Expect President’s Day Weekend Traffic Delays on I-91 in Brattleboro Area

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

The traveling public is advised to expect traffic delays on I-91 northbound between Exits 2 and 3 in the Brattleboro area. These delays are likely to occur during periods of high traffic volume. Expect delays on I-91 Northbound on Friday afternoon and evening, and on I-91 Southbound on Sunday and Monday afternoon of President’s Day Weekend. Motorists are encouraged to use Route 5 as an alternate route between Exits 2 and 3, and those with flexible travel plans are encouraged to schedule their travel to avoid high travel periods.

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.

Obama Signs Bill on Veterans Suicides

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was at the White House today when President Barack Obama signed legislation to address suicides among veterans.

“This bill says loudly and clearly that we understand suicide among veterans is a national tragedy and it begins the process of addressing the problem,” said Sanders, who headed the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee when the panel late last year passed the measure.

Twenty-two veterans a day, on average, take their own lives. “The suicide rate, especially among young veterans, is tragically high and we have to do everything we can get these veterans timely access to the quality of care they have earned and deserve,” Sanders said.

Brattleboro Closures for Presidents’ Day

by Not Signed In | Town News

In observance of President’s Day, all Town offices will be closed on Monday, February 16, 2015, with the exception of emergency services.

Parking is free at all metered spaces and in the pay-and-display lots on Sunday and Monday, February 15 and February 16. All other violations, including extended parking will be enforced.

Brooks Memorial Library will be closed on Sunday and Monday, February 15 and February 16, 2015.

Brattleboro ADA Advisory Committee Meeting Cancelled

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro ADA Advisory Committee meeting previously scheduled on February 13 is cancelled due to the expected extreme cold and difficult travel conditions. The next scheduled meeting is 03/13/2015.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

New White House Petition: Make Marijuana Legal

by CrisEricson2016 | Activism

There have been so many marijuana legalization petitions at the White House, and none have succeeded in the ultimate objective, so it is important to keep signing more peititions.   The squeaky wheel is the one that gets greased; right?

I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project: Detour Thursday

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

Tomorrow, 2/12/15, I-91 Southbound between Exits 3 and 2 will be closed to all traffic from 10 AM to 2 PM. The Exit 3 on ramp will be closed to both NB and SB traffic. The interstate will be closed so crews may complete necessary repairs to developing pot holes. Traffic will use Route 5 as a detour.

Interest in Pre-Brattleboro

by richholschuh | History

I’m a local fellow with a great interest in the context and culture of this area prior to its becoming the Brattleboro we know today. Meaning, the vast sweep of 12,000 years preceding the past 250 or so; the Sokoki of the Western Abenaki were here for centuries and their ancestors for millenia before them. And, it must be affirmed, their descendants are still among us.

By way of honoring this land and its people, I would like to help acknowledge and document this heritage and raise awareness to engender respect. It struck me that this gathering of the minds might be a reasonable venue within which to inquire about likemindedness. Anyone else with such an inclination?

Welch Responds to President’s War Authorization Request

by Not Signed In | Politics

Washington, DC – This morning, President Obama sent Congress a plan to authorize the use of force against ISIS. Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) gave the following response after reviewing the proposal:

“Congress has been ducking its Constitutional responsibility to authorize this war so I am pleased that the President is now forcing Congress to do its job. However, I cannot support this authorization as written. It leaves in place the Bush-era open ended authorization that led to so much harm.

Sanders Statement on War Powers Resolution

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today after President Barack Obama formally asked Congress to authorize a military campaign against the Islamic State terrorist group:

“The Islamic State is a brutal and dangerous terrorist organization which has murdered thousands of innocent men, women and children, including Americans. It must be defeated.

“I voted against the war in Iraq because I feared very much the destabilizing impact it would have on the region. Today, after 13 years in Afghanistan and 12 years in Iraq, after the loss of almost 7,000 troops and the expenditure of trillions of dollars, I very much fear U.S. involvement in an expanding and never-ending quagmire in that region of the world.

Next Brattleboro Area Techies Meet Scheduled for February 19 at 5:30 pm

by Not Signed In | Sci-Tech

The next meeting of the Brattleboro Area Techies, the fast-growing networking group for tech users, will be on Thursday, February 19, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm, at the office of Mondo Mediaworks in Brattleboro. Everyone who works with technology in the Brattleboro area, from programmers to designers to makers, is welcome.

Recent developments in shared working space in Brattleboro will be discussed, together with other topics. As is the habit, most of the meeting will be devoted to introductions and informal networking. Over 750 people have attended Brattleboro Area Techie meetings in the past few months.

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.

Downtown Brattleboro Snow Removal

by Not Signed In | Town News

This evening (February 10, 2015) starting at 10:30 pm, the town will begin snow removal operations in the downtown area to improve pedestrian access, sight visibility, and open up parking spaces.

Please remember that per the Brattleboro Code of Ordinances, that overnight parking is prohibited on all streets within the Town limits. Vehicles parked for longer than one (1) hour between 11:00 pm and 07:00 am may be ticketed and towed at the owner’s expense. Vehicles may be towed at any time if they are hampering snow plowing or snow removal. Please refer to Chapter 16 in the Brattleboro Code of Ordinances for further information.

Remove Snow From Roofs

by BrattFireDept | Police & Fire

With the recent large snowfalls and more in the forecast in the coming days, the Brattleboro Fire Department would like to urge all residents to check your roofs and shovel them as needed. In the past couple of weeks we have received 2+ feet of snow, the weight of inches or feet of snow on even the sturdiest roof can cause structural or leakage problems.

One of the biggest problems is when the snow melts a little and then re-freezes.  This melting and re-freezing causes ice to form on the top of the snow pack, creating even more weight.  If you do not get the heavy weight of the snow off a flat roof before the melting and freezing occurs, you could wind up having structural issues and possible collapse. Flat roofs pose the biggest threat of collapse. 

Brattleboro Citizens’ Breakfast – Notes from a Breakfast with the Brattleboro Chief of Police Michael Fitzgerald

by RobertOeser | Town News

Brattleboro Citizens’ Breakfast   
January 23,  2015      
Gibson-Aiken Center                                                                                           

Breakfast with the Brattleboro Chief of Police Michael Fitzgerald
      (802) 257-7950

Chief Michael Fitzgerald spoke about the vision he has for the Brattleboro PD as it relates to the community. “No one is immune from the impact” of the recent events in Ferguson, MO. What is needed is that we all sit down and have a candid and in depth conversation with the community.

Brooks Memorial Library Closing At 6 P.M.

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro will be closing today (Monday, 2/9) at 6:00pm due to the weather. The bookdrop will be open and the Library will re-open tomorrow at 10:00am.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

27 Brattle Street Fire Investigation

by BrattFireDept | Police & Fire

On Friday evening, February 6, 2015 at 5:27pm the Brattleboro Fire Department responded to a reported kerosene heater explosion at 27 Brattle St. The 2nd floor front apartment, in the four unit apartment building, received extensive heat and smoke damage in the 2 alarm fire. Two occupants of the building received injuries, one treated for smoke inhalation, the other for minor burns.

A joint investigation by the Brattleboro Fire and Brattleboro Police Departments over the weekend has determined that the cause of the fire to be accidental. The investigation has revealed that there is a strong possibility that the wrong type of fuel was accidentally used in the heater.