A Castleton man has had it with his neighbor’s bull.Hugh Tredwell, a Woodbury Road resident, appeared before the Castleton Select Board at its Nov. 12 meeting to request help, advice, and compensation concerning damages purportedly caused to his property by his neighbor’s bull.

Tredwell claimed that the bull’s owner, Jerry Savage, has been avoiding phone calls and neglecting his responsibilities to keep(ing) the animal domesticated.

“What I’m most upset about is a play area for my kids that I built on Mother’s Day being completely destroyed by this animal,” said Tredwell .

In addition to the play area, Tredwell said that the bull has caused other “extensive damages,” including embedded footprints in his grass, deactivation of an electric fence that he uses to prevent his dogs from leaving the yard, and destruction of his flower bed.

Though Tredwell openly sought reimbursement for the physical damages done, it was clear that his biggest concern was his children.

“I have 4 acres of lawn, but I can’t leave my kids outside. I have 2-year-old twins and a 3-year-old, and I hate worrying that they’re going to get charged by this bull while I’m not around,” Tredwell said.

He told the board that earlier that evening he had spoken with Animal Control Officer Kevin Mulholland to “handle this properly” rather than carry out his gut intentions to “destroy the animal.” Tredwell stated that there was a possibility of Mulholland appearing at that night’s meeting to confirm, but he did not.

Instead of passing Tredwell’s compensation request, Select Board Chairman Tom Ettori said he wanted to see what Mulholland had to say first. However, Ettori assured Tredwell that his plea was not being ignored.

“We will try to get you some answers,” said Ettori.

Before moving forward with the agenda, Town Manager Jon Dodd added, “I’d personally like to see it happen so that you don’t have to come back since this is an immediate concern.”

After the meeting, Mulholland said because Savage is “impossible to get a hold of” he sent him a registered letter notifying him of the complaint and almost immediately the bull was gone.

“We haven’t seen it since then,” he said.

Savage could not be reached for comment.

In other business:

* The board members confirmed that this year’s Town Report would be dedicated to town businesses who have served the community for 50 years or more including Gilmore Home Center, Eli’s Auto Body, and facilities owned by the Poremskis, including The Track Inn and Edgewater Resort. They also concluded that the report will be in memory of Carl Johnson, a well-known and beloved mechanic who passed away earlier this year.

* Fire Chief Heath Goyette appeared before the board to request money to purchase a new equipment van for the Fire Department to replace its current 1978 1-ton Chevy that was purchased by the department 10 years ago. Goyette said that he negotiated with the van’s dealer to drop the price from $15,000 to $11,000. The board unanimously passed the motion to grant Goyette the money to purchase the van. They also set a budget of no more than $1,500 to have the van re-lettered and painted to accommodate the fire department’s needs.

* The board approved the $5,611 purchase of a generator trailer for the wastewater treatment facility. Dodd explained in a phone interview on Wednesday that the generator fulfills a state-wide requirement to have an emergency power source for wastewater facilities. The board also approved $4,416 to purchase UV lamps was also for the purpose of the wastewater saying the waste “goes through the process of ultraviolet disinfection” to further break down the waste.