News & Information

Richard DeGray will once again bring his special grace to the Brattleboro Selectboard. The Brattleboro Reformer reports a hand count of ballots has flipped the election results, giving DeGray one additional vote and diminishing Avery Schwenk’s count by 8. http://www.reformer.com/ci_29622449/brattleboro-recount-select-board-flips-results

Previously it was reported that Schwenk had won by a single vote: 1,505 to 1,504. The new count is 1,505 for DeGray to 1,497 for Schenk: A virtual landside for the popular former Selectboard Chair.

I just read on the Reformer Facebook page that Dick Degray won the election. He won an additional vote and Avery Schwenk lost 8 votes. It will be interesting to hear more about the process.

The Brattleboro Selectboard received a detailed report on why our downtown traffic system is just about the best it can possibly be, as is. In discussing the lack of major opportunities for improvements, the name Malfunction Junction returned as shorthand for the intersection causing problems up and down Main Street.

The board also learned about the best path forward toward addressing issues related to being a hub town in Vermont, which is to form a coalition with other hub towns, such as Bennington, St. Johnsbury, and Springfield, to put pressure on the state to create new sources of revenue.

A trailer was bought, committees have new members, and the town now offers larger loans to help businesses.

Town Manager’s Office teammates Peter Ewell, Patrick Moreland and Jan Anderson take a few moments to discuss the different ways area residents can get involved with Town Meeting–whether it’s participating in the annual town meeting, attending this year’s special Town Meeting on the Police-Fire Upgrade, prepping yourself with the pre-town meeting info sessions, attending the regular selectboard meetings throughout the year, or watching all of it on BCTV. .

The next monthly meeting of the West Brattleboro Association (WBA) will be held on Thursday, March 10^th at 6:00 PM in the Hayes Court Community Room on Garfield Drive (just west of the W Bratt PO). After a review of the treasury report, the WBA will discuss the status of the welcome signs and other pending issues.

A feature of this month’s meeting is the WBA hosting of District 1 Town Meeting representatives at 7:00 that evening. This is a chance for area residents to engage in an informal Q&A regarding the warrants for the upcoming March 12^th Special Town Meeting which will specifically address the proposed police/fire facilities upgrade, and to engage them in a discussion about the March 19^th Annual Representative Town Meeting. This part of the meeting will be facilitated by West Brattleboro’s own Orion Barber.

The Brattleboro Selectboard will receive a report regarding downtown traffic lights and traffic flow at their next Tuesday meeting. They will also receive a final report from the Regional Economic Hub Committee and act on that committee’s recommendation to dissolve.

The board will assist local businesses via new policies and procedures for the Small Business Assistance program, and will places fines and fees on local businesses for failing to get a business license in a timely manner.

You can participate by attending in person, or watch on BCTV. Read about the meeting the next day.

The Brattleboro Energy Committee will meet on Monday, March 7, 2016 at 5:00pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center.

The Brattleboro Arts Committee will meet on Tuesday, March 8, 2016 at 4:00pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center.

The Brattleboro Tree Advisory Committee will meet on Tuesday, March 8, 2016 at 7:00pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center.