Welch Helpful

On Rt. 114 Project

I have had the opportunity to witness, first hand, Peter Welch's common sense approach to governance. The Town of Sharon recently completed a highway rehabilitation project on Route 132 between Sharon and Strafford. This project had been in the queue for state funding for two decades.

In 2000, after proceeding through the myriad of preliminary steps required by the VTrans process, the town-with VTrans' support and funding -hired a project manager and engineering firm. Over the next few years, design plans evolved from conceptual to final. The project was moving at "full speed ahead". But, in 2005, with the construction phase ready for bids, and the construction season looming, anticipated funding from VTrans suddenly turned tenuous.

Peter Welch came to the rescue. He first gathered the facts. Everyone knew that VTrans had many projects to consider and limited funding. But Peter recognized that this project was different than many of the others. It wasn't controversial. It wasn't frivolous by any standard. It was ready to go. And the town had played by all the rules, step by step, year after year. He encouraged VTrans to find a way to secure the funding-and they found a way!

Putting focus on this project probably didn't gain Peter much political capital, and maybe just the opposite. Peter simply recognized that getting this project completed just made good sense!

I got to know Peter a little while this was all unfolding. I know that as a Vermont Senator and Senate leader, he was good for Sharon, good for Windsor County and good for Vermont. I think that his legislative experience and common sense approach will be good for Vermont and good for the country if we send him to Washington.

Bob Ferguson

Sharon

(Mr Ferguson is a former chair of the Sharon selectboard.)