Sign here
Water trail
Twin bill
A group of 4-H’ers gathered and donated 3,000 cards for men and women in the military. Page 15B.
An Addison man canoed 750 miles in a 14-foot craft of his own design. See Page 20A.
The Panther men’s and women’s hoop teams hosted Castleton with mixed results. See Page 1B.
ADDISON COUNTY
INDEPENDENT Vol. 67 No. 48
Middlebury, Vermont
◆
Thursday, December 5, 2013 ◆ 42 Pages
Recreation center site still up in air Creek Road, Mary Hogan parcels remain in running By JOHN FLOWERS 0,''/(%85< ² $ 0LGGOHEXU\ FRPPLWWHH HYDOXDWLQJ SODQV IRU QHZ UHFUHDWLRQ DQG PXQLFL- SDO RI¿FH IDFLOLWLHV KDV VHW 'HF DV WKH GDWH RQ ZKLFK LW ZLOO UHFRPPHQG D SUHIHUUHG UHF FHQWHU VLWH WR WKH WRZQ VHOHFWERDUG 8QWLO UHFHQWO\ WKH 0LGGOHEXU\ 7RZQ 2I¿FH 5HFUHDWLRQ )DFLOLWLHV 6WHHULQJ &RPPLWWHH KDV EHHQ IRFXVLQJ RQ D VLQJOH VLWH IRU WKH SURSRVHG
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Project estimates high, but 0LGGOHEXU\ RI¿FLDOV KRSHIXO By JOHN FLOWERS 0,''/(%85< ² %UHDG /RDI &RUS RQ 7XHVGD\ XQYHLOHG WKH ¿UVW GHWDLOHG FRVW HVWLPDWHV IRU D QHZ 0LGGOHEXU\ PXQLFLSDO EXLOG- LQJ DQG UHFUHDWLRQ FHQWHU SODFLQJ WKH FRPELQHG FRVWV RI WKRVH WZR SURMHFWV DW ² D ¿J- XUH WKDW LV URXJKO\ PRUH WKDQ WKH FXUUHQW FRQVWUXFWLRQ EXG-
Tenny ZRQ¶W ¿OH citizens’ petition By JOHN FLOWERS 0,''/(%85< ² )RUPHU 0LG- GOHEXU\ VHOHFWERDUG &KDLUPDQ -RKQ 7HQQ\ KDV HOHFWHG QRW WR SXUVXH D citizens’ petition to force a Town Meeting Day vote on a new munici- SDO EXLOGLQJ DQG UHFUHDWLRQ FHQWHU +H FLWHG OHJDO DGYLFH LQGLFDWLQJ VXFK DQ HIIRUW PLJKW FRQIXVH LVVXHV IRU OR- FDO YRWHUV ZKHQ WKH\ WXUQ RXW DW WKH SROOV QH[W 0DUFK 7HQQ\ KDG DQQRXQFHG DW D 1RY VHOHFWERDUG PHHWLQJ WKDW KH SODQQHG WR VSHDUKHDG D FLWL]HQV¶ SHWLWLRQ WR IRUFH D 7RZQ 0HHWLQJ 'D\ UHIHUHQGXP RQ D SURSRVDO WR EXLOG QHZ PXQLFLSDO RI¿FHV DQG D QHZ 0LGGOHEXU\ UHFUHDWLRQ FHQWHU 7KH VHOHFWERDUG LQ WDQGHP ZLWK DQ DG KRF FRPPLWWHH DQG DQ DUFKLWHFW KDV EHHQ SODQQLQJ VXFK D SURMHFW IRU WKH SDVW VHYHUDO PRQWKV %XW LW¶V D SURM- HFW WKDW KDV GUDZQ RSSRVLWLRQ IURP VRPH 0LGGOHEXU\ UHVLGHQWV ZKR DPRQJ RWKHU WKLQJV EHOLHYH WKH SUR- SRVDO LV LOO FRQFHLYHG DQG XQZLVHO\ VLWHG DQG ZRXOG UHVXOW LQ WKH ORVV RI ZKDW WKH\ EHOLHYH LV D YDOXDEOH DVVHW WKH FXUUHQW PXQLFLSDO EXLOGLQJ J\P VLWH DW WKH LQWHUVHFWLRQ RI &ROOHJH DQG 6RXWK 0DLQ VWUHHWV &XUUHQW SODQV FDOO IRU 0LGGOHEXU\ &ROOHJH WR SURYLGH PLOOLRQ LQ SURMHFW DVVLVWDQFH WR WKH WRZQ LQ H[FKDQJH IRU WKH FXUUHQW PXQLFLSDO (See Tenny, Page 24A)
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ANwSU residents to vote on VUHS bond
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MOUNT ABRAHAM UNION High School students Whit Lower, left, Sawyer Kamman and Isabel Brennan jokingly push and pull Principal Andy .HSHV RXW WKH VFKRRO¶V IURQW GRRU 7XHVGD\ DIWHUQRRQ .HSHV LV VWHSSLQJ GRZQ DIWHU ¿YH \HDUV RQ WKH MRE Independent photo/Trent Campbell
Mt. Abe principal to resign at year’s end
By ZACH DESPART %5,672/ ² 0RXQW $EUDKDP 8QLRQ +LJK 6FKRRO SULQFLSDO $QG\ .HSHV KDV WROG WKH VFKRRO ERDUG IDF- XOW\ DQG VWXGHQWV KH LQWHQGV WR UHVLJQ DW WKH HQG RI WKH FXUUHQW VFKRRO \HDU .HSHV ZKR KDV EHHQ SULQFLSDO IRU ¿YH \HDUV VDLG KH KDV HQMR\HG KLV WLPH DW 0RXQW $EUDKDP EXW WKDW WKH Addison SULQFLSDO¶V RI¿FH ZDV QRW D JRRG ¿W County IRU KLP ³, ORYH WKH 0RXQW $EH FRPPXQLW\ ZLWK DOO P\ KHDUW EXW , GRQ¶W HQMR\ P\ MRE ´ .HSHV VDLG 0RQGD\ ³,W¶V D WRXJK MRE DQG WKH EDODQFH RI VWUHVV DQG MR\ LV RXW RI ZKDFN ´ The Vermont Secretary of Com- $GGLVRQ 1RUWKHDVW 6XSHUYLVRU\ merce announced this week that 8QLRQ 6XSHULQWHQGHQW 'DYLG $GDPV three Addison County towns had SUDLVHG .HSHV¶ WHQXUH scored municipal planning grants IRU ¿VFDO \HDU &RUQZDOO ZRQ D JUDQW UHTXLULQJ D PDWFK ZKLFK ZLOO IXQG D FRPSOHWH inventory of the town’s natural re- VRXUFHV ÀXYLDO KD]DUGV DQG DUHDV RI VLJQL¿FDQW VWUHDPEDQN HURVLRQ /HLFHVWHU ZLOO XVH LWV JUDQW By JOHN FLOWERS QR PDWFK WR XSGDWH LWV ]RQLQJ E\- MIDDLEBURY — A UD-3 com- ODZV SDUWLFXODUO\ WKRVH DGGUHVVLQJ PLWWHH KDV DVNHG IRU FRVW HVWLPDWHV development of slopes and storm- IRU D YLGHR FDPHUD V\VWHP WKDW ZRXOG ZDWHU PDQDJHPHQW ODNHIURQW UHFRUG DFWLYLWLHV LQ WKH KDOOZD\V RI protection and economic develop- 0LGGOHEXU\ 8QLRQ PLGGOH DQG KLJK PHQW )RU LWV SDUW 0LGGOHEXU\ VFKRROV DV D ZD\ RI SURYLGLQJ EHWWHU UHFHLYHG PDWFK VHFXULW\ ZLWKLQ WKRVH WZR EXLOGLQJV UHTXLUHG WR VWXG\ WKH ORFDO UHWDLO 7KH YLGHR FDPHUD V\VWHPV DUH (See By the way, Page 24A) EHLQJ SULFHG ZLWKLQ WKH FRQWH[W RI RQJRLQJ ¿UH DODUP XSJUDGHV DW ERWK 0806 DQG 08+6 :RUNHUV DUH PRUH WKDQ KDOIZD\ GRQH ZLWK LQ ¿UH DODUP V\VWHP ZRUN DW 08+6 'LVWULFW YRWHUV DW WKH DQ- Obituaries ................................ 6A QXDO 8' VFKRRO GLVWULFW PHHWLQJ LQ &ODVVL¿HGV ....................... 8B-12B -DQXDU\ ZLOO OLNHO\ EH DVNHG WR HQ- Service Directory ............ 9B-11B GRUVH D VLPLODU SURMHFW DW 0806 DF- Entertainment ........................ 23A FRUGLQJ WR 8' )DFLOLWLHV 0DQDJHU &RPPXQLW\ &DOHQGDU ...... 8A-10A Bruce MacIntire. Sports ................................ 1B-5B %RWK ¿UH DODUP SURMHFWV FRPH ZLWK ZLULQJ VXLWDEOH IRU WKH LQVWDOODWLRQ RI YLGHR FDPHUDV 7KH 8' )DFLOL- WLHV &RPPLWWHH LV ORRNLQJ DW WKH FRVW DQG ORJLVWLFV RI LQVWDOOLQJ WKDW HTXLS- PHQW 2I¿FLDOV VWUHVVHG WKHUH DUH QR
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By ANDY KIRKALDY 9(5*(11(6 ² $GGLVRQ 1RUWK- west Supervisory Union voters on 7XHVGD\ ZLOO GHFLGH WKH IDWH RI D PLOOLRQ ERQG UHTXHVW IURP 9HUJHQQHV 8QLRQ +LJK 6FKRRO ERDUG WR IXQG ZRUN WKH PDMRU HOHPHQWV RI ZKLFK ZRXOG EH D QHZ NLWFKHQ DQG FDIHWHULD DQG XSJUDGHV WR WKH VFKRRO DXGLWR- Board ULXP WKDW ZRXOG members return it to full describe use. most of the 7KH ERQG ZRXOG DOVR LQ- items as FOXGH QHZ ¿- “deferred QDQFLQJ IRU WKH mainte ORDQ nance.” $1Z68 YRWHUV The auditoDSSURYHG LQ WKH spring to pay rium, kitchIRU QHZ URR¿QJ en and cafRQ WKH VFKRRO¶V eteria went classroom wing untouched DQG DXGLWRULXP 6FKRRO RI¿FLDOV during VDLG UROOLQJ ZKDW the major wDV D ¿YH \HDU 2000 renoQRWH ZLWK D KLJK- vation. er interest rate into a 20-year ERQG ZLWK D ORZHU UDWH ZRXOG VDYH DERXW D \HDU LQ WKH QH[W ¿YH years. %RDUG PHPEHUV GHVFULEH PRVW RI WKH LWHPV DV ³GHIHUUHG PDLQWHQDQFH ´ 7KH DXGLWRULXP NLWFKHQ DQG FDIHWH- ULD ZHQW XQWRXFKHG GXULQJ WKH PDMRU UHQRYDWLRQ DQG H[SDQVLRQ RI WKH VFKRRO DQG WKH\ VDLG WKH PDLQ- WHQDQFH EXGJHW ZDV FXW GXULQJ WKH recent recession years. 7KH VFKRRO ZHEVLWH ² YXKV RUJ ² KDV WZR OLQNV UHODWHG WR WKH ERQG ERWK RI ZKLFK FDQ EH IRXQG MXVW XQ- (See VUHS bond, Page 13A)
Video cameras eyed for MUHS and MUMS
Index
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All decked out
MIDDLEBURY FIREFIGHTERS DAVE Shaw and Blake Harrison hang wreaths on downtown Middlebury lampposts Saturday morning as the town prepares for the holiday season and this Saturday’s Very Merry Middlebury celebration. Independent photo/Trent Campbell