Reporter THE
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ESSEX
MARCH 12, 2015
Vol. 35, No. 10
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Train derailment closes Main Street Wheel failure halts petroleum freighter
F O S G KHIN T E RINK
By JASON STARR The Essex Reporter
The Hornets celebrate their 14th D-I boys’ hockey state title – their first since 2008 – at Gutterson. They beat South Burlington 3-2 during the championship game on March 9. PHOTOS | PAUL LAMONTAGNE | vtsportsimages.com
Essex boys clinch state title on Guimmo gamewinner
CONGRATULATIONS to the Essex girls’ hockey team on their second consecutive state title. On March 3 the Hornets beat Middlebury 5-1 at Gutterson.
By JOE CARDELLO The Essex Reporter With 3:32 left in the second period of the state championship game at Gutterson on March 9 South Burlington and Essex were locked at 2-2. With a state title on the line both teams battled with vivacity for the go-ahead goal. In the all-time longest D-I boys’ hockey final – it stretched nearly six periods – a saving grace for the Hornets came when freshman Alex Guimmo plugged the net with the game-winning goal. An Essex hockey season laden with come-from-behind wins and only one loss, ended with a terrific 3-2 state title win. “These guys put together one of the most remarkable hockey seasons I’ve ever seen. The leadership of all my seniors and captains Gleason, Robertson and Godin was fantastic. I don’t think they left anything out on the ice.” In a very physical match penalties were abundant and expected. This was evident from a hard hit Ethan Bartlett received almost 1:30 into the first period that caused a short stoppage in play. In total there were 13 penalties handed out to players that night. A major threat to the Hornets’ success was the unbelievable control that was exhibited by
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match after some heated altercations. Penalties were handed out to both players for roughing and Blauvelt received a consecutive penalization for cross checking. Back and forth play kept Hornet freshman Alex Guimmo speaks with the media following his game- heads on a swivel and hoots winning goal during the 2015 state championship game at Gutterson on March erupted from the crowd constantly. 9. Essex beat South Burlington 3-2. Gaboriault slapped the puck from quarter-ice at 9:51, Rebel Mike Blauvelt. Many times seconds in. Croce returned the rebound into Hornet head coach Bill O’Neil he approached the Essex net and Greenstien’s leg and Guimmo expressed his concern with the smoothly crossed over for a onetried to clean up with a point early goal. on-one shot at Erik Short. blank shot that again was “I was feeling cautious after Blauvelt and the South deflected away. that first goal,” O’Neil said. “An Burlington offense were often Near the seven-minute mark early goal really makes me worry dealt with by tenacious defense a cheer war between South because it could change the performed by Jake Gaboriault. Burlington and Essex fans tempo of the game.” Numerous times throughout the that culminated with a Rebel Zac McGinnis followed up game he was seen sprawling led “We can’t hear you!” It was almost immediately after with himself in front of and deflecting at this moment that Hornet a shot at Rebel goalkeeper Ben Rebel shots. Ryan Young fed the puck to Greenstein that was deflected The second period opened sophomore Nick McGovern on away. with a terrific pass play from the right side of the Rebel net. Blauvelt continued to Mike Croce to Brendan Gleason McGovern slipped the puck pressure the Hornet defense and that crossed in front of the Rebel through five-hole. The shot forced Short to make numerous goal. Gleason served up a onericocheted off of the goaltender’s saves. At 12:41 Gaboriault and timer at into the back of the net to put the Hornets up 1-0 only 21 Blauvelt engaged in a shoving – See HOCKEY on page 2a
Town Center development proposal raises concerns ‘We’ve let things get a little bit bigger than they should be’ By JASON STARR The Essex Reporter Developer Rick Bove says he’s trying to meet demand for affordable senior housing with a proposal for a 22,400-square-foot building in the Essex Town Center. But Essex planners are questioning the size and singular residential use of the building in a growing development envisioned as a series of smaller, commercial/residential buildings. Development at the Town Center, near the Essex Shoppes and Cinemas, has been steady in recent years with Dousevicz Real Estate recently completing four buildings of mostly senior housing and assisted living. Bove has applied for planning commission approval for two buildings — the 22,400-square-foot building with roughly 60 apartments (the application was originally submitted as a mix of apartments and commercial space, but Bove has since decided to pursue senior
housing.) The other building, a 4,300-squarefooter across from Old Stage Road, is proposed as a restaurant with patio seating, a hair salon, office space and four residential apartments. The larger building would have three floors and be the biggest structure approved for the Town Center development. The smaller building would have two stories and be built on the site of the historic Molloy House — home to one of Essex’s founding families — which was torn down in 2012. Application documents show the buildings close to each other, separated by a parking lot. They would be located across from the NBT Bank building, which was the Town Center’s most recent addition, near the intersection of Route 15 and Old Stage Road. Planners endorsed the concept of the smaller building but pushed for commercial space in the larger one at their Feb. 26 meeting before voting to continue to application to a future meeting. “If there were a call for more (commercial) square footage I would do it,” Bove told the commissioners. “I get way more revenue from commercial than residential. But you have to have people in a dense area to make that work ... I’m
– See DEVELOPMENT on page 3a
A freight train carrying about 50 cars of liquid petroleum from St. Albans to White River Junction went off the tracks in Essex Junction Thursday when the wheel casing on one of the cars came apart. The problem was first spotted by an Essex Police office patrolling Route 2 who noticed sparking from the wheel as it entered the Junction from the north at about 10 p.m. Moments later, the train’s air brakes kicked in, alerting the engineer of the problem, and the train was idled at the Main Street rail crossing. Main Street was closed to traffic until Friday afternoon, when a crew from R.J. Corman Railroad Group, a Kentucky company that specializes in railway emergency response, finished rebuilding the wheel setup. No one was injured. Amtrak’s morning train to Springfield, Mass., was cancelled and the company chartered busses to move passengers to points south. Amtrak’s Essex Junction station caretaker John Gaworecki said the freight train was going slower than normal through Essex Junction because of concerns with the response of crossing gates in subzero temperatures. “If it had been going at a faster pace, which it normally does, it could have been more of a problem,” he said. “This is considered a hazardous material … It’s good thing they caught it in time.” New England Central Railroad, a subsidiary of the Genesee & Wyoming rail company, operates the freight train, which regularly carries liquid petroleum through town. New England Central Railroad representatives on site as wheel repairs were underway Friday morning declined to comment. At the other end of Railroad Avenue, chartered buses from
– See DERAILMENT on page 2a
Town and village tackle planning commission unification By JASON STARR The Essex Reporter Do the Town of Essex and the Village of Essex Junction need two planning commissions and two zoning boards totaling 22 citizen volunteers to guide land use and review development applications? Perhaps not, town officials believe. They have included $16,000 in the upcoming fiscal year budget for a consultant-led community discussion about the municipal planning process and the possibility of moving to one planning commission and one zoning board with jurisdiction over both municipalities. The town is working with facilitators Ariana McBride — a former employee of the Orton Family Foundation of Middlebury who worked on the Heart and Soul of Essex project
— and Delia Clark to launch the project. It is expected to begin this spring and wrap up in the fall. All interested community members will be invited to participate in the discussion over a series of forums and focus group sessions. “We are keeping an open mind in terms of what comes out of this,” said Town Planner Greg Duggan. The town and village operated under a unified planning process and combined vision plan adopted in 1967, according to a recent memo from Duggan to the selectboard. In 1972, however, the town and village adopted separate zoning regulations and moved away from joint municipal planning. Today, village planners are guided by the village comprehensive plan
– See UNIFICATION on page 3a