RepoRteR
June 2, 2016 • The Essex Reporter •1
The essex JUNE 2, 2016
Vol. 36, No. 22
Prsrt Std ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 266 Essex Junction, VT 05452 Postal Patron-Residential
Village trustees, police pursue removal of homeless vet By COLIN FLANDERS
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homeless veteran’s days of living in a makeshift shelter near the Essex fairgrounds’ entrance appear numbered after the Village Board of Trustees voted last week in favor of a process to remove him. The man’s name is Michael Barney, and after previously spending time in Ohio,
he’s relocated to the Essex area where he’s been since early winter, Essex police Chief Brad LaRose said last Friday. A green tarp resting between the fence and a bike rack covered his belongings on Friday morning, at which time he declined to speak to The Essex Reporter. Although police haven’t identified any criminal violations to authorize his removal, Barney’s presence hasn’t
gone unnoticed. When asked about Barney last Friday morning, managers from Wendy’s, McDonalds and Mac’s Market all shared stories of disruptive behavior, spurring a ban from the latter two. Official trespass notices have also been issued on behalf of Champlain Farms, Fairgrounds Beverage and Big Lots, LaRose said. Community members See REMOVAL, page 3
Photo by COLIN FLANDERS Homeless veteran Michael Barney has set up camp at the entrance to the Champlain Valley Exposition, pictured above, a high traffic location from which the village is seeking to evict him.
ESSEX PARADE HONORS FALLEN
Primary slate announced:
Q&A with House hopefuls By COLIN FLANDERS
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Photo by SABRINA LIGUORI The annual Essex Memorial Day Parade made its way through the village Saturday, May 28. This year's parade theme was "Respect, Honor and Remember."
Police chief recommends gun restrictions By JASON STARR
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ssex Police Chief Brad LaRose is recommending new local restrictions on gun-firing in the wake of a recent stray bullet close call and with inaction about a stray bullet death nearly eight years ago still looming.
According to a May 18 memo to the Essex Selectboard, LaRose wants a town-wide prohibition on “high-powered” rifles with discharge ranges longer than the 500-foot buffer between the town’s unrestricted and no-shooting areas. Another possibility, LaRose wrote, is only allowing shotguns
with multiple-projectile ammunition like bird-shot and buck-shot and prohibiting single-projectile slugs that travel farther. “Public safety is paramount,” LaRose told the selectboard last week. “That’s going to weigh heavy if you ask for recommendations from the chief of police.” The last time Essex officials
considered stricter gun regulations was in the months following the death of John Reiss, a retired St. Michael’s College professor, in 2008. Reiss was killed in his Old Stage Road home when a bullet from a neighboring target-shooting range entered his dining room See GUNS, page 2
The Brownell Library is getting a makeover. A $40,000 renovation is under way at the Lincoln Street building. New carpet, subflooring and a fresh coat of paint are on the to-do list, but a few early hiccups have put the project several weeks behind schedule. Library director Wendy Hysko hoped work would be complete in May before summer reading programs began, but back-
ordered carpeting and discovering the creaky floor beneath it needed replacing delayed progress. Once materials arrive, the main reading room will be closed for about a week. After that, the entire main building will be unavailable, and a satellite library in the Kolvoord Community Room will open for See LIBRARY, page 2 Pictured at right, the main reading room will be closed for about a week before the entire Brownell Library undergoes a $40,000 renovation.
See Q&A, page 5
5 Corners market set to open, mulls move By COLIN FLANDERS The Five Corners Farmers’ Market may be on the move. Lori Houghton, market board president and village trustee, informed the trustees last month the market wanted to relocate in the village. Organizers have yet to identify possible locations, she said. The market officially opens for the season this Friday, running from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. In an interview last week, Houghton pointed to the market’s “cumbersome” set-up process — including that closing Lincoln Place on Friday mornings takes up parking spaces — as one
Brownell Library continues renovations By MICHAELA HALNON
he candidate lineup for the Democratic and Republican nominations for statewide offices were made official last week for the Aug. 9 primary. Two republicans are seeking two available spots in the House for Essex’s Chittenden 8-2 district: incumbent Paul Dame and newcomer Mike Plageman. Democrats have two new faces seeking election: Dylan Giambatista and Lori Houghton. Former six-term legislator Tim Jerman announced in April he wouldn’t seek reelection. The Essex Reporter interviewed district 8-2 candidates after their candidacies were made official. We’ll be posing questions to districts 8-1 and 8-3 next week.
Photo by MICHAELA HALNON
See MARKET, page 2