This letter was shared with Community Council members of Vermont PBS, and has now been made open to the community by Bill Holiday of the Brattleboro Historical Society (and a member of the Community Council of VT-PBS). All questions about this notice may be direct to Bill at [email protected]. Vermont PBS would like to hear about issues and events of concern in our corner of the state.
Dear Council Members:
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to spend a little time with our newest Community Council colleague, Barbara Morrow, up in Newport. We had a lunch with several folks from the community seeing how we (Vermont PBS) can solidify our presence in Orleans County. We spoke about our early childhood and Ready to Learn Materials, PBS LearningMedia, our educational contests, and our kids library screenings and adult programming in the community, including the upcoming Ken Burn’s filmCancer: Emperor of all Maladies.
One of the interesting things to come out of our conversation is a unique issue in Newport revolving around the prison facility, Vermont’s largest prison in the state. There are many people incarcerated (mostly drug charges) that have already served their sentences, but have not been released due to the lack of space in Halfway or Dry Houses. At $50,000 to $75,000 to house an inmate, budgetary constraints will lead to large numbers of prisoners being released into to the Newport community, affecting housing, services and schools to name a few.
Can you let me know if there are any specific and unique issues facing your own communities? Or what are a couple of the most pressing problems and/or best successes happening in your neck of the woods.
Additionally, I would love to have the opportunity to spend a little time with each one of you and people actively involved in your communities. Let me know if you’d be willing to set something up with me.
Chuck