BMC Offers New Summer Programs For Kids, Singers, Instrumentalists and Ensemble Players

by Pam Lierle | Music

The Brattleboro Music Center is offering a full line-up of new
programs this summer. 

Children as young as 5, teens and adults will find opportunities to play, sing and be part of ensembles.  

Programs for kids include “Camp Presto” for 5-9 year-olds, which provides a great introduction to music and playing an instrument; “Time Traveling Through Music” for 7-12 year olds creatively explores time through music; “Traditional Arts Camp” for 9-14 year-olds explores traditional music and arts;  “Musicals Workshop” for 7-12 year olds is all about singing for theater; “Chamber Music for Kids” for ages 9-12 and  “Piano Duets” for ages 10-17, explore the fun of making music with others; there is a beginning guitar camp for ages 8-10; and also a place for horn players in the BMC’s Trumpet Camp for elementary and middle school students.

The Vermont Jazz Center Presents: Eugene Uman’s Convergence Project

by Not Signed In | Music

VJC Presents a CD Release Concert with the Convergence Project, Saturday, May 17th at 8:00 PM.

Eugene Uman’s Convergence Project is back for their yearly Vermont Jazz Center concert on May 17th at 8:00 PM, presenting music that fuses jazz and rock with Colombian rhythms. This concert will celebrate the release of a new album, Six Elements, recorded last October at Guilford Sound and mixed at Northern Tracks Studio in Wilmington.

I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project Update: Upper Dummerston To Close Again

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

Good Afternoon:

We will need to close Upper Dummerston Road for two days: Friday, May 16 and Monday, May 19; the road will be open over the weekend. The closure will be for daytime hours only, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Due to the complex and evolving nature of the project, schedule changes are necessary from time to time. We will continue to keep you updated, and appreciate your patience.

Weekend Concert Series: Mogwai

by cgrotke | Entertainment

Scottish band Mogwai got their start in 1995. They are not like many other bands, but were in a group of musicians from Glasgow during that period that were dominating the indie music scene for a while.

Most songs are long guitar-based, droning instrumentals. Mogwai loves to rock, both quietly and noisily. They often start out on one energy level, then the band all jump on their pedals and it becomes big musical noise.

West Brattleboro Bicycle/Pedestrian Scoping Study Presentation

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

Good Afternoon,

The West Brattleboro Bicycle/Pedestrian Scoping Study alternatives presentation will take place on Tuesday MAY 13, 2014 at 6PM at the ACADEMY SCHOOL. The meeting location was changed because of a special selectboard budget meeting on the same evening.

Please see the enclosed press release/ flyer for the upcoming meeting. If you have any questions please contact Highway & Utilities Superintendent Hannah O’Connell or Director Stephen Barrett.

Sanders Sets News Conference on College Affordability

by Not Signed In | Politics

BURLINGTON, Vt., May 9 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will hold a press conference Monday in his Burlington office to announce legislation to help children from working families go to college. Sanders will be joined by Vermonters who will share how carrying heavy student debt loads has affected their lives.

Sanders plans to introduce legislation in the Senate early next week to help students earn college credits while still in high school. That would cut the time and the cost of earning a college diploma.

Monsanto Strikes Again

by tomaidh | Food

Yesterday in an historic move in Vermont, Governor Peter Shumlin signed the first in the nation no strings attached law requiring mandatory labeling of genetically engineered (GMO) food in the nation. This is incredible news!

But already this morning, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), and GMA member Monsanto, announced that they plan to sue the state of Vermont to stop the bill from being implemented!

Eh Why am I not surprised?

Rhonda Taylor, Mother of MacAdam Mason, Issues Statement Upon Passage of H.225 – Taser Bill

by Norsehorse | State News

This week the Vermont House of Representatives voted unanimously to concur with the Senate proposal of Amendment of H.225 – the Taser bill.

Barring any technical problems that might pop up during vetting of the bill by his staff (which is a common disclaimer with any bill that hits his desk), it was reported by his staff that Governor Peter Shumlin intends to sign the bill into law.

Brattleboro Selectboard Special Meeting – FY15 Budget and PAYT

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center. It is anticipated that the Board will enter into executive session at 5:45pm to discuss personnel and contractual matters, and reconvene the special meeting at 6:15pm.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

Brattleboro VT 4th Quarter Taxes & Utilities

by Not Signed In | Town News

The fourth installment of the 2013 Real Estate and Personal Property Taxes will be due on May 15, 2014 by 5:00 PM. Payments made after May 15, 2014 will have an additional 1% interest, as well as an 8% penalty added to the unpaid balance.

The utility billing is also due on May 15, 2014 by 5:00 PM. Payments made after May 15, 2014 will have an additional 1% interest, as well as an 8% penalty added to the unpaid balance.

150 Years Ago (1864 5/9)

by BusyMom | History

Philadelphia, May 9, 1864.

Dearest wife,- 

You see I am here yet. I wrote to you on leaving Brattleboro April 25th and again on reaching this place, but have heard nothing in answer to them. I have received one letter from you directed to Brattleboro and forwarded to me here. I thought that I would write to you again from here now, for if you have not received my letters and have heard that our boys at Brattleboro have been ordered to the front, they stopped in this place the night of May 3rd. I did not know of it until they had gone on. All my luggage is in Brattleboro, except that clothes I took with me here.

On Exhibit at Brooks Library: Art Work of Barbara Frodenberg (1931-2013)

by Brooks Memorial Library | Arts

A retrospective of Barbara Frodenberg’s works will show at the Brooks Memorial Library through the month of May. The collection represents an intimate view into her creative world. Many of the works are prints from an intensely creative period when she lived in Shelton, Washington.

Also included are watercolors and sequence paintings from her time here in Brattleboro. There will be a public reception in the Library’s meeting room beginning at 2 PM on Friday, May 9. Location Reception Meeting Room, 2nd Floor. Exhibit Main Floor. Contact Christine de Vallet, Public Art Coordinator.

Donald Saaf Exhibit at the Brooks Memorial Library

by Brooks Memorial Library | Arts

Donald Saaf creates collages by carefully integrating torn wallpaper, images from magazines and catalogs, and photocopies of everyday objects with his bold gouache paintings. He has illustrated such popular books as Pushkin Minds the Bundle, Flemenpeo, and Animal Music.

Trained in painting at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Donald Saaf exhibits his work at the nearby Clark Gallery. He lives with his family in Saxtons River, Vermont.

Irradiated Water Mailings?

by ecrawf | Questions & Answers

I’ve heard about a mass mailing pertaining to irradiated water that could potentially affect residents of Brattleboro. I live outside of town, so I haven’t actually seen the mailing, but wondered who it was sent by. Also, what’s the deal with signing up for some type of pill just in case? I’m not trying to stir people up, I just wonder if anyone has more information about this mailing.

PAYT Concerns

by LisaLorimer | Op/Ed

I have a few concerns about Pay As You Thow  implementation for our town. Although I completely agree that we all need to be responsible for our own waste, I hope we can be very careful about how we choose to create this program. Some of the selectboard members have made comments that indicate an interest in possibly removing this line item from our budget completely and passing those costs directly to our townspeople. In other posts on this site there have been comments about how this is a cost shift and that is true in a number of different ways that we really need to pay attention to. 

Currently, our municipal taxes pay for our trash pickup. It is a line item in our municipal budget, and all of the grand list is assessed the tax. That means that businesses contribute to this cost even though our businesses are responsible for providing their own waste disposal. If we go to a PAYT program that is not part of our municipal budget, we will see a reduction of our municipal tax but each homeowner will most likely be paying more since there is no subsidy from our businesses on the grand list. Businesses will have a tax reduction with no corresponding increase in costs.