Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

P-Money t1_jdhd8fb wrote

My understanding is that it was just a general protest on the scale and spending for Brandon's "Building a Better Brandon" campaign.

Not gonna lie, I've thought of adding a big m at the end of who to make it grammatically correct.

39

antwin25 t1_jdhdw7s wrote

I could be wrong, but I seem to recall they were going to widen the road and the owner was upset that they were taking part of their property to do it.

Edit: this article explains https://www.vermontpublic.org/vpr-news/2019-11-13/no-more-cones-and-construction-brandon-open-for-business#stream/0

15

Pa-Va t1_jdhgau7 wrote

That's what I understand about the situation as well. Town simply claimed part of a person's property when the redid the road.

9

bonanzapineapple t1_jdhlh3f wrote

I mean that's how eminent domain works. Tbh pretty surprised, fairly rare in 21st century VT

3

happyonthehill802 t1_jdhewim wrote

"Stan Sherwood stands in front of his home along Route 7 in Brandon. Sherwood is angry about the number of trees construction crews took down on his property to install a large sand filter for storm water runoff"

Edit source, towards the bottom of the page it goes into detail. https://www.vermontpublic.org/vpr-news/2019-11-13/no-more-cones-and-construction-brandon-open-for-business#stream/0

12

suzi-r t1_jdkcv85 wrote

Damn! Would SS rather have a flood? He might be SOS then

2

Longjumping_Vast_797 t1_jdmae2h wrote

Stan lives in a literally creek bed. He protested the largest and most positive project to hit route 7 in decades. Yes, he did have a very large storm system installed directly through his front yard, but it was completely restored afterwards and noone would know its there. He has a new driveway, new sidewalks, new parks, new water service, new sewer service, new storm filtration to protect the very creek, and NEW TREES LINING THE ENTIRE PROJECT. He's also got tons of new investment in neighbors all around, rather than the decaying strip it once was. These projects are vital. He's disillusioned.

1

happyonthehill802 t1_jdmmkrj wrote

I dont know stan, or have enough info to judge. Im sure he also enjoyed a nice tax increase. Theres always two sides to a story.

1

Velveteenrocket t1_jdol66j wrote

Ruined the town park that was in the center there. Just my opinion

1

RoyalAntelope9948 t1_jdhe9mt wrote

Every single time I drive by it makes me crazy and not for the reason most would think. Damn it it's WHOM not who! I know the reason for the sign but I'm not going to disparage any more than the incorrect usage, of who and whom!

10

Friggaknows t1_jdhgz0g wrote

They are a bit crazy. He always wears an infowars t-shirt. They are anti-maskers and anti-vaxers. She is nice, just really clueless. I'm just always amazed someone would take the time to paint their actual house that way.

2

ReasonableLiving5958 t1_jdily20 wrote

It had to do with the disastrous construction project that destroyed the town for years

The owner is a nutcase, but Brandon was a disaster for a long time due to the construction and no one was happy about it. Some of the Selectboard members were real pieces of shit about it too. The end result wasn't worth it and the only reason they forced it through was because Vermont was forcing Brandon to pay back the millions they gave the town for upgrades. And I say the term "upgrades" very loosely.

It was very poorly planned and executed and the town had no idea what it was getting into. It didn't effect just the center of town either. Otherwise pieceful back dirt roads had hundreds of cars and tractor trailers barreling down them for years to avoid the center of town. Back dirt roads with very little traffic like Richmond Rd and Town Farm Rd basically became state highways and were some of the most dangerous roads to drive on at the time.

2

Longjumping_Vast_797 t1_jdmd2hk wrote

Wow. You need a bit of insight. But, I won't fault you're ignorance, as most fall in the same boat. I can speak to this because I was involved in the project. Your sewers were clay. Services filled with tree roots and failing. Storm drains dumping into the same system to overwhelm the plant during rain storms, causing raw sewage to dump into the local river. Oh yeah, there was sewer mains across the river. Failing.

The water system was ancient cast iron mains filled with scale so bad, once 8 inch diameter pipes with down to less than 4 inches. The town water department couldn't even tell the engineers what pipe existed or where many were. The services were in the same boat, water shutoffs buried under years of grass, frozen solid by rust, and non functional. You got brand new ductile iron mains, new gate valves, properly buried services, and the town can now shut down water in the event of an emergency or for general maintenance to REDUCE THE PIPE SCALE THAT WOULD MAKE YOU PUKE IF YOU SAW IT. The majority of the project cost was underground, which is why it took 3 years. We ran 2.5 miles of water main, 6- 12 ft underground, while maintaining current water services. Yes, that's ugly but necessary. Would you rather wake up one day to an entire street out of water because you've let the pipes rust into oblivion?
You now have a wonderful storm drain system with catch basins lining the entire road that properly accommodate rain storms, rather than the literal hodge podge of unknown drains feeding untreated turbid water into your local rivers and streams.
We buried miles of phones lines and electric, moving utilities into conduit to not only beautify the mains streets, but protect those vital services from major storms. We ran thousands of light posts, revitalized two historic broken water fountains to their previous designs in parks that used to be ADA nightmares. THE sidewalks were broken, cracked and impossible for much of the aging town to navigate. You must be young.
Sidewalks as now brick lined, ornate, and have far more character than the broken chunks of slab, heaved by the same tree roots ruining your sewer service.
The road was dug up 5 ft deep and replaces with dense graded crushed stone, to drain better and hold up the test of time. They were replaced with superpave, nearly 1.5 ft thick, on ground compacted so hard that pike said it was the best subbase they paved all year.
You got two brand new parks with water fountains, and plantings, and trees, maintained for summers to ensure they took well.
You got a number of really nice stone walls and retaining walls that allow for better navigation for wheel chairs.

I'm not sure how you could possibly skew this as negative now. Like, are you trying to say it was better before, because that's the most disingenuous thing I've heard on this site.
Also, an entire towns infrastructure rebuild for 34 million? THAT IS A STEAL!!!!!!!! You should feel fortunate you got so many state and federal funds to revitalize your town, when so many other towns would kill to get what you got.
Again, it's not your fault, but your ignorant.

1

ranaparvus OP t1_jdhbubx wrote

I know the owner started their signage beef as the construction started a while ago, but was wondering if there was more to it.

1

Longjumping_Vast_797 t1_jdmd64l wrote

I'll paste my reply here for insight.

Wow. You need a bit of insight. But, I won't fault you're ignorance, as most fall in the same boat. I can speak to this because I was involved in the project. Your sewers were clay. Services filled with tree roots and failing. Storm drains dumping into the same system to overwhelm the plant during rain storms, causing raw sewage to dump into the local river. Oh yeah, there was sewer mains across the river. Failing.

The water system was ancient cast iron mains filled with scale so bad, once 8 inch diameter pipes with down to less than 4 inches. The town water department couldn't even tell the engineers what pipe existed or where many were. The services were in the same boat, water shutoffs buried under years of grass, frozen solid by rust, and non functional. You got brand new ductile iron mains, new gate valves, properly buried services, and the town can now shut down water in the event of an emergency or for general maintenance to REDUCE THE PIPE SCALE THAT WOULD MAKE YOU PUKE IF YOU SAW IT. The majority of the project cost was underground, which is why it took 3 years. We ran 2.5 miles of water main, 6- 12 ft underground, while maintaining current water services. Yes, that's ugly but necessary. Would you rather wake up one day to an entire street out of water because you've let the pipes rust into oblivion?
You now have a wonderful storm drain system with catch basins lining the entire road that properly accommodate rain storms, rather than the literal hodge podge of unknown drains feeding untreated turbid water into your local rivers and streams.
We buried miles of phones lines and electric, moving utilities into conduit to not only beautify the mains streets, but protect those vital services from major storms. We ran thousands of light posts, revitalized two historic broken water fountains to their previous designs in parks that used to be ADA nightmares. THE sidewalks were broken, cracked and impossible for much of the aging town to navigate. You must be young.
Sidewalks as now brick lined, ornate, and have far more character than the broken chunks of slab, heaved by the same tree roots ruining your sewer service.
The road was dug up 5 ft deep and replaces with dense graded crushed stone, to drain better and hold up the test of time. They were replaced with superpave, nearly 1.5 ft thick, on ground compacted so hard that pike said it was the best subbase they paved all year.
You got two brand new parks with water fountains, and plantings, and trees, maintained for summers to ensure they took well.
You got a number of really nice stone walls and retaining walls that allow for better navigation for wheel chairs.

I'm not sure how you could possibly skew this as negative now. Like, are you trying to say it was better before, because that's the most disingenuous thing I've heard on this site.
Also, an entire towns infrastructure rebuild for 34 million? THAT IS A STEAL!!!!!!!! You should feel fortunate you got so many state and federal funds to revitalize your town, when so many other towns would kill to get what you got.
Again, it's not your fault, but your ignorant.

1