safety

Brattleboro Selectboard – Agenda and Notes July 5, 2022

by cgrotke | Town News

A packed agenda of important items awaits the Brattleboro Selectboard for their first regular meeting of July. It’s going to be a long meeting.

There will be new liquor licenses, Commonwealtth Dairy wants to nearly double its water and sewer use, rental housing fines will be set, and the board will choose a bridge design for Melrose. There will be a discussion of downtown safety and a new mural for High Street. The board will discuss a woman’s right to choose. There are emergency repairs to authorize.

The firefighters get a “recently concluded additional collective bargaining agreement,” and the Fire Chief would like the board to approve additional funds to meet requirements of becoming a paramedic-level service.

But wait, there’s more!  There will be a first reading of a new ordinance regarding wastewater allocation approvals, there will be a new contract for the Interim Town manager, a new street name will be approved, and the FY23 tax rate will be set.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Whetstone Woes, WRC Wows, and Playgrounds

by cgrotke | Town News
Brattleboro Selectboard march 16 2021

Water leaks and collapsing walls were part of  the first post-Daylight Savings Time regular meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard.  The Department of Public Works reported on a couple of recent and ongoing emergency repairs downtown involving water.

The board heard an update on the work of the Windham Regional Commission, found out more about how poorly parking revenues are going this year, hired a company to do cemetery maintenance, and purchased some new playground equipment. And board members said goodbye to Brandie Starr and Jan Anderson, thanking them for their service.

Brattleboro Selectboard Meeting Agendas and Notes – Regular and Special Meeting

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold two meetings next week. The first is their regular Tuesday meeting at which they will approve water and sewer construction contracts, set a date certain for Representative Town Meeting 2020,  set property tax rates, buy winter sand, resume water shutoffs for commercial and industrial customers, and more.

Their second meeting of the week will be on Thursday, to review the Community Safety RFP.

You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.

Governor Scott’s State of the State Address

by Not Signed In | State News

Mr. President, Madam Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, members of the General Assembly, honored guests and fellow Vermonters:

Today, I welcome the opening of the legislative session with the same optimism I had as a freshman senator from Washington County nearly two decades ago. 

I come before you to report on the state of the state, to reflect on the work we’ve done and to share a vision and priorities for our future. 

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Budget Preview, and Blinking Lights Baffle

by cgrotke | Town News
Brattleboro Selectboard

The Brattleboro Selectboard cancelled a few possible contentious items on the agenda (the Harmony Lot mural and the Health Code violation) but still got an earful from a couple concerned that blinking safety lights on Western Ave are unnecessary and lower the value of their home. The Wessel Baffle might prove to be the solution.

Town Manager Elwell gave the board an overview of the coming budget request from Town staff. Of note: the expected 4% health insurance increase is actually more like 17%. Ouch. Call a doctor. Police cars are being uplifted, a new solar project is being considered, and more.

Third Annual Safer Streets Forum

by acharkes | Town News

Are you interested in the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists in Brattleboro? Are you interested in road projects that relate to pedestrians and bicyclists?

Come to the Safer Streets Forum in the Oak Grove School library on Thursday, September 27th from 5:30 -7:30 pm. Light snacks will be provided.

SeVWA’s 2018 E. coli Monitoring of Local Rivers Continued July 18th

by sevwa.wqmp | Nature

The Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance (SeVWA) continued its monitoring program for the summer of 2018 on Wednesday, July 18th. Volunteers will be collecting samples from 33 sites on nine rivers and streams every other week through the end of August. This year, we have sites on the West River, Flood Brook, North Branch Ball Mountain Brook, Rock River, Williams River (including the Middle Branch), Saxtons River, East Putney Brook, Sacketts Brook, and Whetstone Brook.

SeVWA’s 2018 E. coli Monitoring of Local Rivers Started June 20th!

by sevwa.wqmp | Recreation & Sports

The Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance (SeVWA) started its monitoring program for the summer of 2018 on Wednesday, June 20th. Volunteers will be collecting samples from 33 sites on nine rivers and streams every other week through the end of August. This year, we have sites on the West River, Flood Brook, North Branch Ball Mountain Brook, Rock River, Williams River (including the Middle Branch), Saxtons River, East Putney Brook, Sacketts Brook, and Whetstone Brook.

One of the parameters we test the water we collect for is Escherichia coli, more commonly known as E. coli. It is a bacterium that is found in the guts of all warm-blooded animals, including humans. Most E. coli will not make a person sick, but sometimes the bacteria can sometimes become pathogenic which means they can cause illness. Additionally, the presence of E. coli in waters acts as an indicator for the presence of other, more difficult to test for pathogens that may cause waterborne illnesses to those swimming, wading, or boating. We publish our results to the public in order to help everyone make informed decisions about recreating in Vermont’s waters.