April 6, 2017 The Essex Reporter

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Reporter THE ESSEX April 6, 2017

Vol. 37, No. 14

April 6, 2017 • The Essex Reporter • 1

Prsrt Std ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 266 Burlington, VT 05401 Postal Patron-Residential

Levy named chairman

By COLIN FLANDERS

Max Levy will serve another year as selectboard chairman. Nominated by selectman Michael Plageman, Levy won a close 3-2 decision during the selectboard’s annual reorganization meeting Monday night. Selectwomen Sue Cook and Irene Wrenner voted against him. Cook also nominated Wrenner for the chair position, yet procedural rules state nominations are voted on in order. It will be Levy’s fourth year as chairman. Wrenner, who seconded his nomination last April, explained why she wouldn’t vote for him this year. “The behavior that I've seen in the interim year has given me great pause,” Wrenner said at the meeting. “I'm extremely concerned about the incivility and the lack of impartiality here, and so unfortunately, Max, I will not be able to give you my vote tonight.” Following the decision, selectSee BOArD, page 11

Westford mulls land agreements By COLIN FLANDERS Two parcels of land around Westford’s school building have sparked debate over how the town wishes to provide access to the unified school district. Voters approved the town’s purchase of the land in question from the school district last October. Now, Westford’s selectboard and school board are hoping to sign an agreement that spells out appropriate use before the Essex Westford School District begins operation on July 1, at which time it assumes all assets and contracts of its existing entities. EWSD has pushed existing districts to shore up potential concerns prior to this date. Essex Jct. voters will judge a similar move April 10, when their school district will ask permission to purchase the Park Street School building for $1. “The goal on both sides is to keep usage the same for townspeople and the school that we’ve enjoyed for years,” Westford School Board chairman Mark Drapa said. The school district still owns the 14-acre parcel which includes the See lAND, page 11

PHOTOS BY KAYLEE SULLIVAN

Above, Green Mountain Harley-Davidson employee Clyde Bishop folds a T-shirt at the Essex shop last week. Bishop is non-verbal but communicates to his fellow employees and job coach through body language. Below, Ryan Shumway works with a toddler at the Lund Family Center in Burlington. Both men found their professional niche with the help of Champlain Community Services in Colchester.

working witH passion

CCS carves jobs for people with disabilities By KAYLEE SULLIVAN

H

ands raised above his head, Clyde Bishop walked through the doors of Essex Jct.’s Green Mountain Harley-Davidson last week, excited to work. Employees instantly smiled and waved back. Bishop made his rounds, giving each of them a hug. By the end of his shift, he’d posed with nearly all of them for a photo, sporting an eager thumbs up in almost every one. “He does a great job: He comes in, says his hellos and then gets to work,” the store’s general manager and partner, Peter Curless, said of Bishop, a naturally “happy guy.” See CCS, page 3

Essex business owner makes the cut Kesler drafts finalist spot in homebrew competition

By KAYLEE SULLIVAN

PHOTO BY KAYLEE SULLIVAN

Chris Kesler, founder of Essex Jct.'s Earthlogic, showcases his homebrew equipment last week. Kesler is one of two finalists in the Make the Cut Homebrew Challenge, a competition based at 14th Star Brewery.

In a state widely known for its craft beer, Chris Kesler never considered himself much of an enthusiast. His interests began to change in 2005, though, when he was introduced to his first crafted concoction. A couple years later, he tried Vermont’s beloved Heady Topper. Fast forward to 2017, and Kesler is one of two finalists in 14th Star’s Make the Cut Homebrew Challenge. “I would call myself a fanatic at this point,” he said of his homebrew hobby. “I just love it so much.”

Kesler, owner of Earthlogic, an Essex Jct. based online branding company, is at the height of his homebrewing career, which began two years ago, right around his 50th birthday. His beer, a creamy New England IPA titled “Disco Montage,” is up against a fruit sour. In its third year, the competition hosts a panel of professional judges who pick the top brews. Once Kesler and his opponent, Ted Ortiz Y Pino of Georgia, were informed of their rankings, they each brewed a 120-gallon batch of their recipe at the St. Albans

brewery. Last Friday, tasters began voting for their favorite beer. Popular spots such as Winooski’s Beverage Warehouse and Mule Bar, Burlington’s Farmhouse Tap & Grill, Waterbury’s The Reservoir and Prohibition Pig and Montpelier’s Three Penny Taproom are pouring samples of each brew. Customers receive a ballot to check off their favorite. Getting to this point in the challenge, Kesler said, was a surprise. Now that he’s made the cut, he’s excited to see where it takes him. Having his beer on tap See HOMEBrEW, page 16


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