WSESD Finance Committee Meeting Agenda and Minutes

by Not Signed In | Education

WSESD CFO Frank Rucker shared and reviewed a document: “Windham Southeast School District: FY24 Proposed Budget Summary.” He noted this document is on the website, and he will distribute copies to all WSESD Board members at their meeting tonight. Mr. Rucker also distributed a document, “WSESD FY24 Budget Detail,” to attendees, and indicated he had already emailed it to Board members. Highlights of Mr. Rucker’s budget presentation included:

• The total “general operating expenditures” portion of the proposed budget is $62,944,634, which reflects an increase of 3.2% over the previous year’s budget.

Brattleboro Charter Amendment Hearing – Protections for Residential Tenants

by Not Signed In | Activism

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold two public hearings to discuss a Charter Amendment. The first public hearing will be held on Friday, February 3, 2023 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room at the Municipal Center (230 Main Street) and the second public hearing will be held during a scheduled Selectboard meeting on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard meeting room.

BCTV Schedules- Week of January 4, 2023

by BCTVProg | Media

Tuesday, January 3, 2023

4:32 pm Waterbury Public Library – The Honeybee Steelband 10/8/22

5:50 pm Brattleboro Literary Festival – Nancy Rubin Stuart

6:30 pm Vermontitude – Unpacking AP Triton 12/27/22

7:00 pm Democracy Now! – Democracy Now! Daily Broadcast

Selectboard Meeting Notes – In-Person Representative Town Meeting, Alcohol Rules Relaxed

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard jan 3 2023

The Brattleboro Selectboard held their first regular meeting of the new year, and new Town Manager John Potter was on hand to answer questions and advise the board.

They discussed changes to the liquor license application requirements, backing off a previous BAPC suggestion that hasn’t had the desired results. They also had an extended discussion about the type of Representative Town meeting to hold this year, and heard from the public about homeless people and cold weather.

Brattleboro Dog and Wolf-Hybrid Licenses Available

by Not Signed In | Pets

Brattleboro dog and wolf-hybrid licenses are available for the 2023 licensing period.  Vermont dogs and wolf-hybrids 6 months of age and older must be licensed on or before April 1. 

Renewal licenses may be obtained in person at the Town Clerk’s office, by using the drop box in the Municipal Center parking lot, through the mail or online at www.brattleboro.org.   Dogs being licensed in Brattleboro for the first time will need a current rabies certificate and application form which is available on the website or at the Town Clerk’s office. 

Brattleboro Tree Advisory Committee Meeting – Shade Tree Ordinance

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

The regular meeting will be preceded, in the same room, by a public hearing of the tree removals at Pliny Park at 3:30 followed by the first public input, if any, concerning the Shade Tree Ordinance at 4:15. All board members are encouraged to attend these
hearings. The regular Board meeting will immediately follow the completion of public input on the Shade Tree Ordinance.

Brattleboro and VT COVID-19 Regional Dashboard Summary – January 2023

by cgrotke | Health

Here’s the January 2023 dashboard summary. We continue semi-regular COVID-19 dashboard numbers from the Vermont Department of Health, and MA and NH counties that surround Brattleboro, as long as they continue providing them.  Scroll down the new comments for the latest.

Vermont and MA have very limited looks at what are going on these days, with weekly snapshots. NH attempts daily updates but doesn’t always give new totals. We continue to try…. : )

Noticed Around Brattleboro – Winter 2023

by cgrotke | Town News

Another edition of “Noticed” where you can make note of little things you’ve seen in and around Brattleboro. 

Retreat Meadows had ice before xmas, but it has warmed up and skaters are being warned to stay off.
Theory Wellness opened up.
Goodwill opened up.
Add your observations below. (And thanks!)

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – January 3, 2023

by cgrotke | Town News

The format for the next Representative Town Meeting – in-person, online, or hybrid – will be up for discussion at the Brattleoro Selectboard’s first regular meeting of 2023.  They will also revise the liquor license process and review flagged items on their FY24 General Fund budget list.

You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation throughout the New Year!

Ice Condition at the Retreat Meadows

by Not Signed In | Police & Fire

The Brattleboro Fire Department is advising you to stay off the ice on the Retreat Meadows for the Last Night Celebration and Fireworks display on Saturday, December 31, 2022.

The ice thickness at the Retreat Meadows on Wednesday, December 28, 2022, ranged between 3 to 4 inches with extremely thin ice along the edges and westerly portion of the Meadows. The National Weather Service of Albany has advised that daytime temperatures starting Thursday will be in the mid-forties for the next several days and at night the temperature is going to stay above freezing.

Guilford Park Project Embraces 60-day Race to Raise $20,000 for 2:1 Match

by Nanci Leitch | Guilford, Recreation & Sports

“On Your Mark, Set, Go!” According to the Guilford Park committee, the “starter pistol” has been fired for a 60-day race to raise $20,000 more dollars for the construction of the Guilford Community Park. The committee has been working for over a year on plans to build a park behind the Guilford Store, alongside the Guilford Community Church, in the center of Guilford’s Algiers Village. The park they envision is complete with a green spaces, a pavilion, a walking labyrinth, children’s play area with a slide and swings, a basketball half-court, net and fire pit.

If community members and businesses donate $20,000 by February 28, the park can qualify for a matching $40,000 Vermont Community Development grant, “Better Places Program” which will allow the park committee to have everything on their wish list, explained Dunham Rowley, one of the organizers.

Theory Wellness Announces Brattleboro Recreational Dispensary Opening on Friday, December 30th

by twinstanley | Business

Theory Wellness (“Theory” or “the Company”) will open its doors to their adult-use dispensary in Vermont this Friday, December 30th at 9 am. The new retail location is located at 768 Putney Road in Brattleboro, in the Fairfield Plaza Shopping Center. This newest location will be their eighth location, but will have a different approach from their operations in Massachusetts and Maine.

“Vermont is one of the most interesting regulatory models on the East Coast for cannabis,” states Brandon Pollock, CEO of Theory Wellness.  “The emphasis on streamlined licensing for craft farmers will allow for a terrific mix of top-quality products in our dispensary. By focusing on retail, we look forward to showcasing  this unique network of local cultivators, many of which have been producing high-quality flower for years.”

Book Recommendation: Homeless Anything Helps

by Norsehorse | Books

In case you have not already come across it yet, a book on the subject of homelessness to consider obtaining and reading is:

“Homeless Anything Helps” by Vermont author Matthew Vernon Whalan; An Oral History (2021; Hard Times Review Press; paperback):

Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem at Next Stage

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present New England’s acclaimed folk/roots quartet Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem at Next Stage on Sunday, January 22 at 4:00 pm.

Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem feature 4-part vocal harmonies, indelible songs, fiddle, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, and a homemade percussion kit of cardboard boxes, tin cans, caulk tubes, packing-tape tambourines, bottle-cap rattles, Mongolian jaw harps, and a vinyl suitcase. Over the past 20 years, the quartet has toured its uplifting, healing performances to concert halls, festivals, and residency engagements across North America, and has released seven CDs on Signature Sounds. From the Newport Folk Festival to California World Music Festival and beyond, this band’s steadfast brew of wit, camaraderie, and musicality leaves audiences everywhere humming and hopeful, spirits renewed.

Want Bulk Poppy Seeds, Aduki Beans, Chocolate, Pasta…?

by Dfk-b | Food

The co-op has made drastic changes to the bulk department, eliminating many products, some of my favorites, and undoubtedly many of yours, including chocolates, poppy seeds, aduki beans, pasta, spelt flour, wheat bran, oat bran, wheat germ… I intend to pursue this sometime soon. If you can help, or want to add to the list of purged products, please contact me. Thanks.