By GEORGE FJELD
GOSHEN—There is a new Selectboard in Goshen! Since Town Meeting in 2022, the entire board has changed. First, Thomasina Magoon was elected and started her term in March of 2022. She immediately made waves by asking questions and looking for answers. On October 5, 2022, Jeff Cathcart resigned, stating in his resignation letter that he “does not agree with the direction the town is heading or the directions and ideas of other board members.” Tammy Walsh was appointed at the October 25th meeting. That next week, Diane O’Classen resigned and Bill Mathis was appointed to the open seat and subsequently elected chair. The 2023 election was contested. Ex-board member Dave MacKinnon and his running mate Marci Hayes lost to Tammy Walsh and Bill Mathis. According to one local, the election was for the future of the Town of Goshen, whether to look forward or to the past. These 3 “newbies” were now running Goshen. All have been elected to their positions as of the town meeting in March of this year and have been working on transforming Goshen policies and procedures since.
Then, in a surprise move on March 13, 2023, road foreman Jim Hayes abruptly resigned. As stated in the Goshen Selectboard minutes, “Jim stated he feels that at this time he is unable to work for the current three Selectboard people. Jim feels that there are going to be changes and he stated he is old-fashioned in his ways, the board is new. After 50 years of doing this job, he has learned a few things, thus he feels that he and the board are going to go head to head and he does not want that.”
So, now what? Well…Mathis, Magoon, and Walsh rolled up their sleeves and have been hard at work. Two temporary town employees have been hired. The town roads have all been graded and will be graded again this spring. The Selectboard, which acts as the road commissioner, has authorized monthly grading of the dirt roads, all 14 miles of them. Fay Road hadn’t been graded for 5 years according to Selectboard member Thomasina Magoon. Plans to rebuild/repave Town Hill Road are being developed. There has been a plea from townspeople for years to fix this potholed ribbon of blacktop from Route 73 to the Town Office and Hall. Two years ago, the former Selectboard brought an article to Town Meeting to spend $625,000 on rebuilding the road. Voters decided they could not afford it. The present board has been looking at funding through state grants and monies saved in the paving fund. They believe there is a way to accomplish this in 2025 without a huge tax burden.
If you drive by the town garage, you’ll notice the old V plow has been repainted red and is soon to be lettered “Town of Goshen,” as it had previously been for decades. Seven yards of trash have been removed from the town garage and a lot of necessary cleanup has been done. Will Mathis cleaned “so much garbage from the town garage, including $62.50 in returnable bottles and $100 in scrap metal. There were over fifty 55-gallon empty drums in the shed.”
This spring there was a spill of approximately 2,000 gallons of chloride solution (used to keep down road dust in summer) on the town green. An unidentified person opened the valve on the back of the old truck, letting the solution drain onto the ground. An EPA report was filed and an investigation occurred. It was not considered a toxic spill. According to Mathis, there is no long term danger to the environment. The lawn was replanted and there are “plans to plant a balsam fir tree on the green replacing the Charlie Brown tree that’s there now,” according to Magoon and Mathis. The new tree is being donated by local residents Elsie and Stephen Sherrill.
Magoon states that the board is looking to update the technology in the town office as well as replace some furniture to keep it in line with the historic building, using some remaining ARPA funds. The board would like to upgrade the Town Hall with new windows, heating systems, a generator, and other energy-efficient measures, as well as make the main floor ADA accessible. They’re seeking grants for most of that money and believe that the town is likely to get it in the next fiscal year. Mathis said it will have multiple functions, including as a safe haven for residents to shelter in case of a disaster.
There is a renewed feeling of community according to all three Selectboard members. Most of Goshen’s volunteer positions have been filled and people are taking on projects that interest them. This is important for this rural (most of the land is National Forest) and sparsely populated community (172 individuals in 20+ square miles as of the 2020 census).
