Selectboard Over-Reach

In his campaign against the Pro-Democracy Amendments Mr. Gartenstein said he wants to provide guidance for the town.  Town charter gives the selectboard a list of duties “not committed by law to the care of any particular officer . . .”.  “Guidance” and “ideas” are not on their list.  The charter assigns guidance of the office of town rep: the rep town meeting is “. . . a guiding body for the town and a source of ideas . . . “.  

Mr. Gartenstein may want to provide public education, but that is not their job either.   That is assigned to another office, the school directors.  These are just excuses to interfere with the democratic process described under the charter “Powers of the People”


Brattleboro Energy Committee Meeting Postponed

The Brattleboro Energy Committee meeting previously scheduled for today has been rescheduled due to the weather. The meeting has been rescheduled to Tuesday, February 3, 2015 at 5:00pm in the Planning Services Department at the Municipal Center.

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


Express Fluency Opens Classroom in Downtown Brattleboro

Express Fluency- a language school offering innovative courses in VT, MA, ME, and NY, has opened a new classroom at 73 Main Street in Brattleboro.

Express Fluency offers a new approach to learning a language which has helped thousands of people, including those who were previously unsuccessful language students, gain fluency in Spanish quickly and easily. French and Mandarin classes will be added in 2015.


Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – February 3, 2015

The Brattleboro Selectboard will begin working to identify and promote an explanation for their public position against proposed Charter changing amendments at their next regular Tuesday meeting at the Muncipal Center.

The board will also approve grants and funds for a radio repeater, sidewalk repair, and “highway safety equipment,” learn more about VT Alert from the Fire Department, consider giving out three more licenses for liquor samples for a tasting and sampling event at the River Garden, and more.

Watch it all on BCTV, or better yet, attend in person and participate. You can read all about it here the next day.


Town of Brattleboro Notice of Availability of Auditors’ Reports

NOTICE is hereby given that the Brattleboro Town and Town School District Auditors’ Reports for fiscal year ending June 30, 2014, are available upon request and may be picked up at the Brattleboro Town Clerk’s office, 230 Main Street, Brattleboro, Vermont.

The Auditors’ Reports will also be available as part of the Town and School District Annual Report which will be available at the Town Clerk’s office no later than February 20, 2015.

Based on vote at Representative Town Meeting, March 20, 2010, the Town will no longer mail the Auditors’ Reports to all voters of the Town.


Brooks Memorial Library Receives Bequest

The estate of Brattleboro resident Ronald James Read, who passed away in June 2014, has notified the Brooks Memorial Library of a bequest. The unrestricted gift will increase the library’s current endowment fund by over $1.2M.

“The staff, Friends of the Library, volunteers and board are delighted at this great news,” noted Jerry Goldberg, President of the Board of Trustees. “Mr. Read’s bequest, by far the largest since that made by George J. Brooks in 1886, is a legacy that is far reaching. It will help to guarantee the future viability and sustainability of Brattleboro’s public library, an institution much respected by Mr. Read. It is, indeed, his gift to the entire Greater Brattleboro community.”


Brattleboro Selectboard Special Meeting – A Short Summary of 3.5 Hours of Agenda Setting

It was a special meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard, so we’ll have a special form of coverage – a quick version:

– No one appears to be running against incumbent Selectboard members, as was also the case last year.

– $7,000 of BMAC repair and maintenance costs were added back in to the budget for FY16.

– The FY16 general municipal budget was approved for presentation to Representative Town Meeting. It comes to a request for $15,721,494, or a 2% increase in property tax.


Accident on Putney Road

I was the victim of that accident. I payed attention to my surroundings on both sides, and was in a crosswalk. I was fully sober, as I am now. I have been in recovery and AA for over a month now. I was struck by the car on the outside of my left leg, so I had definitely already gotten through the close lane (with a car, its headlights on, waiting) or else I was hit by a car crossing lanes.

I imagine the police must have identified the driver by now, as there was busy traffic leading down to the triangle and an officer was on site rapidly. My mom and uncle were speaking to an officer not far away when the accident occurred, and he naturally rushed to the scene. I was told by an officer at the hospital that the driver had been a man in his 80s who had simply not seen me.


I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project Update: Week of February 1

Night work on the new bridge will resume at Route 30. Night work will be conducted Monday night, February 2nd thru Friday night, February 6th.

I-91

Northbound I-91 traffic has been relocated onto the southbound bridge. Traffic will remain reduced to one lane in each direction on I-91 until completion of the new bridge. The new bridge will be 104’ wide and is designed to carry all four lanes of traffic –two northbound and two southbound.


Traffic Stopped on I-91

Traffic has stopped on I-91 Northbound between Exits 2 and 3 as the result of a traffic accident in the work zone. Emergency personnel are responding and traffic will be cleared asap.

Cindy Cook
Principal, Adamant Accord, Inc.


West Brattleboro Economic Development Forum February 9th

On Monday, February 9th at 5:00 PM all West Brattleboro businesses are invited to discuss business and economic development ideas with Brattleboro and Windham County development organizations.  Representatives will be present from Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation, Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce, Windham Regional Commission and the Town of Brattleboro.

The meeting will take place in the central conference room at the 55 Marlboro Road building and is being organized by the West Brattleboro Association.  (55 Marlboro Rd. is the long building with Central Appliance at its right corner.  Use the central front door and head to the back.)


Climate Change Cafe’ Cancelled

The Climate Change Cafe sponsored by Post Oil Solutions scheduled for 6 pm tonight at the Brooks Memorial Library has been cancelled. Next Climate Change Cafe will be on the 4th Tuesday in February.

For more information contact Tim at info@postoilsolutions.org.


Winter Storm Tips

As we get our first large snow storm of the year here are some winter safety tips from the Brattleboro Fire Department;

Make sure you always have two separate exits out of your house and that are clear from snow or ice.

Be careful when shoveling snow. Over-exertion can bring on a heart attack – a major cause of death in the winter.


BS&L Will Be Open Tuesday, Come and Make Us A Snow Person/Animal!

We plan to be open tomorrow and processing transactions as we normally would. We will be closely monitoring the storm and will update our website and our Facebook and Twitter pages with any changes to those plans.

Please be safe and remember if you can’t get to us, you can always use your online banking, mobile banking, and telephone banking. If you are on foot in downtown and conditions permit, please come to our front yard and make us your best snow person or snow animal!


Brattleboro Water Department Notice About HomeServe USA Repair Management Corp

Many residents in the Brattleboro area are currently receiving mailings from HomeServe USA Repair Management Corp in regard to water service line responsibility. HomeServe is an independent company that offers residential repair coverage plans and is not affiliated with the local utility that supplies water to residents. This mailing is a solicitation to purchase insurance from HomeServe and is not associated with any utilities furnished by the Town of Brattleboro Water Department.