The Brattleboro Selectboard attended to multiple pedestrian and traffic safety matters, allocating a substantial amount of money for new flashing signs and other safety devices for about town.
The board received their introduction to the FY18 budget, they decided to endorse a WSWMD budget with no Materials Recycling facility included, discussed where to send recycling if we close our recycling location, and determined that money would likely be saved as a result.
Banning single use plastic bags will require a petition to become an ordinance, Brattleboro would like a new firetruck, and we have the second best police department in the world!
Preliminaries
Chair David Gartenstein reminded everyone that voting is next Tuesday and will be held at the Brattleboro VFW at 40 Black Mountain Road. Busses will stop there and will be free that day. You must register to vote by 5 pm on November 2. Early voting takes place every workday at the Town Clerk’s office at the Municipal Center until Monday, with special Saturday morning hours as well.
Gartenstein congratulated the organizer of a campaign to send letters about town sidewalks, and promised sidewalks would be discussed during the upcoming budget process.
Town Manager Peter Elwell agreed that there was increased funding for sidewalks planned.
Elwell reiterated that the town’s water supply is safe, even if temporarily discolored in some parts of town. This is a result of not flushing the mains this fall. He said water was tested daily and is fine, and suggested running the cold water tap for a few moments to get rid of any discoloration. Flushing will resume in the spring.
A meeting about trains in and around Brattleboro will be held at BMAC on November 9 at 6pm. Elwell said topics include living with railroads, a possible commuter rail to Massachusetts, passenger rail expansion in Vermont, railside economic development, and safety.
Congratulations to Brattleboro’s police department, said Elwell, noting that Brattleboro’s PD was ranked #2 worldwide in all communities serving a population under 20,000 by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. “It’s no small honor,” said Elwell. “It’s nice recognition of work being done to build relationships in the community.” He said Brattleboro serves as a model for improved police service to communities.
For selectboard comments and committee reports, Kate O’Connor mentioned that an afternoon community open house was being planned for James Banslabin. She said it would be a celebration and uplifting event, some of his BCTV videos would be shown, dessert would be served, and more publicity would be coming.
David Schoales encouraged people to vote, noting that the Town Clerk’s office can handle large numbers of early voters.
Dick DeGray mentioned his downtown flower program, and how a picture of Pliny Park is included in a garden supply catalog. He wasn’t sure if this would bring more people to town, but thought any publicity was good publicity.
John Allen was absent.
Public Participation
Members of the West Brattleboro Association requested an electrical outlet be installed near the new fire station, for holiday lights and other events. They hoped Brattleboro would pay the $2,500 or so to install the outlet and a meter.
Police and Fire Facilities Projects Update
West Brattleboro Fire Station is on schedule with no surprises, reported Town Manager Elwell. There is a some more cement pouring going on, the “rough-in” of plumbing, electric, and mechanical systems on the interior has begun, and a propane tank and piping is being set in place. “It looks like a fire station now.”
Work has begun at Central Fire Station, and the first phase will focus on the area behind the current structure. Extensive planning, he said, went into figuring out how to do the work and continue fire protection in town.
With the Police Station, the construction company is currently doing the bidding for all subcontracting and working toward delivering a guaranteed maximum price by late November.
The Town still hasn’t purchased the property. The Phase 1 & 2 Environmental Site Assessments are completed, and Brattleboro is approved for enrollment in a program to limit future environmental liabilities at the site. Closing is expected in the next couple of weeks.
Fred Rutberg of New England Newspapers, Inc., owner of the Brattleboro Reformer, has already signed a four-year lease with options for extensions. The Town will receive $2,200 per month, or $26,400 per year, for 2,200 square feet. Rent will increase by 2% each year.
The Reformer space will be the first to be improved when the Town buys the property and the hope is to have it ready for operation by January or February in the new year.
To fix the space up for the Reformer’s use, about $60,000 will be spent. New England Newspapers will pay for 50% of the upfit costs. They will pay over time in 48 monthly installments.
The floor plan for the new Reformer offices shows a large, mostly open work area. There are six work stations in the main area and two in closed offices, a conference room, meeting table, IT storage closet and restrooms. It looks like they’ll even have a few windows.
The board voted 4-0 to approve of the Town Manager signing the lease with the Reformer.
Traffic Safety & Pedestrian Safety Improvements with FY17 Funds
In September the selectboard voted to spend an additional $30,000 from the current year’s budget to pay for pedestrian and traffic safety devices, to be determined. They have now been determined, and the board approved of the determinations.
Steve Barrett explained that the Department of Public Works plan is to use the money for matching funds for the VTrans grant (see next item) to buy and install two “rapid rectangular flashing beacon” (RRFB) devices on Western Ave ($7,400), purchase two additional RRFB’s for Putney Road at North Street and Canal Street at Birge Streets ($14,800), replace 20 in-street crosswalk signs around town ($6,800), and purchase 30 flexible delineator posts ($1,110).
The crosswalk signs are the standard type of “Yield for Pedestrian” you see, a bright sign with pictures of pedestrians on them that come in a few flavors, such as the single person crossing and the parent and child crossing stick figures.
The delineator posts are like the ones used in West Brattleboro that can be removed in the winter, said Barrett.
Everything would be installed as soon as possible, which is likely to be next spring.
Dick DeGray, who had originally brought up the issue and asked the board for funding for traffic safety improvements, objected to any use for matching funds for an already-planned project. He called foul, saying that his intention had been to add 30,000 of new work, not that already planned and in the budget. He called it “somewhat disingenuous” to have included matching grant funds as part of the new list of safety devices.
Gartenstein countered that the entire request was somewhat unusual, since it was out of the ordinary path of solving these sorts of issues at budget-setting time. He said he approved of this list from the DPW and more work could be considered in the spring, after the effects of winter have been calculated.
DeGray said that it was indeed unusual, coming soon after the deaths of pedestrians. He said he had suggested the funds come from a surplus in the Rooms & Meals tax income, but other board members and the Town Manager had insisted it come from the current year’s budget. “I had a proposal to use funds that wouldn’t impact the operating budget,” he said. “My way was a safer way to fund it.”
Elwell said that his advice to use this year’s operating funds came not from a motive to slant the proposal in any direction but to keep it legal. He said the surplus funds could be used if there was authorization from Representative Town Meeting. Lacking that authorization meant that it had to come from the current year’s budget.
In the end, DeGray’s original request (in its semi-amended form) to improve pedestrian safety passed with a vote of 3-1, with DeGray voting against.
VTrans Bike & Pedestrian Program Grant
In addition to the funds from this year’s budget for safety items, the Town received a grant from the Vermont Agency of Transportation for $8,000 to help pay costs of two RRFB devices on Western Avenue, one near Union Hill and the other near Holton Home. The selectboard approved the additional funds for this purpose.
Brattleboro was one of six applications to the grant program this year. The grant will be matched by the $7,400 mentioned above, plus some in-kind work.
Gartenstein thanked everyone who worked to get the grant processed. In doing so, he called Hannah O’Connell by a new name, Hannah Tyler. No one seemed to object.
FY18 Proposed Budget
Town Manager Elwell kicked off budget season with a brief overview of the proposed FY18 budget.
He said that priorities are reflected in the budget, including more pedestrian safety and more capital infrastructure improvements and equipment. “This takes funding,” he noted, “and puts a strain on the budget.”
The budget being presented to the board has a $30,000 increase to the traffic safety budget and $35,000 in capital for sidewalks.
One million will be devoted to capital projects and another $500,000 will go toward capital equipment purchases. This will be supplemented by grants, and donations for projects such as the skatepark. Elwell said these investments would also pay some energy-efficiency dividend down the road for ongoing savings.
Favorable interest rates and a reduction in debt service for other bonds will mean spending about $200,000 for the Police and Fire facilities bond payments.
The new police station adds new costs for municipal building operations, but is partially offset by the income from the leased space.
Previous year’s surplus makes it possible, he said, to “seize an opportunity to catch up and implement energy efficiencies that pay off later,” and the way to best do that it to make them one time expenses using the surplus, rather than apply it to tax relief. He reminded the board of their decision to use some previous surplus for two years of “smoothing” to ease into the bond payments for the facilities.
Overall, the proposed budget currently stands to increase property taxes less than 5%, or about 5.5 cents. This is down from a higher earlier estimate of 6.88 cents before the better bond rates were finalized. Increasing non-tax revenues would help in this regard, said Elwell.
DeGray asked John O’Connor what a “penny” represented dollar-wise. O’Connor said $112,000.
The board voted to approve a schedule of meetings to discuss, modify, and approve the budget.
The proposed meeting times are as follows:
November 15 – Revenues + Capital (regular meeting)
November 22 – Police + Fire (special meeting at 5:30 pm)
November 29 – Public Works (special meeting from 5 to 6:30 pm)
December 6 – Recreation & Parks/Town Clerk (regular meeting)
December 13 – Library, Planning, Finance, Assessor, Town Manager’s Office, Other (special meeting at 5:30 pm)
Each meeting is expected to last 2-3 hours, and additional time was left for follow-up meetings in late December and January if necessary.
DeGray requested special meetings be kept short, to stay focused.
Brattleboro’s proposed FY18 budget is now on the Town’s website and the public is encouraged to read it, come to meetings, ask questions, share comments, and generally participate in any way possible.
Solid Waste Matters
The Windham Solid Waste Management District provided Brattleboro’s selectboard with two possible FY18 budgets, one with a Materials Recovery Facility as we have now, and one without. The board was asked to choose a preference, and reiterate support for an assessment model based partially on population and partially on the grand list of each participating municipality.
The MRF processes recycling. If it goes away, about $50,000 can be cut from Brattleboro’s assessment but another alternative must be found.
Town staff have been anticipating this day, however, and have been looking at alternatives. The best of these would be to work with our trash hauler, Triple T, to get our recycling to Rutland. Triple T would be able to reduce the charge to Brattleboro for collection of recycling by $24,000 per year because it would be a simpler, single-stream system requiring less staff time.
One side effect of a decision to send recycling elsewhere might be that our curbside compost is sent somewhere other than WSWMD, too. It might work out to be more efficient.
Another side effect might be that the removal of recycling bins on Fairground Road could impact the amount of recyclables at our curbside, and it is not known with any certainty how much of that will be shifted to curbside collection if the collection bins go away.
Bob Spencer, of the WSWMD, said there were other costs to be aware of, such as workman’s compensation obligations that continue after the MRF closes, a period of time to shut things down and decommission, ongoing administrative costs, and so on. Gartenstein asked if eventually this would stabilize, and Spencer said it would.
All of this leads to an estimated range of possible costs for a switch to using Rutland. Town staff analysis showed that there was no “clear and correct answer” to the WSWMD question, but that most of the scenerios imagined showed it to be less expensive to go with the No MRF option.
Franz Reichsman suggested the materials be made more clear for presentation to Town Meeting Representatives. He asked if anything was known about how materials sent to Rutland would be used.
Spencer said they follow all state laws in Rutland, and also take plastics that aren’t accepted here. David Schoales said the presentation would become more clear once the WSWMD votes on which path to pursue at a meeting next week.
The board approved of the No MRF option, 3-0-1 (Schoales abstaining), and reiterated the preference for assessment based on a 50-50 model of population and grand list.
Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation Refinancing of Industrial Park
The Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) is refinancing its mortgage with United Bank and has asked the Town of Brattleboro for a subordination agreement for a related Town loan. Town Attorney Fisher approved, saying it wouldn’t alter the probability of repayment, and the selectboard agreed that the Town Manager should sign the subordination agreement.
Elwell explained the technicalities of the loan from 1984 that was refinanced in 1996. “We were last in line as creditor, and we remain there,” he said. Repayment wasn’t actually ever expected, but the economic activity there over the years was the reason for the town investing the first place.
Whetstone Station Refinancing
In a similar move, the Brattleboro Selectboard approved the Town Manager to sign a subordination agreement with Whetstone Station. The brewery/restaurant is also refinancing a mortgage, through Brattleboro Savings & Loan, and also has a related Town loan that Town Attorney Fisher again states that the probability of repayment is not altered.
Arts Committee Proposals
The Arts Committee proposals were put off until a December meeting when the artists could be present to discuss their works. Gartenstein asked to see the proposed works of art.
“In color,” suggested Kate O’Connor, likely referring to the grey smear of a scan of a re-copy of a fax included in the weekly selectboard materials this week.
Single Use Bag Prohibition
Dr. Timothy Maciel came to the Brattleboro Selectboard to ask them to consider a partial ban on single-use plastic bags in retail stores. Plastic bags are polluting the environment, he explained, and it is time to take action.
He delivered a rather eloquent argument for his case – plastic bags cost money, waste resources, pollute the oceans, kill fish and birds, and will likely be outlawed.
“Plastic bags wreak havoc with fish populations. They break up into petro-polymers that enter the food chain. A bad idea,” he told the board.
He proposes a ban on retail establishments using plastic bags. Instead, recycled paper bags would be sold to customers at a small cost if they wanted a bag to use. Certain exemptions could be offered for foods or medicines.
He said other cities and countries were already doing this, and Brattleboro could lead the state in the effort.
Maciel said the biggest argument against doing it would be philosophical, as in a perceived right to use a plastic bag. He said this was similar to smoking and seat belts, which are regulated for the collective good of the many.
Brattleboro would join a growing list of communities passing similar proposal, said Maciel. “Let Brattleboro lead the way in Windham County and state.”
Board members, offered another opportunity to make a statement of position regarding the town, declined to take up the idea of a new ordinance. Using almost the same arguments as those used to send supporters of Native People’s Day to gather signatures, board members voiced their concerns about process.
DeGray said stores wanted time to discuss this. Schoales suggested it be put on the agenda for Representative Town Meeting to discuss. O’Connor hoped there would be a town-wide discussion, adding that people become more educated in a more public process. Gartenstein said the town was about providing basic, core services, and issues like this needed to follow the official process by gathering signatures.
Dr. Maciel was not put off, and said he would collect signatures.
Board members were then quite helpful, suggesting he work with the Town Manager’s office, Town Clerk, and maybe even the Town Attorney to get the language right for the petition.
2016 Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant
Brattleboro received a grant for $1,400 from the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance to be spent on new bulletproof vests. This offsets what we already spend on them, said Elwell.
DEMHS Assistance to Firefighters Grant
The Brattleboro Fire Department is thinking big with an application to the Department of Homeland Security/FEMA for a $990,000 grant. If approved, Brattleboro will be buying a new aerial ladder truck to replace the 1991, 105 foot model in operation now.
The new station can accomodate a bigger, newer truck, Elwell told the board. If the grant doesn’t pay for it, we’ll be getting one anyway, and might end up borrowing to buy one. Still, he felt the possibility of getting the grant funds was quite good.
Brattleboro would pay about $50,000 in matching costs if this is approved.
Winter Sand Bid
Zaluzny Excavating will receive $21,750 to supply Brattleboro with winter sand. They had the lowest of four bids. The sand is being sold for $8.70 per cubic yard, and the Department of Public Works estimates a need for 2,500 cubic yards this year. It was postulated that their company’s nearby location allowed them to provide a much cheaper estimate than others that would need to deliver the sand over a greater distance.
