News and information sections, from near to far
It’s time to look around and jot down things you’ve noticed around Brattleboro. Such as:
Temperatures in the 50’s and river flooding after heavy rains, for Christmas.
Potholes getting an early start…
Print Town book has been published…
The recent situation with COVID has resulted in some hard truths for the Brattleboro VFW. Clubs have taken a beating financially, along with a lot of other businesses.
We have had to cancel all our functions since March. No dinner/dances, birthday parties, wedding receptions, regular bingos, cancer or Brattleboro Firefighter’s fundraising bingos, banquets, holiday parties, etc. etc.
We had to shut down completely for three months starting in March, but still the bills came in. Some grants from the government helped pay some, but not all of those bills.
The Brattleboro Community Safety Review Committee will meet on Monday, December 28, 2020, at 6:00pm using Zoom (with no physical location due to the ongoing social distancing requirements of COVID-19). The attached agenda contains information about how to access the meeting remotely, including the required “passcode.”
Here’s what the state of Vermont says about gathering during the holidays:
For the period from December 23 – January 2, one household may gather with one other trusted household. That is a maximum of two households gathering during this period.
Staying home and with people you live with is still the lowest risk. Gathering with people you do not live with is not recommended for people who are at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19 or people who care for them.
If you do gather, the Health Department strongly encourages getting tested 7 days afterwards.
If you gather with anyone from out of state, everyone in both households must quarantine for 14 days, or 7 days with a negative test.
The travel policy has not changed. If you travel outside of Vermont, you must follow quarantine requirements.
In observance of the Christmas holiday:
Brattleboro Town offices will close at 12:00pm on Thursday, December 24, and will be closed on Friday, December 25, 2020, with the exception of emergency services.
Brooks Memorial Library is closed to the public at this time. The curbside service will end at 12:00pm on Thursday, December 24, and will not be available on Friday, December 25. Curbside service will resume at 10:00am on Saturday, December 26, 2020.
Shall the voters of Brattleboro be allowed to vote to opt-in to retail sales of cannabis? The Brattleboro Selectboard will decide it the question will be asked on March 2 ballots at their next special meeting.
They’ll also accept a planning grant and continue with their review of the FY22 budget, which is a great time for Representative Town Meeting Reps to pay attention and report back to all of us about what the budget will contain.
The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee will meet on Monday, December 21, 2020 at 4:00pm using Zoom (with no physical location due to the ongoing social distancing requirements of COVID-19). The attached agenda contains information about how to access the meeting remotely, including the required “passcode.”
The Brattleboro Community Safety Review Committee will meet on Monday, December 21, 2020 at 6:00pm using Zoom (with no physical location due to the ongoing social distancing requirements of COVID-19). The attached agenda contains information about how to access the meeting remotely, including the required “passcode.”
The Town of Brattleboro would like to remind everyone that the snow emergency ban is in effect.
Snow and ice will be removed from the streets in the downtown area this evening.
Parked vehicles in the downtown district must be removed by 11:00pm or they will be towed at the owner’s expense.
The Brattleboro Selectboard voted 3-2 in favor of a rental housing ordinance that limits the amount landlords can collect upfront from new tenants. It takes effect in February.
The board was unanimous in the support of monsters.
The Brattleboro Community Safety Review Committee will meet on Monday, December 14, 2020 at 6:00pm using Zoom (with no physical location due to the ongoing social distancing requirements of COVID-19). The attached agenda contains information about how to access the meeting remotely, including the required “passcode.”
The Brattleboro Traffic Safety Review Committee will meet on Thursday, December, 17, 2020 at 8:00am using GoToMeeting (with no physical location due to the ongoing social distancing requirements of COVID-19). The attached agenda contains information about how to access the meeting remotely.
There is a monster on the agenda for the next regular meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard. It’s a channel monster grinder in need of some love and attention.
The board will also discuss non-monster items, such as the 2nd reading of the rental housing ordinance, a radio tower agreement, a new solar site designation, and more of the FY22 budget. You can bring up other items not already on the agenda, be they monster or non-monster, during public and monster participation.
The Town of Brattleboro is in the process of updating the Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP). The purpose of the HMP is to identify hazards facing the Town and to develop strategies to reduce the risks from those hazards. Hazards such as flooding, wildfires, landslides, blizzards, straight-line winds, ice storms, and droughts have the potential for inflicting economic loss and personal hardship.
As mandated by the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, all municipalities must have a local Hazard Mitigation Plan in order to qualify for Federal Emergency Management Administration funding should a natural disaster occur. The Brattleboro Hazard Mitigation Committee will provide feedback required for the Plan update, including the ranking of hazards and identification of strategic, cost-effective mitigation activities that may reduce future losses.
The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, December 8, 2020, at 6:15pm using Zoom (with no physical location due to the ongoing social distancing requirements of COVID-19). The attached agenda contains information about how to access the meeting remotely, including the required “passcode.” Information about how to connect to the meeting is also posted on the homepage of the Town’s website. ASL interpreters will be available for deaf and hard-of-hearing community members.
The Brattleboro Community Safety Review Committee will meet on Monday, December 7, 2020, at 6:00pm using Zoom (with no physical location due to the ongoing social distancing requirements of COVID-19). The attached agenda contains information about how to access the meeting remotely, including the required “passcode.”
The Town of Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department would like to announce that Morningside Cemetery will close for the winter on Friday, December 4, 2020. The cemetery will re-open in the spring of 2021 as weather permits.
For information, please call 254-5808.
Call to Order
Approval of minutes of October 26, 2020
Review of targeted interviews.
Potential projects based on targeted interview, Committee meeting of 10.26.2020, and nominations of the Committee or public
Public Comment 5 min
Adjourn
Tuesday’s meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard featured discussions of rental housing, downtown, marketing, tax exemptions, and a new Amtrak station. And the meeting, again, was very long.
The Town of Brattleboro, with technical assistance from consultant Dufresne Group, invites the community to join them in a discussion of the Route 9 (Exit 2 – Main Street) Bike Lane Scoping Study. The project seeks to examine the roadway for improvements to the transportation network to facilitate bicycle travel. The purpose of the meeting is to obtain comments and concerns about the existing conditions related to bicycle and pedestrian use from local residents and members of the public. Comments are also being accepted at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DW8DBMD.
There is a community forum on Wednesday December 2nd at 6:30 to discuss the transformation of the Hinsdale-Brattleboro Bridge into a pedestrian-recreational area. ( Once the new bridge is built) Plans are being developed and community input is welcome. At this forum there will be: Preliminary Concept discussion, Summary of public feedback and time for questions and answers.
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
• Town field services continue transitioning back to the way in which they operated during last spring’s “Stay Home Stay Safe” period. For now, the way in which the public receives those services still is relatively normal, but the work is being done in accordance with many special procedures required by the State of Vermont and recommended by public health officials. As we move into even more restrictive practices for the protection of employees and the public, we will identify those changes in future “COVID-19 Response Status” updates.
• The Brattleboro Recreation and Parks Department encourages everyone to transform your front yard, apartment, or house into a bright and decorative celebration of winter! We all need a little light in our lives, so get ready to challenge your neighborhood, your friends, and your family to help us “Light Up Brattleboro.” Join us as we come together to show our festiveness and help bring joy and light into the lives of others. Here’s how you can participate:
