Town News

On Thursday, June 13, 6:00-7:30 pm, the West Brattleboro Association (WBA) will hold its monthly meeting at The New England House, 254 Marlboro Road. The Association will review the treasury, traffic safety especially as it regards the stretch of Route 9 from Academy School to Greenleaf Street, the ‘Neighborhoods Project’, and any news regarding Glen Park and Mountain Home Park.

In addition, Association members will review the work plan for the remainder of the year starting with Village Day on Saturday, June 22, held on the West Brattleboro common in front of the firehouse. The group will discuss items to be displayed in the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce window promoting the event.

The Brattleboro Selectboard is seeking candidates to fill a Selectboard vacancy created by the resignation of member Ken Schneck.

Persons interested in serving the remainder of this term (ending March 24, 2014) should send letters of interest to the Town Manager’s Office (Attn: Selectboard Vacancy, 230 Main Street, Suite 208, Brattleboro VT 05301).

The Brattleboro Selectboard chose an architectural engineering firm for the Police Fire Facility project at their Tuesday meeting. The board also started a discussion about asking property owners with tax exemptions to pay something anyway for the services they receive.

Arkham fought for and received their outdoor consumption permit, the Town got a clean bill of health from auditors, the Grand List is up, and an upcoming Selectboard vacancy was officially announced. Read on for details.

An architect and engineer for the Police Fire Facility Project might be selected at the next regular Tuesday meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard.

The board will return to the issue of serving drinks outdoors at Arkham, begin the process of filling an upcoming Selectboard vacancy, issue warrants for unlicensed dogs, and begin making Town Committee appointments. And you can bring up anything else not on the agenda during Public Participation.

Watch on BCTV or attend in person, and look here for full coverage on Wednesday.

The Strolling of the Heifers Slow Living Summit has announced that the plenary sessions featuring its most prominent speakers — including Diet for a Small Planet author Frances Moore Lappé — will be open to the public, with an optional donation of $10 requested at the door. All of the sessions are at the Latchis Theatre. The schedule is as follows:

Shortly after the Brattleboro Selectboard’s May 21, 2013 meeting, Ken Schneck formally notified the Town Clerk of his resignation from the Selectboard effective June 19, 2013.

The process for selecting a new Selectboard member is governed by Brattleboro’s Town Charter and the Selectboard’s Rules For Conduct Of Meetings And Hearings. Applicable language is quoted below.

Article IV, Section 4 of the Charter provides:
“When a member of the selectboard resigns . . . the office shall become vacant.”

The Charter continues that:
“When a vacancy occurs on the board, the remaining selectboard shall fill the vacancy by appointment until the next regularly scheduled election.”

The Brattleboro Citizen Police Communications Committee (CPCC) will meet on Monday, June 3, 2013 at 5:30pm in the Brooks Memorial Library community room.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

The Brattleboro Energy Committee will meet on Monday, June 3, 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

There will be a special meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard on Thursday, May 30, 2013 at 2:00pm in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center. It is anticipated that the Board will enter into executive session to discuss a contractual matter.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

The Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee will meet on Tuesday, May 28, 2013 at 4:30pm in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

The Brattleboro Traffic Safety Committee will meet on Tuesday, May 28, 2013 at 8:30am in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

In observance of Memorial Day, all Brattleboro town offices will be closed on Monday, May 27, 2013, with the exception of emergency services.

Parking is free at all metered spaces and in the pay-and-display lots on Sunday, May 26 and Monday, May 27, 2013. All other violations, including extended parking, will be enforced.

The Brattleboro Selectboard heard sobering news about rental housing for low income citizens at Tuesday’s meeting. Section 8 funds are threatened, said the Brattleboro Housing Authority, which could impact residents and landlords alike.

The board also heard about the Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive insect expected to start eating our ash trees in the near future if action isn’t taken soon. The board discussed bonding, budgets, project architects, and whether it was a good idea to serve liquor outdoors in Harmony Lot.

 After sending out the Brattleboro Reformer article appearing below, I received several emails questioning the sentence reading

the original language of the bill said that “Building a Better Brattleboro, Inc., its successors and assigns, shall not convey this property to a for-profit entity, unless it shall reimburse the town of Brattleboro the sum of $150,000, without interest, at the time of said conveyance, if it ever were to occur.”

And folks are rightly confused!  This language is not in the original bill. That bill, Act 29 (1999)  contained the following wording:

The Brooks House loan will be on Tuesday night’s Selectboard Agenda. The board will also hear about bonding options, invasive insects, retaining walls, online maps, and more. You can bring up other items that aren’t on the agenda during Public Participation.

You can participate by attending the meeting at the Municipal Center, or by watching on BCTV. As always, we’ll have coverage here the next day, too.

Brattleboro Citizens’ Breakfast, Gibson-Aiken Center – Brattleboro VT – A “sneak preview” of the Slow Living Summit

Presenter: Martin Langeveld –

Mention the “Strolling of the Heifers,” and one ordinarily thinks of the weekend parade, this year scheduled for Saturday, June 8. And for good reason as surveys have demonstrated attendance during the Strolling weekend from 26 states and 400 zip codes. It has certainly helped to put Brattleboro on the map, ranking eighth among the –

The Brattleboro Police-Fire Facility Building Committee will meet on Thursday, May 23, 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

Terms of many Brattleboro committees and boards expire on June 30 of each year. The Town is looking for volunteers to serve on the following committees and boards:

Agricultural Advisory Board – 6 vacancies, 3-year term
Arts Committee – 4 vacancies, 3-year term
BASIC (Brattleboro Area Skatepark is Coming) – 2 vacancies
Brattleboro Housing Authority Representative – 1 vacancy, 5-year term
CPCC (Citizen Police Communications Committee) – 3 vacancies, 2-year term
Conservation Commission – 1 vacancy, 4-year term
Development Review Board – 2 vacancies, 3-year term
Development Review Board Alternate – 3 vacancies, 1-year term
Energy Committee – 2 vacancies for 3-year terms; 2 vacancies for 2-year terms
Energy Coordinator – 1 vacancy, 1-year term

The fourth installment of the 2012 Real Estate and Personal Property Taxes will be due on May 15, 2013.  Payments made after May 15, 2013 will have an additional 1% interest, as well as an 8% penalty added to the unpaid balance. 

The utility billing is also due on May 15, 2013. Payments made after May 15, 2013 will have an additional 1% interest, as well as an 8% penalty added to the unpaid balance. 

The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee will meet on Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at 4:30pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100