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Manchester explores its future

MANCHESTER -- On the one hand, challenges - youth emigration; lack of nightlife; a need for more regional transportation; more integrated communication. On the other hand, opportunities - beautiful natural scenery; a vibrant arts and cultural scene; strong local schools, a long-lasting second homeowner base.

Publication Date: 
03/16/2013

e-Vermont broadband effort benefited towns

BENNINGTON -- Putting broadband to work for Vermont was the directive of e-Vermont, an initiative seeking to expand access to and make better use of high speed Internet throughout all parts of the state. Locally, the program resulted in netbooks for students, websites for towns, and multiple workshops and webinars.

Publication Date: 
11/03/2012

VISTA volunteers to work with local community

BENNINGTON -- A pair of volunteers from a federal program will be attached to the local hospital for the next year, working with youth to address poverty and nutrition in the Bennington area.

...one thing the students may help with is the expansion of the Bennington Recreation Center. Local citizens participating in the Community Visit Program, organized by the Vermont Council on Rural Development, recently identified that as a goal. Read more...

Publication Date: 
09/04/12

"Madness" gets Main Street hopping

BENNINGTON -- Downtown retailers were open late for the "most important night of the year to be on Main Street" -- the third Thursday in July, known as Midnight Madness in Bennington.

For nearly four decades, since 1963, the once-a-year event has served to drive crowds downtown for special sales and extended store hours.

Publication Date: 
07/20/2012

Work begins on goals set through community planning meetings

BENNINGTON -- Local residents began working Wednesday toward four community goals identified last month as part of the Vermont Council on Rural Development's Community Visit program. Nearly 100 people attended Wednesday's "resource meeting," which included more than a dozen experts in the public and private sectors to help the community assess available resources and needs.

A large meeting was held last month that identified four goals that local residents voted on. They are:

Publication Date: 
05/17/2012

Bennington community planning effort to resume

BENNINGTON -- The next step in the Vermont Council on Rural Development's Community Visit to Bennington is scheduled for this Wednesday.

In a letter to local interested participants, VCRD Executive Director Paul Costello said the upcoming meeting would bring a new team of facilitators to Bennington to interact with community members involved in the process. This week will also mark the formation of task forces dedicated to working toward goals previously selected by residents.

Publication Date: 
05/14/2012

Vermont Senate approves working landscape bill

BENNINGTON -- The Vermont Senate gave final approval Monday to a bill that proponents say will enhance the state’s farming and forest industries.

The Working Lands Enterprise Investment bill, which aims to boost agriculture and small businesses and preserve Vermont’s traditional rural economy, received unanimous support in the Senate on Friday. It received final passage on Monday afternoon on a voice vote; however, the level of funding remains to be decided.

Publication Date: 
04/23/2012

Stuart Hurd column: Communitywide efforts

At the first Select Board meeting in April, the board reorganized electing Joe Krawczyk Jr., chairman, and Sharyn Brush, vice chairwoman.

This meeting featured a presentation by Trevor Mance seeking to create a compost facility, on a small scale, for organic food waste generated at the larger institutions. He was seeking permission from the town to use a site behind the town’s former landfill on Houghton Lane. This year, the Vermont Legislature is considering a bill that will eventually mandate the removal of such waste from the municipal waste stream.

Publication Date: 
04/16/2012

Hey, let's do them all!

It is too bad the community planning initiative Bennington is undertaking with help from the Vermont Council on Rural Development, and the many state officials and experts the process will bring to town, couldn't pursue all of the excellent ideas generated in recent forums. Four were selected Thursday for addressing by smaller citizen groups, including:

Publication Date: 
04/13/2012

Bennington community defines goals

BENNINGTON -- Residents winnowed more than 20 potential action statements down to four Thursday evening with the help of the Vermont Council on Rural Development as part of that group's ongoing Community Visit Program. The group held nine community meetings last month on various topics and culled the ideas and concerns raised by Bennington residents into 22 action items that the Bennington community could focus on and pare down.

Publication Date: 
04/13/2012