Hundreds of protestors in Brattleboro on Sunday joined in the nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd.
Lining Main Street from one end to the other on both sides of the streets, were social-distanced people with masks and signs, chanting and singing. This crowd was probably as big if not bigger than the Iraq War protests in 2003.
A sampling of signs:
Black Lives matter
Justice for Floyd
2020 Census – SHAPE YOUR FUTURE.
It starts with each of us doing our part. We do this is by completing the 2020 Census questionnaire. You can do it online or by phone. It is easy, safe and takes around 10 minutes to complete.
Completing the questionnaire allows you to influence the amount of money that comes to Vermont for many of our essential programs…programs that benefit our health and safety, that pay for our roads, for local government, for schools, for hospitals, and for so much more…
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
• The Recreation and Parks Department has received many questions about the usage of Town parks facilities by people from outside of Brattleboro. Recreation officials all over Vermont have received many similar questions. In the Governor’s “Stay Home – Stay Safe” addendum issued on Friday, May 15, he clarified earlier instructions regarding limits on day travel to Vermont from out of state.
• Reminder: As buildings (or parts of buildings) that have been in a state of full or partial shutdown begin to be actively used again, water lines within buildings should be flushed to keep the water supply safe. While the Town has recently completed semi-annual flushing of the water mains and is continuing to deliver water to the meter that complies with all safe drinking water standards, the water quality within the interior piping of a building will deteriorate if not used.
• Reminder: Summer Camp registration application forms are now being accepted. You may use this link to access the application form: https://www.brattleboro.org/vertical/Sites/%7BFABA8FB3-EBD9-4E2C-91F9-C74DE6CECDFD%7D/uploads/Official_Youth_Registration_Form_With_T-Shirt_Size_2020(1).pdf. You may submit your completed form online or mail it to: Brattleboro Recreation and Parks Department ATTN: Summer Camp Registration PO Box 513 Brattleboro, Vermont 05301 All registrations will be required to be paid in full by June 1st, unless other payment arrangements have been made with the Recreation and Parks Director. No one will be turned away for lack of ability to pay. Please be advised, however, that the number of camp participants will be limited this year due to COVID-19 social distancing requirements and will be confirmed on a first-come first-served basis with priority given to Brattleboro Residents.
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
• The Brattleboro Recreation and Parks Department is now taking Summer Camp Registrations. You may use this link to access the application form:
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
• While we will continue to post a daily update to the Town’s website every day, we will issue those daily updates as news releases only on days when there is a change in the status of Town operations. This change is intended to make it easier for the media and the public to identify when something is changing. To check the status of Town operations at any given time, please view the latest daily update posted on the Town’s website.
• The Brattleboro Recreation and Parks Department announces the following update regarding the status of its facilities:
➢ The Fred H. Harris Tennis/Pickleball Courts at Living Memorial Park are open.
➢ The frisbee golf course at Living Memorial Park remains open.
➢ All softball fields are available to families for informal kickball, wiffleball etc.
Softball fields are not yet open for more formal team activities (games or practices).
➢ Basketball courts remain closed until further notice.
➢ The Dog Park at Living Memorial Park remains closed until further notice due to COVID-19 and being recently reseeded to rejuvenate the turf.
➢ All park equipment remains closed (benches, picnic tables, playgrounds etc.) until further notice because it is impossible to sanitize that equipment in between users.
➢ Restrooms at Living Memorial Park and West River Park remain closed until further notice.
The Brattleboro Selectboard held their regular virtual meeting Tuesday night to discuss war monuments, COVID-19, the Town financial outlook, a new water treatment plant, a new pump station, a new purchase of property, and an overview of additional planned Utility Fund expenses.
The new water treatment plant is estimated, currently, to cost about $11 million.
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
All Town offices resumed daily on-site office functions today, in accordance with the following:
• The exterior entrances to all Town facilities remain locked at all times.
• Signs are posted at all exterior entrances clearly indicating that no one may enter the building if they have any symptoms of respiratory illness (fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath).
• There is only 1 employee in each office at any one time, except when more than one employee is necessary to complete a required task.
• Employees who are not in the office continue to work from home in the same manner as they did during the full closure of Town offices between March 27 and May 4.
• The public is requested to continue to do as much Town business as possible remotely (by email, internet, phone, or mail). Please note that this includes the payment of property taxes and utility bills. Those can be paid by mail, online, or by dropping an envelope containing your check (no cash) into a locked black drop box that is attached to the large wooden light pole in the parking lot behind the Municipal Center.
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
On Monday, May 4, all Town offices will resume daily on-site office functions, in accordance with the following:
The exterior entrances to all Town facilities will remain locked at all times.
Signs will be posted at all exterior entrances clearly indicating that no one may enter the building if they have any symptoms of respiratory illness (fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath).
There will be only 1 employee in each office at any one time, except when more than one employee is necessary to complete a required task.
Employees who are not in the office will continue to work from home in the same manner as they have been during the full closure of Town offices since March 27.
The public is requested to continue to do as much Town business as possible remotely (by email, internet, phone, or mail). Please note that this includes the payment of property taxes and utility bills. Those can be paid by mail or online. By Monday, they will also be able to be paid by dropping an envelope containing your check (no cash) into a locked black drop box that will be attached to the large wooden light pole in the parking lot behind the Municipal Center.
• After weeks of intense activity to set up and refine remote operations, the past 10 days or so have been characterized by the steady maintenance of the status quo during the deepest part of the “Stay Home – Stay Safe” restrictions. We are now seeing the very slight re-opening of some activities in society (what Governor Scott has called “re-opening the spigot a quarter turn at a time”) and we are planning for how to slowly, methodically, and safely reopen Town facilities and resume in-person Town services. Daily updates next week and beyond will include detailed information about the steps we will take “a quarter turn at a time” to ramp back up to something resembling normal operations. In the meantime, we thank everyone for your patience and your adherence to the social distancing restrictions that are frustrating for all of us but also are essential to our individual and collective well-being. Stay safe. Stay strong. Stay well.
Gardens provide continuity and hope every year, and the Brattleboro Floral Arts & Garden Club shines as a happy reminder that natural beauty continues in our community.
New president (and local mystery writer) Lynne Kennedy is the club’s new president. As the annual April meeting was cancelled this year, and in response to social distancing requirements, outgoing Co-Presidents Lynn Kuralt and Melissa Kuralt passed the keys “on a ten-foot pole”. Other new officers include Vice President Shelia Kinnare, Recording Secretary Frankie Knibb, Corresponding Secretary Judith Wagenbach, Treasurer Libby Lafland and Librarian Carlene McCarty.
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
There is no change in the status of Town operations today.
The Selectboard will meet on Tuesday, April 21, beginning at 6:15pm on GoToMeeting.
Use these links to view the agenda and other documents for that meeting:
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
• There is no change in the status of Town operations today.
• Wi-fi is available near the Main Street entrance to Brooks Memorial Library and can be accessed from cars parked in front of the building.
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
• Depending upon how the months ahead unfold regarding resumption of normal social interaction, the August primary election and November General election might rely more heavily on absentee ballot voting or other processes. In preparation for those elections, it is important for all voter rolls to be up to date. All voters are encouraged to visit their “My Voter Page” to confirm or update their voter registration address, including both their physical and mailing addresses. The My Voter Page is now found at https://mvp.vermont.gov. If you encounter problems logging into your My Voter Page, please contact the Town Clerk’s office at 802-251-8157 for assistance. People who are not yet registered to vote can register online at https://olvr.vermont.gov.
• The semi-annual flushing of water mains will be completed April 23 through May 11. This is essential maintenance activity to ensure the continued safety of the Town’s drinking water. Toi view the complete street-by-street schedule for this Spring 2020 water main flushing, please see the “News” section on the right side of the homepage on the Town’s website.
• The Police Department is waiving alarm fees until further notice.
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
• Census Reminder: If you have not completed your census form yet, now is a great time. You can complete it without leaving home or coming into contact with any other person. There are three simple ways to complete the Census form:
1. Online: Go to www.2020census.gov. Can’t find your 12-digit code that you received in the mail? No problem. Just follow the instructions and you will still be able to complete the questionnaire on-line.
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
• Effective today, Morningside Cemetery has opened for the season. Anyone visiting the cemetery to honor a loved one or to get some fresh air and exercise should adhere to all the requirements of social distancing.
• Tomorrow (Friday, April 10) a Utilities Division crew will complete emergency pipe repair work near 12 Estabrook Street. Estabrook Street will be closed to through traffic from 7am until 4:30pm while this work takes place. Vehicles parked in the driveways between 111 Clark Street and 12 Estabrook Street will need to be moved prior to 7am on Friday. Anyone with questions should contact Mike Earle at 802-254-4255 or by email at mearle@brattleboro.org.
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
• Many buildings are currently in a state of prolonged shutdown. The Town’s Water Department reminds all building owners that water lines within buildings should be flushed to keep the water supply safe. While the Town is continuing to deliver water to the meter that complies with all drinking water standards and has a trace of chlorine for disinfection, the water quality within the interior piping of a building will deteriorate if not used.
• The annual Winter Parking Ban has been lifted. Beginning tonight, overnight on-street parking is allowed except where regulations prohibit parking anytime (e.g. on one side of some streets, near fire hydrants, etc.) and except on the following streets: Main Street, High Street, Elliot Street (east of School Street), Flat Street, Church Street, Elm Street, Harris Place, and Grove Street.
• The Selectboard meets tonight at 6:15 pm on GoToMeeting…
• We have been advised that United States Census responses from Windham County are coming in more slowly than from some other areas of Vermont and other states. A complete count of everyone in Brattleboro and Windham County is important because, among other things, comparative populations are used to determine how much State and Federal funding assistance a community receives for a variety of programs and services. Please complete your 2020 Census form online or mail it in. If you are unsure how to do that, at least be responsive when a Census worker contacts you to ask for the information for your household. Thank you!
• The Recreation Department is offering “virtual gymnastics” on Wednesdays and Fridays, as follows:
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
There is no change in the deployment of Town resources today. However, we have 3 announcements today in the interests of public health and rumor control:
➢ This evening (beginning at approximately 6pm at the Brattleboro Police Station on Black Mountain Road) there will be a procession of state and local law enforcement vehicles driving through town to salute the heroic work of healthcare workers. They will make stops (but will not leave their vehicles) at health care facilities along the route. The vehicles in the procession will be using their emergency lights. BPD is issuing a news release to alert the public so that people will not mistakenly believe there is a large-scale law enforcement emergency in Brattleboro.
➢ The State of Vermont vehicles parked near the Connecticut River bridges and all other roadway points of entry into Vermont are noting the state of registration of vehicles entering and leaving Vermont. They are not collecting individual license plate data and are not restricting entry.
➢ Some gatherings of people are still being noticed around town. Everyone is reminded that our collective health and well being depends upon people adhering to the social distancing advice of public health professionals in compliance with Governor Scott’s “Stay Home – Stay Safe” orders. People are encouraged to get outside for fresh air and exercise, including at Town parks, but no one should be within 6 feet of any other person, handling anything being handled by any other person, or touching any furniture or equipment at the Town’s parks or anywhere else outside of each person’s own home.
