Hi-tech firm may be moving here pending project approval
ManchesterJournal.com  09/14/2007
John Waller, Bennington Banner 

MANCHESTER - A high-tech company is moving to Manchester Center from Massachusetts - thanks in part to a new state economic incentive program.  Battenkill Technologies Inc., originally based in West Newton, Mass., is planning to move to 3511 Richville Road, across from the post office in Manchester, according to Abbott deRham, the property's owner.  Battenkill received $66,885 in incentives from the Vermont Economic Progress Council on June 28. The council tries to create jobs in Vermont by providing economic incentives to out-of-state companies.  Bruce Nelson, co-owner of Battenkill Technologies Inc., said the company's application to the state called for the creation of 13 new jobs over a five-year span.
    "My partner Jonathan Grant and I hope to exceed that number," said Nelson.
While Nelson expects that they will only create one new job in the coming calendar year, he believes the company may produce as many as 20 positions in years to come - four or five of which he expects to be filled locally.
    DeRham, owner of Bourn Brook Properties, went before the Manchester Development Review Board on Wednesday to make an amendment to his permit for the property. He wants to construct a 16,000-square-foot building on the premises. The building would be 245 feet long and 35 feet tall at its highest point; the majority of the building would be a long warehouse behind the offices that would be 28 feet high.
In the original permit, three smaller buildings were planned for the property. One of which was in the same location and was the same height as the proposed larger building.  The 16,000-square-foot building would house Chandler Four Corners, a rug, pillow and throw importer, which is currently on the property in an existing smaller building. The plan would move Chandler's warehouse on site and give the expanding company more room.
Battenkill Technologies would move into a building that is currently being renovated, and a new building, where the old historic barn used to be. The historic barn will be moved to a home site in Dorset.  The technology company is already in the area working out of temporary space until the renovations are complete - which de Rham said should be within the next two weeks.
    The company was founded in November 2005 by Nelson, president, and Grant. They act as consultants for sensor technology and computational intelligence, primarily for defense contractors, according to their application for the state incentives. The application states that Battenkill serves three companies who have clients that include the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, and Department of Defense contractors. Recently, the company was awarded the subcontract to produce Tank Corrosion Monitoring Systems for Bath Iron Works, eventually for the Navy, according to the application. The new subcontract was listed as one reason for the company's expansion.
    The building permit process for the property has been going on for five years. De Rham said he applied for his original permit on Feb. 21, 2002. The process will continue as the board did not close deRham's application Wednesday night.  Members of the board questioned the validity of an artist's rendering of the building. They thought the building would be larger in comparison to its backdrop, Mount Equinox.
    At 8 a.m. on Friday a site visit was conducted to test the validity of the painting. Three helium balloons tied to strings were raised to the purposed height of the building so the board could judge the actual height.  Kathe Dillmann, a Manchester resident, said before the meeting on Wednesday that she objected to the building plans. "As it's staked out, it is beyond unsightly," she said. "At the very least, the building should be sited as far to the rear and south of the property to minimize its devastating impact on the neighborhood and on that entire part of the town."
    The building sits back more than 200 feet from the road, and deRham said there are other buildings in the area that are roughly the same height and size. De Rham also told the board extensive landscaping and a slight slope to the back of the property will make the building less obtrusive.  Dillmann also raised concerns about the lack of landscaping on the property, which was required in the original permit, and thought a new application should be filed based on the drastic changes. DeRham told the board the extensive landscaping planned will not begin until construction is complete. He said new trees often do not survive construction projects.
    Battenkill Technologies received incentives from the Vermont Economic Progress Council because of the Vermont Employment Growth Incentive passed last year by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. James Douglas.
The Manchester Journal contributed to this report.