News & Information

Given a chance to make a statement in favor of Native People’s Day, the Brattleboro Selectboard decided 3-2 that there may be some reasonable opposition to the idea in the community and felt it would be better to have signatures be collected to put the matter before voters or Representative Town Meeting members at a later date. Next Monday officially remains Columbus Day in Brattleboro.

The selectboard also heard much about long term plans for the town, from the review of town operations to financial plans, plans for downtown studies, police and fire facility plans, and more.

Brattleboro’s Town Manager Peter Elwell has graciously agreed to a series of three interviews about himself, towns in general, and the future of Brattleboro. In this first installment, we ask about growing up in Brattleboro, his time away from Brattleboro, and his return to his home town.

Tell us about growing up in Brattleboro…

I had a happy “normal” childhood. So happy that no matter where else I ever lived, Brattleboro was always “home.” There were dozens of kids in my neighborhood (including my 3 older sisters) and we had friends all over town. We rode our bikes everywhere. Although it was the 1970s, it had the feel of an earlier era. In the summers and on weekends, we would leave home in the morning and go out and about, usually with just the admonition to “be back by dark.”

We played a lot of sports, usually in synch with whatever professional sports season was active at that time and only rarely organized by adults. On summer evenings, we played “cops and robbers” (a large scale game of hide+seek played by teams) throughout all the yards (and some of the garages) in our neighborhood. I walked to Green Street School and rode the bus to the junior high (now BAMS) and BUHS.

Those of us who were growing up here at that time definitely had a sense that the Town was changing, becoming more diverse and more artsy, but we were mostly focused on the things any other kids in other settings would focus on … school, friends, music, sports, etc.

The Brattleboro Selectboard will be discussing things at their next regular meeting, They will discuss the Comprehensive Review of Town Operations. They will discuss the Long Range Financial Plan, the Windham Solid Waste District Assessment, the Police and Fire projects, and more.

They also might act to do a few things. They might proclaim Indigenous People’s Day. They will likely loan Cultural Intrigue $70,000, schedule a new process for evaluating Bittersweet Lane, and accept money for the planned dog park at Living Memorial Park.

You can attend, participate, and bring up other items not on the agenda. It’s at the Municipal Center on Tuesday, as usual.

The Brattleboro Energy Committee will meet on Monday, October 3, 2016 at 5:00pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

that long-time Brattleboro Energy Coordinator Paul Cameron has resigned as is moving to North Carolina to be closer to family.

His work on climate protection and energy issues for the town over the years has been substantial, and the Energy Committee frequently cites his participation as essential.  The small amount allocated by Representative Town Meeting each year toward his work has reaped significant savings in energy costs, helping to keep property taxes down and efficiency up.

On top of that, he’s a really nice guy, too.  Definitely will be missed.

The Brattleboro Conservation Commission will meet on Tuesday, September 27, 2016 at 5:15 PM in the Hanna Cosman Room at the Municipal Center.

Rita Johnson
Planning Clerk & E911 Coordinator
Town of Brattleboro
230 Main Street
Brattleboro, VT 05301
planning@brattleboro.org

The Brattleboro Citizen Police Communications Committee (CPCC) will meet on Monday, September 26, 2016 at 5:30pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center. NOTE the new location for this meeting only.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Human Services Review Committee is accepting applications for FY18 Human Services Funding. The Application, as well as Instructions and Guidelines, will be posted on the Brattleboro website – www.brattleboro.org. The deadline to submit applications to the Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office is Wednesday, October 12, 2016 at 12:00pm.

The information session regarding human services funding is scheduled on Thursday, September 29, 2016 at 7:00pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center. Applicants are encouraged to attend. For more information regarding the application process, contact Jan Anderson in the Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office at 802-251-8151.

The Windham Regional Career Center at Brattleboro Union High School is pleased to announce their Community Education and Training Programs for this fall. Betsy Gentile, Workforce Development Manager and Adult Education Coordinator has coordinated 15 community education and training programs to meet the needs of area employers and their employees as well as providing personal and professional enrichment opportunities for all community members.

Perhaps the biggest news revealed at the regular meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard had almost nothing to do with any board decision. A bus company has decided to start a daily route from downtown Brattleboro to and from Boston starting October 1.

The board did handle some meaty topics themselves, of course. They had healthy discussion of  accessibility features of the new police station, a lesson on business development activities, a decision to spend $30,000 on pedestrian safety and work safety into future budgets, another decision to reconsider their decision regarding Bittersweet Lane, a scolding for the public for not paying attention, and more. 

The annual Columbus Day weekend Chicken BBQ will be sponsored by the West Brattleboro Association (WBA) on Saturday, October 8^th, starting at 11 a.m. and lasting until gone. The event will be held in front of the First Congregational Church on Western Avenue in West Brattleboro. There will also be a bake sale (and maybe more) sponsored by the Church.

The half barbecued chicken, which uses a barbecue sauce recipe from the Guilford Fair Fireman’s BBQ, will be available with a pickle for $7. Watch for an updated announcement soon, and meanwhile get October 8^th on your calendar!

Proceeds from the BBQ help the West Brattleboro Association with its many activities for the community!  

Residents of Bittersweet Lane have asked the Brattleboro Selectboard to reconsider their recent decision regarding road reclassification. The board denied the request for the Town to take over the private road.

The Welcome Center may be getting a pump station, the Traffic Safety Committee would like more time to study the need for additional flashing pedestrian crossing lights, Blanche Moyse may get a road named after her, and there are many grants and financial reports to consider.

Attend and offer your two cents. You can always bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.