A convoy of supplies made it into Killington this morning. Albert J. Marro / Rutland Herald
By Cristina Kumka
STAFF WRITER
KILLINGTON — Craig Mosher looked up the road and saw his next job. It wasn’t one he asked for.
The owner of Mosher Excavating, Inc. on Route 4 in Killington has been lauded by Killington townspeople for his rapid response to historic flooding that washed out a huge section of road just north of his home and business.
Since Monday, Mosher and four of his employees, who rode into work on ATVs, have used the company’s own excavating equipment to completely rebuild the road and redirect a brook into its normal path at the key intersection of Route 4 and River Road.
They’ve worked sunup to sundown.
Because of Mosher, more than 300 out-of-towners got out of Killington Wednesday morning and headed toward Woodstock and the interstate, and food and supplies can be delivered into town from the east.
Because of him, water isn’t flowing into the Kokopelli Inn, Goodro Lumber or into the rooms of houses anymore.
Because of him, the town feels less trapped.
“I’m not a hero, I just own an excavating company,” Mosher said, eating a salad for lunch as he leaned on his bulldozer Wednesday.
Mosher was given the go-ahead by the state to rebuild the road for access and redirect the brook as best as he could.
On Mosher’s own property, near Blackie’s store and the Irving gas station at the Killington four corners, his pasture is gone but his free-range animals are just fine.
“Big and Rib are OK,” Mosher said of his two Scottish Highland cows, spreading a smile.
Mosher gave credit to the other local contractors on the other side of Route 4 doing even more work to rebuild access into and out of town — Belden and Markowski.
On Wednesday, the town of Killington announced that because of diligent road reconstruction, residents would be able to take a one-lane dirt road from Woodstock to Killington between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. and from Killington to Woodstock between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. beginning today and every day moving forward.
Also beginning today, The Bus in Rutland will take Killington residents back and forth to Rutland twice daily from Killington at 8:15 a.m. and 6:15 p.m.
Stops in Killington will be the Killington Grand Hotel, Pico Mountain, and Mendon Mountainview/Cortina Inn.
Beginning Sunday, there was no way into town and no way out, the result of raging water that grew in otherwise calm brooks after the area received in upwards of 6 inches of rain in a 24-hour period.
The water rushed downhill to the lowest rivers and streams, taking chunks of pavement and boulders with it.
In Killington’s case, it took feet of roads and a entire house.
At Pico Wednesday, horses seemed calm grazing on the wet hill behind a chair lift, now covered by 3 feet or more of mud.
Employees of the resort in charge of the horses were the opposite. They were busy figuring out a safe route to get the horses out of Killington because food and water was dwindling.
Across town on the access road, Seth Webb, the town’s economic development director, was leading the charge of town officials planning where to land helicopters with food and water, how to get people medicine and how to help people in other communities like Pittsfield, which remained landlocked.
Suzie Dundas, the town’s marketing manager turned co-emergency coordinator, said she’s never seen a town pull together so much.
“I am shocked by the outpouring of support,” Dundas said. “People have stayed for days helping people they’ve never met.”
Steve Selbo, the developer of the town’s future ski village, said he’ll still invest.
For the latest updates on Killington’s disaster relief, go to killingtontown.com.
[email protected]
Just reading this brought tears to my eyes!! Thank you for all your hard work!!
Posted by: Lorraine | 08/31/2011 at 09:07 PM