The town of Brattleboro reminds residents that the draft Comprehensive Review of Town Operations document is posted on the town's website and everyone is welcome to provide input.
The deadline for submitting comments and suggested changes is Friday, Sept. 9. The revised draft will be considered at the Selectboard meeting on Sept. 20 or Oct. 4.
The draft contains an introductory letter from Town Manager Peter Elwell and 50 separate “action items” in categories ranging from “Already Accomplished” and “in Progress” to short term (0-2 years), medium term (2-5 years), and long term (more than 5 years) time frames for implementation.
The document was created by the town's management team after a review of all town services and support functions. The 50 action items represent small and large scale changes that staff is proposing to improve the community and/or save taxpayers money.
If the mountain won't come to Popolo, Popolo will go to the mountain. On Saturday, Sept. 10, the restaurant presents an evening in the Great Outdoors at Coolidge State Park in Plymouth, according to a news release. The night starts with a prix fixe five-course dinner featuring New England...
United Way of Windham County is recruiting more than 150 volunteers from local communities, companies, schools, and civic organizations to participate in volunteer service projects across Windham County on Saturday, Sept. 10, during its seventh annual Day of Caring. According to a news release, an estimated $10,000 of labor...
Vermont Theatre Company announces auditions for its third annual production of “A Christmas Carol,” on Sunday, Sept. 11, at 4 p.m., and Monday Sept. 19, at 6 p.m., in the auditorium at Brattleboro Union High School on Fairground Road (enter through first set of doors on front of building as you approach from Canal Street, Route 5). This production of Charles Dickens' classic story is a new adaptation written by Jessica and James Gelter. James Gelter is the director. “A...
Throughout September and October, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center will present a series of events exploring issues surrounding guns. Offered in connection with the exhibit “Up in Arms: Taking Stock of Guns” (on view at the museum through Oct. 23), three illustrated lectures and two panel discussions will examine guns through the lenses of history, media and entertainment, art, law enforcement, and regulation. “We hope these presentations will broaden our community's understanding of this challenging social issue and encourage...
After-school Writer's Clubhouse starts at Putney Library PUTNEY - The Putney Public Library, 55 Main St., opens the doors to the “Writer's Clubhouse,” a free, after-school writing hour for elementary and middle-school storytellers, starting Sept. 7. The Writer's Clubhouse meets at the library each Wednesday from 4 to 5 p.m. and is led by Deb Ayer. This program is free and all materials are provided. The goal of this program is to inspire and foster youth writing, to publish student...
Marlboro College announced its fall series of weekend concerts, starting with acclaimed pianists Ieva Jokubaviciute and Renana Gutman on Sunday, Sept. 11, at 3 p.m. The series of four concerts features leading classical performers and is presented in the memory of Luis Batlle, world-renowned pianist and beloved Marlboro faculty member for 30 years, who died in May. All performances are on Sundays at 3 p.m., in Marlboro's Ragle Hall, and are free and open to the public, but contributions to...
Tom Griffin's much produced and heralded comedy/drama, “The Boys Next Door,” opens at the Actors Theatre Playhouse for 12 performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, Sept. 8 through Oct. 1, at 7:30 p.m. “This touching, comic, and compassionate play explores with wit and sensitivity the daily lives of four young men with mental disabilities and the toll it takes on their caregiver and overseeing social worker,” according to a news release. The New York Times wrote “what makes this play...
As a resident of the town of Windham, I have observed the activity related to the wind farm proposed for our town (and Grafton) which has been dominated by very vocal opposition. For my own peace of mind, I am compelled to publicly state some of the positive reasons for supporting wind energy in Windham. I speak for myself, but many others have quietly expressed similar opinions. * * * I see our land here as a resource to be...
As it begins its 40th year, the Brattleboro Music Center's Music School offers a full schedule of children, youth, and adult classes and programs. Registration is open for classes, which begin Monday, Sept. 12, according to a news release. Lessons are offered for all ages and all levels. Lessons range from 20 to 60 minutes, taught in more than 20 instruments by 30 trained faculty members. Popular children's and youth programs are Movin' Into Music, Ages 1-5; Tigers String Class,
In small towns, there is a wonderful sense of community and trust. We depend on our neighbors. We come through for one another - just think about how neighbors responded during Tropical Storm Irene. No one stopped to think about the other's politics or whether they were a second-home owner or a permanent resident. Everyone pitched in to get the job done. But Vermont's small towns are being threatened by a frenzy of development activity from huge energy-generation projects in...
How do you engage and honor the veterans of a conflict that still is going on? Lt. Col. John Hagen, who is in the process of concluding a 28-year career in the Air Force, is asking that question as part of his new role as vice-commander of Brattleboro American Legion Post 5. He is helping to organize a series of events at the Post 5 headquarters on Linden Street to put the last 15 years of what become known as...
The Rock River Players announced auditions for their Oct. 27-30 production of “A Piece of My Heart” by Shirley Lauro. Auditions will be held at the Williamsville Hall on Dover Road on Sept. 8 at 4 p.m., Sept. 9 at 6 p.m., Sept. 10 at 11 a.m., and Sept. 11 at 1 p.m. According to a news release, “A Piece of My Heart” is a work with the music and soul of a tumultuous era in our history, featuring the...
The Choir School of St. Michael's Episcopal Church, directed by Susan Dedell, announced fall classes. The Choir School is a children's choral program that nurtures and inspires achievement through quality music education and the joy of choral singing, according to a news release. Level One, for children ages 8 to 10, meets Thursdays from 3:45 to 4:30 p.m., beginning Sept. 15. Students in Level One will learn basic concepts of rhythm, pitch, and “choircraft,” in addition to singing some wonderful...
In a repeat performance from two years ago, Mother Nature has again deprived us of our locally-grown peaches and plums this summer. “We have no peaches or plums,” said Andrea Darrow, who owns Putney's Green Mountain Orchards with her family. Although it was a mild winter, the late freeze brought two days in April of 12 to 13 degrees, and “that does a number on” the peaches and plums, Darrow said. Dummerston's Scott Farm has no peaches this year, either,
Local artists and wineries have joined forces to plan a weekend of art, wine, food, and fun. The Connecticut Valley isn't known as wine country, but now, according to a news release, three vintners are making wine in the towns of Westmoreland and Walpole N.H. On Saturday, Sept. 10, and Sunday, Sept. 11, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Poocham Hill Winery, the Summit Winery, and Walpole Mountain View Winery at Barnett Hill Vineyard will host more than 20 members...
The Putney Selectboard, Town Manager Cynthia Stoddard, and members of the Public Safety Committee hosted a public information meeting on Aug. 18 to provide background and research on the town's law enforcement and to find out what townspeople want for community policing. The meeting was in response to recent changes to the policing contract with the Windham County Sheriff's Department. The event, held at the fire station, had just under 70 attendees, including town officials, residents, and some who live...
On Monday, Sept. 12, author and public speaker Allan G. Johnson will visit Landmark College to talk about race and opportunities to overcome racism in the U.S. Johnson's talk, “Unraveling the Knot of Race,” will be in the Brooks M. O'Brien auditorium at the East Academic Building at Landmark at 7 p.m. Landmark is located at 19 River Road South in Putney. The event is free, accessible, and open to the public. “I love using Allan Johnson's book 'Privilege, Power,
Every year since the late 1980s, tiny “downtown” Westminster West celebrates the end of summer at the Community Fair. The festivities traditionally begin at 8:30 a.m. with coffee and a bake sale just before the adult 5K road race, and end with a talent show at 2 p.m.. In-between, fair-goers view their neighbors' artist creations, watch a parade featuring a grand marshal and a collection of kids on bikes, chow down on chicken barbecue, stare wide-eyed at youngsters hacking away...
The Brattleboro Retreat has changed its admission and discharge practices after a May incident in which a patient committed suicide within 24 hours of leaving the psychiatric facility. The suicide prompted a state probe in which investigators identified two regulatory violations: Officials say Retreat staff members failed to inform a guardian and a caseworker of the patient's impending discharge, and they also failed to properly assess the patient's discharge plan. But even before the state's investigation was conducted in July,
The Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance had the final day of its monitoring program for the summer of 2016 on Aug. 31. Volunteers collected samples from 30 sites on eight rivers and streams throughout the summer, according to a news release. This year, the Alliance had sites on the West River, Rock River, North Branch Ball Mountain Brook, Williams River (including South Branch and Middle Branch), Saxtons River, Sacketts Brook, and Whetstone Brook. The days leading up to Aug. 31 were...
Dozens of businesses contributed to the success of 2016 Rockingham Old Home Days. It takes a community to pull off a community event. Thanks go to everyone who participated, especially the Town of Rockingham, the Village of Bellows Falls, and the town of North Walpole, N.H., and their respective police and fire departments for helping to make this a safe and fun event. Thank you also to our sponsors, volunteers, vendors, entertainers, and others.
I don't know who is responsible for creating and tending to the magnificent tubs of flowers and hanging baskets that adorn downtown Brattleboro, as well as the flowers on the bridge near the Creamery Covered Bridge, but whoever it is, I want to say: Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Every day, driving or walking, I break into a happy smile when I pass by these magnificent flowers, so beautifully arranged in exquisite combinations of color. You are so talented,
“We've done what we said we would do and we'll keep working on things,” Selectboard Chair Sheila Morse said at the Aug. 22 regular Board meeting about the Board's progress dealing with speeding complaints in Guilford Center. After pleas by a handful of residents at the July 25 regular Board meeting, town officials made changes, gathered data, and worked with Vermont State Police to determine when the speeding problem is worst and what to do about it. At the Aug.
Hello and good day to you, southern Vermonters. As mentioned in last week's column, the tropical system did make it up this way, but never really affected southern Vermont. The wind we happily did without, but the rain we needed very much. It's unfortunate that we missed out, but we've got a couple chances for wet weather coming up this week. For Wednesday, the remnants of Hermine well to our south and east will begin to be pushed eastward and...
While it's always nice to have a day off from work, U.S. Labor Day finds our country's workers having very little to celebrate. The United States is a country divided along class lines, with one reality for the rich and a very different reality for everyone else: • More than half of public school students live in low-income households, a number that has increased by 20 percent over the past few decades. • Average CEO pay in the U.S. is...
Last week, I watched as my studio building and almost all of my paintings burned to ashes, but the goodness Petey and I have received since then vastly overshadows the loss. Thank you to all those who have stopped us, texted us, written us, and called us with your warm wishes, your grief and understanding, your pledges of help and support, your stories, your love and sharing. I've always believed truth and beauty live within the small places, which is...
If you are about to toss an apple core or a banana peel out your car window, please take care to toss it a good distance from the edge of the road. The discovery of such a find might be a welcome thing for a foraging rodent or bird. But if it's too close to the road, it can put the feasting creature at risk from passing vehicles. Throw it far!
Births • In Brattleboro (at home), Aug. 15, 2016, a son, Horace Elliot Woodberry Blood, to Katharine Manthei Audlin and Christopher Scott Blood of Brattleboro; grandson of Lisa Manthei Audlin of Brattleboro, and Joan P. Blood of West Hartford, Vt. Weddings • Representative Mollie S. Burke and Peter Gould of Brattleboro are pleased to announce the marriage of their son William Orlando Burke Gould to Lindy Beth Smalt, daughter of Ruth Smalt of Nantucket, Mass, and Robert Smalt and Kimberly...
Vermont is currently being invaded by an insidiously destructive development that could change the rugged hills irrevocably: the arrival of Big Wind. But wait, you might say. Wind? No carbon dioxide is produced. Environmental activist Bill McKibben supports it. Isn't wind environmentally good? I disagree. * * * Big Wind has already been running over communities in much the same way in which the coal industry rolled over small communities as they flattened mountaintops across Kentucky and West Virginia. I...
The Bellows Falls field hockey team began their defense of the Division III state championship with a 4-0 win over Brattleboro in their home opener last Friday afternoon. The Terriers outscored their opponents 30-5 and had 14 shutouts last season on the way to finishing 13-2-2 and winning the school's first state field hockey title since 1991. Nearly all of those players are back for another title run, and BF coach Bethany Coursen is making sure her veterans don't get...
Tony Hecht lost two valuable guitars, one of which was a custom-built birthday present. Brian Whitehouse is missing an iPad and a weed trimmer. And they're not the only Marlboro residents to have had valuables swiped during a recent string of burglaries. Thieves have pilfered musical instruments, electronics, jewelry, and even a safe - all during daylight hours. Selectboard members plan to discuss the matter during a meeting scheduled for Sept. 8. And Vermont State Police are investigating and asking...
The rustic stone-and-wood cabin at the Pinnacle overlook - a favorite attraction on the 20-mile Pinnacle trail system that runs from Putney Mountain to Grafton - is getting a facelift. After many years of providing a unique spot for overnights, family reunions, school excursions, and shelter from inclement weather, time and the elements have taken their toll. In a news release, the Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association says it's time to make some essential repairs. Planned work includes rebuilding the west...
The Lakota Quilt Raffle has become an enduring fundraiser for In-Sight Photography Project. The quilt symbolizes a link between Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and In-Sight in Vermont and a celebration of the connection through In-Sight's Exposures Cross-Cultural Youth Arts Program. According to a news release, the queen-size quilt is made by Oglala Lakota Sioux seamstress Andrea Marshall, who lives at Pine Ridge. In-Sight founder and photographer John Willis formed a lasting connection with Marshall after many trips to...
On the occasion of Sandglass Theater Company's 30th anniversary producing puppetry in Vermont this month, co-founders Eric and Ines Zeller Bass sat down with The Commons to reflect on their journey of three decades. Sandglass is an internationally known theater company specializing in combining puppets with music, actors, and visual imagery. In its 60-seat renovated barn theater in Putney, Sandglass Theater produces works for both adult and youth audiences. The company's productions have toured 24 countries, performing in theaters, festivals,
The Elliot Street Bridge reopened at the end of August, right on schedule. The state Agency of Transportation, in partnership with the town of Brattleboro, closed the 1946 bridge June 27 to replace the bridge's surface, called “the deck.” Working under the state's deck replacement program and accelerated bridge program, local contractor Renaud Brothers of Vernon completed the project within two months. According to Agency staff, many bridge projects can take years to complete. The Elliot Street Bridge repair project...
The Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center is celebrating its 25th year. On Saturday, Sept. 10, the Center has invited the community to an afternoon party on top of Heifer Hill. The hilltop provides a 360-degree view of the local region. The rain date is Sunday, Sept. 11. The party starts at 5 p.m. with kite making and other activities. Participants can bring a picnic or register at the Center's website (http://www.beec.org/) and one will be prepared for them. The evening includes...