Selectboard Meeting Notes – Melrose Structures Approved for Demolition, and Permits

The Brattleboro Selectboard was missing both their Chair and Town Manager, but efficiently managed their agenda at their regular meeting Tuesday night.

The board approved of most of their annual list liquor permits and polices, though two establishments have an additional hurdle before their licenses are granted. They also approved of demolition of four buildings at Melrose Terrace, the Strolling of the Heifers received event permits, and a debate over parking meters for the Stroll will occur at a later date. 

Cruisers will get up-fits, Cultural Intrigue will get technology, and the Town will get servers.

Preliminaries

Vice Chair Kate O’Connor sat in for an absent Chair David Gartenstein. She began by noting that Town Manager Elwell was also absent, out with the flu. While she was “glad he wasn’t here breathing on us,” she and the board wished him speedy recovery.

O’Connor saluted the volunteers for the ski jump, mentioned Winter Carnival, and made note of the fire on Putney Road Tuesday morning.

Fire Chief Bucossi said it was a 3 alarm fire at a warehouse on the 55 Brisk Lane property. “A big loss for the owner,” he said, but it could have been worse and adjacent buildings were saved. The warehouse was full of wooden palettes and industrial recycling materials, said the Chief.

Sitting in for Town Manager Peter Elwell was Assistant Town Manager Patrick Moreland. His big news was that Brattleboro has just learned that the housing project at the Lamplighter property on Putney Road has been funded. He promised more details at a future meeting, when they accept the grant award.

A bearded John Allen had the only committee report, saying that they had a “spirited” solid waste meeting, and there would be more news about compostables and the MRF “coming down the pike.”

Dick DeGray praised the ski jump volunteers and organizers, noting that great events happen when people work together. He said there was both a record jump and large attendance, making it “pretty exciting for those that were there.”

There was no public participation.

Liquor Commissioners – Annual Renewals

Acting as Liquor Commissioners, the Brattleboro Selectboard approved the annual list of liquor licenses, outside consumption permits, and entertainment permits. Two establishments will have to have a visit during a Selectboard meeting, however, due to repeated violations in the previous year.

Board members were initially uncomfortable with approving the list with many still owing the Town their business license fees. They were reassured that all materials are reviewed and checked by applicable town offices, with fees and fines paid, before licenses are granted.

Also of issue were that a handful of establishments had violations, some multiple times, for serving to a minor.

David Schoales and John Allen agreed that more than two violations should warrant a visit to the selectboard, and fellow board members agreed. Ramuntos and Vermont Country Deli must come before the Commissioners before their licenses are approved.

Brattleboro Area Prevention Coalition Update

The BAPC is renewing a previous project called the Brattleboro Responsible Retailing Project, an effort to help local businesses comply with existing laws about minimum ages for liquor purchase. 

Cassandra Holloway of BAPC told the board that a previous pilot project to use “city approaches in a rural area” had ended, but recently received new funding and new life at the local level. The program will now be adapted for local use and extended for four years.

Participants get resources, she said, and “mystery shops” where young people will ask to be served and then give out red or green cards depending on whether their ID was checked properly. The goal is to support retailers, and also to provide enhanced local training in ID checking.

The program is voluntary, and starts this March.

Police & Fire Facility Updates

Assistant Town Manager Moreland gave the update.

West Brattleboro Station will undergo a blower test by Efficiency Vermont, and is expecting a certificate of occupancy this week. The Fire Department moves in and begins using the new structure in March. He said the name is up on the building and is “looking sharp. Looking really good.”

Central Fire’s steel frame is underway and will continue into March. Completion date is expected in November of this year.

The Reformer space at the Police Station is now complete, and they will be jailed there starting next week. No new issues, and work now moves into the area to be used by the police.

Strolling of Heifers Permits

Orly Munzing and Anne Latchis asked for and received permits for the annual Strolling of the Heifers street festival, parade, and races to be held June 2, 3, and 4.

Latchis said she started in August, and that it was a lot of work, endless, with long hours. She confessed to Munzing that she wasn’t really a parade fan, either, but she’s learned to see it as necessary and that it brings people to town. “It’s a good package,” she said.

Munzing said that the event would kick off with the Slow Living Summit, and will go on to feature the usual street festival, parade, expo, tours, and a pie competition.

Dick DeGray brought up the issue of closing the streets, and the times that meters get put out of service. “We need to do a better job. We should put signs on the meters telling people to move by 4:30,” he suggested, rather than bagging meters at 3:30.

John Allen thought they should hear from downtown merchants on the issue.

“I’m a downtown merchant and I’m talking to you right now,” said DeGray. “Main Street dries up like a vacuum.”

Munzing suggested the Town create the signs, and O’Connor agreed. “It looks scarier with the Town seal on it.”

None of this was directly related to the permits at hand, so the issue of meters will be considered at a later date.

Allen reiterated his desire to hear from merchants “who want to come and speak with us about problems on that weekend.”

“It would be-hoof them,” added O’Connor.

“That was her,” said Allen…

Grand List No Appeal

There were no appeals or suits related to the 2016 Grand List, so the Brattleboro Selectboard endorsed a certificate saying so and sent it to the state as required.

Monthly Finance Report with John O’Connor

Finance Director John O’Connor gave the board a review of the financials for the month of January, with seven months and 58.3% of the fiscal year completed.

The General Fund stands at 60.2% of the annual budget.

Utilities Fund expenses are at 57.4% and Parking Fund expenses are at 57.4% of their budgets.

Solid Waste Disposal Fund revenues are at 48.1% and expenses at 51.7% of the annual budget. Accounting for bag revenue and collection costs is recorded in the following month.

Brattleboro has loaned out $3,860,102 and has $645,898 available for grants and loans.

The Town has 46 active grants and 5 more in preparation.

DeGray asked about preliminary findings regarding the utilities fund. John O’Connor said that they were “still analyzing” and that there are some anticipated water department needs, so they are hesitant to suggest any rate changes until those needs are better understood.

He said there was currently about $4 million cash surplus in the Utilities fund.

Support for Melrose Demolition

Brattleboro Housing Partnership has applied to the U.S. Housing and Urban Development agency for permission to demolish 159, 165, 183, and 197 Melrose Terrace. The demolition is possible, said Rod Francis, now that residents have been relocated out of the floodway to Red Clover Commons.

He told the board that four newly-vacant structures are in the floodway and can no longer be used for residential use. They will be the first of many buildings at Melrose to come down.

Moving everyone out of the floodway is a high priority for the Town, to lower risks to residents and emergency workers in the event of another flood.

The board approved of a resolution affirming support for the demolition work.

Cultural Intrigue SBAP Loan

Grants & Loans Manager Kim Ellison told the board that Cultural Intrigue was approved for a loan ($70k) through the Town recently that led to additional funding ($140k) if the Town will agree to subordinate its loan from third to fourth place.

The company has both a first and second commercial mortgage on their property at 35 Frost Street. 

Kate O’Connor said that using a Town loan to help get additional funding is “what we want people to do.” Ellison agreed, saying that was part of the reasoning behind recently increasing the loan amounts available to businesses. “We put in more, and it enhances their applications,” she said.

Lawyers and a review committee said this is an okay thing to do, and doing so won’t alter the probability of the original loan funds being recovered. The board approved of the new agreement.

The property is currently valued at $1,540.000.

Interestingly, the funds will be used by owner Adam Gebb to better compete with Amazon, who he said were “putting people under.” He said his business couldn’t compete without advanced technologies to help with “marketing to individuals using big brother technology.” 

Cultural Intrigue is spending near $700,000 for a system and marketing that “takes each individual and looks at them and sorts them into segments – nothing too invasive – and follows them around.”

“It has to happen, unfortunately,” he added.

Cruiser Fit-Up Bid

Two police cruisers were purchased in December of 2016 in an effort to save some money before known price changes. As it turns out, $292 was saved over 2017 prices, on a purchase of just over $50,000.

The vehicles need to be fit-up for use by Brattleboro Police, and a single bid for $36,676.35 was received from Adamson Industries in Haverhill, MA.

The total cost of cruisers and fit-up comes to about $3,000 more than what is in the budget, so the remaining funds will come from a Governor’s Highway Safety Program grant.

“Lights, sirens, and all that stuff,” explains Moreland.

Server Purchase

IT improvements are progressing for the Town of Brattleboro, and the selectboard approved of the purchase of 2 Lenovo servers, extra memory, storage, and power supply through CCI Managed Services of Claremont, NH.

Total cost is $14,024, with each line item individually competitively priced among vendors for the best possible cost to the town.

Feedback

“Peter, how’d we do?” asked John Allen. “You know he’s watching…”