Friday, January 06, 2006 - GUILFORD -- Even though it's almost as far = east as you can go and still be in Guilford, the town recently applied = to the state to designate the Village of Algiers as the town center.

In the next few weeks, residents here are hoping to get the nod from the = state.

Town center designation opens up all sorts of possibilities for a part = of Guilford that is slightly worn down but has a history that dates back = to before Vermont was even a state.

"If there is any kind of development in the village after the = designation, there is a possibility of grants and tax credits," said = Eric Morse, the president of Friends of Algiers, an organization = dedicated to rehabilitating the village.

Morse said the area is important to the town, not only because of its = integral part in the history of the town, but also because it is so = visible.

"Everyone in Guilford is aware of the state of Algiers," said Morse.

The town received a $30,000 community development block grant from the = state to perform a study of the area. It also received $10,000 from the = Vermont Housing and Conservation Board and $7,000 from a local match = that Friends of Algiers helped raise.

Part of the grant money will go toward professional fees for the = Brattleboro engineering firm of Stevens and Associates.

Bob Stevens said his firm has been tasked with preparing a master plan = for the village that would include ideas for streetscaping, new = buildings for the area, new parking, getting municipal water to the = village and some proposals for what to do with some of the older, = abandoned structures in the village.

Stevens said even though they are just getting started with the study, = he hopes to present his ideas to the public sometime in the spring.

"The Friends of Algiers have really done a tremendous job of coming up = with a vision to put some of the pieces back into the village of = Algiers," said Bob Stevens. "We are going to work with them and through = a bunch of community forums, we'll explain how all the pieces come = together."

Morse said Friends of Algiers formed from a network of people that had = worked together to protect a 22-acre parcel in the village.

"We were aware of development pressures on Algiers," said Morse, who = said the group got together to purchase a multi-family apartment = building, the first step to purchasing all the available properties in = an area of the village known as the "triangle."

"Guilford has no zoning, so who knows what would have happened if we = hadn't made the purchases," said Morse.

Morse said the Friends also purchased two other parcels -- the former = Leader Home Center and the old grist mill -- and is in the process of = negotiating on two other parcels. All five lots together would amount to = almost two acres, a substantial piece of land in the small village.

Morse said Friends of Algiers received donations and loans from people = in town as well as financing from Brattleboro Savings & Loan and the = Vermont Community Loan Fund to make the purchases. Morse said the two = mortgages are being paid with income received from the tenants in the = multi-family home the Friends bought.

Morse said part of their concern with the village is that in recent = years, it seemed that Guilford had lost some of its own identity, = something Friends of Algiers would like to see the town reclaim.

"We have in mind something like how downtown Putney was revitalized," = said Morse. "With sidewalks and public spaces that help give people a = real sense of their own town."

Eventually, said Morse, Friends of Algiers would like to sell the = multi-family building to the Brattleboro Area Community Land Trust, = which is currently managing the building.

Connie Snow, the executive director of the Land Trust, said she is = excited to be working with the Friends of Algiers.

"This group of people realized that this is a once-in-a-lifetime = opportunity with these parcels in the village center up for sale," said = Snow. "To have the opportunity to plan something that meets the = community's interests and needs and sense of aesthetics -- that is = unique."

Snow said Friends of Algiers is acting as an interim owner of the = properties in order to give the community time to complete its master = planning document.

"They could've sat back and watched the land get randomly developed," = said Snow. "Or they could get control of the site and plan the = development themselves."

Snow said properties that the Friends has purchased would be excellent = sites for residential, commercial or retail outlets. She said it is also = perfect for open space for community gatherings.

"But all that will be determined in the community planning process," = said Snow. "The idea is to plan (the triangle) as one parcel that is = integrated and pedestrian-oriented and to maintain the historic village = streetscape."

Snow said it is very important to extend community water to the village. = Currently it has community sewer, but the residences and businesses in = the village must depend on wells for their water needs. Snow said for a = tightly packed area looking at redevelopment, wells just aren't = suitable.

"A dense village development really has to have municipal water," said = Snow.

Morse said the Friends of Algiers have been plugging away at the project = for about a year, but what really sold the townspeople on the project, = was a presentation on Algiers by the town's sixth-grade students.

"They had been researching different aspects of the town and it really = gave them a sense of Guilford," said Morse. "It gave them a personal = connection. These were buildings that they passed every day and never = thought about. The presentation was very entertaining and informative = and brought out the need to preserve the village character. "

Morse, who lives in Guilford, but not in Algiers, said he has lived = there for almost 20 years. He has a land surveying business that is = located in Algiers.

Morse said to his understanding, Algiers, which is located at the = intersection of Route 5 and Guilford Center Road, got its name around = the time of the War of 1812.

"One of the big items in the news at the time was pirates off the coast = of Morocco and Algeria," said Morse. "Around about the same time, where = the country store now is, there used to be a tavern and a weekly card = game took place there. Supposedly, the guys from Guilford won quite = often and the guys from Brattleboro and Dummerston started calling them = the Algerian pirates."