Close your eyes and imagine a wealthy Vermont. A Vermont with many high-paying jobs, exports, environmentally friendly manufacturing. Now open your eyes and look at the opportunity that is staring us in the face, hemp.
What are the barriers preventing the return to hemp products in the US and more specifically VT? Can we possibly overcome these barriers? The answer is yes.
Three years ago Vermont started an experiment to try to improve the quality of health care and to lower costs. A for-profit entity called One Care was created and, from the start, the organization’s complexity and lack of transparency has been an issue.
Those problems surfaced in a recent public hearing before the Green Mountain Care Board, the entity that has regulatory control over One Care. One Care is proposing a budget of $1.43 billion. Those funds come from insurers such as Medicare and Medicaid and private insurers and are then funneled directly to hospitals and providers.
The second installment of the 2019 Real Estate and Personal Property Taxes will be due on November 15th, 2019 by 5:00 PM. Payments made after November 15th, 2019 will have an additional 1% interest added to the unpaid balance.
The utility billing is also due on November 15th, 2019 by 5:00 PM. Payments made after November 15th, 2019 will have an additional 1% interest, as well as an 8% penalty added to the unpaid balance.
VT Digger is reporting that Marlboro College will be giving its campus and endowment to Emerson College of Boston.
“Under a tentative agreement, Marlboro leaders say the school’s roughly $30 million endowment and $10 million in land and buildings will endow Emerson’s Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies program, which will be renamed the Marlboro Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies at Emerson College. “
The experience of walking Spain’s thousand-year-old pilgrimage trail will be the focus of a talk and slideshow at Brattleboro’s Books Memorial Library on November 12, 2019, at 7:00 pm. The library is at 224 Main Street in Brattleboro, VT.
The slideshow and discussion will be led by Betsy Bates, Cicely Carroll, and Bob Lawson of Dummerston and Putney.
The Brattleboro Selectboard started their meeting a bit late and ended it quite early, with a rare move of taking nearly everything major off of the agenda and moving it to next week. The reason? Two absent board members.
Almost the entire agenda will be added to next week’s agenda, making next week’s special meeting a whopper.
The 2020 Census is upon us and hiring NOW!
Beginning in 1790, and every 10 years since, we the people have participated in a process called the Decennial Census. We do this to know who we are and what we need for good roads, schools, hospitals and so much more.
This coming Sunday, 3:00 pm, at 118 Elliot!
Directed by Lisa McCormick, the Southern Vermont Ukulele Ensemble (30+ members!) presents a concert of songs promoting Care of the Planet, Community-building, Welcome, Justice, and Peace.
Audience sing-alongs will be encouraged. All are welcome. Venue is accessible.
In observance of Veterans’ Day, all Brattleboro Town Offices will be closed on Monday, November 11, 2019, with the exception of emergency services.
Parking is free at all metered spaces and in the pay-and-display lots on Sunday and Monday, November 10 and 11. All other violations will be enforced.
Agenda
1. Approve Minutes of 10/2/19 & 10/29/19 Finance Committee Meeting:
2. Approve Warrants and Payrolls:
3. Discussion of Field Turf Improvement Project and Preparation for WSESD Board meeting discussion:
Montpelier, VT (November 5, 2019) — Returning Champions: State Clean Energy Leadership Since 2015, a new report from the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA), highlights the essential role that states are playing to develop and implement effective policies and programs. The report describes the range of strategies and initiatives that states are using to grow clean energy markets, and it provides readers with a concise overview of clean energy trends at the state level.
The report’s four thematic chapters emphasize the most important issues that the states have been focusing on over the past few years:
CONCORD, NH — The Future Forest Economy Initiative is looking for new ideas, products and markets to increase demand for wood across the northern New England and New York. The deadline for concepts to considered in the first round of funding in 2020 is Dec. 2, 2019.
The initiative — a cooperative effort of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities, and the Northern Forest Center — grew out of a congressional mandate to support the development of markets for wood products. Over the next three years, the Initiative cooperators will invest $2.6 million in sub-grants to expand innovation, create market demand and create conditions that will allow businesses and communities to benefit from these innovations.
The 2020 Brattleboro Fire Department calendars that the VFW Auxiliary #1034 produced are now available for $10.00 a piece. You can purchase them at Central Fire Station on Elliot Street or the Brattleboro VFW on Black Mountain Road.
The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) will hold a public information meeting on Thursday, November 14, 2019 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Putney Fire Station, 21 Carl Snyder Drive, Putney. The purpose is to discuss a project that will replace the deck of the US Route 5 bridge in Putney Center at the intersection of Kimball Hill Road. Construction will start in Spring 2020.
The existing structure is a single span cast-in-place deck on rolled beams constructed in 1954. The bridge is owned and maintained by the State of Vermont. VTrans bridge inspectors have observed areas of heavy saturation, cracking, and evidence of significant concrete deterioration. VTrans engineers determined that the most cost effective and viable approach to address deterioration of the aging bridge deck is to replace it.
BCTV Channel 8 schedule for the week of 11/4/19
Monday, November 4, 2019
5:00 am Poets Speak – Conversations with VT Poet Laureate Chard deNiord – GennaRose Nethercott
5:45 am Built to Last – Built to Last
6:00 am Bear Pond Books Events – “Bombers Moon” with Archer Mayor
7:12 am BCTV Highlights – Community Media Day 2019
7:15 am Juno Orchestra – Juno Orchestra 9/8/19
There’s a new business in town, but that Town is Brookline, Vermont. Living 25 minutes away from Brattleboro may not seem like an inconvenience, but life happens. Especially during the winter, living in a rural part of the state can be incredibly scenic, but not necessarily convenient. The Brookline Go-getter offers customers a new way to free up some time and have peace of mind. The goal here is to encourage folks to have more time to make memories and live, and focus less time on running errands and rushing around.
At 10:25am Engine 2 & Utility 8 responded to the Power Sub Station just south of the Veterans’ Bridge for a reported transformer fire. Upon arrival they had a significant fire in a large power vault and transformer. An attack line was stretched to the area but the decision was made to let the fire burn due to high voltage electric equipment. Green Mountain Power arrived on the scene shortly after the arrival of the 1st fire apparatus and got the power killed to the sight and the fire burned out approximately 15 minutes after that.
The Brattleboro VFW Post #1034 will be hosting their annual Veteran’s Day Ceremony Monday Nov. 11th. Doors open at 10 am, ceremony starts at 11 am, with a free meal to follow for those who attend the ceremony. The public is welcome to attend.
Brattleboro Senior Meals Menu November 4 to November 8
Nov. 4 Baked Chicken
Mashed Potato
Sesame Kale
Pineapple
Town Manager Peter Elwell will give the board a first look at the proposed FY21 budget at the next regular meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard.
The board will also hear an update on the community marketing plan, learn about the downtown alliance work plan for the next year, join a opioid-related lawsuit, consider changes for Green Street traffic safety, upfit a pair of police vehicles, and more. You can bring up other things not currently on the agenda during public participation.
