Rutland board accepts $200,000 grant for Stratton Road culvert; town to cover funding shortfall

The Rutland select board voted Sept. 23 to accept a $200,000 grant toward replacing the Stratton Road culvert and directed staff to proceed with bid documents and design work. The award was accepted by a 5-0 vote.

Town staff and highway committee members told the board estimated replacement costs are about $500,000, leaving an estimated local share of roughly $300,000. The board discussed using a mix of carryover funds and the upcoming budget to cover the remainder: one scenario mentioned splitting the town portion between carryover and the highway budget (roughly $150,000 each).

Highway foreman Dave Sears reported the culvert design will be completed by a consultant, Robert Clark, and that manufacturers will be solicited once the design is ready. Board members highlighted construction-season constraints: the approved in-stream work window runs from July 1 to Oct. 1, and lead times for prefabricated culverts may push procurement timelines. Staff were asked to obtain lead-time estimates from manufacturers and to schedule bidding to meet the permitted work window.

Why it matters: The culvert is structurally deteriorated and has already developed holes and deformation, which carries the risk of progressive failure during freeze-thaw cycles and heavy runoff. The grant acceptance begins the procurement process but requires the town to identify the local match before ordering materials.

Next steps: The town accepted the grant, will finalize design documents, request lead-time estimates and cost bids, and plan for funding the local share during the upcoming budget cycle.