We just wanted to send a friendly reminder about signs in and around the Village/Town. It is a violation of Vermont Law (10 V.S.A. § 495(d)) to install any non-official signs within the Town’s right of way (typically the area between the road and the sidewalk). This includes temporary political and promotional signage. Going forward, any signs found within these areas will be removed and placed on the adjacent land.

Thank you for cooperating with us on this. Please let us know if you have any questions or need more information.

Thank you,

Eric Duffy

With a recent resignation, there are now two open seats on Woodstock’s Selectboard.

Selectboard Appointments

The Selectboard, per 24 V.S.A. § 963, (a) When a vacancy occurs in any Town office, the Selectboard forthwith by appointment in writing shall fill such vacancy until an election is had;

The Selectboard plans to appoint individuals to both open seats.

1. Application deadline: September 10th, 2026

2. Potential Candidate interviews: Tuesday September 15th at 6:00PM Selectboard regular meeting

3. Potential appointments following interviews.

There are two seats open with terms ending Town Meeting March 2027 with the option to run for another term.

For anyone wishing to apply please click the link below:

https://www.townofwoodstock.org/fileadmin/files/Archive/2025/02/Application-for-Boards.pdf

Please email applications to Kmearskoar@townofwoodstock.org no later than September 10th 2026.

Thank you,

Eric

Quick reminder that Woodstock utility bills are due at end of business, Thursday August 13th. We need to receive your payment before 4:30 PM or you will be charge a late fee. Any questions, please reach out to our Finance office at 802-457-3456.

Thank you,

Eric Duffy

Our water well is back up and running, pumping water into our tank. We are hopeful that tonight we will regain any tank water loss we suffered over the last 24 hours. As such, we are no longer asking you to conserve water. If things change we will send out another message. But I want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding today. I also want to thank AJ and Butch and our entire Public Works Crew for all their work today to keep water flowing and things in a good position.

Thank you,

Eric

Thank you for your patience and understanding,

Eric

Please do your best to conserve water usage today. Our main well is currently down and therefore we have limited water flowing into our tank. In order to ensure we do not need to move to a boil water notice, we are asking everyone to do their best to conserve water until further notice.

Any questions, please reach out to the Municipal Manager at 802-457-3456.

Thank you,

Eric Duffy

Let’s start with some housekeeping…

• The Village Trustees’ August meeting on the 11th is being moved to 5PM from its original time of 6:30PM. The early start is due to the election that day and the need for the Town Clerk and Justices of the Peace to use the conference room to count ballots at 7PM.

• Speaking of the election, the Selectboard has two open seats that will be filled via the August 11th election. I am very thankful for all five candidates who have offered to volunteer for this role. Sample ballots for the election can be found on our website here (https://www.townofwoodstock.org/news/post/sample-ballots-for-the-august-11th-2026-election)

• With that in mind, I want to thank Dick Sweeney and Gay Travers for joining the Selectboard for the last few months.They both brought their own experiences, thoughts, and ideas to the board and I think they both have made me a better manager.

• The Selectboard’s agenda for their August 4th meeting is now posted and available here (https://www.townofwoodstock.org/news/post/080426-selectboard-agenda-830am). We will have one agenda addition to appoint members to the Finance Committe.

• Finally, I want to thank Farmer and the Bell for hosting me this past week for another public office hour. As always, it is great spend time there and get to talk to some residents. Also, their new focaccia bread is AMAZING. I can’t recommend it enough.

Moving to some municipal highlights:

• Molly Maxham, one of our amazing Planning and Community Development staff, applied for and received a grant. The grant funds a rain garden design for the Vondell Cobb property that would help with stormwater runoff. Next year, we can apply for another grant that would fund the entire construction of the rain garden.

• While we are talking about Vondell Cobb, I want to thank Mark Harris and Tom Debevoise for their fundraising. Earlier this year, the Selectboard set a goal of $400,000 of private donations to be combined with the grant from the Vermont Land Trust to put a vast majority of the property into conservation. In essence, for putting the land into conservation, the Town would receive $1 million dollars. Mark updated the Selectboard last week that they will hit their fundraising goal. Just amazing work by them. Next up is for the Selectboard to vote to move forward on this agreement. I believe that vote will happen at the August 18th meeting.

• Keeping with the water theme, bids went live last week for the Elm Street pipe replacement project. With this timeline, we are still on track to have the pipe fully replaced before you enjoy the 2026 Turkey Trot.

• In other water related news, the State of Vermont approved our variance request for the well replacement project. This will save us time and money and help keep the project on track. I want to thank our engineers from MSK who worked with the State to ensure we were granted this needed variance.

• Last month we said goodbye to Beth Therrien and Doug Perkins, two long-term dispatchers. I want to thank Beth and Doug for their support and dedication to Woodstock. Being a Dispatcher is a tough, stressful, and hard job and I appreciate all Doug and Beth did for us.

• With those departures, I want to welcome Neena Howland and Rebecca Stearns to Woodstock. They are joining us as the Assistant and Head Dispatcher. Combined, they have 42 years of dispatching experience. I want to thank Interim Chief Chris O’Keefe and Stephanie Appelfeller who led the search and found us two great new employees.

• The Planning Commission voted to accept the changes to the Village By-Laws the other week. These changes will now go in front of the Village Trustees for their consideration. I want to thank the Planning Commission, Two Rivers Planning, and our Planning and Community Development staff for their work on this. This updated has been discussed in public meetings for over a year and was a huge task to not only take on but also complete.

• The Selectboard also recently voted to approve the donation of a parcel of land to the Town. Although there are no immediate plans for this parcel, I applaud the Selectboard for their forward-thinking actions on this.

• Similar to Molly’s initiative listed above, I love that our staff is always thinking of ways to do things better and to help the community. The first comes from our Police Department. They will be hosting an ice cream social this Tuesday, August 4th at 6PM at the Police Department. Please stop by if you can and meet some of your officers and enjoy some ice cream.

• The other initiative is from Kitty Mears Koar. To assist new residents in Woodstock, she created a postcard that will be sent to all new homeowners. The card lists important dates in Woodstock and has a QR code which brings them to our town website. Similar to the ice cream social, Kitty took this up on her own and put it together. As I always say, we are very lucky to have the staff we do.

• Our staff are not the only ones working to improve Woodstock. The Chamber of Commerce is hosting “Woodstock Wednesdays!” If you shop at our brick-and-mortar stores, you have a chance to win a prize! Each week there is a drawing, if you are lucky, you can win a donated prize from a local business.

• Finally, I will be at Abraccadabra this Friday at 8:30 for another public office hour. I hope to see you there.

Thank you,

Eric

This report was prepared at the direction of the Selectboard and submitted to Town Counsel by the required July 26 deadline. Before it could be released publicly, certain supporting documents required legal review and appropriate redactions to ensure compliance with applicable confidentiality requirements.

The report provides a detailed accounting of FY25 legal expenditures, explains the review and approval process, and includes supporting documentation to provide additional context.

The report is available on the Town website (https://www.townofwoodstock.org/departments/town-manager) for anyone who wishes to review it.

Thank you,

Eric Duffy

We are back. Just a short update today with a longer one coming in the next few days.

I will be hosting a public office hour this Friday at 9am at Farmer and the Bell. After being out of Woodstock for a few days, I have been dying for their croissants, so come get a coffee and a treat and talk Woodstock.

Speaking of, we are looking for residents who are interested in joining three committees. One is the Finance Committee. A while ago, the Selectboard and the Finance commitee agreed to become project based and the Selectboard has a few projects lined up for this committee. So if you are interested in water rates, sewer rates, and the potential revenue from the Vondell Cobb conservation, the Finance committee wants to hear from you!

The next is the Housing and Economic Development Committee. Are you interested in helping Woodstock remain a viable place for residents and businesses? Then this committee is for you. Led by our Economic Development Director, you will be looking at new strategies to keep Woodstock moving forward.

Finally, we have the Town-Village Analysis Study Committee. Yes, for you political geeks, the name of this committee is a camel. But in essence, this committee will be looking at what the future of the municipalities should be. Should they remain two municipalities or should a merger happen? This committee, like the water working group, will be doing a lot of research, work, and analysis, so it is not for the faint of heart. But this work will be essential in crafting the future of Woodstock.

If you are interested in any of these committees or have more questions, just reach out to me at eduffy@townofwoodstock.org.

That is all for now, be back in a few more days with another update.

-Eric

Due to the recent storm, there are currently multiple trees down on Route 4 heading through West Woodstock and surrounding areas that are impacting traffic. We have contacted the state for assistance with this matter and have sent members of our Public Works Department to facilitate the removal of any immediate obstacles. The Fire Department and Police Department are working together to ensure the safety of our residents at this time. Please use caution if you are travelling on Route 4 West, or any adjacent roadways while we work to resolve this issue in a timely manner. If you have any safety concerns please call 911 immediately.

Thank you,

Eric Duffy

Municipal Manager

This afternoon, a truck overturned on Route 12 near Billings Farm and is currently on the creek bank. State and Town emergency personnel are on scene and responding to the incident. Out of an abundance of caution, and as we await any updates from Vermont’s Agency of Natural Resources, we advise the public to avoid any activity in the Ottauquechee River from the Elm Street bridge easterly until further notice. Additional updates will be provided, via the Town’s website, the Police Department’s Facebook Page, and Front Porch Forum, as more information becomes available.

Thank you,

Eric Duffy

Woodstock Municipal Manager

Woodstock Awarded $1 Million Federal Grant for Park Access and Safety Improvements

WOODSTOCK, VT — The Town of Woodstock has been awarded a $1 million federal grant to improve pedestrian access, safety, and connections between Woodstock Village and the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park.

The funding, provided through the Federal Lands Access Program, will support upgrades to several important community connections, including the historic Elm Street Bridge, sidewalks leading to the National Park, and the Spruce Path trail that links the park to areas north of town.

“We’re really excited about what this funding will allow us to do,” said Municipal Manager Eric Duffy. “The National Park is one of Woodstock’s greatest assets, and these improvements will make it safer and easier for people to access the Park and enjoy its magic.”

The project will help repair aging pedestrian infrastructure and improve accessibility. It will also strengthen connections between the National Park, Billings Farm & Museum, and Woodstock’s downtown businesses.

“Visitors often experience Woodstock, Billings Farm, and the National Park as one destination,” Duffy said. “The better we connect those places, the better the experience for visitors and the stronger the benefit is to our local businesses and economy.”

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park welcomes more than 80,000 visitors annually and generates an estimated $7.3 million in economic activity each year, including approximately $5.3 million in tourism dollars that supports local shops, restaurants, lodging establishments, and more than 50 jobs in the region.

“This is the kind of investment that benefits everyone,” Duffy added. “It helps preserve important community infrastructure, improves safety, and supports the tourism economy that so many local businesses depend on.

“I am grateful for the work of our Economic Development Director Abbie Sherman, our Chief of Staff Stephanie Applefeller, and the staff at Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission, and the National Park Service for putting together the proposal and ensuring we received this critical funding.”

Town officials will work with the National Park Service and project partners to advance planning and design work, with construction expected to follow in future phases.

This award is a continuation of Woodstock’s focus on applying for and receiving grants to help with infrastructure repairs and sustainability. In the last year, Woodstock, working with local partners, has received roughly $3.1 million in Federal and State grants.

For more information, contact the Woodstock Municipal Manager’s Office at (802) 457-3456.

After finally catching up from vacation, we are back with some updates right after I catch my breathe from passing out Jess Kirby’s amazing Woodstock maps around the Village…

These Fridays are always my favorite in Woodstock. A big event is happening over the weekend and you can start to see the Village fill up and the sense of excitement is heighten. Just over the last few days and hours I have met and talked with people who are here in Woodstock for the first time and I am not sure if there is a better time for it. We have the third annual Pride of Woodstock (yay!), Market on the Green is back (yay!) and the Covered Bridges Half Marathon is Sunday! And the weather has finally turned. I hope you all enjoy Woodstock this weekend…

Turning to town related things, water and sewer bills are due by EOD June 11th. Speaking of utilities, Stephanie and I were in Montpelier Monday meeting with the Agency of Natural Resources to discuss the water system infrastructure upgrades. Our engineer will be filing some documents over the next week or so and hopefully the momentum will keep moving forward.

Finally, I will be at the Thompson Senior Center lunch this coming Friday (June 12th) as we get back to weekly public office hours. But enough about me here are some department highlights from the month of May…

Economic Development Department

• Advertised RFP for Housing & Economic Development Strategic Plan.

• Advertised for Housing Task Force and began receiving applications.

• Worked with Marketing Coordinator to develop ad for GRIP magazine to promote Woodstock.

• Met with representatives from the State and the federal Economic Development Administration regarding grant funding for the WWTF replacement project.

• Attended kickoff meeting for water system improvement projects related to design of replacement well and new distribution main.

• Received notification of award of AARP Community Challenge grant

• Met with the State Economic Development office regarding businesses looking to locate to Vermont.

Police Department

• Motor vehicle stops:58

• Tickets issued:35

• Warnings issued:23

• Fine amounts:$5704.00

• Parking tickets Issued: 346

Calls for service

• Village:154

• Town:143

Fire and EMS Department

• 27 Fire Calls (7 in the Village)

• 88 Ems Calls (19 in Village)

• 9 Building inspections

• Department-wide driver training

• Started Dry Hydrant Fushing

• All ambulances and fire trucks had their spring cleaning inside/out and waxing.

• Finished up with the last of the Dartmouth students ride alongs, and 1 student is coming back to work part time.

• 1 employee in an NFPA Class for inspections

• 32 public people were certified in CPR

One last reminder, we are on summer hours at Town Hall- meaning Town Hall is closed at 12PM each Friday. I am usually still on site for most of the day if needed or an email away.

Happy Pride!

Eric

Quick recap…

I spent a great lunch at the Thompson Senior Center last week and got to hear about the memoir class they currently provide. Also spent some time with Deanna, I am always amazed and inspired about all the great work they do over there.

Stephanie and I attending the Vermont City Manager Association conference as well. We presented (along with Stowe) on Short Term Rentals and our experience (and lessons learned) going through the ordinance process.

This newsletter will be quiet for a bit as I am taking some PTO over the next few weeks. But that does not mean nothing will be happening. Just take a look at some of the stats and selected highlights from April and rest assured, the municipalities are working hard each day…

• Beyond setting the water and sewer rates, our Finance Department processed over 1,200 deposits worth over $15 million (with the caveat the vast majority of that will be sent to the State for the education tax). They also sent out over 1,000 utility bills and collected the final tax payments of the year. They also received the FY25 draft audit, reviewed it, responsed to final questions, and it sent it back to be finalized.

• Our Wastewater crew continued their professional development with taking basic water classes and distribution class.

• Our Economic Development Director held an informational session on Village and Historic Tax credits, played a vital role in selecting the engineering firm for our water system upgrades, attended Vermont’s Tourism Summit, prepared to apply for more grants for our Wastewater Plant, and kept housing moving forward with work on a stragetic plan and a new housing committee.

• Our Fire/EMS department had 22 fire calls and 43 EMS calls. They hosted 19 Dartmouth EMS students for ride-alongs during their shifts (always a fun time). They completed employees fit testing and one staff went to pump operator school. Finally, 20 building inspectations were completed.

• Our Police/Dispatch had 96 motor stops that resulted in 57 tickets and $9,207 in fines. Overall, there was 278 calls for service with 146 for the Village, 132 in the Town.

That is it for now. This (and the public office hours) will be back in a few weeks. Until then, hope everyone is well!

Thanks,

Eric

Thank you,

Eric

I was planning on a large update/preview this weekend but life got into the way so this will be a short one…

• A reminder that this Saturday is Green Up Day. The bags will be passed out at Town Hall from 7:30 to 10:30am. Come help keep Woodstock clean!

• Pivoting a bit for the weekly public office hours this week, and heading to the Thompson Center for lunch tomorrow! Can’t wait for the delicious food and the very engaged and interested lunch colleagues. I want to thank Deanna for hosting me yet again.

That’s it for now, hopefully everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather today.

Thanks,

Eric

Please note:

• Official emails from the Town of Woodstock will always come from an address ending in @townofwoodstock.org.

• Do not respond to or send payments in response to suspicious emails.

If you believe you have been contacted by this scam, please report it immediately by contacting Kitty at kmearskoar@townofwoodstock.org.

Stay cautious and help spread the word to protect others.

Thank you!

Two quick announcements…

1.) I will be holding the weekly open office hours tomorrow at 8:30am at Dreamscape (yes they are open again-yay!). I hope to see you all there.

2.) We will be closing Town Hall tomorrow at 3PM for a staff gathering. However, you will still be able to drop off any tax or utility payment outside the Finance office up until 4:30PM on Friday. We apologize for any issues this may cause.

I hope you all are able to enjoy this nice sunny day!

Thanks,

Eric

Just a quick reminder we will be holding public office hours tomorrow morning at Farmer and the Bell at 8:30am. I want to thank Farmer and the Bell for hosting us and for the croissants I will buy for breakfast this weekend.

I also want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding with our hydrant flushing this week. I know it is a nuisance for everyone but it is a required part of our water system. I recognize we need to do a better job with messaging and notices and we will next year.

Finally, I attended the Chamber of Commerce’s monthly meeting this morning. I was thrilled with the excitement in the room and the plans to encourage more visitors (local and non local) in the down times, along with strategies to encourage more local shopping. I am so excited to see what the Chamber can do in the coming year.

Coincidently, a bit later in the day, on a trip into the Village I ran into a family that was visiting Woodstock for the first time. I took some pictures for them and offered them some suggestions for food. I ran into them again as they were checking out of the Woodstock Inn this evening. They had a great time here and are hoping to return. It was a great reminder of how special this place is for people lucky enough to live here or visit. I am very optimistic that with Jess Kirby, Abbie Sherman, and the Chamber, we will continue to have new people visit and fall in love with this place like we all have.

That’s all for now, I hope everyone enjoyed the nice weather today.

Thanks,

Eric

Just quick bits before we get into, what I hope, will be a monthly feature here.

• Last week the Selectboard approved the FY26 water and sewer rates. Bills are being mailed out now with a due date in early June. If you want to see how rates are put together, I would encourage to watch the presentation from our Finance Director. You can find the video here (https://www.townofwoodstock.org/meeting/special-town-selectboard-04-07-26) and the presentation starts at around the 42 minute mark. As always, we are lucky to have such great employees here.

• Since we are sharing videos, here is another one. The Selectboard and Village Trustees held a joint meeting to review Open Meeting Law and Executive Session. The video is here (https://www.townofwoodstock.org/meeting/special-joint-meeting-04-01-26

• With a desire to continue to provide more transparency and predictably, the Selectboard is going back to two scheduled meetings a month. They will be on the first Tuesday of the month at 8:30am and the third Tuesday of each month at 6pm. The hope is by having these, we can avoid special meetings and the public will know when we are meeting.

• Speaking of boards, in case you did not know, both the Selectboard and Village Trustees have new members and chairs/vice chairs. You can see the full list of your elected officials here (https://www.townofwoodstock.org/boards-meetings/joint-meetings) but most importantly is Susan Ford is the new chair of the Selectboard and Lisa Lawlor is the new Chair of the Trustees. Laura Powell is now the Vice Chair of the Selectboard and Jeffry Kahn remains the Vice Chair of the Trustees.

• Last small update, our public office hours will continue this Friday at Farmer and the Bell starting at 8:30am.

Okay, moving onto something new. I am very excited about this and I am hopefully we can keep this up. I want to provide monthly updates on what has been going on in your municipality. Too often you only see what you read in the paper, what you observe at a meeting, or only when you need to interact with us on some level (paying a bill, permit, etc.).

But we do so much more here and we have such a great staff, I think its important for you to know what is happening day in and day out. The aim is to do this for every month. The highlights will not be exhaustive (and I will definitely forget to mention one or two cool things) but should give you a better sense of what we are doing for the community. So let’s see how this goes…

• In Town Hall, our Finance office and the Assessors worked together on the homestead filing penalty. This will help to lower the overall tax burden on Woodstock residents and I am very appreciative of the work they did on this.

• On the re-appraisal front, the appraisers have contacted roughly 30% of the homes in Woodstock and have been able to do 96 full interior inspections. We will be posting on our website soon the importance of interior inspections, but for now, if you have any questions, please reach out to our Assessors at 802-457-3607.

• Our Community Development and Planning Department, in conjunction with the Planning Commission finished their updates on the Village By-laws. This is the first step in moving forward with potential new housing and this was over a year’s long project. The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing in May and then the updates will be in front of the Village Trustees.

• Our Finance Department focused on water and sewer readings in March. They worked extremely hard to find each reading and fix any mistakes, with the goal of ensuring residents are paying for their exact usage. This was a challenging work but the work they did this past month, will increase efficiencies and accuracy going forward.

• Our Economic Development Department assisted in creating and reviewing proposals for our water system upgrades. I am happy to report, due to her work, we are moving forward on the Elm Street pipe repair and we will have a recommendation for the Selectboard for the new well and pipes at the next Selectboard meeting. She also attending the Urban Land Institute Housing Opportunity Conference, and is working on applying for a grant for the wastewater project.

• Our Selectboard and Village Trustees both had very successful Town and Village meetings with all the articles passing overwhelming, and least we forgot, a successful bond vote for a renovation of our main waste water plant. I want to thank the Clerk’s office for ensuring a smooth election process.

• Our Public Works finished up the winter season throughout March. Dealing with snow storms, ice, a salt shortage and many sleepless nights. They are now transiting into Spring/Summer mode and we will be on those crosswalks soon!

• Onto Public Safety, our Fire/EMS crew had 69 EMS Calls, 29 Fire Calls, and conducted 9 Building inspections. Their new ambulance finally arrived and is up and running. The department provided training on extrication tools and airbags, HIPAA, sexual harassment, and ethics. Finally, they started to train two new PT EMS staff and one volunteer.

• Finally, our Police Department had 305 incidents and 102 motor vehicle stops. From those stops, 64 tickets were issued and 38 warnings were issued. The total fines from those stops totaled $10,880. There were also 3 motor vehicle crashes and they conducted 24 foot patrols. Finally, Corporal Murphy attended a two-day Women in Command leadership course in Burlington and she and Officer Arora attended the 2026 Governor’s Highway Safety Summit in Killington.

Wow, I am exhausted just reading through that list again and I still have a Village Trustees meeting tonight.

Till next time,

Eric