Rt 30 Reopens
Good Morning:
The section of VT Rt 30 that intersects with I-91 is now open to traffic.
Cindy Cook
Public Relations Officer
Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project
News & Information
News and information sections, from near to far
Brattleboro Budget Rejected
Brattleboro voters rejected the proposed budget Tuesday.
478 voted in favor, but 771 voted against, sending the Brattleboro Selectboard back to work on another version.
1249 people participated by voting. 554 of those were by absentee ballot. Results are for the entire town; votes were not counted by district.
The Bondville Boys at the River Garden, Friday Night
As a reminder, southern Vermont’s best-loved bluegrass group, the Bondville Boys (“some of them are from Bondville, and some of them are boys”) will rock the River Garden this Friday night, the 18th, from 7 to 10:30, presented by Strolling of the Heifers. Tickets $10 at the door, $30 family cap.
As a preview, here’s a video of one of their recent appearances:
Strolling of the Heifers presents Maple ‘n Mud Fest at the River Garden
In another sign of spring, Strolling of the Heifers will host its Maple ‘n Mud Fest on Saturday April 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden, downtown Brattleboro.
The festival celebrates the changing of the seasons with an array of participating farmers and maple product producers. This community event is free and open to the public at the new home of the Strolling of the Heifers.
The official grades of maple syrup are being renamed in Vermont to provide the general public with a little more clarity on what each grade is best suited. Visitors can see, and then taste the differences at an exhibit presented by Hidden Springs Maple.
The UFOs, They Just Keep Coming to Brattleboro’s Skies
The above photo was taken April 16, 2014. It was authenticated by the University of Brattleboro Photo Lab, and it may not get more authentic than that.
Brattleboro Spring 2014 Water Main Flushing To Begin – Complete DPW Schedule
Utilities Division crews will start Spring Flushing of the Town water mains on Thursday, April 24, 2014 at 10:00 p.m. and continue through Saturday, May 10, 2014.
NOTE!! Some daytime flushing will continue throughout the weeks of May 12 and 19, 2014
Please note that water main flushing will occur at night and also during the day.
Customers are asked to check the flushing schedule closely as flushing causes water discoloration, low water pressure, and in some areas intervals of no water.
Night flushing will occur from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.. Day flushing will occur from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m..
I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project Update: Week of April 20th
I-91
Northbound I-91 traffic has been relocated onto the southbound bridge. Traffic will remain reduced to one lane in each direction on I-91 until completion of the new bridge in the Fall of 2015.
Weather permitting, night work will be conducted Monday night, April 21st through Saturday night, April 26th.
Route 30
The speed limit on Route 30 near the work zone has been reduced to 40 mph. This reduction will remain in effect through the Spring of 2016.
Project-related truck activity on Route 30 will continue. Route 30 will be reduced to a single lane intermittently both day and night, with flaggers regulating traffic within the work zone.
Selectboard Meeting Notes: Deficits, Donations, Arts, Power and PACE
Brattleboro will end the year with a deficit according to a memo from the Town Finance Director. Most of it was expected and all of it was approved, but it isn’t especially good financial news. Especially given the fact that the Brattleboro Selectboard learned that the DPW would exceed the road maintenance budget for the year.
Perhaps someone would like to make a donation to cover the cost overruns. Such was the suggestion of Chris Chapman, who told the board of a plan to let people give money to the town because they like us and want to be charitable.
The Selectboard wasn’t interested in forming a new committee to investigate generating electricity and heat locally, but supported the idea of forming a sub-committee of the Energy Committee to take up the task.
Trash Pickup To Resume on Gravel Roads
Trash and recycling pick up will resume on the gravel roads this week as normally scheduled.
If you have any questions, please contact Calista, Brattleboro’s Trash and Recycling Coordinator, at (802) 254 – 4541 ext. 1103.
Town of Brattleboro
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
211 Fairground Road, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301
Tel: 802-254-4255 • Fax: 802-257-2316 • E-mail: brattdpw@sover.net
Brattleboro Spring Leaf Pickup Schedule
The following dates have been scheduled for Brattleboro’s curbside Spring Leaf Collection. Whereas in the past leaf pickup was determined by scheduled day of rubbish pickup, all locations will be picked up each Friday:
Leaf Pick Up Date
ALL RESIDENTS Friday, April 25, 2014
ALL RESIDENTS Friday, May 9, 2014
All leaves and clippings must be in brown paper leaf bags and at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on scheduled leaf collection days. Acceptable waste…leaves, grass, clippings, garden waste, twigs, no branches larger than 1″ in diameter and 2 feet long. No other household trash is to be included.
I-91 Northbound Brattleboro Bridge Closure On Saturday, April 12, 2014 – Details
BRATTLEBORO, VT – April 14 – PCL Civil Constructors, Inc., in coordination with the Vermont Agency of Transportation, closed the I-91 bridge on Saturday, April 12 through Sunday, April 13 due to unexpected safety concerns. During the demolition of the I-91 northbound bridge, safety concerns were raised when the northbound bridge shifted during the removal of a portion of the structure. As a result, the contractor recommended that, in an abundance of caution, the adjacent I-91 southbound bridge structure be closed to traffic until the partially demolished northbound bridge could be inspected and adjustments could be made to ensure the safety of the traveling public. Contractor crews and engineers worked around the clock to rectify the situation and traffic was restored Sunday night.
I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project Update: Week of April 13
I-91
Northbound I-91 traffic has been relocated onto the southbound bridge. Traffic will remain reduced to one lane in each direction on I-91 until completion of the new bridge in the Fall of 2015.
Weather permitting, night work will be conducted Sunday night, April 13th through Saturday night, April 19th.
Route 30
The speed limit on Route 30 near the work zone has been reduced to 40 mph. This reduction will remain in effect through the Spring of 2016.
Project-related truck activity on Route 30 will continue. Route 30 will be reduced to a single lane intermittently both day and night, with flaggers regulating traffic within the work zone.
Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – April 15, 2014
Citizen suggestions for town improvements will be center stage at the next regular Tuesday Meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard. Former board member Chris Chapman would like the town to consider taking donations, and George Harvey would like a committee to investigate generation of local electric power.
The board will also hear from the Arts Committee, approve whiskey drinking for the Stroll, review staffing of Police and Planning departments, get a PACE update, buy a new police car, and more.
You can attend and participate in person, or watch on BCTV. Full coverage here afterward.
Governor Shumlin Appoints BDCC’s Moulton As Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) Secretary
GOV. SHUMLIN MAKES KEY STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS
MONTPELIER — April 10, 2014 — Gov. Peter Shumlin today announced two key staff appointments integral to his efforts to strengthen Vermont’s economy by growing jobs, helping to contain rising health care costs and reform health care delivery, and ushering in a universal, publicly-financed health care system in Vermont.
Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) Secretary Lawrence Miller will become Senior Advisor to the Governor and Chief of Health Care Reform. In this capacity, Miller will be tasked with overseeing the state’s health care reform efforts and transition to Green Mountain Care. He will report directly to the Governor.
Brattleboro Water Quality
Brattleboro’s 2014 Water Quality Report is now available. Once again we are proud to report no violations and few contaminants detected in the water we supply. This Federally mandated report contains information and test results on the water supplied to Brattleboro residents during the past year. It also includes general information about your water supply and its sources and a little water department news on upcoming projects.
Customers receiving a bill will find a web address at the bottom where they can go to read the report online. The address is . You may also go to , click on departments and then Public Works, Water Supply page, where there is a link to the report.
Brattleboro Special Referendum Informational Meeting on Budget and Police-Fire Project
Brattleboro Selectboard Chair David Gartenstein led an informational meeting at Oak Grove School Wednesday night. The topic was the special referendum vote on April 17, the town budget, and the Police and Fire Facility project. Not counting Town staff, Selectpersons, and Town Meeting Reps, about 36 members of the public attended.
Gartenstein first gave an overview of the proposed budget and the work that went into creating it, all familiar to regular readers of Selectboard Meeting Notes. His main point was that it was a lean, level-service budget, with most of it going to pay staff and benefits.
He also said the town’s basic, core services were police, fire, roads, parks & recreation, and the library.
I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Project Update: RT 30 Closure Delayed One Day
The Project Team has delayed the closure of VT RT 30 by one day. As you might imagine, a project of this scope involves a huge number of variables. We are doing our very best to keep everyone apprised of changes, and appreciate your understanding and patience.
ROUTE 30 CLOSURE SCHEDULING CHANGE: Friday, April 11th to Friday, April 18th: The closure is now scheduled to begin Friday night, April 11th and will be complete by the afternoon of Friday, April 18th. The shearing of the steel of the bridge that is being demolished will be noisy, and will be limited to the hours of 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM, so as to minimize the noise impacts on nearby residents. Once the closure begins, no through traffic will be permitted on VT Route 30 through the I-91 right-of-way.
Designated Agencies Opposing SSA Medicaid Funding Designation for Pathways Vermont
(cross-posted to Green Mountain Daily, here; original version posted to Vermont Watch, here)
It was recently learned that Pathways Vermont, a housing first program currently serving six different regions within the state, is pursuing Specialized Service Agency (SSA) Medicaid funding designation status as a way to replace the federal grant funds the housing first program will be losing later this year, to the tune of $600,000.
Read the Pathways Vermont SSA designation application letter, here.
It is my understanding that this SSA designation status, if granted, would permit Pathways Vermont to receive medicaid funding the program currently does not have access to and of which the Designated Agencies (DA’s: i.e., Community Mental Health Centers: CMHC’s) basically have enjoyed what amounts to a virtual monopoly when it comes to these type of program and service funds.
Another Phone Scam
I’ve just heard of someone being scammed. A phone call from a “Live Technician” with a Las Vegas number and a Canadian billing address, scammed this elderly woman for several hundred dollars and wiped much of her laptop, iPad, and iPhone clean. The caller “knew” which devices she owned before she told him and she unwittingly gave him access to her devices. He was claiming that she needed to buy his company’s malware and that her computer was loaded with troubles. He wiped out whole programs she’d paid for, and supposedly installed their malware. Of course, all of her information and identity is now stolen.
Mud Season Trash Pickup
Due to the difficult mud season this year, there will be no trash and recycling pick-up on the following gravel roads on Wednesday, April 9th or Thursday, April 10th, 2014:
Pleasant Valley Road:
Gibson Road
East Orchard Street
Orchard Street
Pleasant Valley Road
Meadowbrook Road
Wickopee Hill Road
