Brattleboro DRB 11.19.2025 Agenda
Call to Order
Review and Approve Minutes of previous meeting.
Review of Cases/Public Hearings to be reviewed under the Brattleboro Land Use Regulations as warned on October 12, 2015.
What is Going On at the VT Dept. of Motor Vehicles?
I received a letter in the mail from the VT Department of Motor Vehicles, “Vehicle Registration Renewal Notice”.
“The registration for your 1999 CHEV SUB expires on November 30, 2025. So, I filled out all the online forms and paid for two years, $167.00 Then it instructed me to download a temporary registration.
The temporary registration cheats me out of 2 years and 3 weeks because the temporary registration says I paid up until Nov. 6, 2025.
Windham Southeast School District (WSESD) Policy and Amendment Committee Meeting Minutes Oct 22, 2025
Summary: The committee reviewed three policies during the meeting (Gender Freedom in Schools, D15 Travel Reimbursement, and C7 Board Relations with Administrators). Gender Freedom and D15 will be sent for a first reading at the next full Board meeting on November 4. C7 remains on hold. Rebecca Olmstead was not able to attend the meeting, so Asthma Friendly Schools and E11 Federal Child Nutrition Act Wellness Policy were not reviewed; these policies will be put on the agenda for November 12.
Leda’s Kitchen Menu for 10/30: Mulligatawny Soup + More
It’s fall, which means it’s Mulligatawny Soup season! This dish is among my most requested. Additionally, I’m excited to feature two Ethiopian meals on the menu—dishes I haven’t prepared in quite some time—along with carne adovada to make tacos with to complete this diverse selection. Orders due Tuesday, October 28 at 7PM for pickup Thursday, October 30. Questions? Message me at ledaskitchen@gmail.com or 802-246-7592.
DORO WAT (An Ethiopian-style Chicken Stew) (GF, DF by request—contains ghee)
Free-range chicken simmered in a rich onion gravy, infused with a fragrant, deep red Ethiopian berbere spice blend.
$26 for 24oz container (2-3 servings)
Brattleboro Senior Meals October 27 thru October 31
Oct. 27 American Chop Suey
Broccoli w/Cheddar Sauce
Garlic Bread
Tropical Fruit
Brattleboro Planning Commission: Monday, November 3, 2025 Agenda
6:15 – 7:15 2026 Town Plan
• Survey Results – Discussion of results
• Flood Resilience – Review first draft
• Land Use – Review partial draft of the Existing Land Use portion of the chapter
• Other – Review Goals, Policies, and Actions from Transportation and Housing Chapters
Ames Hill Road – Temporary Road Closure
Ames Hill Road will be closed to all through traffic on Monday, October 27, 2025, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The closure will occur between 264 Ames Hill Road and the intersection of Covey Road to allow a private contractor, working on behalf of Green Mountain Power (GMP), to replace a culvert as part of GMP’s continued efforts to relocate overhead power lines underground.
WSESU, WSESD, VTSD Boards Summit Meeting Agenda October 28, 2025
The Windham Southeast Supervisory Union, Windham Southeast School District, and Vernon Town School District Boards will meet at 5:00 PM on Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at the Cusick Conference Room, 80 Atwood Street, Brattleboro, and remotely via Zoom. The boards will convene at 5pm for dinner, during which time no business will be conducted. The agenda begins at 6pm, at which time the Zoom link will open to the public.
Brattleboro VTrans Paving Project Construction Update 10/24/2025
Due to the Halloween Holiday on Friday, October 31st, 2025, crews will postpone their construction start as needed to accommodate trick or treaters.
TRAFFIC IMPACTS:
Brattleboro NH PC 25(6)
Nighttime single-lane closures will be in place as needed Monday night through Saturday morning from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. for work on Vermont Route 9 (Western Avenue and High Street), U.S. Route 5 (Main and Canal Street), and Vermont Route 30 (Linden Street). Flaggers will be present to direct one-way alternating traffic through the work zones. Motorists should watch for wet paint.
Brattleboro Committee Warnings
The Brattleboro Arts Committee will meet on Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at 5:00pm in the Brooks Memorial Library Meeting Room.
The Brattleboro Human Services Committee will meet on Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at 6:00pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room and over Zoom.
I Love You, So
Change
Always comes on time.
Its own time, not when we say;
We love the Spring.
O, I too will change
But why do you push me to?
I thought you loved me.
What is the Risk of Politicians Catering to the “Middle Class”?
What is the risk of our Vermont Congressional politicians and all of those across the United States of American voting in the United States Congress to protect the rights of the “middle class”?
The risk is that the poor could revolt.
After being a student at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont and University of Massachusetts, I wandered westward and experienced some formative years in Los Angeles.
Brooks Memorial Library, Finance & Planning Departments to Close on Oct. 30
Brooks Memorial Library, along with the Brattleboro Finance and Planning Departments, will be closed on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, for training and staff development. These closures will not impact other services inside the Municipal Center, including Brattleboro Community TV and the Brattleboro Historical Society, which will both be open during their regular hours that day.
Brooks Memorial Library will reopen to the public on Friday, Oct. 31, at 10 a.m. The Finance and Planning Departments will reopen on Friday, Oct. 31, at 8:30 a.m.
Selectboard Meeting Notes – Interaction, SeVEDS, Legislators, and a New Trail
The Brattleboro Selectboard held a long regular meeting, learning about programs and opportunities with Interaction, hearing an update about BDCC/SeVEDS, and holding an extended conversation with state legislators about the Town’s legislative suggestions thought up by town staff.
Most interesting, beyond a hint that education taxes in Brattleboro could go way down, was talk of a new waterfront trail along the Connecticut River from the old Hinsdale bridge southward. Dreams of connecting this future trail to the West River Trail linger.
Food & Fuel Benefits At Risk in Vermont
More than 63,000 low-income Vermonters could see their federal food benefits disappear next month if the government shutdown lasts through October.
No Curbside Leaf Pickup in Brattleboro this Fall, Explore Eco-Friendly Alternatives
The Town of Brattleboro will not be offering curbside leaf collection during the fall 2025 season. The program was discontinued during the fiscal year 2026 budget development process. While curbside collection will no longer be available, the Town encourages the community to explore alternative, environmentally friendly methods for managing their fall leaves.
The information below draws on guidance from the University of Vermont (UVM) Extension Community Horticulture programs, the Windham Solid Waste Management District, and Brattleboro’s Sustainability Coordinator.
Less of a Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage (MA) was created in 1997 to move the Medicare program further into the private insurance marketplace. It was a Republican led effort to privatize Medicare by offering people cheaper premiums and enticing them with things like gym memberships and cheaper drugs.
Over the years the plan has been so successful that more than 50% of Medicare beneficiaries have moved to the plans. The federal government was paying private insurers handsomely to offer the plans and they were rolling in a new source of income. But things are changing and some insurance companies are dropping the plans because they are not continuing to make the level of profit they have become accustomed to.
Health insurance is not about health because it treats individuals as if they were profit centers. Insurers count on people not using their product too much. But when a company insures seniors they will eventually end up having too many sick people use their insurance and that is not a good thing for them.
NXT Gallery: Life in Vermont and Mexico – Paintings by Carol Keiser
Next Stage Arts presents a vibrant new exhibition by Carol Keiser, showcasing her colorful and evocative paintings inspired by life in Putney, Vermont, and her time in Mexico. The opening reception is Sunday, Nov. 16, from 4–6 PM at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill, Putney. RSVP at nextstagearts.org.
Keiser’s work is a visual diary, capturing the places she’s been, the experiences she’s had, and the emotions she encounters. Her focus on color—its energy, magic, and contrasts—drives each piece, whether a still life, landscape, or figure study. She often draws inspiration from memory, sketches, or her hand-painted tile designs, blending ceramics and painting in a joyful exploration of hue and composition.
Brattleboro No Kings 2.0
A few more photos (below) from the No Kings protest march in Brattleboro on Saturday October 18, 2025. I didn’t do any official counting but it appeared to be bigger than any other protest in Brattleboro in the last 20+ years.
WSESD Board Meeting Minutes October 14, 2025
Summary
● Committed support for the Student Representatives to the Board on their initiative to explore the process of transitioning from elementary to middle to high school.
● The WSESD Board has been awarded the BCTV Government/Education Partner Award. All are invited to a celebration at the Producer Party on 11/14/25 at 6 pm at the Stone Church.
● Linda Alvarez was recognized by the Board for being awarded the Vermont Teacher of the Year Award.
