CALL TO ORDER: 5:00 PM – Anne Beekman, Chair
On a motion by Kim Price, the minutes of August 22, 2023 were approved.
On a motion by Kerry Amidon the committee accepted the recommendations of administration to hire Zoe Parker, Community Based Learning Teacher, BUHS; and Doyle Kemokai, Math Teacher, BUHS.
The Brattleboro Selectboard got off to a late start then quickly put their meeting on hold for technical reasons. Forty-five minutes later, the meeting was postponed until Thursday to give BCTV and Facebook time to fix themselves.
Those interested in discussing EMS and downtown safety will have to wait.
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.
2023-84 G & L Enterprise, LLC; Residential Neighborhood District; request for Subdivision Approval to create a new 1.5 acre parcel off of Marlboro Road; Tax Map Parcel #200003.000 Continued from August 16, 2023
2023-98 Kurt Daims; Residential Neighborhood District; Appeal of a Zoning Administrator’s determination that an 8′ fence located on a property boundary is allowed with a zoning permit under the Brattleboro Land Use Regulations at 16 Washington Street; Tax Map Parcel #325378.000
The Celebration Brass Band of Southern Vermont and the Christ Church Guilford Society invite everyone to a free concert on the lawn of Christ Church on Route 5 in the Village of Algiers, this Sunday, September 10 at 2:00 pm. This event was postponed from July due to rain.
The concert will honor those lost during the Covid-19 pandemic. Those attending are invited to write down the names, birthdates and dates of passage, cause of death, and/or any family related information that they might want to share, omitting whatever they prefer to keep private. Or, you may simply call out the name during this part of the program. At the end of each set, a reader will call out memories of the deceased over a slow drumroll, and invite members of the audience, and the band, to call out their name. Then the band will roll into a dirge, in the timeless New Orleans tradition.
This is the second outdoor concert at the historic 1817 church this summer. The series began with the BUHS Jazz Band and honored retiring director Steve Rice.
On Wednesday, September 6, the Utilities Division will be replacing a water main on Belmont Avenue. During this project, Belmont Avenue will be closed between #107 and #114 Belmont Avenue. The work is scheduled between the hours of 6:30 am and 5:00 pm. Emergency Services and residents will be able to access #107 and lower numbers from Canal Street and #114 and higher numbers from Maple Street. Motorists should seek alternate routes.
BCTV Channel 1079 Weekly Listing for 9/4/23
Monday, September 4, 2023
5:15 am Vernon Selectboard – Vernon SB Mtg 8/15/23
6:00 am Putney Selectboard – Putney SB Mtg 8/23/23
7:55 am Town of Brattleboro – Meet Brattleboro’s Animal Control Officer
In this show, Steve Faure, owner and host of our new pinball gallery, Gravitate, talks about “the drama of the ball”, the physics and allure of pinball, and fostering community here in Brattleboro. Also, free games during Gallery Walks ! Take a look.
Sept 4 CLOSED FOR LABOR DAY
Sept 5 BBQ Chicken
Ranch Veggie Salad
Baked Beans
Watermelon
The Brattleboro Selectboard will be spending most of their first regular September meeting discussing town safety and EMS options for Brattleboro. They will review the EMS proposals received and learn about EMS insights from other communities. They’ll also discuss wrapping up the process, holding a public meeting, and then making an EMS decision.
Twelve items are packed into the consent agenda – a possible record, and good thing! You may bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
Here’s the September 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 and MA seem to be doing weekly updates, near the end of the week. Variant updates and NH updates are every two weeks now.
Note that MA stats are the only dashboard that has remained steady and unchanged. Most reliable of the three, in my humble opinion.
The Brattleboro RTM Human Services Committee will meet on Wednesday, September 6, 2023 at 4:00pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room at the Municipal Center (230 Main Street).
The Brattleboro Tree Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, September 7, 2023 at 4:15pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room at the Municipal Center (230 Main Street).
AGENDA – 9/5/2023
I. Approval of Minutes from 8/22/23
II. Evaluate proposed edits:
D1 Personnel-Recruitment, Selection, Appointment, and Background Checks
The two recent special meetings, held in executive session, were, as many have speculated, to discuss the EMS situation. Both were held without Brat FD members present.
BRATTLEBORO SELECTBOARD
THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2023
SPECIAL MEETING – 5:15PM
The VT 142 paving operation is underway today and tomorrow, with 5″ of pavement being placed. Final pavement will be held until the entire project is closer to completion next year. Next week, placement of the bridge rail and fencing along the northern part of the project is scheduled for Tuesday, September 5th. Temporary barrier will be placed along the southern portion of the project. Temporary pavement markings are scheduled for placement on Thursday, September 7th.
VT 142 is scheduled to be opened by the end of the day Friday, September 8th. Detour signs will be taken down and/or covered as a part of the road opening process.
In observance of Labor Day, all Town offices will be closed on Monday, September 4, 2023, with the exception of emergency services. Parking is free at all metered spaces and in the pay-and-display lots on Sunday, September 3, and Monday, September 4. All other violations will be enforced.
Brooks Memorial Library will be closed on Sunday, September 3, and Monday, September 4.
Have a conflict with a neighbor? Looking for restorative practices training for your group or business? Youth Services is pleased to announce a new restorative practices program, Circle Up, to provide community conflict support through circle facilitation and training in restorative practices, starting next month.
In 2021, the Brattleboro Community Justice Center merged with Youth Services’ Restorative Justice programs. “Over the years we frequently received requests for these kinds of services, but haven’t had enough staff to respond to most of them,” explained Mel Motel, formerly the Brattleboro Community Justice Center Executive Director and now co-director of Youth Services’ Restorative Justice programs.
“We’re excited to finally be able to offer this new program, with a seasoned staff member taking on the role, at a time when community members are still navigating the stresses and tensions heightened by the pandemic with fewer resources,” Motel explained.
The Sackler family (primarily the Machiavellian Richard Sackler) the people who owned Purdue Pharma the company that promoted and pushed Oxycontin, have evaded criminal prosecution so far. They became big time drug dealers and pimps with a stable of sales whores as they created the opioid epidemic that persists.
A 2020 New York Times article cites a study by the Economic Research Bureau noting that, “And 65 percent of the growth in overdose death rates between 1996 and 2017 could be attributed to the introduction and marketing of OxyContin.” Oxycontin was put on the market in 1996 and it was aggressively marketed by people who showered doctors and other prescribers with gifts and a lot of misinformation to persuade them to give the drug to their patients.
The Sacklers were directly involved in all of the unethical and immoral tactics that surrounded the marketing of Oxycontin. All accounts make it clear that all they cared about was making a lot of money and they cared little for the lives they were ruining in the process.
The Town of Brattleboro has been exploring its options for providing Fire-EMS services. In addition to considering a fully municipal Fire Department approach, the Town has received two proposals from private companies to compare. The Town is thankful to both companies for putting together thoughtful and thorough proposals.
American Medical Response of Springfield, MA proposed a turn-key approach that would not require any first response services from Brattleboro Fire Department staff. They would dedicate multiple ambulances to respond within the town to meet desired response times.
Rescue Inc. of Brattleboro, VT proposed an approach like the Town’s previous model that shared emergency response responsibilities with the Brattleboro Fire Department. They would rely on Brattleboro Fire Department paramedics and EMTs to respond to priority one calls, such as cardiac arrests and vehicle crashes, with the private company responding to all other types of emergency calls and transporting the priority one patients. Rescue Inc. would utilize multiple ambulances that are deployed across the fifteen towns that the company serves.
Just want to point out this little piece of Brattleboro history for August 30 in the right hand column in iBrattleboro so you don’t miss it.
Some things never change.
1844
Again We Caution the people against lying reports and publications on the day of the election. Look out for them and treat them with the contempt they merit.
The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, August 30, 2023 at 5:00pm. They will convene in the Selectboard Meeting Room at the Municipal Center (230 Main Street) and are expected to enter immediately into executive session to discuss contracts. Invited into the executive session are HR Director Sally Nix, Finance Director Kimberly Frost, Town Manager John Potter and Assistant Town Manager Patrick Moreland. Once they have exited executive session, the Board is expected to immediately adjourn. No action will be taken.
