The town of Middlebury is updating its town plan, which for the first time will include an “enhanced energy plan.” This advanced energy plan will guide local energy development through policies and standards that promote investments in weatherization, renewable generation and electrification. It’s supposed to improve climate resilience and energy justice while considering energy affordability and reliability. As part of this effort, the Middlebury Energy Committee is conducting a survey to better understand residents’ household energy use, related challenges experienced, and their priorities for future municipal energy initiatives. The survey is now live and will be open until Sept. 15. The survey can be accessed at tinyurl.com/yp8zpbku. All responses are anonymous unless contact information is volunteered. For questions regarding the Energy Survey, email Jolyon Larsen at [email protected].

Porter Medical Center’s Palliative Support Services is seeking storytellers for its next storytelling event, which will take place during the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 14, in Middlebury. The theme is “Stories from the Heart: Honoring Spirits Who Have Left This World.” If you have a story to tell about a personal experience of loss and grief, of someone who has left this world, and your own healing, please consider sharing it. Each story must be limited to seven minutes, and it should be a personal and true story told from the heart (rather than read). It should also include how this experience changed or deepened your life. Seven stories will be selected and those storytellers will be coached to help them prepare for telling their stories before an audience. Once chosen, storytellers will have a coach to help them build their story. Interested storytellers are invited to submit a written draft, or a well-developed outline, to Jen Guenther at [email protected], on Friday, Sept. 4. For more information, contact Louella Richer at Palliative Support Services [email protected] or 802-388-4744.

Property owners are required to file a homestead declaration (Form HS-122) each year if their home meets the definition of a Vermont homestead, and the final date those forms will be accepted this year is Oct. 15. Though filing the tax form is mandatory, Vermont Department of Taxes officials noted its possible upwards of 25,000 Vermonters neglect to file the form each year. “The Census estimates that there are roughly 200,000 owner-occupied homes in Vermont, but the Department of Taxes only gets about 175,000 Homestead Declarations each year, so the gap could be as high as 12.5% (25K out of 200K),” tax department officials told the Independent. The department said it uses data from its system to “identify taxpayers who likely should file a Homestead Declaration,” and send them targeted letters advising them of such.

We’ve been bringing you news of the first week of school in several Addison County school districts. And here’s an update from Brooke Olsen-Farrell, superintendent of the Slate Valley Unified Union School District, which includes Orwell. SVUUSD officially kicked off its 2026–2027 school year on Aug. 21 with an in-service day, where district officials came together to welcome new staff, celebrate colleagues, reconnect with their mission and vision, reflect on progress, and focus on the work ahead. “One of the accomplishments I’m most proud of is our 96% staff retention rate from last year,” Olsen-Farrell stated in a message to district residents. “Just a few years ago, our retention rate was 78.21%. That improvement did not happen by accident. We have worked intentionally to build a culture where talented educators want to stay, grow and build their careers and ultimately, our students are the beneficiaries of that stability.

Here’s a reminder from the Addison County Solid Waste Management District: Batteries don’t go in your recycling bins or the trash. Emily Johnston, the district’s public outreach coordinator, notes that batteries can cause fires, thus endangering workers who handle solid waste at the transfer station at 1223 Route 7 South in Middlebury. Batteries are accepted at the transfer station for special recycling for free. There are also other collection locations throughout Addison County and the state. Call2Recycle, a stewardship program for the special recycling of batteries in Vermont, has more information on battery recycling at call2recycle.org/Vermont. These specific battery varieties are banned from the trash and should be brought to the Middlebury transfer station: lithium metal, button cells, lead acid/wet cell, rechargeable batteries (nickel cadmium, nickel metal hydride, lithium-ion, and small sealed lead acid batteries), and alkaline and carbon-zinc batteries. Bear in mind that damaged, defective, or swollen batteries should be handled with caution. Call the district at 802-388-2333 for advice on safe handling and disposal of puffy, swollen, damaged, or defective batteries.

More 5-Town area folks are finding the free “Veggie Van,” routinely parked on the lawn of the Bristol Baptist Church off Park Street. The Veggie Van is open 24/7 through October for drop off and pick up of fresh produce. You can drop off by going inside through the door and loading up the bins. To pick up produce, open the windows and take what you need. Please be sure to close the windows and door when you’re finished. All produce is free. Bring a bag and help yourself. The service has received support from several area churches, nonprofits, businesses and farms. Residential gardeners are helping to stock the shelves with surplus veggies, as are folks from Full Belly, Footprint, Gateway, Bristol Flats, Four Blooms, Paradise Fruit, Sweet Roots and Little Village Acres Farms.