A Bennington College alumnus is planning to turn a vacant former nursing home into a writer’s center. — Holly Pelczynski/Bennington Banner
North Bennington Nursing Home Revised to Writing Center
Thanks to New York City resident and writer Robert V. Hansmann, known as V. Hansmann, an early 20th century building in North Bennington will become a non-profit writer’s center. The building, a former private nursing home, will need extensive renovation to turn it into a space as a writer’s residency with a dozen or so bedrooms for writers and faculty. As he lives in New York City, Hansmann says that he’ll retain an executive director and a program director while overseeing everything from afar.
Hansmann has ties to Bennington. In 2011, he completed a master of fine arts in creative writing at Bennington College with a concentration in nonfiction and poetry. Since August 2011, he has hosted a monthly reading series, Bennington Writers, at The Cornelia Street Cafe in Greenwich Village, N.Y. According to the Bennington Banner, Hansmann says he’s always wanted to build a house and now he’s building a writer’s center for other writers to flourish.
Beurremont Bakery and 802 Fitness & Therapy walked away with $10,000 each in Wilmington’s new downtown “Make It on Main Street” competition. — Chris Mays/Brattleboro Reformer
Cash prize to the winner—or winners!
It was the final process of choosing Wilmington’s new downtown “Make It on Main Street” new-business competition winner when things got a little heated. The judges had to choose among a bakery, a fitness center, and a coffee roaster, with the winning business to receive $20,000 in startup capital.
The night of the presentations, locals and sponsors gathered to cheer the winner. Following a spirited debate, all three businesses won. The top winning check was split between 802 Fitness & Therapy and Beurremont Bakery, both of which already have roots in the community. Should it decide to start up in the neighborhood, fellow finalist Haystack Coffee Collaborative also will receive a cash prize of $10,000 from competition sponsor Wilmington Works.
Entrepreneurs were judged on community need, potential for job creation, and economic diversity. Nineteen applicants submitted their ideas in mid-July 2018, and judges narrowed the pool to six. Those were partnered with local business mentors and given six weeks to work up a full business plan.
Make it on Main Street also was sponsored by Wilmington Works, with additional sponsorship from Brattleboro Savings and Loan, Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC), the Town of Wilmington Event Fund, Deerfield Valley News, the Southern Vermont Deerfield Valley Chamber of Commerce, and The Richards Group. BDCC’s Instig8 program and Southeast Vermont Community Action provided technical assistance. Paul Pabst, executive producer of the “Dan Patrick Show,” donated the cash prize.
Ceres Natural Remedies now offers its CBD products via drive-through. — Kris Radder/Brattleboro Reformer
First CBD Drive-Thru in New England Opens in Brattleboro to Dispense Medical Marijuana
Ceres Natural Remedies, a Vermont company that makes and sells cannabidiol-derived products—they come from the hemp plant—has opened its first drive-thru in a leased former bank building in Brattleboro, reports the Brattleboro Reformer. Customers can buy CBD products at the drive-thru and can pick up medical THC products, or those that are derived from marijuana. The company claims that the drive-thru, on Putney Road next to the TD Bank ATM, is the first of its kind in New England.
The idea of the drive-thru is for convenience for all, especially those whose mobility is limited. Medical marijuana patients in Vermont have such debilitating medical conditions as cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, glaucoma, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions that cause chronic pain, nausea, seizures, or wasting syndrome.
Although the drive-thru concept is standard in many other retail industries, it has never been tested in the New England CBD market. The products available at the drive-thru include capsules, oils, vapes, edibles, and CBD products for pets. Consumers must be 18 or older to purchase CBD products. Those purchasing medical marijuana must have a registry card.
Putnam Block Redevelopment Receives More Funding
Gov. Phil Scott and the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) recently announced more than $3.1 million in approved funding commitments for the Putnam Block redevelopment project in the heart of downtown Bennington.
Phase 1 is drawing closer to reality on a daily basis, reports Bill Colvin, director of Bennington County Industrial Corporation. As we went to press, the property was 70 percent pre-leased, with commitments from Bennington College, Southwestern Vermont Healthcare, Global-Z International, VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region, and several others.
Colvin tells us the first phase of the multi-year, multi-faceted project is to place back into active use three iconic historic properties that have been vastly underutilized for decades.
The redevelopment will demolish blighted buildings and renovate approximately 55,000 square feet of space in former Hotel Putnam, Courthouse, and Winslow Buildings. Revitalizing Putnam Hotel and the surrounding block “is designed to create a vibrant, mixed-use downtown space with offices, in-town living, restaurants, and retail,” Colvin says.
He adds, “The project is designed to build a sense of community and to promote personal wellness.”
According to Gov. Phil Scott, “This historic block in Bennington will once again be a hub of commerce, employment, and housing in one of the state’s most vibrant downtowns.”
The next phase brings additional residential and commercial units and space for Southwestern Vermont Health Care.
Community support has been instrumental to the Putnam Block Redevelopment becoming a reality. More than 60 individuals or institutions have provided or agreed to provide some manner of financial support for the project. It is anticipated that closing on Phase 1 and the immediate commencement of construction will occur toward the end of the first quarter of 2019.
