Brattleboro officials Wednesday held a ribbon cutting

 Brattleboro officials Wednesday held a ribbon cutting for the completion of several years of work to restore the floodplain along Whetstone Brook. A crowd gathered to celebrate the completion of the newly restored flood plain. The work started in August of 2023. Trees and bushes were planted this past spring. Hazard mitigation funds from FEMA paid for the majority of the $1.3 million project. The land used to be a staging area for a logging operation. It will now be gifted back to the town and open to the public. And while the work comes with a hefty price tag, officials say it will save the community money down the road. State officials say it’s a model that can be replicated in other flood-prone communities across the region.