The Brattleboro Selectboard, what remained of them, heard all about emergency plans at their Tuesday meetng. Plans for schools, plans for employees, and plans in general for disasters, mass casualties, and other situations everyone agrreed would be best if we never faced.
Read on for the details.
Preliminaries
Kate O’Connor and Donna Macomber were away. Chair David Gartenstein said that with just a trio of board members, all motions would require three votes in favor to pass.
Gartenstein noted development on Putney Road, especially in the area of Exit 3, and said it showed a positive revitalization of that commercial area. He said the redevelopment of the Brooks House, too, will bring a new level of activity to downtown.
Substantial public works are underway, with major paving prjects scheduled to be complete by the end of the week.
Forty-nine applications, with some names seen before, have applied to become Brattleboro’s Town Manager, and candidates for Police Chief will be interviewed later this week, said Gartenstein.
He said the skatepark will be on the agenda soon “so a decision can be made.”
Interim Town Manager Patrick Moreland expanded upon the search for a Chief of Police. He said they had many decent and strong candidates, and that they would go through a series of interviews with a number of boards and commitees.
For Selectboard comments and committee reports, David Schoales congratulated Brattleboro’s swim team for winning in both the Southern Vermont League and the State Division Championship. John Allen asked him if he knew anyone on the team. Schoales admitted his daughter was one of the champions.
John Allen said the MIRF meeting resulted in a choice of firm to help with a solar array at the landfill, and that the group was still working on numbers and deciding what path to take.
Schoales explained that there were choices to be made of how to effectively deal with trash, and that the best equipment was, of course, expensive.
Allen said there was a question of a single or dual stream system should be used, and whether there should be a purchase of new trucks. He said there was “a lot to do. We need numbers quickly.”
Numbers will be used, in part, to help Brattleboro make decisions about a new Pay As You Throw system.
Public Participation
Terry Carter had good news for Brattleboro dogs. By December, all Brattleboro police will be trained to handle dogs effectively and humanely.
This is the result of a combined effort by Carter, James Banslabin, and PJ Anderson of the Police Academy.
Videos in proper handling will be viewed by officers, she told the board, and other officers will be trained at a special course at the Academy for proper dog handling. When they return, they will instruct others on the force.
Monthly Financial Report with John O’Connor
Finance Director John O’Connor presented the board wth financial reports ending July 31, 2014, a full 8.3% into the new fiscal year. As such, most everything appeared to be in order.
The General Fund was at 8.4% of the budget, but this was due to a semi-annual insurance payment and the annual human services payments. Otherwise, it would have been closer to 6.5%.
Utility Fund expenditures were at 9.1% and Parking Fund at 7.5% of their budgets.
Nothing has been spent on the Police-Fire Facilities in this fiscal year.
Brattleboro has just over $4 million loaned out, and just under $400,000 available to loan. There were 39 active grants and appllications for 15 more in progress.
David Gartenstein inquired about the Police Fire funds, noting that just under a million had been spent overall of the five million borrowed. He said new plans for the facilities might be ready this fall for further discussion.
Patrick Moreland said there were various contracts but work was on hold, and the committee would need to do more work.
Grant Ageement Resolution
The Brattleboro Selectboard threesome passed a resolution in support of the Windham and Windsor Trust Scattered Site Revolving Loan Program (WAWTRSSRLP?)
The resolution accepts grant conditions from the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, names Kim Ellison as the grant administrator, and authorizes the Interim Town Manager to execute the agreement.
Patrick Moreland said that the fund would be $1 million to seed a program that would provide funds for home repairs and educational programs.
John Allen asked if it was unusual for the town to be involved with home repair grants. Moreland said it didn’t happen a lot, but a municipaility is the only eligible applicant for the funds.
Gartenstein asked about the cost of complying with the long agreement. John O’Connor said it wouldn’t be a problem. “Our role is to review and approve reports, process drawdowns, and issue funds. Auditors will audit the program and we’ll participate.”
Moreland pointed out that there was also a long sub-agreement transfering most of the responsibility to the Windham and Windsor Trust.
Brattleboro will track the time of the grant administrator.
School Crisis Emergency Response Plan
After the school shooting at Sandy Hook, Brattleboro’s emergency services joined the Town Manager’s office in a re-examination of local response capabilities.
Emergency services in town had already conducted drills and training sessions, but wanted to take time to create a more unified respose to any crisis at a school, espcially involving mass casualties.
Peter Lynch of the Fire Department explained the new plan to the triad.
The Police and Fire departments, Department of Public Works, Rescue Inc., Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, American Red Cross, schools and other community partners all worked on the plan.
It is based on the premise that the goal is to provide for the welfare of students and staff during any emergency. The plan defines actions and roles necessary for a coordinated response.
Lynch said they could find no template to follow, despite 76 violent acts at U.S. schools in the last year, and after-event reports from each with lists of what worked and what could be improved.
He said much time was spent on accounting for students and educators.
Potential disasters are listed. They include, but are not limited to, floods, fires, epidemics, derailments, chemical spills, civil disturbances or riots, and, of course, terrorism. Proper advance planning allows school officials and staff to begin responding to emergencies immediately, before responders are on the scene.
Evacuation points have been established, as have methods of reaching locations away from the schools. A Family Reunification Protocol will be used to reunite students with parents and guardians.
Ron Stahley, the local Superintendent of Schools, said that a letter was going out to parents and guardians to present the emergency plans. “This year the focus shifts away from VY to a more general emergency response,” he said. He explained that there is a crisis management team in place in each school, and that WTSA and WKVT will distribute news for them, along with Alert Now voice delivery and emails. The goal will be to secure building first and securing the perimeter, before locking down classrooms. The letter will include instructions for parents. In the event of an emergency, for instance, parents shouldn’t come to the site, said Stahley. “School personnel will know their roles and responsibilities.”
John Allen applauded the time and effort that went into the plan but remarked that it was “sad that we need this.” “You hope it never happens,” he said, admitting that “it is so overwhelming.”
Fire Chief John Bucossi agreed. “God forbid if something happens in the schools. we don’t want to be standing in the street wondering what to do. We now feel comfortable that we have a solid base to work from.” He praised Peter Lynch for his work, saying that “It would be no where near what it is without Pete.”
David Schoales liked that the plan included a range of communcation options, stressing that it was especially important for the town to get info out to parents. “I hope this all works and people register with Vermont Alert,” he said.
Others on the board heaped praise on Peter Lynch for his dedication and the discussion came to a close.
Emergency Operations Plan
Just because you aren’t in school anymore doesn’t mean you are left out of emergnecy planning.
Fire Chief Mike Bucossi gave the Brattleboro Selectboard an overview of the general emergency plan for the town. The plan is required by Vermont Emergency Management and is created to guide operations, identify roles and responsibility, and aid in disaster relief.
This is not a new plan, but it has been updated extensively this year. Bucossi said the plan was required, in part,to qualify for FEMA and grant funding.
The document includes an explanation of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS), examines critical infrastructure and potential hazards in the community, as well as responders and emergency scene operations.
The document also contains forms, checklists, resource lists, and other functional documents.
Library Trustee Appointment
Debra Loevy-Reyes was appointed to the Brooks Memorial Library Board of Trustees by the Brattleboro Selectboard trio. She will fill the unexpired term of Elizabeth Wohl, recently resigned, and be officially appointed next year at Town Meeting.
Jerry Goldberg of the nominations committee said they had four remarkable candidates, with great credentials and passion.
Staffing Level Review – Brooks Memorial Library
Staffing level reviews, a quick look at the functions and necessity of town jobs as vacancies occur, have been a part of the Brattleboro Selectboard’s ongoing budget planning for many months. As someone retires or moves on, the board spends a few moments looking at the details of the position being vacated.
Tuesday, Jerry Carbone of Brooks Memorial Library explained the duties and necessity of the position of Account Clerk, a job that is half account management and clerical, and half circulation-related work. Laura Murphy recently resigned the 37.5 hours per week position after ten years.
The job description has been tweaked slightly.
Patrick Moreland said that a competitive promotion is planned, then the town will advertise for the other position.
Staffing Level Review – Dispatcher
Acting Police Chief Fitzgerald told the board about a resignation in his department of a Central Dispatcher, a position that serves the communications needs of the police, fire, DPW, and Rescue Inc. emergency services.
There are eight dispatcher positions, and the vacancy in the overnight shift is currently being filled with a substitute at overtime rates.
The new hire will undergo a 12 week training program. “It’s a very long process to get a good dispatcher,” he said, almost four months of training and testing once someone is hired.
David Gartenstein asked about turnover in the position. Patrick Moreland said that the job fits some personalities and they make a career of it, and others find it isn’t for them. He said the town is reimbursed for training costs if a new hire terminates before a date certain.
John Allen said his wife Cathy listens to the police scanner and wants to be a dispatcher. “Call her up.”
Regional Economic Hub Committee
Should we form a committee to assist with regional economic hub issues? Yes, says the temporarily decreased Brattleboro Selectboard.
David Gartenstein proposed an open committee of about five members to investigate the role of Brattleboro as a host in the region, and to look for potential solutions to problem issues. Town staff, likely the planning department, will participate.
There is a September 9 deadline for letters of interest, with decisions being made on the 16th.
Exit Stage Left
The small board, unable to produce a town calendar to read, quickly moved to adjourn and escaped without a town calendar reading.
Buried In Departmental Reports
“DPW and Fire Department staff continue to struggle with operation of the traffic light system in town. We are seeking vendors and consultants that are more accessible.”
Emergency notifications...
For what it’s worth, social media such as Facebook, Twitter, iBrattleboro, etc should also be used to get the word out when there is a school crisis or an emergency of any type, not just 2 radio stations. As we now know, there are some, if not many folks, who get most, if not all, of their news and other information about the community and the world around them from these sources. Accurate and timely dissemination of this critical information should be coordinated with all sources, perhaps coming from a single stream of output such as a Public Information Officer. While the Town may not have the resources to have this PIO be full time, maybe it could be someone who is already on staff who becomes activated as the PIO during emergency events.