Selectboard Meeting Notes: Malfunction Junction Is Here To Stay

The Brattleboro Selectboard received a detailed report on why our downtown traffic system is just about the best it can possibly be, as is. In discussing the lack of major opportunities for improvements, the name Malfunction Junction returned as shorthand for the intersection causing problems up and down Main Street.

The board also learned about the best path forward toward addressing issues related to being a hub town in Vermont, which is to form a coalition with other hub towns, such as Bennington, St. Johnsbury, and Springfield, to put pressure on the state to create new sources of revenue.

A trailer was bought, committees have new members, and the town now offers larger loans to help businesses.

Preliminaries

Chair David Gartenstein said he was impressed by the voter turnout at the recent election, and mentioned informational meetings being held for the two Representative Town Meetings being held this month.

Gartenstein encouraged everyone to take a good look at the construction of the I-91 bridge, saying that it was a major public works project, the likes of which we’re unlikely to see again in our lifetimes.

He also encouraged anyone experiencing any mud season road problems to contact the town.

Town Manager Peter Elwell said that the Department of Public Works actively inspects roads during mud season on a daily basis and coordinates with emergency responders to make sure they know about any issues.

Elwell said part of the upper portion of the parking garage is closed off. Cracks have been found in a wall on the outer edge, and a small area is closed to parking to keep weight off the area until an engineer can take a closer look later this week.

The Green Street retaining wall project will be underway next week, he said, and will be done by June. The Elliot Street bridge repair will occur after school is out for the summer. The bat issue has been successfully resolved, he reported.

For Selectboard comments and committee reports, David Schoales noted signs of spring, including the sound of bluebirds, beech tree leaves coming off, and the pile of road fill by the West Brattleboro fire station. “Spring is here!”

“That’s our Farmers’ Almanac,” added John Allen.

Public Participation consisted of an announcement about an upcoming safe streets project event on May 5th. More details to follow.

Liquor Commissioners

Added to the agenda was a request by Hermit Thrush Brewery for a special event permit to provide beer at Purim Palooza, an upcoming event put on by the Brattleboro Area Jewish Community.

T’was granted.

Utilities Trailer

The board awarded a bid of $11,690 to Vassar’s Complete Auto Service of Greenfield, MA. In exchange, they will provide the DPW with a utilities trailer.

This came in just $690 over budget, which will be made up from savings on other expected purchases.

Police-Fire Facilities Projects Discussed

This is a continuing, regular discussion of the board to give time to give updates and have discussions about the Police and Fire facilities projects. This week, the topic turned to recent informational meetings and new information is being gathered to respond to issues raised.

David Gartenstein reminded Representative Town Meeting members to come out at 8:30 am on Saturday, March 12 at the BAMS multipurpose room for discussion and a vote on plans for the police station.

Jane Southworth said she had been talking with people in her district and had a question that she couldn’t answer. Would the town be providing downtown police office hours somewhere for people who are limited by transportation?

Gartenstein said it wasn’t in the current proposal, but it could be a possibility for the police to have some temporary outpost. “Possibly,” he stressed. 

Elwell said that the bus currently travels to SIT six times a day, which might provide some help for those with transportation issues.

Gartenstein said they planned to provide more information about the nature of police calls. Of 12,000 total calls, there were about 2 walk-ins a day over the course of a year. He said many of those walk-ins didn’t have to do with criminal activity, either.

Elwell said the new information would be sent by e-mail to Representative Town Meeting members, and urged those members to make sure Annette Cappy had a current email address on file.

Gartenstein warned his fellow board members that at their next regular meeting, they would decide on how much, if anything, to add to the budget request. The number varies depending on the decision this Saturday.

Downtown Traffic Lights Discussed

Quick version: it’s about the best it can be as it is now, though some minor adjustments might improve things a small amount. Perhaps it will improve when the new Hinsdale bridge is built someday.

Traffic engineer Van Kcoyannakis joined DPW Director Steve Barrett for a discussion of the study completed by Kcoyannakis. He was one of the original designers of the 2009 traffic light system upgrade and was brought back partly because of his familiarity with the system.

One change since 2009, Kcoyannakis said, was that the traffic volume is higher at the junction of 119, Canal Street, Main Street, etc.  Traffic counts at High, Elliot, and Flat Street are about the same.

The lower end of Main Street is the problem with downtown traffic. It came up over and over at the meeting.

Kcoyannakis explained that he ran simulations and looked at data for a number of proposed scenarios.

Let everything blink? Not safe, said Kcoyannakis. He felt it led to a false sense of security and a sense of caution would be lost. David Schoales noted the opposite, that people had a heightened awareness of other traffic and pedestrians when the lights were left to flash.

Have concurrent crossings, where pedestrians could cross Flat, Elliot , or High while traffic was going north-south on Main Street? It would work at those three intersections, said Kcoyannakis, but the intersection at the lower end of Main Street could not be done that way, and therefore none of them should be done that way.

He added that having traffic stop in all directions, an exclusive crossing, is safest for pedestrians.

Kcoyannakis said that our system is coordinated, so that a button push at High Street has an impact all down the line. Because of an occasional high number of button presses at times, and ghost pedestrians (more on this in a moment), this coordination can throw the system off.

Kate O’Connor thought pedestrians should stop jaywalking, and drivers should stop “blocking the box,” by making it impossible to turn.

Donna Macomber said that as a jaywalker, she felt people move at different speeds and some trust themselves to get across. She felt, though, that they should err on the side of caution and give pedestrians ample time to cross.

Steve Barrett said that many of the buttons were purchased at low-bid prices and are failing. Some get stuck, continually calling for pedestrian crossing. These “ghost pedestrians” stop the lights for pedestrians when no one is there to cross, and slow drivers down.

John Allen liked the suggestion of making Flat Street one-way away from Main, but Kcoyannakis said it wouldn’t improve things, and O’Connor noted that it could add traffic to Main whenever people just wanted to go to Flat.

Overall, not much could be done other than to borrow a few seconds from one cycle and give it to another, an idea that could result in some minor improvements. The longer times at the intersection at the end of Main Street, and the unusual geometry of the intersection, made other changes almost pointless, according to Kcoyannakis.

One additional option would be to spend significant funds to add more equipment to monitor and react to ongoing traffic changes. 

A woman who didn’t give her name said she’d like the lights to flash at night, so loud trucks wouldn’t have to stop and start up again.  (Uh, no.) She also asked if repeatedly pushing the button helped in any way. (No, just one push will do.)

Louise Zak tried to get an answer to why Brattleboro was using the exclusive mode, where all traffic stops. Why not be like New York City. The answer, again, was Malfunction Junction, which everyone at the meeting was now again using as the name for the intersection at the bottom of Main Street, including the engineer.

Zak also pointed out that the report shows that we’ve exceeded the traffic projections that were supposed to last us until 2025. “Something’s out of whack,” she said.

Peter Elwell had some long-term good news. Things might get better when the new bridge to Hinsdale is built, removing one of the five spokes at Malfunction Junction.

“We’ll be dead and gone by then,” predicted Allen.

Regional Hub Study Group Reports, and Dissolves

The Regional Economic Hub Committee was formed by the selectboard in August of 2014 as part of an effort to learn more about regional economic issues and to contemplate the role Brattleboro plays by being the major population center in southern Vermont.

The committee recently came to a juncture at which they decided the best option would be for the Town to begin taking action, rather than for the committee to continue to do research. They provided their recommendations in a final report, and asked that the committee be dissolved.

In their final report, summarized by Town Manager Elwell for the board at the meeting, they say that was difficult to define the problem and ask the right questions, but that they tentatively found that Brattleboro indeed bears a disproportionate share of governmental expense in the region, but that this is offset somewhat by advantages Brattleboro enjoys as being a center of activity. 

The only way to “level the playing field,” they determined, was to obtain broader recognition of the unique and essential role of hub towns in Vermont, and work with the state legislature to authorize additional revenue sources.

To that end, the committee recommends that Brattleboro take an active role in organizing and pursuing a statewide legislative strategy to authorize additional revenue sources for Vermont’s hub towns.

Elwell said this work has already begun, and that there were a number of similar towns in the state that are in similar economic situations. 

Brattleboro, they report, should also partner with other communities and initiate discussions with legislators to find ways to raise additional revenue for hub towns, and the Selectboard should encourage interested citizens to continue with additional research and analysis.

Spoon Agave, Paige Martin, and Jane Southworth joined Peter Elwell and Rod Francis to sign off on the report. Paula Schwartz and Michael Bosworth also assisted.

Gartenstein thanked them for their time and effort. David Schoales asked that the issue remain on the agenda for the near future.

“This issue won’t go away,” said John Allen.

The board voted to dissolve the committee.

Small Business Assistance Program Policies Amended

The Brattleboro Selectboard approved some changes to the Small Business Assistance Program. Amendments to the policies and procedures were proposed by the SBAP Loan Committee.

The biggest change, other than clarifying some language and mentioning the town plan, is that  a new loan program with a maximum loan amount of $70,000 will be offered.

The previous limit was $40,000, but Kim Ellison said that raising the maximum limit allows for greater flexibility and ability to assist with economic development.

She and the board felt this was a good way for Brattleboro to offer something to a company looking to locate or expand a business here.

Business License Fines Issued

It is once again the time when the Brattleboro Selectboard punishes local businesses that have not obtained a General Business License. The Town Assessor provides them with a list.

“I have another of my lists,” said the Town Assessor. The 12 businesses on it this year now owe $175.

Kate O’Connor said there were some on the list year after year. “Do they never do it?”

“Some don’t do it, or don’t want to pay it. They never do, and haven’t to date,” replied the Assessor, Russell Rice.

(That’s $50 for the license due January 1, $25 for a a late fee after 15 days, and an extra $100 fine after 30 days.)

Committee Appointments Appointed

The Brattleboro Selectboard made a number of committee appointments:

Julie Tamier, Rueben Tamier to the ADA Advisory Committee

Dale Joy to the Arts Committee

Kipton Tewksbury to the Energy Committee

Shannon Primrose and James Cumming to the Planning Commission

Barbara Woods to the Senior Solutions Advisory Council