MONDAY EDITION
ADDISON COUNTY
INDEPENDENT
Vol. 28 No. 19
Middlebury, Vermont
Monday, August 15, 2016
32 Pages
$1.00
Porter eyes affiliation with UVMHN Heavy metal in overdrive
Hospital, town leaders weighing merger’s impact
• The Demo Derby at Field Days saw a bounty of smashing and crashing. See who won in Sports, Pages 18-20.
By JOHN FLOWERS MIDDLEBURY — The Porter Medical Center Board will affiliate itself with the University of Vermont Health Network (UVMHN) if the Porter community ultimately determines that such a partnership — rather than remaining independent — is in the best interests of PMC’s
Vaccine dropped from the Vt. sky
future as it could net Porter longterm financial stability and some major upgrades — including a new medical office building. The potential affiliation is a decision that will be decided by this coming spring, Porter officials said. PMC Interim President and CEO Dr. Kniffin also revealed three other entities had stepped forward as prospective Porter suitors: Tennesseebased Quorum Health, DartmouthHitchcock Medical Center, and Rutland Regional Medical Center. Kniffin said UVMHN emerged as
the “clear choice” from among the four wooing Porter, due in part to geography, familiarity, reputation, and the fact that half of current PMC clients received at least a portion of their medical services at the University of Vermont Medical Center, according to Kniffin. Half of Porter’s medical staff also trained there, he noted. “They’re already a virtual, natural affiliation (with UVM),” Kniffin said. Still, the PMC board took a close look at the other potential suitors, he
said. “We have evaluated other potential partner options and had multiple conversations, presentations and face-to-face meetings with the leaders of interested organizations,” Kniffin said. “It is abundantly clear that if we choose to partner, our best partnering option would be with the UVM Health Network. That is now the only affiliation option that we are considering, should we decide to make that choice.” The PMC Board has spent more (See Porter, Page 7)
• The Health Department is inoculating wild animals from rabies. See Page 25.
Friends in need of home together • Mandi acts as “seeing eye dog” for Atticus. Now they both need a home. See Page 23.
THE LADIES CAST Iron Skillet Toss competition drew all age groups at Field Days on Wednesday. Helen Curran, left, of Whiting took third place in the 5-10-year-old class. Chelsea Adley, center, competed in the 11-17-year-old class. And Ava Mullin, right, reacted nervously to an off-target throw before winning the 5-10-year-old class. Independent photos/Trent Campbell
Vermonter hits Quebecois notes • A New Haven vineyard will host a Newgrass quartet this Friday. Read about them in Arts Beat on Page 10.
Field Days: Quintessential summer fun By INDEPENDENT STAFF Editor’s note: One of the great things about the Addison County Fair and Field Days is there is so dang much to take in — the farm animals, the food and drink, the competitions, the thousands of friends and neighbors wandering around the crowded fairgrounds in the middle of a rural paradise. Here are a few snapshots from the 68th annual fair that we gathered last week. NEW HAVEN — At the busy Addison County fairgrounds last
Thursday morning, the eyes were drawn everywhere: the towering rides, the colorful banners and excited, shouting children. But in one corner of the festivities, the crowd focused on a more somber event. More somber, at least, at first glance. It was the Addison County Fair and Field Days’ 38th annual hand mowing contest, and Lucien Paquette, the nearly 100-year-old founder of Field Days and founder of the competition, was set to compete.
In hand mowing, contestants use their own scythes, sharpened to perfection for the event, to clear an area of overgrown grass. Onlookers shout and cheer for the participants, who are judged on the speed with which they clear the area, the width of the area and the height of the stubble that is left. What is not judged is the aesthetics of hand mowing, which last Thursday morning captivated the audience especially when Paquette took his turn.
“When you’ve got a sharp blade and a good rhythm going, strength isn’t important. It’s all in the technique,” the commentator blared through speakers at the event. “(Paquette)’s technique is gorgeous, it’s beautiful.” While onlookers marveled at the beauty of Paquette’s work, the significance of the event lies elsewhere for the Craftsbury, Vt., native. “I enjoy doing it,” Paquette said after finishing up his swath. “As a (See Field Days, Page 13)