Cheers and applause erupted during the Castleton Select Board’s Nov. 11 meeting as the former Castleton Village School was taken off the active market. 

The board voted unanimously in favor of recreation center advocates who want to continue transforming the school into a recreation hub. 

Selectman Mark Brown championed the effort, passionately promoting the potential opportunities the building could offer the community and surrounding areas.

“Leadership has to be bold, and I think this is a time for the community to be bold and make a positive move forward,” Brown said.    

Brown spoke of several advantages a recreation center would provide the town. Attracting younger families to the area, boosting the local economy and keeping youth out of trouble keyed his motivation. 

The meeting room was packed with some people left standing in order to hear the board’s decision. 

To curb the time spent listening to public testimony, the board requested a “spokesperson” for those in favor of a rec center and for those who wanted to keep the building on the market. The Select Board allotted both sides five minutes to plead their cases. 

Andy Vermilyea, the President of the Friends of Castleton Parks and Recreation, spoke on behalf of the public who supported utilizing the former school as an activity center. 

“Having the building off the market would be incredible for our ability to fundraise,” he said. “We’re willing to write grants to improve the gym floor, do other projects in the building that would increase its value. We can’t write those grants if the building’s up for sale,” he added. 

Vermilyea, who is also a science professor at Vermont State University’s Castleton campus, talked about several “one-off” activities and weekly staples such as theater auditions, paint and sips, hiking trips, cornhole, and the wildly popular pickleball, which attracts 40-50 people a week.

His goal of providing family-friendly activities for people of all ages was met with a unanimous vote of approval.

But the decision did not occur without apprehension. 

Although no one from the public spoke in opposition, Selectman Robert Spaulding conveyed concern prior to the vote–citing poor revenue and potential costly repairs. 

“Now that you’ve got all these programs, the revenue side should be coming up. If it’s not coming up, we have an issue,” Spaulding remarked. He noted his apprehension did not mean he was opposed to the idea of a recreation center, but he concluded if there was a serious buyer, the town should consider the potential income.

“If we ever in the future were looking to build something like that, there’s no way possible we’d ever be able to afford any kind of building or a rec center anywhere…any maintenance that we have to put in it for the foreseeable future, regardless is just going to increase the value of the property,” said Selectman Rob Steele in response to Spaulding’s concerns. 

Steele made his support of the center known when he recognized the members of the parks and rec group’s effort to better the community. 

“They’ve really shown initiative and done awesome in the past couple months, and I think they’ll be able to keep it going,” he said.

Vermilyea and the Friends of Castleton Parks and Recreation celebrated their newfound freedom with one goal in mind–transform the former village school into a treasured part of the Castleton community. 

Also (discussed) on Monday night, the board revealed the draft 2025-2026 operating budget. Residents can expect a 2.9% or a 7.6% tax jump depending on if the budget includes a $200,000 increase for highway paving and fire department reserves. 

The 2.9% increase is the result of a $124,611 increase stemming mostly for wage and benefits increases, said Town Manager Mike Jones.  

 “That’s a low number, $124,000 dollars, we’ve only done that one other time in the last six years,” Jones said. 

If paving and fire department reserve costs are included, the increase would be $324,611 representing the 7.6% increase. 

The total proposed budget for 2025-2026 is $4,384,951, up from last year’s budget of $4,238,000.  

In a follow up interview, Jones said the operating budget was “pretty bare bones” and there is little to no unnecessary expenditures. 

“We’ve cut that [the budget] down so much over the last six years that there’s not much to cut anymore,” he said.

In other news:

•The board deliberated on whether or not to continue maintaining three private roads: Higgins, Cedar Mountain, and Gump. One road used to house a disabled child, and the town needed to ensure the school bus had access during the winter months. Another road provides access to a town sewer, while the third one is split between town (state) land and private property. “We either need to maintain all private roads, or we need to maintain none,” stated Selectman Steele.

•Chris Immel, the town’s former tree warden, cited concerns about eight overhanging trees on Main Street. “They either need to be pruned out or cut down because they’re a danger. We’ve had trees falling on people,” he said. 

•The board reappointed Police Chief Peter Mantello as Emergency Services Voter and Mike Jones as Emergency Manager Director as Castleton’s representatives to the Regional Emergency Management Committee

•The Castleton Fire Department will withhold an $800 payment to McGee Ford after not receiving a trailer hitch despite purchasing a tow package.