Pratt Library reopens to the public
WEST DUMMERSTON - The Lydia Taft Pratt Library on West Street has reopened to the public for in-library browsing.
The library intends to resume online and outdoor programming activities for all ages in the coming summer months, and will maintain open hours on Tuesdays from 2 to 6 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays, 1 to 5 p.m., and on Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Curbside delivery of library materials will continue to be an option, as will home delivery of materials.
For more information, call the library at 802-258-9878 or email [email protected].
Brooks Library now open for browsing
BRATTLEBORO - Brooks Memorial Library will no longer require appointments.
The library is open on Tuesdays and Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Thursdays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Each visitor is limited to 20 minutes in the library, and occupant capacity has been reduced in accordance with public health recommendations.
The state's COVID-19 universal guidance protocols remain in place for all staff and visitors.
For more information, visit brookslibraryvt.org, or call 802-254-5290.
Hydropower “coffee hours” continue
GREENFIELD, Mass. - In March and April, the Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) hosted virtual Hydropower Coffee Hour events to discuss and answer questions about the five Connecticut River hydropower facilities that applied for renewed operating licenses in December.
CRC staff and additional experts will “answer questions and share how the public can get involved in the hydro relicensing process to speak up for rivers,” according to a news release.
CRC is continuing this series until the public comment period opens in late summer for license renewals of Turners Falls Dam and Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage in Massachusetts, and the Wilder, Bellows Falls, and Vernon dams in Vermont and New Hampshire.
Once they are issued, the licenses for these facilities will be in place for the next 30 to 50 years and affect more than 175 miles of the Connecticut River.
Upcoming Hydropower Coffee Hours include “River Recreation” (Wednesday, May 12); “Migratory Fish” (Tuesday, June 8); and “Economics and the Markets” (Wednesday, July 14). All begin at 9:30 a.m.
Additional details and links to register can be found at ctriver.org/events.
Past discussions can be viewed on CRC's YouTube channel at youtube.com/connecticutriver.
Libraries host document shredding day
NEWFANE - Do you have boxes of old papers sitting around that you want to get rid of, but you're worried that recycling them will put your confidential information at risk?
On Saturday, May 15, the Moore Free Library and Townshend Public Library will co-host a community shredding event from 9 a.m. to noon.
People can bring old paper documents (paper clips and staples are OK) to be safely shredded by a mobile truck from SecurShred, a Burlington-based document-destruction firm.
The shredding will happen on the horseshoe lawn of the Windham County Sheriff's Office on Jail Street. People can bring up to five (10 in. × 12 in. × 15 in.)file boxes (or trash bags with the equivalent volume of paper) at a time.
Those who have more than that will be asked to go back to the end of the line (if there is a line), event organizers explain.
The event is a fundraiser for the two libraries, and a donation of $10 per file box is suggested. The libraries can accept donations in cash or check, but not credit cards.
A representative from the Windham Solid Waste Management District in Brattleboro will staff an informational table and demonstration about composting and will detail what people can compost in their backyards and what they can compost at the transfer station in Brattleboro.
For more information about the event, contact the Moore Free Library at 802-365-7948 or the Townshend Public Library at 802-365-4039.
Co-op shoppers donate nearly $7,300 to BEEC
BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Food Co-op says that Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center (BEEC) was featured in April as the recipient of the market's Round Up for Change program. Customers chose to round up their purchases to the next dollar and contributed a total of $7,274.42 to BEEC.
BEEC, in West Brattleboro, offers a wide range of nature- and kid-focused programming throughout the year.
The featured nonprofit for May's Round Up for Change is the Women's Freedom Center, the local domestic- and sexual-violence organization serving both Windham and southern Windsor counties.
For more information about the Co-op, visit brattleborofoodcoop.coop.
Hospice prepares for auction
BRATTLEBORO - Brattleboro Area Hospice is looking for high-quality goods for an upcoming online auction.
Auction organizers are seeking furniture, vintage clothing (“especially that old beloved denim jacket,” Hospice staff write), jewelry, pop culture items, designer/luxury china and porcelain, art and home decor items.
Contact Ellen Smith at 802-257-0775, ext. 109, or [email protected] if you have an item you'd like to discuss donating.