With the help of investors and tax credits, and using his architectural and construction manager skills, he was able to do the project for less than half the former owner s estimate. As an architect, the building is not so much a showpiece as a living organism. The building wasn t fancy, but it had appeal because of the bricks and planks. It proved to me what I thought that people want to live and work downtown. The building is like a community.
People talk and help each other and socialize.
Berman notes that Vermont is ranked No. 1 in terms of civility a place where people get along, where government is interested, and services are made available. All these things made it possible for me to accomplish this in Brattleboro. But Berman sees Brattleboro at a crossroads. It has reached a good level. Enough people think it s a good town that the danger is that people will like its image too much.