As the Selectboard works toward resolving how to repair the Green River covered bridge, members decided to consider an alternative.
In October 2014, the board opted to explore what it calls “Alternative A,” which consists of another bridge built to the north of the current covered bridge.
Because the current proposal for repairing the covered bridge includes a load limit of eight tons - which precludes some emergency vehicles from using it - the Selectboard agreed to explore alternatives.
Sean James, of the consulting engineering firm Hoyle, Tanner & Associates, visited the Selectboard at its Aug. 10 regular meeting to explain what will happen next with Alternative A.
The town is making progress in its search for a town administrator, and the next step may be contracting with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT) to provide enhanced assistance. Selectboard member Michael Courtemanche told the board at its Aug, 17 regular meeting he had spoken with...
Groundworks Collaborative will hold its fifth annual Hike for the Homeless fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 12 (rain date, Sept. 13), on Mount Wantastiquet in Hinsdale, N.H. There will be two start times, 10 a.m. And 12:30 p.m., each beginning at the Mountain Road trailhead in Hinsdale (an immediate left...
After over 10 years of pouring pots, Anneka Kindler, owner of the Twilight Tea Lounge, is throwing in the tea towel. She said financial pressures are the main factor. “I did a good stint,” she said. Five original owners started the business as a collective and opened on Valentine's Day in 2001 in the lower level storefront at 51 Main St., which long ago housed a barber shop (and where the old barber shop chair remained because it could not...
Two long-delayed Windham County hydroelectric stations are well underway and may begin producing power by fall, the developer said Wednesday. New Jersey-based Eagle Creek Renewable Energy LLC is building hydro projects at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dams in Townshend and Jamaica. While the West River turbines are relatively small – they will produce 3.1 megawatts combined – they have required years of development and permitting work. “It feels very good,” said Bud Cherry, Eagle Creek's chief executive officer. “It...
Marlboro College Graduate and Professional Studies is starting a new academic year with continuing education courses available to the community. Registration for courses is open until Sept. 11, and courses begin the same day. “Marlboro College has become known for its graduate programs, including the MBA in Managing for Sustainability, the MS in Managing Mission-Driven Organizations, and the MA in Teaching with Technology,” said Sean Conley, associate dean for graduate and professional studies, in a news release. “But people in...
Parks Place Community Resource Center will host an open house celebration marking their 20 years of service to the community on Thursday, Sept. 10, from 4 to 7 p.m. There will be a presentation from the Bellows Falls Middle School band and tours given by their volunteer board members. A brief program begins at 4:45 p.m. Snacks and refreshments will be offered, followed by a birthday cake and ice cream, and activities for children and families. The agency was conceived...
The Future Collective will host the fourth annual Future Fest on Sept. 3 to 6 in Brattleboro. Future Fest is a four-day music and arts festival drawing over 50 bands and performance artists from all over New England, such as Crank Sturgeon, Mal Devisa, Home Body, Zebu, and Guerilla Toss. Many local Brattleboro acts will also be performing, such as If Not I Than Who Then, MV EE, Barishi, badweatherfriend, Aura Shards, and Ruth Garbus. Thursday night will start the...
Brattleboro Police plan sobriety checkpoint BRATTLEBORO - This week, the Brattleboro Police Department will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint within the town of Brattleboro. An aggressive effort will be made to identify impaired drivers on the highways. Officers will be also enforcing seatbelt, child restraint, and other motor vehicle laws during this checkpoint. Grafton Historical Society to hold fundraiser GRAFTON - The Grafton Historical Society will hold its annual bake sale and a silent auction on Saturday, Sept. 5, from...
Have you noticed these signs around town lately? They have been distributed through the Safe Streets Project, a town committee whose mission is to create a culture of respect and increase civility and safety on our streets for everyone through awareness and education activities. Remember that cyclists only travel around 10 mph and they, like you, have a destination. Give respect, get respect. Safety is a two-way street.
Chloe Learey, executive director of Winston Prouty Center for Child Development in Brattleboro, has been named to the Governor's Blue Ribbon Commission on Financing High Quality, Affordable Child Care. The purposes of the commission are to inventory and review reports and recommendations issued over the past 10 years relating to high quality, affordable child care; to determine the elements inherent in all quality child care programs; and to make recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor on the most...
College news • Wyonna Meyer of Guilford, an 11th-grader at Brattleboro Union High School, earned a place in the fall 2015 entering class at Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington, Mass. • The following local students are part of the incoming fall 2015 class at Castleton University: James Ameden of Londonderry, Zachary Brooks of Newfane, Casey Gould of Brattleboro, Olson Humphrey of Londonderry, Abigail Lesure of Vernon, Molly O'Callaghan of Brookline, Meghan Powell of Vernon, Emily Sheehan of...
At the recommendation of Windham County Sheriff's Department Deputy Chris Norton, the Selectboard appointed Board Chair Christiane Howe as Custodian of Records at the Aug. 17 regular meeting. Norton told the Board that the Sheriff's Department has “three, maybe four boxes” of Vernon-related records, and the town should keep them, not his department. He told the town officials these are non-criminal-related records - things like accident reports and personnel records - and involve “incidents going back 10, 15, 20 years."
The team behind attempts to bring a Dunkin' Donuts to Route 9 has presented revised building designs to the Development Review Board. The board has 45 days to write its decision on whether to give the town's blessing for Sandri LLC to add a Dunkin' Donuts franchise to its gas station located between the post office and Family Dollar. As long as the project meets zoning requirements, the DRB will likely approve the project. If approved, the project should be...
Speaking in downtown Brattleboro on a sunny Monday afternoon, U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy recalled a much more grim visit four years ago in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene. Leahy talked with a man shoveling muck from a store – not because he owned the place, and not because he was a Brattleboro resident, but because “I wasn't hurt. If I was, I'd hope somebody would help me.” After recalling that encounter, Leahy offered assurances that “we know how to...
Almost four years ago to the day, as Tropical Storm Irene whooshed through Vermont, residents, staff, and emergency services scrambled to evacuate Melrose Terrace as the storm's heavy rainfall contributed to flash flooding statewide. When the storm waters receded from one of the town's largest public housing areas, Brattleboro Housing Authority Executive Director Chris Hart and the Housing Commissioners stood in the mud and examined the extensive damage. Built in 1965, the 80-unit Melrose, nestled next to the Whetstone Brook...
State officials have launched a criminal probe of the Brattleboro Retreat in the wake of Medicare fraud allegations raised repeatedly by a former employee. The investigation - first reported by the Associated Press - was confirmed by Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell on Aug. 25. And documents show that at least some of the state's concerns arose from the complaints of whistleblower Thomas Joseph, who has alleged millions of dollars of malfeasance at the psychiatric hospital. “The investigation will be...
On Sept. 5 and 6, Friends of Music at Guilford (FOMAG) will presents its annual Labor Day Weekend Festival with an evening concert in the Organ Barn on Kopkind Road (off Packer Corners Road), and an afternoon orchestra concert on the lawn at the Organ Barn. The event celebrates FOMAG's 50th season. FOMAG, a community organization that offers a year-round season of concerts and other activities in Southern Vermont, is dedicated to the tradition of amateur musicians who perform music...
During September, Strolling of the Heifers' Gallery at The Garden presents Pastel Visions, an exhibit of works by Southern Vermont Pastel Artists, Maggie F. Smith, Carol Stephens, Deedee Jones and Pat McPike. All four are local artists who have worked, painted, and enjoyed art together. Meanwhile the rear gallery continues to show the exhibit Windham Grows, which consists of photographic works by John Nopper and Jeffrey Lewis, depicting past winners of the Windham Regional Business Planning Competition, along with interviews...
The In-Sight Photography Project will hold its Family Open House on Friday, Sept. 4, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. during Gallery Walk. The open house gives area youth and their families a chance to meet staff, see what goes on at In-Sight, and learn about upcoming classes. Held at 45 Flat Street in downtown Brattleboro, the open house features hands-on activities, such as creating a photogram in In-Sight's darkroom. Student work will be on exhibit, along with video presentations from...
“Fearless Writing's Greatest Hits,” a 3-hour mini-workshop with Crescent Dragonwagon, will be presented at the Rockingham Free Public Library on Thursday, Sept. 10, at 6 p.m. Organizers say attendees will find their voice, cozy up to their fears, and learn how to use them. The workshop is designed to help participants get energized, even in uncertain times, and write. The workshop has helped hundreds of people move from “I've always wanted to write, but...” to action, according to a news...
If there's a Bernie Sanders rally in Washington, D.C., David Reed promises he'll be there – even if he has to hitchhike from his Putney home. At an Aug. 27 meeting in Brattleboro, Reed demonstrated his dedication by bringing along a box of green T-shirts he had emblazoned with social media hashtags supporting the Vermont senator's presidential campaign: “#EnoughisEnough, Washington, D.C., #BernieOrBust.” “This election is too damn important to not be talking about it every day,” Reed declared. Reed may...
On graduation day, most students receive something from their schools: a diploma, a certificate, sometimes an award. On Aug. 31, the 11 graduating participants of the first Strolling of the Heifers Farm-to-Plate Apprenticeship Program - designed to prepare the students for employment in the culinary arts field - celebrated their achievements by giving. At American Legion Post 5, the graduates served lunch to attendees, allowing them to show off the skills they learned in the 12-week program. The program's other...
The word “loss” is almost too small to encompass the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. But as if in a game of word association, it is the only one that comes to my mind when people talk about that storm. I think it's especially true for those of us who were in New Orleans. For us there, unlike for those living in other affected parts of the Gulf Coast, the tragedy seemed to take on an additional dimension every single day.
As debuts go, Brattleboro Colonels head football coach Chad Pacheco hoped for something better. Instead, the Hartford Hurricanes scored 41 unanswered points as senior running back Jacob Perkins rushed for 215 yards and six touchdowns in a 41-21 win over Brattleboro last Friday on opening night for the 2015 season at Natowich Field. “That's a great football team. They are very solid up front and Perkins ran really well. That was a good test for us,” said Pacheco after his...
The Actors Theatre Playhouse (ATP) celebrates its 40th season in West Chesterfield beginning Sept. 10 with a Main Stage production of Conor McPherson's lyrical comedy, The Seafarer. Performances are on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. The Seafarer was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Play when it debuted in London in 2006 and for multiple Tony Awards when it subsequently moved to New York City. Set on Christmas Eve in a Dublin suburb, The Seafarer...
When representatives of Webster's House Animal Shelter say they are overrun with kittens, they are not exaggerating. The shelter says it now has 30 kittens of various ages, 15 of which are available for adoption. Orange, buff, tiger, black, or grey; shorthairs and longhairs, they've got them. Webster's House (formerly known as The Animal Rescue and Protection Society) is located at 1758 Route 103 in Chester. The shelter is open to the public on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, from noon...
The clear water you see along the knife when you slice into a fresh, ripe tomato is extremely flavorful - and, with a little patience, makes a great cocktail (virgin or otherwise). Choose fat, local tomatoes that feel heavy in the hand but are not overly soft or mushy. I make this recipe when the farm stands have boxes of “canning” tomatoes for sale, or when I have planted too many tomato plants. If you use a tea towel to...
At the 2015 American Cheese Society (ACS) competition, 20 Vermont companies took home 46 ribbons for their cheese, butter, and yogurt. The big winner was Harbison, a soft-ripened cows' milk cheese made by the Cellars at Jasper Hill in Greensboro, which earned a third place Best In Show award. While a number of other northern Vermont dairies won big, Windham County was well represented. The Vermont Cheese Council lists seven Windham County cheesemakers as members; three of them won awards...
It's safe to say there's no love lost between the state of Vermont and Entergy, owner of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. But when the time came to weigh in on Entergy's attempts to build a second spent fuel storage facility at the Vernon property, it wasn't the state raising the most ruckus - it was the local planning commission. The Windham Regional Commission (WRC) last week aired detailed concerns about how the company chose the proposed site for long-term...
The work of Nancy Ferrucci of Stratton will be on display in September at the Wardsboro Public Library. She will share an exhibit of digital photographs that feature the innate beauty of flowers and nature. Included photos represent objects of time and place. Ferrucci taught visual arts in Connecticut for 30 years. She also designs jewelery. The exhibit runs until the end of the month. The art work will be for sale. The library is located at 170 Main St.
Last month, U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., encouraged Vermonters to submit their original, high-quality photos of Vermont's unique landscapes, views and landmarks to showcase the state's beauty. Photographs were posted on Rep. Welch's Facebook page, and his Facebook followers voted by “liking” their favorite shots. Nearly 180 photos were submitted, and the winning photograph, of a rustic homestead in Dummerston was taken by Julie Houle from Brattleboro. “I was thrilled with the number of photos submitted from across the state...
Through stories of their childhoods, area residents provided connections to a time forgotten by many during the Historical Society of Windham County's annual meeting. An attentive audience sat at long tables in the NewBrook Fire Station on Aug. 28 and listened as four senior citizens shared memories of their youths. The fifth generation to live on her family homestead, Barbara Moseley remembered riding with her “very dear grandfather,” said the lifelong Vernon resident - in his buggy behind his horse,
Ten years after Hurricane Katrina, commemorations are taking place across the country, but most especially across the Gulf South - and most particularly because of so much that changed and so much that didn't. New Orleans was left to fend for herself, the beautiful Crescent City punished for daring to be proudly Chocolate, its inhabitants strewn across the nation and disappeared forever by gentrification and White-ification. The hurricane made landfall in southern Louisiana on Aug. 29, 2005, and the combination...
Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present Dustbowl Revival, a Venice, Calif.-based roots collective that merges old school bluegrass, gospel, jug-band, swamp blues and the hot swing of the 1930s; plus Nashville-based, progressive acoustic folk duo 10 String Symphony, at The Vermont Jazz Center on Thursday, Sept. 10, at 7:30 p.m. The Vermont Jazz Center is located at 72 Cotton Mill Hill in Brattleboro. Next Stage Arts Project, winner of a 2014 ArtPlace America grant, is renovating its main...
My husband and I were finally allowed back in New Orleans two months after the levees broke. The entire city was gray and looked like the epitome of a ghost town. The biggest tragedy was witnessing the markings on the homes that indicated lives lost, one of which happened to be across the street where we lived. All that seemed to be alive were swarms of gnats that greeted us as we approached our home. We had to be covered...
I'm embarrassed to admit that like many folks in the area, I went about the task of readying for Tropical Storm Irene with half a heart. As a retired EMT, I believe in preparedness, but I felt reasonably sure that I wouldn't seriously have a need for the full gas tank I pumped and the water I purchased. I filled my prescriptions and took other precautions, but like the majority of folks that I saw at the grocery store, I...