By JOHN FLOWERS
MIDDLEBURY — The District 9 Environmental Commission has awarded Act 250 permits to two separate retirement communities that together will bring almost 300 units of elderly housing to the Middlebury area within the next year and a half.
Environmental commission officials confirmed on Thursday that they had issued permits:
• On Oct. 6 to Eastview at Middlebury, a 101-unit development to be built on 30 acres south of the Porter Medical Center campus off South Street.
• On Oct. 16, to the Lodge at Otter Creek, which will feature 180 units of senior housing on 36 acres off Middle Road.
State statutes allow for appeals of Act 250 permits within 30 days of when they are issued. Only those who have been accorded “party status” during the review period are allowed to file appeals.
By CYRUS LEVESQUE
MIDDLEBURY — The Foster Brothers Farm in Middlebury has used anaerobic digester technology to turn cow manure into electricity for more than two decades. Now the owners of the farm are helping to create a new company that will act as a broker selling electricity produced on farms around the country to businesses seeking to buy power produced from renewable resources.
“If someone wants to be ‘green,’ this is a good way to be green,” said Robert Foster of Foster Bros. “I encouraged our group to jump on it, because it’s something I wanted to champion.”
The new company, called AgRefresh and based in Burlington, began when Jeff Frost approached Foster about three years ago with questions about anaerobic digestion systems, like the manure digester Foster Bros. uses. Seeing a potential business opportunity, they took the first steps toward starting a company that would make “green” energy more widespread.
