Quechee — A turnover in the composition of the Selectboard and fresh concerns from the federal government threaten to reverse a September decision by Hartford officials to build a pocket park near the Quechee Covered Bridge.

“Elections do have consequences, and maybe it will in this case,” Selectboard Chairman Dick Grassi said, according to CATV video of the board’s meeting on Tuesday (March 29). “We have four members siting on this board that were (on) the last board. Of the four that were sitting here, two of us voted against this plan, and two of us voted for this plan. We now have three new board members and I’m not sure where any one of them sit as far as supporting this plan.”

The Selectboard has scheduled a special meeting at the site on Tuesday evening, April 5, to learn more about possible changes to a $378,000 plan to transform a flood-ravaged slope between the bridge and the Simon Pearce building into a multi-tiered park with stairs, benches, a ramp, and landscaping.

Town leaders learned that the plan they had approved in September for the park overlooking the Ottauquechee River had drawn unfavorable comments from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to the video of the meeting.

“They didn’t want to see us doing much of anything on the lower level” of the proposed park, because it lies below the flood plain of a 100-year flooding event, Public Works Director Richard Menge told the Selectboard.

The concern prompted a back-and-forth discussion during which town planners suggested scaling back the plans by eliminating one of two benches in the design, and replacing what would have been a solid surface with a permeable one that would allow water to drain out more easily; FEMA, which had originally asked the town to remove both benches and some stairs from the lower level, was amenable to the compromise, Menge said.

In another wrinkle, Lori Hirshfield, executive director of the town’s planning department, said that additional concerns had been raised by the Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Planning Commission, which implements community development block grant funding that has gone toward remediating the site in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene.

In the fall, Hirshfield told the board, a rule change triggered an environmental review of the site, and now there is concern that the soil could be contaminated with ash or dye chemicals from mills that formerly occupied the site, or from gas tanks that used to be stored at a second site on the other side of the covered bridge. She said she felt the concerns could be addressed by capping the site, which, if agreed to, would not significantly impact the existing development plan.

The $378,000 plan to renovate the site was chosen from among three options that have been hotly debated for years. The Quechee Lakes Landowners Association has lobbied the Selectboard to take action on the site that would enhance the village’s appeal to tourists and boost property values, while others spoke in favor of a lower-cost option that would have stabilized the site against future flood damage and covered it with grass seed.

While the Selectboard has commissioned engineering work for the $378,000 plan, with the understanding that it could be implemented this summer, it could still change course for the less expensive option.

Grassi and Selectwoman Sandy Mariotti voted against the $378,000 plan in September, while members Simon Dennis and Rebecca White voted for it.

The new members of the Selectboard, who have not participated in any formal action on the site, are Mike Morris, Alan Johnson and Dennis Brown.

During the March 29 meeting, Morris said the plan should be scaled back, and that FEMA’s flood concerns should be heeded.

“They don’t want to pay for it. They don’t want to see us do it,” he said. “Why not eliminate the lower level?”

He said that he visited the site on Sunday and had concluded that “the best experience is from the sidewalk level unless you want some spray in your face.”

Staff members told Johnson that eliminating the stairs and the benches from the lower level could save about $30,000 off the price tag of the project.

“I am very dubious that spending an extra $30,000 for the bottom of the park is a worthy way to spend the money. I could think of a lot of other things we could spend that money on,” he said. “But I’m also very concerned that we could spend more than $30,000 kicking this around.”

Funding would come from a combination of grant money and money that has already been set aside for the plan by the Selectboard over the past two budget cycles.

Matt Hongoltz-Hetling can be reached at mhonghet@vnews.com or 603-727-3211.