Ripley’s former supervisor Doug Bowen retired after nearly 30 years of service to the town in various positions. But he still has a little work to do.

After nearly 30 years of service to the town of Ripley, former Supervisor Doug Bowen still has some work to do before he can “hang up his spurs.”

Bowen served as town supervisor for 12 years, after serving as a town council member for 10 years and a member of the town planning board for 5 years.

Bowen’s official last day as supervisor was Dec. 31. However, he has agreed to return and serve as deputy supervisor for a short period of time in order to assist Laura Pless, who was sworn in as supervisor on Jan. 25.

Bowen is helping Pless orient to the job. “I’m happy to help out. I don’t want to leave anyone in a lurch,” he said. “It remains to be seen how long they will keep me on as deputy.”

Following five years on the town planning board, Bowen was asked by council member Trudy Babcock, who decided not to run for another term, to run for her seat. “I was honored to be asked and said yes,” he said. “Five candidates ran for two seats and I won the second seat by five votes.”

After serving on Ripley Town Council for a decade, Bowen was elected as supervisor. He said he has a good understanding of the challenges of taking on the leadership position in a municipality, having transitioned from council member to supervisor 12 years ago.

At first it was difficult to know what administrative duties were required on a day-to-day basis, Bowen said. “As councilman, the supervisor provided the items for review, such as the agenda and supporting documents, as well as the town budget,” he said. “Now I had to draft the documents on my own.”

Bowen said his first really big challenge was handling the demolition of the wooden structure that was connected to the Odd Fellows Hall. The structure, at Routes 20 and 76, had been declared unusable, but remained a source of vexation for the town.

Tearing the building down would cost the town too much, as well as create a large open lot, Bowen said at that time. The town was able to obtain funds to remove the back of the building as well as to repair a hole in the front where the structure had been damaged. Also, the structure contained a large chimney, which presented a dilemma. “We were afraid it might fall on a neighbor’s house,” he said.

In 2013, Bowen told the town council that the Corner Bar fell under the derelict structure law. “The structure is a hazard and a danger to safety,” he said at that time. “We’re in uncharted waters with this. However, using local workers should result in substantial savings to the town.”

Bowen explained the whole process also involved the demolition of the Corner Bar and proved to be quite demanding. He recalled, “Having town employees trained as asbestos laborers, myself trained as asbestos supervisor, as well as handling the permitting process to comply with Department of Labor Laws was a challenge. As well as completing the demo with the town employees.”

Bowen led the town through many projects but, he said the most important was the expansion of sewer and water mains that made it possible for the Love’s Travel Center to be built in Ripley. He said he hopes the next supervisor and board will build upon his accomplishments and “continue to go after grant opportunities to improve and expand infrastructure, which should increase the chance of economic development.”

Ripley has changed in observable ways during Bowen’s time as supervisor. “The Town Hall is now in the school,” he said. “And the Corner Bar is now the corner park.

In April of 2016, Town Clerk Rebecca Carvallo-Rowe told council members that the town’s beautification committee suggested the addition of a small gazebo on the former Corner Bar property. She also said that some residents offered to donate trees, shrubs, perennials and a pine tree for decorating at Christmas.

With the approval of the board, Bowen then authorized Darwin Rowe to spend up to $1,000 for soil for the property, helping to transform the site of the former Corner Bar into Ripley’s Main Street Corner Park.

Bowen said his main source of irritation during his time as supervisor was dealing with issues of derelict properties and neglect. “Dealing with property maintenance issues was my greatest frustration,” he said.

Realizing the day-to-day challenges of being the supervisor of a small municipality, Bowen offered a bit of advice to supervisors and mayors. “Pay attention to the little things,” he said. “Because the little things matter.”