I attended Tuesday’s information session in Deerfield, driving through snow, rain, and sleet to get there. It was worth it! The slideshow photos were eye-opening and frightening, showing the terrible damage to our roads by three separate July storms. No wonder the repair and rebuilding of these roads is costing millions of dollars.

The positive news is that the work was done in cost-efficient ways, because even in this emergency situation, our town officials are dependable, skillful and hardworking! Our Department of Public Works was able to replace small, crumbling culverts with larger, newer ones, to ensure that future storms won’t have such a terrible impact. The state allowed us to deficit-spend for our emergency. Now we need to pay for it.

Our roads have not yet been entirely repaired. There is no choice but to pay for a better, safer infrastructure. I live on one of the degraded roads. It is very scary to drive at night or when it’s foggy. There are many places when the edge of the road drops right down a deep ravine to the Connecticut River!

Deerfield’s special election next Tuesday is asking residents to allow the town the ability to borrow up to $5 million dollars if needed — emphasis on “up to” and “if needed.” It was clear from the Select Board’s presentation that the town will borrow only what is necessary, and the remainder can be rescinded.

We also expect state aid and will continue to apply for grants.

We were hard hit in the July storms, but I know that we can pull together as a community. I am heartened by my past experience with our voters who want to keep Deerfield beautiful and rural, and yet with a strong educational base and responsible development. Vote “yes” on Jan. 16!

Ava Gips

Deerfield