Selectboard Meeting Notes: Onward To Black Mountain Road

The Brattleboro Selectboard made the decision to recommend the Black Mountain Road police station option to Representative Town Meeting, and the Town Attorney said Town Meeting Representatives could only vote on the police station portion of the facilities projects, as it was the only project with a change of location.

Several items were placed on the warning for Representative Town Meeting, the PAYT committee was dissolved, a Special Represntative Town Meeting has been scheduled, SeVEDS and child care centers both were warned not to burden Brattleboro’s taxpayers, and the FY17 budget has been approved for Representative Town meeting debate.

All this and more, in a meeting that stretched past ten o’clock.


Weekend Creativity Series: Building Ornamentation

One of the ways we used to be more creative as a culture was in our ornamentation of buildings. Part of the thrill of visits to big cities is to see the highly decorated and elaborate old facades.

While cost-cutting has streamlined buildings of more recent times, the Washington Cathedral in DC is a relatively new structure that stands as an example of what is possible with carved stone ornamentation. Cats, monsters, frogs, birds, snakes, owls, mules, dragons, pigs, and people are represented as gargoyles and water spouts.


Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda & Notes – January 19, 2016

At Tuesday’s meeting, the Brattleboro Selectboard will likely endorse moving the police station to Black Mountain Road and doing full improvements for the fire stations. The board will also discuss spending $200,000 to make corrections to the gravity sewer project on Black Mountain Road.

The Waste Water Treatment Plant needs fixin’. Town Meeting Representatives will be summoned for a special Representative Town Meeting. Many articles will be considered for the upcoming regular Representative Town Meeting, the board will hear updates on PAYT as well as implementation of the Town Plan, Living Memorial Park may need a stormwater permit for the proposed skatepark, the parking garage gets new stairs, and more.

You can attend in person and participate! Or watch on BCTV then read about it here after.


My New Theory – Economic Fracking

I’ve coined a new term for what I think is going on in the world economy. Certain speculators and money-obsessed groups are fracking the economy, trying to extract smaller and smaller amounts of profit from deeper and deeper crevices. In doing so, they’ve made the underlying economy unstable, and strange, unexpected, and dangerous events are the result. This makes it impossible for those who played by former rules to know how to participate. The old rules have changed.

So, an example of this fracking of the economy would be the investment houses that invest in algorithms to do high volume micro-trades at faster-than-human speeds. They are hoping to extract pennies, or portions of pennies, in their favor.


Brattleboro Selectboard Special Meeting Notes: Paying the Piper

The special meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard examined the cost of borrowing for proposed Police and Fire facility options, life cycle cost comparisons, how and when to apply the excess fund balance, and preliminary Police and Fire facilities survey results.

It’s increasingly looking like two full fire stations and a Black Mountain police station will be presented to voters, but no decision has been officially made as of yet, and more meetings are scheduled before those decisions are cast in stone.


Sanders – Clinton Race Tightens, Trump Favored in NH

New polling from a show Sanders within a margin of error with Clinton in Iowa (45% to her 48%), and show him leading her in New Hampshire (50% to her 46%).

Sanders beats or ties the top Republicans in those states. He beats Trump and Cruz by 19 points in New Hampshire.

Clinton would trail Cruz or Rubio in New Hampshire, but would beat Trump in either NH or Iowa. She does least well against Rubio, losing by 12 points.

Cruz beats Trump by a small margin in Iowa. Rubio and Carson are competing for third place there.

Trump beats Cruz in NH.


Weekend Creativity Series: Big Data

Let’s think big.

I’m stretching the concept of creativity here a bit, but I do so under the following argument: one should be aware of the tools available to be able to fully contemplate creative opportunities.

In simple, artsy terms, knowing about paper and pencils are great, but the creative options expand when one knows about crayons, paints, and markers.


A Presidential Candidate – Gary Johnson

Gary Johnson has announced his intention of running for the office of President of the United States.

“I do believe that crony capitalism is alive and well. It’s Democrats and Republicans that contribute to that. I’d like to be that choice that is not going to succumb to that.”


Selectboard Meeting Notes – Whether to Tap Excess Funds Now or Later

Two members of the Brattleboro Selectboard voiced opposition to moving the police station to Black Mountain Road at Tuesday night’s meeting. It was just one item in a packed agenda that included a range of issues, from trash collection to green undertakers.

The board is wrestling with whether to apply some excess funds toward tax savings now, save it for another year, or split it up. A Survey Monkey questionnaire regarding police and fire facility options is in development, soon to be filled out by you. Utilities must get out of the way for bridge work, committee members were appointed, and two locations in town were leased out.


Brattleboro Selectboard Meeting Agenda and Notes – January 5, 2016

Welcome to a new year of Brattleboro Selectboard meetings.

On Tuesday, to kick off 2016, the Brattleboro Selectboard will contemplate whether moving the police station to Black Mountain Road, away from the center of town and out of the municipal center, is a good idea or not. If you have views, you may want to attend and share them.

The board will also take up remaining issues with the FY17 budget proposal and discuss potential use of the fund balance (our “reserve”). There will be ordinary business related to articles on the Representative Town Meeting agenda. Cemetery and Energy Committees will give annual reports, new committee appointments will be made, and more.

Watch on BCTV and read about it here after the meeting.


Error Code 200 – Flagging New York City

I tried to order a final gift online on Monday and my BS&L card was rejected by the web site. The site told me to re-enter my info, so I did, and it gave me the same error.

I had been doing this quite easily for the last few weeks, with items of similar prices, so I knew it wasn’t my card. I assumed the web site had errors.

So, while I liked the price and location of the original store in New York, I went to a different site in a different location and it worked. I ordered my item without a problem from a different place in Tennessee.

Unfortunately, after ordering, that store owner called me to tell me he was out of stock and didn’t expect a replacement until September.


Brattleboro’s Business License (Tax) Needs Reform

At about this time each year, Brattleboro businesses generously donate over $50,000… to the Town of Brattleboro for a town business license.

That’s $50,000 that is diverted from food and heat drives, year-end bonuses, and holiday gift buying and into the town’s coffers. It is also an unnecessary hurdle for business owners in Brattleboro.

There are many things wrong with this approach, all easily solved if we are serious about being business-friendly.

It doesn’t need to be collected at this time of year.

The current system requires payments be made during the holiday season, when food drives, heat funds, and donations to other worthy causes need funds. This is the only time it can be collected, according to the way the town operates the program.


1887 Advertisement for I. B. Thorn

For our final December historical advertisement, let’s see what I. B. Thorn has to offer downtown on Main Street, across from High.

Thorn is thinking ahead. Not only does he offer Christmas gifts, but also gifts for the New Year. It’s “the finest display of holiday novelties ever seen in town,” after all. Not bad for a drug store.


A Challenge Grant

iBrattleboro was just given a generous gift of $300, and the person doing the giving asked us to challenge readers to match the gift. Our guess is that the hope is we can raise another $300 for hosting, upkeep, and so on from some small donations.

If you are so inclined, you can contribute using PayPal (a box here in the iBrattleboro section in the right column should assist) or send a check to iBrattleboro, 41 Cedar Street, Brattleboro, 05301.


1886 Advertisement for N. I. Hawley

Hawley sells clothes. Each season he goes to New York City to find the latest and greatest fashions and best prices for his Brattleboro customers. He returns with a new load, tells us all what he has for sale, and we buy it from him.

Here is his complex advertisement for December 1886. Get your holiday goods and staple supplies!


1885 Advertisement for F. E. Drown

Mr. Drown is excited to share the news of holiday sales of soles. He has good goods!

In this ad, we see a cannon exploding with shoes and slippers, blasting them to residents of Brattleboro and all of Windham County. Trade is “booming,” of course. Get it?


Brattleboro Selectboard Special Meeting Agenda – December 21

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Monday to discuss budget matters and police and fire facility plans.

I don’t plan to cover this. Consider it my gift to the board – a week free of close scrutiny. (Anyone reading this is qualified and welcome to write this meeting up, of course. A gift for me?)


1888 Advertisement for Ambrose Knapp Horn Blowing

Ambrose Knapp has some business news to share this holiday season. A new partnership has been formed between Knapp and Santa Claus.

The text says that “they expect by their joint efforts to give everybody a good time,” and warn us “Do not let anyone deceive you into believing that Santa Claus is in any way invested in any other stock or store.”