the essex
January 11, 2018 • The Essex Reporter • 1
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Investigation details under wraps Trustees, village attorney won't say what policy followed after alleged employee misconduct By COLIN FLANDERS The Essex Jct. Board of Trustees is withholding basic details of its investigation into employee misconduct, placing an individual’s right to privacy before the public’s right to know. First mention of the investigation came November 14, when trustees entered a private session at the end of a regular meeting to discuss a personnel matter. Fortyone minutes later, they voted to
hire an attorney to investigate performance-based allegations against a village official. Two weeks later, trustees entered another private session to hear the investigation’s results. The session lasted less than an hour, after which village president George Tyler said they would take no further action. When The Reporter first reported on the allegations in November, Tyler declined to name the accused or the complainant.
He also wouldn’t say what the allegations were about nor share the attorney’s findings. Since then, the village attorney has advised trustees to withhold all further information because of what Tyler calls an “absolute obligation” to protect personnel privacy. That’s a “disturbing” justification for secrecy, said Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition, a Massachusetts-based
group that fights for public access to government. Silverman said the trustees’ primary responsibility should be to constituents, who have a right to know whether their public employees, whose salaries they pay, are performing jobs appropriately. The village has spent $3,250 on the personnel matter so far, a cost that will increase once it receives all legal invoices. “When there’s misconduct, we need to know about it,” he said.
Tyler, meanwhile, said the trustees must ensure personnel information isn’t publicized. He said the trustees followed policy in handling the allegations. “There could be gray areas, but we’re guided by policy, and we’re entirely correct. We’re absolutely correct in our understanding,” he said. It’s impossible to know if that’s true, considering they won’t say what policy they followed. See INVESTIGATION, page 3
PC approves Park St. plans By COLIN FLANDERS The Essex Jct. Planning Commission approved two site plans last week, including Gabe Handy’s controversial senior housing proposal, in a pair of decisions ushering further change in the village center. Last Thursday’s meeting closed with a unanimous vote on Hinesdale Properties’ proposal to build a three-story apartment building in place of the current Verizon building. The first hour of the meeting, however, covered Handy’s proposal for 9 and 11 Park St., which has creat-
- handy and hinesdale projects will bring a combined seven stories, 71 apartments to essex Jct. village center - Both aim to start construction this March ed outrage among neighbors who say his project gives no deference to the surrounding neighborhood. Handy has made several changes to his project since receiving master plan approval in February 2016. See PLANS, page 14
Local teen goes all in for Essex CHIPS By NEEL TANDAN
Allies of the Alley ehs bowling squad defies sport's stigma PHOTOS BY KAYLEE SULLIVAN
Senior Reese Meunier started bowling as a freshman and is now one of 12 players on the Essex High School bowling team.
By KAYLEE SULLIVAN “Oh, you bowl? That’s still a thing?” It’s a common reaction Essex High School bowlers hear as they explain the sport to which they’re dedicated. With a declining interest in bowling worldwide, they can’t quite blame people for the sport’s bad rap. But then comes the next stab: “Bowling’s not a sport.” As the team propels into its second year as an official Vermont Principals’ Association varsity sport, it knows the claim isn’t warranted. And they’re working to rid the related stigma. This year, 12 bowlers represent the Hornets, and that’s after losing four varsity members and gaining six new. The squad’s recruiting for future seasons, too. This increased popularity contrasts with bowling’s national demise. In the sport’s heyday in the 1960s, an estimated 12,000 alleys operated across the country. As of February 2017, IBISWorld Market Research reported just under 3,700 centers remain. Coach Justin Norris racked off
a list of local alleys that closed their doors — Essex, Milton, St. Albans and Burlington — saying lacking access makes it difficult to establish a growth model for the high school sport. Around the state, the VPA league hovers at 12 teams. While it’s only been a varsity entity since last year, the coaches kick-started Essex’s team seven years ago as an exhibition group. In 2014, they won the championship. Like all dedicated athletes, the students said they’re gunning for the same this year. With a sizeable bunch of new bowlers, Norris said he’s seen notable progress, but there’s still work to do. For junior Alex Prim, bowling’s in his blood. At age 5, his dad — a hardcore bowler — signed him up for league play. Years later, he’s knocking strikes at Spare Time in Colchester, the Hornets’ home lane. Senior Reese Meunier’s story is a bit less genetic. In middle school, basketball was his game. But come high school, he opted for the two-practice, one-match-a-week sport that affords time for a part-time job. See BOWLING, page 4
The co-chairwoman of the Essex CHIPs board of directors is busy. In late December, Dominique Sweat was at a youth mental health and first aid training for professionals working with young people. The thing is, she’s young herself. Sweat is just 17. “It’s a further testament to her commitment to the community and doing good things,” Essex CHIPS executive director David Voegele said. CHIPS stands for Community Health Initiative Programs for Students and is a nonprofit operating in
PHOTO BY NEEL TANDAN
Dominique Sweat, 17, is co-chairwoman of the Essex CHIPS board.
Essex Jct. that focuses on promoting healthy lifestyles and substance-free living with youth. Sweat attended the non-profit’s tween and teen center from fourth through See CHIPS, page 14
Juvenile arrested for arson By COLIN FLANDERS Essex police arrested a juvenile who they say intentionally started a fire at a residence Center Road last week, a news release Tuesday afternoon said. The arrest comes six days after police received a report of a fire at 106 Center Rd. around 5:30 a.m. on
January 3. An investigation showed the fire was started intentionally. No one was injured as a result, police said. Police now say they’ve served a juvenile citation, but can’t release any further information due to the suspect’s age. The Vermont State Police arson unit assisted in the investigation.
Millions of parents turn to essex author for baby sleep advice By MICHAELA HALNON Alexis Dubief is not a pediatrician, child development specialist or psychiatrist. Still, millions of parents around the world turn to the Essex-based blogger and author desperate for advice about a universal phenomenon — sleep. “All human beings on the planet need to learn how to fall asleep,” Dubief said. “It’s not a medical issue, but it’s a huge issue.” A decade ago, Dubief was a bored, lonely stay-at-home mom searching for relief in scads of baby sleep books. She vividly remembers talking about her struggles at
a nursing group, where fellow mothers told her sleep deprivation was an unavoidable reality. “I went into the car and ugly-cried,” she said, laughing. “Parenting can’t be miserable, and it should be easier.” Her reasons for online blogging were two-fold, then: The medium kept her technology skills sharp and served as a virtual diary to vent to while her kids napped. Dubief slowly became more visible on that online platform, eventually called “Precious Little Sleep.” She soon shared her real name, picture and waded into controversial topics, push-
ing past fears of being criticized or judged. By 2013, the blog, called “Precious Little Sleep,” crossed a popularity threshold, and Dubief realized she was becoming “internet famous.” “I think I owned my truth,” Dubief said. “I didn’t have a plan, but it kind of happened that way.” The core of Dubief ’s message centers on sleep training, or teaching babes (6 months and up) to fall asleep without the assistance of bottles, bouncing, cuddling, singing, pacifying and rocking. Dubief cultivated the advice shared on See SLEEP, page 4
ALEXIS DUBIEF