In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Poultney Emergency Management Coordination Team met to discuss the appropriate response the Town and Village of Poultney should take to mitigate the potential spread of the virus, and to safeguard the health and wellness of the general public and that of the employees of the Town and Village of Poultney.
Participants of the meeting included Paul Donaldson, Town and Village Manager and Health Officer, Jeffrey King, Chairman of the Select Board, Joe DeBonis, Jr., President of the Village Board of Trustees, Betsy Wescott, Town Clerk and Treasurer and Terry Williams, Emergency Management Coordinator.
1. CRITICAL EMERGENCY SERVICES will be available as usual.
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1.
2. Town Clerk, Village Office and Town Manager’s Office
Effective March 17,2020, at 12:00PM, and until at least April 15, 2020, The Poultney Town Office and Village Office, and all Town and Village buildings, will be closed to the public. All non-essential meetings have been cancelled. The Town Clerk, Town Office staff, and Village Office staff, will remain available to assist you by phone, mail, fax, and email.
Dog Licensing: Late fees for dog licenses are waived until May 1, 2020. You can register your dog by mailing in your updated rabies certificate (if required) and payment to Town of Poultney Clerk’s Office, 9 Main Street, Suite 2 Poultney, VT 05764. Please call with any questions.
Land Record research: If you know the book and page of the information you are seeking, pages will be scanned and emailed with a copy charge assessed. In-person land record research may take place at the Town Clerk’s Office by appointment only, and following safety protocols put into place for the office. Anyone having symptoms of COVID-19 (i.e. fever, cough, difficulty breathing) or has been exposed to someone exhibiting symptoms should not request an appointment.
Birth and Death Certificates: Please call the Clerk’s Office for an appointment.
To reach Betsy Wescott, Town Clerk and Treasurer (Monday-Friday, 8:30AM -12:30PM, 1:30PM – 4:00PM), call 802-287-5761, or email to poultneytownclerk@comcast.net.
To reach Kim Thirkield, Village Bookkeeper (Monday-Friday, 8:30AM – 1 :30PM), call 802-287-4003, or email to poultneyvillage@comcast.net.
To reach Paul Donaldson, Town Manager (Monday-Friday, 8:00AM – 4:00PM), call 802-287-9751, or email to poultneymanager@comcast.net.
To reach the Poultney Lister Office (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 8:30AM – 12:30PM), call 802-287-5111, or email to poultneylisters@comcast.net.
3. Poultney Transfer Station
The Poultney Transfer Station will be open as usual. The requirement to use the “Yellow Bags” and renewal of the transfer station sticker will be suspended until at least April 15, 2020.
We ask the public to refrain from close contact with employees while using the transfer station and from congregating at the transfer station. Please cooperate with the transfer station employees. If members of the public do not follow this protocol, we may be forced to suspend services at the transfer station during this pandemic.
4. Other Town and Village buildings
All other Town and Village buildings, including highway garages, and the wastewater treatment plant, will be locked and closed to the public. We ask that you do not come to any municipal buildings to attempt to do normal business until the public is notified otherwise.
5. The Poultney Food Shelf
The Poultney Food Shelf will remain open at this point. The staff is taking all precautions to limit potential exposures to the public and the food shelf volunteers. To reach the Poultney Food Shelf, please call 802-287-9558.
6. Young at Heart Senior Center
The Young at Heart Senior Center is closed until further notice, but meals will be available upon request.
a. Meals may be delivered to Poultney residents only. Non-Poultney members may request meals but will have to come to the center to pick them up. Meal pick up times will be scheduled from 11 :30 to 12:00 daily.
b. MEALS ON WHEELS – will operate as usual, but only for individuals who meet Council of Aging criteria. Recipients are asked to receive the meal(s) outside of the home. This will help to protect drivers from exposure to any viral or bacterial infections.
To reach the Young at
Heart Senior Center, please call them at 802-287-9200,
or email them at yahsc@comcast.net
7. Poultney Public Library
The Poultney Public Library Board of Directors has decided to close the library until at least April 15, 2020.
Library employees will be in house working, but the building will be closed to the public. The staff at the library is currently working on establishing a protocol whereby patrons can still safely access library materials and will notify the public when those protocols are put into place. Downloadable ebooks and audio books, as well as research databases and online classes, are available through the library website at poultneypubliclibrary.com.
For more information
about library services call 287-5556,
email ppl5556@yahoo.com. or text 802-884-4544.
8. Please remember to support our local businesses during this critical event.
Please go to healthvermont.gov/covid19 for the most up-to-date state information and guidance about COVID-19, including information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). You may call the VT Department of Health at 802-863-7240, or call community services information at 2-1-1.
We encourage everyone to follow CDC and U.S./VT Department of Health hand-washing and social distancing recommendations.
We are all in this situation together. Please remember to treat your neighbors and civil servants as you would like to be treated and we will move through this critical event better.
Thank you for understanding that these are unusual times, requiring precautions for public safety and health. Many Poultney community members are in the high-risk group, and we believe taking these precautions will help keep ourselves and our community members healthy.