December 14, 2017 • The Essex Reporter • 1
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{ Thursday, December 14, 2017 }
sanitary wipes cause sewage overflow Manager By COLIN FLANDERS Disposable wipes are to blame for a Tuesday morning overflow that spilled untreated sewage into Indian Brook in a line cleared just last month, water quality superintendent Jim Jutras said. A homeowner on Mansfield Avenue reported a backed-up bath tub at 8:33 a.m. Public works responded with a flusher truck and
restored the flow 22 minutes later, Jutras said, in what he called a “fantastic response.” “They did a tremendous amount of work to get there quickly during a snow storm, and traffic was horrible,” he said. Jutras said the wipes balled up and caused the clog, backing up the main line until it found a relief point and overflowed. The spill sent an estimated 100 to 1,000
gallons into an Indian Brook subtributary, a report filed with the Vermont Watershed Management shows. The same section of the line was just serviced by the flushing crew November 29. Jutras explained while toilet paper is designed to break down — think the last time you used it to wipe up water — wipes are found relatively intact at the treatment plant. While some wipes claim to
be “flushable,” Justras said they’re far from it. It’s not the first time Jutras has seen wipes cause an issue, nor is it a problem unique to Essex Jct. In September, crews in London removed a 130-ton lump of congealed fat and household items, while U.S. cities report sanitary wipes are filling up their sewer systems. There’s even a name for it: “fatberg.” See SEWAGE, page 2
finalist still not named
Boards continue work to finalize contract By COLIN FLANDERS The selectboard and trustees still haven’t released the name of their choice for municipal manager 10 days after voting to extend an offer due to unresolved questions in the contract, village president George Tyler said Tuesday. After planning to announce the candidate’s name Tuesday night, Tyler said he’s been advised by the village attorney to withhold the name until the contract is ready to sign. Tyler explained the boards haven’t finalized language stating that while the manager works for both — and is paid by both the town and village — he or she only receives benefits from one entity. Tyler said he believes that will be the town due to its “desirable” retirement plan. He said the boards are See MANAGER, page 2
town explores path for Rt. 15 By COLIN FLANDERS
trains, trains &
all of the feels T
rain Hoppers filled stations around Essex Jct. last Friday at the annual rail-themed gathering, hosted this year by the Essex Jct. Parks and Recreation and Parks Department, which says over 1,000 people flocked to
21 stops around the village. Attendees were treated to dozens of train model sets, fine-tuned by famed train coordinator John Gaworecki, while The Reporter fielded 75 letters to Santa at the Brownell Library. Among our favorite requests: a new rottweiler, a YouTube account and a cure for cancer. See pages 14 and 15 for more.
Essex and Essex Jct. officials are exploring concepts for a shared-use path along a stretch of Route 15 that would connect a missing link between the town and village. In doing so, they hope to improve means for walking and cycling and plan for future development in the surrounding areas. “You’re connecting, really, two growth centers,” public works director Dennis Lutz said at Monday night’s public forum. Lutz explained the town has considered the project for years, but high costs deterred the start of any real conceptual work. Now, with a grant from the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, the town has hired engineering consulting firm Stantec to study alternatives and see if the project is viable. If so, the town will request design funds from the CCRPC before seeking grants for construction. Even with an 80 percent grant, however, Lutz expects the local share will be significant. The project area begins in Essex Jct. where the existing shared-use path ends at Athens Drive. It extends eastward about two-thirds of a mile to the I-289 interchange, ending at the start of another shared-use path on the east side. Route 15 narrows from 66 feet to less than 30 along this stretch, changing from 25 to See ROUTE 15, page 2
Siblings take the stage for VBT’s ‘The Nutcracker’ By MICHAELA HALNON
S
eventeen-year-old Liam Kinney would have happily bid adieu to the Nutcracker Prince character after his performance last Christmas. He decided to reprise the role one more time, though, insisting he was absolutely certain who would be picked to play the ballet’s iconic Clara this year: his little sister. “There was never a doubt in my mind that you would be Clara,” he told his sibling with a grin inside the Vermont Ballet Theater’s Essex dance studio last week. “I knew I wanted to dance with her one more time on
the stage.” Nora Kinney, 13, humbly waved off that suggestion, swearing she wished the leading part would be hers but wasn’t sure until the cast list was announced. The Essex siblings will dance opposite one another in two of the four shows later this week, uniting with the main company members. Liam usually studies hip-hop and jazz with the Jericho-based Vermont Youth Dancers but has joined the VBT’s Nutcracker for three years to help fill the titular male role. Luckily, he joked, the part predominately requires acting and miming instead of the highly technical ballet moves.
“After that, Nora does most of the dancing,” Liam said. “It’s very impressive.” Logging her seventh year in the VBT show and 11th with the studio overall, Nora said she had a lot of fine-tuning work to do despite her familiarity with the production. With Nutcracker rehearsals added to her normal class schedule, she’s spending about 25 hours dancing per week. See NUTCRACKER, page 3 PHOTO BY MICHAELA HALNON
Essex siblings Liam and Nora Kinney rehearse for the Vermont Ballet Theater's upcoming production of "The Nutcracker" last week.