Hardwick Municipal Plan Community Survey

 in Uncategorized / Zoning

We’d love to hear from you!

The Town of Hardwick has started work on the 2027 update to our Municipal Plan, and the Planning Commission is asking for community input to help guide the process.

The Municipal Plan helps shape local decisions about things like housing, infrastructure, flood resilience, food systems, and community priorities over the next several years. Your input will help identify what people value most about Hardwick and what may need attention moving forward.

We’ve created a short community survey (about 5–8 minutes) and would love to hear from residents, workers, business owners, and anyone connected to Hardwick.

Take the survey here:
https://forms.gle/qDag6yeE487iTjQf6

• Responses are anonymous
• You can skip any questions you prefer not to answer
• The survey is open through June 5

Help Us Meet Our Goal of 300 Responses

Survey results will be summarized and shared publicly and will help inform the next Municipal Plan update.

Whether you’ve lived here your whole life or arrived more recently, your perspective helps shape Hardwick’s future.

If you would like a paper copy of the survey or need help completing it, please contact the Zoning Office at 802-472-1686 or the Town Manager’s office at 802-472-6120.

Thanks for participating!

175 Tires, One Brook, and a Community That Showed Up

 in Community / Uncategorized / Zoning

It started with a simple question.

Chelsea Ross, advisor to the Hazen Hatchery Club, reached out last fall looking for a way her students could do something real for water health in our area. Not theoretical. Not a classroom exercise. Something that mattered on the ground.

We talked through a few ideas. There are no shortages of needs when it comes to our rivers and streams. But one kept rising to the top: the tires in Cooper Brook.

Tires don’t come out of a brook easily. Especially the ones that have been sitting there for years.

If you’ve walked that stretch, you’ve seen them. Half-buried. Wedged into banks. Sitting just loose enough to move the next time water comes through. Many of them were carried and redistributed during the July 2024 flooding, shifting downstream and collecting along this reach of the brook.

So we made a plan. In March, we picked a date. May 1.

By the morning of May 1, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a small effort.

Forty-seven people showed up. Students, neighbors, and partners from the Hazen Hatchery Club, the Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE), Trout Unlimited (NEK Chapter), the Greensboro Association, Caledonia County NRCD, and Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, along with residents of the Granite Street Historic District, who live closest to this stretch of the brook and have seen its changes firsthand.

Members of the NEK Trout Unlimited chapter were in the brook throughout the day, helping lead the in-water work and keep things moving.

And then there was Jud Kratzer, a fish biologist with Vermont Fish and Wildlife, who showed up with enough waders to outfit the students and make sure they could actually get into the brook and do the work – the quiet MVP of the day.

The work itself was muddy. Physical. At times awkward. Tires had to be pulled, rolled, dragged, hauled up banks, stacked, and in many cases washed down before disposal. Teams formed without much discussion—some in the water, some moving debris, some staging and loading.

Five hours later, the numbers spoke for themselves:

175 tires removed.
Half a dumpster of additional debris.

That’s debris that won’t trap sediment, redirect flow, or move downstream into tighter channels during the next high water event.

The Greensboro Association provided financial support for the cleanup, helping turn a student idea into something real.

And that’s really the story.

A question from a teacher. Students willing to get their hands dirty. Partners who said yes. And a community that showed up and did the work.

This is what watershed-scale resilience looks like.

Boil Water Notice – UPDATE EFFECTIVE 1:00 P.M. Saturday, April 25

 in Town Manager

UPDATE: Effective immediately, the boil water notice for the Town of Hardwick is CANCELLED. We have received the test results back and there is no presence of coliform., It is safe to resume drinking the water. We appreciate your patience while we followed the necessary precautions following the water line break.

DRINKING WATER WARNING – Posted April 23, 2026

Hardwick Town Water System WSID # 5039

BOIL YOUR WATER BEFORE USING

Due to a break in the main water line, there is a strong possibility that your drinking water supply may have become contaminated on the way to the tap.  This situation presents a significant health risk to users of the Hardwick Town Water System. 

The Hardwick Town Water System is issuing a Boil Water Notice for all users, effective immediately.

What should I do?

DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.

Coliforms are bacteria which are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other; potentially-harmful, bacteria may be present.  When a water system is experiencing a failure of infrastructure the possibility exists for bacteria and other harmful organisms to enter the water distribution system and contaminate your drinking water supply.

People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly may be at increased risk. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by microbes are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1 (800) 426-4791.

What happened? What is being done?

Upon discovery of the leak on Wednesday April 22, water system personnel took immediate actions to isolate the leak area from the distribution network.  In addition disinfectant chlorine levels were verified and a total coliform test was taken.  In addition the VT DEC Drinking Water and Groundwater Protection Division was notified of the situation.  This Boil Water Notice will remain in effect until the water system is able to demonstrate that the quality and quantity of the drinking water meets State and Federal drinking water standards. This will be determined after additional total coliform testing and consultation with the contacts at the VT DEC Drinking Water and Groundwater Protection Division. 

The Hardwick Town Water System will inform you when the necessary testing and or repairs have been completed and tests show no bacteria present in the drinking water supply.  We anticipate resolving the problem within 2 to 3 business days. 

For more information, please contact David Upson (Hardwick Town Manager) at 802-472-6120.  

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

Caring for Our Waters: Beaver Presentation & Cooper Brook Cleanup in Hardwick

 in Uncategorized

The Town of Hardwick is hosting two upcoming opportunities to learn about and support the health of our local waterways:

Beaver Presentation – April 29 (5:00–6:30 p.m.)
At the Parker Ladd Community Room in the Jeudevine Memorial Library (Hardwick), naturalist Patti Smith will share insights from her work with beavers in the wild and raising orphaned kits. Biologist Skip Lisle, founder of Beaver Deceivers International, will follow with practical strategies for reducing beaver-related flooding using flow devices that protect infrastructure while allowing wetlands to function. Free and open to all. Done – HCTV Recording will be available soon.

Cooper Brook Cleanup – May 1 (8:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m.) TOMORROW!
Volunteers are needed to help remove tires and debris from Cooper Brook before they move downstream during high water. We’ll be staging at Atkins Field, 100 Granite Street, Hardwick. The Town will provide dumpsters and a wash station; volunteers can help in the stream, move materials, or assist with cleaning. Waders, wheelbarrows, and garden tools are welcome.  Pizza, salad, and cold drinks will be provided.

Many Thanks to the Greensboro Association for providing monetary support for this endeavor!

To volunteer or learn more, contact Kristen Leahy at zoning.administrator@hardwickvt.gov or 802-472-1686.

Buffalo Mountain Steering Committee

 in Uncategorized

The Hardwick Select Board is now accepting letters of interest for an open position on the newly formed Buffalo Mountain Steering Committee.

Please click here to see full job description.

Please email your letter of interest to Amanda Fecteau at amanda.fecteau@hardwickvt.gov Letters are due by Friday, May 15, 2026.

Notice of Hydrant Flushing

 in Town Manager

The Town of Hardwick Public Works Department will be conducting hydrant flushing during the week of April 20-24. Flushing will begin at North Main Street. All hydrants in the Village will be flushed. If you experience dirty water, please let your faucets run until the water clears. If you have any concerns, please contact the Town Manager’s office at 472-6120.