Selectboard Meeting Notes: A Million Dollar Gamble, a Resource Center, and an Imposing Tower

Major industrial development near Exit 1 got a hearty endorsement from the Brattleboro Selectboard on Tuesday evening. Over $1 million in loans and grants have been approved to be spent on an effort to convince a local employer to keep good paying jobs in Brattleboro. There are good odds that G. S. Precision will stay, but plans are not yet final.

A proposed Putney Road telecommunications tower was found to be objectionable enough to trigger a letter of concern to the Public Service Board, Groundworks collaborative will be moving forward to help the homeless with food and shelter through a planned resource center downtown, the Our Town grant selection committee was appointed, and more.


First Public Hearing on the Draft Brattleboro Land Use Regulations

Monday, August 31, 6 p.m.
Brattleboro Municipal Center, Selectboard Meeting Room

This will be the first of two public hearings the Planning Commission will hold on the draft Brattleboro Land Use Regulations. The second hearing will be on Wednesday, September 9, also at 6 p.m. in the Selectboard Meeting Room.

The revised draft is available for review online and at the Brattleboro Planning Services Department, Town Clerk’s Office and the Brooks Memorial Library.This is an entirely new set of land use regulations that will affect the entire town, replacing the current Brattleboro Zoning Ordinance and Brattleboro Subdivision Regulations.


BS&L Slated to Open New Branch Monday, Aug. 31

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. – Brattleboro Savings & Loan will open its new branch in Black Mountain Square on Putney Road, Brattleboro on Monday, Aug. 31.

The new location represents months of building and renovation and is the latest entirely solar-powered bank branch operated by BS&L, which became the first completely solar-powered bank in Vermont earlier this year.

To introduce the new branch and call attention to the vibrant business community in Brattleboro’s Putney Road area, BS&L will also celebrate with Brattorama, a Monopoly-style game for all residents, from Sept. 9 – 23. More than 30 North End businesses have signed on as partners, each with their own spot on the Brattorama game board and stickers that can be collected to win prizes ranging from gift certificates to a $1,000 Savings CD from BS&L.


Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – September 1, 2015

The Town of Brattleboro will consider its role in a planned multi-million dollar expansion of the Exit 1 industrial park at the next regular meeting of the Selectboard, on Tuesday at the Municipal Center on Main Street. The proposed project will be in conjunction with the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation and will extend town services to make more land developable. And keep G. S. Precision in town.

The board will also consider proposed changes to parking ordinances, support for the Groundworks Housing Resource Center planning project, a decision on a cell phone tower, and more. Watch on BCTV, and/or read about it here after the meeting.


Main Street Sidewalk Update #5

This is our fifth update on the Main Street Sidewalk Project. For those of you who are regularly downtown, you will have seen a flurry of activity!

This week curbing and sidewalk was removed all the way down to Centre Congregational Church. The contractor was able to install much of the conduit in that area for the underground electrical lines for the street lights. Green Mountain Power has completed the installation of the bases for the new light poles. The contractor has also began replacing some of the ramps and sidewalks in the areas across driveways on the northern end of the project. Our job site even survived the rain storm on Tuesday!


Senator Leahy To Join Nonprofits to Mark the Start of Construction of Red Clover Commons

− Nonprofits Respond to Damage from Tropical Storm Irene−

Senator Patrick Leahy will join Brattleboro Housing Partnerships and Housing Vermont to celebrate the start of construction of new senior housing. Red Clover Commons, a 55-unit development located on Fairground Road, will replace public housing at Melrose Terrace which was damaged during Tropical Storm Irene. While that damage was repaired, it was clear that seniors and those with disabilities needed to be relocated to a safer site.


I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project Update: Week of August 30

Blasting operations on the north side of the new bridge will resume the week of August 31. The target time for the blasts is weekdays between 1:30-2:00 pm. To ensure travelers’ safety, rolling roadblocks will be implemented on I-91, and traffic will be stopped for approximately 15 minutes at the Exit 2 northbound on-ramp and at the Exit 3 on-ramps in both directions. Sound impacts associated with the blasting will be minimal.


Main Street Sidewalk Update 4

This is our fourth update for the Main Street Sidewalk Reconstruction Project. This week our contractor completed all the advanced warning signage installation around town.

The Public Works crew has been working closely with Green Mountain Power to get the new street lights installed as well. We currently have all of the concrete removed at the new pole locations and 11 of the light bases are installed.


Pass With Care Signs

Have you noticed these signs around town lately? 

They have been distributed through the Safe Streets Project, a town committee whose mission is to create a culture of respect and increase civility and safety on our streets for everyone through awareness and education activities.
Remember that cyclists only travel around 10 mph and they, like you, have a destination.
 
Give respect, get respect. Safety is a two-way street.

I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project Update: Week of August 23

Blasting operations on the north side of the new bridge have stopped temporarily, and will resume mid-week the week of the 23rd. The target time for the blasts is weekdays between 1:30-2:00 pm. To ensure travelers’ safety, rolling roadblocks will be implemented on I-91, and the Exit 2 northbound on-ramp and the Exit 3 on-ramps in both directions will be closed for approximately 15 minutes. Sound impacts associated with the blasting will be minimal.

I-91

See above re blasting scheduled for this week.


Fifth Annual “Load The Latchis” Food Drive Takes Place Aug. 20

Brattleboro, VT — (August 19, 2014) — WKVT and Latchis Arts present the fifth annual Load the Latchis food drive this Thursday, August 20.

From 6:00am to 6:00pm, volunteers will be on Flat Street outside the Latchis Building, enabling curbside drop-off of food and monetary donations, which help stock the Groundworks Collaborative food shelf on 60 South Main Street in downtown Brattleboro.

The goal of the food drive is to place a full bag of groceries on each of the 750 seats inside the main theater in the Latchis. Suggested items to donate include such non-perishable items as peanut butter, tuna fish, pasta, boxed meals, canned meats, fruits, and vegetables and diapers.


Selectboard Meeting Notes: Energy Audit SEEDS, A Cell Tower, & A Structure To Climb Upon

Brattleboro’s municipal properties will be receiving energy audits now that an energy-auditing firm has been selected for the task. The Brattleboro Selectboard approved the work to look at 14 different structures, to see what additional work could be done to save money long-term.

The board heard an interesting pair of contrasting presentations regarding a proposed 140 foot cell tower for Putney Road. One presentation showed it to be essential to the life of our community; the other questioned its necessity as proposed.

A new playground structure has been approved for purchase for West River park, town finances are on schedule one month into the fiscal year, and a complaint about a closed pool leads to a discussion of who cut the hours in the first place.


Brattleboro Committee Vacancies

The Town of Brattleboro is looking for citizens to serve on the following committees and boards:

Agricultural Advisory Board
ADA Advisory Committee
Arts Committee
Citizens Police Communications Committee (CPCC)


$150 Reward for Return of Computer

Here is the short version.

I will pay $150 to anyone who brings me my computer, no questions asked.

It was removed from my car late Friday or early Saturday , and I need it for work and to communicate with my brother who moved over seas. 

There is work I cannot finish without that computer, including movie scenes shot here in Brattleboro, concerning alcohol addiction.


Noticed Around Brattleboro – Summer 2015

Ready for another “Noticed Around Brattleboro” list? This is you chance to point out things that have caught your eye in recent months.

To get you started, here are a few things I’ve noticed recently:

– New, large Steve Proctor vases at the front door of Brattleboro Savings & Loan to welcome bank customers.


Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – August 18, 2015

Playground equipment for the West River Park, muncipal buildings’ energy audits, and a proposed new telecommunications tower for Putney Road are all on the next agenda of the Brattleboro Selectboard, set for Tuesday evening at the Municipal Center on Main Street.

You can attend in person, or watch on BCTV. You can also bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.


Public Hearings On Proposed Brattleboro Land Use Regulations

Notice of Brattleboro Planning Commission Public Hearings Proposed Brattleboro Land Use Regulations
Monday, August 31, 2015, Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Brattleboro Municipal Center

Pursuant to 24 VSA Section 4444, notice is hereby given that the Brattleboro Planning Commission will hold public two public hearings in the Selectboard Meeting Room at the Municipal Center, 230 Main Street in Brattleboro, Vermont on:

Monday, August 31, 2015 – 6:00 PM
Wednesday, September 9, 2015 – 6:00 PM


Brattleboro Our Town Selection Committee Application Deadline Extended

The Brattleboro Selectboard is accepting applications for interested people to become a part of an ad hoc Selection Committee to review the final proposals submitted by artists in conjunction with funding through the Town’s NEA “Our Town” grant. The Selection Committee will consist of several local residents and other members with expertise in the arts.

The Selectboard has approved a group of 13 proposals for final consideration. The artists have been asked to refine their proposals and will submit a final proposal for the Selection Committee to review. It is anticipated that the Selection Committee’s work will occur between September 14 and September 25. It will make a recommendation to the Selectboard regarding which project(s) should be selected for implementation.