Judge finds Panton dairy farmers in contempt of court, orders fines barring major changes to farm

A judge has found a family of Panton dairy farmers in contempt of court after they failed to stop water from coming out of a drainage system on their farm, washing over their neighbors’ property and flowing into Lake Champlain. 

Panton residents and owners of non-residential real estate should this week be receiving their Fiscal Year 2024-2025 (FY25) property tax bills, levies that will reflect increases despite the town-wide reappraisal of Panton property values completed earlie … (read more)

Due to a resident’s Aug. 12 questioning of the financial figures on the Panton town warning, Panton’s tax bills — typically sent out sometime in August — have been delayed until mid-September.

We are hopeful our iconic natural beauty will be saved from egregious industrial development and preserved for future generations of both humans and wildlife.

When they go to the polls on Nov. 5, Panton residents will not only make their choices in political races, they’ll also express their opinions on a proposal to site Vermont’s largest solar array within the town’s borders.

The scale of the Panton solar proposal is out of character with the Vermont we all know and love.

The Vermont Supreme Court has denied a request from the owners of a Panton dairy farm that would have alleviated the burden of a court order issued in March 2022, which requires the farm to make expensive changes in order to stop runoff from flowing acros … (read more)

My reaction to Bill McKibben’s letter to Editor, May 16, Addison Independent, supporting the Panton solar project was one of great distress.

They produce clean renewable energy over which no wars will be fought.

Andy Kirkaldy’s story makes clear something that usually gets lost in these accounts: this array would replace an operation that uses huge amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus which then wash into Lake Champlain.

I could just break down and cry at the thought of 300 acres of beautiful farmland being turned into ugly solar panels!

There is no question about one element of the 50-megawatt solar array that is proposed for land west of Route 22A in Panton. At 300 acres, mostly now farmland, it would be big — Vermont’s largest. 

As folks in Panton discuss a 50-megawatt solar array that Freepoint Commodities is proposing to put up west of Route 22A and south of West Road, the local debate is playing out on a larger stage.

After rejecting two budget proposals, Vergennes-area residents on Tuesday will again make a decision on proposed school spending for the 2024-2025 school year.

PANTON — Agricola Farm in Panton was among 20 farms to receive a Barn Preservation Grant recently from The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation and the Vermont Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. This year, the program will award $350,235 to … (read more)