News and information sections, from near to far
As a precaution, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brattleboro Town Clerk’s Office will be closed to the public effective Wednesday morning, March 18 and until further notice. The Town Clerk’s Office staff will remain available to assist you by phone and email.
Town Clerk’s Office hours remain the same, Monday-Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott announced Sunday that all pre-K-12 schools in the state will close no later than Wednesday and remain closed until April 6, according to a news release from Scott’s office.
Students are not required to go to school Monday or Tuesday, if their parents or guardians would prefer to keep them home, Scott said.
The United States Government and the State of Vermont are operating under State of Emergency declarations issued by President Trump and Governor Scott related to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. While a separate local State of Emergency is not necessary in Brattleboro at this time, the Town of Brattleboro has implemented a variety of emergency actions and is planning to scale-up local emergency actions, if necessary.
Fire Chief Mike Bucossi, who also is the Town’s Emergency Management Director, is in close ongoing communication with Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, Rescue Inc., and other emergency health service providers. Chief Bucossi and Town Manager Peter Elwell are in daily communication with the Vermont Department of Health and Vermont Emergency Management. Through this coordination, they are not only ensuring the preparedness of Brattleboro town government but also assisting in the preparedness of first responders throughout southeastern Vermont. All other members of the Town’s senior management team are maintaining similarly close contact with their colleagues in State government and others to ensure that the Town’s actions are taken in concert with similar actions to protect the public throughout Vermont and beyond.
The following summary of the Town’s actions on this matter are separated into “Emergency Services,” “Non-Emergency and Administrative Support Services,” and “Representative Town Meeting and Other Meetings”:
From the Governor’s office:
“WHEREAS, since December 2019, Vermont has been working in close collaboration with the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and with the United States Health and Human Services Agency to monitor and plan for the potential for an outbreak of respiratory illness due to a novel coronavirus (a disease now known as COVID-19), in the United States; and
WHEREAS, this rapidly evolving global situation required the Governor to direct the Vermont Department of Health (VDH) to activate the Health Operations Center in February 2020 when VDH began to monitor and later, test Vermonters who may have been exposed to COVID-19; and
Saturday, March 14: The Swap Shop at Windham Solid Waste Management on Ferry Road will not be open this Saturday.
We hope to be open again on Saturday, April 11.
The Brattleboro Selectboard will approve a bid to begin construction of a skatepark at their next regular meeting. Yes, you read that right. The skatepark is finally going to be built.
There will be updates on COVID-19 from the Town Manager and a status update on Representative Town Meeting, a sewer rodder will be bought, Groundworks will get a $100,000 grant, the Windham Regional Commission will give an update, stormwater will be managed, and more. You can bring up other items not on the agenda during Public Participation.
The Brattleboro ADA Advisory Committee will meet on Friday, March 13, 2020, at 9:00am in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room at the Municipal Center.
The Brattleboro Energy Committee will meet on Monday, March 2, 2020, at 5:00pm in the café at the Brattleboro Food Co-Op (2 Main Street).
The Brattleboro Tree Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, March 5, 2020, at 6:30pm in the Community Room at the Brattleboro Food Co-Op (2 Main Street).
A community forum is scheduled on Saturday, February 29, starting at 10:00am, at the Brooks Memorial Library to address the recent vehicle break-ins in Brattleboro. Although the forum is not a Selectboard meeting, it is expected that a majority of Selectboard members will attend; however, no Selectboard action will be taken at the forum.
Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
The Brattleboro Selectboard meeting previously scheduled on Tuesday, March 3, has been CANCELLED. That is election day and there are no time-sensitive matters that the Board must decide at that time. The next scheduled Selectboard meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 17, at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room at the Municipal Center.
The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee is meeting on Monday, February 24, 2020, at 5:00pm in the Mezzanine Meeting Room at Brooks Memorial Library.
The Brattleboro Citizen Police Communications Committee (CPCC) is meeting on Monday, February 24, 2020, at 5:30pm in the Meeting Room at Brooks Memorial Library.
The Brattleboro Selectboard heard about planning for one or more possible communications districts at their regular Tuesday meeting. Fiber might be coming to southern Vermont, depending on the results of a new survey everyone is encouraged to fill out and how applicable those results are to a business plan.
The Hazard Mitigation Plan was reviewed, liquor violators questioned, and reports given on a recent town governing day at the state level.
The Town of Brattleboro would like to remind everyone that the snow emergency ban is in effect.
Snow and ice will be removed from the parking lots in the downtown area this evening.
Parked vehicles in the downtown parking lots must be removed by 1:00am or they will be towed at the owner’s expense.
The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee will meet on Monday, February 17, 2020, at 5:00pm in the meeting room at the Brattleboro Tennis Club, located at 202 Cedar Street.
In observance of Presidents’ Day, all Brattleboro Town offices will be closed on Monday, February 17, 2020, with the exception of emergency services.
Parking is free at all metered spaces and in the pay-and-display lots on Sunday and Monday, February 16 and February 17. All other violations will be enforced.
This has been a very difficult winter for many roadways in Brattleboro. We have experienced multiple freeze/thaw cycles that have deteriorated the roadways and made maintenance a challenge. Potholes are formed when the road surface fails, introducing water into the roadway which weakens the soil beneath the pavement. Traffic applies loads to the roadway that stress the pavement past the breaking point.
The Town of Brattleboro would like to remind everyone that the snow emergency ban is in effect.
Snow and ice will be removed from the streets in the downtown area this evening.
Parked vehicles in the downtown district must be removed by 11:00pm or they will be towed at the owner’s expense.
Do you like trees? They reduce energy use, provide erosion control, and help control storm water runoff. The Brattleboro Tree Advisory Board is short-handed and needs a new member. If you are a resident of Brattleboro, and want to help us look after the Town’s trees, fill out the online application at the Town’s website: www.brattleboro.org > Serving the Community > Boards and Committees > Application. (Don’t be intimidated by the application; it’s an all-purpose document. If you have questions about it, Jan Anderson at 251-8100 can help.)
An unusual encounter:
The third installment of the 2019 Real Estate and Personal Property Taxes will be due on February 18th, 2020. Payments made after February 18th, 2020 will have an additional 1% interest added to the unpaid balance.
The utility billing is also due on February 18th, 2020. Payments made after February 19th, 2020 will have an additional 1% interest, as well as an 8% penalty added to the unpaid balance.
