Paving for 7 Streets and Roads
Will Start Soon, Selex Told
By M. D. Drysdale

"Be warned," Selectboard Chair Jim Hutchinson said with a big smile Monday night at the board’s regular meeting, which also included dog issues, tax issues, and the final word on Braintree payments for fire services.

Hutchinson had good news and bad news—but mostly good news.

Paving season is about to begin in Randolph, he said. That will mean delays, dust, and noise here and there throughout the summer, but in the end it will mean smooth new pavement on seven roads and streets.

First up will be the East Bethel Road, which had its pavement torn off during a previous summer and is due for the new one. Work will start there as early as this week, Hutchinson said. Other paving work will commence about July 16.

Roads and streets to be paved include: Belle-Fred Drive, Prospect Street, Brigham Circle, South Pleasant, Grove Street, and Mason Road.

Dog Hearing

The meeting Monday started with a hearing on a dog bite case. A Randolph water and sewer employee was bitten on both arms by a Rotweiller while reading the water meter at a local home.

The dog, the selectboard was told, is owned by a Michael Hatch of Royalton, and the dog reportedly has a past rap sheet against it for other bites. Hatch, however, the board was told, cannot be found, and neither can his Rottie.

Selectman Damon Lease moved that Town Manager Peter Butterfield be directed to impound the dog and have it examined medically, while attempting to find out if it does have a history of biting. If so, the dog should be put down, Lease said, and his motion was passed.

It remains to be seen, the board acknowledged, whether Randolph can in fact impound a Royalton dog, but the attempt will be made.

Rita Hull of Dudley Street also attended to complain of a run-in with a dog in her neighborhood. That case has been taken to court, and Butterfield said he would confer with Hull to see about enforcement.

The town manager acknowledged that though Randolph has a dog ordinance, it is not well enforced, and he reviewed steps he has taken to change that. These steps include getting some new equipment for police and looking into training, both for police and for the dog officer.

The town is still looking for a second dog officer, since the first one cannot do dog duty during the day.

Tax Bill Change

Town Clerk and Treasurer Joyce Mazzucco attended the meeting to make a recommendation for how state rebates should be applied to property tax bills sent out by the town.

Property owners under a certain income level receive a rebate against their property taxes. These rebates previously have been sent directly as "prebate" checks to the property owner, but the legislature changed the system this year.

In order to make clear that the rebates were specifically tied to property taxes, the legislature said the rebates should be taken as a credit on the property tax bill, rather than as a check to the property owner.

That leaves the ball in the town treasurer’s court, because tax bills are issued by the towns, not the state.

Randolph sends two property tax bills, one payable in November and one in the spring. Mazzucco recommended that the entire tax credit, when there is one, be applied to the first payment. The second payment would be affected only if there is still some credit left over.

The selectboard agreed.

Recreation News

Selectman Damon Lease reported that the skateboard park is almost in shape for use again. A painting party will be organized soon.

Dawn Butterfield was appointed to the Recreation Committee and other new members are welcome.

Fire Services

Hutchinson announced that representatives of the Randolph and Braintree boards held their final meeting on the matter of Braintree’s assessment for fire service.

Randolph reps communicated the board’s unanimous decision that Braintree should be billed the full $48,000 as originally billed, he said. The Braintree reps were "not particularly pleased" but agreed to the assessment, he said.

Miscellaneous

The New World Festival was granted a festival permit for Sunday, Sept. 2, the day before Labor Day.

Because of the construction on the bridge, Main Street will have to remain open this year, and to cut down on the number of pedestrians crossing Main Street, some of the activity will be directed to School Street.

As a result, one block of School Street, between Summer and Main, will be closed for the day.

Sewer and water permits were granted to several poperty owners, including one new house on Forest Street.