Once again, I welcome you to the Community Guide. The
Guide provides a
snapshot of Bennington, and I trust it will be helpful and useful.
The Town of Bennington, chartered in 1749, is the first such entity in what
is now the State of Vermont. Bennington is a Community rich in history and
culture. Nestled as it is at the base of the Green Mountains, Bennington
truly is a Vermont place to live. We share our ancestors' sense of
individualism, and yet we know our sense of place and care for our
neighbors.
Encompassing the Incorporated Villages of Old Bennington and North
Bennington, Bennington acts as a regional growth center for its surrounding
communities in Vermont and neighboring New York. We are fortunate to be home
for the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, a thriving hospital and
research facility. Bennington is also home for Bennington College, Southern
Vermont College and the Community College of Vermont. Antioch New England
Graduate School provides additional educational opportunities for the
region.
What is ahead for the community? Using a Community Development Planning
Grant and in concert with the Better Bennington Corporation, Bennington has
completed the 21st Century Initiative, a master plan and retail study which
will be used in the future to aid Downtown development and activities. The
Town will continue major renovations and improvements to its Downtown
lighting and streetscape program in the spring of 2001 focusing on the North
Street corridor.
The Bennington County Industrial Corporation has completed
a new industrial park in the northeast quadrant of Town and hopes to
generate at least one major new industry for the Community this year.
Joining those groups who work hard to improve Benningtonšs job base and
wages, the Bennington Business Roundtable has hired an Executive Director
and focused its efforts on industrial recruitment and retention. To help
guide these and other development activities, the Bennington Planning
Commission completed its work on a new Town Plan. It is currently before the
Select Board for adoption. The Bennington Economic Development Committee, a
cooperative of economic development groups, has completed its second year
Action Plan and vision for 2002. This document will become part of the
guideposts for moving Bennington forward.
All in all, it looks to be an exciting time for Bennington. The new
highway which will help relieve truck traffic
congestion in the urban area is under
construction in nearby New York state beginning its sweep around Whipstock
Hill to the interchange at Route 67A. Rail transportation is closer to being
a reality at North Bennington. The Town and a private group are working to
connect North Bennington and Bennington with a system of pathways.
The Select Board has plans to create an economic development office in
the Downtown which will offer all those working on
economic development here in
Town an opportunity to share space and create one address for Bennington.
As you read through the Community Guide, please keep in mind that Bennington
offers much to those who seek it. The Community Guide can help you find it.
Respectfully,
Stuart A. Hurd
Town Manager
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