Brattleboro taxes due May 15
BRATTLEBORO - The fourth installment of the 2016 Real Estate and Personal Property Taxes will be due on May 15 by 5 p.m. Payments made after May 15 will have an additional 1 percent interest, as well as an 8 percent penalty added to the unpaid balance.
The utility billing is also due on May 15 by 5 p.m. Payments made after May 15 will also have an additional 1 percent interest, as well as an 8 percent penalty added to the unpaid balance.
Payments can be mailed to the Town of Brattleboro, 230 Main St., Suite 111, Brattleboro, VT 05301. An official postmark of May 15 will be considered an on-time payment. Include the quarterly payment stub to ensure your payment is applied properly.
Payments slipped in the mail slot after hours on the due date won't be considered on time. Electronic Bank Checks must be received in the office by the due date. Checks dated for the due date but received after the due date won't be considered on-time payment.
Also, you may choose to make your payments via a credit card or debit card on the internet at www.brattleboro.org. Click on “bill pay” at the bottom of the home page. There is a fee for this service. The town cannot accept credit/debit card payments at the office or by telephone.
If you choose to pay in person, the Treasurer's Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., in Room 111 of the Municipal Center.
Prevention Coalition featured at next WBA Meeting
WEST BRATTLEBORO - The next monthly meeting of the West Brattleboro Association will be held on Thursday, May 11, at 6 p.m., in the Hayes Court Community Room on Garfield Drive (just west of the West Brattleboro Post Office). Postponed from April will be guest speaker Cassandra Holloway's talk on the Brattleboro Area Prevention Coalition.
Holloway will talk about the purpose and various activities of the Prevention Coalition and its efforts to address and prevent substance abuse. There will be time for questions. The Association's monthly meetings are open to all residents and business owners, and anyone else interested in West B.
Community meeting planned for new BF youth group
BELLOWS FALLS - Friends for Change will host a community meeting on Thursday, May 11, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., at the Rockingham Free Public Library.
The group has begun to create a new after-school and summer program that will serve the youth of Bellows Falls. This meeting is a chance to discuss all the great strides that have been made since last June's closure of the Boys and Girls Club in Bellows Falls.
Friends for Change is seeking to create a healthy, nurturing, and supportive place for youth in the Bellows Falls area. Friends for Change has already set up an advisory board and is now able to accept donations online. The group has also secured a short-term meeting space for the kids. Donations for the club can be made at www.youcaring.com/friendsforchangeyouthclub-785415.
Taking Steps program discussed at Inclusion Center
BRATTLEBORO - Suzanne Weinberg, a volunteer with Taking Steps, a program of Brattleboro Area Hospice, will lead a discussion on Advance Care Planning at The Inclusion Center on Friday, May 12, at 2 p.m., at St. Michael's Episcopal Church.
“One of the touchstones of the Taking Steps Program is individualized attention to each person's EOL [end of life] wishes, philosophies, and experiences,” Weinberg says. She will answer questions participants may have on the subject.
Appointments can also be made to meet with a volunteer on a one-to-one basis to begin the process of completing an Advance Directive.
The Inclusion Center is a no-fee program for all people who have disabilities whether mental or physical, as well as those dealing with anxiety or depression. For more information, contact Julie Tamler at 802-387-5285.
'Touch a Truck' at BMH
BRATTLEBORO - More than 50 big rigs will converge on the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital parking lot on Saturday, May 13, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Spend the day in the driver's seat playing with buttons and levers, trying on firefighters' bunker gear, moving mulch in a mini tractor, and exploring every inch of a variety of vehicles.
The cost is $5 per child ages 2-12. All other ages by donation. Family packs of $15 are available for families with 3 children. All proceeds benefit the hospital. For more event information, visit www.bmhvt.org/giving/touch-a-truck.
BF Rotary Club presents annual Penny Sale
WESTMINSTER - The Bellows Falls Rotary Club will host its annual Penny Sale on Saturday, May 13, at the Bellows Falls Union High School auditorium.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for the 6 p.m. start of the first of the Penny Sale's three action-packed series. Refreshments will be provided under the direction of Bellows Falls High School Principal Chris Hodsden. Come early to have a hamburger or hot dog.
The Penny Sale is the Rotary Club's major fundraiser, with proceeds used for community projects and programs such as Our Place Drop-In Center, Parks Place, and the Warming Shelter. Additionally, scholarships are provided for graduating students, as well as support for both the inbound and outbound foreign exchange student program.
Over 300 prizes have been generously donated by area businesses to ensure a fun time for all. A cash raffle tops off the evening's events with a chance to win $50, $150, $250, or even $500. Participants don't need to be present for the cash drawing, but if they are, they will win an additional $25 with a winning ticket. See a Rotarian to purchase your cash raffle tickets in advance. The cash raffle tickets are $1 each or $5 for six.
Friends of Brooks to hold annual meeting
BRATTLEBORO - The Friends of the Brooks Memorial Library will hold its annual meeting on Saturday, May 13, at 2 p.m., in the large meeting room at the library.
Following the meeting, at 3 p.m., the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum and Wolfgard Northeast will present a program called “Learning through Wild Eyes.” This presentation of live animals and storytelling will explore the lessons and lore from our neighbors with feathers and fur and offer a glimpse of the entertaining and educational world where human culture and wildlife intersect.
This meeting is free and open to the public.
Meeting to discuss alternatives to Act 46 consolidation
WESTMINSTER - The Westminster School Board will hold a forum on alternative governance under Act 46 on Saturday, May 13, from 9 a.m. to noon, at the Westminster Center School, just off Route 5. The board is inviting all school officials and interested public from around the state.
Brattleboro Town School Board member David Schoales will be talking about the state of school-district mergers across Vermont. Then there will be an opportunity for representatives of towns present to talk about their own situation.
Following a break, a panel will discuss alternative governance models around the state.
The panel includes John Castle, superintendent of the North Country Supervisory Union in Newport; Marlboro School Board member Dan MacArthur; Margaret Maclean, a former Principal of the Year, former state Board of Education member, and consolidation committee member from Peacham; and Scott Thompson of Calais, an alternative governance committee member there.
Finally, the group will take some time to form study groups - whether by SU, or by subject, or both - to carry the ideas further.
Westminster Town Moderator Fletcher Proctor will facilitate the event. Representatives of at least 15 towns are coming. RSVP's and questions may be directed to David Major of the Westminster School Board at info@vermontshepherd.com.
Meet the goats at AlpineGlo Farm
NORTH WESTMINSTER - AlpineGlo Farm in North Westminster will host its fourth annual open house on Saturday, May 13, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Join them in this free event celebrating all farm mothers on Mother's Day weekend.
AlpineGloFarm produces handcrafted goat's milk cheese, made in small batches and produced on-site with their own goat's milk. Cheese will be available for sampling as well as for purchase.
Tour the farm and have a chance to play with this year's baby alpine dairy goats, visit the mommy goats, see baby chicks, ponies, and more. Feel free to browse around the property or have a guided tour of the farm, parlor, and cheese making facility. Fresh farmstead lunches will be available for purchase, and there will be live music.
For more information, visit www.alpineglofarm.com, find AlpineGlo Farm on Facebook, or call 802-463-2018.
Mother's Day Brunch in Guilford
GUILFORD - Broad Brook Grange will present its 21st annual Mother's Day Brunch on Sunday, May 14, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Grange hall in Guilford Center. Proceeds from the event support maintenance of the historic building.
The all-you-can-eat brunch features eggs and omelettes, any style, made to order. Also on the menu are pancakes, French toast, sausage, bacon and home fries, with Guilford maple syrup.
Other treats include home-baked coffee cakes and other baked goods, fresh fruit salad, and bread for toasting. A selection of juices will be available, along with coffee, teas, and milk.
No reservations are necessary for the meal, which is priced at $12 for adults; $10 for seniors; and $5 for ages 2-12. Kids under 2 are free.
This event is the first of two brunches for 2017, with the Father's Day event to follow in June. Broad Brook Grange is at 3940 Guilford Center Rd., 4 miles west of the Guilford Country Store. For more information, call 802-257-1961.
Legion Band plans spring concert
BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro American Legion Band will have its annual spring Pops concert on Wednesday, May 17, at 7:30 p.m., at the Post 5 Legion home on Linden Street.
The concert features a wide variety of musical styles. In addition to a number of patriotic selections, the program includes an exciting concert opener entirely in the Phrygian mode, band classics from Gustav Holst and Dmitri Shostakovich, a Spanish pasodoble featuring Marc Longueil on trumpet, an Arkansas folk song set in a Cajun groove, and the brilliant concert march by Robert Jager, Esprit de Corps.
All are invited and there is no admission fee.
Mending Bee at Putney Library
PUTNEY - The Mending Bee returns in May for a special weeknight bee on Thursday, May 18, from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Do you have a pile of nice wool socks with holes, favorite jeans that would be perfect if not for a rip in the knee, or sweaters with moth holes? Bring your ailing fabric items to the Putney Public Library, 55 Main St., to get assistance (or just company) in reviving them.
Sewing machines, darning tools, knitting needles, and other repair and patching materials will be available. Skilled seamstresses will be present to offer advice and assistance. Tea will be served. Other menders are also welcome to join in. This program is free and open to the public.
SEON presents 'How (Older) Houses Work'
BRATTLEBORO - The Sustainable Energy Outreach Network is presenting a two-part program on “How (Older) Houses Work” on May 18 and 30, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the Marlboro College Graduate Center, Room 2C, 28 Vernon St.
Peter Yost of BuildingGreen Inc., 2014 National Association of Home Builders' Educator of the Year, will be the presenter for this program.
Session 1 on May 18 examines how heat and moisture interact in buildings, and looks at some building science “puzzles,” while Session 2 on May 30 will be an opportunity to bring your own building science puzzles and questions and will conclude with a survey of the tools and techniques used to diagnose building issues and energy efficiency.
The cost per session is $10; free for SEON members. Register at www.seon.info/programs. For questions, email admin@seon.info.