Archive - May 2006

By ANDY KIRKALDY

VERGENNES — After making a few last tweaks to new zoning laws and rejecting another suggested change, Vergennes aldermen last week set another public hearing that could bring the five-year process of writing new zoning close to an end.

Residents may learn about and comment on the latest council zoning draft at a Tuesday, June 13, hearing that will be held at the city’s Green Street fire station and get under way at 7 p.m.

Aldermen will hold at least one more hearing after that, and could call for more public meetings if they make more changes based testimony given on June 13.

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By CYRUS LEVESQUE

MIDDLEBURY — Extra credit in schools normally comes in the form of a few more grade points. But for Shelby Laframboise of Middlebury and Kayla Whittemore of Whiting, both eighth-graders at Middlebury Union Middle School, extra credit in one class came in the form of a $50 U.S. savings bond from the Vermont Council on Economic Education (VCEE).

Laframboise and Whittemore, both 14, posted the highest return on investment in the statewide Vermont Stock Market Game, in which 141 teams of middle schoolers used fictitious money to trade real stocks. The online simulation, sponsored by VCEE, is aimed at educating Vermont students about personal finance and the stock market.

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MIDDLEBURY — May 29 through June 2 is Middlebury Hunger Awareness Week, which serves to raise awareness about hunger in the area.

The MiddSummer Camp Summer Lunch and Recreation Support Group, which sponsors the week, said there will be activities throughout the week highlighting some of the many ways hunger and food insecurity are being addressed locally. The week’s activities include:

• Refreshments and information about MiddSummer Camp ’06, an adventure-based experience for fourth- through sixth-graders, will be available in Middlebury’s Triangle Park on Monday during the Memorial Day Parade. MiddSummer Camp, based at Mary Hogan Elementary School, provides fun and learning along with nutritious breakfasts and lunches each day.

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By CYRUS LEVESQUE

BRISTOL — Bill Bryant of Burlington will take the reins as town administrator for the town of Bristol in July. He will be replacing Bob Hall, who announced his retirement at the beginning of last November.

Bryant, 49, is currently the town administrator of Waitsfield, where he has worked for 17 years. During that time he also worked as a part-time administrator in East Montpelier.

“We’re excited, we think he’ll work out real well,” said Selectman David Sharpe. “I got good feedback on Bryant and I got good reviews.”

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ADDISON COUNTY — Six area towns are making final preparations to host Memorial Day parades over the long holiday weekend.

Orwell will kick-off the festivities with its traditional first-in-the-county parade on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. The parade will begin on North Orwell Road and proceed to the green in the village.

On Monday, Brandon’s Memorial Day parade will focus on remembrance of Americans who have served in the armed forces. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. at the post office and proceed to Central Park, where the town will host a memorial service. Among the entrants in the parade will be the Neshobe Marching Band.

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By HARRIETTE BRAINARD

MIDDLEBURY/BRANDON — Left without a venue for its annual summer production due to the ongoing renovations at the Town Hall Theater, the Opera Company of Middlebury instead is bringing English-style opera in the country to the Champlain Valley.

Next month the company will host “A Touch of Glyndebourne,” an event that invites guests to tour and picnic on the grounds of Fran Bull’s Gallery in-the-Field in Brandon before enjoying a musical performance in the art gallery.

“It’s one of the most beautiful spots in the county,” said Douglas Anderson, executive director of the THT and director of the upcoming opera. “The studio, where we will have the production, is more like a small, air-conditioned barn. It seemed the perfect spot for a gem of an opera.”

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By JOHN FLOWERS

ADDISON COUNTY — The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will soon hire a consultant to do an inventory of existing septic systems that are working in difficult clay soils and determine whether those systems could be more widely used in Addison County.

Many local building projects and subdivisions remain on hold in the county due to the inability of developers to put in septic systems that will pass state permitting standards. Much of that has to do with Addison County clay, a largely impermeable substance that can lead to sewage effluent surfacing on top of the leach fields — something that is prohibited under state rules.

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By JOHN FLOWERS

MONTPELIER — Local lawmakers and state leaders hailed the 2006 legislative session as one of the most productive in recent memory, with health care reform, energy conservation initiatives and Addison County’s take in the capital bill topping the list of accomplishments.

“This session has shown why Vermonters can be proud of our citizen legislature,” said Senate President Pro Tem Peter Welch, a Windsor County Democrat. “We wrestled with the difficult issues of improving our health care system, developing a future-oriented energy policy, expanding opportunities for higher education, and protecting our communities. In each case, this Legislature has found effective solutions that will serve the people of Vermont.”

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