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Lonnie Holley with Mourning [A] BLKstar at Next Stage

Next Stage Arts presents improvisational artist and musician Lonnie Holley in performance with multi-generational, gender, genre non-conforming amalgam of Black culture Mourning [A] BLKstar at Next Stage on Friday, January 19 at 7:30 pm 

Since 1979, Lonnie Holley has devoted his life to the practice of improvisational creativity. His art and music, born out of struggle, hardship, but perhaps more importantly, out of furious curiosity and biological necessity, has manifested itself in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, performance, music, and filmmaking. Holley’s sculptures are constructed from found materials in the oldest tradition of African American sculpture. Objects, already imbued with cultural and artistic metaphor, are combined into narrative sculptures that commemorate places, people, and events. His work is now in collections of major museums throughout the world (The Museums of Fine Arts, San Francisco; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; The Philadelphia Museum of Art; The Smithsonian American Art Museum; The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, and many others), on permanent display in the United Nations, and been displayed in the White House Rose Garden.


Brattleboro Storm Update – Dec 18 Evening

According to recent estimates, Brattleboro received more than 4 inches of rain during the storm. West Brattleboro was the most heavily impacted area. Earlier in the day, 12 residents from Mountain Home Park, located along Village, Valley, and Edgewood Drive, were evacuated but have since been allowed to return home.

The Department of Public Works has reported that 19 roads have sustained damage.

Currently, Hescock Road, George F. Miller Drive, and Dettman Drive are closed, while six others have reduced lanes. Crews are expected to work on all affected roads on Tuesday.


Brattleboro Monday Morning Storm Update

Since the rain storm began late in the day on Dec. 17, Brattleboro has received 2 inches of rain. Towns west of Brattleboro have received up to 3 inches of rain. With the amount of rain and snow melt from higher elevations, Brattleboro is experiencing flooding prominently in the West Brattleboro area.

The Department of Public Works, Fire Department, and Brattleboro Police are working diligently to keep roads passable and safe for travel. Town staff have notified and are assisting residents in the Mountain Home Trailer Park, along Valley Road and Edgewood Road, with evacuation.

The bridges on Dettman Drive, George F. Miller Drive, and Meadow Brook Road are currently closed because of water going over them. Other roads have minor water flows, and our team will continue to monitor the situation. Please use caution when you encounter water passing over roadways and use alternate routes.


Brattleboro Holiday Closings

In observance of the Christmas holiday:

Brattleboro Town offices will close at 12:00pm (noon) on Friday, December 22, 2023.

In observance of the Christmas holiday all Town Offices will be closed on Monday, December 25, 2023.


BCTV Schedules – Week of December 18, 2023

Monday, December 18, 2023

6:00 am Windham Solid Waste Management District Presents – Food Scrap Diversion: Basics for Businesses

6:15 am Vernon Selectboard – Vernon SB Mtg 12/5/23

8:00 am The David Pakman Show – The David Pakman Show – Weekly Broadcast

9:00 am Windham Elementary School Board – Windham Elementary School Bd Special Mtg 12/8/23


Brattleboro Weather Advisory: Potential River Flooding, High Winds and Power Outages Expected

Town staff is monitoring a weather event that is expected to begin later in the day on Dec. 17. Weather forecasts indicate an expected rainfall of 1-3 inches starting this evening and extending possibly through tomorrow and into Tuesday.

This precipitation may result in river flooding due to a combination of rain and snowmelt in higher elevations. Currently, there is no concern for flash flooding. There is also potential for high winds and wind gusts. Residents should be prepared for potential power outages.


Are You Prepared?

According to a report recently released by the Windham Aging group 14,015 people or 31% of the Windham County area is over the age of 60 and that number is projected to increase while the numbers for lower age groups is projected to decrease. The numbers are similar for the state as well as the rest of the country. The bottom line is that the average age of our population is growing and there will be a lot of older people in the years to come.

Our society currently doesn’t have the capacity to deal with the elderly population that we have. There are not enough home care providers and nursing homes and it is almost impossible for someone to stay at home as they age and become infirm unless they have an unlimited amount of financial resources.

We have never had a national discussion about how our government should support the aging population. Most other developed countries around the world provide more support for the elderly but the United States has left matters to be solved by chance. If you have enough money you may be able to age gracefully, but most of us do not have those kind of resources. It is rare for people to make concrete plans for life after 60.


Construction Update Brattleboro-Hinsdale Bridge – December 14, 2023

The Pier 1 cofferdam has been installed. The construction of the temporary shoring tower between Piers 1 and 2 will continue over the course of next week. The de-watering and water treatment system is up and running, however, the volume of water has exceeded the capacity of the system. Additional measures to excavate and then place a concrete tremie seal in the cofferdam are being completed – hopefully by tomorrow – which should allow the successful de-watering of the cofferdam to begin next week. If de-watering can be accomplished by next week, crews will begin to work on cutting the piles to elevation and placing rebar cages in anticipation of concrete.


Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – December 19, 2023

The Brattleboro Selectboard will take up reviewing the revised FY25 budgets at the final regular meeting of the year. They will be examining the general fund, the capital fund, and the ARPA budgets – the only agenda item they plan to discuss in detail.

The consent agenda, however, has some interesting items. Notice the small grant to add EV charging stations to town properties, the grand list errors, and 47 lost land record binders, among other things.

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


Brattleboro Committee Meeting Warnings

The Brattleboro Traffic Safety Committee will meet on Thursday, December 21, 2023 at 8:00am in the Selectboard Meeting Room (230 Main Street, room 212) and over Zoom.

The Brattleboro Charter Review Commission will meet on Thursday, December 21, 2023 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room (230 Main Street, room 212) and over Zoom.


Windham Southeast School District (WSESD) Policy and Amendment Committee Meeting Minutes Dec 5

• The following policy was presented for a first reading on 11/28/23 and will go for a second reading on 12/12/23:
o F32 Student Distribution of Literature
• The following policy went for a second reading on 11/28/23 and will be presented for adoption on 12/12/23:
o D1 (Personnel Recruitment, Selection, Appointment and Background Checks)


Harris Hill To Add Stairs, Adjustable Take-Off in 1922

When Brattleboro’s  ski jump was first built, there were no stairs! Ski jumpers and anyone else hoping to reach the top had to climb the hill.

This Vermont Phoenix article from Dec 15, 1922 explains the many improvements being made at the hill shortly after it was built. In addition to the stairs, the committee was planning to build a small building at the top of the hill for ski jumpers to sit and await their turn, plus add a really neat mechanical innovation to allow and encourage others to start their ski jumping careers with ease. The take-off of the jump was to be made adjustable, so beginners could simply slide down the hill before raising it a bit and trying to jump.

Interesting, too, to note that they had scheduled two events (January and February) for jumping, and that they were considering building a skating rink in town.


Windham Southeast Supervisory Union School Board Meeting Minutes – Dec 6, 2023

Tate introduced the team who discussed their areas of focus for improvement and the work they continue to do to meet the Continuous Improvement Plan goals. Brandy discussed the pre-school area and the new classroom being added at the Canal Street facility. Whitney spoke of her elementary groups focus on literacy and how changes in the law allow special educators to spend more time on teaching reading. According to a recent survey, the new case management model is working very well. Kevin also discussed how the case management model is working at BAMS and their desire to expand it to BUHS. They will use a vacancy to add a case manager, without adding to the budget, to build more capacity to keep kids in classrooms and work toward the CIP goal of 80% of students spending 80% of their time in core classes.


WSESD Communications Council Meeting Minutes – Dec 8, 2023

The committee discussed the best way to utilize the shared drive that was created for board members. Beyond the use for creating a resource of publications to subscribe to, which was voted on at the 11/14 WSESD meeting, the drive could be used to house orientation and meeting documents for board members to read.


DiTrani Brothers and Jason Scaggs at Next Stage

PUTNEY – Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present roots, ragtime, and jazz quartet DiTrani Brothers plus Jatoba’s multi-instrumentalist /singer Jason Scaggs at Next Stage on Saturday, January 6 at 7:30 pm. 

DiTrani Brothers, by way of bent melodies and driving rhythms, play perilous tunes for the hopeful, with elements of Balkan music and early American jazz/swing. They deliver both wistful and raucous performances at venues ranging from The House of Blues in New Orleans to DIY backyard stages. Originally from North Bend, WA, brothers Bobby and Walker DiTrani began writing songs together while traveling across the country, playing music on the streets. Since then, they’ve recorded two albums and toured throughout the US with drummer Eddie Gaudet. Now a quartet with acoustic bassist Benjamin Richards, they just released their third album “Dust Harvest.”