Pot luck dinner revival is popular
by Matthew Wilson
DERBY LINE – Town Meeting brings a community together in one place at the same time. There are few other opportunities for such a broad range of people to share such fellowship, so it makes sense to break bread with neighbors. A revived tradition, once commonplace, was a highlight of Monday’s Town Meeting where an early dinner welcomed all who came the Derby Elementary School in Derby Line.
At a select board meeting a little more than a month prior to Town Meeting, resident Allyson Howell asked the board if food might make for a good addition to the event. The board was enthusiastic about the idea, as several members recalled parents and grandparents bringing dishes every year for all to share. Ms. Howell said that she would get people together to make it happen.
Everyone who got to the school early grabbed a fork and plate. There was something for everyone — meatballs, lasagna, chili, and chicken legs. Fruit and breads sat alongside cakes and other baked treats, all brought in by the residents who worked with Ms. Howell.
People who didn’t sit down with a plate and a town report to look over were ones who took the opportunity to talk with neighbors. The select board and a few other town officials enjoyed a meal together ahead of the meeting. They all said that the food was a great thing to bring people together.
“It seems to have everyone feeling pretty calm,” select board member Lindsay Brainard said.
The gathering moved to the seats away from the dinner table just before 6 p.m. as Moderator Frank Davis opened the meeting right on time.
Select board member Brian Smith read a message from state representative Richard Nelson, who wanted to speak to the community but was unable to attend the meeting.
The message thanked Mr. Smith for his time in office.
“I didn’t ask him to say that,” Mr. Smith said. He said that he personally thinks Mr. Nelson is working hard for Kingdom communities.
“My guess is that Richard is going full-guns down there looking out for this town,” Mr. Smith said. Mr. Nelson’s message talked about how he had been placed on a house committee where his experience will be put to good use.
In particular, Mr. Nelson’s message talked about the energy plans Montpelier has in place regarding electric vehicles. Current legislation would mandate car dealerships to have 30 percent of their inventory be electric vehicles. Mr. Nelson said in his message that the industry isn’t prepared to make the switch to so many electric vehicles and that the infrastructure for them isn’t coming at a pace needed to accommodate them. He also said electric vehicles currently make up less than 12 percent of the market. Mr. Nelson’s message closed with him extending an invitation to anyone who has concerns to reach out and talk to him.
After a brief moment of silence for community members lost and those in the wider world who are experiencing hardships, Mr. Davis moved the meeting along to the first articles on the Warning. The first two concerned Australian ballot items that would be voted on the following day. Those include the election of town officers, and approval of a school district budget of $8,557,889.
The third article also concerned the town school district, authorizing the board of directors to place surplus money in accounts for buildings and grounds, technology needs for the students, and a fund for field trips or other such expenses that students might face outside of the school. Nikole Brainard, chair of the elementary school board spoke about the budget, highlighting the increased cost of health insurance, which she reminded residents is outside the board’s control.
Her presentation laid out the mission of the school district and the needs the money would address. Discussion followed with some asking how much money per student the budget provides. The answer is just under $11,000. The article was passed without any opposition.
An article that provoked discussion between the select board and Derby residents was one asking for more money to rebuild roads. Board member Stephen Gendreau said at the start of the discussion that the board was asked to increase the amount set aside for road maintenance. Many people talked about how roads were damaged during flooding rains in 2024.
The select board also said state funding for roads was taken away this year. Two-for-one grants help to pave roads around town and the town did not receive $65,000 that would usually go towards road repair and paving.
“They took a lot of money out of transportation,” Mr. Gendreau said. “I heard it was to build more electric car charging stations.” The board and town administrator, Bob Kelley talked briefly about how money from FEMA helps to repair roads. However, this reimbursement money often takes a couple years or even longer to get back to the town in the form of reimbursement for money paid out by the town.
One resident asked how much it cost to have a mile of road paved. Mr. Gendreau estimated that the lowest cost for paving a mile would be about $85,000. He said that would buy a thin layer of paving that would likely make for a bumpy ride.
“That’s one inch without the shim, so you’re probably looking at more like $150,000,” Mr. Gendreau said. Once the discussion was done, the people voted unanimously to allocate the money to road repairs.
After the road discussion was done, resident and former select board member Karen Chitambar made a motion that all of the appropriations for the evening be voted upon as a single item. Mr. Gendreau moved to amend the motion so that two of the articles would be voted on by themselves.
He said that the two articles, funds for the Dailey Memorial Library and the Old Stone House Museum, were the only two to ask for an increased amount of money from the previous year. The crowd desired otherwise though and, after some short discussion, the gathering voted to have all the appropriations passed under one vote. There were no nays when the question was called.
The last two articles, the only other things left on the Warning other than appropriations, were for advertising where residents can pick up a town report and the overall annual budget.
Ms. Howell asked that the board amend the article so that the report’s availability will also be posted on the website Front Porch Forum. The amendment passed and so did the amended article.
A town budget of $3,080,499.96, also passed without any discussion. At the close of the meeting, select board member Grant Spates thanked Ms. Howell for organizing the food. After the meeting, folks filled up on some of the leftover grub as they caught up a little more before heading home.
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