cgrotke

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Manale Begins, FY23 & RTM Loose Ends

by cgrotke | Town News
yoshi manale brattleboro jan 2022

The Brattleboro Selectboard began 2022 with new Town Manager Octavian Yoshi Manale at the helm. He remained relatively quiet, letting staff do most of the explaining while he adjusted to the new surroundings.

The board made a few FY’23 decisions, punted a few others to another meeting, and helped approve some articles to go before RTM at what they cautioned might be another virtual town meeting.

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – January 4, 2022

by cgrotke | Town News

The first regular meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard in 2022 is also the start of Yoshi Manale’s tenure as Town Manager. Welcome, Yoshi!

Changes to the Agricultural Land Preservation Fund will be discussed. The board will also consider feeding and providing childcare for Representative Town Meeting, they’ll review goals, and consider some traffic safety items. And, as always, you can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.

I Want A Snow Day

by cgrotke | Nature

Remember way back when we used to have snow? Wasn’t that a fun time?

I’d really appreciate a good, old-fashioned snow day sometime soon. One of those days when we get a foot or more of (not heavy and wet) snow and everything has to close down. Everyone gets a day off, schools close, and  we hear the sound of plowing, shoveling and snow blowing.

Brattleboro Opioid Settlement – Executive Summary

by cgrotke | State News

Executive Summary

1. Settlement Approval Deadline: January 2, 2022
2. Recommendation: Approve Settlements
3. Total Funds to Vermont: Approximately $65 Million (assuming full participation)
4. Local Government Allocations: 15% of total Vermont share, to be allocated pursuant to Exhibit G to the Settlement Agreements.

COVID Christmas

by cgrotke | Entertainment

I thought we could retire this one last year, but now it’s a becoming a regular holiday special. Here it is again, the COVID Christmas Anti-Viral Holiday Special…  stay safe everyone!

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Peter Elwell’s Final Meeting, Mask Mandate Modified

by cgrotke | Town News
peter elwell

It’s the final regular meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard for 2021, (if any meeting this year could be called “regular.”)

The board reconsidered the mask mandate, reviewed FY’23 matters, looked at annual audit results, considered financial reports, and bought some trucks and equipment repairs. More interesting to me, though, was that this was the last “regular” meeting for outgoing Town Manager Peter Elwell. That’s kind of where my thoughts are tonight, more than on budgets and such.

And, for that reason, I don’t plan to transcribe everything word for word tonight. Instead some thoughts…and a bit of the meeting.

Brattleboro Selectboard Meeting Agenda and Notes December 21, 2021

by cgrotke | Town News

It’s the final regular meeting of the Brattlboro Selectboard for 2021 and the last regular meeting for outgoing Town Manager Peter Elwell. They’ll take up issues of mask mandate exemptions, financial audits, and more FY23 budget planning. You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation, and you are probably welcome to bring holiday cookies as well.

Community Safety Review Update

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hear highlights from the last three months of work on the Community Safety Review Recommendations from Town Manager Peter Elwell this evening.  Here is his latest memo outlining what he plans to present. (I’d love to cover this special meeting but other plans intrude).

…….

This memorandum, the attached updated implementation table, and the presentation I will make at the December 14 Selectboard meeting comprise Town staff’s second status report to the Selectboard and the community regarding our implementation of recommendations from the 2020 community safety review.

Vermont on PBS NewsHour

by cgrotke | Media

Vermont was featured on the national news last night. The PBS Newshour did a segment on Vermont and the pandemic. Our rising numbers contrast with our early successes and this makes for interesting news.

They said that Vermont’s numbers were up because 1) everyone got their shot early on so we’ve had a long time for the effects to weaken, and 2) variants are more contagious now.

People ending up in hospitals are mostly unvaccinated. People who are vaccinated are getting milder cases, but are transmitting it to those who are not vaccinated yet.  Booster shots aren’t as popular as the first round of vaccinations, either.

Lighting Up The Park At Night

by cgrotke | Entertainment

I had to laugh last night during the Selectboard meeting. Dick DeGray, a former board member, called in to suggest putting lights in a park to illuminate a monument at night. It’s a good idea – flags and monuments should be lit, in my view – but it reminded me of our sock puppet selectboard special in which the sock puppet board debates putting lights in a park.

Enjoy the memories:

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Brattleboro Needs 500 Housing Units

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard december 6, 2021

The Brattleboro Selectboard learned about housing issues and possible strategies for addressing some serious housing needs during their first regular meeting of December . 500 housing units is the low estimate of what Brattleboro needs, now, and the selectboard is eager to make it an actual goal.

The board also approved corrections and updates to a Civil War monument, preserving the original but annotating it with a new plaque and information about the people of color and lower classes of soldiers not named on the original. They won’t name them on the new plaque, but will be directed to further information.

Brattleboro Selectboard Meeting Agenda and Notes – December 7, 2021

by cgrotke | Town News

Traffic safety and recommendations for improvements to the Representative Town Meeting will be discussed at the next regular meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard. New bike lanes, LED stop signs, and a request for a crosswalk are all in the mix for Tuesday.

The board will continue to provide free operating space for some local businesses who’d like to have larger establishments, and they’ll approve a correction to a very old piece of Town information.

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

iBrattleboro Christmas Calendar Update

by cgrotke | Creative

Traditionalists here are missing the old animated history calendar for the month of December. We are, too.

There is good news to report, though. A group of programmers has been working to build a Flash emulator to play old Flash-based content. The Internet Archive is using their work to preserve old Flash files, and they are also making it available to the rest of us. 

Brattleboro Selectboard Special Meeting Agenda

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will meet on Tuesday, November 30, 2021, at 6:15pm at the Second Floor Meeting Room at the Central Fire Station, 103 Elliot Street. Everyone will be required to wear a face covering and maintain social distance. The public is encouraged to participate in the meeting over Zoom. The attached agenda contains information on how to access the meeting remotely, including the required “passcode.”  ASL interpreters will be available for deaf and hard-of-hearing community members.