Reporter
July 21, 2016 • The Essex Reporter •1
THE ESSEX July 21, 2016
Vol. 36, No. 28
Prsrt Std ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 266 Burlington, VT 05401 Postal Patron-Residential
PFOA detected in Essex, Colchester State: Drinking water unaffected
By JASON STARR
G
KIDS ON THE BLOCK T Photo by AMANDA SCHROTH
he Block Party on Railroad Avenue last Saturday was fun for all ages. The annual event celebrating the Essex Jct. community featured rock climbing, a bouncy house, face painting a street dance and more. Pictured above, L to R: Aubrey Lafountain and Aislin Bowers (back), Elaina Hertle and Liam Bowers (front). See more photos on page 3.
Making rank EPD promotes corporals
By COLIN FLANDERS
E
ssex Police Department hosted a ceremony for two of its own on July 5 to commemorate the promotion of Rob Hall and John Dunn to the rank of sergeant. Hall and Dunn were both promoted to corporal in 2009. They have more than 30 years of combined service with the depart-
ment. “There is no doubt in my mind that both Rob and John are mentors and supportive of all others within the agency and will lead very well,” Chief Brad LaRose
roundwater around IBM in Essex Jct. and Champlain Cable in Colchester contains the suspected carcinogen PFOA, the state announced last week. The state began testing industrial sites in Chittenden County for perfluorooctanoic acid this year after the chemical was found around a former material manufacturing plant in North Bennington, where it contaminated drinking water. PFOA at the IBM and Champlain Cable sites has not contaminated drinking supplies because both areas are served by Champlain Water District municipal water systems, the See PFOA, page 5
Barney fails to answer lawsuit By COLIN FLANDERS Michael Barney, the homeless veteran living in a makeshift shelter on Pearl Street near the fairgrounds, failed to respond to the village’s lawsuit aimed at removing him from the area. Barney had 20 days to respond in writing to the complaint filed on June 17 by attorney Andrew Bolduc of McNeil, Leddy & Sheahan. Barney’s shelter, comprised of green and gray tarps, remained visible from the Route 15 on Tuesday afternoon. See BARNEY, page 14
See EPD, page 5
Photo by COLIN FLANDERS LEFT: Newly promoted police sergeants Rob Hall, left, and John Dunn, right, pose for a photo with police chief Brad LaRose after a ceremony at the Essex Police Department on July 5.
Asbestos causes alarm but no unsafe exposure By COLIN FLANDERS The Essex Town School District had a visit from the Vermont Department of Health last week when parents raised concerns after the school failed to notify them of asbestos removal at Founders Memorial School
while students were in the building. Parents grew frustrated after learning of the project, which was to remove asbestos-containing caulking around windows. The work began July 10, and parents noticed when dropping off their children the next
morning. After hearing the concerns, the district directed the Mansfield Environmental Group, the contractors in charge of the abatement, to halt all work until after 2 p.m. once students and teachers had left the building for the day.
The removal was finished by Friday, July 15, according to superintendent Mark Andrews. The district was unaware of a 1986 law that requires districts to notify teachers and parents annually regarding asbestosSee ASBESTOS, page 5
Village recognized for urban tree program By COLIN FLANDERS The village of Essex Jct. is now one of six Vermont communities to boast Tree City USA status, recognizing the village’s efforts to create and expand its urban forestry program. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) sent a letter to the board of trustees last week congratulating the village
on its accomplishment. “I have no doubt that Essex Jct.’s efforts have been an inspiration for countless communities throughout Vermont,” Sanders wrote. Entering its 40th year, Tree City USA is sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation. It has recognized more than 3,400 communities across the U.S. with See TREES, page 2
Photo by SABRINA LIGUORI A "venonat" is pictured at the entrance of Maple Street Park on the Pokémon Go app, which places the creatures in a player's surroundings using GPS and the phone's camera.
Essex gamers aim to catch 'em all By SABRINA LIGUORI
T Photo by COLIN FLANDERS Essex Tree Advisory Committee chairman Nick Meyer holds a banner awarding the village its Tree City USA status.
he Pokémon franchise that dominated the ’90s recently made a colossal comeback with the release of its new virtual reality app, “Pokémon Go.” After making its debut on July 6, Pokémon Go quickly became the top free game in the iTunes app store. Since then, it has also managed to surpass Twitter in daily users and see more user action than Facebook, according to a SurveyMonkey Intelligence See POKéMON, page 10