By the end of the final “Brandon: A Hub & Our Home” community meeting on Thursday night, it was clear that the Vermont Council on Rural Development’s role was winding down. Going forward, residents will take the lead in advancing the priorities they identified for the town’s future.
Over three months of community conversations, a long list of community development ideas generated through public input was distilled into three priorities selected by Brandon residents at the previous meeting: opening a laundromat, expanding trails and improving walking and biking routes, and increasing housing opportunities. On Thursday, residents met in small working groups with state and regional experts to begin exploring how those ideas could become reality.
More than 180 residents participated in the Community Visit process, and nearly 50 signed up to continue working through the three task forces.
Alyssa Johnson, director of the Vermont Council on Rural Development's Community Visit Program, said Thursday’s meeting marked the start of the next phase, with residents identifying concrete next steps. She encouraged anyone interested to attend the upcoming task force meetings and help advance the projects.
Laundromat group weighs challenges
Although opening a laundromat in town generated some of the strongest interest at previous meetings, only a handful of residents joined Thursday's working group. Participants hope more community members will join the effort as it moves forward.
Group members quickly identified significant hurdles, including finding a suitable location, financing costly equipment, managing rising water and sewer costs, and determining the most sustainable business model.
Andrew Christiansen, co-owner of King Street Laundry in Burlington and co-founder of the associated nonprofit organization Vermont Community Wash and Learn, shared lessons from operating a commercial laundromat that also serves as a community resource. He encouraged the group to first understand Brandon’s specific laundry needs and acknowledged that the town’s smaller population brings different economic challenges than Burlington.
Participants also discussed alternatives to a traditional laundromat, including distributing machines among multiple locations, partnering with community organizations, or combining self-service laundry with a wash-dry-fold operation for commercial clients to help support the business.
"I'm more of a realist after the meeting, but I think we can do this,” participant Laura King reflected. "I believe in Brandon."
Trails group links safety, recreation and economic development
Rather than choosing between improving safety, expanding recreation or boosting economic development, members of the trails task force concluded that the three goals are closely connected.
The group identified pedestrian and bicycle safety concerns, including missing or unsafe sidewalks; unsafe road crossings; gaps in routes between downtown, Forest Dale, and the schools; and a lack of safe places for children to walk, bike, and scooter. But they also saw opportunities to expand Brandon's network of trails and recreational amenities while making the community more attractive to both residents and visitors.
Ideas ranged from improving trail signage and trailheads, adding pedestrian crossing beacons and other traffic-calming measures, and extending sidewalks and trail connections, to creating a skatepark or pump track, highlighting historical sites along trails, and improving online information about trails and parking.
The group decided to take a closer look at the Forest Dale Shared Use Path Scoping Study, recently completed by the Rutland Regional Planning Commission and Dubois & King, to determine whether it could be implemented in phases. Experts highlighted state and federal grant opportunities and emphasized the importance of designing projects that are accessible, sustainable and maintainable over the long term.
Janet Mondlak said she was encouraged by the range of people involved in the discussion. “I loved the diversity of the participants — people who have lived in town their whole lives as well as people who just moved here. I think that will lead to many successes as people come together with different perspectives, experiences, institutional knowledge bases, and ideas.”
Housing group explores potential solutions
The housing task force concentrated on increasing Brandon's housing supply through a combination of regulatory changes, new construction, and better use of existing buildings.
Participants discussed the need to identify land suitable for housing, encourage accessory dwelling units, and expand condominium developments. Building on the town’s existing revolving loan fund, currently available to small businesses, drew particularly enthusiastic support. Jessica Hyman of CVOEO’s Fair Housing Project called the idea “brilliant.”
The group also discussed partnering with Habitat for Humanity, reviewing zoning regulations, and creating a central housing information clearinghouse.
Given the scale and complexity of the challenge, the group agreed that thorough research — including an assessment of needs — is an essential first step.
Moving forward
Rather than ending with Thursday's meeting, task force participants will continue the work themselves. Each group plans to meet again over the coming weeks, beginning the next phase of the Community Visit process: turning community priorities into projects that local volunteers carry out long after the VCRD facilitators have left town.
New participants are encouraged to join the upcoming meetings. Sign up for task forces here (through July 10) or simply attend a meeting.
The laundromat task force will meet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 23, at the Stephen A. Douglas house, 4 Grove St.
The trails task force will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 23, at the Brandon United Methodist Church, 1 Franklin St.
The housing task force will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 21, at the Brandon Town Hall meeting room, 1 Conant Sq.
