Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce (Interim) Executive Director Laura Sibilia said that, among the chamber’s many efforts over the last 10 days, she has been working with state officials and representatives from Mount Snow, Stratton, Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation, and the state chamber of commerce to develop a strategy to get the tourist economy moving again as soon as the town is open for business.
“I’ve heard from some folks about the effect (of the disaster) on businesses in Dover,” she said. “It has been a very challenging time given the devastation in the town to the south. We’re working hard to get the word out that we’re open for business, but we have to be careful to keep the traffic to a minimum so we can get the roads rebuilt.”
Sibilia also noted that Friday, September 2, was her last day at the chamber, however, she has been named interim executive director for a two-week period before she begins her new regional economic development job at Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation.
The crowd gave Sibilia a standing ovation for her efforts at the encouragement of Dover resident and business owner Mark Wallace. “If you were helping downtown, you saw what this woman did,” he said. “She coordinated it all.”
Rich Werner recounted the town’s efforts to open washed-out roads to traffic almost immediately after the storm. “After the storm, Bobby Holland said ‘Let’s get this going,’ and everyone came together.’”
Werner thanked the East Dover Fire Department, which lost communications due to power outages, for their vigilance. They posted someone at the firehouse 24 hours a day to take calls. “Bobby Edwards supplied a couple of police officers for a couple of nights.”
Werner also said power “should” be restored to all houses in East Dover. If there’s no power, he said, check the circuit breakers. One person in Goose City thought they had no power, but it turned out that all of their breakers were off.
The effort to restore power quickly took some creative thinking. In at least one instance, crews “Cut a tree off, put a couple of insulators on it, and it became an instant power pole.”
Werner also told the crowd that Route 9 is (as of Tuesday evening) open for emergency vehicles, the health center in Wilmington has emergency room doctors, and Rite Aid is stocked with pharmaceuticals.
Dover Road Commissioner Bob Holland said the highway department was still in the cleanup process, but that roads should be in “really good shape” by the end of the week.
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