MONDAY EDITION
ADDISON COUNTY
INDEPENDENT
Vol. 28 No. 32
Compost is heating up • A Middlebury business will harness heat from decomposing cow manure to warm its facilities. See Page 2.
Panton preserves antique building
Middlebury, Vermont
Monday, November 14, 2016
36 Pages
$1.00
Donations sought for Museum pitched for county food shelves old Bristol firehouse Need is on the rise as winter approaches By JOHN FLOWERS MIDDLEBURY — While state and national political candidates early this week were promising a chicken in every pot, volunteers at Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects (HOPE) were gathering turkeys and other food to make sure area low-
income residents will have enough to eat for Thanksgiving and beyond. This is the time of year when the HOPE larder is notoriously bare, said Jeanne Montross, executive director of the Middlebury nonprofit that provides emergency services (See Food shelves, Page 14)
By GAEN MURPHREE BRISTOL — Since the Bristol Fire Department moved out of its dilapidated headquarters on North Street to take up residence in the brand new West Street fire station this past July, the classic 1897 firehouse has stood virtually
empty. But Bob Bernstein has a vision for turning the historic structure into a museum of 19th century New England woodworking machinery. “I think this is good for (See Firehouse, Page 35)
• Officials are looking for a common approach to repairing their town hall and cupola. See Page 2.
Otter football seeking repeat
• OV played for the D-III title again on Saturday, but this time as an underdog vs. unbeaten Windsor. See Page 20.
Message of hope Time for magic at Mount Abe
• Students & adult volunteers put the final touches on “Mary Poppins,” which will be staged this weekend. See Pages 16-17.
IDA BLACKWELL, 7, of Middlebury adds chalk messages of hope and love to a portion of the foundation of the old Lazarus building in Middlebury last Wednesday afternoon. Blackwell and her family and friends gathered informally on the day after the election to spread messages of unity through parts of downtown. Independent photo/Trent Campbell
Clergy are ‘first responders’ to sexual, domestic violence By GAEN MURPHREE MIDDLEBURY — A group of local clergy members gathered last Tuesday for an all-day event at which they asked themselves how they could do more to end sexual and domestic violence and how they could better serve those who turn to them in an hour of need. The event was sponsored
and hosted in Middlebury by WomenSafe, which provides resources to combat domestic and sexual violence. (See related story.) “Clergy play a really fundamental role in people’s well being, in their health and in their spiritual life and in their life in general. And they also meet people at very critical times. So if they’re trained to be
a support, they can really make a huge difference in the safety and well being of survivors,” said WomenSafe Executive Director Kerri Duquette-Hoffman. The workshop was led by speakers from Boston’s Safe Havens Interfaith Partnership Against Domestic Violence, a non-sectarian nonprofit that works to bring
together survivor advocacy and communities of all religious faiths. Safe Havens’ missions are to provide training for clergy and congregations, connect religious leaders with service providers and law enforcement, and advocate for religious communities to take the lead in ending domestic and sexual (See Violence, Page 26)