The Charlotte News | Nov. 21, 2013

The Charlotte News Volume lVI Number 08

The VoIce of The TowN

Thursday, NoVember 21, 2013

Poor Insulation, Leaky Roof, a Deluge of Costs During a recent tour of CCS, it became clear the school has serious and costly maintenance issues.

However, for the school board, it is less clear how to fix them.

Brett Sigurdson

The charloTTe News

I

f members of the school board and community needed a metaphor for just how bad the maintenance issues are at CCS, they probably couldn’t have done better than fifth grade teacher David Baird’s classroom. It currently features a large black trash bag

tied to the rafters to help direct water leaking from the roof to four paint buckets just below, clustered together in the same way as the students’ desks amid which they are placed.

Or perhaps the group, on an hour-long tour of the school just prior to a special board meeting Nov. 5 to discuss how to deal with maintenance issues, was struck by the lift elevator that connects

the cafeteria to the library. It was ruled permanently out of commission that day, as it’s no longer possible to replace the parts that broke—the only company that manufactures them went out of business.

Or perhaps it was the concrete storage area just off the cafeteria used for storing boxes of records. Before opening the door, CCS Facilities Manager Dave Leblanc soberly warned, “Be advised

that there is asbestos in that room.”

There were certainly other maintenance issues highlighted during the tour that could have left a visual imprint on the group’s collective psyche—a broken boiler, outdated and potentially costly

Repairs

continued on page 11

Painting Heavenly Pictures Brett Sigurdson

The charloTTe News

O

Linda Reynolds puts the finishing touches on a watercolor at her home in Charlotte.

A Charlotte Police Department?

Safety Committee Discusses Issue Brett Sigurdson

The charloTTe News Does Charlotte have a problem with burglaries and speeding?

It depends who you ask.

At a public forum hosted by Charlotte’s Community Safety Committee on Nov. 12 at Town Hall, attendees received answers in the negative and the affirmative. The seven-member ad-hoc group formed by the Selectboard earlier this year has been charged with studying criminal activity in Charlotte and issuing recommendations to the board about ways to address it.

At the meeting, the committee shared the findings of five years of police calls and engaged an audience that, at least initially, was outnumbered by the committee members at the table. A total of roughly ten people appeared for the meeting.

Ben Pualwan, the committee’s chair, began the meeting by discussing the

68 months of data the group had examined. The numbers consisted of what Charlotte’s Constable Josh Flore deemed “nature” calls, a generic classification like “car accident” or “burglary.”

Details of where an incident happened or response time were not part of the data, said Pualwan.

Each call was broken down by month and kind on a spreadsheet to illustrate the total number of calls per month from January 2008 to August 2013 as well as the category of incident. The numbers range from a low of 25 calls in one month to a high of 78 in another.

Pualwan noted the committee has not yet drawn any firm conclusions from the data.

“I see a relatively indeterminate variability over the months,” said Pualwan.

“To me as a Charlotter, that’s good news. It means we haven’t seen a spike

Police

continued on page 4

ne day Charlotter Linda S. Reynolds was driving through the bitter winter cold on Spear Street when she spotted a barn with its door hanging off the hinges. And though the temperature registered near 17-below, the delicate way in which the snow swept off the barn compelled her to pull over, grab paper and paint, and begin transcribing what she saw and felt.

Despite the fact she had only the steering wheel for an easel, despite her water dish slowly developing a frozen crust, despite the fact she had to constantly restart the car to keep warm, Reynolds didn’t leave until she finished the painting.

Reynolds recounts this story in a comfortable chair at her home off Church

Hill Road, where she surrounds herself with beautiful things that, like the landscapes on her walls, she can’t help but collect: rocks from Thompson’s Point, antiques, musical instruments. Reynolds does this kind of thing regularly, she says. She’ll be driving through Charlotte when something in the landscape will beckon her, too beautiful to pass up without recording. In fact, the only thing perhaps out of the ordinary about this story is that she had her paints with her.

Nowadays she carries a camera.

Her paintings are visual representations of moments in which something is deeply felt. Look above a table near her fireplace and see a small framed watercolor painting of a snowy winter scene in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains Reynolds

Painting

continued on page 12

Job Description, Public Discourse Cause Contentious Select Meeting John Hammer The charloTTe News

Were you to read the agenda for the Nov. 18 Selectboard meeting, you would have thought it would be a quiet evening. But that was not to be the case.

Tucked away in agenda item 12 was approval of a job description for town administrator. This position had been established at the Selectboard meeting on Aug. 12. The job description in question was drafted by Ellie Russell based on tasks currently accomplished by Selectboard Administrative Assistant Dean Bloch, with some additions from neighboring towns. The justification for the new position was driven by the fact that, as Russell said, “the responsibilities being now placed on the Selectboard are extremely time-consuming, and if you want qualified new people for the Selectboard to run this town, you’ve got to make it a job that they can reasonably do. And right now, that’s not the case.”

A number of the audience had read the draft position description and were concerned with the Selectboard’s authority being turned over to a town administrator. They feared that the position might evolve into that of a town manager who has the authority to make decisions on his or her own without the direction of the Selectboard.

The discussion went back and forth between the Selectboard and the audience with many productive changes suggested. In the last analysis, the “job summary” was significantly changed to reflect the role of the town administrator as being subject to the control of the Selectboard.

Nancy Wood read the job summary for Jericho’s town administrator: “The Town Administrator enforces the policies and procedures of the Jericho Selectboard.” Wording similar to this will now be placed in the job summary

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Selectboard

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The Charlotte News

Commentary In Washington, What Constitutes a Lie? The Charlotte News PublishEd by and for CharlottErs sinCE 1958 the Charlotte news is a nonprofit community-based newspaper dedicated to informing townspeople of current events and issues. It serves as a forum for the free exchange of views of town residents and celebrates the people, places and happenings that make the Town of Charlotte unique.

Contributions in the form of articles, press releases and photographs pertaining to Charlotte-related people and events are accepted and encouraged from all townspeople and interested individuals. For submission guidelines and deadlines, please visit our website or contact the editor at news@charlottenewsvt.com the Charlotte news is published in Charlotte by The Charlotte News, Inc., a Vermont domestic 501(c)4 nonprofit corporation. Distribution is made every other Thursday to all households and businesses in Charlotte and to selected outlets in Shelburne, Hinesburg, North Ferrisburgh, Ferrisburgh and Vergennes. It relies on the generous financial contributions of its readers, subscriptions and advertising revenue to sustain its operations. on the web at:

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Barrie Dunsmore Contributor

The Tea Party emerged as a tangible political force in the summer of 2009, aided and abetted

by FOX News. The anger, which was its signature in town meetings around the country, was stoked by the likes of Sarah Palin, the erstwhile vice presidential candidate.

She was the first to suggest that the universal health care plan being considered included a “death panel” of bureaucrats who would make the life and death decisions about who was “worthy of medical care.” She went even further by suggesting that under the president’s plan that panel would decide if her son with Down Syndrome should be euthanized.

Immediately, the usual suspects—Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Bachman and FOX News anchors—took up the death panel chant, further inciting all those Tea-partiers yelling and waving their fists at town meetings that August.

However, fear of death panels went mainstream when Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) joined the fray. Grassley had the credibility these other critics didn’t have because he was on a six-person Senate Finance Committee panel formed to produce a bipartisan universal health care plan. So it was big news when at one of his own town meetings in Iowa, Grassley told the restive crowd, “You have every right to fear. We should not have a government plan to decide when to pull the plug on grandma.”

A few weeks ago I attended a small private dinner in New York City for Olympia Snowe, the threeterm moderate Republican senator from Maine who decided last year not to seek reelection because she could no longer tolerate the toxic partisanship of Washington. As it happens, Senator Snowe had also been a member of that Senate Finance Committee gang of six of which Senator Grassley had been the ranking Republican.

In discussing the group’s attempts to reach a bipartisan deal, she spoke of the negative impact of what Grassley had said on this panel’s efforts. She said she had called him and told him there was nothing in the plans they were discussing that remotely came close to death panels or pulling the plug on grandma. To her astonishment his response was, “I know.”

Actually, about two weeks after Grassley had made his original charge, he appeared on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” In a long convoluted answer he essentially recanted what he had told his town meeting. But the damage had already been done. At the end of the summer of ’09—in spite of numerous mainstream media reports quoting a wide range of academics and physicians debunking the death panel myth—85 percent of Americans had heard about it, and a third of those believed it. At the end of 2009, Politifact designated the death panel myth “The Lie of the Year.”

I raise the contentious word “lie” because in the past two weeks President Barack Obama has been

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accused of lying to the American people about the benefits of Obamacare. Mitt Romney, whose casual relationship with the truth was a feature of his 2012 presidential campaign, called the president a liar on “Meet the Press.” There is hardly a Republican office-holder in the country who has not by now also done so.

At issue, of course, is Obama’s frequently stated promise that if you liked your current medical insurance policy, you would be allowed to keep it—period. That turns out not to be true, at least, not exactly.

Many people who buy their own health insurance on the individual market—less than five percent of those who have insurance—are evidently being informed by their insurers that their policies have been canceled. In many cases it’s because their coverage falls below the minimum standards set by the Affordable Care Act. They may be able to get better coverage and even have their premiums subsidized.

But because the ACA website is still not working properly they have no way of knowing what their options are.

It would have been better if Obama had said, “For 95 percent of you, if you like your current insurance you can keep it. For the rest of you in the private markets, we will do our best to give you better insurance and in many cases help you pay the premiums.”

That would have been full disclosure. Admittedly, that doesn’t make for a snappy sound bite. It’s like having a bumper sticker of a hundred or so words.

Still, what he said was not true, and he is now paying a heavy price for that.

I believe that presidents should not lie. However, I also believe in proportionality. Lies that do great harm to many people, such as starting a war under false pretenses with enormous costs in human lives and national treasure, in my view represent a greater sin than, say, lies about one’s sex life. Republicans in Congress were quite happy to give President George W. Bush a total pass in the first instance but forced an impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton in the second.

Likewise, many of those who are crying crocodile tears for those whose health care policies have been canceled are the very people who are fighting beyond all reason to kill Obamacare. That would deprive 30 to 50 million Americans of any health insurance at all and leave many millions more still subject to the capricious, profit-driven whims of the insurance companies about what is or is not covered.

That is the status quo to which the Obamacare haters want to return, and they have consistently lied— not to mention taken the country to the brink of economic disaster—to achieve that highly dubious goal.

In fact, the framework for Obamacare is the creation of the Conservative Heritage Foundation, supported by mainstream Republicans as a counter to then-—President Clinton’s health care proposal.

It only became “socialized medicine” when that “Kenyan-born,” “Muslim,” “Communist” “usurper” forced it on this country.

Yes. There are lies, and then there are lies.

Barrie Dunsmore is a journalist who covered foreign affairs for ABC News for 30 years. This column was featured in the Nov. 10 edition of the Rutland Herald/ Montpelier Times Argus. His commentaries also air weekly on Vermont Public Radio. He lives in Charlotte.

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The Charlotte News

TownBites

Letter CVU Board Seeks Input on Turf Field Issue On behalf of the CVU board, I’d like to thank everyone who voted on the CVU athletic field bond. Though the board is obviously disappointed, we appreciate your taking the time to exercise your democratic right to vote on this issue.

The CVU board is now faced with a dilemma. The playing fields still need repair. Over-usage and poor drainage cause our five athletic fields to be unplayable at different times of the year. Estimated costs to properly address the drainage problems are high—about $300,000 for each field.

The board will be considering its options during the next few board meetings. Thus we are seeking feedback and input from our five communities.

Please let us know what you think.

The best way to reach me is with an email (ljimerso@wcvt.com). All input will be shared with the entire board.

Thank you again.

Lorna Jimerson Charlotte Representative CVU School Board

by Edd Merritt

Charlotte Grange Chimney Gets New Flue Matthew Hough, Glenn Stidsen (pictured) and David Perrin all worked to refurbish the chimney on the Grange in East Charlotte. According to Hough, water had been leaking into the upstairs room for some time, and one of the flues needed to be closed and the other repaired. Maintenance had been neglected, he said. A crack ran through all of the flue blocks.

Stidsen also rebuilt the chimney on the Quinlan School House at the Town Green, and Hough erected a stone wall around the graveyard just north of Spears Corner.

Florida Man Arrested for Charlotte Theft On Tuesday, Nov. 12, Vermont State Police responded to a reported jewelry theft from a residence in Charlotte.

Upon speaking with the homeowner, police determined that the theft was likely conducted by a contractor working on the residence.

During the course of the investigation the police discovered that Scott Michael Fysh had an outstanding warrant for his arrest in Florida for violating probation stemming from charges related to theft, dealing in stolen property and receiving money from a pawnbroker by false verification.

Fysh admitted to selling some of the property to a local

secondhand dealer and giving other pieces of the stolen property to someone else to sell. A check of the two secondhand dealers where the property was sold revealed that the dealers did not hold onto the property as required by law and subsequently shipped the stolen items out of state for smelting.

Fysh was arrested for grand larceny and sale of stolen property as well as for being a fugitive from justice. He is awaiting extradition to Florida.

The Vermont State Police want to remind all secondhand dealers that they are required to keep all precious metal purchases on site for ten days and keep accurate records of each sale.

Solar Array Site Under Review by Planning Commissiom The Charlotte Plannning Commission is reviewing two parcels of land owned by the Hinsdale Trust on the north side of Charlotte/ Hinesburg Road in East Charlotte.

The parcels are part of property that the state Public Service Board approved for a 15-acre solar energy array of fixed photovoltaic panels.

The Hinsdale Trust plans to sell the parcels to Charlotte Solar, Inc. which will build and maintain the project.

Zoning Administrator Tom Mansfield felt that the owners and builders may be nearing a construction deadline.

New town officer to handle many duties Starting Dec. 2 Jeannine McCrumb will take on a variety of responsibilities in the town Planning and Zoning Office. In addition to replacing retiring Zoning Administrator,Tom Mansfield, she will assume the roles of both sewage control officer and deputy health officer. She comes with a background in planning and zoning in Richmond and as an analyst with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.

Charlotte provides Phish phood In an interview with Seven Days on Nov. 6, Phish bassist Mike Gordon, when asked whether there was a particular Vermont setting that inspired him to write music, said that while the place changes, Charlotte’s beach by the covered bridge provided that setting at one time. He would bring his guitar to the rocks, sit, watch and strum. “It’s cool because beaches slope down and this one doesn’t. It’s just flat when you sit on the rocks.” He would imagine the waves were his audience, sing his lines and ask himself, “Does this resonate with me?”

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Now you’re invited . . . . . . to the Charlotte News’ 2013 Winter Party and Raffle Friday, December 6, beginning at 5 p.m. at the Charlotte News office (823 Ferry Road) From our list of 2013 contributors, we will draw the names of winners for an exquisite

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CCS Budget Forums Set Kristin Wright Contributor

The budgeting process is in full swing at Charlotte Central School. Tuesday, Nov. 19, was our budget forum and budget meeting, wherein we heard presentations regarding our baseline budget, facilities budget and supervisory union assessments.

If you are interested in learning about the budget, please consider attending our upcoming budget meetings. Hearing from the community early in the process better enables the board to make decisions that reflect the values of our neighbors The dates and topics are listed below: Dec. 3, 6:30 p.m. at CCS: Instructional program and special education Dec. 17, 6:30 p.m. at CCS: Decision packets, revenue and tax implications

Jan. 7, 6:30 p.m. at CCS: Final budget, revenue and tax implications Jan. 14, 6 p.m. at CCS: Budget article approval March 4, 7 a.m to 7 p.m. at CCS MPR: School budget vote and Town Meeting Budget information continues to be posted on our website as it becomes available.

You may access this at ccsvt.org/schoolboard/FY 14 Budget.

Your suggestions and questions are always welcome. Please contact us anytime at ccsschoolboard@cssu.org.

We hope to see you at a school board meeting soon.

Kristin Wright is the chair of the CCS School Board.

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The Charlotte News

Police continued from page 1 in trouble in Charlotte at the level that would require an increase in calls for police service.”

Lieutenant James Whitcomb, station commander for the Vermont State Police’s (VSP) Williston barracks, was on hand at the meeting and said he was comforted to see the numbers followed the same trends he has seen.

“What heartens me is we’re not seeing in Charlotte a massive influx of burglaries, while in other areas I think we have seen that in the past few years,” Whitcomb said.

Moreover, each spike in Charlotte’s call numbers for a given category has explanations, said Whitcomb. For example, higher numbers of burglaries and thefts often correspond with a spike in drugs flowing into the area.

“Through experience, I think the reality is burglaries are driven by drugs to a large degree,” said Whitcomb, adding that burglaries are usually of jewelry or gold

or other items that can be sold for cash like worrisome trends to communities quickly. such as Charlotte. He specifically cited Furthermore, Whitcomb said home Front Porch Forum as both a blessing and burglaries can be high when there is a a curse. While he appreciates the fact that coordinated ring. He cited the recent arrest residents can exchange information on the of a Vergennes popular communiman who may be ty bulletin board, linked to a rash he also explained “What heartens me of burglaries in how uncorroboFerrisburgh. rated posts on the is we’re not seeing in Similarly, in forum can have a Charlotte a dark edge.

Charlotte a massive spate of 18 car “I’ve seen it in influx of burglaries, break-ins and a different areas—a home burglary thought that there while in other areas I that took place is a heightened throughout town think we have seen that amount of crime in a two-month on someone in the past few years.” based period in the reporting how bad —Lieut. James Whitcomb fall of 2010 was something is,” said attributed to two Whitcomb. “Well, people. A month that’s been there later, three peothe whole time, but ple were arrested for their involvement in there hasn’t been a venue where everyone a number of burglaries at Cedar Beach. In can comment, and it can pick up from both cases, arrests stopped the activity. there and create a wave.”

Whitcomb said these trends have always been prevalent, but it hasn’t been Speeding until recently that they’ve come to feel At this time, the committee’s infor-

mation on speeding is perhaps more anecdotal than numerical. Pualwan noted at the meeting the committee has two speed studies, but it has yet to do anything with the numbers. Yet, even with the numbers they may have, committee member Bonnie Christie told Whitcomb there were likely “hundreds” more incidents of speeding in Charlotte than are reported. She lives on Greenbush Road in West Charlotte village, one of the town’s problem areas.

Whitcomb said VSP conducts coordinated directed patrols to the most problematic areas of the town, such as Ferry Road, Route 7, Hinesburg Road near CCS and especially Mt. Philo Road, which is the worst area for speeding in both Shelburne and Charlotte, said Shelburne Police Chief Jim Warden, who noted that drivers are sometimes clocked upwards of 90 mph.

“We know our areas that are historically problematic,” said Whitcomb. “We’re certainly open to the idea of sending people to certain areas if we receive a complaint, and that’s generally the practice.”

Warden said his department has done speed patrols at several problem areas in

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The Charlotte News Charlotte, but they can’t all be covered at once. barracks, and he has between four and seven offi“The problem is you’re getting complaints, and cers on patrol at any one time for the 14 communiwe’re getting calls at the office from Spear, Dorset, ties of Chittenden and Lamoille counties it serves. we’re getting them from other locations in town,” Because his office, like the whole of the VSP, said Warden. “So, we’ve is currently undergot to spread this out. We staffed and because can’t just go to one locaWilliston has contracts “We’re not the rural com- for enhanced enforcetion.”

Furthermore, once an ment in four towns, he munity we used to be, area is patrolled heavily, could offer Charlotte unfortunately. We’re a speeding does go down only a limited amount for two weeks before additional contract bedroom community now. of “it goes right back once time.

A lot of people who are again,” he said.

For Charlotte’s own Bruce Hasse, who lives police force, the price commuting don’t live on on Spear Street, has expewould be even greater. rienced dump trucks and “It’s going to be these streets. They don’t cars speeding past his an expensive proposihave ownership of them.” tion,” said Pualwan. house.

“It needs to be looked “We’re talking in the —Bruce Hasse at more carefully,” he range of hundreds of told the committee. “And thousands of dollars.” everybody knows it. I’d “That seems to be a be happy to pay for more police protection.” lot of money for a crime that doesn’t seem to be Hasse attributes the speeding issue to a change increasing,” said Morse. “What we’re doing now in Charlotte’s demographics. “We’re not the rural seems to be working.” community we used to be, unfortunately,” he Chief Warden disagreed. He recommended said. “We’re a bedroom community now. A lot Charlotte start its own police force. “There’s a lot of people who are commuting don’t live on these of stuff you see here that we do that’s not recorded streets. They don’t have ownership of them.” here,” he told the crowd. “Some of these calls are However, Chris Morse, who lives on Mt. Philo starting to get more serious.”

Road, said that while he sees speeding every day, Warden did not respond to a request for clarifihe isn’t bothered by it and he is careful to keep his cation on the nature of these serious calls in time kids and pets away from the street. for publication.

“I accept the fact that I live on a busy road,” There was discussion at the meeting about makhe said. ing Flore full time. Currently, Flore, a certified law enforcement officer, is paid $2,600 per year At whAt cost? as town constable. Because his budget and pay are The Community Safety Committee plans to pro- small, he often defers Charlotte calls to Shelburne vide estimates of the cost of extra police service or the state police if he can’t triage the situation in its report, though it would be the Selectboard’s himself. role to price out and propose specific options.

“If I had the equipment and they were willing Currently, the town has a contract for police ser- to pay me a better salary than I’m getting, I’d vice with Shelburne Police Department at $25,000 be more than happy to be doing my thing,” said a year. This provides about eight hours of traffic Flore, “but I’m very limited based on the budget enforcement service per week above what VSP and equipment.” provides for free, though that number fluctuates, Moreover, there would be several issues in payWarden told the committee. ing a one-man police force, including coverage In studying the numbers, the committee will on days off and vacations and the typically high examine the costs of providing service beyond this, burnout rate for one- or two-man departments. with options ranging from contracting for more There are other options to explore, includservices—from police departments in Shelburne, ing non-police enforcement like neighborhood Hinesburg or South Burlington or from the VSP— watches and speed bumps, though time ran out at to beginning a police department in Charlotte. the forum before the committee could talk about The committee has not yet provided numbers these in more depth. for such options, though Pualwan said contracting The committee will present its findings and for more service could cost three times as much recommendations to the Selectboard by the end of as the town now pays Shelburne. Contracting with the year. The public is invited to its meetings on VSP may not be an option either. the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month.

Whitcomb oversees 23 officers at the Williston

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The Charlotte News

Congregational Church Hosts Messiah Sing-Along Dec. 8

VanBuskirk Gives Readers Glimpse of Inca Life Charlotte author to hold reading for new book in Shelburne Dec. 8

The Charlotte Congregational Church invites the community to herald the holidays with a sing-along performance of Handel’s Messiah on Sunday, Dec. 8, beginning at 4 p.m.

Discover the magnificence of Handel’s masterpiece, whether it is for the first time or as a seasoned veteran. Performed throughout the centuries, the Messiah is a traditional tribute to the Yuletide season.

Come to sing or just to listen and be surrounded by beautiful music.

This special evening of music is a recital where the audience sings along as the chorus, accompanied by Vermont Symphony Orchestra members and vocalists.

(Musical instruction is provided.)

This marks the third year of the Charlotte Congregational Church’s sing-along and brings the talents of Jane Kittredge and Russell Wilson on violin, Harold Lieberman on viola, Dieuwke Davydov

on cello, Ray Vega and Jim Duncan on trumpet, Jeremy Levine on timpani, Luke Baker on bass and Carl Recchia on continuo.

The vocal soloists include Ellen Bosworth, soprano; Linda Patterson, mezzo; Adam Hall, tenor; and Stephen Falbel, bass. Anne Decker will lead the orchestra, chorus and audience.

Tickets are $12 per adult and $40 for a group of four. They can be purchased in advance at the Shelburne Supermarket or at the Charlotte Congregational Church.

The church office hours are Monday through Friday, 8–11 a.m. Tickets may be reserved by calling the church at 4253176. They will also be available for sale at the door.

For more information, contact the Charlotte Congregational Church or visit its website at charlottecongregationalchurch.org.

The audience becomes part of the performance of Handel’s Messiah at a previous performance at the Charlotte Congregational Church.

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Charlotter Elizahow the Andean weavbeth Conrad VanBusing traditions relate to kirk will read from her contemporary Inca peonew book, Beyond the ple’s lives and beliefs.

Stones of Machu PicThrough her trips, she chu: Folk Tales and found herself wanting to Stories of Inca Life, at spread the word that Inca Shelburne Town Hall people are very much on Sunday, Dec. 8, alive today, they still beginning at 4 p.m. make glorious weavings The event, which is and practice the vital trabeing hosted by the ditions of their ancestors Flying Pig Bookstore, related to the closeness will feature readings and celebration of the from the book, which natural world. brings to life traditionAs an educator, VanElizabeth VanBuskirk al Andean folk tales Buskirk has given lecthrough VanBuskirk’s tures and presentations words and the illustraabout Inca art and culture tions of Angel Callañaupa Alvarez. throughout the United States at uniThe book is written for both adults versities, museums, libraries and other and children and provides an in-depth venues where she shows examples of look into South American Native Peo- Inca weavings and other Inca items of ple, their customs, everyday lives, inci- interest. dents of change, and profound appre“Often, the Inca world comes as a ciation and celebration of the natural fresh new experience to most children,” world. The paintings and stories pro- she said, “and I am passionate about vide a rare glimpse into Inca people’s working with teachers and educators creative work, especially the famous to come up with creative ways to introAndean practice of weaving and other duce these cultures into school curricutextile arts. lums and library programs.”

“The primary intent of Beyond the Alvarez’s illustrations are distinStones of Machu Picchu: Folks Tales guished by his expansive imagination, and Stories of Inca Life is to intro- delightful humor, sense of space and duce readers to a rich culture over- composition, and story-telling skills. looked in the education of most of His art shares a wide perspective, vividus,” said VanBuskirk, “and to provide ly illustrating scenes from little-known new ways of looking at our world. I but time-honored traditions like the hope to deepen the experience of the annual pilgrimage to the Ice Mounmany travelers who visit Machu Picchu tain—the ceremony of Qoyllu Riti, and Cusco by vicariously placing them Star of the Snow, and other events that inside Inca villages to experience life mark the life of Inca people in the past in the high-elevations of the mountains. and today.

I have included authentic and littleAt the reading, VanBuskirk will known Inca traditions and hope that bring a collection of jakimas, which readers will feel enlightened by tales are the narrow bands Peruvian children and stories like ‘The Gift of Quinoa,’ make to practice their village’s weav‘The Bear Prince,’ and ‘The First Hair- ing patterns. Everyone who buys a cutting,’ and respond with delight in book will get a jakima while supplies Angel’s stunning art.” last.

VanBuskirk spent many years makFor more information, or to RSVP ing frequent trips to Peru and Bolivia to for the event, call the Flying Pig Bookresearch Andean textiles and to observe store at 985-3999.

The Charlotte News

Teens from Neighboring Towns Celebrate Public Servants Tricia Sulva Contributor

On Saturday evening, Nov. 9, confirmation candidates from Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Charlotte and St. Jude’s Church in Hinesburg honored both towns’ fire and rescue volunteers and police departments by hosting a lasagna dinner.

Father David Cray, pastor at both parishes, started the evening off with a word of thanks and a special blessing for those community servants who keep us safe in their respective areas of expertise.

Marie Cookson, director of religious education for the churches, designed and organized the event. Works of mercy are one of the defining components in the Catholic faith, so as part of the two-year preparation to become adult members of the parish, confirmation candidates reach out to serve their communities and parishes. “This is very nice to get together with the fire and the police,� said Hinesburg

Police Chief Frank Koss. “In fact, we are very appreciative about the thoughts that were given tonight for the dinner.� “This is awesome, that a youth group was wanting to do this,� agreed Charlotte Fire Chief Chris Davis.

Tom Boivin and Steve Aube, senior firefighters from Hinesburg, summed it up by stating that the meal was excellent, the kids did a great job, with great leadership by Cookson.

Neighboring towns’ fire and rescue departments meet Fire and rescue volunteers from Charlotte and Hinesburg line up for a lasagna dinner throughout the year to train and prepared by confirmation candidates from Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church on Nov. 9. drill together, so they already community service, which will prepare members from other adjoining towns know each other. Charlotte Rescue Chief Meg Modley said, “This is them well to give back as adults. He who serve in these important capacities. “One of the best things about living a really nice opportunity for us to get offered the teens the hope that they will consider serving in a fire or rescue in a small community is that if you together, to have a nice warm meal—I capacity or on the police force. want to get involved, you almost always thank the kids for pulling this together.�

As if to sweeten the deal, Cookson can,� said Davis. “Someone can make a In response to the teens’ show of appreciation, Davis emphasized that noted that there is a plan to make this an difference in their small town.� their expression of goodwill is exposing annual event, broadening it to include them to the value of different types of

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Volunteers Preserve Thompson’s Point Trees Volunteers Sue Smith and Vince Crockenberg, along with Tree Warden Larry Hamilton, saved some trees along East Thompson’s Point Road recently. Of the 32 planted along this byway under the Rutter Fund program of roadside tree restoration, six needed an assist due to their roots being overly buried within the soil, which is pushed up by the creation of a berm to reduce field flooding. Most trees are doing well, and the staking has been removed with the feeling that they can now cope with the high winds of this area. Two trees need to be replaced. The Rutter Fund is working with the landowner to assure the continued health of these trees. Volunteers were rewarded with hot chocolate at the Old Brick Store.

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Vermont Architects Seek ‘People’s Choice’ Charlotte-based group invites public to vote on 39 projects The Vermont Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIAVT), based in Charlotte, has displayed on its website 39 architectural project photographs for a “People’s Choice Competition” in which visitors may cast their vote for their one favorite project based on any criteria they see fit.

The goal of the online display is to increase public awareness of and appreciation for architecture.

The People’s Choice Exhibit is part of a larger event that AIAVT will host at the State House in Montpelier on Dec. 5: the AIAVT Annual Meeting and Design Awards Program, where the recipient of the People’s Choice

Award will be announced.

Exhibit project entries are the work of AIAVT architects in Burlington, Montpelier, Bennington, White River Junction and many other communities, including Charlotte. While most of the projects are located throughout Vermont, projects located anywhere in the world and designed by AIAVT architects are eligible.

Projects range from commercial (academic buildings, medical facilities, multiuse complexes) to residential (single-family and multifamily dwellings).

To cast a vote, visit aiavt.org. Voting will remain open until Nov. 27.

CVU Board Talks Turf Field Defeat At its Nov. 13 meeting, CVU’s school board discussed what actions to take in the wake of the failed bond vote that would have provided $1.5 million toward a $2.6 million project to build two turf fields at the school. On Monday, Nov. 11, the Facilities Committee met with turf field representatives to discuss the Nov. 5 bond defeat and to consider next steps. The board expressed concerns about incorrect information posted on Front Porch Forum and how to respond to that. There remain real maintenance issues for the fields, and some sort of action needs to be taken.

Audience members at the meeting were largely present for comments on the turf field project.

John Howe noted that people who made the petition did an excellent job, but he would like to discourage the board from having another special vote. Instead, he would like it brought up at a town meeting and perhaps poll the community on what it wants. He suggested building support for a scaled-down version of the project and then holding another special vote during general election next November.

Another audience member disagreed with Howe. She has been involved with football over the past 11 years and was hopeful the school board would move forward on this sooner rather than later. She felt the fundraising efforts should be respected and that the vote was close.

Fred Palmer felt as though some of the comments were a referendum on sports rather than on the field. He said more information was needed, as he felt the community had read all of the information.

The board will ask the communication committee to put together proposals for the board to consider after committee

members have gathered information and solicited community feedback on the vote.

New staNdards aNd assessmeNts Presentations to the board included an overview of Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) that in the spring of 2015 will replace the NECAP assessments in language arts and mathematics as the standardized summative assessments for students in grades 9–11. SBAC will be given on computers and features computer-adaptive testing.

Each test is unique to the student—each time a question is answered it helps determine what the next question will be.

In addition, new national standards called Common Core State Standards will replace the current state standards. Administrators and lead teachers will provide professional development to support instruction and implementation of the standards, which the board hopes to see in place for the 2014-15 school year.

search for New priNcipal The board appointed a search committee to fill the position of school principal; members of the committee include Director Lorna Jimerson of Charlotte.

The board postponed until its next meeting a motion to approve a student trip to China.

The board does not meet in regular session during December and January. Instead it will hold budget meetings on Nov. 18 and Dec. 4 and 9, all at 6 p.m. at CVU in room 140/142.

Editor’s note: this article is based on the unapproved minutes of the meeting, which were provided to the News courtesy of Sandy Raymond, the executive assistant to the board and the official minutes taker.

“Chapel,” by Robert Peabody Brown of St. Johnsbury, was chosen as AIA’s People’s Choice Award Winner in 2012.

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The Charlotte News

CVU Wins National Recognition CCS Celebrates Health During Red Ribbon Week for Energy Efficiency CVU has been named one of Vermont’s first Energy Star schools. This achievement places the school in the top 25 percent of energy efficient schools in the country and signifies that it meets stringent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for healthy ventilation, year-round comfort and lighting quality.

CVU was recognized at an award ceremony on Nov. 7 at Camel’s Hump Middle School in Richmond, along with ten other (Left to right) CVU students Cally Braun, Miranda Vermont schools that achieved Selinger and Cameron Harris speak at an awards Energy Star designation. The ceremony in Richmond marking CVU as one of ceremony also marked the launch Vermont’s first Energy Star schools. of Project Green School, an initiative that aims to put all Verties staff member Tom Mongeon attended mont schools on the path toward the event as well.

Energy Star designation by 2020.

Among those in attendance at the award “We are working hard to make CVU more sustainable, and a large part of this effort is ceremony were Representative Peter Welch, emphasizing the importance of energy con- Vermont Secretary of Education Armando servation,” said Jeff Evans, CVU interim Vilaseca and representatives of the EPA, principal. “Students are leading this work the Vermont Superintendents Associawith our Whole School Energy Challenge tion’s School Energy Management Program project, and this award reflects the commit- (VSA-SEMP) and Efficiency Vermont.

“The 11 schools we are honoring today ment of everyone—students, faculty, staff and administrators—working together to have done great work,” said Jim Merriam, director of Efficiency Vermont. “But the reduce our energy use.”

Three CVU students, members of CVU’s steps they have taken are within reach EnACT leadership team, spoke at the event: of any school in our state. With focused Cally Braun of Charlotte, Cameron Har- effort and enhanced support through Project ris of Shelburne and Miranda Selinger of Green School, we are looking forward to Hinesburg. EnACT adviser Katie Antos- helping every community in Vermont proKetcham, sophomore EnACT member Car- vide a healthier and more energy efficient men Fisher-Olvera of Williston and facili- environment for their students.”

Lynn Camara Contributor Charlotte Central School enthusiastically celebrated Red Ribbon Week recently with the theme “A Healthy Me.” The celebration was coordinated by the CCS CY (Connecting Youth) LEAD (Leadership Education the AntiDrug) group for the middle-level students.

The LEAD group consists of 16 seventh and eighth grade students who work to raise awareness about making healthy choices and preventing substance use. LEAD participants plan activities promoting health and wellness with their peers, school and community.

The Red Ribbon Week event culminated in a fifth through eighth grade assembly put on by the LEAD group.

At the assembly the poetry winners

read their poems and all contest winners were announced. The celebration featured a visit and performance from Champ and a CY LEAD presentation about the significance of Red Ribbon Week and other activities the group is involved in at CCS. Congratulations to Mr. Moore’s classroom for winning the 2013 Red Ribbon Week Door Decorating Contest. Mr. Baird’s and Mrs. Muroski’s classroom doors came in second, and Mrs. Williams’ classroom doors were third. The doors shared messages about healthy, self-respecting choices and were judged

by LEAD members on their creativity, educational component and neatness.

Congratulations also to seventh grader Hannah Cleveland for winning the 2013 Red Ribbon Week Individual Art contest with her poem “Hospitalized” and to seventh grader Rayonna Silverman for placing second with her poem “Wisdom From the Forest.”

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The Charlotte News

Repairs continued from page 1 heating system, a leak-prone roof. And these aren’t even the most daunting: the whole of the oldest portion of the school, a wing that was built in 1939 and now houses the library and cafeteria, has a laundry list of costly issues, including poor insulation and electric and plumbing problems. According to CSSU’s Facilities Committee, the costs of repairs

and renovations to CCS could cost over $6 million.

All of this lent a palpable sense of angst to the discussion when the group—which consisted of 13 school officials and five Charlotters—returned to the library for the special meeting. After an hour of discussion, there were still more questions than answers about how to proceed with addressing the potentially costly endeavor.

‘A host of problems’ The special school board meeting was

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the product of a report shared by CCS school board member Mark McDermott, a member of the Facilities Committee, at the board’s October meeting. There he had highlighted the issues in the entire school as well as a list of recommendations for fixes that include two plans for completely demolishing the 1939 wing and building a new cafeteria and library.

One idea, which calls for addressing all the school’s issues and for building a new library and cafeteria on the southeast side of the school, is estimated to cost $6.2 million. The other plan calls for building a new cafeteria and library atop the footprint of the 1939 wing. It is estimated to cost $6.8 million.

The tour illustrated why the costs could be so high. Led by McDermott, the group began in the most problematic area, the 1939 building. The wood-frame structure has “a host of problems,” McDermott noted, including substandard insulation and windows that lack thermal resistance.

Both should be entirely replaced, according to the Facilities Committee’s report.

The committee also recommended completely replacing the plumbing and electric equipment and reshingling the roof.

These three issues—insulation, plumbing and electric, and a leaky roof—were a common theme as the tour progressed. In the cafeteria, housed in the 1939 wing’s lower level, Leblanc lifted a ceiling tile in the cafeteria to show a mess of wires just above. Because of the lack of space, there is no room to add air-handling equipment, without which pipes can freeze. Also, the kind of electrical wire used is below current code, Leblanc added. And because the wing is “maxed out” on its electrical capacity, he can’t add more outlets.

The insulation is also a problem in the annex of the cafeteria, noted Lee Dore of Dore & Whittier Architects, who has been involved with the Facilities Committee.

He pointed to the area where the Live Y’ers after-school program takes place.

In the winter, participants often can see their breath and have to wear their jackets in the room, he said.

McDermott led the group to the second floor of the 1996 wing of CCS, where a deluge of water can threaten the leakprone roof. According to Leblanc, the roof is pitched so that water moves to a drain, where it flows away from the building. However, the drain cannot always handle the water, which subsequently leaks in weak spots on the roof.

In the school’s boiler room, Leblanc explained how one of the school’s twin

two-million-BTU boilers has a cracked panel. While not an immediate danger, it could present an issue if it did eventually go out, leaving one boiler to heat the entire school.

Another issue is the inefficiency of the school’s pneumatic heating system, which heats the building by forced air.

This is often inefficient as it can leave some parts of the building too hot or too cold, said Leblanc. Often during the coldest days of the winter months, the boilers are run at maximum power, as there is no way to more accurately regulate them.

This adds to the school’s energy costs.

In a hallway in the 1996 portion of the building, McDermott showed the group a two-hour firewall built in case of a fire emergency. While CCS was grandfathered into the current fire code, if the school undergoes any major renovation work of the type suggested by the Facilities Committee, new fire alarm and sprinkler systems would have to be installed, which would require a fire pump and water storage container, the biggest portion of its $1.5 million overall estimated cost.

Costs vs. sAfety While the issues throughout the building were clear, the dollar numbers were not. Neither Leblanc nor CSSU’s Chief Operations Officer Bob Mason could compare the cost of fixing the school to the cost of maintaining the building’s problem areas. These will be provided at a later date.

“I can just tell you that it’s quite a bit of our maintenance,” Leblanc said. “It’s the biggest frustration by far because there’s so much that needs to be done with this building. Where do you start? I always run it to the problem—how do I spend the taxpayers’ money wisely in this building.

I’m not sure there’s a way to do that. I don’t know. That’s where the frustration comes in. It’s just a never-ending chase in this building.”

Dore, a Charlotter, suggested that the school need not pursue $6 million in renovations at once.

“You can do stuff in chunks, and that’s the way this facility has been done for years. The trick is packaging them in chunks that make sense.”

For example, if sprinklers were being installed in the ceilings throughout the entire school, then it would make sense to do all the renovations to the ceiling areas at once.

For some community members who

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The Charlotte News

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CCS School Board member Erik Beal (left) listens as Mark McDermott discusses leaks in the school’s roof under a trash bag that is directing water into buckets on the floor of a 5th-grade classroom.

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attended the meeting the cost of ensuring Charlotte’s schoolchildren were safe mattered little.

“How many schools in the United States don’t have a sprinkler system to protect the kids?” asked Richard Sicotte.

“I think that’s outrageous, and I think it’s a disgrace that one of the wealthiest communities in the state of Vermont doesn’t have them in their school. It’s a no brainer.”

“You have to make the environment safe for children that are here,” he said.

“You just have to, and there’s not a price tag you can put on it.”

Charlotter Joe Ng noted that fixing the school was about investing in Charlotte’s future.

“We are competing with Williston and South Burlington and Shelburne and all those towns for people who will move here,” he said. “What do we want to invest in the community? Children are our future.”

Board member Erik Beal agreed with Sicotte and Ng. “I consider the safety element to be one of our primary responsibilities as a board, so that’s a big concern for me,” he said.

However, Mason noted that there isn’t any one issue that threatens the health and safety of the students at the moment.

“There’s no rush,” he said. “I think we’ve got some time.”

Members of the school board vowed to send specific questions to McDermott and the Facilities Committee, which will meet again in early December. Its members plan to begin addressing immediately some of the specific questions CCS’s school directors submit to them in preparation for future discussions.

“I fully expect that we’ll have many of these before we come to a real decision,” said McDermott.

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Painting

continued from page 1

glimpsed while skiing. While everyone else in her group went on ahead, she painted the bald mountain dotted with evergreen trees. The picture sports a crease down the middle. She had to fold it to put it her pocket for the rest of the trip.

Look in her pile of paintings recently completed and see the awe-inspiring view of the Adirondacks rising from Lake Champlain that drivers see heading south on Route 7 into Charlotte. She couldn’t stop for this one—the highway is too busy—but the view is so ingrained in her she gives it life.

Look at the wall above her couch and see a series of landscape watercolors with roads moving into some distant vanishing point of mountains, rolling hills, trees, water, all of them a record of the beauty her eye has seen.

It was these rolling hills that attracted Reynolds to Vermont. Born in the bustle of urban Connecticut near Long Island Sound, Reynolds was not used to seeing green space. Still, she loved the water and open space she could find and became closely connected to nature.

“I’m very conscious of the weather, very sensitive to the light, temperature, time of day, being out under trees,” she said. “I’m an outdoor person.”

Reynolds vividly recalls a moment when her life was set on its current course. One day she fell asleep and woke up in the verdant hills around Woodstock, Vt., where her parents had taken her during the night to an old Victorian house on Dunham Hill. She awoke to the rolling hills around it and fell in love.

“I decided when I was six that if it isn’t heaven, it’s close enough for me,” she said. “I want to live here.”

The house was sold when she was 13, and Reynolds describes herself as “horrified.” She vowed to move to Vermont, to find an old house on a hill, as soon as she could. Something about this desire has driven her ever since.

After earning her degree at the Rhode Island School of Design, Reynolds moved to Vermont to live the life of an artist. In 1978, after five years of living hand to mouth, she took a job teaching commercial art at Burlington High School’s vocational center, teaching students the rudiments of art and helping the best students prepare for art school.

She left there in 1992 and began teaching at Mt. Abraham High School in Bristol, from which she retired in 2012. Now she is living the life of the artist as she splits her time between homes in Charlotte and Monkton, where, she says, she has found a house that had the look and feel and smell of the house on Dunham Hill.

Reynolds feels things deeply. As she talks about the power of the colors and the objects she sees, she begins to tear up. Her aesthetic comes from loving

The Charlotte News

These two watercolors by Charlotte Linda S. Reynolds capture the landscape the drives her creativity. The above painting, in particular, may look familiar to Charlotters.

the landscape, the way branches grow out of trunks, the way leaves look in the trees during the different seasons.

“I paint because of the feeling places give me,” she said. “I’m so intent on getting that feeling that sometimes it works. Sometimes the strength of my intent of loving the scene gets somehow embedded in the paper in the paint and the brushes and it communicates to other people.”

Now others can catch a little bit of what she sees at an exhibition of her work in the Charlotte Congregational Church vestry. The paintings are mostly of local scenes and they span her career. Each picture aligns with a line from a church hymn.

Reynolds is a member of the church’s choir, and she admits that even while she sings she sees nature.

“While I’m singing I have landscapes going through my head,” she said. “I see the landscapes, and it’s easy to hook up the feeling of the picture to the feeling of the hymn. There’s not a lot of difference to me between the inspiration I get from looking at the sky and the inspiration I get from singing a hymn.”

One of the landscapes in the collection paints such a heavenly picture. It captures a view she glimpsed in North Ferrisburgh during that bleak time of year when it’s not quite winter and not quite spring, that time of year when the sky can turn pink and the Adirondacks look blue in the distance and the dynamics of it all steal your eyes away from the road before you.

For this painting, Reynolds picked a verse from the hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” to accompany the painting, though one gets the feeling that it could accompany all her work.

Reynolds’ paintings will be hanging in the Charlotte Congregational Church vestry until the end of November. The vestry is open 8 to 11 a.m., though Reynolds is willing to set up a personal viewing by appointment. She is also available for commissions for budgets large and small, and for classes and private lessons. For more information, contact her at 989-3234.

BREAKING NEWS! www.thecharlottenews.org

help the person get immediate medical attention.

The hallmark of delirium is a sudden decline in cognition and attention. Symptoms occur abruptly within hours or days. They may come and go, and their severity increases and decreases over the course of the day. Signs of delirium include the following: tion; losing train of thought; having problems following directions; or irrelevant, or that rambles from subject to subject;

A Look at Delirium in Elderly Adults An acute decline in mental status, now known as delirium, is common and life-threatening in persons aged 65 and older. It is often the first, and sometimes the only, sign of serious illness in frail elders, and it often triggers a course of events that lead to decline in self-care abilities, loss of independence, morbidity (e.g., injurious falls, persistent confusion and associated behaviors) and death. Fortunately, research has shown that it may be preventable.

The prevalence of delirium increases with age, occurring in up to 14 percent of persons over the age of 85, and often leads to emergency room evaluation.

One quarter of older persons admitted to the hospital have symptoms of delirium, and almost 60 percent develop delirium during hospitalization, especially post-operatively. Up to 70 percent of long-stay nursing home residents develop delirium, and the incidence rises to about 85 percent among patients in intensive care units and those at the end of life.

How will i recognize delirium?

In order that loved ones experiencing delirium receive proper care and achieve optimal health outcomes, caregivers should know what to look for and

e.g., bugs) or illusions (misinterpreting the environment, e.g., thinking a blowing curtain is a ghost); and restlessness to lethargy; during the day and insomnia at night, or fragmented sleep; and paranoia, depression, irritability, apathy, anger and euphoria.

Unfortunately, doctors and nurses unfamiliar with the clinical characteristics often miss signs of delirium. Delirium may be misdiagnosed as depression, psychosis or some other psychiatric disorder, or even as a worsening of an underlying dementia.

Delirium and dementia are highly interrelated; the majority of delirium cases occur in patients with dementia. But in contrast to dementia, which is a chronic state of confusion that develops over months and years, delirium is an acute confused state that develops over hours and days. Misdiagnosis can lead to under-evaluation and non-treatment of potentially treatable conditions, as well as to inappropriate treatment leading to further cognitive decline.

diagnosis and management Diagnosis of delirium is made by clinicians at the bedside via a thorough medical history and physical exam. Because signs of delirium may fluctuate and may not be present during an exam, it is crucial that

usual—or baseline—cognitive functioning, how it has suddenly declined, and any relevant associated observations. For the provider, determining the acuity of the decline is the essential first step in making a diagnosis of delirium.

Once diagnosed, the provider will then order laboratory tests to identify, evaluate and treat potential conditions that may have caused delirium.

Delirium is often precipitated by conditions outside the brain itself. Infections, stroke, dehydration, metabolic disturbances, pain, surgery and other invasive procedures are common culprits. In addition, almost any drug can cause delirium in a susceptible person, regardless of whether it is prescribed, bought over the counter, is an herbal remedy or is used alone or in combination with other drugs.

Inconsistent use of prescribed medications or suddenly stopping a drug without medical supervision can also cause delirium. So the provider will also conduct a thorough medication review for any potential drug interactions and known delirium-producing drugs and determine if the offending drug(s) can be discontinued, given at a lower dose or substituted with another drug or non-pharmacological alternative.

A comprehensive approach to delirium care is focused on managing symptoms of delirium, treating its underlying causes, preventing complications and ultimately preventing reoccurrence. Families can help affected relatives by providing orienting cues, being a calming influence, assuring them that they are not going crazy but that infection, drugs or the after-effects of surgery are making them temporarily confused, and participating with them in their rehabilitation.

Katharine M. Murphy, Ph.D., APRN, is a gerontological nurse practitioner in the Division of Primary Care Internal Medicine at Fletcher Allen Health Care. She has conducted delirium research in postacute and long-term care nursing facility populations.

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The Charlotte News

Charlotte Senior Center

The Café Menu

by Mary Recchia, Activities Coordinator

Please look for the new winter program of activities and events as an insert in this issue of the Charlotte News.

And a reminder: the Senior Center will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday on Nov. 28 and 29.

–––– Come enjoy three classic holiday films on the big screen in the Great Room on Tuesdays from 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Dec. 3: The Nutcracker Dec. 10: Elf Dec. 17: The Polar Express.

Registration required. No fee.

––– Poetry reading continues with Jim Lovejoy on Dec. 2 from 1-3 p.m.

Building on the fun and excitement that has developed with our Poem in Your Pocket readings over the years, this after-lunch poetry reading opportunity will provide a regular time for listening, reading, writing and discussing this wonderful form of literary expression.

Whether a favorite poem you have written, a book of poetry you enjoy, a literary journal or a poem from Poets. org, pack a poem in your pocket and join Jim as he guides a wonderful afternoon of poetry reading. No fee.

–––– A new session of pilates with Phyllis Bartling begins Thursdays from 8:30–9:30 a.m. Dates: Dec. 5, 12 and 19, and Jan. 9, 16 and 23.

This is not your granddaughter’s Pilates class! This mat Pilates class has been designed for folks 55 years and older to be challenging yet with safety in mind. Pilates specifically targets the core muscle groups, including the lower abdominals, lower back and gluteals, to improve balance, strength and

posture. Exercises will be done on the floor on mats (a rolled-up towel to put under your head is a good idea). Registration required. Fee: $42.

–––– New sessions of chair yoga with Tiny Sikkes and gentle yoga with Jean White begin Monday, Dec. 2, from 9:30–10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.-noon, respectively. Session I dates: Dec. 2, 9 and 16, and Jan. 6, 13 and 20.

Using chairs for balance and for all seated postures, the chair class makes yoga accessible to those who are challenged by balance, the ability to come to the floor or any physical limitations.

In Gentle Yoga, you will learn classic yoga postures in a gentle way—perfect for beginners, those with injuries or even experienced students just wanting a relaxed pace and easy style. You are welcome to come try a class and see which one might be right for you.

Please bring a blanket and yoga mat.

Registration required. Fee: $60 per session.

–––– A winter centerpiece workshop with Charlotte Albers will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 17, from 10-11:30 a.m.

Celebrate the season by making a fresh arrangement for your holiday table using aromatic greens and cuttings, including wine-red dogwood stems, yellow dogwood, winterberry, evergreen holly, rhododendron and fragrant boxwood. Bring a container of your choice that holds water, a pair of pruners and an apron or smock. Feel free to bring something from your own garden to use or contribute. Charlotte will bring cuttings from her gardens and demonstrate techniques, as well as provide information about favorite plants to consider when designing beds and borders for winter interest. Reg-

istration required. Minimum: 5. Fee: $20.

Events following the Wednseday luncheon. Those who do not share lunch with us are welcome to drop in around 1 p.m. to enjoy the after lunch offerings: Dec. 4: Annual tree decorating.

The smell of balsam, seasonal desserts and songs in the air will be the backdrop for you to catch some holiday spirit.

All hands will be needed to steady the ladders and help fill the large tree with our hand-made ornaments while Carlanne Herzog encourages a sing-along as she tinkles the ivories.

Dec. 11: A cello choir for the holidays with Judy Chaves. You will delight in the three-part harmonies of this small cello choir as members play an assortment of traditional holiday carols, some dating back to early England, as well as carols from France, Catalonia and southern Appalachia.

And there’ll definitely be at least one sing-along to “Jingle Bells.”

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MONDAY, NOV. 25: Mushroom soup supreme, tossed green salad, fruit cobbler with whipped cream.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 27: Crab salad plate, homemade dessert.

MONDAY, DEC. 2: Beet-lettuce medley, chicken surprise, Christmas cookies.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 4: Mulligatawny stew, tossed salad, birthday cake and ice cream.

Senior LunCheonS are held every Wednesday at noon. Reservations are necessary in advance and can be made by calling the Senior Center at 425-6345. A $4 donation is requested. Reservations are not required for the Monday Munch.

Selectboard

continued from page 1

of this document. The change seemed to quell many of the comments from the floor.

Stephen Brooks summed it up as, “[executing] the policies and decisions of the Selectboard.” The job description will be rewritten with this meeting’s comments in mind and published with the agenda for next meeting on Nov. 25. It should be noted that the Selectboard agendas and meeting packets are available to the public on the town website (charlottevt.org) on Fridays before the meeting.

Five minutes after this last action was closed, the battle over procedures for Selectboard meetings was once again elicited. The Selectboard raised this agenda item in an effort to determine how best to control meetings while including active citizen participation from the audience. The fundamental question was whether to limit public comments to early or late in the meeting or allow discussion with each agenda item. The issue was summarized by the newest Selectboard member, Lane Morrison, who said, “Trying to get what I call ‘productive work’ done when we have so much to get through and we have different audiences, it’s just not efficient.”

Ellie Russell put it this way, “It’s the balance between public opinion and our ability to act efficiently.”

John Owen said, “I don’t think we should be arguing back and forth.”

Comments from the audience immediately turned to the fact that items discussed were not circulated to the public with sufficient time for them to digest them.

The result is the need for greater discussion and often contentious dialog.

This line of discussion was ruled not germane, and as a result the discussion of the issue became more and more heated. While nothing was resolved, there was obviously a general feeling on the part of Selectboard members that public discussion has an important place in Selectboard meetings. They were simply uncertain where these discussions should be placed on the agenda or if clearer guidelines are needed. Further discussion on this matter will be forthcoming.

In more routine matters the Selectboard: Ladue on the state of the town’s bridges. The annual State inspection report has just been received, and he went over many of the deficiencies to be considered in the near future. Principal of these was the need for work on the Carpenter Road bridge deck and on the bearings, which need cleaning and repainting. This is a significant job and is estimated to cost around $125,000. Some work needs to be done on the Holmes Creek covered bridge, and the State inspection has revealed the need to look at some rot in the superstructure of the upper (or Seguin) covered bridge. These tasks will be the subject of future Selectboard decisions before Town Meeting.

tor position in accordance with Section 3.1.8 of the Charlotte Personnel Policies. This gives present town employees five days lead-time before the vacancy is presented to the public.

Thompson’s Point Road to build a barn in a conserved area. Such a barn is authorized under the provisions in the grant of rights for agricultural uses. In this case, Corley anticipates housing goats in this structure.

Woodland Training to provide chainsaw classes for volunteers and town employees in April. These classes will be fee-based and probably result in no cost to the town. Some questions were raised as to the possibility of utilizing free classes available from UVM. ect acceptance letter for the completion of the Quinlan bridge rehabilitation.

Improvement and Repair Fund for the Charlotte Senior Center to install new parking lot lighting. This represents the first 80 percent of payment due for scheduled project completion on Nov. 22. draft audit report for the year ending June 30, 2013. tative maintenance with Patterson Fuels for heating systems and Climate Systems Inc. for cooling and air handling. efits for part time town employees who work between 20 and 30 hours per week.

Swap your old incandescent bulbs for CFLs and use 75% less energy.

Visit your local retailer or www.efficiencyvermont.com/stores Find a retailer:

Tell 'Em You Saw it in the News!

The Charlotte News knitting how-to books and magazines.

Winter accessories can be dropped off at the library during open hours beginning Dec. 6.

after-scHool programs

by Margaret Woodruff

Holiday scHedule The Charlotte Library will close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 27 and be closed Thursday, Nov. 28, through Saturday, Nov. 30, for the Thanksgiving holiday. We will reopen on Monday, Dec. 2. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

upcoming at tHe library Book discussion group, Thursday, Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m. Join leader Lesley Wright for a conversation about Russell Banks’ novel Affliction as the “New England Uncovered” series continues.

Next on the bookshelf: A Brother’s Blood by Michael White. Sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council and the Friends of the Charlotte Library.

Mitten tree day, Friday, Dec. 6.

Help us fill our “tree” with mittens, hats, scarves and other warm accessories for the winter months to come. We will donate the items to help our neighbors in need around the community.

If you’d like to knit mittens or a hat, drop by the library for a look at our

Holiday gift making. A season of gift giving and great stories awaits us.

Make it easier by creating a few of those treasures and listen to some winter stories at the library. Stay tuned for tea jounals, a mitten tree party, and more.

Wednesday, Dec. 11, 3:15–4:15 p.m.: Kindergarten-2nd grade Wednesday, Dec. 13, 3:15–4:15 p.m.: 3rd grade and up

on exHibit Mixed media & book art by Elizabeth Bunsen. Charlotte artist and resident Elizabeth Bunsen grew up in the Midwest, traveled, lived and taught art all around.

“I am a sensualist,” she says. “I love tuning into all my senses. Process, the imperfect, the impermanent and the unfinished sing to me … Along with wood and stones, I stack words.”

Visit the library and see how those words, the paper they appear on and the objects they travel with create thoughtprovoking and beautiful art.

Be thankful for your library card.

Renew it today. If you haven’t stopped in with your card, do it today. We’ll check your contact info, give you a new sticker and send you on your way.

Library board meeting, Thursday, Nov. 21, at 5:30 p.m. Board members: Bonnie Christie (chair), Vince Crockenberg (treasurer), Emily Ferris (vicechair), Dorrice Hammer, (secretary) and Bonnie Ayer (member-at-large).

Library Develops Vision Statement Every day we strive to bring the most intriguing books, the liveliest programs and the most welcoming space for the Charlotte community and anyone else who happens to stop in. With the help of Place Creative and our library focus group, we developed the following statement about our commitment and our intention. As always, we’d love to hear your feedback, comments and suggestions.

At the Charlotte Library, we’re creating a rich, inclusive experience for our residents and visitors by providing the very best traditional and contemporary library services, books, information and connections to the world around us. We have deep roots in the community, and we celebrate our heritage and collaborate with other groups and individuals of all ages and backgrounds.

Always free and open, the only entrance requirement is interest.

We represent the new face of information technology—focused on innovative, life-long learning and enlightened entertainment. We are committed to a sustainable and enduring presence in Charlotte, providing access to knowledge and the expertise of a librarian for success.

We have a responsive culture passionate about meeting our rapidly changing world and being at the center of it. Our staff members tend to be generalists who know so much about so many things and, naturally, are well read. As we create new ways of connecting to information and building literacy in the community, we’ll foster the friendly atmosphere that welcomes toddlers, teenagers, and seniors—and everyone in between.

Our people empower us; the building, collections and programs enhance the work and vital role the library plays in our civilization.

Library Hours Mon, Wed: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Tues, Thurs, Fri: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sat: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

CVU Nordic Fundraiser Raises Money to Support Team The CVU Nordic ski team is holding its annual online auction to raise money for additional coaching staff, uniforms, waxes and training equipment.

The auction contains a wide variety of food, dining, sport and travel items.

To view all the auction items and bid on them, visit the team’s auction webpage at biddingforgood.com/cvunordic.

Click on “register to bid” to create an account and sign in, then choose “view all items.”

Nordic skiing is a sport that is available to all who wish to be part of the team. CVU Nordic has grown to be one of the largest in the state, with over 80 participants from Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne, St. George and Williston.

This is a hard-working, dedicated group of student athletes. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams won the state championships last season despite the limited snow.

Winning bidders will be notified by email and asked to notify the CVU Nordic team of their chosen method of payment.

Winners who live within the CVU school district may pick up their items at CVU on Dec. 5 or 6 from 3:30–6:30 p.m. Payment by cash or check (made payable to CVU Nordic Ski Team) will be accepted then.

After 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 6, all items that have not been picked up at CVU, including all winning bids from outside the CVU school district, will be shipped to the winning bidder, and the winning bidder’s credit card will be charged for the bid amount plus shipping cost. Please consider a three percent addition to your final payment to cover credit card expenses.

Thank you for supporting the CVU Nordic ski team.

SPORTS Women’s Cross Country Runners Among the Top 10 in New England Led by this year’s perennial winner, Autumn Eastman, CVU women’s cross country team finished sixth in the New England Regional races held in Manchester, N.H., Nov. 9. Eastman, who has committed to run next year for Georgetown University, finished third among individuals, 30 seconds behind the winner who set a new course record for Derryfield Park. Sophie Gorman was the second CVU finisher in 40th place, followed by Abbie Keim 101st, Kestrel Grevatt 143rd, Haley Harder 156th and Carly Neeld 190th. The team’s average time was 19 minutes, 24.64 seconds.

Men’s Cross Country Among the Top 25 in New England The Redhawk men runners placed 22nd among all teams from New England running in Manchester. Again, the Marshalls, Tyler finishing 64th and Tucker in 81st, were the leaders for CVU. Calvin McClellan in 169th, Harken Spillane in 192nd, Will Kay in 215th, Tylor Wong in 219th and Devon Cantor in 228th were other finishers.

Northern Vermont High School Football All-Stars Show Redhawk Helmets Charlotte’s Tim Halvorson along with teammates Steele DuBrul and Pierce Farrington were part of the North All-Star football team that faced its “rebel” counterparts in Middlebury November 16. Led by Rutland High quarterback Nick Bowles, who passed

by Edd Merritt

for 146 yards, the South prevailed in a low scoring game, 17-6.

Three CVU Footballers Trade Redhawk Helmets for Scottish Kilts Brothers Konnor and Ryan Fleming from Charlotte and their CVU teammate, freshman Harvey Ottinger, all played football for Minnesota’s Macalester College this fall. The Fleming brothers led the Scot defense, Ryan a sophomore at inside linebacker and Konnor a junior at defensive back. Ryan led the team in unassisted tackles, plugging holes from his linebacker slot. Konnor returns kickoffs and punts, with one 76-yarder for a touchdown against Trinity Baptist.

Ottinger is also a linebacker and looks forward to more consistent playing time in the future. The Macs finished their season on a winning note with a 7-0 victory over Twin-Cities rival Hamline, giving them a four-win, sixloss record for the fall.

Redhawk Pitcher Supple Opts for the ACC Junior Rayne Supple, the winning pitcher on CVU’s Division I state championship baseball team last spring, has given a verbal commitment to attend Wake Forest University in the fall of 2015 according to an article in the November 6 Burlington Free Press. Wake plays in the highly competitive Atlantic Coast Conference against schools such as Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, North Carolina and others.

Rec News

by Kristin Hartley The weather is changing, and winter is on its way. Soon enough, we will be outside enjoying the ice rink, sliding on Mt. Philo and cross-country skiing on the Demeter Trail.

The Charlotte skating rink is located right next to CCS. We have lights and a warming hut that lend to fun evenings on the ice. Rink opening and ice conditions will be posted on the town website under the “Recreation” tab.

Let me know if you are interested in setting up specific hockey nights, and we can publicize a hockey pick-up game night. Rink rules are posted at the warming hut as well as on the website.

This year we will once again be sharing a reduced ski-and-ride ticket program at Smuggler’s Notch with the Hinesburg Recreation Department. This program allows families and individuals to enjoy skiing and riding, rentals and lessons at affordable prices. This program consists of five Sundays: Jan. 26, Feb. 2 and 9, and March 2 and 9. By committing early, filling out forms and paying by the Wednesday before (checks to Hinesburg Recreation), and dropping them off at the Charlotte town offices, you can ski and ride for $25 for adults and $20 for children! Find out more on the town website. Think snow!

For indoor winter recreation we are still taking registrations for basketball.

Charlotte’s recreation basketball program provides a venue for athletes to learn and master basketball skills in a fun, positive environment. Winning is not the primary objective—development of sportsmanship, teamwork, respect for others and discipline are all part of the program.

First and 2nd graders will have training practices one to two times a week (dependent on coaches and gym space) throughout the season. Third through 6th grade teams will practice twice weekly with games mostly on Saturday morn-

ings between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Their games will be against other town teams.

Any 6th–8th grader who attends CCS tryouts and does not make a team may sign up for recreation basketball. We will have a 7th–8th recreation team if there are enough players and a volunteer coach.

Early basketball registration is Oct. 29 through Nov. 16 at a cost of $40 (subtract $5 if you don’t need a T-shirt).

After Nov. 19 the cost is $60, unless a 6th-8th grader.

Practice will begin either the week of Dec. 2 or 9 at the coaches’ discretion and will happen on weeknights 6–7:30 p.m. or Saturday from 8 a.m.–1 p.m. Times will be posted as coaches determine their availability. Check the Charlotte town website for practice time updates.

Once again Charlotte is lucky to have Heather Morris teaching Celtic dance.

There is still room in the current session if you would like to join in. We will be holding two more sessions throughout the school year. Classes take place Saturday mornings and include a group for kindergarteners, for eight and above, and for ten and above. Placement will depend on age and experience.

If your child is interested in playing the drums, we now have the gifted Andrew Gagnon teaching after-school percussion on Thursdays. There still are a few openings. We will be holding another session after the holiday break as well.

After-school piano is currently full, but if you would like to add your child’s name to the waiting list, the next session will begin after the holidays.

With the New Year we will be offering an Early Morning Fitness Boot Camp at CCS for adults. Class begins at 6 a.m.

Tuesday and Thursday. You will be finished with your workout before the sun rises! Come work on your New Year’s resolution with a group of friends. This class is a great workout. Modifications will be addressed for all fitness levels.

Recreation registration forms can be found online at charlottevt.org under the “Recreation” tab. You may also find forms at our Town offices.

As always there are full and partial scholarships available for all recreation programs. If you have any questions, contact me at recreation@townofcharlotte.com or 425-6129, ext. 204.

The Charlotte News

SPORTS In Its First Year, Girls Volleyball Takes Title

The CVU girls’ volleyball team members are all smiles as they hoist the state championship trophy. The team beat Essex High School to take the first-ever state championship in the sport.

The future looks bright for the CVU girls’ volleyball program. Our volleyball club officially began at the end of August 2013. More than 21 girls showed up, determined to work together as a team, not as a first-year club. Though many of the girls had no prior experience, our hard work and determination led us to a state title.

The Vermont Principals Association (VPA) has established volleyball as an exhibition sport for the next two years in hopes that by the 2015 school year volleyball will be recognized as a varsity sport in Vermont. CVU is one of nine teams playing in the exhibition sport.

“Our girls walked into practice ready to learn and work hard,” Head Coach Dana Poulsen said when asked about the state tournament. “The 21 girls involved in the program realized that everyone would have to share opportunities and experiences on the court. I have been coaching varsity sports off and on since 1993, and these girls are the kindest and hardest working bunch I have ever had the pleasure to coach.”

We played against four teams in the beginning of the state championship tournament. After winning all four games in our bracket, we advanced to the semifinals where we played

Burlington High School. BHS was the only team we had lost to in the regular season, but we had also beat them. We knew we had to win, but it was going to be hard.

We won the first set but lost the second by a score of 15-5. The third set was probably the most stressful for any of us during the entire season. We had to win, or we’d be done. Luckily, the whole team felt the pressure but took it in and pushed through and won the last set. This was a three-set match, and in the final set we were down 14-11. Though Burlington had multiple game-point opportunities, we never gave up, winning 16-14 in a heart-stopping match. No one was expecting us to win that third set. We couldn’t tell you exactly how we managed to push through, but before we knew it, we had made it to the finals.

We were going to the state championship.

In the state championship finals against Essex High School, we played as a cohesive unit and picked up momentum from the start. Our willingness to work as a team through every point allowed us to bring home the state title.

This article was written by the CVU girls’ volleyball team.

Boys’ Volleyball Nearly Grabs State Crown Jeff Boliba Contributor The Vermont Principals Association made it official this year that volleyball would be an “exhibition sport” for the first time in Vermont. This means volleyball now has a chance to become a varsity sport within three years.

Having grown up in California around volleyball and played in college, I was excited to help CVU build a volleyball program.

We lost our first official match of the year. We learned a lot and knew what we had to work on to compete at the high school level. Each week we got stronger and grew closer as a team. Then it all started to click, and we won eight straight matches to end the regular season with an 8-1 record.

At the state championship at Johnson State College we were the number -two seed heading into the tournament, something we had been preparing for all season. The CVU boys found ways to

win some really close matches against Burlington and Lyndon. They went 12-0 in round-robin pool play with strong team performances.

CVU became the number-one seed heading into the playoffs. We squared off against Burlington in a best-of-three match and won in two games to advance to the final state championship match against Essex.

Essex came out strong and took the first game. We then battled back to win the second game and force a tiebreak game to 15. It was a close final game that the CVU boys ended up losing 15-13.

These boys had not played volleyball before, yet in a matter of two months they all became solid players and runner- up state champions. I could not be more proud of this team.

Thanks to Kevin Riell for supporting boys’ volleyball at CVU. Jeff Boliba is the coach of the boys’ volleyball team.

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Members of the CVU boys’ volleyball team are (front, from left) Ryan Keelan, Cam Rivard, Jeffrey Boliba, Nathan Comai, Matt Spear; (middle) Matt Palmer, Liam Donnelly; (back) Micah Ranallo, Caleb Geffken, Jasper White-Hansen, Brendan Gannon, Will Bernicke, Anthony Burds, Jarrett Slote and Head Coach Jeff Boliba. Missing from the photo is Colby Jordan.

Food Shelf News

by Kerrie Pughe Holiday giving We hope you will keep us in your holiday giving plans this year. A donation to your local food shelf in honor of someone this time of year is always a different and welcome gift idea. The Charlotte Food Shelf is run entirely by volunteers, so all donations go directly for food or assistance to our neighbors in need. If you are a customer of yourfarmstand.com, you may make a donation to the Food Shelf as part of your online order; otherwise checks may be mailed to: Charlotte Food Shelf & Assistance 403 Church Hill Road P. O. Box 83 Charlotte, VT 05445

Holiday giving trees The Giving Trees at the Charlotte Congregational Church and at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel will be available beginning Sunday, Dec. 1. Pick an ornament—and it will tell you what is on the wish list for a child in need in our community. We need the unwrapped gifts turned in by the following Sunday, Dec. 7. Thank you in advance for your time and generosity.

Volunteers needed Come on by the Charlotte Congregational Church on Friday, Nov. 22, beginning at 8 a.m. for about an hour to help us prepare 27 Thanksgiving food baskets for our neighbors. On Dec. 13, starting at about 8 a.m., we will put together the Christmas/holiday baskets. Please plan to join us for that as well.

We are also looking for a couple of volunteers to help with the regular Wednesday evening food distributions. Please call Karen Doris at 425-3252 if you can spare a couple of hours every other Wednesday evening as a substitute.

Wish list As the holiday season approaches, we will start collecting items for the food baskets. We need pie crust mix, roll mix, stuffing, canned vegetables, pie fixings such as sweetened or condensed milk and canned pie filling, candy, coffee, crackers, olives, mayonnaise, fruit juice, cranberry sauce, aluminum foil, festive napkins, tur-

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key gravy, sugar and soups (especially cream-based and mushroom soups). These items can be placed in our drop off locations noted below. Thank you!

Christmas cards Have you received too many unsolicited holiday greeting card packets from charities? Or maybe you have holiday greeting cards you don’t plan to use? We could use them at the Food Shelf for our neighbors who might not otherwise be able to send holiday greeting cards to family and friends. If you would like to put stamps on the envelopes, that would be wonderful!

The cards could be dropped off at any food shelf donation location listed below.

Thank you Thank you to Margaret Berlin as well as Robbie and Sue Hall for their support. We appreciate the potatoes fresh from the garden from Jim Manchester. Thank you to Point Bay Marina and Captain Gutowski for the donations from the food drive during their annual end-of-season party.

Thank you, Anne Castle and Charlotte Organic COOP, for the monthly support.

Thank you to everyone who donated to the clothing, warm coat and boot drive.

The community and recent SCHIPS grant clothed 22 children with gently used and new winter items. A special thank you goes to Heather Karshagen, Cindi Robinson, Diane Cote and Janet Landrigan for sorting and organizing.

Our holiday food baskets will include a turkey donated by the Charlotte/Shelburne Rotary; thank you to Linda Shivone of the Rotary for coordinating this. Thank you to Jim Spadiccini for the many years of coordinating this for the Rotary and Food Shelf, and we wish you well in your move to warmer weather!

Donated food drop-off locations All nonperishable food donations may be dropped off at the Charlotte Library, the Charlotte Congregational Church vestry, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church (main entrance) or at the Food Shelf during the distribution mornings. We request that fresh foods be dropped off by 7:30 a.m. on the distribution mornings.

The Charlotte Food Shelf is located on the lower level of the Charlotte Congregational Church vestry. We are open for food distribution from 7:30–9:30 a.m. on Thursdays, Nov. 21, December 5 and 19, as well from 5-7 p.m. on the Wednesdays before the Thursday distribution mornings.

Thanksgiving baskets will be distributed on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 8:30 a.m., and Christmas/holiday baskets will be distributed Saturday, Dec. 14, at 8:30 a.m.

For emergency food call John at 4253130. For emergency assistance (electricity, fuel) call Karen at 425-3252. For more information call Karen at 425-3252 or visit our website at https://sites.google. com/site/charlottefoodshelfvt/.

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The Charlotte News

Redlegs Bradley Carleton ContriButor

I

leave a slight crack open at the top of the bedroom window because I like fresh air when I sleep. Even when it’s cold, it’s nice to snuggle down under the Hudson Bay blanket with the down duvet on top. In December, sometimes the Arctic Clippers cause the curtains to swish wildly against the glass pane. Frequently this will awaken me even during a deep sleep. I will often roll over, pull the covers up higher and seek warmth against the body of my mate. It’s my legs that most feel the cold. They seem to tingle with the cold, my capillaries expanding to allow for easier blood flow.

I am thinking of human comforts as I sit under the canvas spray curtain of my duck boat, huddled next to the propane heater. I can hear the northwest wind pounding wavelets against my hull as the boat rocks gently to and fro. The sky is just beginning to show reluctant signs of awakening to another brisk morning. The bluegreens give way to salmon and purple streaks highlighted against the cirrus clouds. The sound of whistling wings rises to a crescendo above me.

They’re finally here: ducks.

The Arctic blast has locked up most of the swamps and now the only food and open water is in the bay, where the wind blows wild celery into the shoreline, where I sit waiting amid my bobbing decoys. Silhouetted by the backlight of the sky I can see large flocks of birds seeking shelter and food. They have come in during the night, riding the wave of the cold front.

I pour a cup of French roast coffee and munch on a frosted cruller while I wait for the legal shooting hour to begin. I am surrounded by the wild quacking and raspy “mmmphs” of big drake mallards as they survey my spread. My heartbeat quickens. I keep my head low, hugging the side of the canvas blind covered in grass.

I can hear slush ice rubbing on the starboard hull as it builds. This will likely be one of the last days I can access this spot. The season is coming to a close, and the big redlegged mallards and black ducks are just getting here.

These are the hardiest specimens of their species. They thrive in adversity and pride themselves on outlasting the fair weather hunters of early fall.

Their cheeks bulge at the sides, their magnificent iridescent green heads strike bold poses. Their auburn chests are puffed out proudly, and their tail feathers have the regal triple curl.

Affixed to their necks are clean, white bowties. But the most noticeable characteristic of these late migrators is their beet-red legs.

Some folks claim it’s because the capillaries of their powerful feet are expanded to allow circulation while swimming among the ice floes. Biolo-

gists tend to discount this but offer no good reason for the anomaly.

As the minutes tick by toward legal shooting time, I am preparing for the moment. I load my old autoloader shotgun, and the “click” from the shell passing into the chamber sends a dozen birds clawing for altitude from my decoy spread. They’ve heard that sound before, somewhere way up north when the last hunter tried to take them.

At last, my watch alarm signals it is time.

I spot a flock of 20 birds to my south, swinging over the bay, fighting the wind. I take a deep breath and bear down on my diaphragm to blow a powerful hail call. They turn. The flock is now winging its way toward me with abandon. I utter a feeding chuckle and a lonely hen “quack,” inviting them down.

They turn over the frozen swamp and set their wings in cupped formation. They wiffle from side to side, spilling air from their mighty pinions.

Red legs drop down from their flanks, and as they hang over the spread ready to light, I rise and do what humanity has done for generations.

In the moment I am living, breathing and feeling all my senses heightened by the connection.

It is the end of the season and the redlegs are in.

Bradley Carleton is Executive Director of Sacred Hunter.org, a nonprofit that seeks to educate the public on the spiritual connection of man to nature and raises funds for Traditions Outdoor Mentoring.org, which mentors at-risk young men in outdoor pursuits.

The author after a successful mallard hunt.

Award winning landscape solutions since 2001.

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Places To Go & Things To Do THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21 Planning Commission Meeting, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Bulk of meeting will be work session on revisions to Town Plan.

The French Flute: From Blovet to Bolling, 7:30 p.m., Saint Micheal’s College. A celebration of French classical music and the Alliance Française’s French-language programs for children. Laurel Ann Maurer, flute. Claire Black, piano. Tickets: $15.

Flynntix.org.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22 La Volta: A Turn at the Ball, 7 p.m., Town Hall Theater, Middlebury. An original libretto with popular standards and show tunes. Songs have been arranged by a trio of local professionals: Clint Bierman, Kendra Gratton and Chuck Miller. La Volta is a tale of intrigue and mistaken identity set at a masked ball. The opening act is THT Kids (ages 6-8) led by Nikki Juvan, who will present a short musical play about disguise set around a farm at Thanksgiving. Tickets: $10/$5. More info: townhalltheater.org.

The Sound of Friendship: Wendy MacIsaac and Mary Jane Lamond, 7:30 p.m., UVM Recital Hall.

The University of Vermont Lane Series is proud to present two beloved Cape Breton musicians who are touring together to promote their new CD, Seinn, a powerful collaboration born of a long-time friendship and a shared love of Celtic music. Tickets: $25/$15.

More info: uvm.edu/laneseries.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24 Burlington Choral Society’s Benjamin Britten 100th Birthday Celebration, 3 p.m., St. Paul’s Cathedral, Burlington. The Burlington Choral Society, under the direction of Artistic Director Richard Riley, will perform three of the British composer’s bestloved pieces. First, excerpts from the “Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings,” featuring Burlington lyric tenor Adam Hall, French hornist Joy Worland, and strings from the Burlington Chamber Orchestra; the cantata “Rejoice in the Lamb,” showcasing the 95-voice BCS along with organist Mark Howe; and the dramatic “Saint Nicolas,” with these performers plus the St. Paul’s Cathedral Canterbury Ensemble and Treble Choir. Tickets: $22/18. More info: bcsvermont.com, flynntix.org.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25 Holiday Break, CCS. Runs through Nov. 29 Holiday Break, CVU. Runs through Nov. 29

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26 Movies at Main Street Landing: Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade, 7 p.m., Burlington. See classic Steven Spielberg film on the big screen. Admission is free and donations to United Way are greatly appreciated.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30

Boldly Patterned and Subtly Imagined: 22nd Annual Winter Group Show, Furchgott Sourdiffe Gallery, Shelburne. The exhibit features the work of Boyan Moskov and Carolyn Shattuck. The show also includes the work of notable artists Bonnie Acker, Elizabeth Allen, Steven Goodman, Catherine Hall, Don Hanson, Kelly Holt, Kathleen Kolb, David Maille, Virginia McNeice, Gail Salzman, Cameron Schmitz, Dianne Shullenberger, David Smith, Barbara Wagner, Dick Weis, and Nancy Weis.

Opening reception Dec. 6 from 5:30-7 :30 p.m. More info: fsgallery.com.

24th Annual Women’s Festival of Crafts, 10 a.m.6 p.m., Memorial Auditorium, Burlington. Browse through 80 craftswomen’s booths to find just the right handmade jewelry, artwork, pottery, food products, greeting cards, clothing, recycled art, housewares, aromatherapy, herbal products and more.

Also, Dec. 1 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free and open to the public. More info: womensfestivalofcrafts.com.

Jamie Lee Thurston with special guest Jimmy T. & the Cobras, 7:30 p.m., Vergennes Opera House.

Bands will bring their big country sound to the little city of Vergennes for a special evening concert to benefit the Vergennes Opera House. Sound reminiscent of such groups as Lynrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, AC/ DC, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, George Jones and Hank Jr. Doors and cash bar open at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets: $25. More info: vergennesoperahouse.org.

Elephant’s Story story time & activities with Tracey Campbell Pearson, 11 a.m., Phoenix Books, Burlington. Calling all kids for enormously exciting elephant-themed activities! Jericho’s own Tracey Campbell Pearson will present her biggest storybook yet—Elephant’s Story begins with a lost book and ends in friendship. Pearson is the author and illustrator of many children’s books, including Bob, which Booklist called “a visual treat,” and a series of board books including Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling, a Parenting Magazine Best Book of the Year. Free.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3 Charlotte School Board Budget Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

CCS Library Deck the Halls, 1-4 p.m., Shelburne Museum. Ring in the holidays with a week-long Deck the Halls extravaganza that celebrates the creative spirit of the season. The new Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education will be humming with holiday-themed art activities, games and live music. Other activities during the week include a special holiday “I Spy” game, a candy cane hunt, DIY holiday cards, snow globes and gift boxes. Runs through Dec. 8. Tickets: $10/$5/$3. More info: shelburnemuseum.org.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5 Warren Miller’s Ticket to Ride, 8 p.m., Town Hall Theater, Middlebury. Warren Miller’s highly anticipated ski film takes an action-packed journey to some of the most stunning, sought-after destinations in the world including Kazakhstan, Greenland, the Alaskan Tordrillos and Montana’s Big Sky country with athletes Ted Ligety, Jess McMillan and Chris Davenport. Tickets: $18. More info: townhalltheater. org.

St. Jude, Mass, Hinesburg, 4:30 p.m.

Community Alliance Church, Hinesburg, Gathering Place, 9 a.m., Sunday School, 9 a.m., Worship, 10:15 a.m. Information: 4822132.

Charlotte Congregational Church, Worship, 10 a.m., Sunday School, 10 a.m. Information: 4253176.

Lighthouse Baptist Church, 90 Mechanicsville Rd., Hinesburg, 10:30 a.m., Evening Service, 6 p.m. Information: 482-2588.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Mass, 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. Information: 425-2637.

St. Jude, Mass, Hinesburg, 9:30 a.m.

Information: 482-2290.

North Ferrisburgh United Methodist Church, Hollow Road, Worship, 10 a.m., Sunday School, 9:45 a.m. Information: 425-2770.

Cross Roads Chapel, Relocated to the Brown Church on Route 7, Ferrisburgh. Worship, 11 a.m. Information: 425-3625.

Assembly of God Christian Center, Rtes. 7 and 22A, Ferrisburgh, Sunday worship, 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., Sunday School, 9 a.m. Information: 877-3903.

All Souls Interfaith Gathering, 291 Bostwick Farm Road, Shelburne. Sunday Service 9 a.m., Evensong Service 5 p.m. 985-3819 Trinity Episcopal Church, 5171 Shelburne Rd., Shelburne, 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist, 9:15 - 10:15 a.m. “Space for Grace” (educational hour), 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist (with child care and Sunday School). 985-2269.

United Church of Hinesburg, 10570 Route 116.

Sunday service 10 a.m. September through June; 9 a.m. July through August. Sunday School during services. 482-3352

Essex Community Players presents “Christmas Decorations,” 7 p.m., Essex Center. Show is a musical review of traditional and not-so-traditional Christmas skits and performances. Features actors and crew members from several local towns, including Shelburne and Hinesburg, as well as Kim Davis of Charlotte. All proceeds from refreshment sales during intermission will be donated to “Make a Wish—Vermont.” Also Dec. 6–8. Tickets: $10/$5.

More info: essexplayers.com.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6 Charlotte News Holiday Party, 5 p.m., Charlotte News office. You’re invited to our winter party and raffle for an antique quilt and new iPad. Free food and drink. Open to all. More info: news@charlottenewsvt.com.

Lake Champlain Waldorf School’s Evening Artisan Market and Creperie, 6:30-9 p.m., Shelburne.

Artisan market for adults and older teens. Come for a shopping experience like no other! Browse for all your holiday gifts from over 60 artisans, and enjoy crepes, savory treats and live music. Free. More info: lakechamplainwaldorfschool.org.

Send your event information to news@charlottenewsvt.com for publiction in our next issue.

ONGOING EVENTS MONDAYS Senior Center Café, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Featuring soup, salads, homemade bread and dessert. No reservations necessary.

Charlotte Multi-Age Coed Pickup Basketball Open Gym, 7–9 p.m. at the CCS gym. High school students welcome. Call 425-3997.

WEDNESDAYS Charlotte/Shelburne Rotary Club, 7:30–8:30 a.m., Parish Hall, Trinity Episcopal Church, Shelburne.

Newcomers Club of Charlotte, Shelburne and surrounding area meets once a month on the third Wednesday from September to June. Variety of programs, day trips and locations. Information: Orchard Corl, president, 985-3870.

AA Meeting, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, 7 p.m.

Senior Luncheon, Senior Center, noon. For reservations, call 425-6345 before 2 p.m. on previous Monday.

Volunteer Fire Dept. Mtg., 7:30 p.m., Fire Station.

Charlotte Multi-Age Coed Pickup Basketball Open Gym, 7-9 p.m. at the CCS gym. High school stu-

dents welcome. Call 425-3997 for information.

THURSDAYS Food Shelf, open from 7:30-9:30 a.m. Nov. 21 and Dec. 5 and 19. Lower level of the Charlotte Congregational Church vestry. Information: Karen at 425-3252; for emergency food call John at 425-3130.

FRIDAYS AA Meeting, Congregational Church Vestry, 8 p.m.

The Charlotte News

Around Town Congratulations to Ian Meier of Charlotte, a student at Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colo., who earned a Freshman Tuition Merit Scholarship for the fall 2013 semester.

Merit scholarships are renewable for up to 120 credits as long as the student continues to meet the academic criteria. Ian plans to major in political science. to Jen Yantachka and Kelly Corman who were married October 14 on top of Mount Philo in Charlotte. Jen is the daughter of Janet and Michael Yantachka. After graduating from CVU, she earned a degree in biology from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., followed by a master of science in ecology from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse.

She worked for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department. Her husband is from Edgar, Neb., and earned his baccalaureate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, followed by a master of science from Texas A&M University. He is employed by the Northern Prairies Land Trust and Nebraska Game and Wildlife Commission. The couple lives in Bassett, Neb. to Charlotte News Board member Meg Smith, who has recently added to her service on nonprofit boards by accepting positions on the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund and as director of the Vermont Women’s Fund.

She is also a current member of the board of the Intervale Center. Meg began her position with the Women’s Fund on October 7. to Charlotte attorney Brady Toensing who was supported by the outgoing chair of the state Republican Party, Jack Lindley, for the position of vice chair of the VTGOP. Toensing is a partner in the Washington, D.C., law firm of deGenova and Toensing, and he was recently involved in negotiations with Governor Shumlin over the sale of the governor’s property.

Toensing also defended gubernatorial candidate Brian Dubie against charges of financial violations during his campaign.

Sympathy is extended to family and friends of Robert S. Goodwin of Charlotte who passed away November 11 at the age of 85. Goodwin retired as soccer and track coach at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., in 1990 and moved to Charlotte. Here he became active in the Lake Champlain Yacht Club as a sailor. His surviving family includes his wife, Beverly, who remains in Charlotte. is extended to family and friends of George “Spin” Richardson, D.D.M. of Charlotte who passed away November 15 at the age of 68. Spin was one of the founding partners of the Timberlane Dental Group, having come to Vermont from Boston Children’s Hospital where he completed a residency in pediatric dentistry. He was a strong advocate for access to improved oral health for all children, serving as chair of the Vermont State Dental Society’s Government Programs Committee, as a member of the Vermont Delta Dental Board, as founder and past president of the Vermont Society of Pediatric Dentists and as a trustee of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. He recently received the Peter Taylor Award for Exemplary Service to the Oral Health of Vermonters. Spin’s surviving family includes his wife, Marilyn, and his sons, Matthew and David. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Spin Richardson Public Policy Advocate Support Fund, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry c/o Dr. Warren Brill, 1001 North Point Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21224; or at Spin’s request, “Take a friend out and raise a pint to him.” is extended to family and friends of Janice Atkins Faucett of Shelburne who passed away Nov. 18 at the age of 71. Her surviving family includes her brother-in-law Rodney Parsons of Charlotte, whose wife Judith Remington Parsons, also of Charlotte, predeceased her sister. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the American Heart Association of Vermont, 434 Hurricane Lane, Williston, VT 05495 or to the Visiting Nurse Association of Vermont, 1110 Prim Road, Colchester, VT 05446 in the name of Janice Atkins Faucett.

Santa to Make Stop at CVFRS Station Dec. 8 Charlotters Help Methodist Church Give Back for Christmas Charlotte residents Chick Wood (second row, far right) and Mary Lou Payne (not pictured) were among those who helped the North Ferrisburgh United Methodist Church Wildberries group prepare towel sets to donate to Middlebury’s Helping Others Overcome Poverty, or HOPE, for Christmas. The Wildberries, a women’s mission group at the church, has donated the towel sets on behalf of the church for many years, said Chris Steadman, the church’s administrative assistant. “Each year the shop organizers write them a thank you, saying that some patrons have tears in their eyes when they see the gifts they are allowed to choose from,” said Steadman.

Classifieds The Charlotte News Classifieds: Reach your friends and neighbors for only $7 per issue (payment must be sent before issue date). Please limit your ad to 35 words or fewer. Send to The Charlotte News Classifieds, P.O. Box 251, Charlotte, VT 05445 or email your ad to ads@charlottenewsvt.com.

BRUSH HOGGING: Reasonable rates. Call Adam 802578-8347. (56-09)

New at the Mt. Philo Inn: Overnight Accommodations Spacious 2-3 bedroom suites available by the day, week or month. Adjacent to Mt. Philo State Park, with panoramic views of Lake Champlain. Each "wing" in the historic inn has a private entrance, full kitchen, laundry, and porch. MtPhiloInn.com 802-425-3335 A burst of color can do wonders for your home. Allow the professionals at Lafayette Painting to transform your interior space. We have been changing the colors of Chittenden County since 1977. Call 863-5397 and visit LafayettePaintingInc.com. (-08)

Santa Claus is coming to town, and he’s making a stop at the Charlotte Volunteer Fire & Rescue station on Sunday, Dec. 8. Forgoing his usual means of conveyance, Santa will arrive via a fire truck at 1 p.m. and will stay until 3 p.m. Refreshments will be served. There is a rumor that he may have some of his friendly reindeer with him. Join the members of the fire department and the rescue squad for refreshments, tours and fun. For more info, visit Charlotte Fire & Rescue at facebook. com/CVFRS. DOG WALKER WANTED: We are seeking a dog lover who would like to walk our two corgi's Monday thru Friday, mid-day, at our home. They are very easy and friendly.Please contact Kate at (802)857-0472. (-08) WANTED: Loom warper for a legally blind, expert weaver. Burlington, two times per month, weekday from 2 p.m. on. Excellent pay. Call 425-2318. (-08)