For stories pertaining to the town of Brattleboro at large and its government.
The Brattleboro Parking Department would like to announce the lifting of the winter parking ban. Starting tonight, 04/08/20, at midnight, overnight parking will be allowed on all streets EXCEPT in the downtown area. The following streets are never available for overnight parking:
Main Street
High Street
Elliot Street (from School St to Main St)
The Brattleboro Selectboard met virtually to discuss updates regarding COVID-19, staff furloughs, putting Representative Town Meeting on further hold, and other matters. Board members urged landlords to pause rents and banks to pause mortgage payments. And licensed electricians may be required for most rental properties repairs.
It wasn’t the smoothest technological feat, and it took a while to get things working semi-smoothly, but it sufficed.
• The Selectboard meets tonight at 6:15 pm on GoToMeeting…
• We have been advised that United States Census responses from Windham County are coming in more slowly than from some other areas of Vermont and other states. A complete count of everyone in Brattleboro and Windham County is important because, among other things, comparative populations are used to determine how much State and Federal funding assistance a community receives for a variety of programs and services. Please complete your 2020 Census form online or mail it in. If you are unsure how to do that, at least be responsive when a Census worker contacts you to ask for the information for your household. Thank you!
• The Recreation Department is offering “virtual gymnastics” on Wednesdays and Fridays, as follows:
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
There is no change in the deployment of Town resources today. However, we have 3 announcements today in the interests of public health and rumor control:
➢ This evening (beginning at approximately 6pm at the Brattleboro Police Station on Black Mountain Road) there will be a procession of state and local law enforcement vehicles driving through town to salute the heroic work of healthcare workers. They will make stops (but will not leave their vehicles) at health care facilities along the route. The vehicles in the procession will be using their emergency lights. BPD is issuing a news release to alert the public so that people will not mistakenly believe there is a large-scale law enforcement emergency in Brattleboro.
➢ The State of Vermont vehicles parked near the Connecticut River bridges and all other roadway points of entry into Vermont are noting the state of registration of vehicles entering and leaving Vermont. They are not collecting individual license plate data and are not restricting entry.
➢ Some gatherings of people are still being noticed around town. Everyone is reminded that our collective health and well being depends upon people adhering to the social distancing advice of public health professionals in compliance with Governor Scott’s “Stay Home – Stay Safe” orders. People are encouraged to get outside for fresh air and exercise, including at Town parks, but no one should be within 6 feet of any other person, handling anything being handled by any other person, or touching any furniture or equipment at the Town’s parks or anywhere else outside of each person’s own home.
An employee at the Brattleboro Retreat is “presumed positive for COVID-19,” according to a story in the VTDigger.org today. The employee is in quarantine at home at this time. However, the same is not true of other Retreat workers who may have come in contact with that employee. They’ve been instructed by the Retreat’s HR Director that they should come to work or be terminated. However, if they “become symptomatic i.e. dry cough and/or fever,” they have been told to contact the HR Director.
The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a regular meeting on Tuesday, April 7, 2020, at 6:15pm. In keeping with Governor Scott’s “Stay Home – Stay Safe” order, this meeting will be held with no physical location using GoToMeeting. Copies of the agenda and administrative report are attached. Both documents contain information about how to access the meeting remotely. ASL interpreters will be available for deaf and hard-of-hearing community members. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.
The Brattleboro Selectboard held its first-ever virtual public special meeting. It’s also the first time the newly-configured board has taken up new business. They discussed… you guessed it… coronavirus, of course.
Notes from this historic meeting are below.
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
• REMINDER:
There will be a special Selectboard meeting tonight at 6:15pm on GoToMeeting.
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
• REMINDER:
There will be a special Selectboard meeting tomorrow (Thursday, April 2) at 6:15pm on GoToMeeting. Here is how the public can watch and/or participate in this meeting:
WHAT’S NEW TODAY:
-There will be a special Selectboard meeting this coming Thursday, April 2, at 6:15pm on GoToMeeting.
Meetings of Town boards, commissions, and committees will resume on a case-by-case basis. All will use the GoToMeeting platform for remote-only meetings (with no physical location) until after the COVID-19 emergency has passed.
-The State has advised the Town that we cannot temporarily suspend the pay-as-you-throw program.
– In keeping with the closure of all Town Recreation facilities and programs, the Recreation and Parks Department announces the cancellation of the following seasonal special events:
The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Thursday, April 2, 2020, at 6:15pm. In keeping with Governor Scott’s “Stay Home – Stay Safe” order, this meeting will be held with no physical location using GoToMeeting. A copy of the agenda is attached and it contains information about how to access the meeting remotely. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
• We continue to make adjustments in Town operations as we come to clearer understandings of what is possible during these unprecedented circumstances. As we make these adjustments, our goal is to remain as productive as possible in service to the community while fully complying with the Governor’s “Stay Home – Stay Safe” order. The current status of particular Town services is set forth each day in the function-by-function summary below.
• Annual Spring Leaf Pickup service will be provided by Triple-T on Friday, April 17, and on Friday, May 1. The Town decided to proceed with this service in the usual manner because curbside solid waste collection is continuing under the “essential services” provisions of the Governor’s “Stay Home – Stay Safe” order and because the fresh air and exercise involved in doing yard work is a safe and healthy way for people to take a break from staying indoors during the COVID-19 emergency.
• There may be a special Selectboard meeting this coming Thursday, April 2, at 6:15pm on GoToMeeting. If the plans come together for this meeting, it will be warned tomorrow (March 31) and will also be announced in tomorrow’s COVID-19 Daily Update.
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
The Brattleboro Police Department (BPD) has transitioned to Level III of its Emergency Response Plan for COVID-19, as follows:
• BPD is still patrolling the roadways, walking downtown, and visiting merchants that are open, adhering to social distancing best practices when encountering people face-to-face.
• BPD is answering life safety calls involving physical harm or the threat of harm to individuals. Non life safety calls for service are being handled via appropriate technology (i.e. phone, email, etc.) Patrol Commanders are determining whether or not a physical response is warranted.
• Dispatch is fully staffed 24/7 and is screening for COVID-19 on all calls.
• BPD Clerks are working from home. Public Records requests are being accepted by email, but the majority will not be able to be processed until the “Stay Home – Stay Safe” order is lifted.
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
There are no new “bullets” of information today, but I do want to share this with the community:
In keeping with the Governor’s “Stay Home – Stay Safe” order, this is the first full day of Town operations with most employees working from home. While we are not in our usual places interacting with the public in the usual manner, we are here for you during these extraordinary times. We have made arrangements for many administrative employees to conduct most or all of their usual activities from their homes. Some will continue to come to the office occasionally to complete tasks that can only be completed there. Importantly, all email communications and most telephone communications are functioning exactly as they do during normal office operations. Field crews will be performing limited ongoing field work to ensure that health and safety concerns are promptly addressed, and all field employees will be on call every day for addressing urgent maintenance issues (like a water main break, a snowstorm, etc.).
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
In compliance with the “Stay Home – Stay Safe” order issued by Governor Scott yesterday, most of Town government’s non-emergency services and administrative support functions have been suspended. Here are the details:
• Emergency services are still being provided by the Police and Fire Departments, but both departments have instituted policies that adjust their normal procedures to reflect COVID-19 best practices advice from public health experts.
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
• In furtherance of the Governor’s announcement yesterday that all businesses should implement work-from-home practices “to the maximum extent possible” and his suggestion that additional restrictions on people’s movement will be announced tomorrow, the Town has increased the number of employees who are telecommuting and is finalizing plans for full closure of certain non-emergency services and administrative functions.
• The status of each separate area of Town government will be announced in detail if it does become necessary to fully close any functions or services.
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
• Town staff continues to be available for remote communications with the public during normal business hours. However, in keeping with increasingly restrictive social distancing requirements and advice from State Government and public health experts, fewer Town employees are reporting to their usual workplaces. It may become necessary for the Town to reduce the number of hours that non-emergency Town functions are “open” for communication with the public. If that does become necessary, we will explicitly identify the operating hours that will remain in effect.
I almost forgot that we needed a new “Noticed” for the new season. This should be an interesting one. I expect some of these observations to change as time goes on.
…
I noticed some people at St Michaels’ today loading up a truck. Looked like volunteers working to make some deliveries.
• Some residents have asked the Town to suspend the pay-as-you-throw program so that no onewould have to buy the yellow and purple bags until further notice. Our pay-as-you-throw systemis required for the Town to comply with a State-mandate to have “variable rate pricing” for garbagecollection and disposal (i.e. the more one throws away the more one pays). The Town has askedthe State if we can temporarily suspend the pay-as-you-throw system. We have not yet receivedthe State’s permission to do that.
WHAT IS NEW TODAY
• REMINDER: A special Selectboard meeting will be held on Monday, March 23, at 5:30pm in theSelectboard Meeting Room at the Municipal Center. The Selectboard will appoint Ian Goodnow tothe seat that became vacant upon Dave Schoales’ resignation and will elect Selectboard officers.Please note that the Municipal Building will be open to the public on March 23 from 5:15pm until 15minutes after the special Selectboard meeting is adjourned.
