the essex
January 18, 2018 • The Essex Reporter • 1
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{ Thursday, January 18, 2018 }
PHOTO BY COLIN FLANDERS
Retiring Essex Police Chief Brad LaRose, right, passes down a badge from former department top cops to new chief Rick Garey during a ceremony last Friday, which honored LaRose for his 39 years of municipal law enforcement service. That same day, he learned he'd earned the recommendation from Gov. Phil Scott and Sen. Patrick Leahy to become Vermont's next U.S. Marshal.
A pArting gift
On day of retirement, LaRose earns recommendation for U.S. Marshal By COLIN FLANDERS Last Friday was quite the day for Brad LaRose. Sitting through a retirement ceremony that afternoon, the former Essex police chief earned high praise from friends and colleagues who said he would leave a notable void in Vermont’s law enforcement community. At least for now. If all goes according to plan, LaRose’s retirement will mark the close of a chapter, not a career: News broke last Friday morning that he’d earned the recommendation of Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Gov.
Phil Scott to become Vermont’s next U.S. Marshal, which carries a four-year term. LaRose offered little regarding his possible future employment, besides joking he’d keep his remarks short since he’d soon be under federal investigation. Instead, he focused on the lessons from his 39 years in municipal law enforcement, which he credited to many successful relationships, and thanked his family and friends for decades of support. “The display of camaraderie and friendship here today has been very moving and will certainly resonate in my mind forever,” he said. His peers and former colleagues, meanwhile,
helped fill in the rest. They painted a picture of an expert in the field, one of Vermont’s best crash reconstruction specialists and a loyal colleague, willing to offer guidance both inside and outside his own department. Plus, he’s a pretty good handyman. “He's often found changing lightbulbs, fixing furniture, installing equipment and even shoveling snow when it's needed,” now-Chief Rick Garey said. “I think you can say we got our dollar out of Brad over and over again.” Garey added LaRose was instrumental in See MARSHAL, page 2
Local officials tout guard benefits bill By COLIN FLANDERS
PHOTO BY COLIN FLANDERS
Essex Grill owners Todd and Courtney Roman are pictured with their 6-month-old boy, Hudson, last Thursday in their Main St. restaurant.
Essex Grill to start anew By COLIN FLANDERS Owners of the Essex Grill say much-needed change is on the way. Courtney and Todd Roman plan to demolish their restaurant and construct a new, two-story building in its place after eight years of dishing grub on Main Street.
Site plans, which go before the village planning commission next Thursday, show the new restaurant will accommodate 50 indoor seats along with outdoor seating, and the second floor will host four one-bedroom apartments. It’s a chance to start anew, said Courtney Roman, See GRILL, page 2
State and local officials say waiving in-state tuition for members of the Vermont National Guard would help Vermont compete with nearby states and address growing recruitment challenges. Two bills being considered in Montpelier, H.72 and S.195, would shift Vermont’s education assistance program from interest-free loans to a full tuition benefit for state colleges. Adjutant Gen. Steven Cray, an Essex Jct. resident, said Vermont is the only state in the Northeast without such a program. That’s made competing for recruits that wish to pursue higher education impossible, he said. Cray reported the Vt. National Guard has a yearly turnover of about 450 soldiers and airmen, and last year the two branches under-recruited by 110, leaving more than 350 vacancies across the ranks. “Our ability to accomplish our mission relies on the number of soldiers and airmen we have to perform their jobs,” Cray said. Tech Sgt. Jesse Ranslow, a
PHOTO BY COLIN FLANDERS
Essex Jct. rep. Dylan Giambatista speaks during a press conference at the statehouse last Thursday. Giambatista worked with the Guard and key law makers to help advance the proposal that would provide free in-state tuition for Vt. National Guard members. VTANG recruiter, said he saw the scenario play out with his own sister, a “straight-A, driven athlete” who left Vermont for the Maine Air National Guard to avoid massive education debt. “There’s no telling how many [recruits] we are truly losing each
month,” he said. For Staff Sgt. Matthew Hemme, who recruits out of an office on Pearl Street, the lack of a tuition waiver has prompted at least a dozen recruits to choose other states. He said the Guard’s demographics will likely See GUARD, page 3
As county forester promotes plan for Essex woodlands, some question the need By KAYLEE SULLIVAN When Chittenden County forester Ethan Tapper inherited a new office a year-and-a-half ago, piles of old newspaper clippings and historic documents for Saxon Hill and Indian Brook came with it. To create a comprehensive timeline, Tapper solicited five University of Vermont capstone students — Caroline Drayton, Greg Lizotte, Mathew Mitchell, Liam Gerry and Alex Frayer — to compile a historic narrative. The goal is to increase public awareness about Essex’s town forests, Tapper said. “History really informs forest management in a lot of ways,” he said. “And the other part of it is to engage folks and open people’s eyes to the fact that these forests exist and what a great resource they are.” Tapper, in conjunction with the Essex Conservation Committee, recently constructed an Indian Brook forest
COURTESY PHOTO
University of Vermont senior Caroline Drayton took this photo while working on a historic narrative about Saxon Hill and Indian Brook.
management plan, where public awareness again plays a large role, he said. The selectboard approved the plan 4-1 earlier this month, with selectwoman Irene Wrenner opposing. The timely alignment of the students’ project, the forest management plan and the town’s reacquisition of 245 acres in Saxon Hill garner opportunity for residents to learn more about town forests, Tapper said. The students sifted through Tapper’s files, which sit near a 1981 map of Saxon Hill — then the Essex Jct. Town Forest. Last month, the forester traced a yellowed newspaper from the late 1970s, headlining a Saxon Hill sale. The students detailed Indian Brook and Saxon Hill’s long landowner histories. Saxon Hill records even document when every tree was planted, where it came from, who planted it and every time it was cut. The students sought out town resources and insight See FOREST, page 4