BRATTLEBORO — Police Chief Michael Fitzpatrick said he will seek support from the Selectboard to add three officers to his department, which is staffed with 27 sworn officers to cover three shifts, seven days a week, with a minimum staffing of three officers on at all times.
Speaking at the Selectboard's request for a general personnel update at the board's Nov. 4 meeting, Fitzpatrick said routine attrition created the gap in headcount and that he was paying overtime to assure public safety.
He added that it takes eight months to interview a candidate from the Police Academy, run that person through basic training, and set him or her to work independently.
Also addressing herself to the Selectboard's request for a personnel overview was Hannah O'Connell, the town's highway and utilities superintendent.
O'Connell said the Department of Public Works has one full-time permanent job opening available: a highway equipment operator (laborer 4/mechanic 4).
“This is unique in that 51 percent of the employee's time is assigned to the highway division and the remaining 49 percent is assigned to the maintenance division,” she said.
She added that the position requires an extensive knowledge of vehicle maintenance, that it requires sidewalk snow plowing, and that it was created when a full-time maintenance division position was eliminated during the budget process in 2010.
“It's an essential staff member to the DPW. […] Although this transition has proven to be an adequate reorganization, the DPW divisions remain shorthanded and therefore continue to struggle with efficiency,” O'Connell said.
The maintenance division has three full-time staff - a supervisor and two mechanics - to keep vehicles, equipment, and some facilities operational.
The highway division has a supervisor and 12 staff members to perform all of the maintenance and minor construction on the town's roadways and drainage infrastructure.
Noise complaint on Elliot Street
One resident, Holland Mills of 53 Elliott St., complained during public participation about percussive noise after hours on Thursdays, particularly, from Metropolis Wine Bar, 55 Elliott St. Mills said he found the police response inadequate but acknowledged that the department is understaffed.
Mills said the bar's Thursday “funk night” runs so loud the concrete at his building shakes, and he and his neighbors are losing sleep and getting headaches.
“It's quite obvious what's going on [at Metropolis], and it needs to be stopped. They are no longer good neighbors,” he said.
Board chair David Gartenstein tasked Police Chief Michael Fitzpatrick and Interim Town Manager Patrick Moreland with looking into the matter and reporting back.
Windham & Windsor Housing Trust aims to rehab five properties
Selectmen said they were looking forward to hearing more from Windham & Windsor Housing Trust, which sent two representatives to Tuesday's meeting to seek support from the Town of Brattleboro to submit a Community Development Block Grant application on the nonprofit's behalf to the Agency of Commerce and Community Development.
The application would be for $425,000 in construction hard costs, matched by $2.3 million that WWHT has raised from other sources.
According to Isaac Wagner, WWHT's director of housing development, the project would provide rehabilitation for 29 affordable apartments in five buildings at 99 and 109 Green St., 13 Canal St. (The Victoria), 11 Cross St., and 90 Clark St.
Wagner and his colleague, Executive Director Connie Snow, fielded general questions from the Selectboard and explained that, if approved, the grant would “pass through” the town. Any such application must be lodged by a municipality, they said.
“These properties provide critical housing for individuals and families alike; working people and retired people living on fixed incomes. We are excited to reinvest in these properties, replacing aging systems and finishes, and, most importantly, make substantial improvements in energy efficiency,” Snow said.
Of WWHT, Moreland said, “We can act fast. These folks are professional and very good at what they do.” No action was taken.
The application will be up for discussion at a subsequent Selectboard meeting.
Liquor license granted
Canal Street House of Pizza Inc. has a new, first-class liquor license. The Selectboard unanimously approved a request by Dimitris Leristis for his business at 419 Canal St.
The business, formerly known as Georgio's Pizza, is under new ownership after Leristis recently acquired the restaurant from his father, George.