There’s magic in turning human waste into vital nutrients…and Abe Noe-Hays at Rich Earth Institute here in town tells us all about it. Tune in to hear how Abe and his team are changing the wastewater world through pee-cycling, and helping to bring health to our rivers and streams.
The Brattleboro Selectboard continued their careful consideration of abortion rights. They heard testimony about the possible town resolution from the Town Lawyer and a State Representative in addition to members of the public. In the end it was decided to do nothing, the safest option for now.
Brattleboro will be getting energy saving incentives and rebates as part of a special program with Efficiency Vermont. They especially want to hear from renters!
It will certainly be a fairly wild meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard as August kicks off. They’ll name a new street “Fairly Wild Way.”
The board will continue their discussion of a resolution protecting a person’s right to access to abortion (and whether or not to throw any money at it,) they’ll adjust the code of ordinances regarding wastewater allocations and fees, authorize and RFP for a town-wide re-appraisal, and apply for a grant on behalf of Commonwealth Dairy. They’ll also hear an Efficiency Vermont presentation on community energy savings. YOu can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
It was a really long Brattleboro Selectboard meeting with not much getting done! They heard about downtown safety issues, but took no action. They approved a mural design they couldn’t see. There will be more places to buy liquor. The preferred bridge design was selected. And then it was 10:30 pm with discussions of a woman right to choose and EMT issues, among other things, still awaiting ample discussion. They ended up postponing much of the agenda to a future meeting.
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.
There will be an emergency discussion of a Muffin Monster at the next regular meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard. They’ll also discuss a new Cow Power agreement, water treatment facility funding and security, and hear an update about Brattleboro’s Boys and Girls Club operations during COVID.
The board will wrap up their meeting with a renaming of a portion of Elm Street in honor of Stanley Lynde, the well-know motorcycle shop owner. You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
The Brattleboro Selectboard approved a proposal for a Community Safety Review facilitation team. They chose a local proposal, created a committee, and decided on how much to pay for stipends.
Other issues before the board involved the Department of Public Works, some grants, and gathering data on housing to aid town planning.
Five proposals for community safety review facilitation have been received, twenty six applications to be on the committee are in hand, and the perhaps re-organized Brattleboro Selectboard will decide next steps at their next Tuesday meeting. Committee members will be interviewed and appointed at a special meeting.
Grants and bid awards are also on the agenda, as is the purchase of a new salt shed. You can add other items not on the agenda during public participation.
The Hinsdale Bridge project inches forward at the next regular meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard. The board will also learn details of the $40k plan to market some aspects of Brattleboro to some other people somewhere.
Compassionate Brattleboro will give an update on their progress, winter heating oil will be bought, grants will be applied for, and more. You can always bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
Town of Brattleboro Finance Director and Treasurer John O’Connor has announced his intention to retire in October.
O’Connor has been the Town’s Finance Director and Treasurer since July 7, 2011. During his tenure, the Town has received 7 years of “clean” audited financial reports with no findings requiring corrective action. In addition to that stellar record of financial reporting, O’Connor successfully managed $32.5 million in bond funds from a variety of sources for the wastewater treatment plant upgrade project; $13 million of bond funds for the Police Fire Facilities construction project; and millions of dollars more in Federal, State, and private grants for a wide variety of Town programs and projects, including $1.6 million in FEMA grant money for 39 separate recovery projects after Tropical Storm Irene.
The biggest news of the Tuesday meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard came not from the agenda but introductory remarks. The Town manager announced that Planning Services Director Rod Francis was leaving Brattleboro in the next couple of weeks.
This was followed by an unscheduled but surprisingly active discussion of aggressive panhandling in the downtown area.
Beyond those matters, the skatepark hired a design firm and got some extra cash, contracts and grants were approved, the utility budget passed, a long resolution was adopted, and more.
