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My Failure As Inspector of Lumber

by cgrotke | Op/Ed

For many years I was a Fence Viewer, a town position that was fairly active, with a few calls and inquires per year. When I hit my term limit, I decided to continue to volunteer and looked at the two other “odd” jobs, Weigher of Coal and Inspector of Wood, Lumber and Shingles.

As a Fence Viewer I learned there were both state statutes and materials available from the Vermont League of Cities and Towns to help explain the job, so my first step with Coal and Lumber was to look up what the jobs required.

VLCT said the positions were considered obsolete and unnecessary. They date from an earlier time prior to consumer protection laws, and now everything these positions were responsible for are handled in other ways.

I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project Update: Week of January 9th

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

I-91

Northbound I-91 traffic has been relocated onto the southbound bridge. Traffic will remain reduced to one lane in each direction on I-91 until completion of the new bridge. The new bridge will be 104’ wide and is designed to carry all four lanes of traffic –two northbound and two southbound.

To reduce congestion on I-91, both Exit 3 on ramps will be closed on Monday, January 16th (MLK Day) from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM (I-91 will remain open). Traffic conditions on both I-91 and through the town will be monitored closely throughout the day. Should traffic congestion become an issue, the ramps may be re-opened until traffic conditions improve. This will be managed actively throughout the day until peak traffic volumes have passed.

Loss of Fairground Rd Trash Bins

by tomaidh | Op/Ed

Am I hearing this right?

What a stupid move.

I lived in a town (Lake Luzerne, NY) where they tried something like this many years ago.

The unintended consequence was a “Yuuge” increase in trash being discarded by the side of the road.

Why not eliminate all trash and garbage collection for good and let the free market do its magic?

Ukulele Classes Start Next Week in Brattleboro!

by Ruthie | Music

Join the local ‘Ukulution’ and learn to play this sweet and easy instrument, with instructor Lisa McCormick!

Classes start the week of Jan.9, and run for 6 weeks, at New England Youth Theater, 100 Flat St., in Brattleboro.

Beginners (no musical background needed!), and Advanced Beginner levels available. Daytime and evening options. Ukuleles avaible for use in class.

More info and schedule: bit.ly/UkeClass

Selectboard Meeting Notes: The FY18 5 Cent Tax Increase Discussion, and Gartenstein Not Seeking Re-Election

by cgrotke | Town News

David Gartenstein will end six years of Selectboard service at the end of his current term. He announced his intentions not to seek re-election at the start of a long, first Selectboard meeting of 2017.

Most of the meeting was spent discussing budget loose ends and lingering questions regarding the FY18 budget. The board also heard about facilities project updates, had a late-evening welcome for our new Town Clerk and took up a few matters related to Representative Town Meeting.

Start the New Year with Gratitude, Writing Thank-You Letters at Brooks Library

by Brooks Memorial Library | Books

Join us at Brooks Memorial Library on Thursday 19 January 2017, 3 pm – 5 pm and Monday 23 January 2017, 6 pm – 8 pm for writing thank you letters. At this time of year we think that it’s important to find and express the things that we’re grateful for. To that end we’re setting up some tables with paper, pencils, pens, envelopes, and stamps and we’re writing letters. Thank-you letters. We’re writing letters to thank the sun for coming up, to thank a friend for their love, to thank our bodies for carrying us through life.

Drop-In Scrabble at Brooks Library – Weekly EXCEPT on First Wednesdays

by Brooks Memorial Library | Entertainment

Weekly Drop-in Scrabble will continue weekly on Wednesdays at 6 pm in the Local History Room, EXCEPT on First Wednesdays. Free and all welcome. Join us for 1st Wednesday Jan 4th, hope to see you at scrabble next week!

Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301

Contact us at info@brookslibraryvt.org or 802-254-5290

First Wednesdays at Brooks Library: Canterbury Tales, Still Funny after All These Years

by Brooks Memorial Library | Books

Dartmouth professor Peter Travis will discuss the genius, comic wisdom, and enduring humanity of Geoffrey Chaucer, the fourteenth-century “Father of English Poetry,” in a talk at Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main St., in Brattleboro on January 4 at 7:00 pm.

His talk, “Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales: Still Funny After All These Years,” is part of the Vermont Humanities Council’s First Wednesdays lecture series and is free and open to the public.

That Which Accounts for the Blueness of the Sky

by Vidda | Nature

Has anyone told you, you have beautiful eyes today? No? Why don’t you try on hazel eyes for a day and let me be the first?

The beauty of hazel eyes adds a bit of a mystery on the human eye-color chart. Less than 7% of the world’s population has hazel eyes, which make hazel eyes rather rare.

The science of the observable characteristics of hazel eyes is, like all eye colors, determined by genetic traits “influenced by up to sixteen known genes, passed to you that you inherit.” Science no longer thinks that your hazel eyes “(or any other eye color) happened because of a dominant gene.”

Brattleboro 2017 Town and Town School Election Petitions and Election Schedule

by Not Signed In | Politics

Petitions for Brattleboro Town and Town School District Officers and Town Meeting Members are now available at the Town Clerk’s office. Town elections will be Tuesday, March 7, and the Annual Representatives Town Meeting, Saturday, March 25.

Petitions for Town Officers must contain at least 30 valid signatures of registered Brattleboro voters and be filed in the clerk’s office no later than 5:00 P.M. on Monday, January 30 in order to have their name placed on the ballot.

Brattleboro Dog and Wolf-Hybrid Licenses Available

by Not Signed In | Pets

Brattleboro dog and wolf-hybrid licenses are available for the 2017 licensing period. Vermont dogs and wolf-hybrids 6 months of age and older must be licensed on or before April 1.

Renewal licenses may be obtained in person at the Town Clerk’s office, through the mail or online at www.brattleboro.org. Dogs being licensed in Brattleboro for the first time may be licensed in person or through the mail by printing the license form from the website listed above.

Vaccination against rabies is required by Vermont Statutes before licensing. A current vaccination means:

Shovel Thoughts

by cgrotke | Home & Garden

I’ve been shoveling out driveways and sidewalks most of my life. With the exception of a few years in Florida and DC, grabbing a shovel and clearing snow has been a part of my winter routine.

Shoveling provides time to think about shoveling.

The type of snow matters. Light powder is easily removed but often blows around and stings the face. Heavy, wet snow is a chore to remove, but it usually stays in place while I move it. Following forecasts to know what sort of snow to expect is a starting point.

BCTV Schedules For Week of 1/2/17

by BCTVProg | Media

BCTV channel 8 schedule for the week of 1/2/17

Monday, January 2, 2017

12:30 am Mad River Chorale – Holiday Harmonies

2:00 am 1st Wed: A Secretary of the Future

3:30 am What Do We Do Now? Taking Action in Trump’s America

4:48 am TED Talks: Mallory Soldner – Your Company’s Data Could End World Hunger

Artist Forum at Mitchell – Giddings Fine Arts: “Winter Group”

by Lise | Arts

Mitchell • Giddings Fine Arts is pleased to announce a special “Winter Group Forum“ to take place at the gallery Saturday January 7th at 5pm. This Forum will be a “roaming style“ talk facilitated by gallery owners Petria Mitchell and Jim Giddings. Included will be MGFA’s most recent gallery artists Torin Porter and Anne Johnstone, as well as gallery artists Jackie Abrams, Will Finkel, Michele Ratté, Donald Saaf, and Chris Triebert.

Torin Porter, a sculptor from Glover Vermont working primarily in steel, engages our imagination with his playful, stylized figures. Painter and collage artist Anne Johnstone from Somerville, MA works in mixed media, oil, and wax to create dramatic works that use distortion and exaggeration to convey a curiously heightened emotional response. Jackie Abrams, a fiber artist from Brattleboro, explores themes of the feminine form and experience through her woven vessels. Will Finkel is a ceramic artist from Brattleboro whose glazes capture the colors and wonder of natural phenomena.

New Year’s Day Bingo!

by Not Signed In | Entertainment

The Brattleboro VFW will be holding a bingo on Sunday, New Year’s Day. Doors open at 12 pm, and bingo games start at 2 PM. A single winner will take home $1000 when they win the jackpot in 75 numbers or less. No food or drink may be brought into the hall, but food and drinks are available for purchase. Public is invited.

-Brattleboro VFW

VFW Lunch Specials Jan. 2nd – Jan. 6th

by Not Signed In | Food

The Brattleboro VFW at 40 Black Mountain Road is open to the public for lunch. Lunch is served from 11:30 – 1:30 PM. Specials are only $6 a plate. Burgers, fries, onion rings, chicken wings, soups and sandwiches are also available.

Mon – prime rib sandwich w/ onion rings
Tues – ham w/ cheesy au gratin potatoes & veg
Wed – chicken parmesan w/ garlic bread
Thur – marinated steak tips w/ garlic mashed potatoes & veg
Fri – coconut shrimp w/ homemade seafood chowder

Take out orders are available by calling 257-0438

Brattleboro Parking Lot Snow Removal Friday

by Not Signed In | Town News

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 10:30pm or they will be towed at the owner’s expense.

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – January 3, 2017

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will convene for the first time in 2017 on Tuesday at the Municipal Center to take up a short but interesting agenda. The board will hear about the FY218 budget again, proposed solar panels at the landfill, and a grant for housing improvements. The new Town Clerk will be welcomed, articles for Representative Town Meeting will be considered, and a contract for Town Attorney will be approved.

You can bring up other new, exciting 2017 items not already on the agenda during Public Participation.

Brattleboro Downtown District Snow Removal Friday Night

by Not Signed In | Town News

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 10:30pm or they will be towed at the owner’s expense.

Snow/Roof Shoveling

by zrounds | Business

With all of this snow, don’t forget to have your roof cleared from the snow, preventive maintenance that saves a lot of money. If you need any snow Shoveling/Blowing done please give me a call. I have some openings on my schedule and would love to be of service.

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