Minter Taking Over Recovery Efforts

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(Host) Four months and a day after Tropical Storm Irene inundated Vermont, officials marked the reopening of the last stretch of highway destroyed by the flood.

Route 107 between Bethel and Stockbridge was cleared for traffic this afternoon as officials held a celebration at the Stockbridge Central School.

The storm left a dozen Vermont towns cut off from the outside world for days, damaged or destroyed more than 500 miles of roads and 200 bridges, and reshaped much of the low-lying countryside. But it was the Route 107 repair that posed the single biggest engineering challenge.

Deputy transportation Secretary Sue Minter says in one 10-mile stretch, work crews has to repair 42 separate sections of highway. She said the work has become a national model for post-flood recovery.

(Minter) It is due to the incredible hard work, sacrifice, dedication, mission-driven spirit of the men and women who work for the Vermont Agency of Transportation, and all the people working with us. And I just want to express my gratitude to all of them and their families who sacrificed to get us where we are today.

(Host) The Route 107 fix included 46 subcontractors and 20-thousand hours of heavy equipment time.

Meanwhile, Minter is moving temporarily to a new job as Vermont’s Irene Recovery Officer. She’ll replace Neale Lunderville, who is returning to his job at Green Mountain Power.

Governor Peter Shumlin says the state needs an experienced leader who can keep the recovery efforts on track.

(Shumlin) Who are the people that we’re are most concerned about as we continue the recovery work that lies ahead? They are the individuals who lost their homes, the individuals who lost their businesses and the communities who lost their infrastructure. We’re going to continue to work hand in hand with them to ensure the extraordinary story of the last four months continues to gain momentum.

(Host) Shumlin says he wants the Irene Recovery officer to be a -quote-"Bureaucracy Buster" who can cut through red tape and help towns navigate federal disaster aid programs.

Minter’s appointment is for three months. She will not be replaced at the Transportation Agency.

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