HISTORIC VERMONT
An on-line news journal about the
Preservation of Vermont’s Historic Architecture and Landscape
Number 8, October 2001
Published by the Preservation Trust of
Vermont, 104 Church Street, Burlington, VT
05401(802) 658-6647 http://www.ptvermont.org
For more information, to subscribe or to
unsubscribe to the email version, or to submit
something for publication please contact Meg Campbell, Editor. meg@ptvermont.org
October 10, 2001
Dear Friends,
Most days I think I have the best job in
Vermont. That's because I get to travel to every corner of
our special state and visit with people who are passionate about
their communities...their historic sites, village centers,
downtowns, and town centers. The energy that comes out of
these communities is very invigorating...sometimes overwhelming
so. With the support of many generous donors, the
Preservation Trust been able to help lots of these communities
with significant financial support from our partnership with the Freeman Foundation, and technical support
from our field service partnership with the National Trust.
All that said, I have been feeling a little
gloomy lately-no doubt like lots of you. I don't really have
the words to add anything significant to what others have already
said about September 11th, but I do hope we will have the strength
and conviction to understand that the world is a collection of
places...small places and big places. This is the time for
all of us to re-focus on our own communities and special places.
More than ever we need village stores like
Buxton's Store in Orwell as community centers where people come
together.
More than ever we need performing arts spaces
like the Haskell Opera House in Derby Line, the Flynn Theater in
Burlington, and the Paramount Theater in Rutland where people
can share the experience and emotion of art.
More than ever we need our historic churches
like Old West Church in Calais and town halls like
Middlebury's where we can pray and also carry on a public dialogue
about the future.
More than ever we need vibrant downtowns and
town centers like Brattleboro and Brandon where we can connect
with friends, fellow workers, and others that we need to do
business with.
More than ever we need libraries like the
Aldrich Public Library in Barre and Newbury Library which provide
us all, regardless of resources, an opportunity to learn about
history and the current state of the world.
More than ever, this is a time to make sure
these places endure. If you keep working, we will too.
Sincerely,
Paul Bruhn
Executive Director, Preservation Trust of Vermont
Opportunities
Events
Publications
& Resources
Vermont
National
OPPORTUNITIES
NOMINATIONS ACCEPTED
FOR
THE PRESERVATION TRUST OF VERMONT'S
2001 PRESERVATION AWARDS
The Preservation Trust of Vermont is now
accepting nominations for its 2001 Preservation Awards. Awards are
presented to the individuals and organizations who have made
special contributions in preserving Vermont's historic
architecture.
Since 1982, the Preservation Trust of Vermont
has recognized outstanding contributions in the field of historic
preservation. This year, because of the generosity of the
Equinox Resort, all non-profit and community award recipients will
receive a $200 honorarium. Individuals will be able to have their
honorarium donated to the historic preservation non-profit of
their choice. The awards will be presented at the Preservation
Trust's Annual Meeting in November.
Volunteers, professionals, municipalities,
non-profit organizations, businesses and corporations, state
agencies, building contractors, labor unions, media, schools and
colleges, and governmental officials are examples of those who are
eligible for the awards. Eligible activities include:
preservation or adaptive use of an historic property; educational
and public information materials and programs; building trades and
professional training; programming at historic properties;
financial support; and special encouragement and leadership in the
preservation field.
The deadline for nominations is October 10,
2001. Please contact the Preservation Trust of Vermont for a
Nomination Form: (802) 658-6647, 104 Church Street, Burlington,
VT 05401. Email adam@ptvermont.org.
Preservation Trust
Seeks Field Representative
Steve Libby, one of the Preservation Trust's two half-time field
representatives, has taken an expanded teaching assignment at the
University of Vermont so the Trust is looking for a replacement to
work with Ann Cousins. The Field Service Program is a
partnership of the Preservation Trust and the National Trust for
Historic Preservation. It was started as a pilot project
funded largely by the Mellon Foundation and is now used as a model
for other states. The job description is posted on our website http://www.ptvermont.org.
We plan to interview applicants in mid-November.
Hiledene Seeks
Executive Director
Friends of Hildene, Inc., a nonprofit corporation, seeks its third
Executive Director in 23 years. Listed in the National Register of
Historic Places, Hildene, Robert Todd Lincoln’s summer home,
includes 412 acres, 21 structures, formal and informal gardens,
and a network of walking and cross-country ski touring
trails. We enjoy over forty thousand paid visitors through
the Main House every season. The Executive Director, as CEO
and CFO, reports to the Board of Trustees, supervises a staff of
11 full time employees, and serves a family of 325
volunteers. The successful candidate should have supervisory
experience, sensitivity to historic preservation and conservation,
and proven fund raising skills. Long hours and enthusiastic
commitment to Hildene’s mission a must. Please send resume
and a handwritten letter describing in some detail interest in the
position and include minimum compensation requirements. Mail
to: Hildene Search Committee, P.O. Box 205, Manchester, VT 05254
Vermont Ski Museum seeks Executive
Director
The Vermont Ski Museum opening in Stowe is currently searching for
an Executive Director who would be responsible for the management
of all activities of the Vermont Ski Museum.
Background and Skills: The Executive Director
must be a seasoned manager with many years of successful
experience in managing organizations and people. Particular
emphasis will be placed on selecting a person who:
- Has worked successfully in a fast-moving,
constantly changing environment;
- Is able to carry out a wide variety of
disparate tasks simultaneously;
- Has a passion for skiing and its history;
- Is a strong financial manager with excellent
personal computer skills;
- Works well with volunteers, management and
customers in a variety of roles.
Education/Qualifications: The Executive Director
should have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in business,
history, museum management, or a related field. In addition, the
position requires extensive experience and training in areas such
as personal computers, personnel management, non-profit
operations, and public speaking. The ideal candidate is a Vermont
resident with a long-time love affair with the sport of skiing.
Museum management experience would be helpful, but is not
required.
Please send resume and cover letter to:
Vermont Ski Museum, P.O. Box 1511, Stowe, VT 05672
Preservation Trust of Vermont Retreat
The season finale Preservation Trust retreat is scheduled for
October 29-30 at the Grand Isle Lake House. The focus is
community preservation projects, ranging from individual building
rehabilitation for community use, to much broader town/village
center revitalization and rural landscape/barn preservation.
The retreats last about 24 hours. Check-in
at the Lake House is at 3:00 on Monday; we'll start around 3:30
and finish by 2:00 on Tuesday. The agenda is for each group
to present an approximately 15 minute case study about their
project that frames a problem or issue they'd like group thinking
about, and then open it up for discussion and
cross-mentoring. Our hope is to build on collective
experiences, successes and failures in order to bring new thinking
and boost individual projects along their timeline.
Please let Ann Cousins ann@ptvermont.org
know by October 16th if you are thinking of attending.
EVENTS
[Editor's note: Even though the
following event has already happened, I have chosen to
include the information in case you missed the meeting and would
like to be part of upcoming discussions.]
Public Meeting
Launches Study of Bellows Falls' Buildings
Thursday, October 4, Bellows Falls, VT
"What do you know about Bellows Falls' old
paper mills?" "What do you think is the best use
for the former 'TLR'
buildings?" These are among the questions that will be
posed at a public meeting to mark the launch of a development
study of an historic industrial site in Bellows Falls. The meeting
will be held from 6-9 p.m. in the Woman's Club, in the basement of
Rockingham Town Hall. The ‘TLR’ buildings are adjacent to the
Adams Grist Mill, just off the Square down Mill Street behind the
Town Crier office. The historic brick paper mill includes in its
basement what appear to be original stone walls of the Bellows
Falls Canal, constructed 1792-1802. The Town acquired the
buildings for back taxes in the early 1990s. Many of its boarded
up windows now offer an artist’s humorous interpretation of the
activities which formerly went on in the buildings.
The workshop-style meeting offers the community
an opportunity to provide information about the buildings and meet
the consultants recently hired by the Town of Rockingham to
conduct the study. It will begin to lay the groundwork for the
proposed development of the site as a Connecticut River Heritage
Center. The Center could include:
- “Heritage tourism” – the interpretation
of the site and building history
- Celebration of local history and pre-history
of native peoples
- Natural history including the geology of the
Connecticut River watershed
- Exhibits and training in industrial, Native
American and underwater archeology
- The visual and performing arts
- Site and building amenities.
- Commercial use such as a conference center;
artists’ studios
- and related office space; theater and
performance space.
The consultant team is led by Jill Michaels, a
former Rockingham Development Director, now of Community
Investments, Inc. The team includes Pi Smith and John Vansant of
Smith and Vansant Architects; historic preservation consultant
Lyssa Papazian, and David Raphael of LandWorks Landscape
Architects and Planners. The team is assisted by Duncan Smith of
Museum Design Associates; Sarah Rooker, Director of the Vermont
Museum and Gallery Alliance; and Roberto Rodriguez, Director of
Fort at No. 4. The project is overseen by Richard Ewald,
Rockingham’s historic preservation coordinator. The feasibility
study is funded by a grant of $39,000 from the Vermont
Legislature.
For more information contact Richard Ewald at
463-3456 rbfprsrv@sover.net
or Jill Michaels at jill_michaels@valley.net.
2001 National Preservation Conference
October 16-20, 2001, Providence, RI
More than 2500 preservationists from across the nation will
convene in Providence this October for the National Preservation
Conference, the premier preservation educational gathering in the
United States.
This year's theme, Preserving the Spirit of
Place, was inspired by the last speech delivered by Senator John
Chafee before his untimely death. At the opening of the 2000
National Preservation Conference in Washington, Senator Chafee
invoked the words of D. H. Lawrence: "Different places on the
face of the earth have different vital effluence, different
vibration, different chemical exhalation, different polarity with
different stars: call it what you like. But the spirit of place is
a great reality."
Rhode Island beautifully illustrates the
importance of Preserving the Spirit of Place. From the
revitalization of Providence's urban neighborhoods to the
magnificent mansions of Newport, from vigorous smart growth and
land conservation initiatives to Main Street communities, the
state offers dozens of opportunities to see how preservation
builds better communities. The conference uses its opening and
closing plenary sessions, more than 50 educational sessions, and
more than 30 field sessions to explore the spirit of place, with
the host communities providing living laboratories of preservation
challenges and successes.
More information: http://www.nthpconference.org/
"Preserving the Spirit of Place"
Thursday, October 25, 2001, Norwich, VT
A Reading of Vermont Ghost Stories by Vermont Public Radio's Joe
Citro presented by the Vermont Forum on Sprawl. 7-9 p.m., Tracy
Hall, Norwich, Vermont. Refreshments to Follow. For more
information, contact Sarah Judd at the Vermont Forum on
Sprawl. Phone: 864-6310. Email: info@vtsprawl.org
Did Mark Twain Really Sleep Here?
November 3, Windsor House, Windsor
Learn to write about Historic Buildings and Gardens.
Paula Panich, instructor. Paula is the editor and publisher
of "Dirt: A gardening Journal." She has
co-authored The Desert Southwest and Desert Southwest Gardens for
Bantam Books. Her work has appeared in the NY Times,
Washington Post, other publications. She served as editor of
"Phoenix Home and Garden Magazine for five
years. She will take a journalistic approach to
writing about architecture and gardens in this. Students
will dissect previously written articles, learn the differences in
journalistic forms of writing, and sharpen the edges of their own
writing. Sponsored by the Preservation Education Institute. $80
for members and $100 for others includes lunch. 9:30
a.m.-4:00 p.m. Contact HistWinInc@valley.net
for more information.
Orton Family
Foundation Fall Workshops for Planners
The Orton Family Foundation will present
three new workshops this fall for citizen planners and
professionals involved in community planning. The workshops
will focus on Community Design, Community Investment, and "Orton
Online," a Basic Planning Course Online. Partners
participating in the presentation of these workshops include the
Preservation Trust of Vermont, the Vermont Forum on Sprawl, and
The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
"Community
Design: Incorporating Design Concepts and Practices into
Community Planning"
Fridays, November 9 and 16, South Roylaton
"Community
Design: Incorporating Design Concepts and Practices into
Community Planning" is a two-day workshop geared to
understanding the dynamic between citizens and professional
planners and to clarifying design concepts. Professional
planners will work with workshop participants and will utilize
actual Vermont case studies, exploring tools and successful ways
in which to address specific design issues. Design
concepts for building plans, site planning, open space planning,
roads and the process that accomplishes these elements will be
incorporated into the series. Sessions, endorsed by the
Preservation Trust of Vermont, will be held on Fridays, November
9 and 16 from 9 a.m. to l p.m. at the Vermont Law School, South
Royalton House. The two-part workshop costs $150.
"Community
Investment: Helping to Produce Long-term, Smart Growth
Results,"
Wednesday November 7 and 14,
Randolph Center
The workshop, "Community
Investment: Helping to Produce Long-term, Smart Growth
Results," will draw on materials developed by the Vermont
Forum on Sprawl and address the linkage between everyday and
long-term public investment decisions in infrastructure and
thoughtful community planning. It is specifically designed
for selectboards, school boards, planning commissioners, public
works commissioners, town managers and administrators, and
interested citizens. Vermont case studies and examples
from cities around the country will be discussed. Topics
will include design of a local street network, Class 4 roads,
investments that revitalize downtown areas, the future of town
forests, and matching sewer and water line extensions with town
growth plans. This two-part workshop will be held on
Wednesdays, November 7 and 14, from
5 to 9 p.m. at Vermont Technical College,
Old Dorm Lounge. The cost is $150, including dinner.
"Orton
Online: Basic Planning for Citizen Planners,"
Available by January 1, 2002 at http://www.orton.org
The third workshop, "Orton Online:
Basic Planning for Citizen Planners," is an Internet course
developed with The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy of
Cambridge, Massachusetts. This online course, developed
with experienced Vermont planners, includes Vermont-specific
supplements to general planning information. It will be an
ideal tool for members of planning commissions, zoning boards,
selectboards, and interested citizens to educate themselves or
brush up on planning principles. This new Internet site
will enable users to determine their own learning path and pace,
to choose topics and lessons in any order, and repeat lessons as
often as needed. "Orton Online" will be
available by January 1, 2002 at www.orton.org.
For further information or to
register, please contact The Orton Family Foundation at (802)
773-6336 or online at http://www.orton.org,
or contact Martha Perkins at 802-425-5761 or perkins@together.net.
Moldings the Building Blocks of Architecture, Martin
Brandwein, AIA.
Saturday and Sunday, November 10 and 11, 2001, Windsor
House, Windsor
Identification,design, and construction of classical architectural
elements will be the subject of this workshop.
Architects, woodworkers, furniture makers, carpenters,and
plasterers will particularly benefit from this workshop. Through
slide illustrated lectures and drawing exercises, students will
learn about molding profiles, terminology, significance, period
characteristics, and function. Basic drawing skills are
helpful, but not required. Contact HistWinInc@valley.net
for more information.
The Age of Homespun in Vermont
November 17, Montpelier, VT
Cloth transformed the landscape of North America. That is the
position of Pulitzer Prize winning historian Laurel Thatcher
Ulrich in her newest book, The Age of Homespun: Objects and
Stories in the Creation of an American Myth. Ms. Ulrich will be
talking about her new book and the research that she conducted for
it at the Vermont Historical Society on Saturday, November 17 at 2
p.m. in the Pavilion Auditorium in Montpelier. Following the talk,
she will answer questions and sign books. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
is the Philips Professor of Early American History at Harvard
University. She won the Pulitzer Prize in history in 1991 for A
Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard Based on her Diary,
1785-1812. For more information, contact Amy Cunningham at
(802) 828-5670. Email: acunningham@vhs.state.vt.us
COMMENTARY
Historic Bridges
By Tom Slayton, aired on Vermont Public Radio on Sept 27,
2001.
Why, in this age of computers, superhighways,
electronic entertainments and the Internet, would half a town turn
out to watch a covered bridge pulled slowly into place by a team
of oxen? Why, for that matter, even bother with covered bridges,
when a new concrete and steel bridge would be quicker to put up
and stronger? The answer has something to do with tradition,
something to do with beauty, and something to do with pure Vermont
cussedness.
In Tunbridge, there was never a question about
deserting their trusty old covered bridge. That's the Vermont
cussedness part.(People in polite society call it stubbornness.)
When the old bridge was wrecked by ice A couple of years ago,
townspeople immediately began fund-raising and planning to build
an exact replica. And they wanted to put their traditional bridge
in place in a traditional way. I think thre reason for that has
something to do with what you might call creative inefficiency.
Now efficiency is usually a good thing. It's
what everybody depends on to get things done promptly and cheaply:
the newest designs, the quickest methods, the most contemporary
technology: bingo! You've got a new improved bridge, built on-time
and on-budget. But what all too often gets lost with such an
approach is the beauty and approriate style that tradition gives
an old bridge --a rural, slow-down and pay-attention bridge
instead of a streamlined modern model that brushes the
past aside and moves swiftly on. And by going for efficiency
alone, you also lose the time-honed sense of place that
old-fashioned bridges give to old rivers and old roads winding
through old hills.
There's a second kind of efficiency --call it
creative inefficiency -- that preserves both beauty and a sense of
place, by preserving tradition. You put a covered bridge across
the First Branch of the White River because any other bridge
wouldn't look right. And you put it in with oxen because it's a
chance to hone the older, slower, deeper skills involved in
working with animals, pulleys and ropes -- and because, well darn
it, because it's more fun!
Tradition leads to a functional kind of beauty,
one employing wood beams and human handiwork. I feel more
comfortable with things done in a slow way, on a human scale than
with things done speedy-quick on a scale so big I can't really
understand how people actually did the work.
It's not just covered bridges I'm talking about.
The old iron truss bridges we have in Vermont are interesting too,
and for the same reason -- they're infrastructure on an
approachable scale. I can almost understand how they were bolted
together and --and this is a big part of it, I'm sure--I have been
crossing such bridges ever since I was a kid. They're a part of my
past, and even though they look industrial, they have a romance
about them that appeals to me and gives them their own clunky
bolted-together kind of beauty.
I grieved when they decided to take down the
beautiful Arch Bridge at Bellows Falls some years ago simply
because some federal official somewhere decided it was
structurally unsound. It took round after round of dynamite to
blast the grand old bridge off its supports, so how structurally
unsound could it have been?
Traditional ways in Vermont, like traditional
bridges, are a link to our past, and are therefore part of who we
are today. The danger in honoring tradition is that we'll create a
false, sentimentalized past, a nostalgic past that never existed
except in our imagination.
But if we view the past with open eyes,
recognize its flaws, and yet preserve the best of it, it can help
inform the present with wisdom and beauty. They knew that down in
Tunbridge; that's why they're still crossing the First Branch on a
covered bridge.
PUBLICATIONS & RESOURCES
Tools for Preserving Barns
The New Hampshire Division of Historical (SHPO) is pleased and
very proud to announce its new Internet portal, 'Tools for
Preserving Barns," at http://www.state.nh.us/nhdhr/barn.html.
To accommodate the widest possible range of users, the format is
simple and direct so that connections and downloads can be done
quickly. The many links provide instant connections to a
wide range of resources and programs for recognition, grants, tax
incentives, and technical assistance. There is also a link
to the order form for the new book, Preserving Old Barns:
Preventing the Loss of a Valuable Resource, by John Porter &
Francis Gilman, published by UNH Cooperative Extension with the
assistance of the NH Preservation Alliance and the Division of
Historical Resources.
Vermont National Register and State
Register Forms on CD
The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation is in the process
of placing all the National and State Register forms for the state
on compact discs (CDs). Currently there are approximately 150
volumes of National Register nominations and 450 volumes of State
Register forms. All information in these volumes, including maps,
indexes, and photographs, will be included in the CDs. The
register information on the CDs will be fully as usable as the
paper files. The CDs should be available late this year or early
next year.
To be placed on a a mailing list for future
information on availability and purchase, contact Sue Jamele,
National Register Specialist at the Vermont Division for Historic
Preservation, 828-3046 or sjamele@dca.state.vt.us
Preservation Links
Did you know that the Preservation Trust of Vermont maintains a
list of over one hundred preservation-related web sites? Go to http://www.ptvermont.org
and click on links, or go directly to: http://www.ptvermont.org/related.htm.
Featured Web Site: The
Planners Web http://www.plannersweb.com
The PlannersWeb offers a number of resources that can help
citizens interested in local planning and land use issues. The
Sprawl Resource Guide is one of the most comprehensive online
guides focusing on sprawl-related topics. It includes an annotated
outline of problems caused by sprawl -- and approaches to
controlling sprawl. Also on the PlannersWeb are detailed summaries
of all articles published in the Planning Commissioners Journal
over the past ten years. More than 150 of these articles can be
immediately ordered and downloaded for a small fee. Of particular
interest to preservationists are the many articles published in
the Planning Commissioners Journal dealing with urban design
topics. A downloadable summary of these articles can be obtained
by going to: http://www.plannersweb.com/urbandesign.pdf
. Finally, on the lighter side, when visiting the PlannersWeb, try
to solve three online "slider puzzles" of drawings by
the talented illustrator, Paul Hoffman.
VERMONT
Windsor House Celebrated
More than 200 people gathered in Windsor, Vermont on Sunday,
September 23rd to celebrate the saving of Windsor House 30 years
ago and the founding of Historic Windsor, Inc., “It is a
celebration for (Historic Windsor Inc.), and it is also a
celebration of small-town America,” Historic Windsor President
Louise Hall said. “We can only preserve the memories of the
heroes and heroines who saved the Windsor House.” Among the
speakers were founders Georgianna Brush and Joan Churchill.
Music was provided by "Old Stuff" and Ben and Jerry's
donated ice cream to go with the birthday cake. The event
gave all an opportunity to pause and reflect on just how different
Windsor would be today if Windsor House had been demolished.
The building is home to 16 tenants today.
"Art and Science of Local
Preservation" Training
Over 125 historic preservation commissioners in Vermont and New
Hampshire attended the "Art and Science of Local
Preservation" training at Windsor on September 7th. The two
states, in cooperation with the Preservation Education Institute
and the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions, created new
curriculum and training materials to help preservation commissions
administer local preservation ordinances more effectively.
Evaluations of the training were extremely positive, most
requesting annual training for local preservation
commissions. Please contact Chris Cochran ccochran@dca.state.vt.us
if you would like copies of the training materials.
East Poultney, St. John's Church
Built in 1832, this symmetrical, clapboard church is constructed
in the builder-designed tradition of the Gothic style. An
interesting and unique architectural feature is the arched
entrance centered within the pedimented entrance pavilion. Above
the entrance, the bell tower features a tracery screen.
Several years ago members of St. John's raised funds to repair the
roof and belfry. The church is continuing to raise funds for
foundation, framing, and interior plaster repairs and exterior
wood work repairs and painting. For more information contact PTV
Field Representative Ann Counsins ann@ptvermont.org.
East Poultney, United Methodist Church
Located on the triangular green in East Poultney, this outstanding
1805 Federal style church is remarkably intact and features a
Palladian window and open belfry, based on an Asher Benjamin
design. The church is listed on the National Register of
Historic Places as part of the East Poultney Village Historic
District. With the help of a Preservation Trust Grant from the
Freeman Foundation, the church exterior was repainted in
2000. They church is now working on repairing the leaking
bell tower. For more information contact PTV Field Representative
Ann Counsins ann@ptvermont.org.
Franklin, Franklin United Church
Ten years ago, two Franklin churches united. The churches
are very picturesque, sitting side-by-side in the center of
Franklin, and form the northern boundary of a State Historic
District. Like Morgan United Church, Franklin uses one
building in the summer and one in the winter. They also own
a parsonage, now vacant. The group is trying to decide what
to do with all of their buildings and are in the process of
assessing their needs and developing priorities for preservation.
For more information contact PTV Field Representative Ann Counsins
ann@ptvermont.org.
Halifax, Halifax Community Club
Formerly a church, the Halifax Community Club, c. 1844, is the
oldest building in this small community. Located in the
center of the village, the building is used for public suppers,
senior area lunches, receptions, honorary events and an occasional
square dance. The Community Club has done a commendable job
at maintaining the building, and now is working on doing some
window conservation, woodworking, and plaster restoration. For
more information contact PTV Field Representative Ann Counsins ann@ptvermont.org.
Peacham, Bayley-Hazen Store
The Preservation Trust is working with a group of community
members who are interested in re-opening the Bayley-Hazen
store. They are in the process of creating a plan of action
which will include creative fund raising strategies and local
involvement. For more information contact PTV Field
Representative Ann Counsins ann@ptvermont.org.
Putney, Putney Historical Society
The Putney Historical Society has decided to accept a gift from
Basketville of the Thwing Grist Mill. They are currently
exploring assesments of the buidling, figuring out how much a
rehabilitation job will cost, and figuring out how to get a bridge
for their project. For more information contact PTV Field
Representative Ann Counsins ann@ptvermont.org.
Richmond, Richmond Free Library
Built as a church in 1880s and in the mid-1900s converted to a
gymnasium for the Richmond school, the building sat empty from
around 1980 until being converted to the Town Library in
1992. At the time the first floor was rehabilitated and the
second floor moth-balled. The Library Board is currently
raising $400,000 to finish the second floor into the children's
stacks and programming space, and a community meeting room. For
more information contact PTV Field Representative Ann Counsins ann@ptvermont.org.
Shaftsbury, Robert Frost House
A local group headed by Carol Thompson is attempting to purchase
and develop the former Robert Frost Stone House into a research
center. For more information contact PTV Field Representative Ann
Counsins ann@ptvermont.org.
Waterford, Waterford Community Church
Waterford is a quintessential Connecticut River valley town that
centers around the Community Church. Tourism is major
element, with the Rabbit Run Inn across from the church.
Membership in the Community Church is low (around 25 active
members) but the broader community has long supported this church
and it is well maintained. The current pastor and other community
members are working to address needed repairs to the metal
ceiling, trusses, rear wall and steeple. For more information
contact PTV Field Representative Ann Counsins ann@ptvermont.org.
NATIONAL
More Towns Limit Store Size
The number of communities that prohibit large
retail stores continues to grow. (For a visual depiction and
overview of various retail store sizes, see How
Big is Big?).
In order "to protect residents and visitors
from the perils of regional, large format, mega-style commercial
development," the town of Nags Head, North Carolina banned
stores larger than 50,000 square feet in July. Among the perils
cited in the new ordinance were increased traffic congestion,
reduced air quality, increased noise, and loss of community
character and identity.
The Town Commission unanimously supported the
ordinance, although some commissioners had favored a lower limit
of 20,000 square feet. Mayor George Farah told the newspaper that
big-box stores "suck the economy right out of
communities." Nags Head has no big box stores.
The city of Santa Fe, New Mexico also adopted a
retail size cap last month. The ordinance limits retail stores
throughout the city to no more than 150,000 square feet, a
threshold that will keep out Wal-Mart's 200,000 square foot "supercenters,"
but still allow many big box retailers, such as Office Max and
Home Depot, to build. Several council members unsuccessfully
pressed for a lower threshold. Santa Fe is already home to a
Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Sam's Club, and Target.
In addition to the cap, the ordinance sets
design standards for stores over 30,000 square feet. It also
requires that developments with a single tenant larger than 75,000
square feet set aside at least 25 percent of their total retail
space for stores smaller than 30,000 square feet.
San Luis Obispo, California is also moving
towards a size limit on retail development. In July, the Planning
Commission voted 4-2 to prohibit stores larger than 110,000 square
feet. The ordinance must be approved by the City Council before
becoming law. In addition to limiting retail size, the ordinance
would require that proposals for stores larger than 60,000 square
feet obtain a special use permit. Approval would hinge on whether
the developer can demonstrate that the store 1) will serve the
community, 2) needs to be that large due to the type of business,
3) doesn't conflict with the scale of surrounding uses, and 4)
adheres to new design standards.
In Arizona, the Coconino County Planning &
Zoning Commission recently voted to bar stores over 80,000 square
feet and require a conditional use permit for those over 25,000
square feet. The ordinance now goes to the County Board of
Supervisors for final approval. Flagstaff, the largest city within
Coconino County, is also examining the impact of big box retail
stores.
-- Stacy Mitchell is a researcher with the New
Rules Project (http://www.newrules.org)
of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. She is the author of The
Home Town Advantage: How to Defend Your Main Street Against Chain
Stores and Why It Matters (ILSR, 2000) and edits a bimonthly email
newsletter (http://www.newrules.org/hta/index.htm)
on efforts nationwide to keep chain stores out and protect locally
owned businesses.
For more information about Historic Vermont, to subscribe
or to unsubscribe to the email version, or to submit something for
publication please contact Meg Campbell, Editor. meg@ptvermont.org
