There are citizen complaints about the new flashing lights on Western Avenue near Cedar Street, and the Brattleboro Selectboard will hear them at their next regular meeting.
The Town has complaints, too, against a property owner on Oak Street. The Town Arts Committee has concerns about the bookshelf mural in Harmony Lot, the FY20 budget overview will be presented, and a solar array might be coming to a parking garage near you.
You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
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The Brattleboro Selectboard will meet on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 in the Selectboard Meeting Room at the Municipal Center. It is anticipated that the Board will enter into executive session at 5:45pm to discuss contracts, the negotiation of a real estate sale or lease, and the evaluation of a public officer or employee, and will reconvene for the business meeting at 6:15pm. ASL interpreters will be available for deaf and hard-of-hearing community members.
Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
230 Main Street, Suite 208
Brattleboro, VT 05301
(802) 251-8100
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BRATTLEBORO SELECTBOARD
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2018
SELECTBOARD MEETING ROOM, MUNICIPAL CENTER
EXECUTIVE SESSION – 5:45PM
REGULAR MEETING – 6:15PM
AGENDA
1. CONVENE REGULAR MEETING
2. APPROVE MINUTES – October 9 and October 16
3. CHAIR’S REMARKS
4. MANAGER’S COMMENTS
5. SELECTBOARD COMMENTS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS
6. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
7. BOARD OF HEALTH COMMISSIONERS
A. Issue Health Order – Hold Public Hearing re: 33 Oak Street
8. LIQUOR COMMISSIONERS – None
9. WATER AND SEWER – None
10. UNFINISHED BUSINESS – None
11. NEW BUSINESS
A. Western Avenue/Union Hill Pedestrian Crossing Device (RRFB) –
Stephanie Keep and Frederick Engstrom
B. Mural in the Harmony Parking Lot – Scot Borofsky
C. Transportation Center Resilience Hub Project Proposed by Green Lantern Solar
D. Award Bid – Upfit for Police Department Vehicles
E. Rename Private Drive – Tavern Way off of Putney Road on Colonial Motel Complex
F. Employee Health Insurance Program — Renewal for Calendar Year 2019
G. FY20 Proposed Budget (i) Town Manager’s Overview (ii) Proposed Schedule of Meetings
12. CORRESPONDENCE/FYI
A. Warrants
13. MEETINGS
See enclosed Town Calendar
14. ADJOURNMENT
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MEMORANDUM
To: Selectboard
From: Peter B. Elwell, Town Manager
Re: Administrative Report
Date: November 1, 2018
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The following will summarize the proposed motions for the Selectboard meeting on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. The Board will meet in executive session at 5:45pm to discuss contracts, the negotiation of a real estate sale or lease, and the evaluation of a public officer or employee. The Board will reconvene the business meeting at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room.
7. BOARD OF HEALTH COMMISSIONERS
A. Issue Health Order – Hold Public Hearing re: 33 Oak Street The Board is asked to issue a Health Order against Robert Remy-Powers for his property located at 33 Oak Street for violations of the Rental Housing Code. The Town Health Officer has served upon Mr. Remy-Powers a Notice of Intent to Seek a Health Order, along with the alleged violations and a Statement of Procedural Rights. The alleged health violations include violations pertaining to fire safety, sanitation, and lead paint.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TO ISSUE THE HEALTH ORDER AS PROPOSED BY THE HEALTH OFFICER REQUIRING COMPLIANCE WITHIN 5 DAYS OF THIS ORDER.
8. LIQUOR COMMISSIONERS – None
9. WATER AND SEWER COMMISSIONERS – None
10. UNFINISHED BUSINESS – None
11. NEW BUSINESS
A. Western Avenue/Union Hill Pedestrian Crossing Device (RRFB) – Stephanie Keep and Frederick Engstrom Stephanie Keep and Frederick Engstrom, owners of property located at 39 Western Avenue, have asked the Selectboard to hear their objection to the installation of a Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacon (RRFB) pedestrian crossing device in front of their home. The Board’s back-up materials contain copies of e-mails between the property owners and Town Manager Elwell and a memorandum dated October 30, 2018, from Town Manager Elwell that describes the history of the project and applicable RRFB specifications. Staff recommends that the RRFB remain as installed.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TBD
B. Mural in the Harmony Parking Lot – Scot Borofsky Scot Borofsky, a local artist, has asked the Selectboard to hear from him about the mural project on the wall in the Harmony Parking Lot. The Board’s back-up materials contain a memorandum dated October 30, 2018, from Town Manager Elwell that provides a timeline history of the project and describes recent communications between Mr. Borofsky, the Town Arts Committee (TAC), and Town Manager Elwell. The current TAC members have asked for a status report on the project and an assurance that contributing artists are not being charged for access to add their art to the mural.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TBD
C. Transportation Center Resilience Hub Project Proposed by Green Lantern Solar The Board is asked to authorize Town Manager Elwell to sign a letter of intent to lease space above the Brattleboro Transportation Center (BTC) to Green Lantern Solar. The letter of intent will lead to an actual lease only if (1) Green Lantern’s feasibility study causes it to choose to move forward with installation of a solar array above the BTC, and (2) lease terms are agreed upon that are acceptable to the Selectboard.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TO AUTHORIZE TOWN MANAGER PETER ELWELL TO SIGN A LETTER OF INTENT TO LEASE SPACE ABOVE THE BRATTLEBORO TRANSPORTATION CENTER TO GREEN LANTERN SOLAR.
D. Award Bid – Upfit for Police Department Vehicles The Board is asked to award a bid to SWNH, of Keene, New Hampshire, in the amount of $47,088.50, to upfit three new police vehicles with proper emergency equipment. As set forth in a memorandum dated October 25, 2018, from Police Chief Fitzgerald, three bids were received and SWNH submitted the lowest cost complete bid.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TO AWARD A BID TO SWNH IN THE AMOUNT OF $47,088.50, TO UPFIT THREE NEW POLICE VEHICLES WITH PROPER EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT.
E. Rename Private Drive – Tavern Way off of Putney Road on Colonial Motel Complex The Board is asked to approve the name of Tavern Way for a private drive in the Colonial Motel complex for the reasons set forth in the memorandum dated October 12, 2018, from E911 Coordinator Rita Johnson. This recommendation has been approved by the Town’s public safety departments and by applicable State officials.
POTENTIAL MOTION: TO APPROVE THE NAME OF TAVERN WAY FOR A PRIVATE DRIVE IN THE COLONIAL MOTEL COMPLEX, AS PRESENTED.
F. Employee Health Insurance Program — Renewal for Calendar Year 2019 The Town experienced high claims during the current year and is facing a significant increase in health insurance costs for 2019. To slightly reduce the overall impact of what will still be a significant increase, the Board is asked to approve changes to the Employee Health Insurance Program to increase the deductible and the HRA (self insured) layer. This will result in a 12.71% ($253,038) increase in the overall cost of this program instead of a straight renewal increase of 13.53% (or $269,373).
POTENTIAL MOTION: TO APPROVE THE TOWN’S CY2019 HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM, INCLUDING AN INCREASE IN THE DEDUCTIBLE TO $4,000 FOR SINGLE COVERAGE AND $8,000 FOR FAMILY COVERAGE AND AN INCREASE IN THE H.R.A. LAYER TO MAINTAIN MAXIMUM PLAN PARTICIPANT LIABILITY OF $1,500 FOR SINGLE COVERAGE AND $3,000 FOR FAMILY COVERAGE.
G. FY20 Proposed Budget (i) Town Manager’s Overview (ii) Proposed Schedule of Meetings Town Manager Elwell will provide an overview of staff’s proposed FY20 Budget and will propose a schedule of meetings at which the Selectboard will review, potentially modify, and ultimately approve the FY20 budget.
NO ACTION IS REQUIRED ON THIS ITEM.
A bit of history is missing
I read through the background materials about my bookshelf mural, and I’m missing from the history!
Back around 2007, Youth Services had a contest to design a mural. I submitted a bunch of designs, and the bookshelf was chosen. Pretty sure they had voting during Gallery Walk one night.
The bookshelf was specifically designed to represent all of the bookstores, printers, authors, and such that Brattleboro is known for. It is a celebration of printing, and a reminder of all of the words that have flowed here.
A secondary aspect of my design was to inject some humor and history. For the original mural, we solicited book titles from the public. Some pointed to Brattleboro’s current events, some referenced historical people or places of town. Puns were encouraged.
Titles were tallied, a list was made, and they were approved by someone (Youth Services? Selectboard? I can’t quite recall. I know they had to be reviewed and okayed.)
Here’s the list that was approved:
1984 – Town Charter Revision
A Farewell To Arms Tavern
Moon Over Wantastiquet
A River Runs Behind It
How To Build Organs by Jacob Estey
Always RETREAT by Anna Marsh
Flatlander
What’s That Up There? Field Guide to Aliens and UFO’s
The House of Seven Granolas
Zen and the Art of Bicycle Maintenance
Legends of the Fall by Leif Peeper
Churches of Brattleboro
Surviving Mud Season
Madame Bovine
Where The Sugar Maples Grow
Brattleboro History for Beginners
Portrait Of The Sculptor As A Young Man by Larkin Mead
Complete Guide to Brattleboro Authors
A Passage To Hinsdale by I. M. Forester
Flora & Fauna
Thunderbolt, by Dr. John Wilson
Trust, by Elizabeth Rowell Thompson
“Road Crossing Safety” by Sally Mander
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Selectboard
Brattleboro Guide to Local Food, Business, and Media
Youth Services Guide to Making Murals
Youth Services got a donation of some used, cruddy houseplant of indeterminate color and set a date for painting. I came down early and did book outlines, then others joined in and painted individual books. We had volunteers who had just wandered by as well as some die-hards who liked mural painting. People were given a book and title to do, and they could create any kind of spine they wanted to go with it.
In the end, it was a totally local, community-developed project that celebrated Brattleboro’s humor, history, and especially printing.
….
I found out about the repairing and repurposing earlier this year and went down to talk with Scot and team.
I like that it is being redone. I like that real paint and better colors are available this time around. I like that the book theme is continuing.
I don’t really understand the advertising of artists. It doesn’t make logical sense to me why we’d have a bookshelf with names of local artists and web addresses. I don’t know of many book spines that have web addresses on them. It breaks the “theming” (in my book… ha!). I miss the jokes and the history.
I think the local artist/web address approach turns something that is timeless into something that will need continual updating. Who will check that the sites still work? What happens when an artist moves, or quits?
It’s fascinating to me how many times this mural comes up, and how each time no one asks me about it at all. I don’t really care that much, but it’s not like I’m hard to find or difficult to reach. Want to see the original, colorful designs? I have them. Want to see the other rejected options? I have them. Want the opinion of the original artist? I can provide it.
Should be an interesting discussion tonight. : )