Senior Center set to reopen on April 12
BRATTLEBORO - The Recreation & Parks Department will reopen the Brattleboro Senior Center on Monday, April 12.
Patrons will be able to enter only through the back door of the Gibson-Aiken Center. (This is the door that connects to the parking lot behind the building.) Doing so will help ensure that safety procedures are followed correctly.
Assistant Director Sarah Clark or a trained volunteer will be at a table near the back door to welcome people and sign them in. All people entering the Senior Center will have their temperatures taken and answer a pre-screening survey.
Anyone who is symptomatic or tests positive for COVID-19 will not be allowed to enter. Anyone who has had contact with any person who is diagnosed with COVID-19 must quarantine for 14 days. Anyone who is tested for COVID-19 should not come to the center until they have received a confirmed negative result.
Anyone with a forehead temperature equal to or exceeding 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit will be required to leave the facility. Those who refuse to comply with the screening, including the temperature check, will not be allowed to enter the facility.
Only 25 people will be allowed into the senior center at any given time. Patrons will be asked to stay at least 6 feet from one another while inside. They will be required to wear a mask at all times, even if they have been vaccinated.
The Brattleboro Senior Meals Program will continue to offer takeout meals and Meals on Wheels. No congregate meals will be served at this time.
To reserve your spot or for more information about Senior Center programming, call 802-257-7570.
Leaf collection schedule announced
BRATTLEBORO - Curbside spring leaf collection will take place on Friday, April 16 and Friday, April 30.
All leaves and clippings must be contained in brown-paper leaf bags available for purchase at local businesses. No plastic bags or other containers will be accepted, as the materials collected will be used for compost.
The bags must be left at the curb by 7 a.m. on scheduled collection days.
Acceptable waste includes leaves, grass, clippings, garden waste, twigs, and branches no larger than 1 inch in diameter and 2 feet long. No other household trash is to be included.
Leaves, brush, and yard debris are also accepted year-round at the Windham Solid Waste Management District on Old Ferry Road. The transfer station is open as usual on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Leaves may be discarded there for free; a fee is charged for brush or leaves mixed with brush.
Leaf and yard debris are collected via the curbside program twice in the spring and twice in the fall.
For more information, call the Department of Public Works at 802-254-4255.
Dummerston Senior Lunch offers takeout meals
DUMMERSTON - Senior Solutions and Evening Star Grange in Dummerston Center will hold their Second Wednesday takeout-only luncheon on Wednesday, April 14, with pickup between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The meal will feature baked stuffed shells with meat sauce, or with marinara sauce as a vegetarian option. Rounding out the meal will be mixed vegetables, broccoli salad, garlic bread, and a dessert.
Reservations are required, preferably by 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 13 so meal organizers can gauge how much food to make.
Call the Grange at 802-254-1138 and leave your name, telephone number, and the number of meals you wish to reserve. The meal organizers will be in touch only if they have a question.
A donation of $3 for those 60 and older, and $4 for those younger than 60, is suggested.
Volunteers needed for Townshend VeggieVanGo event
TOWNSHEND - COVID-19 has caused significant financial stress for many families in Vermont, making it harder to access the food they need to thrive. The Vermont Foodbank has seen an increase in need at the local monthly VeggieVanGo event sponsored by Grace Cottage Hospital.
Organizers say they are looking for volunteer assistance to help with sorting produce and putting it into bags, lifting bags of produce or boxes of food into client cars, managing traffic flow, and cleaning up after the distribution.
This volunteer opportunity takes place in a fast-paced environment. It will involve bending, stooping, and lifting bags into cars, and volunteers will be standing for prolonged periods of time outside.
To fill out a volunteer application or register for this event, visit vtfoodbank.org, or contact Volunteer Services Coordinator Kate Steward at ksteward@vtfoodbank.org or 802-498-8323 with any questions.
Program will explore Indigenous presence in Dummerston, region
DUMMERSTON - Join the Dummerston Historical Society on Zoom for its quarterly meeting and program on Thursday, April 15 at 7 p.m.
A brief business meeting will review the organization's budget and its activities during this Covid period, as well as convey announcements.
The program will feature Rich Holschuh, who will offer a view of local history through Native American eyes.
Holschuh, an independent historic and cultural researcher, is also a public liaison and tribal historic preservation officer for the Elnu Abenaki, a member of the contemporary indigenous community.
He will share stories of indigenous presence specifically in what is now Dummerston and then generally in the immediate area of Sokwakik/Sokoki country.
To get onto the Dummerston Historical Society email list and receive the Zoom link for video, or phone link for audio, for this meeting, contact Gail Sorenson at gailsvt@gmail.com or 802-254-9311.