BETHEL —  Fire Chief Mike Jodrey said they took 41 911 calls in four days, not counting the in-house calls they also fielded.

Both cars and tractor trailers were stuck in flooded roadways. “There’s some debate whether there were 26 or 28 people that were rescued by boat. Multiple [others] were rescued via trucks backing out to people,” he said.

Propane tanks floated and broke off people’s houses releasing propane. Oil tanks were tipping over, too. Bethel Fire responded to those calls as well as an electrical fire in an Albany camper. As the storm progressed they responded to multiple fire alarms at homes and businesses.

In four days Jodrey said he fielded more than 344 storm-related phone calls on his cell phone.

Telstar High School is Bethel’s Red Cross Emergency shelter. “To open a shelter is a big deal,” said Jodrey, “There were some people that thought it should have been opened instantly on Tuesday. Ninety percent of the public couldn’t get to it Tuesday between the flood waters, trees down, wires down. When people are safely in their home at 50 degrees, that it is not a situation that warrants opening a shelter.”

He said as things progressed they decided to open the shelter, the flood waters had receded on Route 26 and it was daylight so roads were more safely navigable. He pointed out that when the shelter did open there were only six or eight people that went.

“For all the hub-bub – we’ve lived these storms before. People don’t want to leave their homes as a rule,” he said.

Attempts to open re-open a shelter on Thursday hit roadblocks. Telstar’s heating equipment had malfunctioned and Crescent Park School had no water. “We did the best we could,” said Jodrey, who added that people who were rescued from their homes went to one of three local hotels. “People were taken care of,” he said.

Jodrey said their ice water rescue suits and swift water rescue suits probably would have been good for another 20 years doing one or two rescues a year but when you wear them continuously they wear out and will need to be replaced.

He said they lost several traffic cones and barricades to flood waters overtaking them. “Then some kid in a jacked-up pick up comes along at 35 miles an hour pushing a three foot wake, [and] they get flushed.”

He said they may need to address the 1946-military surplus generator that powers their fire station. “It runs like a Swiss watch but 80-year-old wiring has a few gremlins every now and then.”

“The town, all in all, was in pretty good shape under the circumstances. It was a hell of a week,” he said to applause.

“They need to be commended,” said Jodrey of the Waste Water Treatment plant employees.” We saw them. We were all passing each other in the night. They were running from pump station to pump station for three days. He [Toby Walker] is our Ed Norton.”

Public works

“I don’t know where to start,” said Department of Public Works Director Scott Sumner about the multiple roads and multiple washouts. Kimball Hill required over 1,000 yards of refill material and North Road required 350 yards of fill. He said they hired several other contractors to help repair the storm damage. “We spent almost $40,000 in material to fill in the holes.”

There are three areas they still need to repair: the Davis Park playground fence sustained damage. One of the large boardwalks on the adjacent pathway floated off it’s foundation. On the Big Adventure side of the same pathway there is another large hole. He said Angevine Park is filled with silt, but they won’t know until Spring whether they will need to pump or vacuum it out.

Finance Director Amy Hanscom later said the full estimated cost for storm repairs sent to FEMA including municipal damage, supplies, and wages was $319,475. She said they have submitted a claim to the insurance company for the Waste Water Treatment Plant facility damages. That claim amount was also included in the FEMA amount.

Town Manager

Jackson said her team will send 18 foreclosure letters to residents with unpaid 2022 taxes.

Jackson said she and her department heads will review the town’s EOP (Emergency Operation Plan of 2019) and make changes. The select board will give recommendations, too.

At the Waste Water Treatment Plant the basement and first floor were flooded in the December storm. Electric damage needs to be addressed immediately, said Jackson. Gate operator malfunction and a disabled proof motor can wait.

Susan Mills of Andover was hired as Deputy Town Clerk. The full time Code Enforcement Position is still open.

FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and MEMA (Maine Emergency Management Agency) and Oxford County representatives asked her to schedule visits to ten residents’ properties to assess damages. She called and scheduled the visits, then the agencies cancelled, said Jackson. Rumford and Mexico assessments were taking longer than anticipated, they said. They will not be coming to Bethel now.

Jackson said, ” I can’t thank the employees enough for what they did [during the storm]. Toby, Scott and Mike were exceptional in running their departments.”  She thanked Amy Hanscom and Jessicca Grover for the work they did from their homes. “I want to thank Courtney McPherson as well for collecting information,” she said.

Jackson said she will recommend the town get a generator, so people could work at the office instead of from home.

She said she’d like to see another generator at the Waste Water Treatment Plant, too.

Committees

The select board filled various committee vacancies.

After accepting Rachael Guay’s resignation, Josh Fortier, Melissa Sheridan and Chris Banks were appointed.  (Banks will take Guay’s position, with 2 years remaining) to the Recreation Board.

Ted Davis, Tonya Lewis and Cheryl Thurston were appointed to the Budget Committee. One seat remains open.

Tom Shepherd and Kareena Walter were appointed to the Bingham Forest.

Bill Allen and Reggie Brown were appointed to the Appeals Board.

Norman Clayton and Ross Bragg both applied to be on the Airport Authority. Clayton was previously on the board. Bragg who was in attendance said he was getting his commercial pilot’s license, has time on his hands and wants to be more a part of the community. He joined Bethel Rescue, too. He was appointed 3-2.

Kareena Walter was appointed to the Ordinance Review Committee

Jim Bennett, Caroline Dunn, Peter Southam and Lori Windsor were appointed to the Planning Board

Reggie Brown was appointed to the Water District Board

Conservation and Budget Committees each have one seat open.

Other business

Sumner said he will look into the cost to replace their sidewalk plow. An estimate to repair it is $18,000.

A victualer’s license was approved for DiCocoa’s, 125 Main Street, with two rooms with 28-seating capacity.

A $240 donation to the airport from Frank Del Duca was approved.

A $7,500 anonymous donation for the recreation department alpine ski program at Mt. Abram was approved.

Earlier in the meeting Mike Everett asked about marijuana company business fees that have been in the works for six months. Jackson said the delay was because the attorney had been sick. “He is providing us with the legal information we need to set the fees,” she said.

Several mechanical items and four galvanized doors were replaced using ARPA funds at the Waste Water Treatment Plant.

Town offices will be closed Jan. 15  for Martin Luther King Day and Jan. 23  for staff training. On Feb. 14 town offices will close at 3 p.m. for web updates.