Saving Sweet Pond State Park in Guilford by repairing the condemned dam is estimated to cost just $130,000 more than removing it ($330,000 versus $200,000), according to a recent report by DuBois & King, consulting civil engineers commissioned by the state of Vermont.
A dry hydrant could be added for neighborhood fire protection.
Surprisingly, dam-safety engineers in the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Facilities Engineering Division, who condemned the dam, have not visited Guilford to answer concerned citizens' questions and offer advice.
Instead, concerned citizens have been required to deal with Vermont Department of Forests & Parks employees, not civil engineers, who warn that the dam-safety engineers might act unilaterally and soon.
The Latchis Theatre has begun a new pilot program, showing movies on Mondays at 4 p.m. “We'll charge the matinee price of $6 and screen all four movies each Monday,” said theatre manager Darren Goldsmith. “We hope to cultivate a following for the Monday matinee.” Movie schedules and reviews...
The Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department will offer the following programs in the coming weeks. For more information, or to sign up, contact the department at 802-254-5808, or visit www.brattleboro.org for a complete listing of events. Adult recreational volleyball • An adult coed recreational volleyball program will be held...
The Brattleboro Music Center will present Windscape: Woodwind Quintet at Centre Congregational Church, 193 Main St., on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 4 p.m. Created in 1994 by five eminent woodwind soloists, Windscape has won a unique place for itself as a vibrant, ever-evolving group of musical individualists, which has delighted audiences throughout the North America. Windscape's innovative programs and accompanying presentations are created to take listeners on a musical and historical world tour - evoking through music and engaging commentary...
It's amazing when you think about it. Each February, the Brattleboro Union High School District holds an annual meeting to vote on its budget. And, each February, only a relative handful of voters from the five member towns come out for the meeting. The Valentine's Day meeting this year was no exception, as a $27 million budget for the 2013 fiscal year was unanimously approved by 89 voters - or just 0.6 percent of the 14,736 registered voters in the...
Recently, legislation was introduced in the Vermont Statehouse that would amend the law regulating vaccinations. Currently, the state permits children entering school to be exempted from vaccinations for medical, religious, or philosophical reasons. Bills under consideration by the House and the Senate would revoke the philosophical exemption, forcing parents to either vaccinate or find another means to educate their child. This bill was proposed at the behest of the public health and conventional medical establishments, which invoked the concept of...
Writer/musician/performer Seth Lepore and actor/hip-hop artist Collin Clay Chace each have a history of performing one-man shows. Now for the first time, they have decided to merge their shows as a double-act, “The Double Trouble Tour,” which will come to the Hooker-Dunham Theater in Brattleboro in early April. Lepore and Chace have been friends since high school, where both discovered their talents for performing. “Collin and I went to School One, an alternative high school in Providence, R.I., together,” Lepore...
I just want to point out a few things and respectfully ask for some clarifications to comments that Barry Adams has made [Voices, Feb. 8]. First off, Mr. Adams, I don't know what your definition of a forest is. You are either talking about the few trees on the Crowell lot property, or you're talking about the steep hill with a few dozen trees shading the trash and condoms left by the junkies who hang out in that spot. Either...
Americans use debt because their perpetual optimism tells them tomorrow will be better than today, said Campaign for Vermont founder Bruce Lisman. But debt has billowed out of proportion and been made heavier by the recession that began in 2008. Americans shouldn't stop dreaming, he said. But the American Dream may no longer exist. “But, when we say tomorrow will be worse as a country, we'll lose a lot.” he adds. The belief that each generation of Americans will achieve...
Obituaries Editor's note: The Commons will publish brief biographical information for citizens of Windham County and others, on request, as community news, free of charge. • Irene Nora Robinson Brooks, 79, of Newfane. Died Feb. 13 at Grace Cottage Hospital. Wife of the late Alfred Brooks for 45 years. Mother of Douglas Brooks and Susan Morse of Newfane, Daniel and Lynn Brooks of Newfane, Alfred Brooks, Jr. and Fay Smith of Wells, and William “Bill” Brooks of Newfane. Sister of...
Every summer, 80 students from across the nation, Asia, and South America gather in Putney for the Vermont Jazz Center's Summer Workshop, a week of intensive jazz education, concerts, and jamming. Students have ranged in age from 12 to 80, and they are taught by some of the country's leading musicians, such as vocalist Sheila Jordan and drummer Satoshi Takeishi. And among those students, every summer, are several Windham County residents whose fees are paid by the Jazz Center's Community...
Transition Dummerston hosts potluck and community conversation DUMMERSTON - Transition Dummerston will host its second public event, a community potluck and discussion, on Friday, Feb. 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Dummerston Congregational Church in Dummerston Center. This event is for people in the community to get to know one another, enjoy sharing a good meal, and learn more about the Transition movement, which seeks to build local resilience for a positive future in the face of peak...
It's an advocacy group! It's a public policy group! It's the Campaign for Vermont! The Campaign for Vermont (CFV), a new idea group bankrolled by businessman and founder Bruce Lisman, has hit the pavement and is spreading visions of a robust and vital economy for the brave little state of Vermont. One of the founding partners of the group is Jeff Lewis, the executive director of Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC), who asserts that the Legislature rarely weighs new initiatives...
The 90th edition of the Harris Hill Ski Jump over the weekend in Brattleboro was a big success. More than 4,200 spectators showed up over the two days of competition. The weather was good, the snowmakers from Mount Snow did a great job making up for a snowless winter, and the competition was top notch. All the top members of the U.S. National Team were on hand for both days, with the exception of 2010 Olympian Peter Frenette. What brought...
On Wednesday, Feb. 29, Leap Day, an open sing at All Soul's Church will kick off the spring session of the Brattleboro Women's Chorus. Any woman or girl over age 10 is invited to participate and learn songs that are easy to harmonize. The music will reflect this year's chorus theme of “Life's Little Lessons,” songs of life, love, time, and change. The open sing takes place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The regular spring session of Women's Chorus begins...
Calligraphy, the art of producing decorative handwriting or lettering with a pen or brush, is the focus of a class at Main Street Arts. The class will meet Saturdays from 9 to 11 a.m. for three weeks, beginning March 17. It will offer an introduction to the Pilot Parallel Pen, which gives a smooth flow of ink without drips or blobs. Instructor Lynn Hoeft states that the thick-and-thin lines that characterize fine calligraphy are easy to achieve with this tool.
Re: “Negative effects” [Feb. 8]. Twin States Network, located in Guilford, has been providing HIV support and prevention services to women in Vermont and New Hampshire with HIV and their families. Like the AIDS Project, several of our programs are in jeopardy as a result of changes in National AIDS Strategy. I wish that you had included the fact that the new priorities are based on bad data: data that did not count women with HIV unless those women knew...
Yard signs reading “Nuclear Free Vermont in 2012” began appearing on roadsides in the Brattleboro area at least five years ago. Around that time, at town meetings, the people of Brattleboro, Dummerston, Guilford, Putney, Marlboro, and other towns voted overwhelmingly to close Vermont Yankee in 2012. Hundreds of people spoke at dozens of public hearings held in Brattleboro and Vernon that were organized by state and federal regulators. They said, “Shut Vermont Yankee now!” Entergy now says it will run...
Peter Shumlin As I said when the court opinion was issued, I do not agree with Judge J. Garvan Murtha's decision. We as a state have had many important and legitimate concerns with Entergy Louisiana and its operation of Vermont Yankee that are not reflected in the opinion. I support the attorney general's work in getting a positive result on appeal. Meanwhile, my administration will be focusing on the state's continuing authority over Vermont Yankee. Peter Shumlin is governor of...
For all the devastation that Tropical Storm Irene caused in our state, the storm can perhaps be thanked for finally forcing us to close the infamous Vermont State Hospital and reconsider the care of Vermonters with mental illness. The legislature is now faced with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform our system of care for this population. After hearing the testimony of more than 200 people - and given the close connection between mental illness and homelessness, another issue at the...
Wilmington took another step toward post-Irene recovery last week when the Selectboard and residents met with representatives of the Army Corps of Engineers to discuss the potential for ice jams in advance of the spring thaw. The Corps employees, board members, and town employees boarded a Moover bus to inspect local waterways, including the North Branch of the Deerfield River, Beaver Brook, and Harriman Reservoir (also known as Lake Whitingham). The officials and engineers viewed damage caused by Tropical Storm...
With Townshend the only Windham Central Supervisory Union town out of five that voted against it, the fiscal 2013 Leland & Gray school budget passed 172 to 109. The $6.5 million budget approved by voters on Feb. 15 represents a 3.5 increase over last year's. Townshend, with 893 registered voters, cast 59 votes - 23 yes and 36 no. The other four towns in the district voted for the budget, albeit in low numbers. Turnout increased only slightly over last...
The following is a list of current Green Mountain RSVP volunteer opportunities in the area. If anyone would like to volunteer in a particular setting, or with a particular age group, contact Green Mountain RSVP at 802-254-7515: • Volunteer visitors needed for Windham Childcare's “It takes a Village” program for new moms and babies. Volunteers make weekly, one-hour visits for 12 weeks. Training given. • Senior Solutions needs volunteer to help a client organize and sort possessions in preparation for...
The Green Mountain Club and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation encourage winter hikers to enjoy Vermont's mountains, but to also take extra caution in preparation for icy conditions. The Green Mountain summits are unusually accessible this winter due to low snowfall and sunny weather. The trails are easier to follow and uphill hiking is easier without the state's usual snowpack. “Tired of cabin fever? Go take a hike! But hikers should be aware that a serious winter...
In the classic storytelling tradition of Gould & Stearns - clever, zany, with reckless abandon, quick, literary, heartfelt, and chaotic, but controlled - New England Youth Theatre presents Robin Hood, adapted and directed by Peter Gould, from Feb. 24 through March 4. Gould is approaching this adaptation in an open and collaborative way with all of the young, creative minds of the cast. He has created chapters of the story, a plan, key words and key lines, and he is...
As with the several other courses in photography previously taught at the school, the photography class offered by the In-Sight Photography Project at Leland & Gray Middle and High School last fall did not come with much of a pre-arranged agenda. Michael Riley, a former AmeriCorps Vista employee of In-Sight who now works as one of the Brattleboro nonprofit's 10 dedicated volunteer teachers, listened to the students who signed up and developed a program around their interests. Riley's focus: to...
The Vermont Department of Buildings and General Services has awarded Brattleboro Area Skatepark is Coming (BASIC) a $14,000 grant to help fund the construction of a public skatepark in Brattleboro. BASIC is an ad hoc committee of the Brattleboro Selectboard working in collaboration with the Brattleboro Recreation and Parks Department to build a state-of-the-art, poured concrete skatepark in town. The group applied for the grant last fall, and Brattleboro Recreation and Parks Director Carol Lolatte was notified of the award...
Thank you, Tad Montgomery, for an insightful article on KENO [Voices, Feb. 15]. I recalled a quote from the gambler Jimmy “The Greek” which introduced a chapter of my old college statistics text: “If you believe in miracles, head for the keno lounge.” A quick Internet search reveals that at least one mathematics instructor still uses keno as a teaching tool, as evidenced by the article, “Keno ... a Money-Making Game for the Casino (and an Opportunity to Illustrate Probability...
With less than two months before the Federal Communications Commission's deadline for returning to the air, WVEW-FM 107.7, Brattleboro Community Radio, is busy trying to tie up all the loose ends. The Brooks House fire last April destroyed most of the 100-watt station's equipment and forced the station off the air. It has been streaming a limited program schedule over its website while it has worked to rebuild its studios in its new quarters in the Hooker-Dunham Building. However, internal...
Attorney General William H. Sorrell has filed an appeal of the U.S. District Court's recent decision in favor of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee. The appeal was filed Saturday morning, and will be heard by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York City. Judge J. Garvan Murtha, in his Jan. 19 ruling, invalidated two Vermont statutes that gave the Legislature a say on the ability of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon to continue operations when its...
The three-person race for two one-year terms on the Selectboard has become a two-person race. William Morlock, husband of Brattleboro Housing Authority Executive Director Chris Hart, has decided to withdraw his bid for a one-year seat. Morlock's decision means that current board members Dick DeGray and Christopher Chapman are now running unopposed. Running for a three-year seat against incumbent David Gartenstein is Kathryn Turnas II, who ran for the board last year. In an email sent Sunday afternoon, Morlock wrote...
Visiting international artists will celebrate the unifying power of music, song and rhythm with roots in the Middle East in a rare appearance on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. in Phelps Barn in Grafton. The concert is free (with donations for the artists appreciated). Rowan Storm, an American based in Greece, is recognized internationally for her mastery of diverse Middle Eastern hand drumming and singing traditions, as well as her pioneering symmetrical teaching method and frame drum designs, including...
Local writer F. D. Reeve will read from his new novella, Nathaniel Purple, at Bartleby's Books, 17 West Main St., on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 4:30 p.m. This is Reeve's first novella, but his 31st book. Publisher Voyage Books describes the story as “more than the sum of its parts,” and calls it Reeve's “love poem to the state of Vermont,” and “a rich, vivid canvas for his intimate portrayal of village life in all its passionate, pastoral, and pungent...