wrote. 

Camel’s Hump Road has been a challenge for the town to maintain particularly since it sustained heavy damage in Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. Subsequent mud seasons and storms have repeatedly led to limitations on travel for local residents along the road. 

“This is not a joke, please take the weight restriction and the closure above Scrabble Hill to all but residents seriously, the short-term inconvenience is meant to prevent a possible longer-term closure,” Charland implored. “Everyone’s cooperation with this is greatly appreciated.”

Tax rate set 

The selectboard also voted on the town’s tax rate, unanimously setting it at $.7440, up two cents over last year. According to Town Clerk and Treasurer Maureen Harvey, the rate covers the difference between the $1.5 million budget and the anticipated revenue of $228,000, plus the local agreement rate for the veteran’s exemption. 

Tax bills will be sent to property owners with payments due on the second Friday in October which is Oct. 11 this year. 

The agenda included an item about staffing to be addressed in executive session, but Charland opted to table the discussion “because I haven’t gotten a clear answer as to what action we can take.”

The Duxbury Selectboard’s next regular meeting is August 12 at 6:30 p.m.