I-91 Northbound Brattleboro Bridge Closure On Saturday, April 12, 2014 – Details

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

BRATTLEBORO, VT – April 14 – PCL Civil Constructors, Inc., in coordination with the Vermont Agency of Transportation, closed the I-91 bridge on Saturday, April 12 through Sunday, April 13 due to unexpected safety concerns. During the demolition of the I-91 northbound bridge, safety concerns were raised when the northbound bridge shifted during the removal of a portion of the structure. As a result, the contractor recommended that, in an abundance of caution, the adjacent I-91 southbound bridge structure be closed to traffic until the partially demolished northbound bridge could be inspected and adjustments could be made to ensure the safety of the traveling public. Contractor crews and engineers worked around the clock to rectify the situation and traffic was restored Sunday night.

The Vermont Jazz Center Presents: A Tribute to Howard Brofsky

by Not Signed In | Music

The Vermont Jazz Center will be presenting an evening dedicated to the memory of former board president, trumpeter and educator, Howard Brofsky on Saturday, April 19th at 8:00 PM. This special tribute will include performances by his close musical colleagues and family. In every community that Brofsky settled, be it Queens College, the Louis Armstrong House, the Vermont Jazz Center, or Brattleboro, Vermont, the people have benefited from his wisdom, charm and generosity. Like a single pebble in the water, his spirit lives on through the actions of his family, colleagues, students and friends who continue to channel his enthusiasm and his dedication to the spreading of jazz.

This Saturday evening concert will celebrate Howard’s life through music. Performers will include New York-based musicians Jay Clayton, Cordelia Tapping (voice), Alex Brofsky (horn), Tim Armacost (saxophones), Ray Gallon, Jorn Swart, (piano), Curtis Ostle (bass); local musicians will include Scott Mullett, Sherm Fox (saxophone), Draa Hobbs (guitar), Eugene Uman (piano), George Kaye (bass), Jon Fisher, Claire Arenius (drums). It is likely that surprise guests will appear at the last minute. It will be limited to two-hours.

Brattleboro Time Trade — Week of April 12th

by Brattleboro Time Trade | Activism

This week’s listings, arranged spuriously but without impugnment:

RECENT OFFERS:
Computer Help
Chinese Translating
Computer Assistance
Photography
Gardening Help

RECENT REQUESTS:
Need Carpenter to Shave Off a Few Inches from a Large Table
Yard Work
Home Repairs
Spring Garden Help

BCTV Channel 8 & 10 Schedules for the Week of 4/14/14

by BCTVProg | Media

Channel 8, Monday April 14

12:00 am        The Cody & Aaron Show: Cody & Aaron: Ep 2 – Awkward Moments

12:10 am        Landmark College Presents: Landmark College -Virginia Prescott 3/31/14

1:30 am          The Artful Word: Irish Heritage Celebration – 3/17/14

2:00 am          FSTV Overnight

4:00 am          That Was The Week That Was: Educational Governance in Vermont

National Library Week: Take a Selfie @ Brooks Memorial Library!

by Brooks Memorial Library | Books

Celebrate your library! For National Library Week, April 13-19, 2014, take a selfie in your favorite spot at Brooks Memorial and post it to your social media (or ours) to show the world the truth of the National Library Week slogan: lives change @ your library. Read on for more information on how it works–and to see more fabulous library selfies!

Take a selfie, alone or with friends, in a favorite spot at Brooks Memorial Library. We recommend filling out a National Library Week thought bubble to include in the picture. It will telegraph the important idea to all the friends who spot you on Facebook, Twitter, or your other favorite social media site.

Brattleboro Area Overflow Shelter Needs Volunteers

by JenniferH | Activism

Hello fellow Brattleboro and sorrounding areas….

I am Jennifer Haselton the brattleboro area overflow shelter coordinator.

I am looking to see if there’s anyone who is interested in some volunteer hours I am currently looking for 2nd shift which consists of 1 a.m. To 7 a.m. I have quite a bit of volunteer hours during that shift available if anyone is interested please email me at: jenniwooo@gmail.com 

Estey Organ Museum Receives Important Collection

by Estey Organ Museum | Music

Lee Chaney had a life-long love of musical instruments, especially those with keyboards.  Over the years he built a sizeable personal collection of instruments of a wide variety, even setting up a small museum in his home so that others could view his collection.  Formerly a Professor of Educational Psychology at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama for over 40 years, Chaney retired to Clinton, NC. He died there on March 4, 2012.

Recently, his son, John Chaney, decided that the Estey Organ Museum in Brattleboro was an appropriate home for a number of these instruments.  In addition to several Estey reed organs, the collection included instruments by other builders who had a historical relationship with Estey, notably Riley Burdett of Putney, as well as instruments illustrating the development of the American reed organ. Further, the collection consisted of framed posters about organ building and other important archival memorabilia.

Brattleboro Estey Organ Tour

by Estey Organ Museum | Music

The Estey Organ Museum will host a Tour of Estey Organs in Brattleboro, VT on Saturday, May 17, beginning at 1:00 PM. The tour will begin at the First United Methodist Church (home of Estey Opus 1 from 1901) on Putney Rd and conclude at the Museum, 108 Birge Street. Eight pipe organs will be visited, most of which are in playing condition.

The event will include brief demonstration programs on most of the organs. Participants will receive handout sheets describing each instrument and its history. Refreshments will be served at the Museum, and visitors will see and hear the Estey “walk-through” pipe organ as well as other reed organs on display.

1:00 First United Methodist Church, Putney Road
1:30 St. Michael’s Catholic Church, 47 Walnut Street

I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project Update: Week of April 13

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 in the Fall of 2015.

Weather permitting, night work will be conducted Sunday night, April 13th through Saturday night, April 19th.

Route 30

The speed limit on Route 30 near the work zone has been reduced to 40 mph. This reduction will remain in effect through the Spring of 2016.

Project-related truck activity on Route 30 will continue. Route 30 will be reduced to a single lane intermittently both day and night, with flaggers regulating traffic within the work zone.

Weekend Concert Series: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 1978

by cgrotke | Entertainment

It’s the very end of 1978, verging on 1979. We’re in Santa Monica, CA at a club. The doors open, and we all rush in to get good spots near the stage. It’s New Year’s Eve and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are touring on their second album. They take the stage and start in on their fresh sounding twist on southern rock.

Tom Petty is one of the few things Florida can be proud of beyond beaches and theme parks. He’s from Gainesville, as any good Floridian will tell you. Bad Floridians will tell you he’s the only good thing about Gainesville, but that’s another tale.

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – April 15, 2014

by cgrotke | Town News

Citizen suggestions for town improvements will be center stage at the next regular Tuesday Meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard. Former board member Chris Chapman would like the town to consider taking donations, and George Harvey would like a committee to investigate generation of local electric power.

The board will also hear from the Arts Committee, approve whiskey drinking for the Stroll, review staffing of Police and Planning departments, get a PACE update, buy a new police car, and more.

You can attend and participate in person, or watch on BCTV. Full coverage here afterward.

Handle with Care

by spinoza | Education

If you travel to skateparks, as I do, it’s impossible to not notice the trend- younger and younger users are appearing in greater numbers. The prevalence of scooters is undeniable. Many scooter users begin their riding careers soon after they get solid on their feet as walkers.

If you travel to a city, it’s striking how many youth travel the sidewalks, often rolling alongside their parents pushing a sibling in a stroller. There are adult scooters too, and it wouldn’t be exaggeration to speak in terms of an army of scooters flooding a street.

BMH Offers Free Educational Program Focusing on Dementia

by BMH | Health

On April 21, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital will be hosting an educational program entitled, “Conversations about Dementia,” designed to help community members talk about some challenging and often uncomfortable topics.

Presented by Maggie Lewis, MPA, LNHA, director of programs and services for the Vermont Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, this program will clarify many of the signs and resources, and clearly outline what steps can be taken.

“Many in our community confront issues with Alzheimer’s and related dementias,” says Lewis. “Often, we are unsure of seeing the signs of dementia and what steps need to be taken to plan for its occurrence.”

Governor Shumlin Appoints BDCC’s Moulton As Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) Secretary

by Not Signed In | State News

GOV. SHUMLIN MAKES KEY STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS

MONTPELIER — April 10, 2014 — Gov. Peter Shumlin today announced two key staff appointments integral to his efforts to strengthen Vermont’s economy by growing jobs, helping to contain rising health care costs and reform health care delivery, and ushering in a universal, publicly-financed health care system in Vermont.

Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) Secretary Lawrence Miller will become Senior Advisor to the Governor and Chief of Health Care Reform. In this capacity, Miller will be tasked with overseeing the state’s health care reform efforts and transition to Green Mountain Care. He will report directly to the Governor.

Brattleboro Water Quality

by Not Signed In | Town News

Brattleboro’s 2014 Water Quality Report is now available. Once again we are proud to report no violations and few contaminants detected in the water we supply. This Federally mandated report contains information and test results on the water supplied to Brattleboro residents during the past year. It also includes general information about your water supply and its sources and a little water department news on upcoming projects.

Customers receiving a bill will find a web address at the bottom where they can go to read the report online. The address is . You may also go to , click on departments and then Public Works, Water Supply page, where there is a link to the report.

Brattleboro Special Referendum Informational Meeting on Budget and Police-Fire Project

by cgrotke | Town News

Brattleboro Selectboard Chair David Gartenstein led an informational meeting at Oak Grove School Wednesday night. The topic was the special referendum vote on April 17, the town budget, and the Police and Fire Facility project. Not counting Town staff, Selectpersons, and Town Meeting Reps, about 36 members of the public attended.

Gartenstein first gave an overview of the proposed budget and the work that went into creating it, all familiar to regular readers of Selectboard Meeting Notes. His main point was that it was a lean, level-service budget, with most of it going to pay staff and benefits.

He also said the town’s basic, core services were police, fire, roads, parks & recreation, and the library.

On Exhibit at the Brooks Library: Saxtons River Art Guild & Liza Woodruff

by Brooks Memorial Library | Arts

On exhibit for the month of April at the Brooks Library: Liza Woodruff (In the Children’s Illustrators’ Book Cases, 2nd Floor Hallway, across from the Children’s Room) and t(in the Main Room). 

The Saxtons River Guild was established in 1976 for the purpose of encouraging and stimulating the cultural growth of the arts locally. The Guild is very active and new members are always welcome. Members meet during the fall and winter months at Open Studio to collaborate working in various media of watercolor, oil and pastels, as well as acrylic, collage and drawings in pen/pencil.

Reading and Discussion Series: Muslim Journey: Literary Reflections on Islam: The Arabian Night

by Brooks Memorial Library | Books

The series will begin on Wednesday, April 9, 7 PM  with a discussion of The Arabian Night , edited by Muhsin Mahdi, translated by Husain Haddawy. Please join Marlboro scholar and Professor of Religious Studies, Amer Latif, in a journey through the literature of Islam.

The evening reading and discussion series will focus on five books. The Arabian Nights (anonymous), edited by Muhsin Mahdi, translated by Husain Haddawy; The Conference of the Birds by Farid al-Din Attar, translated by Dick Davis and Afkham Darbandi; Snow by Orhan Pamuk, translated by Maureen Freely;  Dreams of Trespass by Fatima Mernissi; and Minaret by Leila Aboulela. Islam has long provided a source of inspiration through which Muslims experience, understand, and guide their everyday lives.

I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Project Update: RT 30 Closure Delayed One Day

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

The Project Team has delayed the closure of VT RT 30 by one day. As you might imagine, a project of this scope involves a huge number of variables. We are doing our very best to keep everyone apprised of changes, and appreciate your understanding and patience.

ROUTE 30 CLOSURE SCHEDULING CHANGE: Friday, April 11th to Friday, April 18th: The closure is now scheduled to begin Friday night, April 11th and will be complete by the afternoon of Friday, April 18th. The shearing of the steel of the bridge that is being demolished will be noisy, and will be limited to the hours of 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM, so as to minimize the noise impacts on nearby residents. Once the closure begins, no through traffic will be permitted on VT Route 30 through the I-91 right-of-way.