At this week's meeting, the Historic Preservation Commission said it will offer plaques for sale, the local option tax continues to deliver, VTrans has awarded paving grants, and work on Class 3 roads was approved.
Selectboard Chair Cecil Reniche-Smith was absent, so former Chair Doug Bailey led the meeting. After consenting to basic recurring matters, the selectboard heard from Dennis Reisenweaver of the Brandon Historic Preservation Commission, who spoke about the National Register of Historic Places procedure and inventory. The registry is difficult to use, Reisenweaver said, as some entries are geographic descriptions instead of addresses and several buildings have been removed from town over time, so the commission is updating information in a new spreadsheet.
Reisenweaver said that they were considering expanding the Brandon Village Historic District up Seminary Street. He also said they were looking at including parts of Forest Dale, because of the history of the furnace and many older houses in the area.
The selectboard approved a historical plaque program proposed by Reisenweaver that would allow homeowners to buy plaques with the dates of their homes produced by local business New England Woodcraft. The households buying the plaques would need to be in the state or national registry, and the price would be no more than $125. The money will go into the town budget.
Seth Hopkins presented the town manager's report. He reminded everyone about the next Brandon: A Hub & Our Home Community meeting on May 27, 6-8:30 p.m. at Brandon Town Hall.
He told the selectboard that the town expects to receive the new highway tandem truck soon, then the town will sell the previous truck.
Hopkins said town water fountains have been sealed and the fountain in Central Park is on. He mentioned the enhanced signage around crosswalks and said the crosswalks will be repainted. Later in comments, Bailey remarked that people noticed and appreciated the cones on Park Street.
The local option tax, Hopkins said, had a very good quarter, with an increase of $66,791 and a total of $571,603 in the fund. Bailey noted that the town "was in a good spot financially" and is currently running under budget.
Deputy Town Manager Bill Moore delivered the Community Development report, saying that on May 24 at 6:30 p.m., Brandon Town Hall will host a showing of "A Death in the Wilderness," a 2017 documentary about Brandon's Frankie Davenport, who retrieved her husband's body from a Civil War battlefield. On May 25 at 10 a.m., the American Legion will parade to Central Park, where there will be speeches, music, and the laying of flowers by first-grade students. Also, Ms. Michaela's dance recital is May 16 at 6:30 p.m. at Otter Valley Union High School.
Moore described public interest in the existing walking and biking trails around Brandon, saying he was starting a volunteer committee to discuss these. If interested, email [email protected]. This is not associated with the Forest Dale Shared-Use Path study.
In the paving program proposal, Hopkins provided a memo and map for road improvement locations.
He said that VTrans had given paving grants to Brandon of $106,514 for McConnell Road and $79,895 for Union Street. The grants require a 20% town match, which the town will fulfill by rebuilding road shoulders. The selectboard approved these grants.
However, Hopkins pointed out that Class 3 roads are not eligible for grants. The proposal is to use the money from the local option tax for necessary roadwork, as it was described to voters, he said.
The recommendations include a pavement apron on Rydon Acres, which is a road that turns onto Route 7 with erosion and potholes that require repair. Included are 500 feet of Stone Mill Dam Road, where it turns onto Route 73 and loose gravel on a hill could be dangerous, as well as work to protect the road over the bridge. Also, nearly two miles of Wheeler Road will be paved at an estimated cost of $273,900.
The total cost for work on Class 3 roads, Hopkins stated, would be about $318,000. The motion to fund the proposal was passed by the selectboard, and the work now goes to bidding. "This is a big project for Brandon," Hopkins said.
Public comments began with a discussion of rideshare and transportation policy regarding the "VW Buzz." The primary use of the vehicle is town use, but also approved sponsored use, such as SolarFest. There was agreement that drivers of the vehicle should be certified and agreement that town vehicles cannot be used for personal use.
Also notable in the comments was the recurring topic of speeding traffic downtown, expressing great concern for children, other pedestrians, and bicyclists. Bailey said that the sheriff has done directed patrols and that the Brandon Police Department could do these as well. Hopkins raised an interesting point: because of the historic preservation designation of downtown Brandon, the selectboard has the authority to set speed limits lower than typical in this area. He said there could be a review of changing the speed limit with an assessment involving the police chief.
