News and information sections, from near to far
Howard Weiss-Tisman is reporting that Kate O’Connor has been selected by the Chamber board as the new Director of the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce, replacing retiring Jerry Goldberg (who was recently named “Person of the Year.”)
In observance of Veterans’ Day, all Brattleboro town offices will be closed on Monday, November 11, 2013, with the exception of emergency services.
Parking is free at all metered spaces and in the pay-and-display lots on Sunday and Monday. All other violations, including extended parking, will be enforced.
WILLISTON, Vt., Nov. 4 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today was joined by Gov. Peter Shumlin and representatives of IBM, Sandia National Laboratories and the U.S. Department of Energy to launch the Vermont Photovoltaic Regional Test Center. The center will research ways to cut the cost of solar power and integrate solar energy into Vermont’s statewide smart grid.
The Regional Test Center is a $3 million project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative, which aims to reduce the cost of solar energy by 75 percent by 2020 and make solar power account for at least 15 percent of America’s electricity generation by 2030.
Safer town roads in Brattleboro will be a major focus of the next regular Brattleboro Selectboard meeting. A traffic calming plan is up for adoption, the intersection at Western Ave will get some attention, and the Safe Streets program will get a small grant.
The board will again take up the issue of the request to reduce the size and scope of the skatepark, and will decide whether to discharge a $150,000 lien between BaBB and the Town for the River Garden. There will be liquor licenses, loans, and grants to deal with, and we’ll get an update on the soon-to-be-ending search for a new Town Manager.
Watch on BCTV or attend in person and participate. You can bring up items that aren’t on the agenda during public participation.
The Agricultural Advisory Committee will be meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 6, 2013 in the Hanna Cosman Room of the Municipal Center.
The agenda is attached.
Brattleboro Citizens Breakfast October 18, 2013
Topic: Gunsense Vermont
Speaker: Ann Braden
The Brattleboro Police-Fire Facility Building Committee will meet on Thursday, November 7, 2013 at 4:00pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center.
Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100
The Brattleboro Energy Committee will meet on Monday, November 4, 2013 at 5:00pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center.
Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100
This year’s hallowe’en celebration was our darkest ever — at a little before 6 o’clock, some heard a bang, others saw a flash, and then, lights out. Meanwhile, the street filled with cars and kids, out for hallowe’en treats, most of them hardly noticing that the reason our street was so spooky was that no one had power.
We decorated the front hall with candles (safely stowed in holders) and an old storm lantern that nicely showed off the giant spider shadows on the back wall. Meanwhile, hundreds of kids made their way through the gloom and rain, with glowing pumpkins and lighted walking sticks to guide their way.
Building a Better Brattleboro will hold a meeting of its membership on Thursday, November 7, 2013 at 5:30 p.m. at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden. BaBB will present its FY 2015 work plan and budget. Following the presentation the membership will vote on whether to approve the budget in accordance with Chapter 15 of Brattleboro’s Code of Ordinances.
BaBB’s membership, as well as the public, is encouraged to attend.
Building a Better Brattleboro
babb@sover.net
Just when the weather is getting pretty cold, . The Elliot Street Fire Fund has been established at TD Bank to help these folks.
While emergency relief agencies have seen to their immediate survival needs, there are also needs that won’t be filled because of limits to those agencies work programs and resources. Click the story title, above, for details.
Alternative transportation can be a tough sell in a rural state like Vermont, where residents often have to travel long distances to get to work and shopping. Brattleboro’s main streets are often choked with traffic, creating headaches for motorists along with air pollution that can cause health problems.
The Brattleboro Energy Committee has been working for several years to address this issue. In 2010, the Committee organized the Brattleboro Business Transportation Roundtable, made up of representatives from Brattleboro-area businesses and institutions such as the Brattleboro Retreat, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, Windham Southeast Supervisory Union, and Landmark College. The Roundtable has been working to promote alternative commuting such as biking, walking, carpooling, and taking the bus among its employees through programs such as the Way To Go Commuter Challenge.
VERNON – On Monday October 28th, the Vermont House Commerce and House Natural Resources and Energy Committees held a joint hearing in Windham County to hear about community and economic impacts expected from the date certain closure of Vermont Yankee.
The Windham Regional Commission (WRC), Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC), southeastern Vermont’s regional development corporation, and the Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS) testified about the need for full decommissioning, urgent economic development needs, and the plans they have developed to meet those needs, in the Windham Region. All three organizations are poised to work on the rebuilding of the Windham regional economy in the face of the loss of jobs, payroll and business activity resulting from the closure. The regional organizations estimate their immediate mitigation financial needs at 2.3 million dollars.
The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Monday, October 28, 2013 at 3:00pm in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center. It is anticipated that the Board will enter into executive session at 3:15pm to discuss a personnel matter.
REVISED AGENDA ATTACHED.
Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100
Brattleboro Citizens’ Breakfast, October 18, 2013, Gibson-Aiken Center – Brattleboro VT
Notes from – Gun Sense VT: a sensible approach?
Presenter: Ann Braden –
“The District of Vermont’s efforts to combat firearms violence in the state are shaped by two realities. First, federal law enforcement has a unique responsibility to combat the acquisition and possession of firearms by criminals in Vermont because the state has no laws prohibiting the possession of firearms by persons prohibited under federal law. Second, the most pervasive form of violent crime in the state results from domestic disputes.”
Public testimony from 5-7 pm in Vernon
On Monday October 28th, the Vermont House Commerce and House Natural Resource and Energy Committees will hold a joint hearing in Windham County to hear about community and economic impacts expected from the date certain closure of Vermont Yankee. The hearing is scheduled from 1:30 to 4:30 for regional organizations, municipalities and others to testify with an open time for public testimony from 5-7 pm at the Vernon Elementary School.
BDCC, southeastern Vermont’s regional development corporation, and SeVEDS (Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies) will testify at 2:15 PM about the pressing economic development needs, and the plans they have developed to meet those needs, in the Windham Region.
The Brattleboro Citizen Police Communications Committee (CPCC) will meet on Monday, October 28, 2013 at 5:30pm in the community room at the Brooks Memorial Library.
The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Human Services Review Committee will meet and hold an Informational Meeting on Wednesday, October 30, 2013 at 6:00pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center. Human Service Agency funding applications and information is posted on the Brattleboro website.
Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100
The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Monday, October 28, 2013 at 3:00pm in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center. It is anticipated that the Board will enter into executive session at 3:15pm to discuss a personnel matter.
The Brattleboro Town Manager Search Citizen Committee will hold a meeting on Monday, October 28, 2013 at 3:15pm in the Hanna Cosman/Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center. It is anticipated that the Committee will enter into executive session at 3:20pm to discuss a personnel matter and meet with the Selectboard.
Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100
Brattleboro – Vermont Partnership for Fairness & Diversity has opened the general registration for the 2nd Annual Vermont Vision for a Multicultural Future Conference. Individuals interested in attending this strategy-sharing event may register on-line at www.vermontpartnership.org .
Beginning at 1:00pm on Thursday, November 7th, Vermont Partnership will convene its signature conference at the Grand Summit Resort Hotel & Conference Center at Mount Snow in Dover, VT. The one and a half day conference will bring together Vermont leaders and interested parties who are working to strengthen business and institutional practices for an increasingly diverse marketplace within the state and beyond. The conference will close at 5:00pm on November 8th.
Washington Street will be closed to through traffic from Highland Street to Prospect Street for three weeks starting Monday, October 28, 2013. Renaud Bros. will be working with the Department of Public Works to replace the failed retaining wall. Motorists should plan to use alternate routes.
If there are questions or concerns, please contact the Department of Public Works at 254-4255.
-Department of Public Works
