BERNARDSTON — Bernardston might be unrecognizable in 10 to 20 years if all the changes recommended in the new master plan come to fruition.
The town’s master plan should be updated every 10 years, according to Master Plan Steering Committee Chairman John Lepore. Its last update was in 1975. Lepore has been working with two sets of students at the Conway School of Landscape Design to develop a plan to revitalize the town with additional accommodations for the disabled, the elderly and everyday commuters.
The first phase was drafted at the beginning of 2015 from January to April by the first set of students and includes recommendations to improve the community’s goals and vision, strategies to implement a watershed and cultural resource protection plan and an outline of goals and uses for undeveloped land. The second pair of students — Mike Conover and Warren Lee — took over the project in May once the other students graduated. The next seven months were spent gathering input from locals on how to enhance the town’s economic development, housing, public facilities and transportation. Conover and Lee presented the first draft of the plan to a panel of three landscape experts Friday at the design school. The adjudicators included Conservation Works LLC Trail Designer Dick O’Brien, semi-retired Forest Ecologist John O’Keefe and Franklin Regional Council of Governments Land Use Planner Mary Chicoine Praus.
“A master plan is made to guide decision making in the town regarding its long-term development, provides an opportunity for residents to participate in determining how the town will change and evolve in the future, and it can be used as a means to apply for funding,” Conover announced to the judges and approximately 40 other audience members interested in the findings.
The second pair of students studied downtown Ashfield, Shelburne Falls and some Vermont towns to compare and contrast the different aspects of those towns that Bernardston could implement while maintaining its small-town appeal. Similar themes of surrounding towns included sidewalks on both sides of the main road, a developed downtown with a variety of shops and businesses and a gathering space for local events, while on-street parking was viewed as a negative aspect.
Common requests among Bernardston residents expressed at public forums included ensuring the town maintains its 280-year-old charm, the installation of a reliable wastewater treatment facility and development as a tourist destination. The residents feel that the town’s center village is in a great location as it’s viewable from Routes 5 and 10, although there are a variety of constraints the students identified that will hinder its development.
The center village is near a wetland, resulting in significant flooding after heavy rainfall. Additionally, the rising water table has caused septic system failure. The town hasn’t had enough funding to install a sewer system and therefore has had trouble bringing new businesses into town. The students even discussed the possibility of moving the village to land near frequently traveled I-91 or other locations more suitable to reach the goals of the master plan.
“Is the location of center village — as it’s currently zoned — the best place for a vibrant center village?” Lee asked the audience. “Maybe. Maybe not. Regardless, a new system is going to be needed.”
O’Keefe agreed with the students and during the feedback session said the town must evaluate a solution for the drainage issues, adding that the problem should not be overlooked or taken lightly.
“One thing that should really be looked into is trying to find funding to support that because it really, ultimately, is the determinant of how the town can evolve and that’s only going to get worse,” he said.
Overall, the three judges agreed that the analysis was thorough and informative, but would like to see additional information regarding the use of farmland to boost economic development, what zoning revisions must take place in order to increase housing development and the impact of increased traffic if the town becomes a regional tourism hub.
The students will take the feedback and implement the recommendations into the final draft for review by the steering committee and the Board of Selectmen — in either March or April — before it’s sent to the state for final approval, which will most likely be late spring. Bernardston was approved at the May 2014 annual town meeting to use $16,000 to pay for the plan and if needed, the state’s approval allows the town to apply for municipal grants to complete all goals listed in the plan.