Town to hold hearing on Putney Road project March 7
BRATTLEBORO - The Vermont Agency of Transportation will hold a Section 502 public hearing to review plans for improvements to Route 5 (Putney Road) from the Veterans Memorial Bridge to the Exit 3 roundabout. The meeting is Thursday, March 7, at 6 p.m., at the Brattleboro Municipal Center in the Selectboard Meeting Room.
This project calls for a reconstruction of the roadway with construction of four roundabouts, retainage walls, landscaping, and sidewalks. This is a major infrastructure project. The Section 502 hearing is the public's opportunity to review, ask questions of, and provide feedback on this project.
Although construction is several years off, now is the time for citizens to provide input into final design.
Medicine for the People offers free yoga class
PUTNEY - Deirdre Kelley, a licensed acupuncturist and certified yoga instructor, offers a free meridian flow yoga class on Saturday, March 9, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at Medicine for the People, 125 Main St.
Meridian flow yoga is full of dynamic yoga asana, or postures, that focus on opening and stretching the 12 acupuncture energy channels running throughout the body. Woven within each class is information about acupuncture meridians and how to access them through movement.
This 90-minute class combines deep stretching, long holds for deep exploration, breath work, movement, and meditation. For more information, call 802-387-3028 or write [email protected].
Worn Again Thrift Shop plans Bag Sale
SAXTONS RIVER - The Worn Again Thrift Shop on Main Street is having a $3 Bag Sale on Wednesday, March 6, and Saturday, March 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Friday, March 8, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Bag Sale will be for all clothing, including sweaters, blouses, skirts, men's pants, jackets, coats, footwear, belts, hats, underwear, and gloves.
The shop could use donations of infants' and childrens' clothing, queen- and king-sized bed linens, and men's and women's jeans. The thrift shop accepts donations of clothing, shoes, boots, kitchen utensils, small appliances, blankets and sheets, towels, and knickknacks. Please drop off donations during business hours.
The Worn Again Thrift Shop is run by volunteers, and is sponsored by the West River Missions with local Catholic churches: Our Lady of Mercy in Putney, Our Lady of the Valley in Townshend, and Chapel of the Snows on Stratton Mountain.
Rabies clinic in Wardsboro on March 9
WARDSBORO - The Wardsboro Town Office will sponsor a pet vaccination clinic at the office of the town clerk in Wardsboro on Saturday, March 9, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Dr. Miles A. Powers of East Dover will vaccinate pet cats and dogs. This clinic is open to all. For Wardsboro residents' convenience, the town clerk will be on hand to issue licenses.
Fees are $10 for rabies and $15 for a distemper-complex vaccine for either a dog or cat, or $20 for both vaccinations. Please keep dogs on a leash and cats in a carrier. For more information, call 802-348-7918.
Grafton Cornet Band hosts open rehearsal
GRAFTON - The Grafton Cornet Band welcomes band players from near and far to the first pre-season rehearsal on Sunday, March 10, from 2 to 4 p.m. A refreshment break is included. This traditional community band keeps its historic, 146-year-old name, although all band instruments, not just cornets, are welcome.
There are no dues, auditions, or minimum time requirements. Just have the desire to make music and continue the grand tradition of music in Grafton.
Bruce Corwin and Sue Lemei return as the directors. The rehearsal hall is upstairs in the Old Fire Station at 217 Main St. in Grafton. For more information, including weather cancellations, call Dan Axtell at 802-387-4145, Dick Desrochers at 802-843-2301, or visit www.graftonband.org.
F.E.E.T. to host free neighborhood potluck
BRATTLEBORO - If you live, work, or play in or around the Frost, Elliot, and Elm Triangle (F.E.E.T.), then you are a F.E.E.T. Neighbor. What does this neighborhood mean to you?
Join your neighbors on Sunday, March 10, from 5 to 7 p.m., at Elliot Street Café, at the corner Elm and Elliot streets, for a potluck and discussion on creating a vision for this neighborhood. Bring a dish, bring ideas, or just bring yourself.
Learn about blacksmithing in Grafton this spring
GRAFTON - Grafton Forge, a regional center for the art and education of blacksmithing, will host Open Forge Days for those wishing to spend a day or more with renowned blacksmith and educator Adam Howard.
Beginning on Sunday, March 10, and running every Sunday and Wednesday thereafter through May, these daylong workshops will instruct you in the skills, techniques, and artistry of forged iron. Open to persons of all levels of skill and experience. Students will leave with a finished project of their own design.
Grafton Forge has already hosted and educated more than 100 people, some coming from as far as California. Enrollment is limited to four people per session, and space fills quickly. $80 per day for group instruction, $100 per day for private instruction, includes all materials.
To enroll, or for more information, call 802-843-1029 or write [email protected].
Renewable energy discussion to be held at Grad Center
BRATTLEBORO - In 2000, Germany set a goal of achieving 20 percent renewable electricity production by 2020. They were then at 3 percent. Just a dozen years later, they're already at 25 percent. How is Germany transitioning to a renewable energy economy so quickly?
On Monday, March 11, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Marlboro College Graduate Center, 28 Vernon St., veteran renewable energy advocate Bob Walker and Vermont State Rep. Margaret Cheney will report on what they learned from their recent renewable energy tour of Germany as guests of the Heinrich Böll Foundation.
The trip was designed for policymakers and advocates who are advancing renewable energy in the United States. The group traveled throughout Germany, and met with members of Parliament, government officials, cooperative organizers, technical consultants, and farmers, all of whom are committed to investing in Germany as the world's rapid leader in renewable energy development.
Walker and Cheney will share photos, stories, and lessons from their trip, and discuss how government policies, financing mechanisms, and local involvement can stimulate the growth of renewable energy, create business opportunities, and strengthen the regional economy. For more information, call Tad Montgomery at 802-251-0502 or write [email protected].
Reservations available for community garden
BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Recreation and Parks Department is taking reservations for the Stockwell Drive Community Garden Site. Returning gardeners have until March 15 to sign up at the regular fee of $25. After that, the fee increases to $35. New gardeners can sign up beginning April 1 for $25; after May 1, the fee is $35.
Space is limited to 17 garden plots of 100 square feet. Reservations are first-come, first-served. To reserve your garden plot, stop by the Recreation and Parks Office at 207 Main St. on weekdays between 9 a.m. to noon, and 1 to 4 p.m.
For more information, call the Recreation and Parks Department at 802-254-5808, or call garden overseer Peter Gaskill at 802-257-9346.
West B Association hosts District 1 pre-Town Meeting
WEST BRATTLEBORO - The West Brattleboro Association is inviting all the District 1 Town Meeting members to meet with the West B community on Thursday, March 14, for a Q&A and discussion session. This will be at 7 p.m. in the Hayes Court Community Room on Garfield Drive, just west of the post office and Richards Building.
The subject is the warrant for the March 23 Town Meeting, but the questions and conversation will go wherever the attendees take them.
For more information, visit www.westbrattleboro.org.
AARP tax help now available in Jacksonville
JACKSONVILLE - Free tax assistance through the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide Program is available in the coming weeks to all low- and middle-income taxpayers, especially those aged 60 and older, at the Jacksonville Municipal Center.
Tax assistance will be offered on three Thursdays: March 7 and 21, and April 4, from 9 a.m. to noon. Bring 2011's tax return and all tax-related documents for 2012, including W-2 forms, unemployment compensation statements, Social Security statements, all 1099 forms, pension statements, receipts and canceled checks if itemizing deductions; and Social Security cards or other official documentation for yourself and all dependents.
AARP Tax-Aide is the nation's largest free, volunteer-run tax assistance and preparation service. All information is strictly confidential and kept using secure means approved by AARP and the IRS. For an appointment, call Nancy at 802-368-7567.
New hours at Jamaica Memorial Library
JAMAICA - Jamaica Memorial Library has new hours starting in March. It's open Tuesdays from 2 to 6 p.m., Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The library offer books for all ages, computers with high-speed Internet connections, audiobooks, interlibrary loan, and online universal classes. Library membership is free to all. Weekly book donations support an ongoing book sale.
Story time for young children and their caregivers is held every Thursday from 10 to 10:45 a.m.. There is movement, music and book reading with librarian Victoria Tomkinson.
For more information, call 802-874-4091, write [email protected], visit www.jamaicavtlibrary.org, or find Jamaica Memorial Library on Facebook.