News and information sections, from near to far
On April 14, 2026, at 1436 hours, the Brattleboro Fire Department was dispatched to the area of the Connecticut River Access Point on Old Ferry Road for a reported brush fire.
Responding crews upgraded the alarm assignment to a “second alarm,” bringing in additional mutual aid fire department companies.
The Town of Brattleboro is looking for citizens to serve on the following committees and boards:
ADA Committee
Conservation Commission
Design Review Board (Alternate)
Development Review Board (Alternate)
Energy Committee – 1 year term
The Town of Brattleboro is pleased to announce the appointment of Brooks Memorial Library’s next Director, Julie Perrin. Perrin, who has spent the past nine years leading the Jaffrey Public Library in Jaffrey, NH, brings extensive experience in library program development, grant writing, and operations management. She will begin on May 11, 2026.
“We’re excited to have someone with Julie’s clear passion and original thought to pick up the thread and help write the next chapter at Brooks Memorial Library,” said Brattleboro Town Manager John Potter. “She’s an experienced leader with a proven track record that includes efficient management, capital fundraising, and facility project management, which is especially important as Brooks undergoes renovations over the next year.”
Brattleboro, VT – The Department of Public Works will be conducting road repairs from a previous culvert installation on Guilford Street Extension on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
As a result, Guilford Street Extension will be fully closed to all traffic between house numbers #773 and #821 from 8:30 a.m. until no later than 1 p.m. The road may reopen earlier if work is completed ahead of schedule.
Utilities Division crews will start Spring Flushing of the Town water mains on Friday, April 17 and continue through Friday, May 1. Occasional daytime flushing will continue through May 8.
Customers are asked to check the flushing schedule closely as flushing may cause water discoloration, low water pressure and in some areas, and intervals of no water. Users who experience a short period of discolored water or air in the water lines after flushing is complete should run the cold water for a few minutes to clear the lines.
Got a message from a reader that the law enforcement activity on South Main today is NOT immigration-related, despite some people seeing some masked officers. Typically the police issue a press release after things are over, but people are understandably nervous. If we get the press release, we’ll put it up.
The Town of Brattleboro Water Department’s annual Consumer Confidence Report / Water Quality Report for 2025 is now available. This report can be viewed online at https://brattleboro.gov/water-supply. Printed copies are available at the Department of Public Works, Tri-Park CO-OP Office, Town Clerk’s Office and at the I-91 Welcome Center in Guilford.
The Brattleboro Traffic Safety Committee will meet on Thursday, April 16, 2026 at 8:00am in the Selectboard Meeting Room and over Zoom.
TRAFFIC IMPACTS:
Brattleboro-Putney STP PS 25(11)
Single-lane closures will be in place on U.S. Route 5 from the Brattleboro-Dummerston town line north to Putney. Flaggers will assist with alternating traffic patterns through multiple work zones as needed from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
There was a misprint in the Annual Town Meeting banner over Main Street. Annual Town Meeting will take place on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at 8:30am. It will not begin on Sunday.
Due to current weather conditions and an elevated risk of wildfires, a burn ban is now in effect for the Town of Brattleboro until further notice.
Relative humidity is expected to remain low, with no measurable precipitation in the forecast for the coming days. These conditions create a high wildfire risk, where even a small spark could ignite a fast-moving, dangerous fire.
The addendum to the Town Report for the April 11, 2026 Annual Town Meeting is available for pickup at the circulation desk at the Brooks Memorial Library and a the Town Manager’s Office.
The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a regular meeting on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room at the Brattleboro Municipal Center (230 Main Street, Room 212) and over Zoom. Prior to the regular meeting at 5:15pm, the Board will convene and is expected to move directly into executive session to discuss contracts and real estate. The attached agenda contains information on how to access the meeting remotely, including the required “passcode.” Closed captioning will be available for deaf and hard-of-hearing community members. The backup materials for this meeting will be available on the town website by the end of the day.
Annual Town Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, April 11, 2026, at the Brattleboro Union High School gymnasium at 8:30am.
Prior to this meeting, the Brattleboro Selectboard will hold an informational forum on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at the Brattleboro Area Middle School (109 Sunny Acres Road) in the Multipurpose Room at 7:00pm. Below are more details about the informational forum.
Beginning Monday, crews will be accessing the shoulders along U.S. Route 5 from the Interstate 91 overpass in Brattleboro north toward the intersection with Putney Landing Road in Putney. There is potential for single lane closures with flaggers to be in place from Wednesday to Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
At its March 26, 2026 meeting, the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB) committed $4,544,575 in state, federal, and philanthropic funding to strengthen both — approving investments to conserve 2,420 acres of Vermont’s most ecologically significant lands and support 27 new affordable homes across the state.
These investments address Vermont’s most urgent needs: expanding affordable homeownership in high-demand areas, innovative financing strategies to preserve housing for extremely low-income households in the face of federal rental assistance reductions, protecting critical wetland systems and water quality corridors linked to Lake Champlain, expanding town forest holdings, and conserving high-priority interior forest blocks connecting major conservation areas across the state.
The Town of Brattleboro is looking for citizens to serve on the following committees and boards:
ADA Committee
Conservation Commission
Design Review Board (Alternate)
Development Review Board (Alternate)
Energy Committee – 1 year term
The Town of Brattleboro today marked the retirement of Police Chief Norma Hardy, whose remarkable four and a half years of leadership transformed the Brattleboro Police Department and leaves an enduring legacy of community-centered policing. Chief Hardy officially stepped down on March 30, 2026, after more than 30 years in law enforcement, a career defined by compassion, courage, and an unwavering commitment to the people she served. Hardy’s retirement coincided with the swearing in of Brattleboro’s next Police Chief, Jeremy Evans, whose career with the department began in 1998, and the new Assistant Police Chief, Adam Petlock.
Under Chief Hardy’s leadership, the Brattleboro Police Department pursued an ambitious and forward-thinking agenda to make the community safer and more connected. Her hallmark initiative, the Brattleboro Resource Assistance Team (BRAT), placed additional unarmed officers on regular foot patrol throughout downtown, based at the newly built police substation at the Transportation Center. In its first year alone, the unit responded to more than 530 incidents, and business owners credited the increased visibility with revitalizing the downtown experience for residents and visitors.
Travelers to Brattleboro should be advised that on Saturday, March 28, 2026, from approximately 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., an organization plans to conduct a march in the downtown area.
The march will begin at the Preston Lot and continue north along Main Street before looping around and concluding at the Preston Lot. Event organizers are anticipating approximately 3,000 participants.
The Brattleboro Tree Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, April 2, 2026 at 4:15pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room at the Municipal Center (230 Main Street).
