Selectboard Meeting Notes: Skatepark at LMP, MLK Day Adopted, New Police Chief Named

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard had several important decisions and announcements at their regular Tuesday meeting. A new Town Manager will soon be hired, a new Police Chief has been sworn in, a skatepark site has been selected,  and Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be henceforth recognized in Brattleboro.

The police will also get new equipment, and Brattleboro is being recognized for energy efficiency achievements. Read on for all the important details, and then some.

Thank You from BS&L

by BrandieStarr | Op/Ed

Community Appreciation Day was a huge success on Friday and we have you all to thank for that!!

We would like to extend a special thank you to Vermont Country Deli for allowing us to purchase a whopping 1250 fresh baked cookies, Gougers Market for prepping all of the lettuce tomato and onion, Putney Road Market for helping us to purchase several hundred hot dogs, veggie burgers, and hotdog and hamburger rolls, and Hannaford’s for helping with the purchase of 20 lbs of summer slaw and hundreds of hamburgers.

Thank you to these local vendors for helping to make such a successful event!

Shocked: We Are (Not) The Only Brattleboro

by Rolf | Town News

I was doing some research for the book I am writing about novelist and newspaper man, T. P. James, who lived in Brattleboro in the 1870s, before moving onward. In  the course of my research, I stumbled on this listing of a newspaper called the Headlight in Brattleboro in 1886.

I was very curious to see the county listed for Brattleboro, as Edgecombe County. Then I noticed that I was in the North Carolina portion of the newspaper directory. 

Kobayashi Maru

by spinoza | Town Plan

Somewhere in the Klingon neutral zone, a ship of civilians reels and thrashes on the verge of destruction. A distress signal is sent out to all sectors. A Starfleet commander in the vicinity picks up the cry for help, and ponders his next move. If he rescues the ship, the act will surely be seen as a forbidden territorial intrusion, unleashing hostility. If he does nothing, the innocent inhabitants of the vessel will surely die. What is the correct call?

For the sake of a little galactic perspective, let’s rouse the development division, and contract a rewrite.

Brattleboro Time Trade Listings – Week of August 31

by Brattleboro Time Trade | Other

Brattleboro Time Trade:

Exchanging services, creating connections, strengthening communities, one hour at a time.

See below for exciting Upcoming Events and learn what Time Trade is all about!

This week’s fabulous listings, brought to you from a Laborious Day:

OFFERS:

Can Help You Start an Online Business
Pickup Truck for Moving or Errands
Karaoke Empowerment Therapy
Child Care
“Poetry-In-Motion” Lessons/Workshops
Minor Electrical Repair

West Nile Virus Discovered in Windham County

by Not Signed In | Nature

Vermont Department of Health has announced that they have discovered mosquitoes in areas of Windham County including Brattleboro that have tested positive for West Nile Virus. Please direct anyone with questions about West Nile Virus to information on the Vermont Department of Health Web Site, www.healthvermont.gov.

The Town has been in contact with representatives from the Vermont Department of Health who continue to urge people to take normal precautions when outdoors, and to follow the recommendations listed on the attached Health Department flyer.

Sanders on Labor Day

by Not Signed In | Politics

BURLINGTON, Vt., Aug. 31 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement in advance of Monday’s observation of Labor Day:

“Today, we salute the trade union movement and all Americans who are fighting for the needs of working families.

“The sad reality of today’s America is that while the wealthiest people and largest corporations are doing phenomenally well, the middle class is disappearing and millions of Americans are working longer hours for lower wages. Congress must start listening to the needs of ordinary Americans, not just the billionaire class and their lobbyists.

BCTV Channel 8 & 10 Schedules for the Week of 9/1/14

by BCTVProg | Media

BCTV Ch. 8 schedule for the week of 9/1/14

                   Monday September 1       

12:00 am      Helping Seniors Understand Reverse Mortgages

1:00 am       Car Tour of Fort Ticonderoga Military Road History

2:00 am       FSTV Overnight

4:00 am       Craft in the Southern Half – A Look at the Arts in Southern VT Ep.2

4:40 am       Vermont Musicians on the Air – Ep.2: Diane Huling

Theodore Roosevelt’s Visit To Brattleboro

by cgrotke | History

If you were in Brattleboro on September 1st, 1902, there is a good chance that you might have worked your way downtown to the train station late in the afternoon in expectation of the arrival of a notable visitor.

Arrangements had been in the works for months for a visit to Brattleboro by President Theodore Roosevelt. The Young Men’s Republican club had sent an invitation and had been forming committees to schedule the visit, arrange a program of activities, decorate the parade route, and welcome him to town. As the President’s plans changed (his time available was increasingly short), so did Brattleboro’s. The reception banquet was cancelled and a more simple ceremony substituted.

The visit, Roosevelt’s welcome, and his speech made headlines, and he spoke to those assembled on the topic of good government and Abraham Lincoln.

Brooks House – The One and Only

by Vidda | History

In additional to its historical Importance and preservation, one of the prime movers behind the redevelopment and renovation of the Brooks House is the economics of Brattleboro’s daily life. Historically, Brooks House was, and remains, the largest commercial structure in Brattleboro.

In the midst of The One and Only the Brooks House continues to be an important visual symbol of what makes Brattleboro so unique. Of all of Southern Vermont’s noteworthy landmarks none capture the quintessential past and renewed hopes for the future as this Main Street frontage in the center of downtown Brattleboro.

SeVWA’s August 27th River Sampling

by sevwa.wqmp | Nature

August 27th was the last full river sampling day of Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance’s (SeVWA’s) 2014 river monitoring program. There will be one more monitoring day for a small number of sites on September 10th. In 2014 SeVWA’s monitoring program included 26 river and stream sites. Those sites were along the West River, North Branch Brook, Rock River, Williams River, Middle Branch Williams River, Saxtons River and Whetstone Brook.

Most children in the southeastern Vermont region headed back to school this week and, with the start of school and Labor Day Weekend upon us, many consider summer over. However, summer is still officially here and the weather will remain quite “summery” through the coming week. Recreational use of our region’s rivers will continue into the fall.

Weekend Concert Series: Steve Earle

by cgrotke | Entertainment

Let’s check in with Steve Earle, shall we?

Here he is with his guitar in 1991, live at McCabes. Where is McCabes? I do not know. Oceanside? Austin? I suppose it doesn’t matter much.

I’ve never seen Mr. Earle perform, but have heard a few of his albums, all of which seem smart, interesting, and worthy of multiple listens. He’s a good counterpart to Billy Bragg in many ways. They would make quite a pair for a double bill.

Rally To Support Skateboarding 4 PM September 5th Pliny Park

by scrispe | Activism

Come to support a skate park and skateboarders in Brattleboro at the official skate rally Friday, September 5th. 4-6:30 in Pliny Park during gallery walk. Bring signs and make your voice be heard that there is a need for a skate park in Brattleboro, and the 10 years of consistent effort is too long to have to wait.

Towns far smaller than Brattleboro have skate parks. Why don’t we?

Come show your support for youth, recreation in Brattleboro, and the skateboard community. Bring signs making your opinion known that we want a location to be able to skateboard – and soon!

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – September 2, 2014

by cgrotke | Town News

What to do about Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and where to site the town’s skatepark will be the main items up for discussion at the next regular Tuesday meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard.

You may also be interested in the budget, grants, hazard plan, and other routine business to come before the board. You can attend in person, comment on agenda items, or bring up other issues not on the agenda during Public Participation. Watch on BCTV, and read all about it the day after right here.

Grief Support Group in Brattleboro for Adults

by Not Signed In | Health

New Grief Support Group

A new Six-Week Grief Support Group for adults begins on Thursday September 11th and will meet each Thursday from 4:30-6:00 pm, ending October 16th. The group is free of charge and open to anyone in the community grieving the death loss of a loved one, no matter where you are on your journey of grief.

Grief Support Groups offer a safe, mutually supportive environment for sharing experiences, insight and encouragement, through discussion, handouts, and suggestions for moving through grief.

Expect Weekend Traffic Delays on I-91 in Brattleboro Area

by Not Signed In | Town News

The traveling public is advised to expect traffic delays on I-91 northbound between Exits 2 and 3 in the Brattleboro area. These delays are likely to occur during periods of high traffic volume. Expect delays on I-91 Northbound on Friday afternoon and evening, and on I-91 Southbound on Sunday afternoon. Special consideration should be given to the start and end of Holidays as well.

Brattleboro Food Co-op Manager Alex Gyori Announces Retirement

by cgrotke | Business

Alex Gyori, a staple item at the Brattleboro Food Co-op for many years, has announced his intentions of retiring. The news comes in the latest issue of Food for Thought, the Co-op’s newsletter to shareholders.

He says in part, “In ten months, and the end of this fiscal year, I will be moving on to another phase of life after 33 years of service to the Co-op. This phase is often referred to as retirement, but I am hoping it will be a lot more than that – I still have plenty of energy and enthusiasm! Nevertheless, the Co-op will benefit from new directions and fresh eyes, so to speak.”