By STEVEN JUPITER
BRANDON—The Brandon Selectboard convened for its regular meeting on Monday evening.
Civility in the community
At the beginning of the meeting, board member Heather Nelson read a prepared statement regarding an e-mail she had received from someone who had attended a previous meeting. Ms. Nelson revealed that the attendee had told her that she should “sit like a lady” at the Selectboard table.
Ms. Nelson explained the negative effect that inappropriate personal comments have on board members’ ability to carry out their duties and urged the community to treat one another with kindness and civility.
Ms. Nelson’s statement can be read in full in the Letters section of this week’s issue.
Town Manager’s report
Brandon Town Manager Seth Hopkins presented highlights from his report to the Selectboard, the full text of which is printed in this issue and is also available on the town website.
Mr. Hopkins noted that energy audits of four town-owned buildings were available for public review: Town Hall, Town Offices, the wastewater treatment plant, and the highway department building. The reports are available on the town website (resources 🡪 reports). An attendee stated later that the report on the Town Hall understated the usage of the building and was therefore inaccurate.
Mr. Hopkins also noted that he and Deputy Town Manager Bill Moore had met with Tom Markowski of Markowski Excavating to discuss the stone dam at the upper falls on the Neshobe River in downtown Brandon, behind Kennedy Park. The dam, which consists of stone blocks, has fallen into disrepair over the years. Markowski will provide estimates for three possible approaches:
- Remove the dam entirely and return the falls to the natural ledge beneath the stones
- Restore the appearance of the dam
- Repair the dam, restore its functionality, and remove built-up silt from the impoundment area behind the dam
Only option 1 carries the possibility of state grant money. The other two options would be funded by the town. Mr. Hopkins made clear that the dam serves no practical purpose at this point and that the amount of water it impounds would have a negligible impact if released.
An attendee urged the board to restore the appearance of the dam rather than remove it.
Official town e-mail addresses have changed because of the town’s transition to a .gov domain. All town employees with email addresses can now be reached at first initial last name @ brandonvermont.gov. For example, an employee named John Doe would be jdoe@brandonvermont.gov. All previous town e-mails will remain active for a few years to allow residents time to adjust.
Mr. Hopkins advised the community that 3 GovPilot modules were now functional on the town website. These modules allow the public to interact with the town online. The three active modules are:
- Report a concern. This allows residents to alert the town to issues that need to be addressed, such as downed trees, unsafe road conditions, damaged signage, etc.
- Land-use applications. This allows residents to apply online for permits for construction projects, for example. All necessary documentation must be supplied in order for applications to be submitted, allowing the Zoning Administrator to receive only complete applications.
- Rental housing registration. Residential landlords must register their rental units with the town to ensure compliance with relevant town ordinances. Short term rentals (e.g., Airbnb) are excluded from this requirement.
Community Development report
Deputy Town Manager/Rec Dept Director/Economic Development Officer Bill Moore presented his report to the Selectboard, noting that all of his various roles will now be subsumed under the heading “Community Development.”
Highlights of his report included:
- The Eagle Feather PowWow will take place in Estabrook Part on September 19-22
- Halloween-appropriate movies will be shown at the drive-in at Estabrook Park in October. Offerings include Nightmare before Christmas/Nightmare on Elm Street (10/4), Hocus Pocus/Friday the 13th (10/5), and The Shining (10/6).
- The Parking Committee had its first meeting to discuss possible solutions to Brandon’s longstanding parking problems downtown.
- The Union Street sidewalk project has begun its early phases. VTrans will negotiate right-of-way permissions with adjacent landowners in September and October. A final plan is expected in February 2025. Contracts signed in April 2025. Bids in May 2025. Construction from July to November 2025. All timeframes are open to change.
Down on the Brandon bayou
Via Zoom, Joan Allen of Vermont Fish & Wildlife (VF&W) petitioned the Board for a letter in support of the purchase by VF&W of two “swamp” lots owned by Robert and Carol Parker. The lots are located on either side of Route 73 along Otter Creek near the Sudbury/Brandon line but are not directly accessible from the road. The two lots cover 13 acres and 12.7 acres respectively. VF&W already has significant holdings along Otter Creek in that area.
The lots would be held as conservation land and would remain open to the public for birding, botanizing, and hunting. The purchase would be a transaction between VF&W and the Parkers with no funds coming from the town of Brandon, though the town would continue to receive annual “payments in lieu of taxes” from VF&W.
The Board voted unanimously to provide the letter of support.
Public Comment
Board Chair Doug Bailey noted that the Budget Committee will meet on Monday, September 16 and on Monday, September 30 for initial discussions of budget priorities without focusing on any specific dollar amounts.
Ms. Nelson said that she had received an e-mail from a town resident who wanted the Board to address the “dangerous” intersection at Park and Marble Streets. Four streets intersect there (Park, Park Extension, Marble, High) but only three of the streets have stop signs. There is no stop sign at the end of Marble Street. Ms. Nelson stated that she agreed that the intersection posed a danger and said that no intersection should require a “learning curve.” Local residents are familiar with the quirk of the intersection but it can be tricky for those who haven’t traveled through it before.
Ms. Nelson also stated that the resident asked the Board to address the inconsistent speed limits between the Neshobe Golf Club and the intersection. The speed limit goes from 35 to 45 to 35 to 25 during that span and drivers often ignore all the lower limits and speed through.
Mr. Hopkins advised that even though Route 73 follows Park and Marble Streets, the roadways are owned by the town. However, the town cannot add a stop sign at the end of Marble Street without approval from the state. Mr. Hopkins also said that the state had done traffic studies of the intersection in the past and did not recommend the addition of a stop sign.
Attendees asked that vegetation obscuring the existing stop signs be trimmed back and that the signs warning that traffic from Marble Street does not stop be made more prominent. One attendee stated that any intersection that requires a warning to drivers is inherently dangerous and the town has a responsibility to improve the safety there.
Town Clerk Susan Gage congratulated Assistant Town Clerk Luanne Merkert on her 24th year as a town employee. Ms. Gage also announced that the Vermont Secretary of State will be sending out ballots for the November 5 general election to all registered voters.
Warrants
The Board unanimously approved two warrants in the amounts of $7,908.75 and $194,119.73. The lesser warrant covered lingering expenses from FY24, which ended on June 30. The larger warrant included money for FEMA flood buyouts which pass through the town but are not actually taxpayer funds.
