Brattleboro Winter Weather Watch – Week of January 8, 2024

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Emergency Management group is watching two storms this week that could impact our area. On Tuesday evening into midday Wednesday, the National Weather Service is forecasting snow followed by 1.5 to 2 inches of rainfall with temperatures in the 40s and gusty winds.

Expect hazardous travel conditions, with icing on roads and then minor flooding along waterways. High winds are in the forecast with gusts at 40 to 50 mph, which could result in downed power lines and power outages.

Please prepare for:
Hazardous travel and some sporadic road closures
Power outages
Flooding with the potential for evacuations

George Lernis Quintet at Next Stage Arts

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts presents world-recognized percussionist George Lernis and his quintet, performing the music from his latest album “Between Two Worlds” at Next Stage on Saturday, January 27 at 7:30 pm.

The name of the album was inspired by the 15th century Turkish mystic Hacı Bayram Veli’s poem “Between Two Worlds” and depicts Lernis’s journey as an immigrant originally from Nicosia, Cyprus who eventually moved to the U.S. The music showcases Lernis’s bi-musicality, blending Jazz and Middle Eastern music in a tasteful and respectful manner to both of these rich musical traditions. Lernis’s quintet features a stellar group of musicians including the wonderful Turkish vocalist, Heiraza AKA Burcu Gülec, Swedish born bassist Bruno Råberg, American trumpeter Emiel De Jaegher, and Turkish piano, oud, and ney player Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol.

Brattleboro Street Parking During a Snow Emergency

by Not Signed In | Town News

A winter storm watch has been issued for southern Vermont from the afternoon of Saturday, January 6 through the evening of Sunday, January 7. Heavy snow and high winds are in the forecast. During this time, the Town of Brattleboro anticipates road crews and equipment will be working around the clock to keep roadways open and free of hazards. 

Vehicles parked on Town streets create dangerous obstacles for all during a storm and are susceptible to being towed at the owner’s expense, per Brattleboro Town Ordinance. Please attempt to utilize off-street parking. Free overnight parking is available in the Brattleboro Transportation Center between the hours of 6 p.m. and 9 a.m. in UNRESERVED parking spaces. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

WSESD Social Justice Committee Minutes

by Not Signed In | Education

Eva Nolan called the meeting to order at 10:09.

The committee welcomed a visitor, Claire Halverson from the NAACP Education Committee. This committee has recently re-activated and is reaching out to strengthen connections with other local organizations with a related mission.

Brattleboro and VT COVID-19 Regional Dashboard Summary – January 2024

by cgrotke | Health

Here’s the January 2024 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 do weekly updates, near the end of the week, so we update on Fridays usually. 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.

Construction Update Brattleboro-Hinsdale Bridge – Jan 4, 2024

by cgrotke | Hinsdale

The contractor has begun to advance structural steel across Pier 2 to the temporary shoring towers. This work will continue into next week. De-watering at Pier 1 site encountered several challenges last week and additional work has taken place to remediate the situation this week. The saturated conditions of the site and soil conditions have necessitated that the cofferdam be tighter in order to allow less water infiltration so the de-watering system will not be overwhelmed by the volume. The contractor has installed vertical forms at all four corners of the cofferdam and anticipates placing concrete today in order to achieve a better seal. The contractor will attempt de-watering again next week once the concrete has set up. Once a dry excavation can be maintained, the contractor will begin to install the 80 foot rebar cages in the 9 pier piles which may begin as early as next week. Footing formwork and re-bar installation may begin next week as well, overlapping with the pile operations.

Brattleboro Selectboard Special Meeting – Dettman Drive

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Friday, January 5, 2024 at 3:30pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room at the Municipal Center (230 Main Street, Room 212). The public may also participate in the meeting over Zoom. The attached agenda contains information on how to access the meeting remotely, including the required “passcode.”  Either ASL interpreters or closed captioning will be available for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.

Opinions Decry Atrocities By One Side While Encouraging Them On The Other. How Helpful Is That?

by SK-B | Op/Ed

At first I thought I would refrain from debate sparked by the atrocities of Oct. 7. I felt appalled that, from the safety of Vermont, warmed-over “party-line” polemics are being thrown around, which is of no benefit to Palestinians or Israelis whose survival is at risk.

But finally, driven by the increasing normalization of antisemitism and acceptance of Hamas as “freedom fighters” (even by some politically active Jews), I had to speak out.

Selectboard Meeting Notes: The Last UDAG

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard jan 2 2024

The Brattleboro Selectboard were, until Tuesday night, the last keepers in the United States of something called an Urban Development Action Grant (UDAG) Program grant. Before them was $2.3 million that has matured, and the board voted to transfer all of it away from UDAG into the Town’s Revolving Loan Fund.

The board was also pleased with their progress on a number of issues, and happy to hear the monthly fire department report.

Goodenough Road Closure

by Not Signed In | Town News

On Wednesday, January 3, the Highway Division will be replacing a failed culvert on Goodenough Road.  The closure will be near 342 Goodenough Road.  Residents and Emergency Services can access 42 – 342 Goodenough Road via Hinesburg Road and 446 – 528 via Akley Road.  Please plan accordingly and avoid the area if possible. 

Israel Hamas War Strategy

by RDavis | Op/Ed

The Israel Hamas war has pushed both sides into unchartered territory. Most of what is happening violates not only rules of engagement but basic humanitarian principles. Israel has more firepower and they are using it in what appears to be a chaotic and indiscriminate way. In other words, if Israel has a battle plan it is hard to see what it is. To the rest of the world it looks like they are simply acting out of vengeance and killing as many Palestinians as possible.

I believe that Hamas could possibly be executing a well thought out battle plan that could have long-range implications for the Middle East while Israel seems to be developing plans on a day to day basis. Here is what I think Hamas could be doing.

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – January 2, 2024

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard kicks off the new year with another error. The paving project was under-estimated by 3211 tons of asphalt. Oops, and $32,000.

The Fire Department will read their monthly report – for November of last year, the board will revisit their retreat and goal-setting, and the Town Manager will request a transfer of over $2 million to the Revolving Loan Fund.  You can attempt to bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation if the Chair deems you worthy.

Construction Update Brattleboro-Hinsdale Bridge – Dec 28, 2023

by Not Signed In | Hinsdale

The contractor has begun to advance structural steel across Pier 2 to the temporary shoring towers. This work will continue into next week. De-watering at Pier 1 site has begun. Once a dry excavation can be maintained, the contractor will begin to install the 80 foot rebar cages in the 9 pier piles. This could begin as early as tomorrow and be completed in time for a concrete placement for the piles as early as next week. The footing formwork and re-bar installation should begin next week as well. This operation can be conducted in tandem with the pile work.

Brattleboro Committee Warnings

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Tree Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, January 4, 2024 at 4:15pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room at the Municipal Center (230 Main Street).

The RTM Finance Committee will meet on Thursday, January 4, 2024 at 6:00pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room at the Municipal Center (230 Main Street).