Central Fire Station plans have been approved. The Brattleboro Selectboard took a look at a series of architectural and mechanical drawings provided by the project team, had no objections, and gave the architect a green light to continue.
The board announced decisions in three matters they have been considering regarding three streets in town, Brattleboro has a new Assistant Fire Chief, many municipal projects are underway, the Library will soon be renovated, DeGray ‘s request for immediate blinky lights was slowed somewhat, the Stone Church gets semi-belated approval for a liquor license, and more.
Throughout the meeting were small victories for pedestrians, from preserved access to possibilites of new funds for safer crossings.
Preliminaries
The recent deaths in the mobile home fire were the subject of Chair David Gartenstein’s opening remarks. He recognized the work of the firefighters and sent condolences to the families and friends of those lost.
Despite the approach of fall, he said there were still numerous construction project planned for around town. The police and fire projects, paving work on Western Avenue and Upper Dummerston Rd., the retaining wall repair at Bonnyvale Rd., and more. He noted that I-91 bridge work would close Rt 30 for four full days – August 26, 30, 31, and September 1st.
With a hearty “Happy Bennington Battle Day!” he concluded his initial remarks.
Town Manager Peter Elwell added the completion of the Elliot Street bridge to the list of summer projects, assuring completion by August 29th at the latest, in time for kids to walk across it to school the next day.
Elwell also announced the promotion of Captain Len Howard III to the position of Assistant Fire Chief, noting his years of service and training.
Selectboard comments and committee reports were minimal. David Schoales was absent, and John Allen merely mentioned that the recent Police and Fire facilities Committee meeting had been spirited. And good.
There was no public participation.
Liquor License – The Stone Church
The Stone Church applied for a somewhat unusual liquor license request. The recently-renovated space on Main Street will be for temporary entertainments, and not a permanent bar or restaurant, but would like to have a regular bar license for events that they host themsleves. This would allow them to skip submitting a series of special event permits for approval.
The Brattleboro Selectboard, acting as Liquor Commissioners, had questions. Would the staff be adequately trained if different event organizers were renting the space? Would it be run like the Elks, Legion, and VFW with trained staff available for event organizers to utilize?
Robin Johnson, proprietor of the establishment, was not present to answer the questions, and the application was deferred for three weeks, to the next meeting, so that answers could be provided.
Road Reclassification Decisions
David Gartenstein announced the decisions of the board in three street-related matters. Minshall Street, Bittersweet Lane, and Wickopee Hill/Gulf Road have all been subjects of recent study by the Brattleboro Selectboard. Site visits and deliberative sessions have led to decisions about whether any or all of these roads should have their status changed.
Minshall Street, Gartenstein explained, is a small street from Birge to Canal streets, and property owners asked that it revert to private property to prevent traffic from cutting through. The board, however, saw a public interest in keeping access for pedestrians and cyclists, and preserving access to a trail. The decision, therefore, will be to close the street to vehicles, split the land between adjoining property owners, and keep a right-of-way for pedestrians and bikes.
Bittersweet Lane is a private road built to town standards, servicing three houses. There is a potential for a few more homes, but until there are more, the Selectboard has decided to let the road remain private. The board noted that if the number of homes on the lane increase, the public interest will increase and a reconsideration might be in order.
The final decision regarded Wickopee Hill near Gulf Road. Gartenstein said there was significant public interest expressed for keeping it open as a trail, but no real need for the town to continue to maintain the road to a private property. The town, he explained, needs access to the watershed and reservoir, and therefore would retain ownership of the current right-of-way past the private home to the spring house, but be adding a gate at Wickopee Hill Road at the Pleasant valley Intersection.
He said people could continue to walk, ride, and ski past the gate, and it would remain open to the public. John Allen reiterated that anyone going past the spring house was on private property.
Written decision will be issued in the next couple of weeks.
Police and Fire Facilities Update – Central Fire Station
Town Manager Elwell reported that the West Brattleboro Fire Station is underway, and already there are unexpected expenses. Excess tree roots, we are told, mus be removed at an additional cost expected to be under $10,000. There may also be issues with an old sewer connection to the main line. The town will send a camera through the existing pipe to take a look and a report on what is found will follow.
Steve Horton, project manager, said that the next few weeks at West Brattleboro could appear boring, with foundation and utility work going on, but soon after, he promised, a building would rise.
The Brattleboro Selectboard approved of construction plans and a bidding process to renovate Central Fire Station on Elliot Street.
Architect Ray Giolitto, from Northeast Collaborative Architects, showed the board a slideshow of completed plans, which he said were about 60% complete. Construction buffs will appreciate the details in the surveys, drainage and structural drawings. Details of steel construction, column and beam schedules, demotion drawings, foundation plans, ceiling plans, finishes, furnishing dimensions, elevations, insulation details, plumbing, mechanicals, ductwork, piping, lighting, power and conduit are all coming into focus.
Outside materials have been chosen, said Giolitto. An orange-to-red brick, with reds, oranges, and black will be used for the bulk of the exterior. The base of the building will feature split faced concrete blocks, with lighter accents around windows. Windows and doors will be dark red.
John Allen asked about heating, and was told that the building will be flexible. Initially, two efficient propane boilers will be sued. The old oil boiler will be kept on hand in case fuel prices change, and there will be connections built-in to make wood-pellet heat possible if desired.
Giolitto said they were still working out details of where firefighters would sleep and eat during all of this construction. One possible answer may be to build the addition first, then move them in while the renovation of the older building go on.
He told the board that the only lights on the building would be LEDs and would be timed to go off no later than 10:30 pm leaving simple red lights near the doors as the only overnight lights.
Police Station plans will be presented at the September 6 Selectboard meeting. Negotiations with the Reformer regarding the leasing of 2,200 square feet of space at the police station continues, said Elwell, and he said the project start date might be delayed until the start of January.
New to this project is a written report of the smaller approvals made by the Town Manager that don’t rise to the level of requiring Selectboard approval. Smaller payments for things such as printing and copying of plans, bond counsel fees, and survey work are noted in the board’s report from the Town Manager.
Gartenstein encouraged the public to go to the public meetings and stay involved.
Robin Johnson Arrives
David Gartenstein noted the arrival of The Stone Church’s caretaker, Robin Johnson, and reconvened the board as Liquor Commissioners.
“You saw on TV that we had questions and came down?” inquired Gartenstein. As it turns out, the answer was no. He was just late.
The board then asked about staff and training, and was told that the business model of the operation was changing, and that renting it out for private functions would take a backseat to events put on in-house. The bar would not be available to renters, if any were allowed. They would need caterers and special event permits.
The Stone Church license was approved.
Financial Report with John O’Connor
Finance Director John O’Connor gave the board their first financial update of the new fiscal year, accounting for the month of July 2016.
A mere 8.3% of the fiscal year is complete and everything is going as expected. The General Fund expenditures are at 10.9% of the annual budget, but this includes some one-time payments that even out over the year.
Expenditures in the Utilities Fund are 9.4% and in the Parking Fund it is 7.5% of their respective annual budgets.
The Solid Waste Disposal Fund enters it’s second year with revenues and expenditures at 4.1% and 4.4% of their respective annual budgets. As always, bag revenue, curbside collection costs, and tipping fees for July are recorded the next month.
Brattleboro has loaned out over $3.3 million and has just over $809,000 available for new grants or loans.
The Town has 36 active grants and 7 in the application process.
Dick DeGray asked if Brattleboro had enough cash on hand to get through the delayed tax payment schedule of the next month. O’Connor said there was plenty on hand to get through until property taxes are due again.
He said the book would be closed on FY16 in September and the audit of those books could be done by the end of October.
Brooks Memorial Library Reconstruction Project
GPI Construction was given the contract to become “Construction Manager for a CM-at-Risk engagement” for renovations at Brooks Memorial Library.
Starr LaTronica, Library Director, made her first appearance before the board to explain the renovations planned.
She walked the board through each floor, pointing out the major and minor changes coming soon to the library near us.
The first floor would have a new storage area and reconfiguration of the reference area, an ADA-compliant restroom, and a reconfiguration of the “glass box” room to make space for a reference office and a new meeting room.
The children’s area on the second floor will get new lights and shelves, a new teen area will be located near the upper entryway, and the public meeting room will get a face lift.
The mezzanine level wil make some more space for fine arts storage and local history, and the entry to the new “glass box” room will be on this level.
She said GPI had the low bid, and that plans had been shaped by much community input. Work is expected to begin in September.
Kate O’Connor asked why there wasn’t an expansion of shelf space for books. LaTronica said that Brattleboro loves the physical book, and the library is always in a process of updating what is on the shelves. New point of views and new editions are added as older, out-of-date materials are retired. She said e-book use plateaued years ago, and that they are adding shelf space in the teen books area.
Living Memorial Park Swimming Pool
Phase 1 pool repairs will be done at the Living Memorial Park pool. GS Bolton of Rochester, NH, was approved to do the $165,500 repairs.
Carol Lolatte, director of Recreation & Parks, said that the work to be done is to correct severe leaking and includes upgrades and fixes to the pool piping system, renovation of the perimeter wall below the gutter, rewelding of the gutter in places, repair of expansion joints, refinishing of portions of the pool, and repainting.
The pools drains will also be brought up to code.
Some concern was expressed at the extreme leaking of the last few years. Lolatte said “We look and wonder… when will it all collapse? We’ve had some sink spots.” She said she was concerned about future phases, when the deck is replaced. “That’s when we’ll see cavities.”
West River Park Seating Area
Bellco Excavation of Brattleboro will receive just under $10,000 for upgrades to the seating area at West River Park. Brattleboro will also supply about $4,000 worth of stone and decorative boulders toward the project. All of this is paid for by donations to the park.
Sitting walls, landscaping, decorative boulders and plantings for the seating area behind the softball field backstop will be added, said Lolatte, and will be one of the final remaining bits of work done on the project. “We’re almost to the finish line on this project.”
Asked what “decorative boulders” were, Lolatte explained that they were pretty, and described them as “Vermont stone.”
She credited the community with stepping up to raise the $850,000 for this park project. “It’s a nice gem to have.”
“Can we get the skatepark done?” asked John Allen. “Then I’ll be happy.”
Push Button Crosswalk Lights Discussion
Dick DeGray wanted it on the agenda, and led the discussion of pedestrian safety by making a motion to spend $30,000 of expected surplus from Rooms & Meals taxes to buy four new sets of flashing lights to warn cars of pedestrians, and to also add a request for four additional sets of flashing lights each year for the next four years to the town’s capital plan.
He said it was imperative for the board to take action immediately and not wait for grants to come in. “It’s a good way to spend some money,” he said, and it would show the public that we are committed to pedestrian safety.
Fellow board members didn’t disagree that pedestrian safety was a high priority, but all had differing views of how to reach that goal.
John Allen said he could support buying four sets of flashing lights right now, but didn’t feel comfortable committing to four years of purchases.
Kate O’Connor didn’t want to tap the 1% Local Option tax, as it would set a bad precedent. She also worried that the board was second guessing the Traffic Safety Committee. What if they had other priorities to keep pedestrians safe? Would this be a diversion? She wanted them to weigh in first.
David Gartenstein, a longtime member of the Traffic Safety Committee, said he was in favor of using these devices where appropriate, but that the Street and Sidewalk Safety plan offers many options beyond flashing lights, and that the committee should say where they go. He also objected to taking money away from the Local Option Tax , as it was one of the few non-property tax income streams available. He wanted to look at the budget as a whole, then allocate money to the committee for them to allocate as they see best.
DeGray dug in a bit, telling Gartenstein that in the face of budget surpluses, he didn’t want to spend $30,000 on pedestrian safety. (Gartenstein did not agree with this assessment.) “You say we’ll have other budget pressures,” said DeGray,”but safety is as important as anything else.” He said that if “we don’t do this as a board, we won’t being doing our job to protect pedestrians.”
Allen said he wanted to help DeGray get the four sets of lights tonight. He also wanted jaywalking pedestrians to be cited for their violations. “I‘ve almost killed I don’t know how many people. Where is that part?”
“We do have control over that,” said Gartenstein (presumably in regard to enforcing jaywalking, and not in regard to Allen’s driving.)
In the end, after much debate over the fine points of flashing lights compared to other available options, and ways to fund it all, the desire to have the Traffic Safety Committee weigh in won out and the issue will be next taken up in October.
“I want to do it right,” said O’Connor.
Parking Ordinance Changes – First Reading
Patrick Moreland gave a rundown of proposed changes in Brattleboro’s Parking Ordinances.
Some adjustments to the no parking areas of Canal Street and Oak Street are suggested to eliminate inconsistencies in signage and ordinance. Turnarounds at Chestnut Street, Hillwinds, Meetinghouse Lane, New England Drive, and Timber Lane will also be designated as no parking areas.
A new parking space near the Library, to allow for book drop-offs, will be designated. Parking will be limited to 15 minutes maximum in this single spot.
Mobile Home and Trailer Park Ordinance Repeal – First Reading
Town Manager Elwell explained to the selectboard that changes in state statute back in 2008 have left Brattleboro’s Chapter 12 in the Code of Ordinances (Mobile Homes, Trailer Coaches, Mobile Homes, and Trailer Parks) pretty much obsolete and out of force.
Minimum lot areas, sewer and septic requirements, and licensing of park operators are now covered by Brattleboro’s new Land Use Regulations, current state statues, and Federal regulations.
It is recommended that Chapter 12 therefore be repealed, and a second hearing and vote will take place at the board’s next meeting.
ADA Committee Reduced Membership
The Brattleboro Selectboard approved of the ADA committee recommendation to reduce its membership from 7 to 5 members. This should help the committee make quorum more easily and get more work done, said Elwell.
Meetings will now be held at the Municipal Center rather than Marlboro Graduate Center.
Energy Committee Appointment
Milton Eaton has been appointed to the Energy Committee to fill an unexpired 2 year seat. Mr. Eaton has previously worked for the Department of Energy and ExxonMobil, has taught at Keene State, was involved with the Cato Institute and Heritage Foundation, and has lived in Brattleboro 46 years.
Other
The Act 250 application amendment for the skate and dog parks will be submitted late in August, according to the Recreation & Parks monthly summary.
Thanks for this well-written wrap-up
Going to war against pedestrians and calling pedestrian safety. Classic.