Welcome to the January 2025 dashboard summary. We continue semi-regular COVID-19 dashboard numbers from the Vermont Department of Health, and MA and NH counties that surround Brattleboro, as long as they continue providing them. Numbers are quite low, but not zero. Scroll down the new comments for the latest.
The first regular meeting of February for the Brattleboro Selectboard was mostly a series of quarterly reports, punctuated by questions about EMS billing and budgets. The board learned that the bad-sounding audit will not really be as bad-sounding as it sounds. Just wait. You’ll see.
Notable – parking revenues are down, the downtown safety plan is beginning to take shape, Golden Cross is having problems collecting revenue for us, and a few candidates came to use public participation to show that they are involved.
Snow and ice will be cleared from several streets in downtown Brattleboro on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, after 11 p.m. The affected streets include: Main Street, Park Place, Linden Street, Grove Street, Elliot Street, and Flat Street. Vehicles parked along the streets listed above must be removed or they may be towed at the owner’s expense.
III. Future discussion areas:
a. High School Preparedness: How can this committee support equity regarding middle schoolers being prepared for BUHS? – volunteer for reaching out to Mark again.
1. Call to Order
2. Chair’s Opening Remarks
3. What form of Annual Town Meeting is right for Brattleboro?
4. Adjourn
One of the folks in town who brings great work, great food and always, great vibes into the heart of our community. BO FOARD’s expertise and energy support many local organizations, and he has a magic touch in collaborating….and the kitchen!
Feb. 3 Shepherd’s Pie
Peas & Carrots
Beets
Pineapple
A dry month with fairly normal temps. Measured 1.57″ of moisture compared to a NOAA normal of 3.39″. Even with the relatively cold temps most of the month, about 1/2 of the moisture fell as rain.
Snow for the month totaled 12.6″ compared to my average of 16.5″. My average in just the years 1993-2010 was 19.4″. Total snowfall so far this season stands at 25.3″ at my location. For comparison Mt Snow ski area lists their season total at 93″. They do exaggerate a little but they also have been receiving much more snow this year and skiing has been good for several weeks.
I was born and raised in Brattleboro, and I love this community. The gap between rich and poor, the opioid crisis, and the housing shortage are hurting us. We all want a community where we can earn a living wage, put food on the table, and let our kids play outside without fear of drugs or violence. We need a selectboard member who listens and helps us achieve a stronger Brattleboro. When you elect me, I’ll work to:
Spend Wisely: Create a budget that taxpayers can afford.
Keep Us Safe: Give our community tools to stand up to drug traffickers.
Save Lives: Support local solutions to shelter our neighbors.
The Brattleboro Selectboard will begin the process of changing utility rates by having consultants come to explain the Utility Rate Study they are about to undertake.
The board will also hear quarterly updates from the police department, fire department, and finance office. You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
The Brattleboro Finance Committee will meet on Wednesday, February 5, 2025 at 6:15pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room.
The Tree Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, February 6, 2025 at 4:15pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room.
Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present roots music trio Laura Cortese & The Dance Cards, plus singer/songwriter Emily Margaret, on Friday, February 28 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage.
Laura Cortese is a prolific songwriter, vocalist, and fiddler who artfully blends American roots music with indie, electronic grooves, and pop powerhouse vocals – all the while appealing to a broad audience from millennials to seasoned folkies. Along with Laura, Valerie Thompson and Isa Burke feature a nearly symphonic hybrid of countless traditions and influences, full of rich interplays of virtuosic string instrumentation. Drawing upon their combined decades of experience in a rich variety of styles, the trio uplifts songs with orchestral string arrangements and layered vocal harmonies.
Snow and ice will be cleared from parking lots and streets in downtown Brattleboro on Thursday, January 30, 2025, after 11 p.m.
The affected streets include: Canal Street, Main Street, High Street, Flat Street, Elliot Street, Grove Street, Harris Place, Walnut Street, Park Place, South Main, Green Street, Church Street, Elm Street, School Street, Oak Street, Putney Road, and Chapin Street.
The Harris Hill Ski Jump stands like a beacon on the local landscape. Every February thousands gather at Harris Hill to watch athletes from around the world compete for the Winged Trophy. The thrills of this extraordinary event are brought to life in the January episode of the Brattleboro Words Trail Podcast as jumpers fly, crowds roar and cowbells ring and three very different voices share their impressions on the hill.
Chair Daniel Quipp was under the weather, so the remaining four members of the Brattleboro Selectboard boldy went forth approving the warnings for the Annual Town Meeting and the Representative Town Meeting.
The biggest news is that there will be an advisory poll on the ballot when voters go to elect representatives and weigh in on articles, asking what percentage of future town budgets should be spent on human services. There will be five options, ranging from zero to over 2%.
I recently had a chance to spend some time with Joey Douglas, co-owner of Brattleboro’s High Priestess, to find out how the legal craft cannabis industry in Vermont was going so far.
….
Tell us about High Priestess… How did you decide to become a grower, and what was it like getting an official state license to go into business?
I originally started growing around 2001 and was instantly hooked on the entire process. The results of my first harvest were overwhelmingly great despite my inexperience.
II. Evaluate (2:00 – 3:00)
F8 Student Medication
F16 Head Lice
Invited Attendee: Rebecca Olmstead, Nurse Leader
A group of lawmakers has finally decided to tackle the issue of obscenely high salaries paid to hospital CEO’s and administrative leadership in Vermont. Every time this issue has come up hospital spokespeople hide behind the mantra that they have to pay high salaries to attract qualified candidates. That may be true, but we are living in Vermont, not New York or Boston, and I think we can still attract excellent candidates without having to lure them in with salaries that could pay for three or four front line health care providers.
The purpose of the recently drafted bill states, “This bill proposes to require hospitals to provide information about employee compensation and administrative staffing ratios to the Green Mountain Care Board as part of the Board’s hospital budget review process. It would also direct the Board to ensure that the ratio of administrative employees at each hospital to employees delivering health care services directly to patients is aligned with national averages for similar hospitals and that the compensation for a hospital’s executive and clinic leadership does not equal more than 10 times that of the hospital’s lowest-paid employees who deliver health care services directly to hospital patients.”
WSESD Board Candidates for Election March 4, 2025
Brattleboro Three-year term candidates (1 seat)
Candidates:
Matthew J. Schibley
Brattleboro’s Charter Revision Commission invites Brattleboro residents to a discussion on the form of Brattleboro’s annual town meeting.
The meeting will take place on Thursday, February 6, 2025, 6pm-8pm in the Main Reading Room at Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main Street and will be broadcast live on BCTV Channel 1079, BCTV’s YouTube Channel, Facebook Page and website, www.brattleborotv.org
The Charter and information about the Charter Revision Commission, including a summary of the forms of annual town meeting and a Frequently Asked Questions sheet, are available at https://brattleboro.gov/blog/charter-forum-02-06-2025
Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) celebrates the Lunar New Year of China, Korea and Vietnam Sunday, February 2, 1-3:00. You don’t have to be Asian or know anything about Asia to participate! Join us at the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center to usher in the year of the Green Wood Snake. Celebrations, which typically last two weeks, began on Jan 29th.
This Green Wood Snake year offers the unique opportunity to quickly shed skins of the past, creatively express what is in the shadows, and move forward covering much ground. We will start our celebration with a potluck. Then join us for traditional Chinese Dance with Li Fei Osborne, group Taiji and Qigong, and traditional New Year songs and crafts.
