cgrotke

iBrattleboro Interview: David Gartenstein

by cgrotke | Politics

David Gartenstein is running for a one-year seat on the Brattleboro Selectboard. We asked him some questions, and his answers follow. Election day is Tuesday, March 3rd.

…..

– What lessons would you say you have you learned since joining the board? 

Serving as a member of the Selectboard, and as Chair, have reinforced for me the vital importance of ensuring that everyone is heard with respect.  We face many competing priorities in Brattleboro, and our goal should be to achieve what is best for the town and its residents given our limited resources.

1849 Opening of the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad

by cgrotke | History

The Vermont Phoenix account of the first train arriving in Brattleboro, from Boston, on February 20, 1849.

Celebration of the Opening of the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad

This celebration took place on Tuesday last, the 20th inst., and will be long remembered by those who were present at it. By the arrangements made, the cars from Boston were to arrive about 1 o’clock P.M., but owning to the large train of passengers, they did not arrive until 3 P.M. Our citizens, and guests from the adjacent country, in the mean time were assembled “en masse” – and notwithstanding the long delay, had not the least difficulty in keeping cool.

Puppies and Pigs

by cgrotke | History

From the Vermont Phoenix, Feb. 21, 1896, comes a story of puppies and pigs.

“Michael L. is a son of Erin’s Isle. His facial expression and his linguistic accomplishments would be convulsive proof before a jury.

Michael is not afraid of trichinosis, and recently bought two infantile porkers in Brattleboro, to be raised on his Vernon farm.

Michael started for home with his pigs, but he stopped at a wayside in in Guilford, presumably to get refreshments. While he was there some fun-loving person released his pigs from the bag and put two small puppies in their place.

Weekend Comedy Series: Mitch Hedberg

by cgrotke | Entertainment

This is a follow up to our Steven Wright show of last week. If you liked that one, you should enjoy this one as well. Mitch Hedberg is similar in style, doing a surreal series of nervous, one-liner, observational jokes.

I love his delivery and perspective. It’s too bad he checked out at an early age (37) so we don’t have more of his humor to look forward to, but he also seems to be one of the sorts of people that didn’t quite fit in on planet earth. His making sense of his time here was his craft.

Happy 12th Birthday, iBrattleboro

by cgrotke | iBrattleboro

Twelve years ago, Lise and I flipped the proverbial switch and turned on iBrattleboro.com, a new type of web site. It used the world wide web to communicate hyper-locally, and gave everyone in town who cared to register a platform for sharing news, events, stories, and opinions of all things Brattleboro.

Since then, we’ve worked to keep things up and running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round, even on holidays. That’s 4015 days without much of a break, something I’m not sure I would have agreed to up front had I known what was involved, but now I can’t really imagine things without it. That will come someday, but not now. Now we are twelve.

That’s 12 years of non-professional, un-edited, real-community local information. You’ve done a spectacular job.

Selectboard Meeting Notes: PAYT, Union Hill, Low Bids, And The End Of An Era

by cgrotke | Town News

There will be no mailing of Selectboard concerns regarding the Charter change proposals. The media, it was deemed, will be enough of a loudspeaker for the board’s concerns.

Much of the upcoming Pay As You Throw system was voted into being, though the issue of who will be educating the public remains to be decided, while Moss Kahler and Waste Zero discuss the possibility working together.  

The Department of Public Works has a plan to save significant funds by doing the Union Hill intersection improvements in-house, a question of local-but-not-lowest bids delayed the awarding of a bid for a snack bar, and the calendar of events will no longer be read by the board.

Proposed Charter Amendment Fact Sheet

by cgrotke | Politics

The Brattleboro Selectboard has drafted and is considering adopting and mailing the following “Fact Sheet” related to the proposed Charter changes on the upcoming March ballot. The mailing to all residences will cost under $3000.

Below you’ll find an attachment that included the draft text being considered, as it appeared in the Selectboard meeting materials for their February 17 meeting, to be held later tonight. If approved, you will also get a copy in the mail.

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – February 17, 2015

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will take action on a number of issues related to the implementation of Pay As You Throw at their next regular Tuesday meeting. The decisions were delayed to this meeting in part to give the public time to weigh in.

The board will take up the matter of their special mailing to all residents in opposition to proposed Charter change amendments on the March ballot, learn about the Union Hill improvements at the Western Ave intersection, approve homeland security and terrorism prevention grants, and more.

You can attend in person at the Municipal Center, even participate in the meeting, or watch on BCTV and read about it here when it is over. If you are really ambitious, you can do all of those things.

Weekend Comedy Series: Steven Wright

by cgrotke | Entertainment

A 1985 performance by Steven Wright. Droll, dead-pan one-liners delivered rapid-fire. His humor twists things around and requires some assembly, but he gives you the parts, and asks the questions.

“Why is the alphabet in that order? Is it because of that song?”

Brattleboro Selectboard Special Meeting: Pay As You Throw

by cgrotke | Town News

An abbreviated Brattleboro Selectboard had an extended special meeting to primarily discuss Pay As You Throw. Donna Macomber was absent, and David Schoales left midway through.

New information revealed that our new trash bags will be color coded (colors undisclosed) with drawstring enclosures at top.

Also new, that bags will be sold about town in packs of five or ten. A 5-pack of small, 15 gallon bags will cost, at $2 each, ten dollars. For the larger 32 gallon bags, a 5-pack will cost, at $3 each, fifteen dollars. Ten packs will then cost $20 and $30.

Individual bags will be sold at the Municipal Center and at the Gibson-Aiken Center.

The Lecture at The High School By Principal Professor Bacon

by cgrotke | History

In February of 1860, the principal of the high school gave a lecture describing what he saw as “defects” in the current school system. The newspaper was kind enough to dcoument this, so we can go back and read what he said about such topics as books, naps, exercise, carbonic acid gas, and politeness.

The system he describes seems rather far from what we do today, but the goal is identical.

Flakiness Intensifies

by cgrotke | Nature

The seasonal frozen precipitation continues. Brattleboro should have an abundance of new flakes by morning.

Anyone doing anything interesting?

Weekend Comedy Series: Rita Rudner

by cgrotke | Entertainment

Remember Rita? She’s sort of a cross between a fairy godmother and Gracie Allen, with her own style and grace, delivering innocent questions and observations with a delivery that packs a punch.

She’s originally from Miami and was a dancer on Broadway before entering the comedy biz. Woody Allen and Jack Benny are considered influences. More recently she can often be found performing in Vegas.

BUHS and Brattleboro School Budgets and Issues

by cgrotke | Education

Glenn wrote:

“Perhaps someone could start a new thread to talk about school issues? While they all end up boiling down a town tax bill, they’re not really in the same category as town and selectboard issues. BUHS, the Brattleboro school district, and the municipality are all a little different”

Good idea, and wish granted. Carry on…

The Great Snowball Assault of 1892

by cgrotke | History

The weather was right for packing good snowballs. The targets were a plenty. Nobody stopped them.

February 5, 1892, as reported in the Phoenix:

The heavy fall of damp snow, which came on Tuesday and Tuesday night, was followed Wednesday by the worst exhibition of hoodlumism ever seen on Brattleboro streets.

In the early morning the boys began snow-balling in an entirely proper and legitimate way, but at noon this had degenerated into a wanton and indiscriminate attack upon every passerby, and upon every team, person and object which chanced for any reason to furnish a target. 

Selectboard Meeting Notes: Nothing Ado About Much

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard had a non-controversial, almost-dull meeting Tuesday night. If you are looking for fireworks, there are none to report.

Interesting things were accomplished, however. Things you need to know about. Things that will change the way of life as we know it in this town. A major sidewalk renovation will be underway later this year, there are new zoning regulations being developed, and Representative Town Meeting informational meetings for Town Representatives are being planned.

There was no decision regarding opposing the Charter change questions, other than to prepare informational materials, in case the board decides to send a statement.

The Real Snowstorm of 2015, and Hot Chocolate

by cgrotke | Nature

The snow continues to fall here at the iBrattleboro world headquarters. The temperatures are low, as they have been for quite a few weeks, but this time around we have been given some snow. Quite a bit. There seem to be about 8 to 12 inches out there so far, and no signs of it stopping anytime soon.

I like the way everything is quiet when the snow is like this. No one is out driving around. Everyone is waiting for it to pass.

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – February 3, 2015

by cgrotke | Town News

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.

Weekend Comedy Series: Jeff Foxworthy

by cgrotke | Entertainment

I had a different show picked out, but in the last day or so it was removed from YouTube, so instead of Check Your Neck, we’ll visit Jeff Foxworthy in the early 1990’s via his “You Might Be A Redneck” special.

Foxworthy is famous for his “you might be a redneck if…” jokes and TV shows, but how many knew that he did a five year gig maintaining IBM mainframes?

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

by cgrotke | Town News

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.