Candidates weigh in on downtown issues

Dilapidated buildings, downtown redevelopment efforts and town employee contracts were up for discussion during a Springfield Select Board forum Monday night.

A surprisingly large crowd of 17 people gathered in Selectman's Hall to listen to and ask questions of the five candidates running for two open seats on the Select Board.

Peter Andrews
Terry Benton (incumbent)
Larry Kraft
Peter MacGillivray
David Yesman

Some of the issues touched upon include improvments to Main Street, funding for Springfield On The Move, the old town water reservoir (not even located in town. we pay taxes on it to Weathersfield), town workers union contracts, the local drug problem, the town's liability insurance and why does it always seem to take so long for the Select Board to act on problems. There was no shortage of questions from the audience but Town Moderator Patrick Ankuda strictly drew the forum to a close at the predetermined one hour point.

For those of you who didn't make it, the forum was videotaped by Springfield Area Public Access for later telecast to Comcast cable tv suscribers. Please check the SAPA listing for times to view the program.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20120222/NEWS02/702229940

Published February 22, 2012 in the Rutland Herald
Springfield candidates weigh in on downtown issues

By SUSAN SMALLHEER
Staff Writer

SPRINGFIELD — Dilapidated buildings, downtown redevelopment efforts and town employee contracts were up for discussion during a Springfield Select Board forum Monday night.

The five candidates — including one incumbent, Select Board member Terri Benton – agreed more than they disagreed on various issues facing Springfield.

The candidates included Benton, running for her third, three-year term, and newcomers Peter Andrews, Larry Kraft, Peter MacGillivray and David Yesman. Selectman John Swanson is not running for re-election.

Only Andrews, a semi-retired engineer who spent most of his career with the Dufresne-Henry engineering firm in Springfield, said he was new to elective politics during the Citizens Forum, sponsored by the Springfield Chamber of Commerce.

Kraft recently served as chairman of the Springfield School Board, and MacGillivray and Yesman both served on the Select Board, but more than 20 years ago.

John Sinclair’s first question established a theme to the forum — what would the town do about downtown redevelopment and dilapidated buildings.

“Would you put a Main Street renovation project on the front burner of the Select Board’s agenda?” Sinclair asked. He then suggested economic development would be “easier” if Springfield got rid of some of the older buildings and opened up the view to the Black River, which cascades through downtown.

Sinclair got “yes, but....” answers from candidates Yesman, MacGillivray, strong support from Kraft “an unqualified yes,”, and support from Benton and Andrews.

Andrews, chairman of the Springfield Housing Authority, said he had been involved in the redevelopment of the Ellis Block and the Springfield movie theater. The housing authority now owns the building and movie theater.

He said the housing authority had taken a “dilapidated” building, the Ellis Block, and turned it into a strong anchor for the downtown.

Andrews said he supported the town being more aggressive in cleaning up dilapidated buildings and putting pressure on property owners, saying maybe it was time the town created an ordinance.

“Nothing seems to be done,” said Andrews, who said the town must work to improve its image to be more “business friendly.”

But Yesman, a local real estate agent, said the town already had a dilapidated building ordinance on the books, and had since he was last on the board in the mid-1980s.

Yesman noted that one building that is considered a local eyesore, the former Vermont Fibers building owned by Bill Handly, may be ugly to some, but it’s not dilapidated.

In the bottom of the building, Yesman said, is an operating hydro-electric station, he said.

Kraft said that Springfield was at a “tipping point” and that the town should “change our appearance and change our attitude.”

“It takes a community to raise a village,” he quipped.

MacGillivray, a longtime pharmacist in Springfield, said the chamber of commerce and Springfield On The Move had been working to improve and strengthen the downtown, and that SOM had attracted $1 million in tax credits in the past 10 years.

Alan Woodbury, a new member of Springfield On The Move, wanted to know how the candidates stood on funding for the nonprofit group.

Yesman, the chairman of the Springfield Budget Advisory Committee, was alone when he said he believed that Springfield On The Move shouldn’t be receiving town funding, comparing the state-sanctioned downtown redevelopment group as a social club such as the Moose or Elks clubs.

But the other four candidates said they supported the group, which was removed as a line item in the town budget this year and its $20,000 funding will be decided as a special article during March 6 voting.

Kraft said it was a “disgrace” that the current Select Board removed SOM’s funding from the budget, with MacGillivray agreeing with him. Andrews and Benton both said they supported the $20,000 in funding.

Yesman, who was critical of town employee contracts, said they were overly generous on health insurance contributions, and wished he could be a town employee. He said he wished he could “throw out” all the existing contracts, pointing to the fact that town employees only make a 3 percent contribution toward health insurance.

Benton noted that the town charter prohibits the Select Board from directly getting involved in contract talks and said in the past year, Chairman Kristi Morris had “sat in” during talks.

The board has to set goals, said Benton, who is married to a town employee.

Kraft said that the board needed to be involved, and if the charter did prohibit the board from direct involvement, the board should be clear in setting expectations.

The forum was taped by SAPA-TV, and will be re-broadcast in coming days.