Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – December 19, 2023

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will take up reviewing the revised FY25 budgets at the final regular meeting of the year. They will be examining the general fund, the capital fund, and the ARPA budgets – the only agenda item they plan to discuss in detail.

The consent agenda, however, has some interesting items. Notice the small grant to add EV charging stations to town properties, the grand list errors, and 47 lost land record binders, among other things.

You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.

Brattleboro Committee Meeting Warnings

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Traffic Safety Committee will meet on Thursday, December 21, 2023 at 8:00am in the Selectboard Meeting Room (230 Main Street, room 212) and over Zoom.

The Brattleboro Charter Review Commission will meet on Thursday, December 21, 2023 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room (230 Main Street, room 212) and over Zoom.

Windham Southeast School District (WSESD) Policy and Amendment Committee Meeting Minutes Dec 5

by Not Signed In | Education

• The following policy was presented for a first reading on 11/28/23 and will go for a second reading on 12/12/23:
o F32 Student Distribution of Literature
• The following policy went for a second reading on 11/28/23 and will be presented for adoption on 12/12/23:
o D1 (Personnel Recruitment, Selection, Appointment and Background Checks)

Harris Hill To Add Stairs, Adjustable Take-Off in 1922

by cgrotke | History

When Brattleboro’s  ski jump was first built, there were no stairs! Ski jumpers and anyone else hoping to reach the top had to climb the hill.

This Vermont Phoenix article from Dec 15, 1922 explains the many improvements being made at the hill shortly after it was built. In addition to the stairs, the committee was planning to build a small building at the top of the hill for ski jumpers to sit and await their turn, plus add a really neat mechanical innovation to allow and encourage others to start their ski jumping careers with ease. The take-off of the jump was to be made adjustable, so beginners could simply slide down the hill before raising it a bit and trying to jump.

Interesting, too, to note that they had scheduled two events (January and February) for jumping, and that they were considering building a skating rink in town.

Windham Southeast Supervisory Union School Board Meeting Minutes – Dec 6, 2023

by Not Signed In | Education

Tate introduced the team who discussed their areas of focus for improvement and the work they continue to do to meet the Continuous Improvement Plan goals. Brandy discussed the pre-school area and the new classroom being added at the Canal Street facility. Whitney spoke of her elementary groups focus on literacy and how changes in the law allow special educators to spend more time on teaching reading. According to a recent survey, the new case management model is working very well. Kevin also discussed how the case management model is working at BAMS and their desire to expand it to BUHS. They will use a vacancy to add a case manager, without adding to the budget, to build more capacity to keep kids in classrooms and work toward the CIP goal of 80% of students spending 80% of their time in core classes.

WSESD Communications Council Meeting Minutes – Dec 8, 2023

by Not Signed In | Education

The committee discussed the best way to utilize the shared drive that was created for board members. Beyond the use for creating a resource of publications to subscribe to, which was voted on at the 11/14 WSESD meeting, the drive could be used to house orientation and meeting documents for board members to read.

DiTrani Brothers and Jason Scaggs at Next Stage

by hahrenholz | Music

PUTNEY – Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present roots, ragtime, and jazz quartet DiTrani Brothers plus Jatoba’s multi-instrumentalist /singer Jason Scaggs at Next Stage on Saturday, January 6 at 7:30 pm. 

DiTrani Brothers, by way of bent melodies and driving rhythms, play perilous tunes for the hopeful, with elements of Balkan music and early American jazz/swing. They deliver both wistful and raucous performances at venues ranging from The House of Blues in New Orleans to DIY backyard stages. Originally from North Bend, WA, brothers Bobby and Walker DiTrani began writing songs together while traveling across the country, playing music on the streets. Since then, they’ve recorded two albums and toured throughout the US with drummer Eddie Gaudet. Now a quartet with acoustic bassist Benjamin Richards, they just released their third album “Dust Harvest.” 

Greg Worden on “Here We Are”

by Wendy O'Connell | Arts

Greg Worden is a mainstay of downtown Brattleboro, bringing beauty and ingenuity through art and crafts at Vermont Artisan Designs. A tireless advocate for Brattleboro, Greg serves the community with heart, insight and experience.

The Fragility of Our Mortality

by RDavis | Spiritual

There are times when we are reminded of how fragile and precious life is. We need these reminders to provide us with a perspective on our lives and our place in the overall scheme of things. You don’t have to be religious to realize that humans pass through the universe in the blinking of an eye. Most of us hope that short time makes a difference somewhere.

I was reminded of all of these things with the passing of my friend Rich Moore. I knew Rich for over 30 years and we worked and played together in Brattleboro and tried to make life better for those around us while we tried to enjoy the gift of life that we were given.

Rich was one of those people who could talk to anyone and instantly make them feel that they were the most important person in the world. When you talked to him you knew that he really cared about you and that he wanted to not only hear your story but also be a part of it if he could. That is a rare quality and Rich Moore embodied that spirit.

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

by cgrotke | Health

Here’s the December 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.

VT, NH and MA seem to be doing weekly updates, near the end of the week. All three have changed their dashboards since the start, so it is now tough to easily compare how things have changed. Variant updates are every two weeks.

Does Calling For The Genocide Of Jews Violate Penn’s Code Of Conduct?

by SK-B | Op/Ed

Questioned at a Congressional hearing, the President of the University of Pennsylvania will not say that calling for the genocide of Jews violates the University’s anti-bullying or harassment Code of Conduct. She says it is “context-dependent,” and only violates University’s rules “if the speech turns into conduct.”

The presidents of Harvard and MIT gave similar testimony.

WSESD Board Meeting Agenda

by Not Signed In | Education

AGENDA
I. Call to Order [6:00 to 6:05]
II. Student Issues [6:05 to 6:15]
III. Administrative Report [6:15 to 6:50]
– Social Emotional Learning [35 Minutes]
IV. Education Tax Rate – Budget Impacts & Legislative Action [6:50 to 7:35]

Construction Update Brattleboro-Hinsdale Bridge Dec 7, 2023

by Not Signed In | Hinsdale

Pipe pile clean out has been completed and the crew is mobilizing the equipment for that operation offsite. The construction of the temporary shoring tower between Piers 1 and 2 will continue over the course of next week. Work on the Pier 1 cofferdam sheets began earlier this week and should be completed in the next few working days. De-watering and excavation to subgrade are both operations that are scheduled into next week.

WSESD Board Meeting Minutes – Nov 28, 2023

by Not Signed In | Education

Superintendent Mark Speno, Curriculum Coordinator Brin Tucker, BUHS teacher Celena Romo, Oak Grove Principal Mary Kaufmann, Putney Central School Principal Jon Sessions, and Academy School teacher Laureen Reavey presented an update on the implementation of Multi-Layered Systems of Support (MLSS)

Fire at 1178 Western Ave

by BrattFireDept | Police & Fire

Central Station and Station 2 were dispatched at 23:28 on a first alarm to 1178 Western Ave. for smoke on the second floor. Ladder 1 arrived on the scene at 23:32 and FF Chase Ibey reported heavy smoke showing from the second floor of a two-story wood framed structure and requested that a second alarm be dispatched. Ladder 1’s crew stretched a hose line to the second floor to encounter a heavy smoke condition and located the fire in the kitchen/living room area. Engine 2 arrived on the scene and assisted with water supply,fire suppression and ventilation. The fire was reported under control at 00:01.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Hey Buddy, Can You Spare A Sign?

by cgrotke | Town News
dec 5 brattleboro selectboard

The Brattleboro Selectboard bravely took no action against a non-existent problem at their most recent meeting. Panhandling isn’t a problem to be solved, and existing laws cover any other potential issues.  Perhaps we will make… a sign!

The Library has a strategic plan, housing development is lackluster, the town might get McNeill’s property to pay off demolition of his building, the public wondered about unusually large raises for department heads given an expected increase in property taxes, and an exhaustive search led the Town to hire Golden Cross’s billing service for EMS billing.