Town Meeting 2023: Water works upgrades on Bethel ballot

By FRANCES MIZE

Valley News Staff Writer

Published: 03-01-2023 3:27 PM

BETHEL — Bethel voters will be asked to approve a $2.5 million bond for upgrades to the municipal water system at this year’s Town Meeting.

The need is wide-ranging, including improvements to aging water mains, replacement of the Gaiko Well House, and the construction of a new pump system on Krystal Drive.

Of the requested cost, $425,000 is eligible for subsidized funding from Vermont’s low-interest Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. But to access the funding, Bethel voters first must approve the bond.

“The people in that area currently have poor water pressure. We need to install a pump station to correct that issue and bring them online properly,” Water Superintendent Therese Kirby said about the Krystal Drive pump system. “We can’t add any new users to the system until we install that.”

If voters reject the bond request, water system improvements would still be required and Bethel “would miss out on subsidy available for other parts of the project as well,” an informational mailer from the town about the bond vote reads. “Delays in completing this work will also increase the long-term cost due to ongoing inflation and the need to continue costly repairs to water mains.”

Water rates are anticipated to increase by an estimated $8.71 per month. Construction is planned for this coming summer.

Bethel will conduct its Town Meeting from the floor of the gymnasium on the Bethel campus of the White River Unified Middle School.

Frances Mize is a Report for America corps member. She can be reached at  fmize@ vnews.com or 603-727-3242.

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CLARIFICATION: Therese Kirby is Bethel’s town water superintendent. A previous version of this story failed to include her first name and title. 

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