Thursday, May 24, 2018

Page 1

Opera maven

Memorial Day

Net success

A talented tenor’s move to Brandon is drawing more opera professionals to Vermont. See Arts + Leisure.

Read about the local parades this weekend and the reason behind them in our special section.

The Middlebury boys’ tennis team continued its enjoyable spring at Spaulding’s expense. See Page 1B.

ADDISON COUNTY

Vol. 72 No. 21

INDEPENDENT

College students develop transportation initiatives

Middlebury, Vermont

Thursday, May 24, 2018

52 Pages

$1.00

Those were the days

Town-gown study boosts buses, biking, walking By CHRISTOPHER ROSS this past semester endeavored to MIDDLEBURY — A group of figure out how to make transportation Middlebury College environmental in Addison County more sustainable studies students have been trying and also more equitable. to square two items Divided into four in Vermont’s 2016 teams, students “Increased bus Comprehensive considered the issue ridership means from several angles. Energy Plan: • The state aims to more service One uniting theme reduce total energy — more routes, emerged: cooperation. consumption per capita more frequency, In a May 10 by 15 percent by 2025, especially colloquium they and by more than onepresented their for in-town third by 2050. findings. • Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n shuttling during RIDE THE BUS! fuels account for the the rail bridge Jennifer Damien, largest portion of construction Sebastian LaPointe Vermont’s total energy project.” and Emma Shumway consumption. — Middlebury started a campusClearly, driving selectboard member wide campaign to would have to be Laura Asermily encourage Middlebury reduced in order to College students to meet the goals. ride Addison County So the 13 senior environmental Transit Resources (ACTR) buses. studies students, in partnership with Though nearly all the students several local and state organizations, (See Transportation, Page 11A)

Work motivates Bristol man to earn his degree

By ABAGAEL GILES Next week, Farr will BRISTOL — Trevor not only graduate from Farr wasn’t planning to CCV, he will also be the continue his education student speaker at the after he graduated from June 2 commencement Mount Abraham Union ceremony in Northfield. High School in 2003. The 32-year-old Bristol “When I graduated resident will be awarded high school, I didn’t have an Associate’s Degree any intention of going to in Science, Technology college. It’s normal in and Mathematics from my heritage to work in CCV-Middlebury. construction. My dad The first in his family was a carpenter,” said to earn a college degree, Farr. he was nominated to Fast forward a dozen speak by his professors TREVOR FARR years and the Bristol and classmates. native found he needed some It took Farr three years to complete education to advance in a job that had his studies. During that time he become his career. He started taking worked nights at the Agri-Mark/ classes at Community College of Cabot cheese plant in Middlebury, Vermont’s Middlebury site and found where he was responsible for mixing he could do really well; he even and calibrating the bacterial cultures became a member of the Phi Theta used to make Cabot cheddar cheeses. Kappa Honor Society. (See Farr, Page 11A)

SOME OF THE regulars and staff at The Diner on Merchants Row in Middlebury met for one of the last times on Tuesday morning as the business prepares to close on Sunday, with an auction of its equipment on Memorial Day. The location has served as an eatery for around eight decades. Pictured are, left to right, Hallie Sargent, Joyce Sargent, Travis D’Avignon, Crystal Doran, Tom Broughton, Terry Purinton, Greg Wry, Debby Holmes, Tim Holmes, Anna Cousino and Kurt Fiske. Independent photo/Trent Campbell

Closing of local diner marks end of era By JOHN FLOWERS MIDDLEBURY — Joyce Sargent can’t travel past The Diner at 66 Merchants Row in Middlebury without thinking of family, food, an occasional good ribbing and the birth of her second child. “From as far back as I can remember my dad went to (what was then Smith’s Park Restaurant) and met his cronies for coffee and a doughnut or toast every morning around 6 a.m., and mom always wondered why,” Sargent said playfully through an email recounting some of her fondest memories of the community eatery, which will

close for good this Sunday, May 27. Sargent eventually found out “why” her dad was so attached to the place after becoming a regular customer herself around 30 years ago, hooked by a steady diet of stick-to-your ribs standards and a cast of employees that served up kind words and occasional good-natured sass along with the meatloaf, steak & eggs and pancakes — with, of course, real maple syrup. College professors, store keeps and farmers sitting elbow to elbow over omelets and a good cup of Joe. “The sad part is that as of the end of May the

diner will no longer be,” Sargent lamented. “This is also the 18th anniversary of my retirement — so what in the world am I going to do?” Sargent and others took some time out early this week to reflect on the impending demise of The Diner, which current owners Carl Roesch and Caetlin Harwood are selling to the Town Hall Theater. The adjacent THT will someday clear the site for a building addition to provide more room for theater programs, storage and maybe even a small restaurant. But faithful customers of The Diner — and of previous incarnations of (See Diner, Page 12A)

Vermont Coffee Company embraces green energy Middlebury-based firm blazes a trail

VERMONT COFFEE COMPANY roaster Ana MacLeod and quality manager Joe Burris roast beans Tuesday afternoon. The Middlebury company now runs its Exchange Street roasting operations with 100-percent renewable energy. Independent photo/Trent Campbell

By JOHN FLOWERS MIDDLEBURY — Vermont Coffee Company fans now have an extra reason to feel good about savoring their favorite brand of java. The Middlebury company revealed it’s now the first U.S. coffee roaster to use 100-percent renewable biogas to roast its coffee, sourcing both thermal and electric energy from renewable methane. “We firmly believe our customers are going to appreciate this, that they’ll recognize it as a good thing,” company founder and CEO Paul Ralston said during a recent interview. “It’s not a small thing for us. It took a lot of work, a lot of time and a lot of money.” It’s an effort that began three years ago, when Vermont Coffee launched a more than $1 million investment in new, energy efficient roasting technology. “We worked with a company in California and over years of refinements, we’ve been able to reduce, by over 70 percent, the amount of gas that it takes to roast a pound of coffee,” Ralston said. “So regardless of what the fuel source was, it was a big step in efficiency.” Ralston explained that efficiency led to an important second step: The ability to pay a premium for (See Vt. Coffee, Page 3A)

By the way More evidence that Addison Independent readers and contributors know and care about the English language. Reader Will Sipsey of Starksboro drew our attention to the fact that the online Merriam-Webster Word of the Day recently cited Addison County’s newspaper of record as a source for the word “aggress.” The website defined “aggress” as “to make an attack; to act aggressively,” and cited a July 17, 2017, letter from Dottie Nelson that ran in the Independent: “Under-socialized dogs are risks to their owners and to others because (See By the way, Page 3A)

Index Obituaries........................... 6A-7A Classifieds........................ 6B-10B Service Directory............... 7B-8B Entertainment.........Arts + Leisure Community Calendar......... 8A-9A Arts Calendar.........Arts + Leisure Sports................................. 1B-3B


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.