An environmental commission in Brattleboro, Vt., gave approval to go forward on a $22.7 million surgical unit expansion to the Ronald Read Pavilion at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. The Brattleboro Reformer reported that the commission had accepted the findings of a noise assessment which concluded that noise levels will actually be lower than existing sound levels when construction is finished. Specifically, acoustic sound barriers will be installed to mitigate noise.

Reporter Bob Audette writes: “The approval allows BMH to demolish the old two-story, 4,500-square-foot Pavilion Building and replace it with a new four-story, 27,875-square-foot addition. Approval came after several months of review of documents, studies and public testimony. The process started in December 2018, when BMH submitted its ACT 250 application, and was followed by a site visit and public hearing on April 10, 2019.”