The Charlotte News | February 20, 2019

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Charlotte News Wednesday, February 20, 2019 | Volume LXI Number 16

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Charlotte News

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Vol. 61, no.16

February 20, 2019

Vermont’s oldest nonprofit community newspaper, bringing you local news and views since 1958

Town meeting 2019 Mary A. Mead TOWN CLERK/TREASURER

Town meeting 2019 will be on Tuesday, March 5, at the Charlotte Central School Multi-Purpose Room.

The meeting starts at 9 a.m. to hear the reports of the Selectboard and to discuss the budget presented for FY20. The budget may be amended from the floor but is not voted on until the special meeting held this year on Tuesday, April 9, which is an Australian ballot vote. The total dollar amount that is voted on in April is the budget, as amended (or not) on March 5 from the floor at town meeting.

There will be four Australian ballots on March 5 to vote on—these include the town officers ballot, Champlain Valley School District ballot, the $275,000 ambulance bond and the $700,000 library addition bond. The two bond votes will be discussed the night before town meeting at the Charlotte Central School Multi-Purpose Room starting at 6:30 p.m.

The $700,000 bond for the library is half of the anticipated cost of the addition, with the expectation that the other $700,000 will be raised by private donations. There is a spreadsheet in the Town Report for the Charlotte Fire & Rescue Capital Fund that projects anticipated expenses for equipment and apparatus purchases over the next 10 years.

In FY20, the town will be making bond payments for the fire station, 2004 pumper, 2017 KME pumper, 2019 ambulance (if the vote passes) and library bond (if the vote passes). The total cost in bond payments for FY20 would be in the neighborhood of $120,500.

The fire station bond will be paid off at the end of FY20 as we pick up the bond for the ambulance. In two more years, FY22,

there is a request to bond for a $475,000 tanker and in FY24 a request to bond for a $675,000 pumper. The spreadsheet estimates the payments for those trucks over the next 10 years. The principal and interest payments for the $700,000 library bond are approximately $55,000, with the first year being the lowest cost at approximately $21,000 for interest only.

If all of the anticipated purchases are approved, within five years the town’s bond payments increase from $120,500 to an estimated $247,000.

When discussing the financing of different projects and equipment purchases it’s important to look at the whole picture: the cost of what the town is already financing plus new money requests and town priorities.

The March town meeting ballots are available now. You can request an absentee ballot in person, by mail, over the phone, by email or online. You can vote in the Town Clerk’s Office as well. When you are requesting an absentee ballot, don’t forget the April 9 town budget vote and request that ballot at the same time.

Candidates Night The Charlotte Grange and The Charlotte News are co-hosting the annual Candidates Night this year.

The event will be held on Tuesday, February 26, at the Charlotte Grange, 2898 Spear Street, at 7 p.m. During this moderated evening, each candidate will be permitted a few minutes to make an opening statement and then the floor will be open for questions. Refreshments will be provided.

Meet your neighbor, Genevieve Trono Melissa O’Brien

In this issue we revive a column the News ran for a time in the late 90s called Neighbor to Neighbor. As the title implies, it’s a way for us to come to know the answer to the question the late, great Fred Rogers posed: who are the people in your neighborhood?

We begin this month by introducing Genevieve Trono, who, with this issue, also becomes a TCN contributing writer.

Give us a bit about your background.

Where did you grow up? Go to school?

What dreams did you have for yourself when you were a kid?

I was born in Connecticut and moved to Bristol, Vermont, at the age of one when my mom moved her business to Vermont.

She owned a publishing company that made summaries of business books. In addition, she later opened a small bookstore called Deerleap Books, and that is where a lot of my happy childhood memories are from. I spent many days after school reading books in between the bookshelves. I loved the idea that books were a whole other world you could escape into, and I found so much comfort in books as a child. I was always very interested in people and in jobs that helped others.

How did you end up in Charlotte?

We lived in Richmond, Vermont, for seven years before moving to Charlotte in 2015.

My father-in-law has lived in Charlotte for 30-plus years, and in 2011 he started Fat Cow Farm. We visited the farm all the time with our two young children, who were just fascinated with the animals (and tractors), and so in 2014 we made the decision that we

Genevieve Trono

might like to live there, too. We sold our first home in Richmond and built a house at Fat Cow Farm that we moved into in the spring of 2015.

What do you find most challenging about life in Vermont?

You never know what to expect weatherwise when you live here, so you need to be prepared for anything! We are Vermonters for life, as our family owns a small local business, Trono Fuels, so I have really tried to embrace our life here. There is no bad weather, only the wrong clothing! Winter can feel really long here so you have to have hobbies that get you outside to enjoy it. We love swimming and boating on the lake in the summer, hiking on local trails in the fall, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, ice see NEIGHBOR page 5

Library bond impact Jonathan Silverman ON BEHALF OF THE CHARLOTTE LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Town Meeting Day is around the corner and with it, the vote on Article 8, the library expansion bond. In order to make sure that voters have the information they need when going to the polls, the Charlotte Library Board of Trustees would like to provide the following details.

• The proposed bond would cover up to $700,000 of the library project. The remaining $700,000 in costs is being raised through private donations, and over half of that amount has been raised to date.

• A bond is issued through the

Vermont Municipal Bond Bank, “assisting Vermont’s municipalities… with access to long-term bond financing.” The high rating of the Vermont Municipal Bond Bank allows for access to very low interest rates, as stated on the Vermont Municipal Bond Bank website (vmbb.org). “The low interest rates result in lower cost of borrowing” for cities and towns seeking funds for capital projects.

• This lower cost is passed along to the taxpayer as well. According to the latest estimate for the loan repayment schedule, the total cost to any property owner for the library expansion bond would be less than $100 per $100,000 of property value. This breaks down to an average of less than $5 per $100,000 of property value per year

A day in the life of the library Join us on a typical day at our library. In the main reading room, people browse for books and catch up on the newspapers; in the children’s room, moms and kids share picture books and play in the toy kitchen. Several visitors work on our public computers while others use the free Wi-Fi service to telecommute, study or catch up on email. Meanwhile, Coding Club members meet at the reading room tables to create their latest animated shorts. Upstairs, two library volunteers discuss the upcoming Seed Library opening, and downstairs, elementary students work over math problems in the back office as a parent-teacher conference takes place in the library workroom.

The faces may change and the topics shift, but the consistent and far-reaching use of the Charlotte Library is constant. over the 20-year bond repayment period.

Anyone interested in more information

about the library project, the proposed bond or the funding overall is welcome to stop by the library. We look forward to sharing the buzz about the expansion.

The next edition of The News will be published on Thursday, March 7, 2019.

2 • February 20, 2019 • The Charlotte News

Letters To The Editor Library Expansion Project

Many years ago, there was an opinion piece in the New York Times that has stayed with me. I have it printed out and re-read it often, and I have sent it to my children and they have, in turn, forwarded it to their own friends. I urge you to Google the article (Luis Negron, October 6 2012, The Pain of Reading https://www.nytimes. com/2012/10/07/opinion/sunday/the-pain-ofreading.html) and read it and share it. It is moving on many levels and resonated with me, I suppose, because I love books, I love reading and I love libraries.

I hope the article will remind you of how lucky we are to have such a lovely library in Charlotte, with wonderfully knowledgeable and helpful librarians. When I first moved to Charlotte last year, one of the very first things I did was visit the library. Even before I had my Vermont driver`s license, I had my library card. Throughout my life, this has always been like a talisman to me…a way into the wonderful world of books. In the year that I have lived here, I have been lucky enough to spend some small amount of time each week helping in the library. It is a gem! It is such an important resource for everyone in this lovely little town.

In small towns like Charlotte there are not many chances for people to intersect with

News From The News Vince Crockenberg PUBLISHER AND BOARD PRESIDENT

The Charlotte News Board of Directors is looking for a treasurer

The board treasurer, working together with our hired bookkeeper, Jessica Lucia, plays a crucially important role in ensuring that our financial accounts are current and accurate; with Patrice Machavern’s recent departure from the board, we are currently without one.

The treasurer reviews monthly bank statements, balance sheets and other financial documents, reports the financial status of The News to the board at its regular board meetings, ensures that all legal forms are filed, and works with the board and staff of the paper to draft and approve the annual operating budget.

We use Quickbooks Online to manage all our accounts, so a basic familiarity with that program—or a willingness to learn it—is essential.

One of the reasons The Charlotte News has been successful as a nonprofit community paper is because dedicated board members volunteer their time to ensure its financial and journalistic integrity. It’s a great board to work with (you can see who’s on it in the masthead to the right), and the personal satisfaction of ensuring the Voice of the Town continues to thrive in challenging times for journalism is priceless.

If you are interested in joining us on the board as our treasurer or would like to know more about what the position entails, send me an email at vince@ thecharlottenews.org or leave a voice message at 238-2806. I’d love to talk with you.

one another. The library is a such a place…a point of contact in our community. It seems always to be both quiet and bustling, if that makes sense. Everyone is respectful of the shhhhh! part of being in a library….but there is also always something going on. Tutors are working with children…librarians are working to help people find books, solve their technological issues (yes…this is a service they provide) or leading children in group projects….parents and children are playing and reading in the children`s room….people are combing the shelves for a new book to read or simply sitting and reading the newspaper. If you take a moment to go on the library website, the weekly, monthly and daily programs are varied, topical and numerous.

In today`s world, I believe libraries are more important than ever. They connect people to ideas, to the written word and to each other. We need our library to remain vital and vibrant. In the short time that I have been involved as a volunteer at the library, I have seen how valuable it is but also how limiting the existing space has become for the books themselves and for the programming that can be offered.

I urge you to support the Library Expansion Project. Voice your support on March 5 by voting in favor of the project…. and, if you don’t already have one, get a library card today and see the worlds it will open up for you.

Libby Laino

Enthusiastic support for the Charlotte Library Expansion Bond

Sitting on the library floor browsing stacks of books is one of my earliest school day memories. I worked my way through the Bobbsey Twins and Nancy Drew series (now I’ve dated myself) and whatever else piqued my interest. I discovered biographies and learned that real people can be as fascinating as fictional characters. The feeling of doors opening and new possibilities that libraries evoke in me has never gone away. Knowing that 70 percent of Charlotte residents have a library card, I think many in our town share my love of libraries.

The invention of e-readers, news articles on smart phones and Google answers at our fingertips has caused many to wonder if books might become irrelevant. It turns out that people still love to handle printed books, and libraries increasingly utilize technology. People use the Charlotte Library to download e-books, use the co-working space and attend community events. The library is open to all as a welcoming place to share common interests and expand our knowledge.

I am glad to have the opportunity to support the Charlotte Library’s expansion plans. I can hardly wait to see the possibilities the increased space will provide to all Charlotters.

Please join me in voting Yes on March 5 for the bond supporting the library expansion!

Shanley Hinge (Friends of the Charlotte Library board)

The library addition is a good deal for the town

On Town Meeting day, Charlotte voters will be asked to consider a $700,000 bond to help pay for a much-needed addition to the library. Like many Charlotters, I’m really thankful that we have such a vibrant, useful and well-stocked library. Building an addition will make the library that much better, by providing a room that is dedicated to hosting community events and also

freeing up space for more books.

What’s more, the library addition is also an excellent financial deal for tax payers.

Like the library itself, the addition will be owned by the town. Construction costs are $1,400,000, half of which will come from the fund-raising efforts of Friends of the Library.

Tax payers are being asked to cover only half the cost of the addition. If the bond is approved, the town will get a $1,400,000 asset for a “price” of only $700,000. That’s an excellent return on the town’s investment.

John Quinney

Support Lousie McCarren for Selectboard

I am writing in support of Louise McCarren for Selectboard for the Town of Charlotte.

For the 34 years that I have known Louise, she has been a wonderful neighbor and friend. When I was a youngster she provided me with the opportunity to learn the responsibility of having a summer job when I helped her with the yard work and cared for her son, Willy, who became like a little brother to me. I was never asked to do something that she would not be willing to do herself.

Whenever a helping hand is needed I can always count on Louise. When I need help with one of the animals she just asks when and where, there is never a question of if.

She has a tremendously positive can-do attitude. She is always willing to find a solution for any problem that is put in front of her. It is never a question of whether it can be done, but how it can be accomplished.

What an amazing amount of energy! One of the places the energy is most obvious is the extensive gardens that she has at her house.

They have been designed by her, and the majority of the care is also done by her.

There are many acts of kindness she bestows on other people for her own satisfaction that have been anonymous because she does not feel the need to seek gratitude from others. The many recipients of flowers, food or sports equipment will probably never know who to thank but will have something as small as a smile brought to their faces or as big as a life-changing experience. The mules are also very happy to see Louise’s car stop by the fence for the regular carrot feeding sessions.

The experience that Louise has gained over the years in her personal as well as professional life in working in a team environment will be a great asset to the people of the Town of Charlotte.

Chrissey L. McCarty

Louise McCarren for Selectboard

What great news to hear that Louise McCarren has thrown her hat into the Selectboard ring to replace the oversized hat worn by Lane Morrison. I for one will happily vote for such a qualified, energetic, kind and good-humored candidate.

Did I mention high-powered? Charlotte will be blessed to be served by Louise’s extensive legal, business, government and board experience. From legal services lawyer at Vermont Legal Aid, to chair of the Vermont Public Service Board, to president of Verizon Vermont and CEO of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council, her professionalism and her ability to work collaboratively to get things done make her someone I am excited to see turn her focus to the Selectboard.

Please join me in voting for Louise McCarren on March 5! see LETTERS page 3

The Charlotte News Mission Statement The mission of The Charlotte News is to inform our readers about current events, issues and topics, and to serve as a forum for the free exchange of views of town residents and community volunteer organizations on matters related to Charlotte and the experiences of its residents.

Letters and Commentaries Consistent with our mission The Charlotte News publishes letters to the editor and commentaries from our readers. All letters and commentaries are subject to review and approval by the news editor of the paper and to the following rules and standards: • Letters to the editor and commentaries should be emailed to news@thecharlottenews.org as attachments in .doc format. All letters and commentaries must contain the writer’s full name and town of residence and, for proofing purposes only, include the writer’s phone number.

• Letters should not exceed 300 words, commentaries 750 words.

• All published letters and commentaries will include the writer’s name and town of residence.

• All submissions are subject to editing for clarity, factual accuracy, tone and length.

• The news editor makes the final determination whether a letter or commentary will be published as submitted, returned for rewriting, or rejected.

Publisher: Vince Crockenberg Editorial Staff Managing Editor: Anna Cyr (anna@thecharlottenews.org) News Editor: Melissa O’Brien (melissa@thecharlottenews.org) Contributing Editor: Edd Merritt Copy editors: Beth Merritt, Vince Crockenberg Proofreaders: Edd Merritt, Mike & Janet Yantachka Contributing Photographers: Lee Krohn and Ramiro Garay Business Staff Ad manager: Elizabeth Langfeldt (ads@thecharlottenews.org) Bookkeeper: Jessica Lucia (billing@thecharlottenews.org) Board Members President: Vince Crockenberg (vince@thecharlottenews.org) Vice President: Rick Detwiler Treasurer: NOW ACCEPTING RÉSUMÉS (treasurer@thecharlottenews.org) Board members: Bob Bloch, Gay Regan, Louisa Schibli, Tom Tiller, Dave Quickel, Louise McCarren Website: thecharlottenews.org Subscription Information The Charlotte News is delivered at no cost to all Charlotte residences. Subscriptions are available for first-class delivery at $40 per calendar year.

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ON THE COVER: Sunset

Photo by Jan Canon

The Charlotte News • February 20, 2019 • 3

LETTERS continued from page 2 Charles Russell

Dear friends and neighbors,

I am writing to encourage you to support my father, Jim Faulkner, for Charlotte’s three-year Selectboard position.

My father is one of the most familyoriented and supportive parents (and grandparents) that I know. He also has an incredibly strong drive to serve his community. Throughout my life, I have witnessed him dedicating his time to things such as volunteer EMT work, Chamber of Commerce, planning boards and ski patrolling—all the while running a very successful business and never losing sight of his commitment and care of his patients and employees.

Many of you know my dad and know that he has one of the strongest work ethics of anyone you will meet. He works hard to make his family’s life the best that it can be and strives to do the same for the community in which he lives. I am proud of my dad and all that he has involved himself in throughout his life. I feel he will do his absolute best to serve our school and community. Please consider him when voting on Tuesday, March 5.

Kristen Neilson

Support for Louise McCarren

With the departure of Lane Morrison our Selectboard will be losing a strong voice for thoughtful consideration and civil discourse.

(Thanks, Lane.) I believe Louise McCarren is the best person to replace that voice.

From her many public board experiences Louise has acquired a sense of how to make boards work effectively. She knows that careful listening, a tone of civility and a sense of mutual respect are essential to keeping a diverse board focused on the most relevant tasks and best reflect our character as a community. A long-term resident of Charlotte, Louise knows the importance that our residents place on key public safety issues and will be a strong supporter of maintaining and enhancing the quality of life for Charlotters.

I hope you will join me in supporting Louise McCarren for the open Selectboard seat.

John Snow

Vote for Louise McCarren for Selectboard

Louise McCarren, a 40+ year resident of Charlotte, will serve as a very capable member of the Selectboard.

With her legal background and many

years of public service with State boards and commissions, Louise is well prepared to quickly engage on the many issues that face the Selectboard on a regular basis.

Her law training will be a direct benefit to the many policies, ordnances and official documents that are reviewed. One of the Selectboard’s objectives is to reduce legal expenses, and with Louise’s experience, she will be able to help formulating these draft documents to make them ready for the legal approvals.

Recently retired, Louise is ready to take on this new challenge to serve her community.

Please vote for her on March 5, Town Meeting Day, or use an absentee ballot available at the town clerk’s office.

Lane Morrison, \retiring selectboard chairperson

Vote for Jim Faulkner for Charlotte Selectboard

I am writing in support of Jim Faulkner for

a position on the Charlotte Selectboard. My contact with Jim comes from his service with Charlotte Fire and Rescue as a volunteer EMT and his work on the Corporate Board.

Jim joined as an EMT on the Charlotte ambulance when he moved to town, having served as an EMT for years in Kennebunk EMS in Maine. He was asked to join the Fire & Rescue Corporate Board while we were reorganizing the command structure and making improvements to the organization.

Some of Jim’s strengths include: 1. He listens to all sides before suggesting a plan of action.

2. His experience as a business person (running a successful orthodontic practice), a long-time volunteer fire and rescue experience, and having lived/worked in several states allows him to grasp the key issues while coming to a full understanding of a situation.

3. He has a calm and thoughtful personality.

4. He is always ready to help with any task and knows how important it is to recognize everyone’s strong points.

I support Jim Faulkner because he would be a great addition to the Charlotte Selectboard. Some might say that Jim has only lived in town for five years and may not understand the local issues here.

Jim’s previous professional and volunteer experiences, including serving on the Kennebunkport Planning Board while they reorganized their town, combined with his positive personality make him a great choice for Selectboard.

Jim Faulkner will make decisions that are in the best interest of the Charlotte taxpayers.

Jon Davis

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Around Town Edd Merritt

Sympathy:

Regional Bite

is extended to family, friends and community members as two of Charlotte’s historically prominent agriculturalists, Theresa L. Knowles and Harry R. Varney, passed away recently.

Theresa was 90 years old. She and her husband, Francis, who predeceased her, began farming in Chittenden County in South Burlington. They later operated Charlotte’s Knowles Farm on Ferry Road with their son Dale.

He and his wife, Vanessa, survive her.

They ask that those wishing to make donations in her honor consider giving either to Bayada Hospice Care in South Burlington or to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Charlotte.

Harry Varney was 88. The Varney Farm is part of the agricultural landscape in the Champlain Valley on the western side of Route 7 in Charlotte.

Following completion of a master’s degree in agricultural economics at Purdue, Harry and his wife, Catherine, moved here and dairy farmed for 26 years. He also served as a lister and a selectman. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge in town for 62 years.

His surviving family includes his son, Robert, and Robert’s wife, Donna, as well as his daughter, Dorothy, and her husband, Jeff Hill. In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer donations in his honor to a Parkinson’s Disease research charity of the donor’s choice.

Have you noticed any changes to the Burlington Free Press recently? Is there less local news and are some of the local stories on the trite side, glorifying seemingly insignificant incidents rather than meaningful issues? How many movie reviews, actor profiles and musical reviews are required to fill needed space in a printed daily paper?

While significant news sources such as the New York Times go into excruciating detail at times, at least they give the reader an in-depth study of the subject by a reporter and not a canned article that fills space in a newspaper network that seems to be going downhill.

Gannett’s website from January 14 asks in its opening sentence, “Is the end of Gannett, as we know it, at hand?” If so, what will that mean for a readership of an area like Chittenden County that is used to getting its daily dose of news from the Free Press? The answer may be generated by social media—more tweets, twitters, blogs and thoughts increasingly coming from machines rather than people. Chris Bohjalian and Debbie Solomon, both respected writers, are two who no longer have columns in the Free Press.

I am showing my age, but I remember the same thing happening to the New York Post in the 1960s when it turned from a thought-provoking news source into a tabloid compliments of Rupert Murdoch.

As a journalist, I find the decline to be disconcerting, and I, too, wonder whether the word “journalism” will remain in our vocabulary.

Charlotte News

The

PUBLICATION DATES March 7, 2019

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March 20, 2019

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4 • February 20, 2019 • The Charlotte News

Report From The Legislature Broadband is key to economic development Vermont’s economic growth has been nearly stagnant since the turn of the century. Looking at employment statistics since Mike Yantachka 1999 we can see STATE REP. that Vermont’s employment numbers have remained fairly level at roughly 340,000 even during the 20082010 recession. On the other hand, they haven’t grown since the recession either.

While Chittenden County has experienced growth, the rest of Vermont has not.

The factors affecting the overall economy in Vermont are many, and the interaction among them is complex. I am not attempting to address the issue comprehensively here. However, the House Committee on Energy & Technology is

looking at one aspect of the challenge— how the limited access to high speed internet affects Vermont’s economy.

For the past two weeks we have heard testimony from Vermont’s telephone companies, cable providers, community broadband companies, small businesses, municipalities, and the farming community which utilizes access to the internet for GPS controlled tilling, fertilizing and harvesting. One thing is clear: outside of Chittenden County and city centers, Vermonters’ internet speeds are slo-o-ow.

While most Vermonters are able to get DSL with speeds of 4 Mbps (megabits per second), many in more remote locations have only dial-up. The federal standard for satisfactory speeds is 100 Mbps, which requires cable or fiber connectivity. As we become more of an information-based economy, access to high-speed internet is essential for economic growth. So, the question becomes, how do we achieve this

Charlotte Selectboard draft agenda Monday, February 25, 2019 At the Charlotte Town Hall – 159 Ferry Road Agenda is subject to change—check agenda posted on charlottevt.org on the Friday prior to meeting for final agenda Reasonable accommodation shall be provided upon request to ensure this meeting is accessible to all individuals regardless of disability.

Times are approximate 6 p.m.

Adjustments to the agenda 6:01 Public Comment 6:05 Opening of bids to replace the westerly section of fence around the Barber Hill Cemetery (West Burying Ground) 6:15 Public Hearing for proposed amendment to the Town Plan (primarily related to energy use, generation and siting) 7:15 Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge Management Plan—update 8:15 Notice of Vacancies for Town Committees 8:20 Prepare for Town Meeting 8:40 Selectboard schedule for March 8:45 Minutes: February 11, 2019 8:50 Selectboard updates 8:55 Approve warrants to pay bills 9:00 Adjournment Members: Matthew Krasnow; Lane Morrison; Carrie Spear; Fritz Tegatz;

Frank Tenney Town administrator: Dean Bloch. Minute taker: Lynn Monty Next meetings: March 4, 6:30 p.m. Public Informational Hearing for Australian ballot articles @ CCS March 5, 9 a.m. Town Meeting @ CCS March 7, 7 p.m. Special Meeting?

March 11, 7 p.m. Regular Meeting

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in Vermont?

The limiting factor when it comes to building high-speed broadband is cost per connection. In rural areas where customers are relatively far apart, the investment required to run miles of cable for few connections is prohibitive.

Wireless connection is possible, but the wireless transmitters require a fiber or cable connection, and Vermont’s terrain often limits the effectiveness of those devices. Some communities have formed organizations called Connectivity Union Districts (CUDs) that are nonprofit entities that aggregate investments from several municipalities to build independent fiber networks to serve the member communities. There are several in Vermont, including EC Fiber in the Connecticut River Valley and Kingdom Community Fiber (KCF) in the Northeast Kingdom. KCF has been given permission from the State of Vermont to connect to an existing fiber network owned by the state. State connectivity funds will be used to install the connection interfaces at various locations that will be leased to KCF to build fiber networks in communities running from St. Johnsbury north and west to Highgate.

The Energy & Technology Committee is now working on legislation that will encourage further development of fiber networks throughout rural Vermont. The 2 percent VT USF charge on our phone bills

supports the E-911 system, the Lifeline phone access program for seniors, and the TTY service for hearing impaired persons.

What is left over from those revenues is used to support the Connectivity Initiative Fund. Governor Scott has proposed a $1M infusion to the fund to increase broadband.

We believe that we can do better. We are working on a bill that, in addition to the Governor’s proposal, will increase the USF charge to 2.5 percent with the additional revenues dedicated to connectivity. This would amount to a 50-cent increase on a $100 phone bill. We also hope to benefit from additional federal dollars as a result of the recently passed federal Farm Bill. Back in the 1950s Vermont made a concerted investment in getting electricity out to the last mile. Broadband is the 21st century equivalent to that effort. It’s a key ingredient necessary for growing Vermont’s economy.

I am very happy to have been able to meet with constituents during my “office hours” at the Charlotte Library and most recently at Spear’s Store in East Charlotte. My thanks to both venues for their hospitality. The next “office hours” opportunity will be announced beforehand on Front Porch Forum. I welcome your emails (myantachka.dfa@gmail.com), phone calls (802-233-5238), or in-person contacts. This article and others can be found at my website, MikeYantachka.com.

Kelly Brush Foundation honored

L to R: Mike Yantachka, Kelly Brush Davisson with her husband, Zeke, parents Charlie and Mary Brush and Kelly’s sister, Lindsay Brush Getz.

Mike Yantachka STATE REP.

Congratulations to the Kelly Brush Foundation and Kelly Brush who were honored with a Resolution of the House and Senate offered by Rep. Mike Yantachka. The Kelly Brush Foundation provides grants and support to individuals with spinal cord injuries to rediscover the joy of sports in their lives. The Foundation raises money through the Kelly Brush Ride held each year and through other events.

Public welcome to Farmers Night Concert Series Congratulations to Celilo and Rowan Bauman Swaim, who played in a VYO String Ensemble concert at the Statehouse for Farmers Night. Celilo Bauman Swain, a 9th grader at CVU, was the principal cellist, and Rowan Bauman Swain, an 11th grader at CVU, was the principal violist. Farmers Night is a concert series that takes place every Wednesday evening while the Legislature is in session and features performances by Vermont artists from across the state. Performances are free and open to the public. The schedule can be found at legislature.vermont.gov/the-state-house/events/farmers-night-concert-series/.

The Charlotte News • February 20, 2019 • 5

Town Charlotte Planning Commission agenda Thursday February 21, 2019 At the Charlotte Town Hall – 159 Ferry Road Agenda is subject to change—check agenda posted on charlottevt.org Reasonable accommodation shall be provided upon request to ensure this meeting is accessible to all individuals regardless of disability.

Times are approximate 6:30 p.m.

Site visit to Charlotte Library, 115 Ferry Road 7:00 Public Meeting Call to Order

Approval of Regular Agenda

Public Comment Period

Review of the previous Planning Commission meeting minutes

Consent Agenda 7:05 PC-18-211-SK Zins. Sketch Plan Review for the property located at 1654 Prindle Road. Project information is available at: https://is.gd/ NQPPqD 7:25 PC-18-210-SK Charlotte Library. Sketch Plan Review for the Charlotte Library property located at 115 Ferry Road. Project information is available at: https://is.gd/D7n2t7 8:25 PC-18-196-SK Mason-von Trapp. Continued Sketch Plan Review for possible subdivision/site plan for the property located at 140 Ferry Road. Project information is available at: https://is.gd/Dprxcx

SEE DIAGRAM BELOW 9:00 Other business

Upcoming agenda Adjourn Planning Commissioners: Peter Joslin (chair); Charlie Pughe (vice chair), Marty Illick, Gerald Bouchard, Dick Eastman, David Kenyon and Shawn Coyle Staff: Daryl Benoit, town planner; TBA, recording secretary

cts\2018\18229\1-CADD Files-\Dwg\18229 - Site.dwg, 2/14/2019 1:54:57 PM

Sketch Plan for Health Center S FM FM OE

OE

FM

OE

S

OE

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FERRY ROAD S

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50'

22.5'

5' SIDEWALK S

BIKE RACK

EXIST. BUILDING

7'x12' CANOPY

S

16.0' EXISTING TANK TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE

24'

20'

HVAC UNIT PAINTED LOADING ZONE

EXIST. BUILDING

25'

OPTIONAL ADDED PARKING SPACE

18'

20'

30'

18'

24' 60'

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9'x19' FENCED TRASH ENCLOSURE

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10.0' ±6'

55' 38'

APPROX. 50' WETLAND BUFFER

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Proposed _____ ac.

106.7'± 15' 16' N/A --__%

POTENTIAL FUTURE PARKING (20 SPACES)

17'

POTENTIAL FUTURE ROADWAY / ACCESS

ZONING REQUIREMENTS

Required Existing 1.0 min.

37.5 ac.

106.7'± 75' 15' N/A 15' N/A 15' N/A 35' --25% (or 10,000 sf) N/A

Zoning District - Village Commercial (VCM)

Dimensional Requirements -

Minimum Lot Area (acre) Minimum Lot Frontage (feet) Minimum Front Setback (feet) Minimum Side Setback (feet) Minimum Rear Setback (feet) Maximum Building Height (feet) Maximum Building Coverage (%) -

20'

EXIST. BUILDING

S

25'

12'

PROPOSED BUILDING

(3,375 sf) (3,543 sf w/ CANOPIES)

7'x12' CANOPY

15' SIDE YARD SETBACK

BE EXISTING ACCESS TO TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE

20'

30'

16.0'

16.0'

NEIGHBOR continued from page 1 skating and playing in the snow in the winter and exploring and playing in the mud in the spring. Having something we enjoy doing outside every season of the year has really helped us enjoy our life here so much.

What’s one of your favorite things about Charlotte?

I love so many things about our town.

Although everyone is spread out, there is such a tight-knit community feeling. We are so lucky to live in a town that still feels like the Vermont I grew up in, with farms and pastures and lots of preserved areas to hike and explore. I love going to our town library and seeing a friend or neighbor just about every time. I feel so grateful that our kids can go sledding behind their amazing school and play outside making forts in the woods in our backyard. It is a wonderful place to raise a family, and I can see why people don’t want to leave, even when their kids are grown up.

Kids? Partner?

Lucas and I have been married for 10 years and we have two sons, Parker, age 8, and Flynn, age 6. Lucas manages Trono Fuels and also pitches in at Fat Cow Farm, delivering meat or helping wrangle a cow back into the pasture.

12

Tell us about the work you do and how you got to there.

I stayed in Vermont for college and graduated from Saint Michael’s College with a degree in psychology. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my degree, but I knew I wasn’t ready to go back for more schooling.

After college, I worked as a substance abuse case manager at the Lund Family Center. I worked there for a few years before moving into the marketing field at a home health agency.

We welcomed our first child in 2010, and I took time off to care for him and later our second child who arrived in 2012. When our first son was born I became very interested in photography and learned how to use a DSLR camera, mostly by trial and error. I then went on to take online classes and eventually started working as a second shooter for a local photographer and friend. I enjoyed the work I did before kids but also recognized how helpful it would be to have a job that could be flexible, especially with a partner that doesn’t have a lot of that with his work.

Photography allowed me the opportunity to have an identity outside of motherhood, which was so important to me.

In 2014 my photographer friend Kristy and I wrote an introduction to a DSLR photography course. We both had accessed many online resources for our learning but had dreams of offering a local hands-on course that could help hobbyist photographers learn how to use their cameras off of automatic mode in a supportive and accessible way.

We taught our first course five years ago this spring, and we have learned and grown so much since then. We now offer beginner, intermediate and advanced classes and have an active online alumni community.

Over time I was able to build up what I was doing as our children began preschool and now are both in grade school. In addition to teaching, I edit photos for Kristy, who is a local portrait photographer, and also for some local wedding photographers. This part of

photography allows me to use my creative side while still having the flexibility to be available for the inconsistent schedules of our young children.

In my free time, I review books for publishing companies by reading advanced reader copies of soon-to-be-released books.

I also share these reviews and discussions on my website and social media accounts.

I love helping generate buzz for books and making book recommendations based on genre or specific interests. One of my favorite parts of this is being able to interact with authors on social media. It still gives me a thrill when they comment on something I have shared. There are many downsides of social media, but it also can help bring people together from all over the world in such a positive way.

What do you love about what you do?

I love being able to teach about something that brings people so much joy, and we have met so many amazing people along the way.

I also enjoy doing behind-the-scenes work, like editing, because it allows me to be a part of the artistic process while also getting to support the incredibly talented photographers I work with. I love being a part of a team, and this is a great balance for me.

Is there any particular dream or vision you have for the future of Charlotte?

I think Charlotte is well on its way, but I would love to increase the idea of having a community space. There are so many wonderful people in our community, many of whom I didn’t meet until our family was a part of the town school system. I would love there to be other opportunities for places to gather and connect.

What’s something most people don’t know about you? Any secret talents?

Oh gosh, I don’t have a lot of secrets because I love to talk and share. I am an excellent rollerblader, does that count?

Dream vacation destination?

This is a fun question to answer as we continue through the dog-days of winter! My mom’s job required that she travel occasionally, and I was lucky to tag along sometimes, but I haven’t done a lot of international traveling as an adult. As our children have gotten older, we’ve dreamed of a trip to Italy. My husband and I both have Italian heritage, and Italy is a place that we’ve always wanted to visit. Now that our kids are 8 and 6, we’re hoping that they can handle a trans-Atlantic flight at some point in the not too distant future. Fingers crossed!

What do you think we need to do, each of us? What are we singularly responsible for when it comes to making the world a better place?

This sure seems more appropriate now than ever. Everyone has a story, and one of the people I admire who researches and writes about this is Brene Brown. I have learned so much from her writing that has really changed the way I interact with the world around me. When we stop and listen to the people around us, we really can realize how much we have in common compared to our differences. There is so much power in meeting people with a little more kindness and less judgment.

“Compassion is not a virtue—it is a commitment. It’s not something we have or don’t have—it’s something we choose to practice.” Brene Brown

6 • February 20, 2019 • The Charlotte News

Town

It’s Girl Scout cookie time!

The 4-H experience Samantha Blackmore

Photo by Cindy Bradley

Cindy Bradley Did you know that Girl Scout cookie sales are the number one fundraiser for all of the fun and exciting adventures that girls get to participate in through scouting? Charlotte Girl Scout Troop #30066 would like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has supported us thus far in this year’s cookie sale. Whether you bought from family or friends or your co-worker’s daughter or granddaughter, whether in person or online, or whether you were one of the many people here in town who welcomed that young lady into your home simply because she

showed up on your doorstep with cookie sheet in hand, we want you to know that your kindness and generosity are very much appreciated.

However, we are not yet finished. If we missed you and you would like to purchase some delicious Girl Scout cookies, please stop in and pay us a visit at one of our two upcoming cookie booth sales happening on Friday, Feb. 22, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the North Ferrisburgh Mobil or Saturday, Feb. 23, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the Shelburne Supermarket. We look forward to seeing you there! Remember, Girl Scout cookies are only on sale for a short period of time each year but they freeze really well!

Shelburne

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I discovered 4-H through the barn I currently horseback ride at, The Livery, a cozy farm tucked into one of the beautiful rolling hills of Hinesburg. My trainer Kim Johansen suggested that I join her club, the Midnight Riders.

They were a small and tightly knit community that met on the second Tuesday of every month, and I was told that I could participate in community service as well as horse shows if I joined. Being quite shy back in 7th grade, I was reluctant to become a 4-Her as it meant participating in new and intimidating things; however, with some egging on from my mother, I agreed to attend the upcoming meeting. I can confidently say that this was one of the most significant and pivotal moments of my life; due to this decision, I have spread my roots all over the country, made unique connections with incredible figures and role models, gained vital leadership skills as well as confidence, and accomplished more than I ever could have imagined as the 11-year-old I was back in 2015.

Through 4-H, I have been given numerous amazing opportunities. In June of 2018, I was accepted to attend a large horse show, Eastern States, as a teen leader. I had to go through the application process, where I had accumulated a 4-H resume over the year, logged my horse show results from the past summer, and was interviewed. This event taught me how to build a resume and go through an application process, which will be incredibly helpful for future experiences, such as the procedure of looking at colleges as well as jobs. In October and November of 2018, I traveled to New Hampshire and Kentucky for public speaking competitions,

where I placed first regionally, and third nationally. These contests taught me the importance of stress management, vigorously hard work, and the fundamental skill of speaking in front of an audience. All of these abilities will stay with me for the rest of my life. I have been able to explore STEM through a program called VTeen 4-H Science Pathways Cafes. I currently work as a volunteer leader, where I assist in organizing monthly presentations and hands-on activities in scientific fields such as veterinary science, entomology, engineering and more.

I have been able to study the arts through photography seminars, art contests, etc. Being a part of 4-H has laid countless opportunities at my fingertips.

Despite the amazing feeling of having hard work pay off, the momentous experiences and the values gained from both winning and losing and the confidence learned and gained, the absolute best part of 4-H is the connections. I have made a large network of support and trust as well as many lifelong friends and mentors over the years in my club. I constantly feel pushed forward to achieve, while simultaneously being given underlying encouragement and motivation.

For any parent looking for an extracurricular activity for their child, I would highly recommend joining a 4-H club. There are so many doors ready to be opened, as well as numerous cardinal life skills. To learn how to get involved, contact the 4-H office at 1-800-571-0668 or learn more at uvm.edu/extension/youth.

Samantha Blackmore is a CVU sophomore and participates in UVM’s 4-H ambassador program. She lives in Charlotte.

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The Charlotte News • February 20, 2019 • 7

Town

Public walks showcase management of town forests

TOWN OF CHARLOTTE NOTICE OF FIVE YEAR LEASE BIDDING OPPORTUNITY TO HAY PARCELS ON THOMPSON’S POINT February 20, 2019 The Town of Charlotte is providing a notice of availability of a five year lease (for the mowing seasons of 2019—2023) to mow and bale approximately 50.4 acres on Thompson’s Point. The complete Notice of Lease Bidding Opportunity can be viewed and downloaded at www.charlottevt.org or obtained at the Charlotte Town Office.

Lease Proposals are due on Monday March 25, 2019 @ 6 p.m.

Any questions should be directed to Dean Bloch, town administrator, at 425-3701 ext. 5 or dean@townofcharlotte.com. The Selectboard intends to award a lease on April 8, 2019.

Contibuted by Chittenden County Forester

Ethan Tapper CHITTENDEN COUNTY FORESTER

On Saturday, March 16, Chittenden County Forester Ethan will lead a public walk of an active timber sale that has taken place on the Preston Pond Conservation Area (PPCA), a conserved town forest in Bolton, over the last two winters. This project was marked and supervised by Ethan and cut by Bolton logger Kyle Pratt, with a proportion of the firewood going to Bolton residents. The purpose of this forest management is to increase forest health, concentrate growth on the highest quality trees in the forest, and to encourage the growth of a more diverse, complex forest with improved habitat for wildlife, all while demonstrating responsible active forest management in an open, transparent and inclusive way. This walk will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. on 3/16. Please meet at the log landing, across from 3097 Stage Road in West Bolton (Jericho on Google Maps). Please note that this walk involves a substantial uphill walk, potentially in snow and ice. For those who are uncomfortable with one such as this, the walk at the Hinesburg Town Forest on 3/17 may be a better fit.

On Sunday, 3/17, Ethan will lead a public walk of active forest management on the Hinesburg Town Forest (HTF).

This timber sale is being cut by Hinesburg

logger Tim Brown and is also supervised and marked by Ethan. This operation will be continuing through next winter.

Similar to the PPCA, the work at the HTF is designed to improve forest health, encourage high-quality, healthy trees, provide improved habitat for wildlife and generally to encourage a more complex, diverse forest while demonstrating responsible active forest management in an open, transparent and inclusive way.

For this walk, please meet at the end of Economou Road in Huntington at 1 p.m., where we will park in the plow turnaround. The walk will go from 1 to 3 p.m.

In the case of both of these projects a primary goal is to increase public understanding of active forest management—how it can be done in an ecological context and in a modern, thoughtful way—and to showcase Vermont’s working landscape and the importance of producing local renewable resources. No matter what you think of the practice of forestry and logging, these public walks give you an opportunity to see and engage with these practices firsthand, and to ask questions about them.

Both these walks are free and open to the public and will take place, rain, shine, sleet or snow. Please come prepared for whatever weather conditions we might face. For questions about these walks, please call or email Ethan at (802)-5859099 or ethan.tapper@vermont.gov.

TOWN OF CHARLOTTE IS ISSUING REQUESTS FOR MOWING/LAND MAINTENANCE & BRUSH-HOGGING BIDS The Town of Charlotte is seeking bids for • mowing and maintaining certain town parcels and trails • mowing and maintaining cemeteries • brush-hogging certain town parcels A description of the parcels and bid requirements can be viewed at www.charlottevt. org and can also be obtained at the Town Office. Contractors can bid on one, two or all three contracts.

Bids are due on Monday, March 25, 2019 @ 6 p.m.

Any questions should be directed to Dean Bloch, town administrator, at 425-3701 ext. 5 or dean@townofcharlotte.com

8 • February 20, 2019 • The Charlotte News

Rec News

Spring Program Guide

Youth Lacrosse Players in grades 3 through 8 will participate in the US Lacrosse league and will need a US Lacrosse membership. Please visit our website for more information. The registration form must be completed and submitted with payment to Town Hall by March 9.

Shelburne Little League Baseball/ Softball Registration closes on March 15 at 11:59 p.m. Season dates: May 1–June 6.

For more information or to register, please go to shelburnelittleleague.com.

Mini Lacrosse Practices will be offered to 1st and 2nd graders on Saturday mornings at Charlotte Central. Each participant will get a chance to learn more about the game while having fun. Saturdays, May 4 to June 8 at 9 a.m. Cost: $35 by April 29.

Spring Driver’s Education The seven-

week program will be taught at CCS by Joe Barch of 802 Driving School; Joe has over 15 years of experience teaching in the public schools. Registration Fee: $690. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, March 13 through April 18, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. (except March 6, 7, 11 and 14, 6:15 to 8:15 p.m.).

Session 1: April 29 to May 15. Session 2: May 20 to June 10 (no lessons May 27). Grades 1-5, 3:30- 4:30 p.m. Grades 4-8, 4:30- 5:30 p.m.

Cost per session: $75 (6 lessons).

After-school Tennis Lessons The program is open to 1st through 8th graders; age groups will be split into the two time slots listed below. You may sign your child up for both sessions. Please note: Depending on roster sizes, those in 4th and 5th grade may be assigned to either group.

Mondays and Wednesdays

Williston Central School.

After-school Horseback Riding Lessons Students in grades 1 through 12 will learn the basic care of the horse, including grooming, bathing, feeding and upkeep at the Steeple Ridge Farm.

Students will also learn the nutrition side and anatomy side of the horse and the certain tack we use on our horses.

Tuesdays, 2:15-5:30 p.m. Session 6: March 26–April 30. Session 7: May 7– June 4. Cost: $250

Safe Sitter Babysitters Course Safe Sitter® prepares teens to be safe when they’re home alone, watching siblings or babysitting. The course offers four main content areas: safety skills, child care skills, first aid and rescue skills, and life and business skills. Lessons are filled with fun activities and role-playing exercises.

Teens will practice choking rescue and diapering. Instructor: Kacey Greene, Williston Rec. Program Coordinator.

Register for one date that works best for your child. Register with the town offering the program. For grades 6 through 8. Cost: $60 town residents/$65 nonresidents.

The class meets from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the following dates and locations: Williston: Thursday, February 28; Shelburne: Friday, March 22; Hinesburg: Thursday, April 25; and Charlotte: Saturday, May 18.

Boater Safety Course Boating safety education is required for any motor boat operator, 12 years of age or older, born after January 1, 1974. The Boat Vermont 8-hour classroom course will enable you to get the certification that you need.

Participants must be present at all four classes to be eligible for certification.

Cost: $20. Mondays and Wednesdays, May 6 through May 15, 6 to 8:30 p.m. at

Full and partial scholarships are available for all youth recreation activities.

You can find additional information on all of our programs as well as registration forms on our town website at charlottevt. org under the ‘Recreation’ tab or contact Nicole Conley by email at Recreation@ townofcharlotte.com or by phone at 4256129 ext. 204.

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The Charlotte News • February 20, 2019 • 9

Charlotte Library News Margaret Woodruff DIRECTOR

Staunton, a man pleased with his success but haunted by his relationship with his largerthan-life father. As he seeks help through therapy, he encounters a wonderful cast of characters who help connect him to his past and the death of his father. Copies available at the library circulation desk.

Looking for information about the library addition? Stop in to get the latest details about our plans!

Mental Health Conversations: Risk & Resilience Wednesday, February 20, 7 p.m.

Carpenter-Carse Library, Hinesburg Join us for a panel discussion with experts in anxiety treatment, suicide prevention and resilience building. Learn about what to look for (signs and symptoms) and how to start a conversation with a loved one. There will be time for questions, and the libraries will provide online resources and a curated collection of print and video materials for browsing and borrowing. Panel discussion featuring Charlotte McCorkel, LICSW, project director of integration, Howard Center; Eliza Pillard, LICSW, family wellness coach at the Vermont Center for Children, Youth and Families at the UVM Medical Center; and Joanne Wolfe, MA, M.Ed, licensed psychologist.

This project is funded in part by the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Cooperative Agreement Number UG4LM012347 with the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester.

Vacation Movie Tuesday, February 26, 10:30 a.m.

Join us for a screening of new film favorite. Plenty of popcorn!

a young captive of the Kiowa back to her people in this exquisitely rendered, morally complex, multilayered novel of historical fiction. Meet up to read and discuss this Paulette Jiles novel. Copies available at the library circulation desk.

Let’s Talk Seeds Thursday, February 21, 1 to 3 p.m.

Stop in to check out the 2019 Charlotte Seed Library and talk seeds! Master Gardener Karen Tuininga and Seed Library Coordinator Linda Hamilton will be on hand to field questions, share information and get us all excited about the upcoming gardening season.

Men’s Book Group, News of the World

by Paulette Jiles Wednesday, February 20, 7 p.m.

In the aftermath of the Civil War, an aging itinerant news reader agrees to transport

Book Discussion, The Manticore,

by Robertson Davies Thursday, February 21, 7:30 p.m.

The second book in The Deptford Trilogy, this novel continues the story David

Yoga for Kids Wednesday, February 27, 2 p.m.

Come join us for an hour of some yoga fun this winter break! Based upon the Kidding Around Yoga curriculum, this class will introduce your child to yoga in an accessible way. This class includes lots of music, movement and creativity.

Recommended for ages 6 to 10. Parents welcome to join in. Lynn Alpeter is a 200hour certified yoga instructor and is also a certified Kidding Around Yoga teacher.

Having worked at Charlotte Central School as a para educator and a mom of two college kids, she looks forward to sharing her love of yoga and all the benefits with a new generation.

Soup Supper: Visit with Madeline Kunin Wednesday, February 27, 5:30 p.m.

Former Vermont governor and U.S. ambassador to Switzerland joins us for a discussion of her latest book, A Coming of Age: My Journey to the Eighties, and the questions aging raises for us all, whatever our walks of life.

Email your news & photos to news@ thecharlottenews.org

Likeness Only

Chris von Trapp, REALTOR® (802) 343-4591 ChrisvonTrapp.com

Next library board meeting: Thursday, March 7, 2:15 p.m.

Charlotte library contact information: Margaret Woodruff, director Cheryl Sloan, youth services librarian Susanna Kahn, tech services librarian Hours Mondays and Wednesdays: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturdays: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Reach us on the web at charlottepubliclibrary.org.

Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/charlottelibraryvt.

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram: @CharlotteVTLib.

Local Church Services

email kidsmatter@mahanamagic.org or call 802-540-0077.

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Charlotte Library Board of Trustees: Katharine Cohen, Nan Mason, Danielle Conlon Menk, Jonathan Silverman and Robert Smith.

In like a lion. Be on the lookout for these

Scholarship applications being accepted by Mahana Magic Foundation The Mahana Magic Foundation, a local nonprofit that supports children who have or had a parent or caregiver with cancer, will award five $1,000 scholarships to Vermont high school seniors who have or had a parent or caregiver with cancer.

The deadline for online applications is March 30; mailed applications must be postmarked by March 28.

You can find the application on the Mahana Magic website, Mahanamagic. org. If you have any questions you can

programs coming in March: STEAM paper engineering for kids, book binding and paper engineering for adults, Beautiful Boy book discussion, garden planning workshop.

Large and in Charge!

Reproduction Cape on 10+ Acres

Turn-key 3 bedroom home with recently refinished wide pine hardwood floors. Just 20 minutes to Middlebury and 30 minutes from Burlington. $359,000 | MLS# 4736023

Chris is an award-winning Realtor® and a proud member of the von Trapp family, depicted in the movie, The Sound of Music.

Charlotte Congregational Church, UCC 403 Church Hill Road 425-3176 | charlotteucc.org Regular Sunday service: 10 a.m. _____________________

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church Spear Street, 425-2637 Sister parish: St. Jude’s Regular schedule of masses: Saturdays, 4:30 p.m., at St. Jude’s Sundays, 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Sundays, 9:30 a.m., at St. Jude’s

10 • February 20, 2019 • The Charlotte News

Principal’s Corner

Kindergarten is a parent-school partnership

Stephanie Sumner CCS CO-PRINCIPAL, K-4 INSTRUCTIONAL LEADER

Earlier this month, our CCS kindergarten team hosted the first half of our kindergarten registration process. On this day, in three sessions, school counselor Vicki Nelson and I get to host a tour and Q&A time with the parents of our incoming kindergarteners. At the same time our newest group of students joins our kindergarten team (teachers, special educator, math & literacy specialist) for play-based activities in which teachers begin to get to know them and students begin to get to know their classmates. It is one of my favorite days as a principal! The opportunity to come together with students’ parents as we begin a nine-year relationship is a very special event!

I am fully aware that our new kindergarten families are navigating a wide range of emotions—excitement, curiosity, nervousness and yes, even fear. I frequently hear expressions of “I can’t believe how quickly this came!” For me, this year’s

The Charlotte News file photo.

expressions of disbelief that formal education was on the horizon for these bright young pupils felt especially close to home. I remember my oldest child’s kindergarten registration—a lovely evening called “Spring Into Kindergarten.” It is with absolute disbelief that I find myself gearing up to

begin the college search with her as she nears the end of her sophomore year of high school. I can only imagine that our CCS eighth grade families are navigating the same emotions as they approach the options and choices associated with transitioning from our K-8 school to various high schools. This came quickly, indeed!

In one of our kindergarten registration sessions, a parent asked, “What can we do to help get our students ready?” We offered

CCS begins planning for 2019-2020 school year

Serving the Champlain Valley since 1945

Stephanie Sumner (K-4 co-principal) Jen Roth (5-8 co-principal)

Family owned, local business

what we reflect on each year as we are entering a time we call March Magic with our current kindergartners—their play and learning is quickly transforming into amazing proficiency as early readers, writers and mathematicians. Our team shared what we truly hope parents will do as their children approach kindergarten: play with them, let them play and struggle and problem solve, let them be bored, help them do what they are able to do independently and most importantly, enjoy them! As I reflect on this advice, I am struck by the fact that 11 years after attending my first kindergarten registration, this is still sound advice.

Beyond advice on readying students for full-day attendance, our goal is to open the door for a thoughtful and mutual partnership between our CCS teachers and staff and the families of our students. Hosting our kindergarten registration events as familybased events is intentional—we are partners in the education of your children. Our shared interest is in the individual success for each of your children, as they will all have their own path. As I watch my first-born begin to direct her path for future education, I am thankful for the parent-school partnerships that have nurtured her growth, even though I wish it would slow down a bit!

Dear Charlotte families of school-age children, Charlotte Central School is beginning to plan for the 2019-2020 school year. Each year, we begin to think about class groupings and other important details to ensure that we create the best learning environments that we can for all learners at all grade levels.

Having a sense of incoming students helps us in this planning. Our placement and transition planning processes will begin in March, upon our return from February Break.

We are very proud of the educational opportunities that we offer our students and we continue to use student learning and interests to inform our programming.

Here are some highlights of the current programming at CCS: •

Students in grades 7-8 participate in a weekly Genius Hour, focusing on personal interest projects and personalized learning endeavors;

•

Students in grades 6-8 have the opportunity to participate and compete in the national MathCounts program;

•

Students in grades 4-8 have the opportunity to participate and compete in the National Geographic GeoBee;

•

Students in Grades 3-8 have the opportunity to participate and compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee;

•

Students in grades 5-8 are contributing

to our school yearbook and participating in a journalism club;

•

Fourth graders are learning to use the SeeSaw digital platform to “tell their story,” and all classrooms K-4 are using SeeSaw to share their learning with their families on a regular basis;

•

All students K-8 recently participated in World Read-Aloud Day, with activities ranging from K-4 multi-age read-alouds and many classrooms participating in Skype discussions with various authors;

•

PTO-sponsored classroom enrichment opportunities including intergenerational knitting, author visits, a traveling floor map experience and the development of mindfulness toolkits; and

•

All students in K-8 work on a daily basis to “Be the Change” by taking care of themselves, others and our place.

At the end of each year, our “Be the Change” pennies add up to a significant community donation chosen by our students—past recipients are COTS and the Chittenden County Humane Society.

If you are Charlotte residents whose children are not currently enrolled at CCS but believe that they may join our CCS school community in the 2019-2020 school year, we would like to invite you in for a school tour and information session. Naomi Strada, administrative assistant to the principals, coordinates all aspects of student registration at CCS and can assist you with scheduling a time to come and see learning in action at CCS. Her contact is (802) 4252771 or nstrada@cvsdvt.org.

The Charlotte News • February 20, 2019 • 11

Books

Eight fiction books to bring on your next vacation Genevieve Trono

Are you heading away to escape from the cold anytime soon? Or maybe you are like me and just looking for something engaging to cozy up with on a chilly winter weekend…either way, you’re in the right place.

One of the most frequent questions I get asked about books is, “What should I bring to read on vacation?” For me, reading on vacation should be enjoyable, but there is a fine balance between an easy read and a cheesy one. I love “pleasure” reading, but it needs to strike the right balance.

A vacation book for me needs to be super engaging and easy to get lost in, but it has to make me think a little bit too. I have put together a list of books that I think would be intriguing whether you are in a beach chair somewhere tropical or a cozy seat by the fire in a ski lodge. Wherever you are for February vacation, I hope you read something that you love.

Charlotte Walsh Likes To Win, by Jo Piazza. This was one of my top books of 2018. It was the perfect balance of women’s issues, double standards for women in the workforce and political world, marriage, parenthood and more…all in an engaging read that was hard to put down. The characters were imperfect, which I think made this book even more relatable and powerful. Piazza covers so many timely issues, and the book is a completely captivating fictional read.

Bodies of Water, by T. Greenwood.

I have been completely engrossed by T. Greenwood’s writing the last couple of months. She is a new author for me, and I was delighted to find out that she is also a native Vermonter. Her detailed characters and ability to draw you into her scenes make her books so powerful.

Bodies of Water is a moving story about love during a time when, if it didn’t fit inside a certain box, it was forbidden. This is the love story of two women, Billie and Eva, that started in the 1960s. Narrated

by Billie, it alternates between the present (when she was in her 80s) and the past.

It is raw and heartbreaking and also just breathtakingly beautiful. The story was depicted so accurately for the times and showed both the personal and financial circumstances that altered the path of their story in a powerful way. It covers so many issues, including domestic violence, loss, friendship, alcoholism, infertility, marriage and motherhood.

The Dream Daughter, by Diane Chamberlain. I am a huge Diane Chamberlain fan and always look forward to her new releases. Although I would probably not have chosen a book about time travel otherwise, Chamberlain rarely lets me down. The “fantasy” genre is not my thing, but this was so much more than that.

It’s a book with family drama, amazing and relatable characters, all surrounding a story about moral issues. Chamberlain is able to explore the mother-daughter bond, what makes a family and adoption issues in a new and amazing way.

It had me on the edge of my seat while also constantly making me think, “What would I do in this situation?” You are able to see the story from multiple viewpoints because she does such a wonderful and in-depth presentation of the main characters.

This is very different from many of her past books, with the time traveling aspect,

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but it stays true to her roots with the general concept and flow of the book. I love to read Chamberlain’s books on vacation because they truly are the perfect balance of in-depth characters and real issues mixed with a little mystery and intrigue.

Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand.

Hilderbrand is what many would call the perfect beach-book author. I have read many of her books while on vacation, and I would agree. Welcome to Paradise is the first book in her new Paradise trilogy, and it takes place on St. John USVI, her first book set in a tropical location.

Hilderbrand has a gift of writing books that are enjoyable to read but also focus closely on the feelings and relationships among and within each of her characters and the many uncomfortable moments in between. I loved her introduction to this new series, which leaves many things up in the air. I am excited to see where she takes us with this series and look forward to October when the next Paradise book will be released.

The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand.

This is another recent release by Hilderbrand, this time set on Nantucket on a wedding weekend when a body is discovered in the harbor. It’s a perfect mix of mystery/ thriller/contemporary fiction, which kept me guessing until the very end.

Castle of Water, by Dane Huckelbridge.

This is one of those underrated books that I am surprised more people aren’t talking about. Huckelbridge’s writing was extraordinarily beautiful—and this is so much more than just another “castaway” story. This book describes the relationship of two strangers who are left stranded on an island after a plane crash. Huckelbridge writes vividly about how these characters learned to co-exist and survive in this extreme and unusual situation. There is love, loss, and the question of what really makes something a home.

All We Ever Wanted, by Emily Giffin.

This book was timely and I flew through it.

Giffin is starting to take on more “serious” topics in her writing, while also still keeping them somewhat light-hearted and predictable. I find something so refreshing about writing that is able to take on this unique balance, and I hope we continue to see more of this from her in future books. All We Ever Wanted takes on the topics of social media and consent while also balancing the exhausting realities of standing up for what is right while experiencing the discomfort of shame and vulnerability.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This book took me by surprise not only with its depth but also how much I was drawn into this story of perseverance, success, survival, acceptance and love. Reid has an amazing ability to share relationships and perspectives in multifaceted and relatable ways.

Evelyn’s story is heartbreaking while also incredibly inspiring. She has lived a long life in the spotlight but also has many secrets.

As someone who did what she needed to do to “survive” her years as a woman in Hollywood, Evelyn didn’t always make perfect choices. But she was able to learn and grow from her choices, which is much more powerful.

This story reminds us that there is always more to someone than just what meets the eye. It’s a reminder that people are complex and layered. Evelyn’s self-awareness is absolutely inspiring, and this is a book that kept me thinking long after I finished it.

12 • February 20, 2019 • The Charlotte News

Town

Informational session on Act 143 regulating on-farm businesses Selectboard to seek additional public input in future meeting

Juliann Phelps The Monday, February 11, Selectboard agenda focused primarily around a review of Act 143, “an act relating to municipal land use regulation of accessory on-farm businesses and to hemp cultivation.” This included an informational presentation from Zoning Administrator Aaron Brown, discussion from the Selectboard, and input from the public.

The presentation to the Selectboard began with an overview of Act 143, excluding the sections on pesticide notification and hemp cultivation. Brown discussed some of his difficulties in interpreting the law, as well as a question of whether the town, which is afforded the opportunity under this act, should take steps to introduce clarifying language to or develop additional land use regulations. Referring specifically to zoning and planning, municipalities can pass additional regulation related to site plan reviews and performance review standards.

Currently zoned agricultural land is exempt from these requirements.

As Brown presented he cited a phrase, “sale of qualifying products,” noting that the phrase was confusing and could be interpreted in more than one way. In addition he expressed concerns that he was “not in a place today” to provide input from a zoning standpoint.

Subsequently, Brown met with the Vermont Department of Agriculture and representatives from the towns of Shelburne and Hinesburg to seek clarification on some of the language in the law. The provision is as follows: “The storage, preparation, processing, and sale of qualifying products, provided more than 50 percent of the total annual sales are from qualifying products that are principally produced on the farm at which the business is located.”

Brown was able to gain clarification on what “sale of qualifying products” meant.

“The State did not intend that [products] come from other farms; 50 percent of products have to come from the farm on site. Other farms can sell their products, but it doesn’t count towards the 50 percent.”

During public comment, Bud Shriner of Ceres Gardens said, “I sense the intention of the act was to create an alternative means of necessary income.” He asked, “Where do farm stays and events fit into the 50 percent products produced?” Brown responded that it was somewhat unclear, at least to him, whether events have to feature qualifying products. “In my opinion, it doesn’t feature the 50 percent requirement,” he said.

During his subsequent meeting with the Department of Agriculture, Mr. Brown gained some clarification on this topic.

Zoning Administrator Aaron Brown presents to Selectboard members.

Photo by Juliann Phelps “In terms of events, I raised the issue of frequency threshold. There is no limit on the number of events a farm could possibly hold.”

Several members of the Planning Commission, as well as the owners and staff from Philo Ridge Farm, were present at the Selectboard meeting. Chair Lane Morrison asked if those from Philo Ridge felt there were any constraints to the current act language. Grant McCargo, the managing director and CEO of Bio-Logical Capital, which is supporting Philo Ridge Farm, responded for the group, saying, “We are a farm, the market is a way to create value off the product we grow. I am excited the town is looking at this.” He added, “We really continue to operate the way we envisioned

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before Act 143.” Mr. Brown confirmed Philo Ridge Farm is zoned for agriculture.

Discussion among the Selectboard and members of the Planning Commission continued around performance review standards and the process involved with adjustments to land use regulations.

Selectboard member Matt Krasnow said, “This might be cart before the horse, [we should] keep a unified discussion with what other towns are doing and at the state level.” He expressed concern about whether there was a need for additional regulations, saying, “It’s good to have an opportunity for the public to come to another meeting to discuss what is the value and to what degree do we want to see local bylaws changed, and the public feels like they have the opportunity to comment.”

As the agenda item wound to a close, both the Selectboard and Planning Commission members agreed to hold another informational meeting on Act 143 and seek additional public input.

After his meeting with the Department of Agriculture, Brown said, “It seems like a site plan review (and performance reviews) is appropriate for a number of these types of accessory businesses—particularly for traffic, parking, and noise and lighting.”

Brown will provide his findings and recommendations to the Selectboard in a future meeting, saying, “I have clearer options to present to them on how to move forward.”

Email your news & photos to news@ thecharlottenews.org

The Charlotte News • February 20, 2019 • 13

Town

! e t o V o t t e g r o f 't n Do

TOWN OF CHARLOTTE SELECTBOARD NOTICE OF 1ST PUBLIC HEARING FOR PROPOSED TOWN PLAN Pursuant to 24 V.S.A. Section 4385, the Charlotte Selectboard will hold its first public hearing to receive public comments on a proposed amended Charlotte Town Plan, as submitted by the Charlotte Planning Commission, to be held on Monday, February 25, 2019, at 6:15 p.m. at the Charlotte Town Hall, 159 Ferry Road. Public comments may also be submitted in writing in advance of the public hearing.

The Town Plan includes development policies for the Town and also provides a basis for bylaws and other municipal ordinances which implement the policies in the Town Plan. This amendment is intended to meet the standards of an enhanced plan as provided under Act 174 of 2016, which would accord the Town Plan “substantial deference” in Section 248 proceedings. The proposed Town Plan affects all land within the Town.

The Table of Contents for the proposed Town Plan contains the following major topic headings: 1..Charlotte Tomorrow: Profile:

2. Charlotte Today / Community

1.1. Vision and Goals 2.1. Natural Resources & Physical Conditions 1.2 Future Land Use 2.2. Historic & Cultural Resources 1.3 Regional Context 2.3. Demographics 1.4 Natural Resources 2.4. Housing 1.5 Lake & Shoreline 2.5. Economic Conditions 1.6 Agriculture & Forestry 2.6. Utilities, Facilities & Services 1.7 Historical & Cultural Resources 2.7. Transportation 1.8 Demographics & Housing 2.8. Energy 1.9 Economic Development 2.9. Existing Land Use 1.10 Utilities, Facilities, & Services 1.11 Transportation 1.12 Energy 1.13 Implementation

WARNING TOWN OF CHARLOTTE ANNUAL TOWN MEETING 2019 The legal voters of the Town of Charlotte are hereby notified and warned to meet at the Charlotte Central School Multi-Purpose Room, 408 Hinesburg Road in said Town on Tuesday, March 5, 2019 at nine o’clock in the forenoon to act upon any of the following articles not involving voting by Australian Ballot, and to meet at the Charlotte Central School Multi-Purpose Room in said Town on the same date to vote by Australian Ballot to begin at seven o’clock in the forenoon and to close at seven o’clock in the afternoon.

Article 1: To hear the reports of the Town officers and to act upon the same.

Article 2: Will the Town vote to have Property Taxes payable on or before November 15, 2019 and to have payments made to the Town Treasurer under 32 VSA § 4773?

Article 3: Will the Town approve the Selectboard’s budget of $3,264,779 for the fiscal year July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 of which an anticipated sum of $1,881,785 will be raised by taxes and an anticipated sum of $1,382,994 will be raised by non-tax revenues, which approval shall not become effective until said budget is adopted by Australian ballot vote in accordance with the requirements of the charter of the Town of Charlotte?

Article 4: Will the Town vote to authorize the Selectboard to borrow money by issuance of bonds or notes not in excess of anticipated revenues for the next fiscal year?

Article 5: To transact any other business proper to come before said meeting.

BY AUSTRALIAN BALLOT Article 6: To elect Town Officers.

Article 7: Shall bonds of the Town of Charlotte in an amount not to exceed Two Hundred Seventy-Five Thousand Dollars and 00/100 ($275,000.00) be issued to finance the purchase of a new ambulance and related equipment to replace a 2006 ambulance?

Article 8: Shall bonds of the Town of Charlotte in an amount not to exceed Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars and 00/100 ($700,000.00) be issued to finance the construction of an addition to the Charlotte Library?

Dated this 24th day of January, 2019 at Charlotte, Vermont.

Town of Charlotte Selectboard

3. Charlotte Yesterday List of Maps List of Tables List of Figures Appendices (under a separate cover) The full text of the proposed Town Plan is available for review at the Charlotte Town Office during regular business hours (8 AM-4 PM) and on the Town’s website: http://www.charlottevt.org.

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14 • February 20, 2019 • The Charlotte News

Gardening

A winter escape

Vera Maloney Do you need a garden oasis about now? Someplace quiet and filled with plants happy to see you? You are in luck. The University of Vermont greenhouses are where you need to drag your tired, worn-out self.

The UVM greenhouses are primarily for teaching and research. They are staffed by three fantastic and very knowledgeable folks: Coleen Armstrong, Dave Helebea and Tom Doubleday. The greenhouse frequently has plants for sale and usually twice a year an “odd ball” plant sale when there are unusual plants for sale. You can find all of this on their website, uvm. edu/~grnhouse/.

But that does not amount to an oasis. What does are the public rooms filled with wonderful plants, benches and waterfalls. Open from 8:30 to 4 (check the website for holidays). It is possible to have a guided tour call Colleen at 656-0465, but wandering is really more fun.

The public spaces are roughly divided into three rooms. The first as you enter has a cacti collection (left as you enter), a succulent collection (to the right). Depending on the time of year, the large citrus collection will be on the west wall, though that space may be occupied by other well-deserving plants. Of note is the water feature: several small cascades with water-loving plants. Sit on a bench or just gaze at the moving water and you could imagine spring (well, OK, mud season first).

The second room is to the left. There you will

find the orchid wall filled with small cuties. On the south wall is the larger orchid collection. There is usually but not always something in bloom, either delicate or showy, including fragrant ones. The west wall is fern mania, with types and colors (yes, colors) that you may not have seen. The center has, among other beauties, a large coffee tree, a cacao tree and large tree ferns. Do look around and up for the bromeliads, some of which are in bloom now.

The third room is the corridor with a selection of trees and hanging baskets. In the spring do not miss the “fruit cocktail” tree with its grafting of nectarine, peach and plum. Currently there is the devil’s tongue, which smells like rotting meat; it does this to attract flies that allow it to pollinate.

There is always something new. In the spring the greenhouse sells flower and vegetable starts…you can never have too many.

This is truly a wonderful oasis that also puts you in the center of research activity. You cannot go into the research rooms, but you can look in and see what they are doing.

Go, now!

Vera Maroney has lived in Charlotte for 45 years and in the same house in West Charlotte for 40 years—plenty of time to make every gardening mistake multiple times. She cherishes the local nurseries, the UVM Extension Master Gardener Program and the uncertainty of gardening. And she’s an avid reader of The Charlotte News.

Photos by Colleen Armstrong

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The Charlotte News • February 20, 2019 • 15

Out Takes

East Village proposal needs a wall

Edd Merritt And all around your island There’s a barricade It keeps out the danger It holds in the pain

Tom Petty ─ “Walls” At the end of January, the Charlotte Planning Commission discussed changing the village boundaries for East Charlotte to include setbacks of 400 feet in all directions from the intersection of Spear Street and Hinesburg Road. Commission Vice Chair Charlie Pughe presented a drawing of what that would mean for the village in the way of increasing walkways for pedestrians and to slow traffic so that walkers would not feel threatened by cars.

The change would extend village limits to roughly 2,400 feet in all directions. East to west that would mean from just east of Stony Loam Farm, across the intersection

to the west edge of the current solar farm on Hinesburg Road. North to south it would run from Cemetery Road down to Morningside Drive. Town Planner Daryl Benoit said there were several ways to “calm traffic into the Village.” A village planning project by LandWorks said that East Charlotte is a “quintessential Vermont hamlet.” So see? We are our own small municipality.

However, what none of the proposals suggested was building a wall to block those nasty folks from West Charlotte and to, perhaps, monitor the Ferry traffic – much of which is immigrant New Yorkers, Massachusettsites and Connecticutidians.

(These groups would, of course, have to pay to build the wall—unless we could get our fearless president to realize the seriousness of having a village border and what that border means to those of us without painted blond hair who live within it.).

Let’s see, where could we get materials for this wall? We have a few bricks stacked in back of our garage that we could put to good use, but cement blocks? We will probably have to open a factory behind Spears Store that would employ between 200 and 300 people to make enough concrete blocks to construct a wall 15 feet tall by the 2,400 feet long north, south, east

and west.

What about patrolling the barrier, since we don’t have our own police force for the village? How about farmer Robert Mack who, when not baling hay, could interrogate the transients from the west who want to breach the wall and get a cup of coffee and a cookie from Carrie Spear or who may be late for class at CVU and can’t afford the time to re-route through Shelburne. In fact, he might even put them to work in his barn or have them open a new brewery (a vocation that Vermont, apparently, cannot have enough of).

Britt Sue Tenney could charge these immigrants higher prices for floral bouquets with extra income going into the pockets of East Charlotte CEOs, many of whom now live in a golden-gated community that went up in a flash and that one gets to by turning off Spear onto “Wall Street.”

Without the wall, East Charlotte is in danger of becoming a hub of crime. We have seen what the West Charlotte people can be like and have a tendency to do in the way of illegal activity. We refer to them as “old bricks.” Although Church Hill was named to preserve a religious tone to the area, it does little more than offer a downward slope which if followed several thousand more miles west and south could

land a person on the banks of the Rio Grand and only a short swim from Mexico, where, given the desire of our martyr president, another wall will form.

Given the wealth of platitudes in the president’s State of the Union address the other night and the way that address has evolved into a framework which, unfortunately, is more addressed to the politicians gathered in the room than to the American public, I managed to flip back and forth between Boston College hockey and snowboarders—who, by the way, were much more adept at their skills than the president and Congress were at sending a message to their constituents. I guess that the State of the Union address preceded reality TV in its limited informational transmission, focusing more on its delivery than on its content. What, as a viewer, do you get with applause every 35 seconds, interspersed by cliché after cliché.

I wonder if the “United States of New England” would follow the same pattern.

Why not get America out of Vermont and give it a shot.

Meanwhile, as Pink Floyd says, mama’s going to keep baby cozy and warm, ooh baby, of course mama’s going to help build the wall. And we know that walls will make all the difference.

16 • February 20, 2019 • The Charlotte News

Leavitty When I was seven I learned to ice skate on the west side of New York City.

In someone’s apartment.

My parents Josie Leavitt divorced when I was a baby, and my older brother and I grew up visiting our father every other weekend. Each weekend started with the question, “What do you kiddos want to do today?” My brother, Harris, always shouted, “Museum of Natural History!!” By the time I’d even considered the options, my childhood stutter would render me effectively mute. So, off to the museum we would go.

Every. Single. Weekend.

Harris was difficult to be around. He had a low tolerance for frustration and had a hot temper that was often signaled by a narrowing of his eyes as he considered his options: fists or epic tantrums. Our 15-month age difference was just enough for him to best me at physical things. I learned to duck and cover but was always a target for things that had nothing to do with me. My father often did what Harris wanted because Dad didn’t want to deal with “one of Harris’s moods.”

One weekend, we were told the Great Hall at the Museum Harris wanted to go to was closed for renovation, and he punched the wall and stalked off.

$

Le Petit Ice Skating Studio

So it was a wonderful day when my father said quite proudly, “We’re going ice skating.”

As best I knew Dad didn’t skate, and I know we didn’t. My father had somehow found the best ice skating rink, ever. Le Petit Ice Skating Studio was on West 58th street. It was a tiny rink, 20 by 32 feet, in someone’s honest-to-god ground floor apartment. It was magic and so very child-sized.

I think it used to be their dining room and they converted it to a rink, and the back wall was all glass and opened onto their living room. I remember watching people eating brunch and having mimosas while watching us skate; it was weird and wonderful, like we were all in a movie. There was no front glass, so I always worried about skating right off the rink, which felt very high off the ground to me but in reality was less than a foot. I found my words on the ice, so when my father suggested coming back the next weekend I chimed in quickly: Yes, yes, let’s take another lesson.

We did take a few lessons. Harris was all left feet and fell a lot, causing hot tears and shouts of “Stop looking!” It was very easy for me to feel successful at the Le Petit, as we grew to call it. It turned out that skating appealed to me. I could go fast. I loved the feeling of gliding because it felt like flying, especially by the very open edge. Harris was not a good skater; he was full of fear and I never let him forget it. All those years of suppressed frustration at the Museum of Natural History came out on those skates as

“

I loved skating but hated the girl’s figure skates with their prissy white boots and the toe pick at the front of the skate. It all felt too girly; I wanted to be a hockey player.

”

I whipped by him, hit the wall and turned quickly to do it again. I could see his fist ball up, and I’d just race the opposite way.

We told our grandfather that we had learned to skate, and he thought this was marvelous. He had a small pond at his house, and that winter he thought it was high time we all got out on the ice. Grandpa was a very smart man, but not a man of nature. The only way he knew how to test the ice was to drive his behemoth of a Cadillac onto the pond. “If it can hold the car, it can hold my precious grandkids.” I was touched at the sentiment, but even at six was aware that two children whose combined weight was well under 100 pounds was nothing compared to the Caddie and that perhaps this was overkill.

Grandpa drove onto the pond slowly and stopped in the middle. I could almost see him bouncing in the driver’s seat to really test the ice. We heard a deafening crack and then the pond ice split. My 70-year-old grandpa literally flew out of the car and hit the shore in time to see his bright red Cadillac sink into the pond. This was the funniest and scariest thing I’d ever seen. It was downright

hilarious when he did the exact same thing the following year with his black Cadillac.

We moved to Long Island when I was eight, and we started skating with our mom at the local rink. Cantiak Park was close to our house and offered us a cool place to spend our summers. This was also one of the only things the three of us did together. We had become hockey fans, getting season tickets to the new National Hockey League team, the New York Islanders, so skating had another link for us.

I loved skating but hated the girl’s figure skates with their prissy white boots and the toe pick at the front of the skate. It all felt too girly; I wanted to be a hockey player. Had I been born 15 years later I could have been one, but as a 10-year-old there were no girls hockey teams, nor were girls welcome on the boys team. So I was relegated to the white figure skates of girls all the while wishing for the shiny black pair of skates my brother had.

One time we were getting our skates sharpened when the guy overheard me lamenting about the toe pick, “I can cut that see LEAVITTY page 17

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The Charlotte News • February 20, 2019 • 17

Accidental Pastor Exactly what I needed

LEAVITTY continued from page 16

off for you. Might make it easier for you to My daughter, you to have this one,” she said. It was book He told me he had grown up in Florida. go fast.” I loved him. If I couldn’t have fierce Coco and I did of daily devotions, and when I opened it to He told me about the farmland there and black hockey skates this was the next best something kind the first page, the first day of the year, there what it was like to run through those fields thing. of spontaneous was a quote from my very favorite part of when he was a kid. I didn’t ask him how he We would skate weekly. I would skate last week. Weary the Old Testament: the Book of Jeremiah. ended up without legs, in a wheelchair on around and around in a circle, wishing I was from the persistent It’s about plans and hope and the future. It the streets. He looked right at me when we playing or even skating with someone other cold, tired from the was just what I needed. You know when spoke and he asked me questions about my than my brother and mom. I’d just skate fast, many challenging that happens?

When someone or something life.

I told him I was a pastor and that I had Melissa O’Brien backwards, pretending to be my favorite circumstances of shows up, seemingly out of the blue and once had a drinking problem.

To which he NEWS EDITOR defenseman, Dennis Potvin. I pretended I my life, I booked us you think…how did they know that that responded, “well, I was gonna go buy some wasn’t a girl. I would do the very dramatic ice a very short trip to Florida. Risky, I know, was exactly what I needed? beer with that money, but I need pants, so spraying stops just to piss off my brother, then to attempt such a short getaway, but I didn’t Day two and our only actual day in the I’m gonna get some new pants.” skate away really, really fast, like I was going think much could go wrong. south. Coco and I had a terrific breakfast It’s funny how the whole pastor thing for a breakaway goal to win the Stanley Cup. Actually, I guess what happened was that and then walked all over the place, does that to people. “Trust me,” I told I wore the jersey of my favorite New York I didn’t think, at all. laughing. She’s got the greatest sense Leon, I’m not keeping track of what you’re Islander to school, and my classmates started We boarded on Wednesday night, doing, there is no Naughty or calling me Truck Driver. just in time for the ice storm that Nice list where I come from.

The summer I was 11 my brother was in the sent cars skidding off the road all If you need a drink to get foul mood that seemed to be his new normal. over Burlington. And we were through your day, it’s OK, but His violence around the house had escalated. grounded just long enough to miss try not to drink too much.”

He spent much of his time in the woods our connecting flight from D.C. to

“No, no,” he said, “I’m cutting down a tree with an axe. It became his Orlando. Naturally, there was a long gonna buy some pants.” I Hate Tree where he was supposed to get his line to navigate in Washington to didn’t believe him, but it didn’t anger out. One tree wasn’t enough. By the end rebook, so that by the time we got to really matter. I was happy to of the summer he had not only cut down close a hotel to sleep, we had about three have met this lovely man and to a dozen trees, he had chopped them to bits. hours before we had to rise and return perhaps to have helped him All day, every day he was out there swinging to the airport for our now 6 a.m. flight a little. Wouldn’t you know away his rage. to Orlando … via Newark. it, though, a little while later For that entire summer I avoided him, at the Boarded and ready to feel that Coco and I were cruising the rink, at home. When he wasn’t deforesting the southern sun, Coco and I listened aisles at the Goodwill on the woods, Harris spent a lot of time alone in his in disbelief as the flight staff told us next block and there he was, room eating salami. there was no pilot, that the pilot was Leon, talking to one of the When we went to the store and picked out Leon.

Photo by Melissa O’Brien “sick,” the first in a series of lies we sales people, asking for help our skates, Harris didn’t miss a chance to were fed that morning regarding the lack of of humor and 14 is a magical age (most with the jeans. remind me that I’d never have hockey skates. a trained flight professional that ultimately days). We sniffed out, as we always do, the Small miracle, that Leon.

He snarled at me, “What are you getting the led to us missing our Newark flight. nearest thrift shop, and while she was inside We left Florida on Saturday morning and white skates for? Those are for real girls.” The Another long line, another sad story. By shopping I sat outside in the sun and took little did we know that we were on Frontier skate guy came over and as he was helping then we had two choices: admit defeat and pictures of the people who came by. My Airline’s inaugural non-stop flight into Harris lace up his skates he said, “What’s return to Vermont or press on regardless to camera does that, it gives me entree into Burlington. The press was there when we going on, Mr. Sunshine.” My heart skipped a Orlando via … Houston! conversations with perfect strangers. I often arrived; there was a table filled with treats beat. Harris was not one for being cajoled out No joke. ask…may I take your picture, and most at the gate and balloons in every direction. of a mood.

Here was where tragedy turned to people are happy to oblige. That’s how I Truly, a party thrown in our honor. We were Harris’s eyes narrowed as he smiled comedy and back again in the blink of an come to hear stories and learn a little bit home. Just in time for another six inches of wanly at the man and then took his skate and eye. When we landed in Houston I turned about the place I’m visiting. That was how I snow. accidentally-on-purpose sliced the man’s hand my phone on and learned that not one but met Leon on my second day in Florida.

In addition to being one of the editors open. two of my dear friends back home had had Leon was in a wheelchair and I could at the News, Melissa is the pastor of the I never skated again. heart “events.” Heart attacks, basically. have easily pegged him as an alcoholic Pawlet Community Church in Pawlet, Until now, more than 40 years later. I am trying to skate again, not on rink but on the And here I was in Houston wondering what homeless man. He asked for money and Vermont, and a student at the Fordham wide-open lake. And two weeks ago I was the hell was happening, having forgotten I found myself in that familiar place of School of Religion and Religious with my girlfriend when I bought my first pair the reason why we needed to get out of not wanting to give money to someone I Education. of shiny black men’s hockey skates.

Vermont in the first place. thought was going to spend it on booze. So The thing I’ve learned, though, in my I got down low and talked with him a bit. years as a pastor, as a chaplain, as a person who is in close proximity to suffering every single day of the year, is to look for the miracles. When the going gets tough you really have to put the God goggles on and look carefully for the beauty, otherwise it’s all too much.

My luggage made it. A miracle.

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Health Matters Physical therapy’s role in wellness and injury prevention Physical therapists are often identified by their ability to help people rehabilitate injuries, but did you know they can help you prevent an injury before it Katherine Spencer happens? Although rehabilitating injuries is a significant component of physical therapy, these health care providers are able to provide services far beyond the injured population.

Physical therapists are experts in the way the human body moves. They are able to provide a unique perspective on purposeful, precise and efficient movement across the lifespan by evaluating the movement system through their expertise in mobility and locomotion. From this evaluation, therapists are able to design a customized and integrated plan of care to achieve the individual’s goaldirected outcomes.

So the question becomes, outside of rehabilitating injuries, what else can physical therapists do that will benefit you?

1. Prevent injury, be proactive!

Physical therapists can help individuals become proactive by identifying body imbalances and risk factors that may predispose them to injury or inhibit their physical performance. By evaluating and

addressing these factors, injuries may be prevented. In addition, proactive strength and balance training can help facilitate the ability to perform daily activities and participate in recreational, community and athletic activities.

2. Prepare individuals before surgery This is also referred to as pre-rehabilitation, or “prehab.” Research has demonstrated the positive effects of pre-rehabilitation in patients undergoing artificial hip and knee replacements. Patients who perform a supervised exercise program that includes strength, range of motion, flexibility, aerobic and balance exercises before surgery are less likely to require inpatient rehabilitation and often recover at a faster rate. In addition to improving the rate of a successful surgical outcomes, prehab is also an opportunity to build a trusting relationship with your physical therapist. Furthermore, it provides prospective patients with the opportunity to ask questions regarding post-operative management and become familiar with the clinic and associated staff.

3. Promote health, fitness and general wellness This typically focuses on building strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. Many therapists utilize a whole body approach to heal an individual patient’s unique orthopedic or neuromuscular condition and improve their functional capacity for daily tasks, work and fitness/athletic activities. Certain

therapists expand their education and skill set and become board-certified specialists in orthopedics, women’s health, geriatrics and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, to name just a few. Other physical therapy specialty areas include pediatrics, sports, electrophysiology, neurology and oncology.

4. Improve athletic performance Adherence to a sport-specific training program for athletes can be extremely beneficial in preventing injuries. Another advantage of this type of program is enhancement of athletic performance. These programs often incorporate proper warmup exercises to perform before games and practices. They typically have a strong emphasis on accurate body mechanics and sport-specific movements.

5. Help to reduce fall risk Physical therapists are trained to work closely with individuals who have a history of falls or feel unsteady on their feet. Working on specific balance activities and improving core strength will help to reduce the risk of falling fall risk and promotes independence.

6. Chronic-pain education and management Physical therapists help people who experience chronic pain with exercises that often focus on improving strength, flexibility and endurance through a graduated program.

This can help to reduce pain, improve sleep, and promote the ability to take part in social, work, school, and recreational activities.

Your therapist will also educate you on the mechanism of chronic pain, how it differs from acute pain, and how to manage your own pain.

7. Posture and ergonomic assessment With technology these days, many of us are frequently using computers, phones and tablets and are often unaware of our posture while doing so. Looking down at your phone can put up to 10 pounds of extra weight on your head and neck, which can cause a multitude of orthopedic problems. Physical therapists can help teach you what correct posture actually means and how to implement it into your daily life. In addition, they can help with how to properly set your desk up for office workers and with body mechanics for people with more physical jobs.

We only have one body, so why not utilize experts in the human movement system to keep things moving? Think of it like you would your regular dental cleanings. Many people typically go to the dentist one to two times per year to prevent oral health issues and to identify potential problems. Your physical therapist can provide the same type of service, by keeping you moving and doing the things you love to do!

Katherine Spencer holds a doctorate in physical therapy and is a board certified clinical specialist in orthopedic physical therapy. She works at Dee PT in Shelburne.

She can be reached at katherinespencer@ deept.com. She lives in South Burlington.

Available at Spears Corner Store!

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The Charlotte News • February 20, 2019 • 19

Sacred Hunter

Let’s go fishing

Oz and Bradley with whiteys.

Bradley Carleton Come join the party! All are welcome— just make sure you have your fishing license!

The last week of February and first week of March are reserved for the Unofficial Great White Perch Festival on St. Albans Bay. Provided the ice is still safe (usually the bay has around two feet of good ice this time of year), you will find, on a sunny Saturday or Sunday, at least 100 people enjoying the ice fishing for Vermont’s favorite invasive species, the “white perch.”

“Whitey” is really from the genus Morone Americana, a member of the striped bass family. The shiny silver fish can grow up to 19.5 inches and weigh as much as four pounds; however, the ones we commonly see in the lake are more in the range of 10 to 14 inches. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department considers it an invasive species as its primary diet is yellow perch and walleye eggs, and it out-forages many other species for food. For some unknown reason they seem to migrate to St. Albans Bay in large numbers at this time of year.

Since they are considered invasive, there are no possession limits on the fish, and people frequently catch as many as a couple of hundred in a day, many of which are sold to fishmongers like Ray’s Seafood in Essex Junction. As their genus will dictate, they are great fighters and are quite delicious when fried or baked in a white wine and butter sauce with a light coating of bread crumbs and a squeeze of lemon.

Wanna join us? Go online at vtfishandwildlife.com and get yourself a license, then drive to the St. Albans Bay Access off of Lake Road and take a hike southwest to Hathaway Point. You’ll see a crowd of people sitting near one another, and from a distance you will likely hear a staccato series of what sound like war whoops. Rods will be raising up quickly, setting hooks on the voracious whitey, and you’ll see people laughing and cajoling over “the one that got away.” Pull up a pickle bucket and pop a hole with your auger.

If you don’t have one, just proceed to the

Photo of the week

Photo contributed

nearest open hole, look around, and ask the nearest person if they mind if you try that one.

Bait your lure with a chunk of earthworm or a few “spikes” (maggots—for those not in the know) and lower your bait down just above the bottom of the bay, about 15–20 feet near the green buoy) and slowly start jigging—no, not the dance but the gentle up and down motion of the ice rod. Be aware, though, that if you do decide to do the dance, it is likely that a few folks who have gotten into their adult beverages a bit early may come join you.

Within a few minutes you should get a hard tug on the line, and when you do, set the hook quickly by raising your rod abruptly about one foot in the air. From that point on the fight is all yours! These fish love to pull, thrash and tug every which way they can, and when you’ve got a nice one on you’ll know it. Just keep reeling up and try to keep the line from abrading the edge of the hole because it can break against the sharp edge of the ice. Keep reeling. The rod will throb mightily and you will feel the full fight of the fish. Keep reeling. Keep the pressure on him.

When he finally gets up to the hole, you’ll need to finesse him through.

Sometimes the hole (usually with about a 6-inch diameter) looks like it’s going to be too small to pull this feisty denizen of the deep through the cylinder of water. But wiggle the rod a little from side to side and gently ease his head first up through the hole. When his silvery head is above the surface, grab him by the mouth—not the gills and not the back, which can be very sharp gill plates or dorsal fins—but by the mouth, like the pro bass fishermen you see on television. Hoist him up high and let out your best war whoop! You’ve scored! Now, get back down there before they move to another hole.

Great Spirit, bless the invasive white perch, for tonight we shall dine with glory.

Bradley Carleton is executive director of Sacred Hunter.org, a nonprofit that seeks to educate the public on the spiritual connection of man to nature.

Town Farm Bay Dean Island

Answers to puzzles on page 23

Photo by Matthew Bijur

20 • February 20, 2019 • The Charlotte News

Sports

players remain the team’s strengths. The Hawks have two regular-season games left, which they will focus on winning and not on looking forward to the tournaments to follow.

It’s Hornets against Hawks in gymnastics Although seeded second behind CVU during the regular season, Essex gymnasts managed to pull out a narrow victory in the 2019 state championships last Saturday at the Hornets’ home gym by team scores of 137.625 to 136.275. Laurynn Bombardier, in addition to placing third in the allaround category, was among the top five individuals in the vault, beam and floor exercises. Her beam score was .225 points behind her teammate Delaney MillerBottoms, who finished first, and on floor exercises she fell less than one point behind another Redhawk, Logan Claffy, who won the event. Taylor Hoar won the vault.

Can women’s basketball keep it up?

St. Johnsbury Academy came as close to a win as any team has this year against CVU, but the Redhawks still prevailed by 10 points, 51-41 to remain undefeated. A Burlington Free Press article stressed that CVU’s strength lies in its defense. Through its win over Rice in January, the Redhawks had allowed their opponents an average of only 21 points per game. Despite allowing South Burlington and St. Jay to surpass 30 points, defense and ball movement that distributes scoring among a number of

himself unchallenged on the inbound pass from which he hit the game-winning bucket. Mason Otley led CVU with 19 points; Bennett Cheer and Ethan Harvey followed with 14 apiece.

Alpine skiers slalom down two mountains

Mount Ellen and Smugglers’ Notch provided the trails for slalom and giant slalom racers respectively. In the first category, Claire Smith placed 5th with her male mate Sean Gilliam also finishing 5th, followed immediately by Seth Boffa (6th) and Turner Barbour (7th). Olivia Zubarick won the giant slalom for women with Claire Goldman in third place, Emily Marvin tied for fourth, Ellie RamirezRicher sixth and Claire Smith tenth.

Wrestlers tackle dual championships

Redhawk wrestlers placed 4th in the Northern Vermont Athletic Conference Team Dual Championships on February 9 at St. Johnsbury Academy. They did so despite a number of injuries and illnesses, which made coach Gunnar Olson that much more proud of his charges. With a 14-person lineup in the dual format, it is difficult to maintain points with injured wrestlers. Each forfeit gives the other team six points. Coach Olson said that in “head-to-head matches, we performed exceptionally well.”

The varsity state tournament is coming up this weekend in Essex.

Coach Gunnar Olson and his charges.

Photo contributed by Jennifer Olson

Men’s basketball begins February with a tough loss to Rice A three-pointer as time was about to

Photo by Al Frey

Boyd Makkena splits the Wolves.

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expire gave Rice a two-point win over CVU, 67-65. Back and forth describes accurately the last minute of the game as the Hawks took a 65-64 lead on a pair of free throws, only to have the Green Knights’ Michel Ndayishhimiye find

Town

The Charlotte News • February 20, 2019 • 21

Music at the grange

Who invented the paperclip?

When Johann Vaaler patented his paper clip in 1901, there already were similar designs on the books.

William Middlebrook of Waterbury, Connecticut patented his design in 1899. Cornelius Brosnan of Springfield, Massachusetts patented his Konaclip in 1900.

So, who was first to invent the paper clip?

Well, it is thought to be Johann Vaaler. Drawings of his design date to early 1899, but since Norway had no patent law at the time he had to seek patent rights in Germany and the US in the following years.

Johann Vaaler was born on 15 March 1866 in Aurskog, Norway.

Known as an innovator in his youth, he graduated in electronics, science and mathematics. He was employed by the owner of an invention office when he invented the paper clip in 1899.

Several designs followed the original. Only a few remain, such as the Ideal, Non-Skid, Owl and Gem. The first double-oval clip, the Gem, was launched in early-1900 by Gem Manufacturing Ltd of England. The paper clip remains as one of the most-used items of all time.

The Sugar House Run band entertained a full house Sunday afternoon at the Charlotte Grange Hall. Michael Ryan on guitar, Dan Wyman on fiddle, Michael Fortin on upright bass, and George Seymore on banjo played and sang bluegrass to a very appreciative audience.

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Carolyn Kulik

SENIOR CENTER DIRECTOR

“There are three kinds of people in the world: those who don’t know and don’t know they don’t know; those who don’t know and do know they don’t know; and those who know and know how much they still don’t know.”

~ Karen Marie Moning, Bloodfever Sound a little familiar? Which type are you? How is it that when we are young we are often compelled to think we have the answers? Yet as we age, many of us realize that we do not—even though we have had several decades of living to discover them. Actually, if we are lucky, we come to love the questions.

In February

Starting on 2/21, postponed from last week, is an unusual new course titled Creating in 3-D. Come with artist Linda Finkelstein on a magical exploration of what you can create sculpturally with wood scraps and wood shapes—in the style of Louise Nevelson. The class will run Thursdays from 9:30-11 a.m. on 2/21, 2/28 and 3/7. Cost for the threeclass series is $45. Ms. Finkelstein is an accomplished mixed-media artist and retired art educator. Registration is required.

Attendees were very enthusiastic about the recent three-part series on Musical Immigrations with Dr. Benjamin Klemme, director of the Vermont Youth Orchestra. Everyone is looking forward to hearing what he will present when he returns after the spring. Rumor has it that a musical performance might also be on the agenda.

On 2/28, the second Thursday of the month, the Gents Breakfast meets from 7:30-9 a.m. in the Café. The menu and topic of the morning will be announced.

Call for information and to make your reservations.

Free Wednesday afternoon events at 1 p.m.

Today, 2/20, is Caring for Your

Heirlooms. Richard Kerschner, former conservator at the Shelburne Museum for 32 years, will discuss and advise on how to care for your heirlooms, how to decide if they should be conserved, and how to go about finding and communicating with a qualified conservator. Bring in your heirlooms, and ask the questions you’ve had in mind for years.

On 2/27, have a look at the Ultimate Galapagos & Ecuador’s Amazon Wilds with Patrice MaComber. Join her to learn about the culture, history and wildlife of the Galapagos Islands. Spend time in the Ecuadorian rain forest, visiting not only the forest itself but finding out what it is like to live there for a local family.

On 3/6, John Varricchione gives you a look at Burlington Before the Mall. What was the neighborhood of the Burlington Mall like in the early 1960s before the impact of urban renewal? Burlington officials saw it as a major step forward, but it later came to be seen as a significant loss. Mr. Varricchione is a member of the Vermont Italian Cultural Association.

Foot Clinic On Wednesday, 3/6, is our recurring Foot Clinic, starting at 9:15 with the kind assistance of Martha McAuliffe, R.N.; Julia Jacques, LPN, AEMT; and Samantha Wendell. This clinic does require preregistration, but the Blood Pressure Clinic at 11:30 on the same day welcomes walk-ins.

Spring Schedule & Calendar The Spring Schedule is inserted in this issue—and it can also be found on our website, CharlotteSeniorCenterVT. org. (This is where you can refer your friends who are not yet on our mailing list.) Today is an early Charlotte News publication date, as usually the new season’s schedule is published the last week of the month. Please note that registration for spring classes begins on 2/27.

There are five new courses: Spanish Grammar Review (3/5), French for

“The world, even the smallest parts of it, is filled with things you don’t know.” ~ Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Travelers (3/12), Write Now! (3/14), an 8-week afternoon course on Mindfulness for Life (4/3), and a 6-part workshop on Living with Chronic Pain (4/18).

Some old favorites are starting up again this season: Aerobic Spring Tune-Up (3/11), Birding Expeditions (3/20), Spring Road Hikes (4/20), Pastel Painting (5/7), and Play Reading (5/23).

There are 13 free Wednesday afternoon events—which include three concerts and three travelogues. Somehow Vince Crockenberg has managed to have his presentation on Cuba After Fidel canceled for a second time due to snow.

But he gets yet another chance on 3/27.

Mark your calendars. Anticipation continues to build—can he deliver?

Of course, there are still all our other ongoing classes: exercise (9!), art courses with Lynn Cummings (2), language conversation classes (2), book discussion groups (2), games (2), art gatherings (2), and still more. (Did I forget anything?)

Art News

The February Art Exhibit of watercolors and photography by Judy Brook will be coming down soon. Her watercolors are lovely, but it is her photos of “rustscapes” (from farm equipment!) that are truly astounding. Who knew there was a mystery to rust?

The March Art Exhibit will be Cindi Robinson’s photography. She says, “My work tends to focus on that moment of light that will soon pass. Primarily working in landscape and cityscape, I strive to find the … nuances of a place and the effect of light on that space.”

Since the Center’s exhibition space is used for many events and classes, please note the best times to visit Art Exhibits below.

Best times to see Art Exhibits in February & March: Tues. & Wed. after 2:30, Thurs. & Fri. after 12:30.

You might also catch a quick peek at about noon on Mon. and Wed. Please call the Center during the week to check on Sunday afternoon availability.

It is possible that we will not have any more snow/ice closures, but when you are in doubt as to whether the Center is open, the phone message will be changed to announce that before 8 a.m.

The website will be updated as well: CharlotteSeniorCenterVT.org. Of course, you can always check local TV and radio stations to see if the Champlain Valley School District has canceled classes or has a delayed opening, since we follow their closings.

SENIOR CENTER MENUS Suggested donation for all meals: $5

Monday Munch

11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

No reservations required.

February 25

Fire-roasted tomato & eggplant soup Greens Homemade dessert

March 4

White bean & ham soup (Compliments of Philo Ridge) Apple coleslaw Chocolate chip Cherry chunk cookies

Wednesday Lunch All diners eat at noon.

Reservations required.

February 20

Pesto chicken tortellini bake Homemade dessert

February 27

Pork tenderloin Potato gratin Greens Homemade dessert

March 6

Asparagus quiche Greens Birthday cake & ice cream

Thursday Gents Breakfast

7:30–9 a.m.

Reservations required.

February 28 Menue: TBA Topic: TBA (Keep up to date on Menus with Front Porch Forum, as they sometimes change.)

“The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.” ~ Oscar Wilde

NOTE: The center is open during school vacations.

See you soon! __________________________ Charlotte Senior Center (802)425-6345 CharlotteSeniorCenterVT.org

Think Spring!

The Charlotte News • February 20, 2019 • 23

Puzzles

Classifieds

Answers to puzzles on page 19

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(Payment must be sent before issue date.) Please limit your ad to 35 words or fewer and send it to The Charlotte News Classifieds, P.O. Box 251, Charlotte, VT 05445 or email ads@thecharlottenews.org.

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Across

1. “___ be my pleasure!”

4. Enthralled 8. Quickly, in music 14. Medieval lord 16. Squares things 17. Rental papers 19. Exec’s note 20. Unfamiliar 21. Circular opening?

22. That certain something 25. Carbonium, e.g.

28. Call 29. Home business 34. Singer DiFranco 35. Doorpost 36. Ending of the Bible 37. Houston ___ 39. BET alternative 41. Cork’s place 45. “___-Hoo,” 1959 rockabilly song 48. Colossal 51. ‘60s hot spot 52. Vacation spots 57. Fertility clinic stock 58. Half a score 59. Shed 60. Race’s end 62. “___ Me,” Withers hit

65. Kind of store 68. Don McLean song 73. Hit 74. Pitcher feat 75. Renter 76. Hardly haute cuisine 77. Some dashes

Down

1. Prayer leader 2. Cash register part 3. Sea rescue adjective 4. Carney or Monk 5. School of whales 6. Beehive, e.g.

7. Tierney 8. “Dog Day Afternoon” character 9. Adaptable truck, for short 10. Drag queen’s collection 11. Supplement 12. Swarming one 13. Make rigid 15. Crack filler 18. ___ Towers 23. Rule opposed by Gandhi 24. Palindromic title 26. Dedicated lines

27. Mongongo 29. Blackguard 30. Wallet find 31. Low-fat meat 32. “Ghosts” writer 33. Wolf or devil preceder 38. Have chits out 40. Clever 42. Get going 43. Tore 44. German river 46. Many a time 47. It needs refinement 49. Diamonds 50. Engine part 52. Diet 53. Do the Wright thing 54. Certain topographies 55. Cross 56. Bathroom cleaner?

61. Greek consonants 63. Be a rat 64. Chemical compound 66. Appearance 67. Stumbles 69. Fabrication 70. Chemical ending 71. Even if, briefly 72. Not square

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