Attention, Addison County Transit Resources bus riders. The Middlebury selectboard recently approved a revised plan for the ACTR bus stops in front of the Middlebury Post Office. Here are the details, courtesy of Jim Gish, community liaison for the downtown Middlebury rail bridges project: The ACTR bus stop on the town green side of Main Street will be eliminated and those three parking spots returned to the town for public parking. Meanwhile, the ACTR bus stop on the post office side of Main Street between the crosswalk and the post office driveway will remain in place. ACTR drivers will stay back from the crosswalk to improve the sight line for pedestrians and drivers. The handicapped parking space lost with this arrangement has been moved to the other side of the crosswalk and will be marked in the street. Finally, the ACTR bus moving eastbound on Main Street (toward the Congregational Church from the Cross Street roundabout) will no longer stop in front of Ilsley Library, but will instead stop on Main Street next to the Battell Block, 20 feet back from the crosswalk. This will become a signed bus stop but the bus will stop only if a rider has asked to get off or someone is waiting for the bus at the stop.
 
Good Samaritans and wildlife enthusiasts please take note: Deer fawns are being born this time of year and these animals should be left alone, according to Vermont Fish &Wildlife Department officials. This means don’t pick them up or disturb them in any way. Fawns do not attempt to evade predators during their first few weeks, instead relying on camouflage and stillness to remain undetected. During these times, fawns learn critical survival skills from their mothers. Bringing a fawn into a human environment results in separation from its mother, and it usually results in a sad ending for the animal. Deer nurse their young at different times during the day and often leave their young alone for long periods, officials noted. In other words, these animals are not lost; their mother knows where they are and will return. Deer fawns will imprint on humans and lose their natural fear of people, which can be essential to their survival. Keep your domestic pets under control at all times, as dogs often will kill fawns and other baby animals. For the safety of all wildlife, taking a wild animal into captivity is illegal in Vermont.
 
If your Middlebury High School/Middlebury Union High School class reunion is this year, your class would like to publish the announcement in the Alumni Newsletter. Reunion organizers are asked to please send the announcement to PO Box 1034, Middlebury, VT  05753 so the alumni association can help get the word out.
 
In Middlebury, workers will be paving a portion of South Main Street (Route 30) and a small area on Washington Street beginning this Thursday, May 31. The area to be paved extends from Academy Street south to Porter Field Road. On-street parking in this area will be prohibited from 6 a.m. on Thursday until the end of the project. Cars parked on this portion of South Main Street at the start of the paving will be towed. Work is anticipated to begin by 7 a.m. and will continue into the afternoon on workdays. Also, workers will repave a portion of Washington Street that was altered to repair a water leak. The work site is in the area of the entrances to Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op and Shaw’s Supermarket. One-way traffic will be maintained and flaggers will be present to help traffic through the project areas.
 
Contestants from the Middlebury Highway Department excelled in the 36th Annual VHMA Equipment Show & Field Day held on May 9 in Barre. Contestants had to maneuver a highway plow truck with full wing attachment through a series of turns and chutes while knocking over obstacles with both front plow and side-wing without disturbing surrounding objects. Scoring was a combination of overall time to run through the course with deductions for missed items. Shawn Devino and Jordan Fleming of Middlebury participated in the event and took home 3rd place out of 35 total teams. This followed a first-place finish last year, along with achieving the best safety record as well. Quite an accomplishment for two of Middlebury’s hard working highway crew members.
 
Three local organizations will host a first-ever “Race for Sundaes” along the Trail Around Middlebury (TAM) on Sunday, June 10, from 9 a.m. to noon, beginning at the Battell Woods parking area off Route 7, across from Denecker Chevrolet. The trail bike/run will begin at 9 a.m. and finish line celebrations will include free ice cream sundaes, music, games and raffle prizes. Participants have the option of a 1-mile running race or a 2-mile biking race. The entry fee is $8 for adults and $5 for children, with all proceeds will benefit the 18-mile TAM and getting people to appreciate and use this valuable recreational asset. The Race for Sundaes is a collaboration of the Middlebury Area Land Trust, Better Middlebury Partnership and the Addison County Bike Club.
 
Addison County Home Health & Hospice has earned a Five Star Rating by Medicare, according to Maureen Conrad, the organization’s director of development. In the last survey conducted by medicare.gov, Home Health Compare, Addison County Home Health and Hospice was voted one of two 5-star agencies in Vermont for patient satisfaction. Ninety-percent of patients surveyed said they’d recommend the agency to their friends and families, Conrad said. The 5-star rating is the highest available, and the national average for patient satisfaction ratings is 78 percent, according to Conrad.