December 8, 2016 The Essex Reporter by Essex Reporter

Reporter

December 8, 2016 • The Essex Reporter •1

THE ESSEX

December 8, 2016

Vol. 36, No. 49

Essex Rep. Linda Myers announces bid for speaker By TOM MARBLE

ep. Linda Myers, an Essex Republican, will seek the speaker of the House position

for the next legislative session. At a Republican caucus last Wednesday, House Minority Leader Don Turner (R-Milton)

Municipalities deny cell tower requests

reiterated the importance of slating a candidate for the speakership, and after being nominated by Rep. Heidi Scheuermann (RSee MYERS, page 4

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

By COLIN FLANDERS

REP. LINDA MYERS

he Essex Jct. Board of Trustees unanimously denied a California company’s request to place a cell pole in the village’s right-of-way. Mobilitie, which describes itself as the “largest privately-held telecommunications infrastructure company in the United States,” requested to build a 120foot pole with a 3-foot base on Pearl Street in the village. “That’s the dumbest place I’ve ever seen for anything to be built,” trustee Elaine Sopchak said during the Nov. 22 meeting. Joint municipal

manager Pat Scheidel recommended the trustees deny the proposal, asserting in a memo the pole’s height is “totally out of context” with the surrounding properties. Jennille Smith, Mobilitie’s permitting manager in the region who made the request, deferred to a Mobilitie spokesperson when reached last Friday. On Monday, a California public relations firm contacted the Reporter to ask for questions in writing. The firm responded with a statement it has provided to at least one other media outlet, reading: “We work to bring greater wireless connectivity to cities and rural See TOWER, page 3

Int'l Fest travels to Expo

Photo by ABBY LEDOUX

Elvira Golding, owner of Maple Blues Delights & Catering Services, sells authentic Filipino cuisine last weekend at the Vermont International Festival. The annual celebration of global culture offered food, crafts and art from around the world in Essex Jct.'s Champlain Valley Expo. See more photos on page 13.

Unified district chosen for special ed review

Isaak Olson and Wren House work on producing their Stall Street Journal publication in the Essex High School library.

Hot off the press EHS publication tackles tough issues By COLIN FLANDERS

By COLIN FLANDERS Essex Westford School District was selected as one of 10 supervisory unions and districts around the state to undergo a special education services review, the Vermont Agency of Education announced last week. The review will pit current special education systems against “research-based best practices” in hopes of identifying efficiencies and cost savings, an AOE press release said. “I feel great that we were accepted and we were given this

Photo by COLIN FLANDERS

Courtesy photo A victim of the October car crash that killed five Harwood teenagers, Allie Harris takes part in yoga to practice mindfulness.

Mindful healing

Essex native, Interstate crash victim raises funds By KAYLEE SULLIVAN The night of October 8 was the scariest, most horrific night of 23-year-old Allie Harris’ life. She was driving to Cambridge

after an evening shift at the University of Vermont Medical Center when she came upon a tragic accident on Interstate 89 that left five Mad River Valley teenagers dead. See YOGA, page 2

hile print media outlets are still scrambling to adapt due to the internet, two Essex High School students have a simple solution to reach their audience: Go to where the people are. At least that’s the strategy behind the Stall Street Journal, a periodically published bulletin posted to, as the name suggests, the high school’s 40 bathroom stalls. “You’re there, so you might as well,” said Isaak Olson, who repre-

sents half the Journal’s staff. Olson and his coauthor, Wren House, are members of Peer Helpers, a club of about 30 students whose mission is to address various social and emotional issues around the school community. This year’s first issue tackled the Chittenden Central Supervisory Union’s decision to allow bathroom use based on gender identity. Though the club had yet to meet for the first time this school year, House and Olson felt it was an See JOURNAL, page 13

Reporter quizzes rec board candidates See REVIEW, page 3

By COLIN FLANDERS

egardless of the final decision on Essex’s recreation future, the Dec. 13 ballots instruct voters to weigh in on the district’s inaugural board. If the measure passes, the board will be made up of five directors — one from the town, one from the village and one atlarge. The selectboard and trustees will each appoint a director each to serve two-year terms. The two appointed positions will be up for election after the district’s second year. The selectboard and trustees will then appoint an ex-officio,

Erika Baldasaro

Betzi Bilodeau

Jason DiRosa

Darryl Koch

Kay Maloney

non-voting member. The board’s first meeting is scheduled for January and is expected to meet once a month. Jason DiRosa is unopposed for the village’s one three-year seat, while Betzi Bilodeau and Dar-

ryl Koch are running for the town’s one three-year seat. Erika Baldasaro and Katherine (Kay) Maloney are vying for the one-year at-large bid. The Essex Reporter interviewed the five can-

didates in preparation for next week’s election. Here are the questions we asked them. They had 300 words total for all three questions. 1. What experience do you have that qualifies you to serve on the com-

mittee? 2. Why do you think it’s important to represent your community's views on recreation? 3. Many of the proposal’s opponents are concerned a separate recreation district will provide

less oversight on spending. If elected, how would you allay these concerns? Note: Responses edited only for grammar and newspaper style. See the candidates' responses on page 15.

2• The Essex Reporter • December 8, 2016

local YOGA from page 1

This Sunday, Dec. 11, she invites community members to heal with her during a yoga and meditation event, where she'll also tell her story. *** Surrounded by chaos, Harris pulled over and walked toward the median. Being a nurse, she wondered if there was anything she could do to help. There wasn’t. The one police officer on scene screamed to the crowd of people who had left their cars along with Harris. He knew something they didn’t: His cruiser was stolen. Steven Bourgoin, the alleged driver facing seven charges – five for seconddegree murder, one for reckless or negligent driving and one for stealing a police cruiser – came speeding toward the caravan of cars. Harris made it into her car for refuge before the cruiser crashed into her driver’s side door. “I can still feel [it],” she said. “I knew I was either gonna die or I was gonna have my legs crushed.” Shock overwhelmed her body, which, to her surprise and relief, was uninjured. Later on, aches and pains settled in as if she had just run a marathon. But in the moment, Harris escaped from her car and darted for the woods in fear of a nearby car blowing up, other victims in tow. “My initial thought was it was a terrorist attack,” she said, thinking an onslaught of police cars would follow. *** When she looks back on the accident, which occurred around midnight, everything seems as if it happened in broad daylight – including her fixation on the yoga mat she left behind in her car. Her boyfriend, a game warden, picked her up at the scene where she frantically repeated, “I need my yoga mat!” In a daze, the explanation for this obsession wasn’t perfectly clear to her. Looking back on it now, though, Harris

understands the importance of yoga as her mental outlet and hopes others will find it soothing, too. This Sunday, she'll teach her firstever yoga class on that same mat. Covered in broken glass when she retrieved it from her car in the tow-yard, the mat will continue with Harris in healing from that horrific night. Teaching her first class is a big step in the training program she's enrolled in at Yoga Vermont. Though she's a bit nervous to see how things go, she's also excited to organize the event, which raises money for a memorial fund for the five teens killed in the accident. So far, Harris has raised about $1,200 and expects to increase that number come Sunday. The event at Contois Auditorium in Burlington will begin at 10:30 a.m. with a one-hour yoga session followed by a meditation gathering from 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., where she and two friends will play orchestral tunes. The idea came to her about five days after the crash. She knew she wanted to do something but wasn't sure what. Once she identified yoga, Harris realized not everyone has an outlet like she does. She hopes to share hers with others but realizes yoga and meditation is not for everyone. As such, the event has turned into more of a community gathering for healing and spreading positive energy during the holiday season. “I just hope people are able to chill out from society, reflect, be happy, listen to music and realize their place on earth,” Harris said. Because of the October crash, the Essex woman said she's beginning to learn how fragile life is and how vulnerable people can be. While stretched out at a post-crash yoga class, her instructor came over to her and asked, “Your world just got a whole lot bigger, didn't it?” To Harris, the remark meant everything. “You live, you do your day-by-day and you live in your world,” she said. “When you realize how easy it is for that

Above: Courtesy photo / Below: Photo by KAYLEE SULLIVAN Above: Allie Harris takes part in a yoga session. Below: Harris is pictured last week. The Essex native is raising money for a memorial fund for five Mad River Valley teens killed in a crash on Interstate 89 in October.

to just be taken away from you unexpectedly, then your perspective about life and earth and the world becomes a much larger scale than that little world you live in every single day. You start to realize what actually matters.”

Harris invites friends, families, survivors, first responders and community members to heal with her Sunday, Dec. 11 at 10:30 a.m. Folks can donate to the memorial fund by visiting: http://bit.ly/2hbrVOI. All donations will support a memorial fund for Eli Brookens, Cyrus Zschau, Liam Hale, Janie Cozzi and Mary Harris.

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December 8, 2016 • The Essex Reporter •3

TOWER from page 1

areas in order to deliver a better mobile and Internet experience, help communities bridge the digital divide and enable technology-driven economic growth opportunities.” Mobilitie has partnered with Sprint to build 70,000 poles in the public right-ofway over the next few years, yet the company has run into opposition while trying to spread its reach, both nationwide and locally. Colchester denied Mobilitie’s request to place a pole in the middle of a residential neighborhood on Williams Road earlier this year. Officials were concerned by the lack of information provided in the “very informal” application, according to Colchester public works director Bryan Osborne. The proposal wasn’t even stamped by a licensed engineer, one of the first considerations when looking over an application, Osborne said. “It’s just significantly out of scale for the area they were proposing to put this,” he said. Mobilitie responded to that denial with another request in the same exact location. “They apparently didn’t like the answer,” Osborne said. In at least 30 states, the company has filed applications under various subsidiaries, including “Illinois Utility Pole Authority” and “NC Technology Relay Networking,” according to The Wall Street Journal. Mobilitie CEO Gary

Jabara told the WSJ names like these help towns understand the status of his firm, adding in the future, the company will most often use Mobilitie when dealing with local officials. “We work to meet the needs of the community and provide as much transparency as possible,” Mobilitie’s statement reads. For Vermont, the company applied for a certificate of public good under the name “Relay Network Technology VT, LLC.” The certificate, issued by the Public Service Board — a quasi-judicial entity that supervises the state’s public utilities — is required for any company planning to offer telecommunication services in the state. Companies must inform municipalities 60 days before filing a petition to the PSB. During that period, towns can request a meeting with the petitioner and the Vt. Department of Public Service, and also submit comments which must be given substantial deference “unless there is good cause to find otherwise,” statute says. In addition, a town can become a formal party to the proceedings by filing a motion to intervene explaining why they may be adversely affected by the project. If accepted, towns can then provide testimony and participate in evidentiary hearings. In cases where towns raise a significant issue, the board will hold a prehearing conference to determine how to manage the case. Before the PSB can issue a certificate, it must determine the project will not have “undue adverse ef-

fect” on aesthetics, historic sites, air and water purity; the natural environment, public health and safety and public use and enjoyment of the state’s scenic corridors, including interstates 89 and 91. DPS is now required to perform a co-location analysis to see if the applicant can piggyback onto an existing location. Once the hearings are completed, the board issues a decision. Any appeals go to the Vermont Supreme Court. Applicants seeking permits aren’t required to adhere to local zoning ordinances, according to statute. Mobilitie doesn’t currently have any petitions before the PSB, according to the board’s clerk, Judith Whitney. The company has also requested a pole in Bennington that disrupted view of the Bennington Battle Monument. The town’s planning commission said it’s willing to work with the company to find a better location, noting a need for better wireless service. Scheidel informed Mobilitie via letter that any further requests should be sent to the village’s planning commission. The locations should be on private property and conform to the village’s land development code, he added. During the Nov. 22 meeting, Scheidel noted the company’s persistence in Colchester and assumed the company will make another request. “They’re obviously on a mission,” Scheidel said. “Well, we are, too,” village president George Tyler replied.

local REVIEW from page 1

opportunity,” said Erin Maguire, executive director of student support services at Chittenden Central Supervisory Union. District Management Council, a Boston-based consulting firm, will perform the study and expects to lay out recommendations to the legislature by October. The review comes at a favorable time for EWSD, Maguire said, with the unified district between CCSU and the Essex Town School District set to begin operation in seven months. This requires a merger of systems, including special education delivery. Vermont districts and supervisory unions are required to submit a service plan for special education by mid-October projecting anticipated spending for the following year. These reports are used to determine the statewide reimbursement rate. For the current fiscal year, CCSU’s and ETSD’s combined special education cost for K-12 is anticipated to be about $14.49 million. For the unified district’s first year, FY18, that cost is expected to be $14.89 million, Maguire said. She believes a third opinion will be helpful as the merger proceeds. “It’s not something the agency said, ‘We’re going to do this to you,’” Maguire said. “We requested it for very specific reasons.” The supervisory union was previously interested in a review but decided against it due to the $50,000 price tag, she added. The state will pay District Management Council $45,000 for each review, with selected districts funding $5,000. The AOE hopes to share the findings with non-participating schools, an exciting prospect for Maguire, a former president of the Vermont Council of Special Education Administrators.

“When we know each other and know our whole state, we’re able to make better decisions locally,” Maguire said. “We don’t live in a bubble.” Act 148 instructs the AOE to select three supervisory unions or districts with an average daily membership of 1,500 students or more, including the Milton Town School District, Hartford Supervisory District, Franklin Northwest Supervisory Union and Bennington-Rutland Supervisory Union. The agency also selected three additional unified unions formed by Act 46: Addison Central Supervisory Union, Washington West Supervisory Union and Orange Southwest Supervisory Union. The announcement comes just under a year after a study by Allan Odden, Lawrence Picus and Michael Griffith estimated Vermont could have saved nearly $140 million during the 2014-15 school year by changing special education delivery to an evidence-based model. The proposed savings are based on a lower number of overall students receiving special education services; Vermont schools identify 16 percent, compared to the study’s figure of 12 percent, in line with the national average. That figure relies on new research asserting struggling students can often return to the general education population with the help of extra tutoring and other resources, the study said, noting work by the District Management Council. The study also reduces paraprofessionals and cuts aides, suggesting special education students with the greatest needs perform better in a classroom led by a licensed teacher. The authors note the evidencebased model doesn’t account for individual circumstances for individual schools, so policymakers should proceed cautiously when attempting to achieve savings “because the complexities of school finance may lead to unintended consequences.”

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4• The Essex Reporter • December 8, 2016

local Town water/sewer bills due Thursday, Dec. 15 Town of Essex water and sewer bills are due Thursday, Dec. 15. Payments may be mailed to or paid at the town office on 81 Main St. Bills were sent to property owners on November 15; water customers who did not receive a bill should call 878-1359. Payments may also be placed in the dropbox next to the main door of the town clerk’s office until midnight of the

due date – no cash in dropbox, please. Payments received after December 15 will be charged an 8 percent penalty. New: Pay your utilities online with a debit or credit card for a convenience fee. Visit www.paylocalgov.com/ townofessex-vt. Note: Please do not block off access to water meters. Meters must be accessible at all times.

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Stowe), Myers agreed to run. She received unanimous support from caucus members, Turner said. Although she called her chances of winning the speakership “slim,” Myers said her candidacy is about supporting fellow Republicans. “This is to give the Republican caucus an opportunity for a voice,” she said. There are currently 53 Republicans and 85 Democrats representatives in the House. A 15-year veteran of the legislature, Myers fits the bill for the speaker candidate Turner and the

caucus wanted to run. She currently serves as the vice-chairwoman of the House Corrections and Institutions Committee. “We wanted to have a candidate that had proven the ability to work across party lines, had served and had built relationships with both members of the House,” Turner said. Since accepting the nomination, Myers said she has discussed her potential impact as speaker with her caucus, particularly with Gov.-elect Phil Scott’s agenda. “The new governor Phil Scott deserves to have a speaker who is open to his issues, to the things that he feels are

important for the state of Vermont,” Myers said. “And so as a Republican, I feel that as speaker, I can certainly listen to Phil with an open mind.” With bipartisanship in mind, she also plans to contact other members of the House. “There are Independents and Democrats that I have had close relationships with over the years. In 15 years you get to know a lot of people,” Myers said. Although she said her speakership candidacy could potentially jeopardize her committee position, Myers said her campaign is not an attack on her opponent in the speak-

er race, Rep. Mitzi Johnson (D-South Hero). Turner also condemned any possible retaliation against Myers for entering the race. “I would be very disappointed in the majority if there are repercussions because of Linda’s willingness to step up and run a respectful candidacy for speaker,” Turner said. “But again, I don’t expect that to happen,” he added. Myers said she and Johnson spoke on the phone after Myers announced her candidacy but declined to comment on the conversation.

Duo leads Essex police on chase By MICHAELA HALNON Essex police say two Essex Jct. residents led them on a short pursuit late Saturday night. According to a press release, officers responded to a report of a public disturbance in a parking lot on Pearl Street around 11:45 p.m. When they

arrived, a maroon-colored sedan left the scene. After a short pursuit, officers stopped the vehicle near West Street, the release said. They identified the male operator as 45-year-old Jeffery Kane and the female passenger as 32-year-old Jillian Kane, both of Essex Jct.

Jeffrey Kane was taken into custody and cited for disorderly conduct, careless and negligent operation, attempting to elude and violation of conditions of release. He was lodged at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility.

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December 8, 2016 • The Essex Reporter •5

opinion

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Recreation directors’ perspective: A new path together We write today as the directors at Essex Parks & Recreation and Essex Jct. Recreation & Parks. The vote on December 13 reminds us to reflect on the core purpose of community recreation and our responsibility to provide the best parks and recreation opportunities for our residents. We are part of a vibrant community, one that is fortunate to have two parks and recreation departments. Our community is passionate about recreation programs and parks, and similarly, we are passionate about the departments that we oversee. We also recognize that, while change can be scary, it can open new doors and possibilities. Essex now has an opportunity to unify the best qualities of each department, operate them at optimal efficiency and continue to be a model program of community recreation by forming a recreation district called Essex Community Parks & Recreation. EPR and EJRP provide enjoyable, healthy and educational ex-

periences that create memories and foster relationships. For over 40 years, our departments have worked within a mile of one another. Our staffs enjoy working together on community events, but why should the collaboration end there? Forming a recreation district is an opportunity for recreation staff to work in the same building with a coordinated vision for parks and recreation that encompasses all of Essex. There will be one department, one budget, one leadership team and one elected board organizing recreation services for the entire community. We support the formation of a recreation district between the town and village. It is time to become one. Recreation district staff will work diligently to bring accessible opportunities and innovative programs to all residents of Essex – both in the town-outside-the-village and in the village. By unifying, redundancies will be eliminated, and a coordinated recreation environment will be facilitated. A recreation district will offer a comprehensive system of childcare, enrichment programs, adult oppor-

Why I’m voting yes for a union municipal district Over the past few months, I’ve been asked why I support a union municipal district for combining Essex Parks and Recreation and Essex Jct. Recreation and Parks rather than combining under the town municipality. I think a union municipal district is the best way to combine our departments. I think schools should focus on education; the town/village municipal offices should focus on governance, infrastructure, transportation and safety of our community and recreation should have its own district, focusing on parks and programs and led by an elected board. Looking back at EJRP and EPR budgets for the past decade, EJRP hasn't had a tax increase in that time period. EPR did ask for and receive a small increase around 2008. These are both extremely financially responsible recreation departments. EJRP's budget is voted on, as a separate line item, by Australian ballot, when we vote on our school budget. EPR's budget is part of the Essex Town municipal budget and is voted on by voice vote Five reasons to vote yes on December 13 1. During the Heart & Soul of Essex process, we heard from many hundreds of people from all parts of our community. Health and recreation emerged as a core value. Another core value was community connections, and this included a desire for increased collaboration across town and village. The formation of a union recreation district will become an important and enduring part of our municipal infrastructure, honoring what people have said matters most to them. 2. In recent years, several groups have come together to express concern that our budgets are voted on by a small percentage of residents during town meeting. The creation of the Essex Recreation District will create the opportunity to vote on the budget through Australian ballot, increasing the number of community members who will have a say about the budget. 3. Elected officials unanimously voted to support the formation of the committee that came together to study governance options. The committee inVoting no for simpler government Essex has shown over time that it values recreation, and I believe that whatever governing structure we have for recreation will be successful. In my opinion the current debate really just comes down to how we would like to organize recreation politically. During my five years on the board of trustees and most recent 13 years moderating annual meetings, I do not recall the public ever asking to make our government structure more complicated. On the

tunities, senior services and parks management that will reduce confusion and create cohesion within our community. It will result in equity between all neighbors for program access, pricing and taxation. This governance model recognizes our communities’ current status of having two departments and allows both to preserve what they have developed, bringing together the two entities on equal ground. It is the only option that allows voters the right to review and approve an independent recreation budget by Australian ballot and reinvests all recreation revenues into parks and programs. As recreation directors, parents, residents and taxpayers, we believe this opportunity is thoughtful, responsible and exciting for the future of parks and recreation in our community. We support creating a new, shared entity called Essex Community Parks & Recreation. Ally Vile, Essex Parks & Recreation director and Brad Luck, Essex Jct. Recreation & Parks director

at town meeting. I appreciate the opportunity to vote directly on EJRP's budget as do most in the village. I believe voting by Australian ballot is the better process and ensures that all our voices are heard. Our recreation programs are extremely important to our community. They provide a place for children, teens and adults to recreate, learn new skills and they protect open land for all to enjoy. To make your own decision, go to www.essexrec.org for factual information about the proposal to combine EPR and EJRP. There you will find the agreement, answers to questions folks have been asking at the many Recreation Governance Study Committee public forums, and information about the Dec. 13 vote. Perhaps the most eye-opening information on the website is the video, Essex Explained, which describes, in three minutes, Essex/Essex Jct. taxation information. Watch it, and then vote yes on this innovative approach to combining our Essex recreation departments. Bridget Meyer Essex Jct. cluded people with expertise about recreation as well Essex residents who live inside and outside the village. 4. The study committee unanimously recommended forming a recreation district. Voting yes affirms that we trust and appreciate our fellow community members who were generous enough to step forward and donate a significant amount of time to this issue. 5. A yes vote is a vote for civility. It is a vote that rewards those who serve our community and focus on policies rather than personalities. It is a vote that says that even though we may not agree with every aspect of every decision, in general we trust that our formal and informal leaders are people of good faith and integrity. It is a vote that discourages personal attacks and vitriol as a strategy for airing disagreements about policy decisions. For all of these reasons, I encourage you to join me in voting yes on December 13.

contrary, I recall many people asking for a simpler government structure since it has been confusing with services provided by both the village and town government. Many have said that two overlapping governments is one too many. The village and town have spent the last several years simplifying ownership and government structures. The schools have done likewise with the recent merger of districts. Creating a third independent municipal government for recreation in Essex would be going in the

Susan McCormack Essex Jct.

wrong direction. It would be another board to elect, another annual meeting and budget to scrutinize and another vote to cast. If two overlapping governments is too many, then three is certainly a crowd. I am in favor of simpler government. I am in favor of merging the recreation departments of the town and village. I am not in favor of this specific proposal. I would rather have no change than the wrong change. I am voting no on December 13. Steve Eustis Essex Jct.

Rec vote can dissolve town/village divide This past election season, from primaries through the vote, was certainly the most painful of my lifetime. With most people on both sides disapproving of the final choices, it seems there was no real good outcome possible. Many still struggle, weeks after the election to come to grips with what happened and what is to come. While politics in general is naturally divisive, our current situation seems to have split us more than ever. There are some national efforts being made to keep America on the right track, but it does feel like there is little we can do to make a change. On December 13 we will have that opportunity. All of us in the town of Essex will be able to take a step toward unity, to bring our own community together. Most importantly, merging the parks and recreation programs will help us bring our children together earlier, to start to dissolve the imaginary town/village divide. Voting yes on this merger will also send a message to the adults in this community that we can all work together, we can trust each other and we can make this world a better place, starting right here at home. Let's stop the bickering, approve the Recreation Governance Study Committee's unified parks and recreation plan and set an example we hope the rest of the country will follow. Daryl Stultz Essex Jct.

Why I am voting yes for one rec municipality December 13 our community has another important vote: Should we combine Essex Parks and Recreation and Essex Jct. Recreation and Parks into one union municipal district to be known as Essex Community Parks and Recreation? I am voting yes. I firmly believe our community would be best served with recreation as its own entity. EJRP has not been a municipal department since 1971. Its independent budget voted by Australian ballot are unique aspects that I think contribute to establishing the great programs and services EJRP provides today. This system fostered ingenuity, allowed for development of childcare services, created the opportunity for shared staffing with the schools and resulted in a less than 1 percent tax increase over the past nine years. I look forward to a union municipal district continuing this great work as one entity for our entire community. A few of my other personal reasons for voting yes: Childcare is an important issue to our working families, and I believe it will only be enhanced through a union municipal district dedicated to the wellbeing of our families. There are many operational questions associated with this merger: access to programs, expansion of childcare, personnel decisions, etc., but there would be these same uncertainties in any of the merger options the committee reviewed, including merging under the town. I feel better knowing a five-member elected board

Lori Houghton Essex

I voted no for the separate rec district I was surprised to read a letter in the Dec. 1 Essex Reporter that presumed my support for a recreation unified municipal district. To set the record straight, I need to share I have voted early against it. I have never expressed my support of the proposal, which was thrust upon the Essex Selectboard as a mandate. On the contrary, I explicitly expressed my concerns with both the proposal and how it was orchestrated during the "public to be heard" section of the Aug. 29 selectboard meeting. As a whole, the Essex Selectboard, on August 1, only voted to "support the concept of a union municipal district ... pending additional details." Those details have been minimally forthcoming and have been expressed as opinions, not the facts we need and deserve. Sue Cook Essex Selectboard

Reporter THE ESSEX

ExEcutivE Editor Courtney A. Lamdin

AssociAtE Editor Abby Ledoux

See more letters to the editor on pages 8 & 12.

dedicated to recreation, not municipal operations, will be making these operational decisions. Currently village residents fund EJRP and EPR while town-outside-thevillage residents fund only EPR and pay non-resident fees to use the EJRP services. I am sensitive that merging these two entities, under any governance structure, without large costing cutting will increase town-outsidethe-village taxes – again under any governance model. I am also sensitive to that fact village residents have been paying for duplicate recreation services for many years. Only by bringing these two entities together will we equalize tax rates and eventually open all programming to all residents of Essex. As a village trustee I am encouraging consolidation of municipal services where it makes operational and financial sense. I don’t believe recreation should be a municipal service, and I believe programming, operational and financial enhancements will best occur under a unified entity dedicated to recreation. Our recreation departments raise our home property values and draw new residents to our community. A union municipal recreation district is the best way to continue enhancing our community through parks and programs. Please visit www. essexrec.org for factual information about this merger decision, and feel free to reach out to me with any questions. Please join me in voting yes.

sports Editor Colin Flanders

rEportErs

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Emerson & Suzanne Lynn

gEnErAl mAnAgEr Suzanne Lynn

AdvErtising mAnAgEr Wendy Ewing

AdvErtising sAlEs Michael Snook

Email: news@essexreporter.com Website: www.essexreporter.com Published Thursdays

Deadlines: News & Advertising – Friday at 5 p.m. Circulation: 8,800

6• The Essex Reporter • December 8, 2016

EssEx ArEA

Religious Directory

calendar dec. 9

CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH - 61 Main St., Essex Jct., 878-8341. James Gangwer, pastor. Sunday School: 10 a.m., Worship Service: 11 a.m., Sunday evening worship: 7 p.m., Wednesday evening youth groups, Adult Bible study and prayer: 7 p.m.; FundamentalIndependent. CITYREACH CHURCH - 169 Pearl St., Essex Jct. Behind Subway, on the back side of the building. Pastor Brent Collins. Sunday worship service: 10 a.m. & 5 p.m. A casual, family-focused and friendly Christian Church with practical teaching, great music, a safe kids program (Nursery-5th grade) and an exciting and empowering church experience, www.essexjunction.cityreachnetwork. org; bcollins@cityreachnetwork.org; facebook: CityReach Church - Essex Junction. CHRIST MEMORIAL CHURCH - Route 2A, Williston, just north of Industrial Ave. 878-7107. Wes Pastor, senior minister, proclaiming Christ and Him crucified, Sundays: 9:30 a.m., www.cmcvermont.org. DAYBREAk COMMUnITY CHURCH - 67 Creek Farm Plaza, Colchester. 338-9118. Brent Devenney, lead pastor. Sunday service: 10:30 a.m., AWANA: Thursdays twice a month, www.daybreakvermont.org; brentdaybreak@gmail.com ESSEX ALLIAnCE CHURCH - 37 Old Stage Road, Essex Jct. 878-8213. Sunday services: 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m. & 11:30 a.m., www.essexalliance.org. ESSEX CEnTER UnITED METHODIST CHURCH - 119 Center Rd (Route 15), Essex. 878-8304. Rev. Mitchell Hay, pastor. Service 10:00 a.m. with Sunday School and childcare provided. We offer a variety of small groups for prayer, Bible study, hands-on ministry, and studying contemporary faith issues. Please join us for worship that combines the best of traditional and contemporary music and spirituality. We are a safe and welcoming space for all people to celebrate, worship, ask questions and plant spiritual roots. FIRST COngREgATIOnAL CHURCH OF ESSEX JUnCTIOn - 1 Church Street, Essex Jct. 878-5745. Rev. Mark Mendes, senior pastor. Sunday Worship Services: 8:30 and 10:15 a.m. Communion: first Sunday of every month. Sunday School: 5th/6th Grade - 1st Sunday of the month, Jr. & Sr. high youth groups - every Sunday. Heavenly Food Pantry: fourth Thursday of the month, 2-6 p.m. except for Nov. & Dec. when it is the third Thursday. Essex Eats Out community dinner: 1st Friday of the month, 5:30 – 7 p.m. Music includes Sanctuary Choir, Praise Band, Junior Choir, Cherub Choir, Handbell Choir, Men’s Acapella & Ladies’ Acapella groups. UCC, an Open and Affirming Congregation, embracing diversity and affirming the dignity and worth of every person, because we are all created by a loving God. www.fccej.org; welcome@fccej.org gRACE UnITED METHODIST CHURCH - 130 Maple Street, Essex Jct., 1 mile south of the Five Corners on Maple Street / Route 117. 878-8071. Worship Sundays: 9:30 a.m., with concurrent church school pre-K to high school. Handicapped-accessible facility. Adult study group Sundays: 11:00 a.m; adult choir, praise band, women’s fellowship, missionally active. Korean U.M.C. worship Sundays: 12:30 p.m., come explore what God might be offering you! HOLY FAMILY - ST. LAwREnCE PARISH - St. Lawrence: 158 West St., Essex Jct. 878.5331. Saturday Vigil: 4:00 p.m.; Sunday Morning: 8:00 a.m. Holy Family: 36 Lincoln St., Essex Jct., Sundays: 11 a.m. & 7:30 p.m. For more information visit www.hfslvt.org.

courtesy photo

This holiday season, the Essex Community Players present Charles M. Schultz’s classic, "a Charlie Brown Christmas." remaining show dates are Friday, Dec. 9 - Sunday, Dec. 11. Tickets are $14-18. See listing for more information.

8 ThurSdaY noonTime Book diScuSSion

Noon, Essex Free Library. Join us as we discuss "Woman in White" by Wilkie Collins.

read To archie

3:15 - 4 p.m., Brownell Library. Archie loves to listen to kids read and is certified by Therapy Dogs of Vermont. Archie’s owner is Christine Packard, Chair of Brownell Library Trustees. For all ages.

read To mckenzie The dog

3:30 p.m., Essex Free Library. Sign your young reader up for a 15-minute slot to read to our resident R.E.A.D. dog, McKenzie. McKenzie is a certified therapy and reading dog who loves to listen to stories. Reading to a dog is a wonderful way to work on reading skills in a comfortable atmosphere. To schedule a time, call us at 8790313 or email Caitlin at ccorless@essex.org.

children'S STorY Time 6 p.m., Rocky's Pizza, 39 Park St., Essex Jct. Mother Goose stories and Aesop's Fables.

The BenefiTS of Yoga

6:30 - 7:30 p.m., Essex Free Library. As we enter the stressful holiday season, yoga instructor Kelley Reagan gives an informative workshop on the many benefits of yoga.

MT. MAnSFIELD UnITARIAn UnIVERSALIST FELLOwSHIP - 195 Vermont Route 15, Jericho, the red barn across from Packard Road. 899-2558. Services are held 9:30 a.m. on the second and fourth Sunday of each month from September through June. Visit www.mmuuf. org.

9 fridaY

ST. JAMES EPISCOPAL CHURCH - 4 St. James Place, Essex Jct., off Rt. 2A at the Fairgrounds Gate F. 8784014. Rev. Kim Hardy. Holy Eucharist: 8:15 & 10:30 a.m. Adult study: 9:15 a.m. Visit www.stjamesvt.org; stjamesvtoffice@yahoo.com.

10 - 10:30 a.m., Brownell Library. Come listen to picture book stories and have fun with puppets, finger plays and rhymes. For ages birth to 5.

ST. PIUS X CHURCH - 20 Jericho Road, Essex. 878-5997. Rev. Charles Ranges, pastor. Masses: Saturday, 4:30 p.m. & Sunday, 9:30 a.m. Confessions: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. or please call 878-5331 for an appointment.

all ageS STorYTime

muSical STorYTime

10:30 - 11:30 a.m., Essex Free Library. Rock out and read on Friday

mornings with books, songs and instruments. For all ages.

VinTage moVie maTinee

Noon, Bayside Activity Center, 2 West Lakeshore Dr., Colchester. Bring your lunch at noon to meet others or just come for the movie at 1 p.m. Beverages and popcorn provided. This week's movie is viewers' choice.

Train hop & Tree lighTing

6 - 8 p.m., downtown Essex Jct. Business and communitiy partners host model train displays or train and holiday related activities throughout downtown Essex Jct. Maps are provided to visitors identifying "Hop Stations," or participating locations. Wander around the Village and enjoy all it has to offer while marking locations visited on your map. Be sure to stop by the Brownell Library to write letters to Santa with the Essex Reporter staff!

YuleTide concerT 7 p.m., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 23 Route 15, Jericho. A lively and lovely event featuring favorite carols and festive music of the season performed by the Green Mountain Bellows Pipers, The Shimmering Flute Trio and the Good Shepherd Contemporary Praise Band. Free admission. Donations benefit the Jericho-Underhill Ecumenical Ministries food shelf. For more information, contact Joanne Ranney at 434-3233 or email ranney@gmavt. net.

ESSEx CoMMuniTy PlayErS PrESEnT

a charlie Brown chriSTmaS

7:30 p.m., Essex Memorial Hall, 5 Towers rd., Essex. This holiday season, the Essex Community Players present Charles M. Schultz’s "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Based on the classic television special we all grew up with, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus and the Peanuts

gang search for the true meaning of Christmas, accompanied by the familiar music of Vince Guaraldi. Produced by Cindy MacKechnie. A talented and highly energetic cast of 12 directed by Art Kilmer with musical direction by Carol Mahany and choreography by Andie Asacker bring this holiday classic to life. Tickets: $14-18. For tickets and more information, visit www. essexplayers.com.

10 SaTurdaY whole Book approach

11 a.m., Phoenix Books, 21 Essex Way, Essex Jct. Calling all kids! Join us for our weekly "Whole Book Approach" story time to explore the ways words, pictures and book design work together to tell a complete story. Call us at 872-7111. ESSEx CoMMuniTy PlayErS PrESEnT

a charlie Brown chriSTmaS

2 & 7:30 p.m., Essex Memorial Hall, 5 Towers Rd., Essex. (See Friday, Dec. 9.)

Barn lighTing aT moonriSe farm

4 p.m., Moonrise Farm, 15 Gray Way, Essex. Farmer John and Laddie the Sheepdog read Sweet Pea’s children’s book, "The Sheepover," and Finn’s book, "Brave Little Finn." Have a picture taken with your favorite animal storybook character. Sign the barn wall with a message to Sweet Pea, Finn and all their friends. Enjoy a holiday singalong, and stay warm by the bonfire with local hot apple cider and a treat. At 4:30 p.m., watch as Sweet Pea and friends move into the barn for the winter. The barn lighting will be at 4:45 p.m., and Farmer John will have story time in the barn from 5 - 6 p.m. Don’t miss this free, family-friendly event. For more information, contact Dawn at 8882426.

11 SundaY healing Yoga & mediTaTion

10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Contois Auditorium, 149 Church St., Burlington. a fundraiser to benefit the memorial fund for the five Harwood teens killed in an October car crash. Allie Harris, an Essex native and one of the drivers involved in the second part of the crash, invites you to join her healing journey. yoga will take place from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m., and meditation guided by violin from 11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Attendees are invited to one or both parts. Those unable to attend can still donate at www.gofundme. com/yoga-meditationharwoodteens. ESSEx CoMMuniTy PlayErS PrESEnT

a charlie Brown chriSTmaS 2 p.m., Essex Memorial Hall, 5 Towers rd., Essex. (See Friday, Dec. 9.)

MilTon CoMMuniTy BanD

holidaY concerT

2 p.m., Milton High School Auditorium. The Milton Community Band performs a holiday concert under the direction of Brian Hoover. Featured guest performers are Inseldudler, Vermont’s own traditional German band. Children will love the reading of “The Night Before Christmas” complete with musical accompaniment. The concert will include our popular sing-along of holiday favorites. Free; sponsored by the Milton Recreation Department. For more information, please call 893-4922 or visit www.miltonband. net.

VYo orcheSTra choruS palooza 4 p.m., Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, 153 Main St., Burlington. The Vyoa orchestras and chorus gather to perform this annual favorite. The program has something

December 8, 2016 • The Essex Reporter •7

calendar local MeeTinGS ThurS., dec. 8

6:30 p.m., Town planning commission, Town offices, 81 Main St., essex Jct.

TueS., dec. 13

6:30 - 8:30 p.m., village Trustees, Lincoln Hall, 2 Lincoln St., essex Jct.

for everyone with works by Bach to the Beatles. This year’s senior soloist is VYO percussionist Connor Zwonik of Colchester, performing Michael Colgrass’ "Timpani Concerto." The combined orchestras will perform Leroy Andersen’s ever-popular "Sleigh Ride" and Irving Berlin’s classic "White Christmas." For tickets, visit www.flynntix.org. For more information, call 655-5030 or visit www.vyo.org. WeSTFORd MuSIC SeRIeS

Full circle

4 - 5 p.m., uCW white church, Westford Common. An afternoon of medieval, renaissance and traditional music. Free. Refreshments will be served.

12 Monday SpaniSh MuSical KidS

10:30 - 11:15 a.m., Brownell Library. Join Constancia Gomez, an experienced Spanish teacher, for this interactive Spanish musical class for kids with activities to keep little ones and parents moving.

drop-in STory TiMe

10:30 - 11:30 a.m., essex Free Library. enjoy books, songs and crafts each week. All ages.

Tech help wiTh cliF

Noon & 1 p.m., Brownell Library. Offering one-on-one technology help! Bring in your new gadget or gizmo and Clif will sit with you to help you learn its ways. Reservation required; please call 878-6955 at least 24 hours in advance.

leGo club

3:30 - 4:30 p.m., essex Free Library. Build awesome creations with our collection of Legos.

FolK TaleS wiTh linda coSTello

3:30 - 4:30 p.m., Brownell Library. Storyteller Linda Costello tells folk tales to students in grades 1 and up.

MuST read MondayS: "Fun hoMe"

6:30 - 7:30 p.m., Brownell Library. Meet author Alison Bechdel’s father, a historic preservation expert and obsessive restorer of the family’s Victorian home. He’s a third-generation funeral home director, a high school english teacher, an icily distant parent and a closeted homosexual. A narrative that is alternately heartbreaking and fiercely funny. Pick up a

TueS., dec. 13

7 a.m. - 7 p.m., Special village & Town Meetings, Village voters: essex High School, 2 educational dr. Town outside the Village voters: essex Middle School, 60 Founders Rd.

copy of the book at the main desk.

13 TueSday STory TiMe For babieS and ToddlerS

9:10 - 9:30 a.m., Brownell Library. Picture books, songs, rhymes and puppets for babies and toddlers with an adult.

STory TiMe For preSchoolerS

10 - 10:45 a.m., Brownell Library. Picture books, songs, rhymes, puppets, flannel stories and early math activities for preschoolers.

verMonT GenealoGy library

3 - 9:30 p.m., 377 Hegeman Ave., Fort ethan Allen, Colchester. The Vt. Genealogy Library has the resources to help you find those elusive ancestors. For more information, visit www. vtgenlib.org.

read To daiSy

3:15 - 4 p.m., Brownell Library. daisy loves to listen to kids read and is certified by Therapy dogs of Vermont. daisy’s owner is Maddie Nash, a retired school counselor. For all ages.

FourTh & FiFTh Grade Special

3:30 - 4:30 p.m., Brownell Library. An after-school special event for 4th and 5th grade students. Make Rice Krispie treats and play "minute to win it" games.

drop-in KniTTinG club

6:30 p.m., essex Free Library. Bring your current knitting project or start a new one in the company of fellow knitters.

STarry niGhT SToryTiMe

6:30 - 7:30 p.m., essex Free Library. Come dressed in your pajamas and relax with some quiet songs and bedtime books.

14 wedneSday red clover Group For hoMeSchooled STudenTS

9 - 10 a.m., Brownell Library. each month, students in grades K-3 read two titles and participate in activities related to one on the list of this year’s Red Clover Award. Voting takes place in April.

doroThy’S liST Group For hoMeSchooled STudenTS

9 - 10 a.m., Brownell Library. each month, students in grades 4-8 hear book talks from this year’s dorothy’s List. Students keep a log and vote for their favorite to win the dorothy’s List Book Award in the spring. Group discussion is encouraged.

GMba booK diScuSSion For hoMeSchooled STudenTS

9 - 10 a.m., Brownell Library. High school students who are homeschooled gather monthly to discuss the books on the Green Mountain Book Award list and make a book trailer of their favorite. Voting is in May. For grades 9-12.

Tech TiMe wiTh Traci

10 - 11 a.m., essex Free Library. Need some tech help? drop in with your device and your questions.

Tech help wiTh cliF

eSSex roTary club MeeTinG

12:10 p.m., The essex, 70 essex Way, essex Jct. The Rotary Club of essex is known for offering a superb lunch, featuring speakers on topics of interest to the community at large. Visitors welcome. This week, the essex High School Chamber Choir will perform for the club.

15 ThurSday brownell library cloSed For STaFF in-Service FroM 9 - 10 a.M. read To archie

3:15 - 4 p.m., Brownell Library. Archie loves to listen to kids read and is certified by Therapy dogs of Vermont. Archie’s owner is Christine Packard, Chair of Brownell Library Trustees. For all ages.

read To McKenzie The doG

3:30 p.m., essex Free Library. Sign your young reader up for a 15-minute slot to read to our resident R.e.A.d. dog, McKenzie. McKenzie is a certified therapy and reading dog who loves to listen to stories. Reading to a dog is a wonderful way to work on reading skills in a comfortable atmosphere. To schedule a time, call us at 8790313 or email Caitlin at ccorless@essex.org.

children'S STory TiMe

6 p.m., Rocky's Pizza, 39 Park St., Essex Jct. Mother Goose stories and Aesop's Fables.

16 Friday all aGeS

SToryTiMe

10 - 10:30 a.m., Brownell Library. Come listen to picture book stories and have fun with puppets, finger plays and rhymes. For ages birth to 5.

Tell Michaela! michaela@essexreporter.com

MuSical SToryTiMe

10:30 - 11:30 a.m., essex Free Library. Rock out and read on Friday mornings with books, songs and instruments. For all ages.

SonGS and STorieS wiTh MaTThew

rd Sunday, October 23 , opening at 8:30am Sunday, December 11th, opening at 8:30am

Admission: Just $3.00

Save $1.00 with your WOKO Country Club Card Children 13 and under are Free 105 Pearl Street, Essex Junction, Vermont 05452

www.cvexpo.org

10 - 10:45 a.m., Brownell Library. Matthew Witten performs songs about our world and tells adventurous tales. Funded by the Brownell Library Foundation.

vinTaGe Movie MaTinee

Noon, Bayside Activity Center, 2 West Lakeshore dr., Colchester. Bring your lunch at noon to meet others or just come for the movie at 1 p.m. Beverages and popcorn provided. This week's movie is viewers' choice.

300± Repos, Trades, 30+ Donations & More Saturday, Dec. 10 @10AM Register from 8AM

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live acTion role play 3:30 - 5 p.m., Brownell Library. LARP with Sydney is open to all middle and high school students who want to have adventures in a mythical land.

FaMily Movie

6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Brownell Library. Free popcorn and drink. For all ages.

MaGGie’S Fiber Friday For adulTS

6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Brownell Library. Maggie Loftus, veteran knitter, will be settled in front of the fireplace in the Main Reading Room. She invites adult knitters and crocheters to join her with their projects and engage in conversation. Bring patterns to share if you’d like. If you wish to contact Maggie, email 6maggie2@myfairpoint.net.

braSS & percuSSion concerT

7:30 p.m., Southwick Music Building, 384 South Prospect St., Burlington. Join this student-run brass ensemble as they share their love of music.

17 SaTurday whole booK approach

11 a.m., Phoenix Books, 21 essex Way, essex Jct. (See Saturday, dec. 10.)

18 Sunday chS winTer concerT

2 p.m., Colchester High School Performing Arts Center. This concert will feature the CHS concert band, wind ensemble and jazz band as well as several choral ensembles. For more information, visit www. friendsofcolchestermusic. com.

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8• The Essex Reporter • December 8, 2016

OpiniOn & Community

Continued from page 5; see more on page 12.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Ho ho ho, just vote no! By now we have all heard and read the barrage of propaganda from the Recreation Governance Study Committee as to why the proposed independent recreation governance district is the best option for Essex voters. So let’s keep it simple: 1. If you live in the town outside the village and the RGSC’s proposal is approved, your taxes will increase. 2. How much your taxes will increase is not really known. As the RGSC admitted, its estimated operating budget for the new recreation district’s first year was just that: an estimate which may, or may not, change when an actual recreation budget proposal emerges. 3. The RGSC, the selectboard and the trustees all discussed a gradual phase in of tax increases for taxpayers in the town outside the village if the new STD is approved. However, no formal ac-

tion was ever taken to insure this would happen and the proposal as written contains no such protection for taxpayers in the town outside the village. 4. If approved, taxpayers will be locked in to this new recreation STD model for five years. That’s right; we will be unable to reverse course or otherwise modify this entity for half a decade, no matter what problems might emerge going forward. At least we can elect a new president every four years if we are dissatisfied with his/her performance (Thank God!) And so, my friends, as you go to the polls on December 13, let’s send a clear message to the selectboard and trustees that they need to go back to the drawing board and come up with a better plan for combining town and village recreation programs. And remember what Santa Claus might say: “Ho ho ho, just vote no!” Robert Bates Essex Town

OBITUARY

Mary Goodrow Our mom, Mary Margaret Gould Goodrow, 89, was reunited with our dad on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016. She was the last member of the immediate Gould family and became the matriarch for her brother

and sisters’ families, and she loved each and every one of them with all her heart. Mary enlisted in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II and was a graduate of the Fanny Allen School of Nursing. She worked as a registered nurse until her first child was born in 1954 when she devoted her life to raising her young family. She loved her days at the Fanny Allen, and she and her classmates “the girls” remained dear friends throughout their lives. She loved picking fresh strawberries and

And, something is different about EJRP. Its independent nature has allowed it to flourish and be extremely responsive to our community needs. They are constantly improving our parks, increasing capacities of programs and creating new recreational opportunities. Somehow they do this all without any increases on our taxes for recreation! I am voting yes for the recreation district because it is the option that will best allow the services we have come to enjoy from EJRP to continue. It will let us continue to have a direct say in the recreation budget by voting on it as a separate

"Shades of Harriet Powell" Essex and Essex Jct. are married and have become the second most populous community in Vermont. What do we, its voters, plan to do with that fact? Let's raise taxes. Let's change the name. Let's change to a mayoral government using state rep. districts as the basis for wards. Let's force all our small town officials to quietly retire. Let's develop the circ. right of way.

growing tomatoes. Mary was the daughter of Henry and Margaret (Barry) Gould, and was born on June 28, 1927 in Putney. She was predeceased by the love of her life, Goody Goodrow, in January 2000. She was predeceased by her parents and her siblings, Doris Dickinson, Joan Chase and Joseph Gould. Mary was a wonderful and loving mother and is survived by her four children and their spouses: Lloyd and Margo Goodrow of Essex Jct., Katie and Chris Fukuda of Williston, Anne Goodrow and John Guare

On December 13th, An Important Essex Community Vote:

Shall Essex Junction and Essex Town Consolidate Their Recreation Programs Into a Union Municipal District? • The union district concept was approved by 14 of 15 members of the Essex Town Selectboard, Essex Junction Trustees, and Essex Junction Prudential Committee (school board). Union district proposal was certified by Vermont Attorney General. • Maintains existing programs, leagues, services, trails & parks; keeps budgets and assets under local control. • Consolidates administration and operations under a five-member Town-Village Governing Board, composed of an Essex Selectman, a Village Trustee, and three members elected by the community. • Budgets will be voted on annually by Australian (paper) ballot just like the school budgets, to encourage higher voter turnout. Full transparency of all proceedings. Annual meeting and voting will take place on same day as new Essex unified union school district meetings and voting. • Essex community retains full ownership of all buildings, facilities, parks, and trails. • Union recreation districts are popular throughout the country. They They allow communities to consolidate programs under one roof without without losing local control of costs, and offer great flexibility to share assets assets and allow families to create the recreation services they want.

Please Vote now at 81 Main Street or on December 13th! Town Inside Village (Essex Junction) residents vote at Essex High School. Town Outside Village (Essex Town) residents vote at Essex Middle School. 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Paid for by the Village of Essex Junction on behalf of the Essex Recreation Governance Study Committee.

of Providence, R.I., and John and Mary Ellen Goodrow of Essex. She also leaves six much loved grandchildren who were the light of her life: Daniel Goodrow, Christina, Theresa and Nicholas Fukuda; and Joe and Jamie Goodrow. Lifelong family friends Rachel and Leighton Walker and our “other brother,” Ben Morse, were loved by Mom, too. Mary and her family will be forever grateful to the staff and her friends at Mansfield Place in Essex where she received loving care and warm friendships. She always looked

line item by Australian ballot. It will ensure that recreation funds continue to be used for recreation purposes. This choice is the best way to continue the vital childcare services that so many of us appreciate and need. I look forward to being able to access all that both recreation departments offer, but just at one office, under the governance of one elected board that is focused on recreation. Please join me in voting yes for the recreation district. Deb Carlin Essex Jct.

Let's buy more school buses so all students are bused to mega schools. Let's force upgrades to our county railroad corridor to world class. Let's build more traffic circles and European double cross interstate exchanges. Let's add more floors to our new jail for a real city center. Welcome to the next Vermont City: Hubble Falls!

forward to her meals where she enjoyed laughs and chatter with her friends. We are also very grateful for the compassionate care she received at the UVM Medical Center in her last days. Mom was a charter member and faithful communicant of St. Lawrence Church in Essex Jct. and was proud to be the very first person seated in the Hiawatha School where the very first mass was celebrated. Mom, you will always be in our hearts, and we will always love you. Rest in peace, and give Dad a

John C. Fitz Gerald Essex hug for us. We know that you will always watch over us from heaven as you did in life. Pray for us. Mary’s wake will be at Corbin and Palmer Funeral Home, Pleasant St., Essex Jct., on Friday, Dec. 9 from 3 to 6 p.m. A mass of Christian burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10, at St. Lawrence Church in Essex Jct. She will be laid to rest beside her loving husband at St. Francis Xavier Cemetery in Winooski. In lieu of flowers, please have masses said in memory of Mary and Goody.

December 8, 2016 • The Essex Reporter •9

JOIN THE FUN AT TRAIN HOp Friday, December 9, 6-8pm

tRee Lighting – Santa – tRainS – famiLy fun

ll aboard! The Train Hop is an annual event to celebrate our town through a free community event during the holiday season. The tree lighting is at 6:15 p.m. – don't miss it! Join your neighbors for the 8th Annual Essex Jct. Train Hop and Village Tree Lighting. The Train Hop is a free community event.

How Train Hop works: Businesses and community partners throughout downtown Essex Jct. host model train displays or train/holiday related activities. Maps are provided to visitors identifying Hop Stations – the participating locations. Wander around the Village enjoying all it has to offer, and mark locations visited on your map. New this year: Catch the early train with specials for Train Hoppers at the following restaurants: On Tap Bar & Grill: $3 Bud Light and 75-cent wings. Backstage Pub and Restaurant: $8 roasted turkey sandwich with cranberry mayo and gravy. Served with sweet potato fries. The Essex Grill: 15 percent off your entire purchase. Nepali Kitchen: 15 percent off your entire purchase. Hornets' Nest: Loose Caboose drink special. Firebird Café: 15 percent off your entire purchase. Just mention the Train Hop to be able to take advantage of these deals! Nomad Coffee, Berdas Roadside Eatery (donating 50 percent of proceeds from hot dog sales to the Wounded Warrior Project), Mediterranean Mix and The Good Food Truck will be parked behind Road Res Q. Make sure to stop by and grab a bite to eat. Parking is available at the First Congregational Church and the Summit Street School. A free trolley is available to transport event-goers.

ake sure you stop by to see the Essex Reporter staff in the Brownell Library, where you can write a letter to santa. You might even see it published here!

Enjoy the parade A.W.

RICH

& remember ourHOME veterans. FUNERAL PROUDLY SUPPORTING THE

The Essex Reporter is excited to celebrate Train Hop with the Essex community! Be sure to stop by and write a letter to Santa with the Reporter staff in the Brownell Library.

2016 TRAIN HOP!

Two Chapel Locations

www.awrichfuneralhomes.com 57 Main St., Essex Junction 802-879-4611 1176 Main St., Fairfax, Vermont 802-849-6261

The Essex Community Players

Welcome to Train Hop!

Present

A Charlie Brown

Christmas

by Charles M. Schulz, Music of Vince Guaraldi

December 2-11 Essex Memorial Hall

Season’s Greetings and a Happy New Year!

Tickets at EssexPlayers.com

Based on the television special by Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson Stage Adaption by Eric Schaeffer by special arrangement with Arthur Whitelaw and Ruby Persson Produced by arrangement with TAMS Witmark Music Library, Inc. 560 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10022

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10• The Essex Reporter • December 8, 2016

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12• The Essex Reporter • December 8, 2016

opinion LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Continued from page 8. Defeat the recreation district proposal When the chairman of the Essex Selectboard continues to under-report the problems his fellow board members have with the recreation district proposal, it makes it hard for me to believe anything he says. In his Dec. 1 letter to the editor, Max Levy – who sits beside Sue Cook in the boardroom – conveniently forgot that on August 29 (and since then), she voiced a number of concerns about his pet project. If Max didn’t hear her the first time, the meeting minutes (lines 59-65) detail her concerns quite thoroughly: “Ms. Cook has yet to see the benefits of creating this [union municipal district]. The benefit expressed that the UMD budget would be protected and not balanced against the other components of the municipal budget was a win for the recreation departments who are providing a great service, but she asked, if your house is on fire, isn’t the fire department budget important? She didn’t think they were thinking

Essex needs new leadership In the Oct. 27 Essex Reporter, joint municipal manager Pat Scheidel referred to town citizens being “overly zealous in scrutinizing processes.” In the Dec. 1 edition, Essex Town Selectboard chairman Max Levy and Essex Jct. Village Trustee president George Tyler smeared residents who opposed current consolidation efforts as if we were storming their fort or coming after them with pitchforks. Is this how Essex public servants talk about or treat the people they serve? I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised by their language since this is how they’ve treated any resident who comes to public meetings to offer input, questions motives and goals, looks for numbers, writes letters and sends emails or is forced to contact state

about things holistically enough, and at this point there may be a conflict of interest with the RGSC members being the ones that are handing out information to the public.” Max – who sat on the Recreation Governance Study Committee – and other members of the “inner circle” wish to persuade voters to think about the recreation district as another form of municipal consolidation. Actually, it’s a consolidation and separation. In a town that’s struggled over time with two overlapping municipalities, but recently succeeded in merging seven functions under town governance, why on earth would voters want to create a third municipality to run our recreation? Voters may want to keep in mind: EJRP is run by the school district and paid by Essex Jct. voters. Preschool and after school programs along with child care programs have been added throughout the years at some cost to taxpayers. Over the past three years EJRP used an average of $80,000

officials in order to provide correct information against the barrage of spin and misinformation provided by our local legislatures and management personnel. There are many indications the town is headed in the wrong direction. There is now a recommendation before the selectboard to form a public engagement board with both elected and appointed members that would have a budget, including hiring a community engagement director. At a recent selectboard meeting, there was an approval to outfit Essex police with new “elevated threat level” heavy vests and to obtain helmets and ballistic eye shields from Revision Military. Recent complaints about possible violations of open meeting laws was met with a response that the selectboard should “let your conscience by your guide” rather than

Let's form a recreation district Since 1971, parks and recreation services in the village has been unique compared to the rest of the state: The school district has managed its operations. Today, Essex Jct. Recreation and Parks is the only recreation department in the state that operates under the schools, and on July 1, 2017, this will no longer be. Before this transition happens, I think it is important to reflect on what our community has built over the past 45 years. In EJRP, we have a recreation department that: • Offers youth and adult recreational, educational and fitness programs • Operates two full-day, year-round preschool classrooms • Provides licensed afterschool childcare at our elementary schools for 200 kids each day • Has shared staff with the schools to enhance the connection between the school day and afterschool activities and expectations • Runs licensed summer day camps for 180 Why I’m voting no December 13 I would like to share my thoughts as it pertains to the creation of a special tax district, referred to as an STD, for parks and recreation. As with all tax districts, there will be additional revenue needed to support the STD, and I feel the taxes required to generate the revenue will grow yearly. I feel the money spent supporting another layer of bureaucracy to be unnecessary and wasteful. Once the STD is created, it will be very difficult, if at all possible, to dismantle. It can’t be ignored that no other town in the State of Vermont has created an STD

statute or law. Does a small Vermont town need a more militarized police department? Should we have to teach the legislative body and town management how to engage the public or how to follow statute? The No. 1 goal in the selectboard’s prioritization of goals is consolidation of services. Infrastructure is No. 4, economic development is No. 5 and human services needs such as substance abuse or homelessness is No. 6 – the bottom goal. Public safety isn’t on the list. Holding down tax rates isn’t on the list. Mark Twain said, “If voting made any difference, they wouldn’t let us do it.” I would hope in the elections to come during the next year, we let the current leadership know that they need to change direction, or we need to change them.

annually from fund balance to keep tax hikes in check. As the village, town and Westford school districts merge, the new school district does not want to oversee EJRP. This proposed district will not have to answer to the municipal town manager, selectboard or trustees for their budgeting, operations, property sales or purchases, accounting, finance, payroll, etc. The town’s recreation department runs efficiently as is and has the oversight of the municipal manager and the selectboard on policy and budget matters. The people who’d benefit from the creation of this recreation district are those in the inner circle: padding their résumés, shoring up their political alliances and the like. Vote no on December 13 at the polls or vote early at the town clerk’s office. But please vote. Dennis Bergeron Essex Jct.

Thanks for your support I want to sincerely thank everyone who supported my campaign and voted for me for the Vermont House. There were so many people who helped with my web page, my absentee ballot letters, planting yard signs, making phone calls and providing advice. I want to thank Paul Dame for his help and support. I want to congratulate Lori Ernst Houghton and Dylan Giambatista on their victories. I wish them well. I would be a real clod if I didn't thank my wife, Kathryn, for all of her support. Election Day was her birthday, and her celebration included an eight-hour workday, an hour and a half at the polls supporting me and a very disappointing national election. Thank you for the late dinners, the weekends alone while I went door-to-door and your immeasurable help with my Facebook page and as my treasurer. I could not have done this without your support. Thanks again to everyone who supported me. I will continue my work in Essex on the selectboard and my advocacy on the Chamber Board and with the Home Builders. Vermont needs sustainable budgets, a prosperous middle class, affordable education for our children, a growing economy and a strong fight to reduce the opiate addiction epidemic. It is my hope we begin to achieve these goals. Thanks, and I will see you soon. Mike Plageman Essex

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kids each day of the summer Manages three parks including Maple Street Park, home to two pools, a playground, baseball fields, multi-purpose fields, pavilions, a skate park, a bike park, basketball courts, and tennis courts • Oversees two community garden sites and a dog park • Creates free community events • Has maintained a nearly level tax rate for the last nine years I have lived in many places and never experienced a recreation department like this. And, as I look around at neighboring towns, throughout the county, and even throughout the state, I don’t believe that you will find a recreation department that can draft a list of all of the above offerings. Maybe this has to do with how EJRP has been managed since the ’70s? Maybe there is something to the way our community approaches recreation – an independent budget, voted on by Australian ballot, that promotes innovation and keeps recreation money with recreation? On December 13, voters have a choice as to whether or not to form a recreation dis•

for parks and recreation. In addition, it can’t be ignored that a number articles have appeared questioning the overuse and misuse of special tax districts. Parks and recreation is necessary and worthy of tax dollars; however, I feel there’s no need to create a special tax district to support parks and recreation. A vote against the proposal is not a vote against parks and recreation, but rather a vote for intelligent governance and sane taxes. Among others, one possibility is to place parks and recreation under the village trustees. The trustees have a proven record of prioritizing and balancing the needs of the village with

trict. If voters vote yes, the recreation district would combine EJRP and Essex Parks and Recreation into a new, shared entity. This concept is novel. It is different than the traditionally operated municipal recreation department. It will support an independent budget, voted on by Australian ballot. Recreation revenues will be reinvested into the very place they came from – parks and rec. A no vote will result in the village municipality taking over EJRP and the town municipality continuing to run EPR. Just like how recreation works everywhere else. Yawn. Recreation here has been unique. On December 13, we can vote yes to keep it unique. We can continue what we have built over the last 45 years and build on that through a new partnership with the EPR, in a new entity called Essex Community Parks & Recreation. Annie Cooper Proud resident of Essex Jct. and therefore Essex Town

the tax demands placed on the residence. The trustees are in the best position to assess and recommend those projects that are vital in keeping the village appealing, functional, vibrant and solvent. By not placing parks and recreation under the trustees, the taxpayer will be confronted with yet another agency vying for tax dollars without the oversight and value-add the village trustees could provide in assessing where tax dollars are most needed, which projects should go forward, and which ones could be scaled back or delayed to keep taxes reasonable. I anticipate there’ll be a comments and letters rebutting aspects of the above, but ask

yourself, have you ever known of a government agency that just quietly went away, especially one given the authority to raise money by taxing? By their very nature, the size of these entities will grow and grow, and the tax revenue needed to support them will grow and grow, and your tax bill will grow and grow. I will be voting no on December 13. I feel it’s only prudent to wait until there’s more information and a better understanding of the short and long-term impact a parks and recreational STD would will have on the community. Paul M. Austin Essex

Yes on recreation district Our family has been involved in one way or another with Essex Jct. Recreation & Parks for more than 20 years. My kids have attended preschool, Village Kids, summer camps and recreation programs. We use the Maple Street Pool and take our dogs to the dog park. And five of my children have worked at EJRP. Additionally, I have served on the Recreation Advisory Council for many years, and currently serve as chairwoman. What I have come to know is EJRP is a vital department for our children and families. And, something is different about EJRP. Its independent nature has allowed it to flourish and be extremely responsive to our community needs. They are constantly improving our parks, increasing capacities of programs and creating new recreational opportunities. Somehow they do this all without any increases on our taxes for recreation! I am voting yes for the recreation district because it is the option that will best allow the services we have come to enjoy from EJRP to continue. It will let us continue to have a direct say in the recreation budget by voting on it as a separate line item by Australian ballot. It will ensure that recreation funds continue to be used for recreation purposes. This choice is the best way to continue the vital childcare services that so many of us appreciate and need. I look forward to being able to access all that both recreation departments offer, but just at one office, under the governance of one elected board that is focused on recreation. Please join me in voting yes for the recreation district. Deb Carlin Essex Jct. Vote on the rec issue I would like to encourage everyone to take a few minutes on December 13 and vote on the recreation issue on the ballot. This is an important vote for the sustainability and future of parks and recreation for our entire community so please exercise your right to vote and be a part of this important decision! For more information, go to www.essexrec.org. See you at the polls. Wendy Johnson Essex Jct.

something on YoUR minD? submit your letter to the editor (450 words or fewer) to news @essexreporter.com by Friday at 5 p.m. Please include your name, address and phone number.

December 8, 2016 • The Essex Reporter •13

local JOURNAL from page 1

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important issue for students to understand. Peer Helpers has four other committees focused on recruitment, breaking down barriers, personal relationships and training. As the publication’s two and only reporters, House and Olson view themselves as a source for students who don’t have time to join, recapping trainings like a recent LGBTQ presentation during which House, who’s gender queer, also spoke. After school last week, the duo sat in the high school’s library, crafting the latest issue amidst their very readers. Every so often, a friend stopped by to say hello or to provide a harmonica soundtrack as they worked. Once finished, they’ll send the draft to the club’s mentors, school counselors Jon Moore and Siobhan Barber, for finals edits before it hits the stalls. Like any publishing operation, House and Olson have experienced their share of obstacles, like the loss of institutional knowledge about printing after a former colleague’s departure. “Gone with the college wind,” Olson said. They’ve since found an innovative system that works, requiring two printers and a little patience. While helping their peers understand complex issues like gender identity, the journal has also allowed

the two students to learn as well. “I feel like there’s that one friend who’s like the therapist friend,” House said. “I ended up being that friend for a lot of my friends in middle school.” So House, now a junior, joined with a hope of learning how to better aid friends and peers. From there, the club’s trainings provided communication techniques and taught House to be observant of school happenings, armed with ways to step in and help a student in need. For Olson, a sophomore, entering high school sparked a desire to fill some leadership role. After contemplating his choices, which included student government, he decided on Peer Helpers, with the hope of “bettering the social environment.” Both joined the Journal as freshman and said the response from teachers and school visitors has been largely positive. Yet similar to many of today’s publishers, they hope to still find better ways to engage their readers. House is currently interning in a lab at the University of Vermont and is considering scientific journalism as a future career. Olson, meanwhile, is leaning toward early education. For now, however, the duo plans to continue filling stalls with the latest news. “It’s good to feel like there might be someone out there that’s learning indirectly from the Peer Helpers trainings,” Olson said.

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Celebrations

Tony and Tammy Whitaker of Milton announce the engagement of their son, Steven Whitaker to Macie Laurin, also of Milton. Laurin is the daughter of David Laurin of Colchester and Terry Heald of Eden and works as an RN at Fanny Allen. Whitaker is employed by Costco. The couple resides in Essex. A wedding at the Old Lantern Barn in Charlotte is planned for September.

Vows/Engagements

Ray – Barany

Cioffi – Shungu

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Druckerman – Weiner

Michael and Mary Ann Ray of Essex Jct. announce the marriage of their son Steven Ray to Lindsey Barany, daughter of Richard and Princess Barany of Idaho. The couple was married at the Tourterelle Restaurant and Inn New Haven on August 13 and honeymooned in Montreal and Quebec City. Barany works as an optician at EyeCare of Vermont. Ray is an auto technician at Automaster. They reside in Milton.

Glenn and Michele Cioffi of Essex announce the engagement of their daughter Katherine Jennifer Cioffi to Gael Kudemoka Shungu of South Burlington. Shungu is the son of Alex and Cecile Shungu and is the General Manager of the Sonesta ES Suites in Willison. Cioffi is the Senior Transfer Credit Coordinator at Champlain College. A wedding is planned for June of next year.

Carl and Alison Wermer of Essex Jct. announce the marriage of their son Leo Knox Wermer to Ashley Williams. Wermer, a CCV and Southern Main Community College graduate, is a paramedic firefighter in South Burlington. Williams works as a physician’s assistant at Beach Medical Services in Plattsburgh. She holds degrees from UVM and Clarkson University. The couple wed on June 10 and resides in South Hero.

Julie Cohen Sloma of Essex and Howard Druckerman of Essex Jct. announce the engagement of their son, Joshua Druckerman to Kelly Weiner of Florida. Weiner is the daughter of Kathy LeGrand-Heider and Mark Weiner and works as an immigration attorney. Druckerman is also an attorney, specializing in intellectual property law. The couple resides in Brooklyn, NY. A Vermont wedding is planned for September.

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Christine E. Chiaravalle and Evan J. Goldring of Essex Jct. were named to the Summer 2016 dean’s list at the Community College of Vermont. Dean’s list students must achieve a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Anna T. Brouillette of Essex was named to the Spring 2016 dean’s list at St. Lawrence University. Dean’s list students must achieve a GPA of 3.6 or higher. Renee Lemieux of Essex Jct. received her RN license after graduating from Vermont Technical College earlier this year.

Business Jim Reardon of Essex Jct. is a new board member at LUND, an organization that provides resources to pregnant and parenting teens, young adults and adoptive families. He is currently the director of finance at Burlington Electric. Essex Physical Therapy welcomed Casey Baczewski, DPT, to the Meadows office team in Essex Jct. NBT Bank promoted Sean Grattan of Essex to vice president. He is a member of NBT’s Wealth Management team and works out of the Vermont Regional Headquarters in Burlington.

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Madison Scheps of Essex Jct. was named to the spring 2016 dean’s list at New York University’s Steinhardt School. Dean’s list students must achieve a GPA of 3.7 or higher.

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December 8, 2016 • The Essex Reporter •15

local Continued from page 1

arryl Koch Darryl Koch has been a resident of Essex for 12 years. He is the owner of Community Chiropractic Spine & Sport in Essex. His family includes wife, Aimee, sons Braeden and Ethan and a black lab puppy, Mara. 1. Over the past 15 years, I have served as a director and active participant on the boards of seven not-for-profit organizations. These have included a domestic violence shelter, a mental health mentoring program, a college-to-small business apprenticeship program, a civic service organization, a medical IPA, my homeowners' association and a healthcare trade association. I have been a successful small business owner for more than 18 years, managing all operations in the ever-evolving healthcare industry. Prior to that, I worked in human resources in corporate banking where I learned to interpret and enforce government regulation and corporate policy. 2. While deciding to run for a director position on the Essex Community Parks & Recreation Board, I attended two public forums - one in Essex Jct. and one in Essex Town outside the village. At these meetings, I actively listened to the comments and questions presented by the other residents in attendance. Over the last two months I have had scores of conversations with residents of Essex about the recreation proposal and how a merger could affect all of us as taxpayers and residents. Through work, schools, church, recreation programs, community relationships and social relationships, I interact with a wide demographic of our residents on a daily basis. I think my qualifications and willingness to respect all presented views would allow me to be an important contributor to the recreation board. 3. I am very sensitive to the tax repercussions of a recreation department merger. I will strive to create a budget that balances user fees and tax revenue. If Essex Community Parks & Recreation is formed, a five-member board will be presenting a recreation budget to the voters. While this represents fewer individuals and less layers of ad-

ministration than the current systems, it will bring the recreation budget to vote as a specific line item on Australian ballot. This will give the voters of the Town of Essex more direct control of the recreation budget.

rika Baldasaro Erik Baldasaro has worked 20 years in the banking industry and is currently a vice president in community banking for Merchants Bank. She has a finance background and B.S. from Southern New Hampshire University. She lives in the Village of Essex Jct. with her husband and three children. 1. I believe I am qualified to serve as a director of Essex Parks & Recreation based on my background and current experience with the Recreation Governance Study Committee. I have 20 years of finance, management and budgeting experience including government banking. I have previously sat on boards for non-profit foundations and local community groups. I will bring real world experience, knowledge and a passion for our outstanding recreation departments if elected as a director. 2. I have spent the last eight months representing my community in the study of governance models with the RGSC. I would like to continue to represent the Essex community as a whole and bring my passion and knowledge for quality, affordable, sustainable and fiscally responsible recreation to Essex. 3. Currently the budget for Essex Jct. Recreation & Parks is separate from all other municipal and school budgets; this separation has not created excess spending in the past. The model of separating out the recreation budget has in fact allowed village residents a chance to decide how they would like to spend their money on recreation directly. Also, the budget and bond spending would need to be voter approved in April by Australian ballot. This vote would come after municipal votes and at the same time as school budget votes, allowing residents to know exactly how and where all spending has taken place for that fiscal year. This model has the exact same oversight, audit and voter approval that the town and village currently have but with the distinct difference that the recreation department

is revenue generating and able to offset some budget increases with revenues unlike municipalities that rely mostly on taxes. The new recreation executive director and board also have a responsibility to taxpayers to work with the municipalities and school district to make sure budgets work for the community as a whole. I would expect that this same oversight currently would happen with town/village/school spending.

ason DiRosa Jason DiRosa and his wife, Cara, have lived in Essex Jct. for the seven years with three children, ages 9, 6 and 2. He has served on the Prudential Committee for two years and wants to help shape the initial recreation district governance while keeping a minimal tax impact to the community. 1. For the past two years, I have served on the Prudential Committee and am the current vice chairman, which, as part of its responsibilities, oversees Essex Jct. Parks and Recreation. I have served on the Recreational Governance Study Committee, and having put forward the recommendation to form a Union Municipal District, I feel strongly that if the community approves that, I want to help insure that it is successful. 2. I view recreation in the community as an integral part at all ages. Many parents depend on the services the recreation departments provide in childcare and in providing growth opportunities for their children. The overall community can get together on the many activities that span all ages and give a chance for everyone to interact with their neighbors when they otherwise may not have those opportunities. 3. A separate recreation district provides spending oversight by having a dedicated board of directors with that sole responsibility of recreation. There are no other items to compete for their attention. The budget they prepare will be a separate ballot item that will get approval from the entire community. This puts the budget very clearly in front of everyone to see and approve. Ultimately the board is responsible to the community.

ay Maloney Kay Maloney works in engineering business

operations at GlobalFoundries. She studied chemical engineering at Georgia Tech. She is the mother of three boys and is a soccer coach and active in Boy Scouts. She previously served on the boards of Essex United Soccer, Essex Youth Hockey and Saxon Hill Preschool. 1. My business operations experience lends itself well to the fiscal responsibilities of the board. I have experience in process controls, developing and balancing budgets, forecasting and concise reporting. I have actively supported recreation programs in our community. I organized Essex Youth Soccer, growing the program from 500 to 700 players. I taught in the after school program with my sons and chaperoned in the Bolton Valley ski program. My family and I have participated in numerous recreation programs in both departments, and we are frequent users of our parks. I am very familiar with the expectation for excellence. 2. I am passionate about our community parks and recreation programs. It is critical that we continue to offer the best programs and facilities while being fiscally responsible. I lived in the town outside the village for 16 years and have recently downsized to a home in the village. As a community member that raised my family in Essex, I understand the value of what recreation brings to our community. Now the pendulum has swung for me personally to less usage of programs, though still an active community member that pays taxes, I want to bring a balanced approach for all tax payers (young, elders, single households and family households). 3. The best way to address the concern of oversight is transparency. The merging of the two departments will come with challenges that require research and dialogue, resulting in difficult decisions. The board has a responsibility to be transparent in the process it follows. Community members have a role to stay involved long after this first vote. This is just one step to move forward to offer the best recreation program possible, it’s not just one vote for today; it’s our future. Community members, we need stay involved, have a voice and offer input so we can all continue to grow.

etzi Bilodeau Betzi (Weeks) Bilodeau has been an Essex resident for more than 30 years who has lived in the village and the town. She attended school at Hiawatha, Founders, Essex Middle and EJHS and is a former Union 46 School Board member. She also served on the RGSC. Betzi lives in the Butlers Corner neighborhood with her husband, Andy, and her three daughters ages 10 to 15. 1. The new ECPR board will have a significant amount of work to do in the first seven months of its existence to be ready to provide recreation services by July 1, 2017, most notably recruiting and hiring an executive director and preparing a budget to be voted on at the same time as the school budget vote in April 2017. Having been heavily involved in the foundation of the ECPR including serving on the committee that finalized and submitted the founding articles of agreement to the Attorney General’s office, I’m ready to hit the ground running. 2. Heart & Soul of Essex identified six shared values in our community including health & recreation. I couldn’t agree more. I have heard time and again that one of the reasons a family has chosen to live in Essex is our exceptional recreation options, from programming to parks. It is important that we maintain or enhance our current recreation systems while mindfully keeping budgets in check. As a resident of the town outside the village. I know my neighbors won’t approve significant increases in budget without the revenue from fees to support it. 3. As a director on the ECPR board, I will focus on maintaining what we currently enjoy, level tax rates for recreation (once tax equity is achieved). The community is voting on the creation of ECPR based, in part, on budget estimates and I feel the new directors have an obligation to the community to stick as closely to these estimates as possible when putting together a budget for public approval. An unpassable budget benefits no one; as with our other municipalities, the public will hold the elected board accountable.

Early voting:

Voting day:

All residents can visit the Essex town offices at 81 Main St. to vote early. Ballots must be returned to the town clerk’s office by Monday, Dec. 12 at 4:30 p.m., or to the polling place before 7 p.m. on December 13 to be counted.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Town voters can cast ballots at Essex Middle School, while village voters can cast both their village ballot and town ballot at Essex High School.

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ESSEX TOWN SCHOOL DISTRICT

Photo by Bonnie SzarkowSki The greenhouse pictured above will be moved from Founders Memorial School grounds to the Essex Community Garden.

Essex Town School District’s Child Nutrition Program is committed to incorporating fresh and local produce into

weekly meal planning. In collaboration with classroom teachers and farmto-school personnel and volunteers, the program

is helping to facilitate the integration of healthy nutrition, wellness and environmental sciences into the district’s local curriculum. The Essex Community Garden, located next to Mitchell Field on Foster Road, has been a valuable resource to the schools and local garden enthusiasts living nearby. We are very excited to announce the greenhouse on the north side of FMS will be moved to the site of the community garden next month, which will prove to be a huge asset to the farm-to-school initiative.

By moving the greenhouse to this location, several objectives will be met including increasing student knowledge regarding life and environmental sciences, increased community and volunteer participation, access to water and greater amount of sunshine thereby enhancing the garden’s viability and promoting sustainability of the farmto-school program. Mark andrews Like our page on Facebook to see more: http://bit. ly/2h0p8as.

ESSEX HIgH SCHOOL perienced such joy and gratitude in being able to deliver those baskets that it felt unfair that the Class of 2020 did the hard work and we got to do the best part of the whole project!” Cara Fitzgibbon summed it up, saying, “I am so inspired by the EHS students who put this together, and wish they could truly know the impact they had on many peoples' lives this holiday.” And for that, we give thanks to all who participated. winter Concert: Essex High School's Music Department will present its winter concert on December 14 at 7 p.m. The concert will feature a wide variety of winter selections and holiday favorites performed by the wind ensemble, sym-

Food Drive: During the month of November, members of the Class of 2020 Council sponsored a schoolwide Thanksgiving Food Drive at Essex High School. Council members came up with the idea and enthusiastically promoted the event by visiting advisories and designing colorful posters. Some worked on decorating cards to send along with the boxes of food, and everyone pitched in to sort and pack items into appropriate boxes. With the support of many students from across all grades, as well as faculty and staff, over 500 pounds of food was collected. Just before Thanksgiving, school social workers delivered boxes to local families in need. Lindsey Willis shared, “We ex-

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phonic band, chamber choir, concert choir, Essex Jazz Orchestra, Essex Jazz Junction, Kaleidoscope and Pitch Pipes. Admission is free; donations are greatly appreciated. Career Talks: On November 30, Essex High School welcomed Machinist’s Mate – Nuclear – Surface Christopher L. Keeter of the U.S. Navy to talk about STEM careers related to the Navy's nuclear propulsion program. The next Career Talk will be on December 14, as Ben Powers, game changer from Vital Leadership Coaching, will talk about his career. To learn more about what he does, visit: http:// www.vitalleadershipcoaching.com.

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Courtesy photo CTE Residential Building Technology Program students are building the first student-constructed net-zero house in the state. The goal of the home is to have it produce as much energy as it consumes.

First student-built net-zero house in Vermont: The students enrolled in the CTE Residential Building Technology Program are in the process of building the first student-constructed netzero house in the state. Built to the criteria of Efficiency Vermont High Performance Criteria, the goal is to have the new home produce as much energy as it consumes. This home has unique features such as double-framed 2x4 walls filled with R-40 insulation, R-60 insulation in the attic, triple-pane tilt/ turn windows, a mini-split heat pump system, an energy recovery ventilation system and a solar PV array that will provide all of the power for the house. The home is a 1,900 square-foot hillside ranch with a full walkout basement. There is a wide open floor plan with solid hardwood floors throughout, while the entryway and bathrooms will have tile floors. The custom kitchen cabinets and granite countertops with large peninsula make for wonderful entertaining. There are three bedrooms and two and one-half baths, while the master bedroom suite has a private bath and large walk-in closet. As new building energy codes continue to get more stringent, CTE is taking the proactive step in training their students to build homes of the future. California, for instance, has a stated goal of adding zero net energy requirements into its building code by 2020. That means California’s new homes won’t just have to be zero energy ready— they’ll actually have to generate as much energy as they consume in the course of a year, typically by installing solar panels on the roof. And other states, such as Massachusetts and Florida, have been adding on to their standards as well. The universal de-

signed home exceeds all Vermont Residential Building Energy Code standards and has a central energy recovery ventilation system to provide clean, fresh air into the well-insulated, air-tight home with an extremely efficient heating system. The attached two-car garage has electric door openers, and the great location is just minutes to Five Corners, I-289 or the Essex shops and an easy drive to Burlington as well. The large back deck porch will be great for watching the sunset over the Adirondacks. The residential building program at the Center for Technology Essex has been designing and building custom homes in Essex Jct. for over 40 years. In this program, students are literally building their future. They learn how to build a state-of-the-art custom home from foundation to finish and everything in between. Upon completion of the program, students have the skills and knowledge to obtain a great job in the building trades. Many of our graduates are some of the most skilled tradesmen in Vermont, and many have their own successful businesses. Students learn the complexities of carpentry in a truly authentic classroom environment and a real world setting. The quality end product that they build will last a lifetime. Students learn the theory in the classroom and then take a fiveminute walk to the house site and apply what they learn. The students in the program are from nine different high schools throughout Chittenden County. Many graduates have multiple job offers upon completing the program.

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December 8, 2016 • The Essex Reporter •17

food

Cinnamon caramel cheesecake squares

avish meals are a large part of holiday celebrations, with many people indulging in dinners and desserts throughout the holiday season. This is a time when many families display their best recipes, which may include certain desserts that can be labor-intensive to make or something more fitting for a special occasion. Cheesecake is an example of a dessert that, due to the time it takes to create and the richness of the dessert itself, is not something many people eat on a regular basis. However, with a timesaving recipe, cheesecake can become a dessert prepared in little time for holiday festivities. Try this recipe for cinnamon caramel cheesecake squares” from “Pampered Chef Season’s Best, Fast, Fun & Fabulous” by Pampered Chef Test Kitchens.

Ingredients

2 8-oz. packages seamless crescent dough 2 8-oz. packages cream cheese 1 egg 2 tsp. vanilla extract 3/4 c. sugar, divided Flour for dusting 1 Tbs. cinnamon 1/2 c. caramel topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Unroll one package of crescent dough into a shallow baking pan. Roll out the dough to edges. Heat the cream cheese in a microwavesafe bowl, uncovered, on high for 30 to 40 seconds or until softened. Whisk until almost smooth. Add the egg, vanilla and 1/2 c. of sugar to the bowl. Whisk until smooth. Spread over the crescent dough. Lightly sprinkle the flat side of a cutting board with flour. Unroll the second package of crescent dough and roll it into a 13- by 12-in. rectangle. Fold the dough in half from the short end; gently lift and place in the pan. Unfold and gently stretch the dough over the cream cheese layer; press the edges to seal. Cut off corners of dough hanging over and discard. Bake 22 to 24 minutes, until golden brown. Combine the remaining 1/4 c. sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Place the caramel topping in a 1-c. measuring cup. Remove the pan from the oven. Immediately pour caramel topping over the cheesecake and spread to edges of crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture; let stand for 10 minutes. Using a utility knife, cut into 4x6 rows to make 24 squares.

3 4 5

6 7

Stock photo Cinnamon caramel cheesecake squares are an easier and quicker alternative to traditional cheesecake.

Directions

Have a holiday recipe to share with us? Send it to news@essexreporter.com for possible inclusion on a future food page! You’ve got to break eggs if an omelet you want authentic mexican cuisine

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18• The Essex Reporter • December 8, 2016

FAMILY MATTERS

Welcome to Pillsbury Senior Communities Where Family Comes First. We’ve been providing supportive independent and assisted care solutions for over 30 years, and we’re committed to helping you and your family find the one that works best for you. We offer a full range of options, services and amenities that are tailored to meet the unique needs of our residents. Give us a call today and find out how you can become part of our family, because at Pillsbury family matters!

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS