Resident says Putney Town Hall renovation plan "is not viable" over meeting-room size

Howard Fairman, a Putney resident, submitted detailed written remarks to the Selectboard arguing that the town's current renovation plan for Putney Town Hall would shrink the main public meeting room from 327 square feet to 274 square feet and thereby limit the public's ability to attend and participate. "The current Putney Town Hall Renovation Plan is not viable," Fairman wrote, invoking Severson v. City of Burlington and saying the renovated space must "reasonably accommodate" audiovisual equipment, board members, and members of the public.

Town Manager Karen Astley presented the Renew Town Hall monthly memorandum in the meeting packet and noted ongoing steps: contractor meetings, an air test by KD Associates, and grant-seeking (including a potential VCHP ADA modification grant of up to $150,000). The memorandum records follow-up work on construction documents and a capital fundraising campaign; the Selectboard did not vote on the renovation plan at the Feb. 18 meeting and attendees asked for further review and discussion.

Fairman urged the Selectboard to locate the public meeting room upstairs and to add fire sprinklers to maximize safe occupancy. The Renew Town Hall materials in the packet reference continued design iterations and air testing; the memorandum set next steps for VIA and other consultants to deliver Phase 1 and Phase 2 documents and for the town to pursue funding options such as a bridge construction loan, line of credit, or bonding.