RamaSchneider/test huggingface dataset:
Essential to a high quality of life is a dynamic and varied social/ cultural experience. The village as the center of social activity provides the critical mass necessary for a flourishing interchange of ideas, art and culture. The traditional New England village is a virtual textbook of human history. The variety of architectural styles reveal the economic and social fortunes of its inhabitants, past and present. It is considered by many to be the pinnacle in land use design. In scale and function, it satisfies our needs for privacy, community and livelihood.
Maintaining historic development patterns of village centers surrounded by resource based agricultural, mineral, forest and recreational activities balances economic and environmental interests.
Concentrating growth and development within the confines of a village allows the community to implement infrastructure improvements in an efficient and effective manner that will improve the quality of life while limiting the degradation of the environment.
Williamstown is fortunate to have a village with the infrastructural capacity for further growth and development (or re-development). We have already seen that many Williamstown residents have lofty goals for the village and would like to see it revitalized and improved. Towards this end, the town applied and was accepted into the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Affairs "Village Center Designation Program".
This program will help residents and businesses qualify for various tax incentives and loans and make Williamstown more competitive in a variety of grant programs. Technology upgrades and infrastructure are eligible areas eligible for tax incentives and municipal grants. The Town needs to look at expanding the availability of WiFi and the possibility of offering free WIFi in suitable areas in the Town.
Industrial and commercial development is important because it provides jobs to nearby residents. Williamstown does not have many choices for locating industrial and commercial development due to its rolling hills and valleys. Promotion of environmentally clean, diverse, and sustainable small industrial commercial developments are in the best interest of the residents.
Commercial and industrial development that is auto-dependent, separated from other uses, and scattered in rural areas is not "smart growth". It is essential that the industrial park area be available for those industries that cannot be located elsewhere in Williamstown, or in the surrounding communities.
(16) VBR-EPR 3rd Qtr 2015 Business Conditions Survey Results [10.28.15] October 28th, 2015 by Sherra Bourget - See more at: http://blog.vtroundtable.org/#sthash.5AUJaWsS.dpuf
WILLIAMSTOWN TOWN PLAN JANUARY, 2016 PAGE 83
Our current industrial park site serves several businesses and manufacturers. Although the site is small, with creative development the Town has room for current businesses to grow and new businesses to locate. In 1987 the park met all Act 250 permit requirements and continues to be a very sound industrial park Williamstown can be proud of.
There is land and building space in the Villages and Town. The Villages are the ideal location for growth especially within the designated Historic Village Center in Williamstown Village with its financial incentives.
The town recognized that exit 5 of the interstate is a possible asset for future business. This interchange area would be highly appropriate for light commercial and/or light/clean industrial development. The town officials will work closely with the Central Vermont Regional Development Corporation and Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce to attract these types of firms.
In keeping with the rural characteristics of this community, future development of commercial properties and structures should consider exterior architecture to include natural materials. (i.e. stone, brick, lumber) In comparison, commercial development and architecture should exclude metal/vinyl/concrete and glass facing. The Village Center Designation Programs will enable businesses to retain and maintain their historic character.
Tax Credit Incentives can be "cashed in" at participating banks for about $.90 on the dollar freeing up needed capital for completion of approved projects.
Exterior planning of new and repurposing of existing buildings should include landscaping techniques such as visual barriers, shrubs, trees, seating areas offset with gardens and flower beds to create an atmosphere of tranquility and beautification.
COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION*
Vermont's landscape of compact centers surrounded by rural land is integral to our economy, community spirit and brand cache. Accordingly, Vermont has established a framework of "designations" to provide incentives to encourage communities to maintain this land use pattern. These programs are also designed to help align our environmental, housing, and transportation policies, programs, regulations, and public investments to maintain and enhance the landscape cherished by Vermonters and visitors alike
Downtowns
Downtown Designation provides communities with the help and resources they need to make downtown revitalization a community effort.
Growth Centers
The Growth Center program designates areas that are planned for new development in keeping with historic development patterns.
New Town Centers
Some Vermont communities developed without a strong central core and this program supports the creation of an area that functions as a new downtown.
Neighborhood Development Areas
The program offers incentives to create compact, walkable neighborhoods that attract more people and business to our existing community centers.
Villages Centers
Village Center Designation supports small town revitalization with a variety of benefits to the 100+ participating communities.
Planning Manual Update
DHCD is updating the State Planning Manual - the primary guidance document for over 5,000 volunteers who serve on local Planning Commissions and Development Review Boards. The last comprehensive update of the manual was in 1988 and this update presents an exciting opportunity to rethink and improve the local planning process in Vermont.
* Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development Department of Housing and Community Development
WILLIAMSTOWN TOWN PLAN JANUARY, 2016 PAGE 84
G. Summary
Williamstown has the underpinnings of a growing economy. The diversity of its larger employers, the number of small employers, the variety and level of skills found in its labor force, and its quality of life are its prime assets. In conjunction with, businesses and other regional development groups, Williamstown will participate in economic development efforts so as to capitalize on these assets and overcome economic obstacles. Some of those aspects are improving community pride and spirit, education levels, visual appeal of both Villages, housing, and our infrastructure in order to attract good paying jobs and residents. The Town can tap into available State Programs to help Williamstown grow economically in a way that is beneficial to the Town and its residents. Attracting the right businesses will allow us to keep our community alive, healthy, and not lose the aspects of our rural culture that we cherish.
WILLIAMSTOWN TOWN PLAN JANUARY, 2016 PAGE 85
H. Economic Development Goals, Policies & Tasks
Goal 1: Nurture our existing businesses
A. Press for affordable fiber optic service and other improvements in communication infrastructure throughout the community
B. Seek assistance from Central Vermont Planning Commission to study and clean-up abandoned, idled and underused industrial and commercially contaminated sites (aka "Brownfields")
C. Recognize business owners in public forums (e.g. newspapers, annual festivals etc.)
D. Educate businesses and residents about the "Village Center Designation"Program
E. Pursue "National Register" designation for certain village properties to qualify for grants, low interest loans, tax credits and other incentives
Goal 2: Recruit new business and services increasing the town's tax base while keeping the rural culture of the community
A. Develop an Williamstown Economic Committee
B. Increase our economic competitiveness
C. Work with Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce to increase marketing and promotional efforts
D. Find a location and funding to build small information booth
E. Encourage local businesses to list local events on the Vermont Travel Plan website https://www.vermontvacation.com/plan-your-visit
F. Recruit health care services to Williamstown
G. Seek creative ways to get and keep the town clean, improve Williamstown's aesthetics. Recruit volunteers for plantings
H. Continue to support opportunities for hosting and maintaining a farmer's market in the Williamstown Village area
I. Seek media opportunities to attract attention to our town
J. Explore ways to recruit new, clean businesses to Williamstown (especially small restaurants, small niche
Goal 3: Develop broad support for agriculture as an economic activity
A. Encourage locally grown food, a farmer's market , gardening operations and roadside farm stands/ markets/ garden centers
B. Consider "right to farm" ordinance
C. Encourage participation in use value and land trust programs to alleviate tax burdens and acquire operations capital
D. Work with Vermont Technical College's Vermont Farm Viability Enhancement Program, providing farmers with consultation in business planning
Goal 4: Promote life-long learning opportunities
A. Encourage businesses to upgrade and improve the knowledge and skills of their employees by working with the local Workforce Development Board
Goal 5: Town officials will work closely with the Central Vermont Regional Development Corporation and Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce to attract light/ clean commercial and industrial development at Exit 5 interchange
WILLIAMSTOWN TOWN PLAN JANUARY, 2016 PAGE 86
Chapter IX. Transportation
Public roads and private automobiles are the predominant means of transportation in Williamstown. The condition and performance of the town and state's transportation system affects our quality of life, the natural environment, and our economic well-being.
One of the primary issues facing Williamstown's future is whether residential development will continue to require virtually complete dependence on the automobile or whether it will include some mixed- use aspects that encourage alternate modes of transport. Another issue the town faces is development in rural areas where roads are steep, twisty, and narrow and the Town's staff has difficulties providing services to these areas. This chapter provides an overview of how the existing transportation network functions and how it might be improved.
Local residents built and maintained early roads. The first crude roads in Williamstown were most likely dusty in the summer and muddy in the spring. Residents used stocky horses, or oxen, to pull heavy sleds and wheeled carts for transport of goods and people. According to the Book of Opinions, published by the State of Vermont's Secretary of State's Office, when the Legislature passed the 1781 Highway Act it gave power to the Select Board to set a road tax on each male between 16 and 60 years old. The road tax was payable in labor unless people refused to work, in which case they had to pay their taxes by selling their land to their local town tax collector. Because of the poor conditions of the early roads, there were often harsh words between the Select Board and community members.
In 1889, Williamstown got its first railroad connecting the Town to Barre and Montpelier Junction and the main line north and south. The old depot and grain buildings are still located on Depot Street in the Williamstown Village, though the railroad has since been abandoned.
In the early 1900's, the first self-propelled electro-gasoline combination car was introduced. When automobile production and ownership soared, major road building started with a new concrete highway constructed through the Village in 1931 and continued with the surfacing of the road to Northfield (VT 64) in the early 1950's. Road building went on throughout the 1960's and 1970's with the completion of the Interstate which linked our community to most of the major cities of the Northeast.
The State, under Federal oversight, maintains Vermont's interstate system. Interstate 89 provides Williamstown residents with fast access to their jobs and tourists an easy access to our Village area for goods and beautiful mountain views. Marring of the natural and scenic features along the Interstate 89 has been discouraged. The State has also protected the Interstate from strip development. There are two access roads (Route 63 and 64) off Interstate 89. Both provide easy access into Williamstown.
2. State Highways/ Interstate Access Roads
Vermont Routes 14 and 64 are classified as state highways. Williamstown's access road, Route 64, takes travelers down a steep (11% grade), winding hill into Williamstown Village. The views along Route 64 are picturesque and the people who travel them appreciate their aesthetic contribution. New houses spaced along the road are beginning to place pressures on those working farms and spacious fields that attracted people to the area in the first place. Traffic congestion along Route 64 is minimal.
WILLIAMSTOWN TOWN PLAN JANUARY, 2016 PAGE 87
During the 2003-2004 Community Focus Groups, residents unanimously agreed that having a second way into town via Route 63, was beneficial to the community. Falls Bridge Road, recently upgraded and paved is a second access road to 189 via West Road and Miller Road Extension. State Highway, Route 14 serves as a gateway into Williamstown Village and guides the traveler from
Brookfield through Williamstown Gulf and north into Barre City.
While Route 14 brings economic vitality to our town by providing access to Williamstown Village, traffic is increasing rapidly, especially those times when people travel to and from work. At those times, traffic can be somewhat heavy, less pedestrian friendly and occasionally unsafe. Main Street along with Hebert Road would both benefit from the State's Complete Streets Program and can be implemented under Act 34. Complete Streets is a philosophy and approach to planning, design, construction and maintenance of our roadway network to consider all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders. (17)
In the Highway Act, Vermont first recognized classes of highways for the purpose of granting state aid. The Selectboard has the responsibility for general supervision and control of town highways.
The following are the four basic highway groups in the town of Williamstown based on the Agency of Transportation Town Highway Mileage:
Class 1 town highways are those town highways that form the extensions of a state highway route and carry a state route number. There are no class 1 town highways in Williamstown
Class 2 town highways are the most important town roads and connect from town to town and have high traffic volumes. Williamstown has 18.24 miles of class 2 town highways. Falls Bridge Road was recently upgraded to a class 2 road, making it eligible for state matching funds and 90% funding for the replacement of the bridge. The Town recently finished paving Falls Bridge Road
Class 3 town highways are all traveled town highways other than class 1 and 2 that receive state funding. The minimum standard for class 3 town highways is that it be negotiable under normal conditions all seasons of the year by a standard manufactured pleasure car. Williamstown has 50.9 miles of class 3 town highways
Class 4 highways only need to be maintained "to the extent required by the necessity of the town, the public good and the convenience of the inhabitants."
header: Transportation to Work
"A. Drove Alone","79.54%"
"B. Carpooled","13.07%"
"C. Public transportation","1.00%"
"D. Walked","2.40%"
"E. Worked at home","3.99%"
(17) A Complete Street Guide for Communities of Vermont, Vt Department of Health
WILLIAMSTOWN TOWN PLAN JANUARY, 2016 PAGE 88
There are no standards for maintenance of class 4 town highways in the state. Williamstown has 11.45 miles of class four town highways. Young Road is going from a class 4 to a class 3 road and Lila's Way is being added as a class 3 road in 2016.
As we have already seen, Williamstown is a job exporter, with about 90% of our labor force leaving town to work. Commuting and commuting patterns can have a major impact on traffic issues in a community. Relevant commuting data from the DPO3, 2009-2013 American Survey five year estimates follows:
Commuting Method:
78% drove alone
13% carpooled
.10% Public Transportation
2% walked
4% worked at home
header: Vermont Agency of Transportation; Policy, Planning and Technical Division, Traffic Research Division
"Rte","2008","2010","2012"
"Rte 14","810 A","820 A","830 E"
"Rte 14 Brookfield to Winchester/ Boyce Rd","","",""
"Winchester/ Boyce Rd to Chelsea Rd","1100 E","1300 E","1300 E"
"Chelsea Rd to Spider web Farm Rd","2300 E","2800 E","2900 E"
"Spider web Farm Rd to Vt Rte 64","4500 E","4300 E","3900 E"
"Rte 14 VT 64 to Construction Hill Rd","4200 E","3900 E","3700 E"
"Construction Hill Rd to Barre St","3900 E","3900 E","3900 E"
header: Commute Times
"Travel Time to Work","Percentage of Workers"
"Less than 20 minutes","44%"
"20 to 29 minutes","30%"
"30 to 44 minutes","19%"
"45 minutes or more","7%"
"B08012: 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates"
header: Start Time of Commute
"Time","Percentage of Workers"
"5:00 a.m. to 6:59 a.m.","41.50%"
"7:00 a.m. to 7:59 a.m.","36.60%"
"8:00 or later","6.40%"
"S0802: 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates"
WILLIAMSTOWN TOWN PLAN JANUARY, 2016 PAGE 89
D. Maintenance Issues
Maintaining and enhancing the local road network in a safe and effective manner is an important community responsibility. The town highway department is responsible for maintaining both town and village roads. In an attempt to balance the needs of the town road improvements and limited financial resources, the road department budget represents a big challenge. Much pays for necessary sand, salt, roadside drainage/ditch maintenance, new equipment, and manpower. As we move forward, attention needs to be paid to upgrading roads and bridges. Currently, the roadside drainage/ditch maintenance remains a top priority. Paving and maintaining of existing paved roads is an ongoing fact of life and will take continued funding in the town highway budget each year.
As of spring of 2010, there were 2 roads identified by the Ancient Roads Committee to be considered to be reconstituted by the town. It has been decided that the town of Williamstown will not act upon reconstituting any of the roads. It was determined that the cost and ill will with residences and the town would have been too great and no action will be taken on any of these roads.
E. Safety Issues
In 2012, leaders in the pursuit of safer Vermont highways and local roads launched an initiative to formalize a statewide integrated safety program. This initiative led to the formation of the Vermont Highway Safety Alliance (VHSA), whose members include a broad cross section of public and private organizations that represent all users of the State's highway system and encompass the 4 E's of highway safety- Education, Enforcement, Engineering, and Emergency
Services. The VHSA is comprised of a Board of Directors and five Focus Groups, which include Enforcement, Data, Education, Infrastructure, Outreach and Marketing.
The VHSA partners are committed to working as a team to accomplish common goals that promote the safety of motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists,and all users traveling on Vermont highways.(18)
The State of Vermont Orange County Sheriff's Department prepared the following accident report for all the years since computerized statewide data began in 1994 to 2002: 8 on Baptist Road, 15 on Hebert Road, 13 on Stone Road, 8 o n Tower Road, 9 on McCarthy Road, 13 on Falls Bridge Road, and 78 on Route 14.
A review of historical trends shows a 10.9% reduction in major crashes statewide when considering a 5-year rolling average since 2004. As shown below, the 2004 to 2008 time period shows an average of 435 major crashes compared to the 2007 to 2011 average of 387 major crashes. The VHSA strives to retain this level of success moving forward and has established a goal of reducing major crashes from 2012 to 2016 by an additional 10%. (Vermont State Highway Plan 2012-2016 page 3)
header: Overall Major Crash Trend
"Period","Number of Crashes"
"2004-2008","435"
"2005-2009","423"
"2006-2010","408"
"2007-2011","387"
(18) Vermont Strategic Highway Plan 2012-2016
WILLIAMSTOWN TOWN PLAN JANUARY, 2016 PAGE 90
Unreported accidents are much higher according to local inhabitants who live on these roads. In 2014 there were 5 accidents in Williamstown:
1. 100 Bush Hill Rd.
2. Chelsea Rd & Carpenter Rd ..
3. Business Center Rd. & Pump and Pantry
4. Circle St.
5. Rte 64 and I 89 Exit Ramp
header: Fatal Road traffic accidents for 1975-2013 (per 100,000 population)
"Category","Williamstown","Vermont"
"Count","500","1500"
"Vehicles","1000","2000"
"Drunken Persons","200","600"
"Fatalities","250","3000"
footer: Read more: http://www.city-data.com/city/Williamstown-Vermont.html#ixzz3uJYa4FXw
From 2008-2012 traffic on the Route 14 Corridor that is in Williamstown has remained the same or decreased except for the stretch between Chelsea Rd. and Spider Web Farm Rd, which went from an estimated 2300 cars per day in 2008 to 2900 cars in 2012.
Road surfaces have improved over the past five years. The town continues to have road surfaces in poor repair. Residents have reported gravel spilling into their driveways. Pavement dropping off a few inches at the roads edge can deliver tragic consequences. Unforgiving hazards include sharp curves, insufficient shoulders, and poor surfaces. Special attention is required to some roads for safety concerns. In particular, the sharp corner of Hebert Road (across from the past Lynde School) and the sharp corner of Cogswell Street.
The town has done some work over the past 5 years to improve road signs; however, many signs are still poor. Improvements should continue on an ongoing basis. Signage should be inventoried and new ones placed according to the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
2. Town Bridges and Culverts
Bridges and culverts on class 4 roads cannot be ignored. If the town puts a culvert in, then the town is liable to keep them in repair. If the town issues a permit to a resident that allows him/her to put a culvert in for their own use then the resident is liable for maintenance and repairs. The town culvert program replaces or upgrades 8 to 10 culverts per year. The long awaited Williamstown VT 64 State Highway Bridge over brook number 2, bridge 10, was on the high priority list of projects and scheduled for construction in 2006. It was completed in 2009. In 2014 brook number 2 was dredged and widened. A rock wall was installed to prevent flooding. The baseball field was graded, seeded and a culvert installed to keep the field from flooding. This year is the first time Hoyt-Seaver field has been used in several years. The Town has "been doing very well in keeping our equipment upgraded along with our roadway paving and rehab schedule. Any cuts would have impacted these items and just cost the tax payers more down the road. The board has set a standard that any new roadway rehab work starts with ditching and under- drain where needed along with culverts properly sized to meet the 100 year flood standards".(19)
(19) Selectboard Report, Town and School Board 2014
WILLIAMSTOWN TOWN PLAN JANUARY, 2016 PAGE 91
F. Traffic Solutions/ Alternatives
The town must manage a safe and efficient flow of traffic along our roads. Access management is a set of techniques that the town officials can use to control access to highways, major arterials, and other roadways. (See Appendix II, MAP 1 for more information).
The following are examples of access management techniques that the town can use, especially in the village access areas: