AGENDA
I. CALL TO ORDER – 6:00 p.m. – Kelly Young, Board Chair
II. CONSENT AGENDA
• CLERK’S REPORT – Approval of Minutes – June 7, 2022
III. Public Comment on Non-agenda Items (10 minutes)
IV. Unfinished Business
A. Sexual Abuse Investigation Update
B. SRO Task Force Recommendations Update
For Immediate Release:
The Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office will be closed from 10:00am to 12:00pm on Friday, June 17, 2022, so that staff may attend an event.
SHOPPING DAY (no donations accepted) at Swap Shop at WSWMD on Old Ferry Road, Brattleboro on Saturday, June 18, 8:30 am to noon. ALL ITEMS ARE FREE. Photos of some available items are posted on Facebook’s Brattleboro, Vermont group page. MANY NEW ITEMS! WE’RE OVERSTOCKED!
SCHEDULE & HOURS:
Shopping Days- 1st & 3rd Saturdays of the month
Donation Days- 2nd & 4th Saturdays of the month
Django Grace brought up a fun idea at the most recent Brattleboro Selectboard meeting – a return to the electric trolley.
Now, I’d advocate for a trolley-monorail hybrid, of course, but the trolley alone is interesting. I like transportation that is fun.
It would be cost prohibitive to get one custom built and installed. Recent trolley projects have costs cities between $4-14 million dollars per mile. There are Federal funds available, but they are calculated on ridership estimates and larger locations would certainly win out over Brattleboro.
What could be done, though, is to build something locally.
6:00 – 6:10 Announcements
6:10 – 6:20 Roles Of These Government Bodies
Possible Presentation of Supporting Documentation; Q & A
6:20 – 7:00 Land Use Regulations Concerns and Proposals
Parts 1, 2, 3, & 5: Discuss suggestions for Cannabis land use classifications, Setbacks, Historic Resource Overlay District, Pets vs. farm animals, Parking, Signs, Noise, Demolition Standards, and more
I’m watching a film on Netflix that takes place in Bilbao, a city in northern Spain.
I can’t stop remembering when, many years ago, I visited Bilbao, courtesy of the US Navy.
Our ship docked in San Sebastian, a sleepy fishing village where nothing EVER happens. However, a dozen miles away lay Bilbao, a thriving metropolis.
On Tuesday, June 14, the Utilities Division will be installing a new hydrant in the area of 195 Elliot ST. Elliot ST will be closed in the area beginning at 7:30 am through approximately 4:00 pm. Stewart Place and Elliot ST addresses up to #186 can be accessed from the east end of Elliot ST and addresses #190 and higher can be accessed from the west end of Elliot ST.
AGENDA
I. CALL TO ORDER – Anne Beekman
II. Approval of Previous Minutes – June 9, 2022
III. New Hires / Resignations
IV. One Percent Applications (if any)
The Brattleboro Traffic Safety Committee Meeting will meet on Thursday, June 16th, 2022 at 8:00am over Zoom. Information on how to access the meeting online, including the required “passcode” is available within the attached agenda.
I have been writing weekly commentaries for 28 years and I am beginning to realize that the time has come to think outside of the box. All those words may have had some impact on the world. People have learned a few things, but I remain impatient for the kind of change I would like to see.
So I have decided to try something new. I will write what might be called wishful thinking news stories, not fake news. These will be stories written in a news format that describe how the world might be if we made some of the changes that many Americans would like to see.
BCTV Channel 1085 schedule for the week of 6/13/22
Monday, June 13, 2022
4:10 am Vermont Cannabis Control Board – 5/16/22
5:00 am Brattleboro Development Review Board – Brattleboro DRB Special Mtg 5/25/22
6:45 am Vernon Selectboard – Vernon SB Mtg 6/7/22
8:00 am The David Pakman Show – The David Pakman Show – Weekly Broadcast
The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, June 14, 2022 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room at the Municipal Center (230 Main Street). The Board will convene at 6:15pm and is expected to immediately enter into executive session to discuss labor relations agreements with employees and contracts. The Board will reconvene after the executive session and immediately adjourn. No action will be taken.
AGENDA
I. CALL TO ORDER—6:00 p.m. — Michelle Luetjen-Green, Board Chair
II. VSBA Superintendent Evaluation Services – Phil Gore, Director of Board Services
III. Approval of Minutes – May 11 and May 25, 2022
IV. Warrants and Payroll Approvals
TRAFFIC ALERT
Wilmington-Brattleboro VT-9 Resurfacing Project
DATE: Thursday, June 9, 2022
TRAFFIC IMPACT AND DURATION: Due to heavy rain causing unfavorable roadway conditions, motorists are advised to travel with caution along Vermont Route 9 between Wilmington and Brattleboro. Crews are on site working to minimize impacts to travelers.
Tuesday’s Select Board meeting and an article in today’s Brattleboro Reformer brought to the surface a major issue with crime, especially in the downtown area. Various Select Board members chimed in both in the meeting and in the press. It rather hurt to see a friend of mine with his picture on the front page this morning given the circumstances.
Tim Wessel is quoted in the Reformer as saying:
“I live downtown and I have to say there’s an increase in the feeling of lawlessness occurring,” he said at Tuesday’s board meeting. “Whether it’s flower pots being overturned, business windows being smashed, unlocked cars being rifled through, or loud cars speeding recklessly through family neighborhoods, a lot of folks have been reaching out to me to say that it feels a little more like the Wild West in Brattleboro, and I agree.”
But, little known to many, actually including some Select Board members, Chief Hardy was a victim of the rapid shift away from Rescue Inc as well and she had no part in that decision that I am aware of.
The Town of Brattleboro is looking for citizens to serve on the following committees and boards:
Agricultural Advisory Board
Agricultural Advisory Board Ex-Officio Members
ADA Advisory Board
Arts Committee
Brattleboro Housing Partnerships Board of Commissioners
Cemetery Committee
Citizen Police Communications Committee
The Brattleboro Selectboard held one of their longer meetings in some time. The public was active! Complaints about downtown crime, lack of action on climate change, and open meetings kept the board busy until after 10:30pm.
Of note, the Town acknowledged their violation of open meeting protocols and adopted a new two-part process to make sure it won’t happen again. This wasn’t enough for most people, who wanted a more detailed accounting of the EMS decision making process.
The board changed RTM districts to conform with state updates, adopted Utility and Parking budgets, and poured luke-warm water on a suggestion to bring back the electric trolley.
AGENDA
I. Approval of Minutes from June 2, 2022
II. Continue discussion of edits to:
D6 – Substitute Teachers
A1 – The Role of Policy / The Role and Adoption of School Board Policies
Rescue Inc Press Release: “Brattleboro – The Brattleboro selectboard sent a request to the Rescue Inc trustees asking for a meeting to discuss mutual aid on May 19th. This was the first communication between the Town and Rescue Inc. since the September 2021 consortium meeting which was attended by then Town Manager Peter Elwell and the Selectboard Chair Elizabeth McLoughlin. The Rescue corporate officers agreed to an early June meeting and replied to the request on May 20th. A June 6th meeting date was confirmed.
Brattleboro’s request for help covering ambulance calls comes after the selectboard unilaterally chose to terminate a 56-year relationship with our nonprofit, community-based organization. This decision was made without any discussions about, or actual consideration of, the impact on the surrounding communities. The Town presented its position during a February 9th meeting when Rescue was told the Town would not pay an assessment fee and that Rescue should provide service for free. The response from Rescue Chief Drew Hazelton rejecting those terms in March has been cited as the reason for the sudden closed door meeting that led to the change in EMS providers.
Jan’s heart beats to live music – she tells great stories of growing up with 60’s rock ‘n roll, then performing and touring with her own band in the 80’s heyday…..plus how the heck she came to this area.
