HARTLAND — Voters will decide next month whether to spend an additional $510,000 to bury utility lines around Hartland Three Corners as part of that intersection’s pending reconfiguration.
Residents will be asked to approve the $1.4 million project at a Special Town Meeting coinciding with Vermont primary day voting on Aug. 11.
The effort includes the creation of a four-way intersection with stop signs for Route 5, Route 12 and Quechee Road. Construction also would eliminate a short spur that currently carries motorists north and south on Route 5.
The town expects to bond just over $1 million while at least $363,000 would be covered by federal grants.
Hartland Town Manager David Ormiston said the new budget also includes a 15% contingency, but he’s working to secure another $70,000 in grants.
Voters in 2014 approved a $450,000 project to reconstruct the intersection, which can be confusing to first-time visitors and nighttime drivers.
But in 2018, a group of residents asked that the town expand the project so that utility lines won’t obstruct a new green space. Five utilities would use a pole near the center of a new park, with wires going in several directions.
Ultimately, the town’s Selectboard opted to study the proposal, which saw engineers and officials with Green Mountain Power draw up two designs.
One would see the pole moved to an area near the Sumner Mansion. But that plan was thrown out because of impacts to the historic property.
Power lines would have required the negotiation of aerial agreements and several trees would have to be removed, Ormiston said Monday.
The other plan, which was approved, would have most of the lines buried so as to preserve the new green space.
A public forum on the plans is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 3. People can find out how to access that meeting on Hartland’s website, Hartland.govoffice.com.
Voting is scheduled for 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 11 at Damon Hall.
If the plans are approved, Ormiston hopes the construction of the new intersection will begin next spring.
If they’re voted down, he said, the town will move forward with its previous designs that include the utility poles.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.