Town Plan

Landowners and land managers have a direct impact on flooding and the capacity of land to withstand storm events through their land management practices. Well managed lands help reduce flooding and its impacts by stabilizing soils, thereby minimizing erosion, and retaining water onsite, which reduces peak runoff and the damaging energy of floodwaters.

Join us for a land management workshop on Saturday, October 17, 2015 from 10am to 3pm to learn about best management practices (BMPs) for flood- and erosion-prone lands and the programs and resources that are available to help landowners conserve their properties. Designed for landowners, farmers, foresters, and other land-based professionals, this workshop will create a framework for understanding river dynamics, healthy vs. impacted streams, the essentials of managing forest and agricultural lands and the basics of riverbank restoration.

Once again, this has been a very busy week on the Main Street Sidewalk Replacement Project! Several of the new street lights on the northern end of the project are installed, functional, and the old ones next to them removed. They look great and work into the viewscape quite nicely. By the end of the day today, we will be finished removing sidewalk and the remainder of the curbing (from High Street to the south end of the project) will be installed. The concrete crew will continue to work their way south with the new sidewalks and we anticipate that operation to be complete by next Friday if the beautiful weather holds out for us.

The quantity and quality of water in our region has direct impacts on all of us. Flooding causes a huge financial burden on municipalities, businesses, and individuals while threatening public safety. Droughts lead to crop failures, inadequate domestic water supplies, and stressed ecosystems. Water quality degradation diminishes ecosystem health, domestic water supplies, and recreational opportunities. New Vermont Clean Water Act legislation reinforces the need for all of us to treat water as a valuable resource.

Green Infrastructure (GI) is a suite of design tools and structural techniques that address all of these water issues by employing strategies that help to maintain natural hydrologic processes. GI presents significant opportunities for Vermont municipalities, businesses and individuals to reduce the impacts of stormwater on budgets and assets while protecting vital natural resources. As we adapt to the impacts of climate change, it is essential that we seek strategies to protect life, property, and our region’s natural resources.

Fortunately this week has presented us with perfect weather for construction! All the crews are moving full steam ahead and as you may have noticed, the majority of the sidewalks from High Street to Walnut Street are poured and opened!

We were able to get the small ditch on the street side of the new curbing paved earlier this week that will make parking and walking much easier on that portion of the project. The crew installing the brick strip is also moving right along (the picture above is an example of their work in the High Street bump out). We’ve gotten many questions about the purpose of the brick strip. Not only is it a decorative feature that ties together with our historic brick structures on Main Street, but it will allow us access to the underground electrical conduits in the future.

To reduce congestion on I-91, both Exit 3 on ramps will be closed on Sunday, September 27 from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. I-91 will remain open. Sunday closures will continue through October to manage leaf-peeping traffic.

I-91

Please see above re Sunday closures of Exit 3 on ramps.

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. The new bridge will be 104’ wide and is designed to carry all four lanes of traffic –two northbound and two southbound.

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. The new bridge will be 104’ wide and is designed to carry all four lanes of traffic –two northbound and two southbound.

Route 30

Night work adjacent to Route 30 will continue this week, but will not affect traffic.

The speed limit on Route 30 near the work zone has been reduced to 40 mph. 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.

Although we had a short work week, extremely hot temperatures, and even some rain, we made great progress on the new sidewalks! We were able to pour several new sections of sidewalks between High Street and Harris Place and poured the new driveway access between Key Bank and Centre Congregational Church. You might be asking yourself why the new sidewalks are so narrow. This project includes a brick strip in between the granite curbing and the new sidewalk that is not only a decorative element but will also allow easy access to the underground conduits that are being installed.

The PCL+FIGG Team will conduct the next on-site “trail talk” for the Public on Saturday, September 12, 2015, to discuss the progress of the bridge project. The talk will originate at the West River Trail near the marina. The trail talk will be led by Caleb Linn, Project Manager for PCL (lead contractor) and Garrett Hoffman, Design Manager for FIGG (bridge designer).

Interested participants should meet the PCL+FIGG Team at the West River Trail trailhead on Saturday, September 12, 2015, at 8 a.m. and the talk will begin at 8:15 a.m. Participants will walk the trail to the I-91 bridge site, so please wear appropriate clothing and footwear.

Good morning! We have seen some big changes since our last update! On Thursday a subcontractor came in and installed all the new curb from Walnut Street to High Street. Green Mountain Power came in on Wednesday and installed two of our new street lights at the Walnut Street intersection and they look GREAT! To date, the contractor has completed all the sidewalk removal and electrical conduit installation from Walnut Street to High Street. The driveway crossings and many of the pedestrian ADA ramps have been installed.

Next week (there will be no work on Monday for Labor Day) the sidewalk subcontractor will be onsite to get all the new sidewalks installed from Walnut Street to High Street!

To reduce congestion on I-91, both Exit 3 on ramps will be closed on Labor Day, Monday, September 7 from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. I-91 will remain open.

I-91

See above re closure of the Exit 3 on ramps on Labor Day.

The blasting on the north side of the new bridge has been completed.

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.

Monday, August 31, 6 p.m.
Brattleboro Municipal Center, Selectboard Meeting Room

This will be the first of two public hearings the Planning Commission will hold on the draft Brattleboro Land Use Regulations. The second hearing will be on Wednesday, September 9, also at 6 p.m. in the Selectboard Meeting Room.

The revised draft is available for review online and at the Brattleboro Planning Services Department, Town Clerk’s Office and the Brooks Memorial Library.This is an entirely new set of land use regulations that will affect the entire town, replacing the current Brattleboro Zoning Ordinance and Brattleboro Subdivision Regulations.

This is our fifth update on the Main Street Sidewalk Project. For those of you who are regularly downtown, you will have seen a flurry of activity!

This week curbing and sidewalk was removed all the way down to Centre Congregational Church. The contractor was able to install much of the conduit in that area for the underground electrical lines for the street lights. Green Mountain Power has completed the installation of the bases for the new light poles. The contractor has also began replacing some of the ramps and sidewalks in the areas across driveways on the northern end of the project. Our job site even survived the rain storm on Tuesday!

− Nonprofits Respond to Damage from Tropical Storm Irene−

Senator Patrick Leahy will join Brattleboro Housing Partnerships and Housing Vermont to celebrate the start of construction of new senior housing. Red Clover Commons, a 55-unit development located on Fairground Road, will replace public housing at Melrose Terrace which was damaged during Tropical Storm Irene. While that damage was repaired, it was clear that seniors and those with disabilities needed to be relocated to a safer site.

Blasting operations on the north side of the new bridge will resume the week of August 31. The target time for the blasts is weekdays between 1:30-2:00 pm. To ensure travelers’ safety, rolling roadblocks will be implemented on I-91, and traffic will be stopped for approximately 15 minutes at the Exit 2 northbound on-ramp and at the Exit 3 on-ramps in both directions. Sound impacts associated with the blasting will be minimal.

This is our fourth update for the Main Street Sidewalk Reconstruction Project. This week our contractor completed all the advanced warning signage installation around town.

The Public Works crew has been working closely with Green Mountain Power to get the new street lights installed as well. We currently have all of the concrete removed at the new pole locations and 11 of the light bases are installed.

Blasting operations on the north side of the new bridge have stopped temporarily, and will resume mid-week the week of the 23rd. The target time for the blasts is weekdays between 1:30-2:00 pm. To ensure travelers’ safety, rolling roadblocks will be implemented on I-91, and the Exit 2 northbound on-ramp and the Exit 3 on-ramps in both directions will be closed for approximately 15 minutes. Sound impacts associated with the blasting will be minimal.

I-91

See above re blasting scheduled for this week.

Notice of Brattleboro Planning Commission Public Hearings Proposed Brattleboro Land Use Regulations
Monday, August 31, 2015, Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Brattleboro Municipal Center

Pursuant to 24 VSA Section 4444, notice is hereby given that the Brattleboro Planning Commission will hold public two public hearings in the Selectboard Meeting Room at the Municipal Center, 230 Main Street in Brattleboro, Vermont on:

Monday, August 31, 2015 – 6:00 PM
Wednesday, September 9, 2015 – 6:00 PM

Blasting operations on the north side of the new bridge will continue this week, and for approx the following two weeks. The target time for the blasts is weekdays between 1:30-2:00 pm. To ensure travelers’ safety, rolling roadblocks will be implemented on I-91, and the Exit 2 northbound on-ramp and the Exit 3 on-ramps in both directions will be closed for approximately 15 minutes. Sound impacts associated with the blasting will be minimal.

I-91

See above re blasting scheduled for this week.

This is the third project update for the Town of Brattleboro’s Main Street Sidewalk Reconstruction Project. This update is getting sent out a little bit early this week to let you all know that on Wednesday, August 12, 2015, there will be a little bit of sawcutting taking place in the area near the Grove Street intersection (but still on the east side of Main Street).

Blasting Today

· The first blast will be at approximately 1:30 today.

· To ensure travelers’ safety, rolling roadblocks will be implemented on I-91 in each direction, and the on-ramps at Exits 2 Northbound and 3 in both directions will be closed for approximately 15 minutes.

· Traffic attempting to use Exits 2 and 3 on-ramps will be detoured to VT Route 5.

· Sound impacts associated with the blasting will be minimal.