BRATTLEBORO — I was one of more than 50 people who attended the session on July 25 on “How is Brattleboro Creating a Sustainable Future?” While I do think this session was another helpful step toward Brattleboro's new Town Plan, I also think it was trying to put a square peg in a round hole and so fell short of its potential.
The Planning Commission, Planning Services Department and Town Plan Advisory Group have been hard at work for a long time now on the new Town Plan. They're getting close now and I'm glad to see that and I look forward to the town having an updated plan, which will be helpful in many ways.
Because of state legislation and rules in regard to town plans, Brattleboro's effort in this regard has to adhere to a set structure, with 11 “elements” and 14 “goals.”
The issue of sustainability does cut across a number of these. Thus, it was natural for the Planning Commission to seek input about sustainability in four different areas during the breakout period.
As one attendee put it, however, is this really a helpful aid for viewing things through the “lens” of sustainability?
In my opinion, the overall session (despite an effective context-setting intro by Ralph Meima) diffused the issue rather than focused it. That is, while adding new bullet points or voting on suggested actions for various elements was probably helpful toward the evolving overall Town Plan, the session was not helpful enough in determining Brattleboro's path to get to a sustainable future.
I do believe that many if not most of the people who attended did so because they have a particular interest in one or more (or all) aspects of sustainability, and are worried about how we can get there. There were many of the Town's most astute thinkers and active minds in the room (including three of the current Selectboard members).
This is why I think it was an opportunity that did not fulfill its potential.
The problem was that sustainability was being addressed as action steps within the context of the overall, state-structured Town Plan, but was not being addressed with the urgency and focus with which it needs to happen.
I am not a member of Post Oil Solutions and do not agree with Tim Stevenson on all of his thinking, but his writings have been very helpful regarding this very issue.
Our Selectboard should re-think how the Town goes about becoming more sustainable. A focused task force (which may or may not be like the one Tim has pushed for) can be a better way to go than trying to address it via the mechanisms of the Town Plan.
Alternatively, since the Town already has an Energy Committee (newly enlarged), the other major topic of sustainability, food (in all its aspects, including distribution), could get its own committee.