By STEVEN JUPITER
BRANDON—The Brandon Selectboard convened for its regular meeting on Monday evening.
Housing project at the old Training School
At the beginning of the session, the Board met as the Board of Sewer Commissioners and considered a request from Tanner Romano on behalf of Workforce Housing LLC, which is currently converting part of the old Brandon Training School campus to 24 apartments. The building most recently housed the Compass arts center.
Mr. Romano’s organization was petitioning the Selectboard for a waiver of the $7,600 sewer capacity fee that the town would charge to connect the project to the town’s wastewater disposal system. It’s a one-time fee based on predicted usage that the town charges for new sewer connections to ensure that the wastewater system can handle the extra capacity generated by new users. The fee in this case is especially high because there are 24 new units that will be contributing sewage to the system.
According to Brandon Town Manager Seth Hopkins, the fee was not waived for the last major housing project in Brandon, the conversion of the Smith Block to rental units a few years ago.
Mr. Romano noted that the site had previously been permitted for 9,000 gallons per day, which was reduced to 2,300 while operating as the Compass center, and it will likely now need about 5,000 gallons per day.
Mr. Romano also noted that the project is designed to accommodate working middle-class residents who currently struggle to find suitable local housing, including those at his own firm, Naylor & Breen Builders of Brandon.
Members of the Board expressed concern about waiving such a large amount during a “tight budget year” and whether agreeing to a waiver here would encourage everyone who builds an apartment on their property to petition for one as well.
Mr. Hopkins added that the operation of the Wastewater Department is the town’s greatest expense. He added that the town could aid the project by approving its concurrent request for property-tax stabilization, also on the evening’s agenda.
Board member Brian Coolidge moved to deny the waiver. Ultimately, the Board voted against the waiver 4 to 0 (Board member Tim Guiles arrived at the meeting after this vote was taken).
Later in the meeting, however, the Board unanimously approved a six-year stabilization of the site’s municipal property taxes. This means that the municipal portion of the site’s property tax will not increase for the next 6 years, after which time the site will be re-assessed and taxed according to its assessed value. Some form of the stabilization program has been in place in Brandon since the early 1960s to encourage investment in the town.
Town Manager’s report
Mr. Hopkins presented his Town Manager’s report, which is reprinted in full in this issue. He added that since he had submitted the written report on Friday, he had been informed that the town had received three grants:
- Brandon PD Chief David Kachajian had secured a grant of $1,547.50 for bulletproof vests from the Vermont League of Cities & Towns and PACIF (its insurance arm). The grant requires a 50% match from the town. Chief Kachajian will seek the other 50% from the Leahy Bulletproof Vest Fund of the U.S. Dept. of Justice.
- Deputy Town Manager Bill Moore secured a grant of $12,500 toward the purchase of 0.79 acres of land on Seminary Hill to complete the town’s ownership of the Brandon Dog Park. Part of the park had been built on loaned land owned by Frank Briscoe, who also owns the old Brandon High School across the street from the dog park. The grant will cover only 50% of the cost of the land. Mr. Hopkins has suggested funding the other half with money from the Town Farm Fund, which will allow the town to complete the purchase without any tax revenue.
- The Brandon Energy Committee (BEC) has received preliminary approval for a $50,000 grant to establish a program to help Brandon residents secure contractors and funding sources to weatherize their homes and replace inefficient heating equipment. There is no town match for this grant, which was secured through the efforts of Jack Schneider, David Martin, and Jim Emerson of BEC.
“It takes a lot of people looking in a lot of places” to secure such grants for the town, said Mr. Hopkins.
Community Development report
Deputy Town Manager Bill Moore presented his Community Development report, which is reprinted in full in this issue. In addition to the written report, Mr. Moore noted that Morningside Bakery had received a Vermont BGS Regional Economic Development Grant in the amount of $6,500. The grant will help Morningside expand its offerings of provisions in addition to prepared foods and baked goods.
Declaration in honor of retiring Wastewater Chief Steve Cijka
Mr. Hopkins and Mr. Moore read a Declaration honoring Steve Cijka, Chief of the Brandon Wastewater Department, whose last day of town employment will be Friday, November 1. Mr. Cijka is retiring after 37 years in the town’s employ. The Declaration establishes Saturday, November 2, the first day of Mr. Cijka’s retirement, as “Stephen Cijka Day.”
Mr. Hopkins called Mr. Cijka “an outstanding department head.” Board member Heather Nelson recalled the impression Mr. Cijka made on her in her early days on the Board with the thoroughness of his purchase requests.
The Declaration will be presented personally to Mr. Cijka by Mr. Hopkins later this week at a gathering of town employees in honor of Mr. Cijka.
The full text of the Declaration is available in the Selectboard packet for 10/28/24 on the town website.
Purchase of new truck for Highway Department
The Board unanimously approved the purchase of a 2024 International CV515 4×4 truck for $173,924.00. The truck will replace the Department’s current 2011 vehicle, which suffers from a cracked frame and will not pass inspection. The approaching plow season prompted Mr. Hopkins to ask the Board to forgo its usual purchasing protocol and approve the purchase on an expedited basis, as the new truck can be delivered in November.
The truck is slightly smaller than the 2011 vehicle and significantly cheaper than an identical replacement. The truck will be used to plow snow and spread salt, among other tasks. It will be purchased from HP Fairfield of Hopkinton, NH.
The Board opted to put $73K down and finance the remainder with the Bank of Middlebury over 5 years at a rate of 4.5% per year. The total interest that will accrue under this plan is $12,549.
Repair of Sanderson Bridge
The Board unanimously approved a bid by Naylor & Breen of Brandon to repair the Sanderson covered bridge on Pearl Street, which was damaged by a long-haul truck several weeks ago. The bid of $23,603.25 was the lower of the two received. The higher bid was $24,500 from Huntington Heavy Timber of Huntington, VT.
The damage was extensive, and the bridge will need to be closed for two days for the repair work. The town will warn the public when the work is scheduled to commence.
The work will be paid for by the driver’s insurance company.
Removal of historic maple tree on Park Street
The Board held a hearing to decide the fate of a historic maple tree on the north side of Park Street, between houses #42 and #44. The maple is one of the last remaining from the plantings of the mid-1800s. By the late 1800s, the street had double rows of maple trees on either side, forming canopies over the sidewalks. Many of the trees have died and/or been removed over the years.
Ms. Nelson recused herself from the proceedings because the tree is in the town’s right-of-way in front of her parents’ house.
The tree in question had been flagged for removal by Neil Silins, Brandon’s Tree Warden. Mr. Silins was at the hearing and stated that the tree was potentially splitting between two segments of its trunk, was prone to rotting, and was harboring a parasitic fungus that afflicts dying trees. Mr. Silins explained that an arborist who evaluated the tree determined that it was “likely to fail sooner rather than later.” The arborist, Adam McCullough, recommended the removal of the tree.
“Once that decision was made, I had no choice” but to remove the tree, said Mr. Silins.
Helyn Anderson, who lives at 42 Park Street, objected to the removal and requested the hearing. Ms. Anderson stated that she has lived in her house for 47 years and has observed the tree daily. She said she does not think the tree poses any greater risk than any other historic tree in Brandon and should be allowed to stand until it becomes clear that it poses a danger to people or property.
“It’s a rare and significant landscape feature,” she said, pointing out that the arborist did not indicate that the tree was a definite danger.
Board Chair Doug Bailey asked whether the town would face increased liability if the tree hurt someone, given that the town was warned of the tree’s condition.
Judy Bunde, who lived at 67 Park Street for many years, testified that when the town removed some large, historic maples from her yard a few years ago, it appeared to alter the underground water table, causing significant water to seep into her basement for the first time.
Both Ms. Anderson and Ms. Bunde noted that the town does not currently have a plan to replace the trees it removes.
Board member Tim Guiles recalled an incident on a farm where he once worked when a tree limb fell and killed someone.
“I don’t want to be responsible for someone getting hurt,” said Mr. Guiles. “We should have a planting program, but I support the removal of the tree.”
Board member Brian Coolidge also voiced support for removal and moved to allow the removal of the tree. The Board approved the motion 4 to 0 (with Ms. Nelson having recused).
Rutland Regional Planning Commission
Jeremy Gildrien of the Rutland Regional Planning Commission (RRPC) spoke with the Board to announce the second phase of public engagement for RRPC’s 2026 regional plan. In Phase 1, RRPC held public meetings around Rutland County to determine what residents hoped to see in the plan for the area. In Phase 2, RRPC will present the findings of Phase 1 and seek feedback on a draft plan.
Phase 2 will comprise 27 town presentations, 5 pop-ups, 2 feedback sessions, and an online survey.
Anyone interested in learning more about the 2026 regional plan and RRPC’s acitivies should visit rutlandrpc.org/plan2026.
Warrant
The Board unanimously approved a warrant in the amount of $140,459.04 to cover the town’s obligations and expenses.
