Monday, Aug. 27, 2018

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MONDAY EDITION

ADDISON COUNTY

INDEPENDENT

Vol. 30 No. 18

Middlebury, Vermont

Monday, August 27, 2018

• The wind was blowing for the 6th annual Diamond Island Regatta. See the results and photos on Pages 18 & 19.

• Goshen has proven to be a lovely place to pick wild blueberries. See Page 7.

VERGENNES UNION HIGH School Director of Buildings, Grounds and Safety Ken Sullivan stands with the new boilers at the school. Sullivan has overseen the ongoing $7.63 million energy efficiency and safety project at all four Addison Northwest School District schools.

• Throngs attended the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival over the weekend. See opening night photos, Page 17.

By JOHN FLOWERS MIDDLEBURY — “New beginnings” is certainly an apt term to describe this Wednesday’s resumption of classes in the Addison Central School District. Students from the seven districtmember towns will be greeted by a faculty that includes 32 new teachers. And many children will be adjusting to a new way of learning, through the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. The Addison Central School District includes Middlebury Union (See ACSD, Page 21)

Independent photo/Trent Campbell

Work wrapping up at ANWSD

Energy, security upgrades ready for students at schools By ANDY KIRKALDY VERGENNES — When Addison Northwest School District students return to school this Wednesday they might not see dramatic changes, but district officials believe work this summer, funded by the $7.63 million bond voters approved in March, will make them safer and more comfortable in their schools. Certainly, said ANWSD Superintendent Sheila Soule, the project came in on budget and on time: The district is ready to welcome its students. “Everything went as planned, and we’re fully prepared to have our kids back,” Soule said. What students will notice first on are new security measures. Vergennes Union high and elementary schools and Addison and Ferrisburgh central schools all received new exterior door and interior hallway security cameras, and all but the main entrances now

have alarms that will sound immediately if doors are open. “They’re going to notice security cameras. They’re going to notice that exterior doors are alarmed throughout the district,” said ANWSD Director of Buildings, Grounds and Security Ken Sullivan. District employees, but not students, will have badges with ID chips that will be used to enter. Other safety measures include fire suppression range hoods in the VUES and Ferrisburgh Central (FCS) kitchens and new fire alarms at all four schools. But Sullivan said the heart of the projects, especially at VUHS and VUES, will be less visible. Both Vergennes schools have new boilers, while the entire heating and ventilation system at VUHS has been rebuilt from scratch, and VUES has also seen (See Addison Northwest, Page 14)

Midd. downtown planning at crossroads Midd film festival in the limelight

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District continues to phase in IB program

North Branch gets a new leader

Fun & berries in the great outdoors

32 Pages

New faces, programs on tap in ACSD

Full sails

• Joanna Doria was named coadministrator of the Ripton independent school. See story, Page 3.

By JOHN FLOWERS MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury planning officials are again applying for a grant of up to $60,000 to prepare a downtown master plan that will serve as a blueprint for how residents want to see their village core develop in the future. And some municipal leaders are warning the future will quickly become the present, so they’re lobbying for the launch of a downtown master planning process that was announced two years ago but has stalled because the town has

thus far been unsuccessful in landing grant money to help assemble the plan. “It’s been in limbo for a long time,” Selectman Victor Nuovo said on Thursday. “Whenever (downtown) opportunities come up, we seem to be running into the fact we don’t have a master plan.” That plan, according to Middlebury Planning & Zoning Director Jennifer Murray, would among other things describe existing downtown assets and resources, and articulate the community’s future

wants for that important retail, housing and employment hub. The document could also include a list of potential future downtown projects and their costs. Establishing a master plan for growth, according to Murray, “flips the conversation from a developer presenting a proposal that everyone has to decide ‘Is this right for our community?’ to ‘I’m a developer implementing your vision that you’ve established as a community.’” (See Downtown, Page 22)

ELLIE BRYANT

Longtime resident joins Lincoln board By CHRISTOPHER ROSS LINCOLN — The Lincoln selectboard has a new member, effective immediately. Ellie Bryant was appointed by the selectboard this past Tuesday, Aug. 21, to replace James Needham, who resigned on Aug. 7 for personal reasons. Needham had served on the selectboard since his election as a write-in candidate in 2015. Bryant’s term will expire in March, at which time she may choose to run for election to a two-year term on the board. “Ellie is well-qualified, and she’ll (See Lincoln, Page 22)


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