As the budget process gets going, Town staff will ask the Brattleboro Selectboard to approve a $700,000 police substation at a special meeting on November 12. The board will also be asked to put the Esteyville Gazebo project out to bid, and will tinker with the Parking Ordinance.
You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
Exciting events and performances are coming to the ESTEY ORGAN FESTIVAL this weekend, and GEORGE WIESE tells us all about it. Tune in to hear George’s vibrant connection to the Estey Organ Museum, and fun tales of his life as a musician and conductor.
The Brattleboro Selectboard voted in favor of many suggestions by Police Chief Norma Hardy at their regular Tuesday meeting: using community safety funds to purchase surveillance cameras, plus authorizing a move forward on un-budgeted hiring of three more officers, hiring two unarmed police staff, and one police data technician. They also will move ahead with locating a police satellite office downtown.
This came after a presentation on police data that showed that the majority of police calls in town were not for crimes, and many incidents with police involve a handful of known actors.
Safety has a price and the Brattleboro Selectboard will begin to hear some of the new costs for downtown safety at their next regular meeting. Brattleboro Police will request hiring of additional staff and officers plus the creation of a parking garage satellite office for police use. It is part of their downtown safety action plan. They will also discuss their HEAT mapping and how this impacts deploying resources to problem areas.
Esteyville bandstand plans will be discussed. The result of the public input is that people want the bandstand, but not way up in the air as it currently sits. The selectboard will also set a plan for this year’s budget process. You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
The Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department and the Planning Department will be hosting a community input session on Thursday, June 20 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Fuller Park (aka Esteyville Common) located at 98 Estey Street in Brattleboro. If you’re interested in attending, we please ask that you bring along a lawn chair.
While the park is in fair condition, the park’s major feature, a hexagonal bandstand constructed in 1913-1914, is in poor condition and has gone unused due to safety and accessibility concerns.
The Brattleboro Selectboard was reduced to four members for their meeting Tuesday, and Tim Wessel sat in as Chair for the evening. They managed to get through a long agenda with relative efficiency.
A new goal to examine the impact of the opioid epidemic in Brattleboro is being considered, as is a new handicap parking space on the east side of Main Street. The state may have programs that might eventually help Brattleboro with broadband issues, Brattleboro is paving streets in Esteyville and buying a new dump truck, and much more.
