BRADFORD—The Bradford Selectboard approved a sign for the incoming Tractor Supply store, which is slated to open in November, during their Oct. 14 meeting. Planned signage will slightly exceed that permitted under the local sign ordinance.
Under the ordinance, total signage for Lower Plain businesses cannot exceed 150 square feet unless approved by the selectboard.
Tractor Supply wants to erect three signs—two on the store facade and one freestanding pylon— that would total nearly 185 square feet.
The board approved the request. The town’s ordinance also limits freestanding pylon signs to 20 feet in height. Tractor Supply’s sign will be 19 feet according to a filing.
Board chair Ted Unkles floated the idea of changing the town’s sign ordinance, as Bradford has made previous exceptions for Hannaford supermarket and for an auto shop.
Bradford Acting Zoning Administrator Bob Wing noted in a letter to the board that Hannaford has 302 square feet in total signage.
“In order to comply with our sign ordinance, signs have to be pretty modestly sized,” Unkles said.
Tractor Supply will include a 19,100-square-foot building, outdoor storage, and a stormwater retention pond. It will sell clothing, hardware, pet supplies, repair equipment, tractor implements, and garden supplies.
The Tractor Supply plans initially drew community opposition when town officials first heard the proposal in 2019, with Bradford residents raising concerns about box store developments and their impact on local businesses. But a formal site plan was approved by local regulators in May without much opposition.
Another subject raised at the selectboard meeting was health insurance for Bradford town employees. Unkles said that for the first time in memory, employee health insurance premiums will be lower next year than they are this year.
The town government’s contribution will remain at $1,560, and any town employee who works 30 or more hours per week will be eligible for benefits. Vision and dental insurance will not be included.
The town offers multiple insurance plans, including couple and family plans, which require employees to contribute more of their own income to insurance premiums. Unkles said that no one was currently on the family insurance plan, but that some town employees used the couple and parent-child plans.
The selectboard also approved the Bradford Fire Department’s request for new equipment. Bradford Fire Chief Ryan Terrill explained that the requested gear is reaching the end of its 20-year life expectancy, and that older gear can make firefighting an even more dangerous job.
The fire department’s request exceeded the town’s fire department budget by $3,700, an issue which selectboard members debated before approving the purchase.
Bradford Recreation Director Mary-Dan Pomeroy announced that there will be a basketball clinic for children ages 2-5 and 6-7 at Bradford Elementary School in November. Some selectboard members suggested that the participation cost be lower for children who live in Bradford than for children who live in other towns, in order to prioritize Bradford residents for town programs.
The board also scheduled a hearing on a planning grant for the Old Church Theater on Nov. 11 at 6:25 p.m.
The Old Church Theater building is Bradford’s oldest public building at 228 years old and currently undergoing a complete restoration. The theater received $10,000 grant for this project from the town in 2020, and some of the planned renovations will be eligible for grants under the federal American Rescue Plan Act.
The selectboard will also hold a series of meetings in January 2022 to review the annual town report and prepare for Bradford’s annual town meeting.
The town will mail out a booklet on Feb. 2 describing the questions that residents will vote on during the town meeting, and the meeting itself will take place on Feb. 26.
View published article in The Journal Opinion at this link: https://now.dirxion.com/Journal_Opinion/library/Journal_Opinion_10_20_2021.pdf#page=1&viewrect=0,633,500,500&highlight=72,143,786,774
