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Volume lX Number 17 | Thursday, march 8, 2018

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Vol. 60, no. 17 March 8, 2018

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

Remembering Bid Spear

Town Meeting 2018: generators, airpacks and civility

Melissa O’Brien

Meghan Neely

NEWS EDITOR

On the morning of March 2, Helena Spear warmly welcomed me into her home to talk about her life in Charlotte, their family businesses and her husband, William Spear, or Bid, who died at home on February 19. Let’s start at the beginning: how did you and Bid meet? When we were kids there was a gang at our place, at the Mack Farm on Greenbush Road, and he and his buddy — his buddy always rode his bike and he walked — they would come to see me. He was the cutest, shyest boy. This was when he was about 15. Where did the name Bid come from? His brother Sam, who was eleven months older than him, couldn’t pronounce Billy so he called him Biddy. The name always stuck. And where was he living at the time? He lived on Ferry Road, just past the intersection to Lake Road. We never went to school together, though. He went to Spear School and I went to the Village School, then he went to Burlington High and I went to Mt. Saint Mary’s, the convent in Burlington.

Bid Spear the fall, so we would go down into the woods and squirrel hunt. After high school he went into the Navy. He was on active duty for three years, then he was in the reserves. He was called back into active duty because of the Korean situation and that’s when we decided to get married, 1952.

His father worked in Burlington as a mechanic at Hagar Hardware, so Bid rode into town with him. I boarded at Mt. Saint Mary’s.

Where did you get married? We got married in East Charlotte at the Catholic Church on February 14 and had a small family reception afterwards.

So then when did the dating begin? We started dating when I was 16. I had to ask both my mother and my father for permission. We would go bowling or to the movies, more or less what kids do today. He used to like to squirrel hunt in

Where did you live when you were first married? We lived in a little trailer down at the farm. Bid was working at Spear’s Garage with see

SPEAR page 23

The March 6 Town Meeting at Charlotte Central School was a realtively peaceful gathering this year, with residents fillin the school’s Multi-Purpose Room prepared to discuss the town’s annual report for the upcoming fiscal year. Moderator Charles Russell opened the meeting shortly after nine in the morning, and over the course of several hours town residents proposed and voted on several amendments to the articles which will go to Charlotte voters by way of Australian ballot on April 3. Following opening statements from the Selectboard and then tree warden, Mark Dillenbeck, Article 2 was passed without discussion by voice vote, in so doing agreeing that the town will vote to have property taxes payable on or before November 15, 2018. Article 3, to approve the town’s $3,145,165 budget, passed by a voice vote after presentations from the Selectboard and lengthy discussion. The article received only one amendment from The Charlotte News Board President, Vince Crockenberg. Crockenberg proposed an amendment requesting that $500 of the town’s budget be given as a contribution to the nonprofit newspaper, which was met with overwhelming support. A second amendment to Article 3 was put forth by the Trails Committee. They requested a $30,000 addition to the town’s budget for the Trail Reserve Fund which would be used to construct a new path by State Park Road. According to the Committee’s co-chair, Laurie Thompson, the cost of the path would be somewhere between $96,000 and $1000,

meaning that construction would deplete the Trail Reserve Fund completely. This amendment failed in a standing vote 53 to 75. Another amendment to reduce the town’s budget by $100,000 also failed by voice vote. Selectboard member Fritz Tegatz presented on Article 4, a request for an additional $50,000 to be raised by taxes for the purchasing of two propane generators. If approved at the April 3 Australian ballot, these generators will be installed at the Senior Center and Town Hall for emergency use. The generators will provide heat and electricity to the two buildings as well as power to their septic systems. Discussion surrounding the generators largely concerned their placement. Many residents felt that the Charlotte Central School would be a better suited shelter than the Senior Center because of it’s size. It was made mention how much food would be lost if the school cafeteria were to go without power for an extended amount of time. Due to its size, however, the school would likely need a much larger generator than the Senior Center. This larger generator would be more expensive, and according to Tegatz, there are currently no federal grants available for the funding of generators. Tegatz also pointed out that the complicated structuring of the school makes it unfit for the installation of a generator. Ultimately, Article 4 passed by show of standing. Recreation director Nicole Conley presented on Article 5, requesting an additional $30,000 to be raised by taxes for the Recreation Reserve Fund. In see

CVU students offer thoughtful, passionate response to Parkland shooting Melissa O’Brien NEWS EDITOR

Six students at Champlain Valley Union District High School (and one who weighed-in via email) gathered recently to discuss their responses to the mass shooting at Stoneham Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14. All of the students agreed that their initial reaction to the news of the shooting was that it was “just another in a long line of school shootings,” but that this one, this time, has become a game-changer, with the voices of so many students being heard now. “Newtown changed things,” said Lucien Theriault, a senior from Williston, referring to the 2012 shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in which twenty children and six staff members were killed,

Sydney Hicks, left and Peter Trombley, right. “but it didn’t really hit until Florida, when I saw the videos of the students who were actually in the room when the shooting was happening. I was able to imagine that happening here, in this setting.”

Photos by Melissa O’Brien

Each of the students expressed a sense of feeling safe here in Vermont, describing this place as “a good community with strong values.” Still, there was an undercurrent of understanding that a

TOWN page 14

shooting could happen anywhere. “No one ever thinks it’s going to happen where it happens,” Sydney Hicks, a sophomore from South Burlington said, “my grandparents live in a nursing home two blocks away from the Parkland High School.” “The only way you can fix the problem is culturally,“ senior class President Roark Flad of Shelburne offered. And then, in a voice beyond his years added, “we need to face this idea of a culture of toughness. We’re told that the workplace will be a place where people are rude and mean. It’s not true. We can be a culture of love.” The students spoke of the atmosphere of their school, of their concern that the drills they practice “aren’t going to save your life if someone enters this building with

Maplefield Update 5 • Summer Camps 12-13 • Senior Center News 22

see

CVU page 11

2 • March 8, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Editorial

How will we know it’s us?

I remember quite clearly, in spite of my ever-diminishing capacity to recall the events of my life, when I discovered that newspapers didn’t report the news precisely as the news happened. Melissa O’Brien That a newspaper NEWS EDITOR reflects the biases of its publisher, editorial staff and writers. I was shocked and disheartened. I loved papers. I grew up at a time when there was one waiting for you in the morning in the newspaper box beside the mailbox. Some enterprising person had risen before the sun and, back then and brought the paper to our house via bicycle. I know this because one summer I substituted for our paperboy while his family was on vacation. A stack of newspapers was delivered to my house; I placed them in a carrying sack and off I went, wondering why some people chose not to subscribe to our local paper, The Saratogian. One could walk past the Saratogian building on one’s way to Broadway in Saratoga and look in the windows and see the press machines. I loved that building; I loved imagining what went on inside. I had a romantic sense about how a newspaper was created, and it was a difficult moment for me when I learned that the workings of a newspaper were different from what I had imagined. We live in a world now when there is everincreasing competition for our attention, and so it seems that the news—news programs and newspapers—lean more and more toward entertainment. Stories are sensationalized, news reporters look more like actors and actresses than newspeople. Those people always looked tired, wore rumpled clothing,

had a cup of coffee in hand. The questions of what a newspaper is, who a newspaper serves and what to fill its pages with have percolated up around here recently. These are important things to ponder as we celebrate 60 years of being The Charlotte News. At a time when fewer and fewer people get their news by reading it on a piece of paper, one can’t help but wonder ... how long will this last? Are we holding on to something simply for the sake of holding on to something? It begs the question: of what value is this enterprise? If you ever have an hour to kill, stop by the News office and look through the archives. They’re delightful, to say the least. To wit: July 23, 1964, Around Town: “Mrs. Gilman Foote is recuperating at the home of her son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. T.J. Schermerhorn, after having spent a week at the Mary Fletcher Hospital.” In that same issue: “Chandler Moore has returned from a visit with her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Prouty, in West Hartford, Conn.” An advertisement placed in September of 1981 tells us that the Old Brick Store is under new management and selling fresh doughnuts on Sundays. In that issue, also, a notice that the Red Balloon School on Greenbush Road was starting its 11th year as a pre-school. I’ll bet many of you didn’t even know that the Red Balloon existed. Of what value is this enterprise? This is a scary question to contemplate as we move deeper and deeper into our digital lives. What makes a paper like this one meaningful? Relevant? I would offer this: the voices of many, the vision of many. The creation of a small-town newspaper requires the participation and the cooperation of many. It requires communication, shared ideas, and a certain measure of reverence for where this town has been and the role this newspaper has played in the life of this community. A

Protesting gun violence

Protesting and marching for 17 minutes may not stop the next mass school shooting, but you are making a difference. This is why I believe CCS should march and protest gun violence in school on March 14.

Letters

I believe CCS should march and protest gun violence in school on March 14. On February 14, a deadly mass shooting took place at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The lives of 17 innocent people were taken that day, by the alleged gunman Nikolas Cruz. No one did anything to stop it, but can we fix the problem now? On March 14, schools will be marching and protesting gun violence in schools. I believe that Charlotte Central School should march and protest. The length of the march according to The New York Times will last 17 minutes, one minute for every life that was lost. Even though Florida is roughly 22 hours and 40 minutes away from Vermont, a mass shooting can take place anywhere. Just recently, a Poultney teen was arrested and accused of plotting a killing spree at Fair Haven Union High School. Charlotte is only 1 hour and 7 minutes from Fair Haven. So, if a deadly mass shooting could take place in a small town high school in Vermont, then it could happen in a small town middle school in Vermont. So why don’t we rise above these terrible actions and try to make a change? Violence is never the answer. That is what we have been taught, and we should keep our children away from violence and death.

Helen Eyre 7th grade, Charlotte Central School

Carbon tax a lose-lose for Vermonters The “carbon tax” sponsored by Rep. Mike Yantachka is not a “win-win” for the people who live in Vermont. (News, Feb. 21). It is more of a “lose-lose.” The goal of reducing global carbon emissions is laudable, but what about the effect on ordinary Vermonters? Here is what Vermonters lose: 1. By 2025, we will pay out of pocket 32 cents a gallon on gasoline and diesel, 40 cents a gallon on fuel oil, and 24 cents a gallon on propane and natural gas. 2. Much of the proceeds will go to subsidize renewable energy installations, which in fact will raise the cost of electricity in Vermont since renewable is more expensive than Hydro-Quebec and natural gas-generated power from the grid. 3. The tourist and ski industries will suffer from the increase in gas costs

newspaper is a beauty of a thing because we can hold it in our hands; there is a tactile experience with reading a newspaper that has gone missing in the age of computers and cell phones. One day, maybe 20 or 30 years from now, should the fates align, the news editor of The Charlotte News might grab a cup of coffee at the Brick on a quiet Sunday morning, walk across the street and sit down, pull out the folders holding the archives. Perhaps he or she will find the one from March of 2018 and read that the owners of the Old Brick Store just had twins and that Mr. Spears had died; that local kids were angry and worried about gun violence in schools and that the gavel fell at 9:16 at Town Meeting this year while the sun shone bright outside. In other words, the hope—our hope, my hope—is that this lasts, that we all see the value in newspapers and we each do our part to keep oxygenating them. Most certainly there are things we have had in our lives that should fall by the wayside; we can’t take everything into the future. Newspapers are not one of those things. I want to know about the babies and the weddings and the ways we vote and the contents of our hearts and the things that make us angry and worried. I want to see the photos and the illustrations made by our friends, reflections of the things of beauty in our lives. I want to know my neighbors, I want to read about the things we care about here. There is a beautiful, heartbreaking scene in Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, when the folks are packing up all their belongings to head west, and there is a struggle over what can go and what must stay. The women are lamenting the things they have to leave behind: photographs and books, objects of meaning, pieces of their lives, when one of them asks, “How will we know it’s us without our past?” Indeed. How?

for travelers to Vermont (unless they fill up before crossing the state line), and, of course, gas stations and fuel oil businesses near the state line can forget about selling gas and oil. 4. Businesses that use gas or oil will be less competitive with out-of-state companies and thus hire fewer employees (unless they can afford electric trucks and conversion to electric heat, which also assumes electric rates will go down significantly). 5. Substantial investment in new equipment (electric car, solar, heat pump, etc.) will need to be made in order to reduce the pain of the tax, and low-income and rural people entitled to a refund may not have the resources to front the cost. 6. The tax is very complicated (think Act 60). Administration of the tax will be even more opaque and less transparent (and very expensive). It will be impossible to figure out how the money is being allocated and spent (except the refunds). If the tax is enacted, reserve your fire wood supply as soon as possible! Ed Amidon Charlotte see

LETTERS page 3

The Charlotte News The Charlotte News is a nonprofit, communitybased newspaper dedicated to informing townspeople of current events and issues. It serves as a forum for the free exchange of views of town residents and celebrates the people, places and happenings that make the Town of Charlotte unique. Contributions in the form of articles, press releases and photographs pertaining to Charlotte-related people and events are accepted and encouraged. For submission guidelines and deadlines, please visit our website or contact the editor at news@thecharlottenews.org. The Charlotte News is published in Charlotte by The Charlotte News, Inc., a Vermont domestic 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation. Distribution is made every other Wednesday to all households and businesses in Charlotte and to more than 50 outlets in Shelburne, Hinesburg, North Ferrisburgh, Ferrisburgh, Vergennes and Burlington. The Charlotte News relies on the generous financial contributions of its readers, subscriptions and advertising revenue to sustain its operations. Publisher: Vince Crockenberg Editorial Staff News Editor: Melissa O’Brien (melissa@thecharlottenews.org) Managing Editor: Anna Cyr (anna@thecharlottenews.org) Contributing Editor: Edd Merritt Copy editors: Beth Merritt, Vince Crockenberg, Proof readers: Edd Merritt, Mike & Janet Yantachka Archives: Liz Fotouhi Business Staff ads@thecharlottenews.org / 343-0279 Ad manager: Monica Marshall (ads@thecharlottenews.org) Bookkeeper: Jessica Lucia Board Members President: Vince Crockenberg (vince@thecharlottenews.org) Secretaries: Rick Detwiler, Carol Hanley Treasurer: Patrice Machavern (treasurer@thecharlottenews.org) Board members: Rachel Allard, Bob Bloch, Gay Regan, Louisa Schibli 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. Want a subscription? Please send a check payable to The Charlotte News, P.O. Box 251, Charlotte, VT 05445. Postmaster/Send address changes to: The Charlotte News P.O. Box 251, Charlotte, VT 05445 Telephone: 425-4949 Circulation: 3,000 copies per issue. Copyright © 2018 The Charlotte News, Inc. Member of the New England Newspaper and Press Association and the Vermont Press Association.

ON THE COVER:

Charlotter Sam McChesney soars at the Regional Freestyle Skiing competition held in Mammoth, California recently. He and his Sierra Nevada College teammates are in Lake Placid all this week competing at Nationals. Photo by Dylan Jerz

The Charlotte News • March 8, 2018 • 3

Opinion

Vermont is on the right track with health care reform Rachel Lee Cummings

Don’t let the current hubbub and steady stream of misinformation from Washington distract you from reality. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obama Care, is working and will not be done in by the recent tax bill. Medicaid continues to expand, increasing the numbers insured. Tax credits will hold premiums steady for the majority of Americans. Young adults can continue to remain on their parents’ insurance until they turn 26. Those with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied coverage. Premiums will not depend on health status. Safeguards are also in place to penalize insurers who cherry-pick and look to insure only those in good health. While expanded coverage, tax supports and safeguards to avoid cherrypicking are all vital, they do nothing to address the true drivers of healthcare costs: unnecessary treatment and the underutilization of preventative care. Add overpriced drugs, and these three problems make up more than a third of healthcare spending in the US. Despite the mixed grade the ACA gets from me—let’s call it a C+—Vermont, empowered by the flexibility that the ACA has afforded, is doing the right thing to move the needle forward on cost and quality. The state embarked on an ambitious plan to step away from fee-forservice to value-based care. After years of provider and system turbulence, Vermont has settled on a single accountable care organization, One Care Vermont (OCV). OCV has

LETTERS

continued from page 2

Protect the portability of VSAC assistance I recently learned about legislation that will change “portability” of grants and scholarships received through VSAC, the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation. The outcome of this legislation, if passed by the Legislature, would mean that students receiving VSAC grants and scholarships could use them only in Vermont colleges and universities. My granddaughter was lucky to receive VSAC assistance. During her four years at Guilford College in North Carolina she received $25,175 in VSAC grants and scholarships. Guilford College, a small Quaker college, provided her with the nourishing environment she needed at the time. If she had not been able to use the VSAC assistance in her out-of-state college, she may not have succeeded elsewhere. Vermont attracts more students every year than we lose. Approximately 25,000 out-of-state students come to Vermont every year to go to college, while fewer than 4,000 grant recipients leave to study elsewhere. In fact, Vermont is second in the nation in the net importation of college students.   Vermont institutions do not offer all

“

Vermont, empowered by the flexibility that the ACA has afforded, is doing the right thing to move the needle forward on cost and quality.

”

been working to bring together providers in both the medical and communitybased organizations to provide quality, integrated care. In addition, recent bills S.53 and H.248 propose a publicly funded health plan to provide primary care for all. S.53 and H.248 recognize we still have Vermonters who are underinsured and are discouraged from seeking necessary treatment due to financial barriers. Equal and better access, despite their financial situation, means better preventative care and less reliance on costly emergency use visits. VT Digger reported recently that both bills were received enthusiastically despite the known funding challenges.

Ten years ago when I owned a home care company, I watched a doctor chastise my 87-year-old, agoraphobic client for not having had a mammogram in over a decade. Madeline struggled to leave her home due to age, infirmity and high anxiety. Madeline was of the generation that her doctor’s word was equivalent to the word of God, and she reluctantly agreed to a mammogram. The process was a nightmare for her, and when they discovered a lump, she was sucked into a miserable vortex of tests and uncertainty. In the end, Madeline died of a slowgrowing leukemia. If only Madeline’s doctor had approached her care more holistically and had a conversation about advanced directives, discussing goals for maintaining independence, dignity and comfort, Madeline’s last year of life would have been vastly different. Today, Vermont’s push towards value-based care allows for these crucial conversations. Expanding primary care as basic necessity of life is critical, as primary care doctors are often the entry point to diagnosing illness and disease. I think about my mother who was running a food manufacturing business when she

was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was 54 years old and had no relationship with a primary care doctor. As a result, she had no guidance connecting her to the care she would need. She was one of the underinsured. While her cancer was cured, the cost and effort crippled her business and finances. She lost everything, including the farmhouse that had been in our family for over 200 years. Despite the current and chaotic political climate, the nation is on the right track with the ACA, and Vermont is leading the pack. Moving away from fee-forservice to value-based and universal primary care will work only if we have strong leadership by the governor and the Legislature to further ensure the success of the ACA’s mission: expanded access, preventive care and controlling cost so the country will not be bankrupt for future generations. Rachel Lee Cummings of Charlotte, founded Armistead Senior Care. Her experience working as a caregiver convinced her that there were two unmet needs in the region: top-quality care for seniors and disabled people and good jobs for committed caregivers.

Dr. Katie Sarah Manges Smets

the programs that low-income students need. The New England Board of Higher Education has identified at least 330 programs not offered in Vermont but that are offered in other states. Some examples: Vermont does not have programs in veterinary medicine or associate degrees in heating, ventilation and air conditioning or cyber-security and health care IT.   Let’s protect the portability of VSAC assistance. Ruah Swennerfelt

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4 • March 8, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Around town Congratulations:

as an artist, carpenter and glazer. His surviving family includes his son Leland Brown of Charlotte.

to Whitney and Erich Finley of

Charlotte, owners of the Old Brick Store. Whitney gave birth to twins, Piper Elliot and Luella Rue, on February 22. Linda and Bruce Williamson of Charlotte are one set of proud grandparents.

Regional Bites: Wind and energy guru Blittersdorf will spread the focus of his energies

to Kendall Frost and Brendan Keenan on their recent engagement. Kendall is the daughter of Karen and Mike Frost of Charlotte; Brendan, the son of Lisa Keenan of Shelburne. Kendall works for the Intervale Food Hub in Burlington and Brendan is employed by Vermont Eco Floors in Charlotte. They plan to wed next summer. to Charlotte Central School 4th grader Deirdre Higgins who won the schoolwide Scripps Spelling Bee over 17 other students at CCS. The spellers ranged from grades 3 through 8. She will go on to compete in a regional spelling bee at St. Michael’s College on March 14. to former Charlotte News Assistant Editor, Geeda Searfoorce, who continued her sketch-comedy work with her group, Stealing from Work, in its new show, “The Unbearable Whiteness of Being”, that ran March 1 through 4 at the Off Center for the Dramatic Arts in Burlington. The Burlington Free Press says it is a “topical foray into humor” that “takes on trends of the moment and bends and twists them into pretty much any comic form imaginable.” For those who missed it, the group will also perform March 30 at the Town Hall Theater in Middlebury.

Sympathy: is extended to family and friends of William (Bid) Spear, Jr., who passed away February 19 at the age of 87. Born on his family’s farm in Charlotte, he married another Charlotter, Helena Mack. The two raised their four children in their home at the base of Mount Philo. As a town resident, Bid served as chief of the Volunteer Fire Department and was Charlotte Fire Warden. He was also a member of the town’s Police Department

Kendall Frost and Brendan Keenan and the Masonic Lodge, in addition to coaching Little League baseball. He and Helena owned and operated Uncle Sam’s Creemee Stand off Route 7 as well as Spear’s Garage next door, where he worked as a mechanic before taking it over from his father. His neighboring family includes his son William of Charlotte; son Jon and Jon’s wife, Karen, of Panton; daughter, Kimberley, and her husband, Gary Farnsworth; and son, Darcy, and Darcy’s wife, Terry, both families living in Bristol. Those wishing to make donations in Bid’s memory are encouraged to give to the Vermont Nurses Association, 1110 Prim Road, Colchester, VT 05446 or to the Addison County Humane Society, 236 Boardman Street, Middlebury, VT 05753. is extended to family and friends of Caroline Wheelock Smith of Panton and Kennebunk, Maine, who passed away February 6, a month short of her 95th birthday. When her husband, Bob, a physician, retired, they wintered in Florida and spent summers in Charlotte, eventually moving to Panton. The family asks those who wish to make donations

in her memory consider doing so to the Good Neighbors Park in Cushing, Maine (c/o Cushing Town Hall, 39 Cross Road, Cushing, ME 04563) or to Lund, P.O. Box 4009, Burlington, VT 05406. is extended to family and friends of Richard O. Raymond of Monkton who passed away February 19 at the age of 86. As a young man, Dick worked with Lyman Wood in Charlotte as a caretaker and a designer of the first Garden Way cart that he and Lyman built in Sky Thurber’s barn, thus establishing Garden Way Co. He and Sky also started up the Garden Way Living Center in South Burlington, and he later worked for Country Home Products, designing the DR Trimmer. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations in Dick’s memory be made to the Alzheimer’s Association of Vermont or to Project Independence Elderly Services, Inc., 112 Exchange Street, Middlebury, VT 05753. is extended to family and friends of Allan G. Brown of Charlotte who passed away February 26 at the age of 83. He lived here with his late wife, Edna, and worked

Seven Days on February 28 reported that the owner of AllEarth Renewables, Charlotter David Blittersdorf, will abandon the Kidder Hill wind turbine project in the Northeast Kingdom as well as discontinue more wind and solar projects in Vermont. Blittersdorf was one of the early renewable energy experts in the state, building NRG, Inc. into a major business. He now says that the price has gotten out of control, as both the cost of permitting and the length of the process have tripled. He agrees that while Vermont used to be a leader in renewable energy it is now falling behind. The article says he will not quit entirely but will “focus his energies elsewhere.”

V. J. Comai is greeted by Burlington Development Review Board The recently appointed arborist for

the City of Burlington, Charlotte’s V.J. Comai, has found himself in a debate over what should be done about tree diseases in City Hall Park, as reported in the February 26 Burlington Free Press. V.J. feels that too many trees in too little space has led to an “unhealthy sylvan habitat” and has “contributed to storm-water erosion.” The report says that a “two-anda-half-hour Development Review Board meeting marked his first day at work.” After conducting a survey of the park’s trees, V.J. said he was “disheartened that so many of these trees are in serious decline.”

The Charlotte News • March 8, 2018 • 5

Town Girl scouting around the world

R. L. Vallee withdraws application for Maplefields Store Edd Merritt

The world of scouting.

Photo contributed

Cindy Bradley It has been a very busy beginning to the year 2018 for our local Charlotte Girl Scout Troop 30066.

The cookie sale

Girl Scout cookie sales began on the first of January, as many of you are aware of, since a number of you had young Daisy, Brownie or Junior Girl Scouts braving the sometimes frigid temperatures to knock on your doors in anticipation of making a cookie sale. Our Girl Scout cookie sale is our major fund raiser for the year and helps to defray the cost of many of the fun and exciting activities we participate in each month. It is also a learning tool for our girls as they learn and follow the five basic skills of selling. First, they set a goal as to how many boxes they would each like to sell. Second comes decision making, deciding when and where to sell cookies, how to market their sale and what to do with their earnings. Third, they learn money management: they develop a budget, take cookie orders and handle their customers’ money. Fourth, they develop people skills by talking with and listening to their customers as well as learning how to work as a team with other girls. Last, but not least, they learn business ethics. The girls act honestly and responsibly during every step of the cookie sale. We have had a very successful cookie sale thus far, selling a little over 1,600 boxes together as a group, which are now being delivered to your homes or businesses. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped us along the way; however, we are not finished selling yet. If by chance we missed you on the first leg of our cooking-selling journey, or maybe you have decided you didn’t purchase enough boxes the first time around, fear not, you still have time to stock up on those delicious Girl Scout cookies before they disappear again for another year. We will

be holding a Girl Scout cookie booth sale at the Shelburne Supermarket on Saturday, March 17, from 9 a.m. until noon. Stop by and purchase a few boxes. Remember, they freeze really well.

Girl Scout World Thinking Day

In February the girls prepared for and celebrated Girl Scout World Thinking Day. Each year, on February 22, Girl Scouts participate in activities and projects to honor their sister Girl Scouts and Girl Guides in other countries. It is a special day in the Girl Scout year when we remember we are part of a worldwide movement. We decided that we would like to share some fun and educational activities with Girl Scouts from neighboring towns by hosting our very own Girl Scout World Thinking Day. The girls first picked a country to represent: Peru, Japan, Kenya, Scotland, Italy or Malaysia. They then went to work to find information about their country that they could share with others. This included the Girl Scout promise, a simple recipe that they could prepare and share, and a craft that they could make and teach to others all while dressing in native garb. Next, we shared our plans and invited other troops from neighboring towns to come join us, which allowed all of the girls to also learn about the Netherlands and Guatemala. Our gathering was attended by close to 40 Daisy, Brownie, Junior and Cadette Girl Scouts from Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne and South Burlington, who happily participated in learning how to make Peruvian batik prints, Italian stained glass, African Abayomi dolls, Japanese koi-fish salt paintings, Scottish sporrans, Guatemalan worry dolls and origami tulip folding from the Netherlands, all while feasting on such delicacies as Scottish shortbread, Italian love cake, and Japanese tea just to name a few. It was a wonderful morning filled with lots of Girl Scout camaraderie.

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Engineers for the proposed Maplefields off Route 7 and Ferry and Church Hill roads wrote to Zoning Board Chair Frank Tenney saying that, due to comments by the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) concerning cross-traffic turns into and out of the proposed location, they and R. L. Vallee, Inc. are withdrawing their proposal for a Maplefields Store on the site. The proposal called for lanes to allow southbound drivers, once they had passed through the traffic signal at the intersection, to turn left into the store’s lot and again to turn left as they leave. VTrans instead said only right turns from Route 7 into and out of the location would be allowed. Vallee and its engineers found this unacceptable and feared people would try to turn south coming out despite signs to the contrary. Vallee’s proposal had contained a proposition for a dedicated left turn lane south of the traffic signal. VTrans responded, saying such a dedicated lane would require relocating it so that turns would happen well south of the existing entrance to the property. This would require filling in “sensitive wetlands,” a move that Vallee feels would impinge upon these wetlands and is something they don’t wish to do, particularly in light of the concern expressed by a number of Charlotte residents. Sadly, Bid Spear, Charlotte owner of the property at this major intersection,

passed away February 19, and his sonin-law Gary Farnsworth will head up the next steps. Farnsworth continues to be interested in selling the property, which has been owned by the Spears for many years. In a recent Front Porch Forum post, he said that the entire property had been zoned for retail purposes until 10 years ago when it was removed from the retail list, in his view, for no apparent reason. Engineer Dave Marshall said that now only 30 square feet of the property could contain retail. He was uncertain how that figure was determined, but he feels there must have been a specific intent in making the change. Farnsworth was adamant in affirming that its sale was not the town’s to deal with and that Vallee’s decision came as a result of a ruling by a state agency. He did say that the existing garage and snack stand have been active parts of the neighborhood and that many a “Little Leaguer,” as well as coaches and parents, finished after-game gatherings at the “creemee window.” The Spear family hopes that its attempts to sell the property will prove fruitful in the near future. In his Front Porch Forum piece, Gary suggests that the town or those who expressed interest in its use through a recent petition buy it, and then the question of whether its development continues to contribute in a positive way to the corner environment rests on their shoulders. The saga continues.

6 • March 8, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Town

Hinesburg Artist Series 22nd Concert

Lillian Kennedy paintings on display

Pictured L to R: Rufus Patrick, director and the three vocal soloists, Gary Moreau, Amy Frostman and Billy Ray Poli. Photo contributed The Hinesburg Artist Series 22nd annual concert will feature the South County Chorus, Hinesburg Artist Series Orchestra and guest soloists under the direction of Rufus C. Patrick. Several selections from Part II and III of Handel’s Messiah will be performed. The concert will also feature a composition by Dan Forrest entitled Requiem for the Living. This stunning five-movement work forms a narrative of light, peace, rest and comfort to the living who have experienced the loss of friends and family. An ensemble comprised of Jim Duncan, trumpet, Jane Kittredge, violin, Kim Hardy, cello, and Gary Moreau, bass, will perform Jubilate Deo omnis terra by Johann Valentin Meder. An amazing group of soloists joins the 80-member South County Chorus and

HAS Orchestra. Returning guest artists are Grace Cloutier, harp, Amy Frostman, soprano, Gary Moreau, bass, and Jim Duncan, trumpet. We are pleased to welcome, for the first time, tenor soloist Billy Ray Poli. The concert will be held on Sunday, March 18, at 4:30 p.m. at St Jude’s Church in Hinesburg. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for seniors and students. Tickets will be available at the Hinesburg Recreation Office, Blue Cottage Gifts and the Hinesburgh Public House, as well as through Flynntix (flynntix.org or call 863-5966) and at the door. We hope you will come support our musicians as they offer this outstanding music for our community.

Artist, Lillian Kennedy

Photo by Anna Cyr

A Brush with Nature by Lillian Kennedy will be on display at All Souls Interfaith Gathering for the month of March. The show is open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m On display will be large acrylic and small watercolor and gouache landscape paintings that were created as Devotionals to what Lillian calls her ‘Mother’ Earth. Lillian will feature paintings of Lake Champlain where she spends as much time as possible watching the light change. Although she has painted

it over and over, it is never the same to her! The subtle differences in time of day, breeze, moisture and season keep her gazing. Her deeply-felt pieces are created at the confluence of art, nature and spirit. The exhibit will include writings about the process. On March 18, Lillian will give a benefit workshop to support All Souls from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. She will teach Fearless and Serene: Watercolor and Gouache Landscape painting. No previous art experience needed and all materials provided. $25 per person. Contact lillian@rockfire.com to register.

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Town

The story of COTS and homelessness prevention is $1,000. COTS continues to increase our investment of our public and private funding in our prevention programs. In 2017, we helped 392 households, including 367 children, with prevention and rehousing assistance. We are often asked: “What can I do to help?” There are many ways to help— please check out our website, cotsonline. org, which includes specific details on a variety of volunteering options, among other ways to help. Consider making lunch for our Daystation, our daytime center for homeless adults, where we provide a noontime meal 365 days a year. Or join us at the COTS Walk on May 6 (bring your family, form a team, or invite your co-workers). The impact of any volunteer’s efforts are significant; for those who choose to donate money, for every $1,000 we raise for our prevention services, we are able to keep a family in their home. We like to call that the “Power of a Thousand Dollars.”

Denise Fitzgerald Danyow In our work at COTS, we are frequently asked to identify the greatest challenge in meeting the needs of those who are homeless in Vermont. Is it the lack of substance abuse treatment options, which forces people to live on the streets? Or does Vermont’s reputation for supportive services draw people to move here? These are common assumptions that can obscure the true dynamics of homelessness in our community. In fact the lack of affordable housing has always been and remains the single largest factor in preventing housing stability. The fair market rents for one- and two-bedroom apartments in Chittenden County are $1,080 and $1,395, respectively. Most analyses indicate that an “affordable” rent is one that consumes 30 percent or less of a household’s income. So in Chittenden County, the average two-bedroom rental requires an annual income of $56,000. That means 7,500 households in this area are spending more than half their income to cover monthly rent. With this challenging affordability scenario, many people in our community live at the margin of housing retention— that is, a change in job hours or a sudden expensive illness can put a family’s housing in jeopardy. COTS, founded in 1982, started with emergency shelter. Over our 35-year history, COTS has continued to provide an emergency crisis response while also investing in long-term solutions to end homelessness. As such, we still operate three overnight shelters that are open 365 days year, with two exclusively for families. Last year, 1,095 children stayed in Vermont’s publicly funded shelters. That’s the highest number on record in the 16 years that Vermont’s Agency of Human Services has tracked annual census—and a jump of 215 kids over last year. This increase occurred during a year when the overall number of people sheltered declined by 191 individuals. These children are often the unseen face of homelessness in Vermont. Why is this? These children don’t stand out from other

Denise Fitzgerald Danyow has lived in Charlotte for 25 years. She is the director of finance and operations at COTS. Stock image children; they don’t want to. There’s no visible reminder to us of their presence, no vivid image to convey the enormity of what’s happening in their lives. With their backpacks and lunchboxes, they look like our own kids at the start of any school day. But just imagine: 1,095 young children (nearly half are under the age of five). We know that, once homeless, the effect on adults, and on children in particular, is devastating. Studies show that homeless children have a greatly increased risk of learning challenges, depression and other health issues. We also know that, once homeless, the societal and financial impacts grow significantly as an expansive array of services is brought to bear. But there is hope! At COTS, we focus on preventing homelessness. We strive to intervene in situations that are likely to result in loss of housing and help

families avert the crisis of homelessness entirely. The most effective strategy in slowing the rise in homelessness is to prevent its occurrence and keep people in their homes. To do this, COTS’ Housing Resource Center provides a range of preventive services to those who are “marginally housed.” Our network of service partners and school contacts and our relationships with landlords help us identify those at risk of losing their housing. After an analysis of a client’s situation, COTS may step in with financial assistance (perhaps a bridge of one to two months’ rent, a mortgage payment or a security deposit), budgeting counseling or help with an apartment search. In some cases, additional services are needed, and COTS will make a referral to our social service partners. The average amount of financial assistance to COTS prevention clients

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seeking silent auction items Contact Meaghan McLaughlin Meaghan.w.mclaughlin@gmail.com

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We are a non-profit early childhood education center. Our fundraising contributes to the overall well-being of the Center by providing for improvements that directly affect our children.

8 • March 8, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Food shelf news Kerrie Pughe CONTRIBUTOR

The Charlotte Food Shelf is partnering with Salvation Farms to bring more local vegetables to our food shelf families. Salvation Farms, out of Morrisville, is an agriculturally focused nonprofit driven by three primary goals: reducing food loss on farms, increasing the use of locally grown foods and fostering an appreciation for Vermont’s agricultural heritage and future. The farm has been making wholesome Vermontgrown crops available to communities through gleaning, the act of collecting and distributing surplus crops, since 2004. For more information visit salvationfarms.org. Thank you Thank you for the support this month from Susan Ohanian, Janet Morrison, Cynthia Marshall and Deborah Davis. Thank you to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Confirmation students for collecting money and nonperishable items after church, a tradition on Super Bowl Sunday. The students call their fund drive Souper Bowl Sunday to bring awareness to those in need during the cold winter months. Wish list Granola bars, kids’ healthy cereal, crackers, popcorn, pudding cups, trail mix, spaghetti sauce, shelf parmesan cheese, vegetable, creamed soup, beef and chicken noodle soups. Thank you! Donations We are a volunteer organization so all donations you make to the Food Shelf go directly for food and assistance to our local neighbors in need. Thank you so much for considering donating today. Checks may be mailed to Charlotte Food Shelf & Assistance, P.O. Box 83, Charlotte, VT 05445.

Donated food drop-off locations All nonperishable food donations may be dropped off at the Charlotte Library, the Charlotte Congregational Church vestry, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church (main entrance) or at the Food Shelf during the distribution mornings. We request that all fresh foods be dropped off at the Food Shelf before the Wednesday distribution hours or before 7:30 a.m. on the Thursday distribution mornings.

Town Clemmons Family Farm awarded 2018 Barn Preservation Grant

The Charlotte Food Shelf is located on the lower level of the Charlotte Congregational Church vestry. Distribution days and times are posted in this newspaper and on the bulletin board in the Charlotte Congregational Church Hall. You may also call the Food Shelf number 425-3252 for a recording of the distribution times. New Facebook page “Like” us at our new Facebook page, Charlotte Community Food Shelf and Assistance to see photos and get updates on all the Food Shelf activities. We are open to all community residents. Privacy is very important and respected in our mission of neighbor helping neighbor. For emergency food call John at 425-3130. For emergency assistance (electricity, fuel) call Cindi at 425-3234. For more information call Karen at 4253252. Important Upcoming 2018 Charlotte Food Shelf Distribution Dates Wednesdays, March 7 and 21 from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursdays, March 8 and 22, from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Wednesdays, April 4 and 18, from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursdays, April 5 and 19, from 7:30 to 9 a.m.

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The “Big Barn” at the Clemmons Family Farm in Charlotte, Vermont The Clemmons Family Farm was recently selected as one of 17 recipients, from a pool of 45 applicants, for the 2018 Barn Preservation Grant to support the preservation of the farm’s “Big Barn.” The Vermont Advisory Council on Historic Preservation awarded the $15,000 matching grant which is administered through the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation. The grants support the “rehabilitation of historic agricultural buildings that are a symbol of Vermont’s rural landscape.” The Clemmons Family Farm is one of the largest — and one of the only — African American-owned historic farms in Vermont. The 148-acre farm has been owned by 94-year-old Dr. Jackson and Mrs. Lydia Clemmons since they moved here from Cleveland, Ohio, in 1962. Bearing an iconic red façade, the historic Big Barn is a massive two-story structure built into a hill that was used on the lower level for dairy cows, sheep, horses, pigs and poultry, and for hay on the upper level, from the time of its construction in the early 1800s and over the years up to the mid-1990s. “The Big Barn was one of our favorite places to work and play when we were children growing up on the farm in the 1960s and has always been loved by our community,” said Lydia Clemmons, daughter and executive director of the Clemmons Family Farm. “It’s a joy for us to receive this important grant, which will be used to preserve a beautiful 13-foot-high historic wooden water cistern. The cistern is one of the Big Barn’s many very special features.” The 2018 Barn Preservation grant is matched against some of the funds the Clemmons Family Farm recently

“

Clemmons Family Farm

The Big Barn was one of our favorite places to work and play when we were children growing up on the farm in the 1960s and has always been loved by our community.

”

Lydia Clemmons

received from ArtPlace America. A Sense of Place project, funded by ArtPlace America, supports the farm’s transition into an African-American Heritage and Multicultural Center in partnership with Building Heritage, LLC, Burlington City Arts Foundation, Inc., Champlain College, and INSPIRIT, A Dance Company. Under the Sense of Place project, some of the Big Barn’s interior spaces will be redesigned as venues for African American and African diaspora visual and performing arts programs for the local community, while other spaces will continue to be used for agricultural purposes.

The Charlotte News • March 8, 2018 • 9

Town Chess, origami and books at the Charlotte Library Programs For Kids Wednesdays, from March 7 @ 3:15 p.m. Junior Chess Club. For students, grades 2 to 12, any skill level. Learn the game and improve your strategies with help from mentor Ajat Teriyal. Thursday, March 8 @ 3:15 p.m. Think Tank: Engineers. Celebrate Engineers Week with a viewing of Dream Big, which celebrates the human ingenuity behind engineering marvels big and small, from the Great Wall of China and the world’s tallest buildings to underwater robots and solar car races across Australia. With its inspiring stories of human grit and aspiration, Dream Big reveals the compassion and creativity that drive engineers to create better lives for people and a more sustainable future for us all. After the movie, we’ll put our excitement into action with a STEM activity led by an engineer from Global Foundries. For 4th grade & up. Fridays, March 9, 16, 23, & 30 @ 10:30 a.m. Preschool Story Time. A weekly adventure with stories, experiments & snacks! Ages 3-5. Mondays, March 12, 19, 26 & April 2 @3:15 p.m. TinkerBelles. A new season of STEAM activities! Create a movie, visit with a vet and more. Grades 3-5. Tuesdays, March 13, 20 & 27 @ 9 a.m. Baby Time @ the Library! Join us to chat, sing songs, read to Baby. Tuesday, March 13 @ 2:15 p.m. Vermont Reads Kickoff. Readers of all ages are invited to learn about Vermont’s role as a home to immigrant communities throughout history and the effect on culture. We’ll sample favorite fare that came to Vermont from many places and learn how this ties in with the Vermont Reads book, Bread & Roses, Too. Thursday, March 15 @ 3:15 p.m. Think Tank: Molecular Gastronomy. ReTHINK the ice cream sundae with chemistry. Make Nutella powder, chocolate spheres, mint pearls and more to top your ice cream. For 4th–8th grades. Registration required. Please call the library to sign up.

with Jake and other children, are sent temporarily out of harm’s way to foster families in Barre, Vermont, as children actually were during the Bread & Roses Strike of 1912. Join us to discuss explore many topics, including the immigrant experience in America, labor history and local Vermont history. Reading group begins Tuesday, March 20 at 11 a.m. at Charlotte Central School Library. Tuesdays, March 20, & 27 @ 2:15 p.m. Story Explorations. Stories & crafts for K & 1st graders. Thursday, March 22 @ 3:15 p.m. Think Tank: DNA Extraction. DNA is the carrier of genetic information in living organisms—including fruit! We’ll extract DNA from fruit and see what it looks like. For 4th-8th grades. Registration required. Please call the library to sign up. Thursday, March 29 @ 3:15 p.m. Think Tank: Fun with Origami. With one sheet of paper, you can make everything from a dog to a drinking cup! Come learn how to get started with origami teacher Erina Tsubota. She’ll share the basic steps to get you started and help with individual projects during this 90-minute session. All supplies provided. This is the first of two programs; participants may sign up for one or both. For 4th–8th grades. Registration required. Please call the library to sign up. Information & Activities For Adults Thursday, March 8 @ 7 p.m. Wearing Our Heritage. Join Don Stevens, chief of the Nulhegan Tribe, Abenaki scholar Melody Walker Brook, chair of the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs, and LCMM curator Eloise Beil for a discussion about the meaning of

Tuesday, March 13 @ 2:15 p.m. Vermont Reads Kickoff. Readers of all ages are invited to learn about Vermont’s role as a home to immigrant communities throughout history and the effect on culture. We’ll sample favorite fare that came to Vermont from many places and learn how this ties in with the VT Reads book, Bread & Roses, Too. Tuesday, March 13 @ 7 p.m. Open Sesame Film & Discussion. Back by popular demand! Watch Open Sesame, the Story of Seeds, the excellent documentary film about the magic and importance of seeds. Share reactions to the film and ideas for how to grow a simple but wonderful “Seed Library” right here at Charlotte Library. Wednesday, March 14 @ 10:30 a.m. Passwords, Strong & Organized for Safety. The first in a series of hands-on computer workshops lead by Melissa Mendelsohn of Orchard Road Computers. Learn how to make strong passwords and the strategies to keep them all straight. Melissa also discusses the importance of password organization in estate planning. Please bring your laptop or let us know

if you need to borrow one (limited availability). You will need a spreadsheet app such as Numbers(Mac users), Excel or Calc on your laptop. Please contact Susanna at the library for help downloading a free spreadsheet app prior to the program. Space is limited, please register. Monday, March 19 @ 10 a.m. Mystery Book Group: The Third Man. “The book Graham Greene wrote so he could write a movie.” This noir novella tells the story of Rollo Martins, who “arrives in post-war Vienna to join his old friend Harry Lime, who seems to have met with an accident ... or has he?” Copies are available at the circulation desk. Tuesdays, March 20–April 18 @ 11a.m. Vermont Reads Book Club. Vermont Reads 2018: Bread & Roses, Too by Katherine Paterson. This historical novel relates the journey of Rosa, who, along with Jake and other children, are sent temporarily out of harm’s way to foster families in Barre, Vermont, as children actually were during the Bread & Roses Strike of 1912. Join us to discuss explore many topics, including the immigrant experience in America, labor history, and local Vermont history. Reading group begins Tuesday, March 20, at 11 a.m. at Charlotte Central School Library. Tuesday, March 20 @ 7 p.m. U.S. Refugee Policy & Program: Where We’ve Been & What’s Ahead. Greg Smith shares his insights about recent executive decisions on refugee policy, based on his 30-year career in refugee resettlement and integration, refugee protection, immigration law enforcement, immigration services and national security. Thursday, March 22 @ 77:30 p.m. Book Discussion Group: A Very Long Engagement. Sebastien Japrisot’s bestseller about a young French woman’s quest to find her fiancé during World War I. Join us to discuss this session and watch the movie our next session. Copies available at the circulation desk.

When Experience Counts, Results Matter. Watch The World Go By! Watch the world go by from

Tuesdays, March 20–April 18 @ 11 a.m. Vermont Reads Book Club. Vermont Reads 2018: Bread & Roses, Too by Katherine Paterson. This historical novel relates the journey of Rosa, who, along

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garments, accessories and regalia in their own lives and in community and tribal identity. Developed by the Vermont Abenaki Artists Association in partnership with Lake Champlain Maritime Museum and Flynn Center for the Arts, this program and the traveling exhibit “Alnobak: Wearing Our Heritage” were designed to deepen public understanding of how the vibrant Abenaki culture continues into the 21st century. Supported in part by a grant from the Vermont Humanities Council.

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your inviting country style front porch. This home boasts an open floor plan with a cook’s kitchen boasting Granite counters and stainless appliances. The gas fireplaced living room is just around the corner from the spacious dining room. MLS# 4677433 | $355,000

Susan Gulrajani, REALTOR® Call or Text: (802) 989-9717 SusanG@HickokandBoardman.com MyHomeInVermont.com

10 • March 8, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Town

Emerald Ash Borer found in Vermont

Nate Siegert U.S. FOREST SERVICE ENTOMOLOGIST

The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation (VTFPR) and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Foods & Markets (VAAFM) report that an emerald ash borer (EAB), a destructive forest insect from Asia, has been detected in Vermont. Officials with the USDA Animal & Plant Health and Inspection Service (APHIS) have confirmed the identification of a beetle recently found in northern Orange County, Vermont. The insect was reported through the vtinvasives. org website. EAB overwinter as larvae under the bark of ash trees where they feed on the inner bark tissue. Once infested, ash trees rapidly decline and are killed in three to five years. This pest is known to be established in 32 states and three Canadian provinces and is responsible for widespread decline and mortality of hundreds of millions of ash trees in North America. Ash trees comprise approximately five percent of Vermont forests and are also a very common and important urban tree. EAB threatens white ash, green ash and black ash in Vermont and could have significant ecological and economic impacts. There are no proven means to control EAB in forested areas, though individual trees can sometimes be effectively treated. State and federal forest-health officials have convened and are preparing to implement an emergency action plan in response to the recent EAB detection in Vermont. A multi-agency delineation survey effort, including personnel from VAAFM, VTFPR, APHIS, the U.S. Forest Service and the University of Vermont Extension, will be launched

The Town of Charlotte has an Emerald Ash Borer Preparedness Plan team that will work to develop a response to the EAB threat. The group’s first meeting was on March 5. Key elements of the plan will include: 1) Inoculation of select specimens of ash trees 2) Removal of ash trees—both preemptive and infested 3) Cost projections for the town budget 4) Mitigation measures to slow spread 5) Public outreach The members of the team include Tree Warden Mark Dillenbeck, Road Commissioner Jr Lewis, Selectboard member Matt Krasnow, UVM Professor Emeritus Dale Bergdahl and Burlington City Arborist VJ Comai. The work of the team is supported by Meredith Whitney, the forest pest education coordinator of the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program.

Emerald Ash Borer in the upcoming days to determine the extent of the EAB infestation. Results of the survey will inform subsequent management recommendations and quarantine decisions and will be released to the public. Slowing the spread of EAB is very important. While adult EAB are capable

Roadside in Charlotte . . .

Some left items enhance our lives here in Charlotte, some don’t. Fans of poetry can take one from the box on the right, but there’s nothing poetic about a fan left by the side of the road. Photos contributed

Photo by Nate Siegert of flying short distances, humans have accelerated their spread by moving infested material, particularly firewood, long distances. Residents and visitors are reminded to protect Vermont’s forests by buying and burning local firewood. Landowners with questions are encouraged to contact their county

Questions, comments or suggestions may be made to the tree warden (802-383-0476, ext.1) or any of the other members of the planning group.

forester. You can find county foresters at fpr.vermont.gov/forest/your_woods/ county_forest/who_where. A public information meeting is being planned, and details will be announced shortly.

Recipients awarded grants from SCHIP SCHIP(Shelburne,Charlotte,Hinesburg Interfaith Project) has announced its winter grant awards. Grants totaling $16,775 were awarded to several nonprofits in our towns that met the criteria of serving the people of our communities in a variety of ways. The recipients for this cycle include All Souls Interfaith Gathering, CVUHS Home School Support, Hinesburg Community School, Hinesburg Youth Project, Shader Croft School, Shelburne Craft School, Shelburne Nursery School, Shelburne Rescue and Vermont Humanities Council. These awards are made possible as a result of SCHIP’s mission to raise funds through the sale of donated, gently used clothing, household items, accessories, art and collectibles at its resale shop in the distinctive yellow building on Route 7, next to the town offices. Since the first grants given in April 2005, more than $647,000 has been distributed. As a member of our communities, you too are an intimate part of our mission. Come shop, donate, volunteer and help us continue to meet our objectives for the

future. For more information on grant recipients or the organization, please visit our website (schipstreasure.org) or our Facebook page (SCHIP’s Treasure Resale Shop), or call the shop for volunteer or donation inquiries at 985-3595. The deadline for the next round of grant applications is May 31, 2018. The maximum grant size is $3,000. Application forms are available on the “Contacts” page at schipstreasure.org. Ourparticipatingfaithcommunitiesare: • All Souls Interfaith Gathering, Shelburne • Ascension Lutheran Church, South Burlington • Charlotte Congregational Church • Hinesburg United Church • Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church, Charlotte • Shelburne United Methodist Church • St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, Shelburne • St. Jude’s Catholic Church, Hinesburg • Trinity Episcopal Church, Shelburne • Vermont Zen Center, Shelburne.

The Charlotte News • March 8, 2018 • 11

Town

Hinesburg Garage stormwater treatment is a great example of what towns can do

Lewis Creek Association Upon discovering the Hinesburg Garage was planning on completing a site redevelopment to upgrade facilities for both the town garage and Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) Drop-Off Center, Lewis Creek Association (LCA) jumped on the opportunity to improve water quality. The property is adjacent to Beecher Hill Brook, which is a tributary to the LaPlatte River that flows through Hinesburg and Charlotte, then eventually drains into Shelburne Bay. Beecher Hill Brook has incised and is disconnected from its historic floodplain, meaning it will likely be unstable during floods. Runoff from the existing buildings, parking lot, driveway and some portions of the gravel pit flows untreated directly into Beecher Hill Brook. The redevelopment of the property presents a unique opportunity to reduce storm-water runoff, improve water quality and increase flood resiliency. Thanks to funding from the Ecosystem Restoration Program, which is part of the State of Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, a 100-percent storm-water treatment design was completed this fall, along with an operation and maintenance plan and an implementation plan for the site. This site is now part of LCA’s Ahead of the Storm program, which identifies

CVU

continued from page 1

an assault rifle” and of the ways school shootings have changed their personal habits. “I look around to see where I would go if there was a shooter in the building,” said Theriault. “It worries me sometimes when I see someone wearing a hood,” added Hicks. When asked what advice they might offer to an older generation they suggested that parents be honest and open with their kids: “If you have a child and they know about any of the school shootings, there’s some fear there. Talk to them about what’s happening, educate them.” All of the students were aware that Vermont has some of the most lenient gun laws in the United States and they expressed hope and gratitude that Governor Phil Scot is “changing his stance” in regards to background checks and the possibility of a Red Flag Law that would allow family members and law enforcement to seek an Extreme Risk Protection Order, a court order temporarily restricting a person’s access to guns when they pose a danger to self or others. The students spoke of their fatigue with being told by adults that they are the generation that is going to fix things. “This isn’t a generational issue, this isn’t a political issue, this is a human issue,” was the consensus in the room. “This most recent school shooting is making me

sites where optimal conservation practices can be implemented to enhance water quality. These sites range from residential to agricultural to municipal land uses and provide an opportunity for public education in addition to improving water quality. Two optimal conservation practices were identified by the engineers at Milone & MacBroom, Inc. to treat runoff from impervious surfaces, including driveways, parking lots and buildings. This project has provided the site redevelopment with storm-water treatment and river corridor protection and includes reconnecting to the historic floodplain, slowing runoff, capturing sediment and pollutants, reducing erosion and enhancing vegetation. The project will begin to reverse the impacts from historic stream alteration and river corridor encroachment that have impacted Beecher Hill Brook. Thanks to LCA’s partnership with the Town of Hinesburg and its highway department, this project demonstrates optimal storm-water design and green infrastructure and can act as an example to other municipalities in the state, demonstrating how they could manage their public works or drop-off stations. LCA received a second grant from the Ecosystem Restoration Program to further restore the Beecher Hill Brook floodplain, which is being designed currently.

Beecher Hill Brook is located immediately adjacent to the garage building.

Photo contributed

“

This isn’t a generational issue, this isn’t a political issue, this is a human issue. This most recent school shooting is making me seriously evaluate the power of my own voice in being able to bring awareness to issues like this.

”

Hannah Frasure, CVU sophomore

seriously evaluate the power of my own voice in being able to bring awareness to issues like this,” wrote sophomore Hannah Frasure, in an email send to the News. To which Peter Trombley, a senior from Shelburne added, “Every generation has grown up thinking about all the things the previous generations have done wrong. For us it’s been climate change and gun safety. A lot of people my age have felt unheard, discredited because we’re young. But we care, so much. And a lot of us are very afraid. And that’s a failure on all of our parts. But it’s something we want to fix. Together. The actions of the students from Parkland who are speaking out and rallying has energized these CVU students. “I plan to walk out of school on March 14 as a part of the national walkouts being held all over the country. This

is because I would like to show I am not complicit in the mass murder of school children, and that any school, regardless if it is mine or one in Florida, should not be a place where there is a threat to our life,” explained Frasure. The CVU students are working with fellow-students from Essex, South

Burlington, Middlebury and Mount Mansfield high schools in planning for the walk-out on March 14, when they will stand in silence for 17 minutes to honor the lives lost at Stoneham Douglas High School. “We are doing community outreach in conjunction with a group of moms from Newton, Connecticut in planning an event for April 20, the ten-year anniversary of the shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado, and we are hoping to send a bus to Montpelier and possibly some students to Washington, D.C. on March 24 to participate in the March For Our Lives rallies,” explained Trombley. The conversation the students shared touched on everything from personal liberties to reasons for owning a gun, fear, love, hope, political activism and how to affect change. “Now we have a lot of momentum from the students of Parkland,” said Sydney Vincent, a Charlotter, “Now is the time when there is hope for a change.”

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12 • March 8, 2018 • The Charlotte News

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The Charlotte News â&#x20AC;˘ March 8, 2018 â&#x20AC;˘ 13

Summer camps

The irreplaceable impact of summer camp

Hannah Bogard Why is summer camp such an important and irreplaceable experience for todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kids? At Camp Hochelaga we believe the magic and lasting positive impact of the summer camp experience takes place because of a unique combination of people, place and values. At camp we combine an inspiring outdoor, screen-free environment with positive, patient, enthusiastic camp counselors, programs that support campers in trying new things and building new skills, and a set of core values focused on growing diverse friendships in a socially, emotionally and physically safe place. The world kids are experiencing today is fast-paced, filled with highly scheduled time, both in and out of school, and centered heavily on screen time. Summer camp is one of very few remaining opportunities to disconnect from screens and focus on exploring interests, connecting with each other and appreciating the beauty of nature. The camp environment is intentionally designed to meet each camperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique needs so that she can grow skills and selfconfidence. When a child takes on a new

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Summer camp is one of very few remaining opportunities to disconnect from screens and focus on exploring interests, connecting with each other and appreciating the beauty of nature.

â&#x20AC;?

challenge or tries something new at camp she does so in a supportive, inclusive environmentâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;an environment where her peers and her mentors are cheering her on.

Camp also creates unique opportunities for kids to grow team-building skills, collaborate across differences and gain leadership skills. From family-style meals and shared living spaces to activities that center on teamwork, each day at camp is centered on having fun by working together. When kids are immersed in a culture that thrives on teamwork they recognize and value their unique roles within the team, appreciate the importance of roles played by people different from them and work through social challenges with kindness to find positive solutions. Each season we see the evidence of campâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s irreplaceable impact in the smiles that spread across campersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; faces as they overcome challenges. We see it in the confidence campers encourage in one another and in the value they place in traditions and ceremonies that have been carried on for decades. We see it when they come together after lunch to sing camp songs at the tops of their lungs and when they come back the following summer humming those same songs during check-in day. We see it when our campers become camp counselors and bring the spirit and value of camp to new

campers. And we see it in the connections campers build with one another that remain strong support systems far beyond the campâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s front gate. As Camp Hochelagaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s camp director, I have invested my career in creating outdoor spaces where kids come together to play, learn, take on appropriate challenges and connect with nature and with each other. My own summer camp experiences taught me to think critically and deeply, to value other peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perspectives, to look at the world and my community through a lens of kindness and empathy, and to feel a sense of grounded self-confidence that continues to help me through challenges in my adult life. This is why I dedicate my energy to ensuring a supportive camp environment that provides the same life-changing experiences for campers today. There is a magic that fills the air at camp. Every child should have the chance to discover what makes camp so special. With â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;laga love, Hannah Bogard Hannah Bogard is the camp director at YWCA Vermont Camp Hochelaga.

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14 • March 8, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Town TOWN

continued from page 1

addition to grants, this money will be used for the improvement of structures at Charlotte Beach including a new playground and restructured tennis court. The new playground plan includes the replacement of the metal slide and the repair of other outdated equipment. Conley said she’s interested in receiving input from Charlotte’s children and hopes to make a playground that reflects the community’s needs and desires. The restructured tennis court will become a sports court, featuring nets as well as basketball hoops. Altogether, the renovations are expected to cost somewhere around $255,000. Article 5 was passed by voice vote. Fire Chief Dick St. George presented on Article 6, requesting that $220,000 be used from the Fire and Rescue Reserve Fund for the purchasing of new airpacks. The old airpacks, which were purchased in 1995 and 2005, are approaching the end of their life span and are currently 2 to 3 revisions out of code. According to St. George, a third of the airpacks are out of commission at any given time. During his presentation, St. George asked one of the fire and rescue team members to demonstrate the use of an airpack to the assembled residents. The airpack, which had been grabbed at random off the trunk, began to leak air as soon as it was turned on, filling the MultiPurpose room with a loud hissing noise. No discussion followed, and Article 6 was passed by voice vote. Article 7, which authorizes the Selectboard to borrow money by issuance of bonds or notes not in excess of anticipated revenues for the next fiscal year, also passed with no discussion. Closing statements made under Article 8 requested that the Selectboard explore the possibility of purchasing the lot along the south east corner of Church Hill Road and Route 7 and that Charlotte request that the state legislature adopt the ban on assault rifles in Vermont. The Town Meeting was adjourned without discussion of Article 11.

RESULTS Town budget: $3,145,465 budget, a 3.2-percent increase over current budget, amended to $3,145,965 and will be voted upon on April 3 by Australian ballot Selectboard: • Incumbent Matthew Krasnow unopposed for two-year term • Incumbent Carrie Spear unopposed for three-year term Items: • Whether to raise $50,000 in taxes to buy and install emergency propane generators at the Senior Center and Town Hall? Agreed by floor vote, will be voted upon on April 3 by Australian ballot • Whether to raise $30,000 in taxes for recreation capital improvements? Agreed by floor vote, will be voted upon on April 3 by Australian ballot. • Whether to buy air packs for approximately $220,000 to be paid from the fire and rescue reserve fund? Agreed by voice vote. School union budget: $76.8 million, a 2.3-percent increase over current budget, passed (3,042-1,850) School union board: • Lynne Jaunich unopposed for two years of a four-year term; • Jeffrey Martin unopposed for a three-year term

Charlotte’s Town Meeting was covered this year by Meghan Neely, a freelance writer and fourth year student at Champlain College. Of her first Town Meeting experience Meghan says: “I was really surprised by just how much goes on during Town Meeting, and I was especially impressed with the involvement of Charlotte residents in their local government. It was a really great opportunity to see democracy at work.”

ABOVE: Interested Charlotters filled the room for this year’s Town Meeting. BELOW: Every vote counts; The littliest Charlotter learns the ropes.

Photos by Melissa O’Brien

The Charlotte News • March 8, 2018 • 15

Education

CVU hosts Chittenden County’s Spring College Fair

The 18th Annual Spring College Fair at Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg is happening this year on Monday, April 2, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. College representatives from across the New England, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions and Canada will be available to speak with both students and parents. Spring is the perfect time for juniors to explore what is available. The fair is a manageable size, and students and parents have the opportunity to talk directly with the college representatives who may be the same people who read their applications in the fall. Another benefit of the fair is that our 9th and 10th graders begin to think about the broad range of colleges and set some preliminary college

Hazardous Fritz

It was 7:53 a.m., and my mom and I were heading out the door for school. There was frost covering the windshield. As my mom pulled out of our driveway, my dog Fritz crawled from the passenger seat onto her. We didn’t think anything of it because he does this quite often. We were just heading down the hill to the school when Fritz climbed over my mom’s arm, attempting to get into the passenger seat but accidentally pressing the hazard light button and the passenger air bag button on. “Why are your blinkers on?” I asked. “They aren’t,” replied my mom At that moment, a car in back of us flashed its lights at us. “Oh no!” my mom said, “Fritz turned my hazard lights on!” I started cracking up because during summer when my mom was picking me up from camp, Fritz had locked us out of the car while it was running! We almost had to get a ride home when he rolled down the window! Anyways, right after my mom turned off the hazards, she noticed her passenger air bag was on. Then suddenly my mom shouted, “Geez, two in one, Fritz; how did you pull that off?” “What?” I said. “Fritz turned the air bag on too!” “Oh my gosh!” I said. By then we were just pulling into the school, and my mom dropped me off, and here I am writing this story now, wondering if he did anything on the drive back home (he probably did). Taylor Marchand Grade 6

You

Your hair like summer grass, your eyes like dark pools. You are the wind.

goals. In our current economy it’s especially important to research all the options available and be well informed to become wise consumers. While the event is based at CVU, we invite area students and parents to take advantage of this unique opportunity. We are excited to host the nine area high schools that will be busing students in to attend this important event. Representatives from schools that offer four-year, two-year and one-year certificate programs will be in attendance. The fair is free, and all students and parents from surrounding communities are welcome to attend. For more information call Garrath Higgins at 802-482-7137 or email ghiggins@cvsdvt.org.

You are the earth. You are the sun. You are the sky. You are the ground that holds me up, the rain that comforts me. You are like a good book on a rainy day, you are my heart inside me. You are forgiving, you are kind, you do not judge me. Your voice is like the wind in tall grass, whispering. Full of grace, full of light, your spirit opens. No need for words when you’re around, your heart fills the silence, kindnesses abound. Your spirit is bountiful, nobody sneers. Your magical voice is a wonder to hear. You’re smart, you’re quick, you’re tough. The traditional greeting rebounds, this is true, “May the sun and moon shine upon you.” Your comfort is much better than any other, you even have the same name as my brother. This poem is getting too long, I admit, but you’re really, really worth it. Natalie Scriver Grade 6

Here Like This

It is a beautiful morning and nothing is wrong The snow has been falling all day long The snowflakes outside have edges and twists and they melt gradually on my wrist They fall on my lashes and my puppy dashes over to stick her face in the snow Morning mist or peppermint sticks I’m just glad to be here like this

Taryn Martin-Smith Grade 6

Champlain Valley School District offers publicly funded prekindergarten For children between the ages of three and five who reside in Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne, St. George and Williston, now enrolling for the 2018-19 school year. Publicly funded prekindergarten is defined as: • Ten hours per week (for 35 weeks) of developmentally appropriate early learning experiences that are based on Vermont’s Early Learning Standards. • Children who reside in Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne, St. George and Williston and will be three or four years old on or before Sept. 1, 2018, are eligible for universal PreK funding from CVSD. Funding is limited to 35 weeks during the academic school year (Sept. 2018 to June 2019). What should CVSD families know about universal/publicly funded preK? Children must be at least three years old on or before Sept. 1, 2018, to qualify for prekindergarten funding. According to the VT Agency of Education, children who are age-eligible for CVSD kindergarten (five years old on or before Sept. 1, 2018) may not receive publicly funded PreK. • Publicly funded PreK services can be found in schools and qualified community-based programs (homes and centers). For a database of qualified PreK providers in Vermont,

go to education.vermont.gov/ student-support/early-education/ prekindergarten. • The state tuition rate paid to community-based, private PreK providers on behalf of CVSD children attending prekindergarten during the 2018-19 school year is $3,267. How do I apply? • If your child is going to attend a qualified prekindergarten program outside of the school (in the community), you will have to enroll both with the community program/ provider (for your child’s place in the program) and with your school district (to ensure PreK funding for your child is sent to the program). The full registration packet is available on CVSD’s website at earlyedcvsdvt.weebly.com/ uploads/3/8/9/2/38925317/2018-19_ elp_registration_packet-final.pdf. If you would like information about PreK programs offered in a CVSD school, contact your local school about the enrollment process. If you have questions about the CVSD registration process, contact Wendy Clark at wclark@cvsdvt.org or 985-1903. If you have questions about publicly funded prekindergarten, contact Sherry Carlson at scarlson380@comcast.net .

16 • March 8, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Sports Basketball, yes With five Division I state championships behind them, the CVU women’s basketball team looks forward to keeping the trend alive. They helped their cause with a quarterfinal win over the Bobwhites of BFA-St. Albans last Friday. Catherine Gilwee and Shannon Loiseau led the offense. After being tied at halftime at 16 apiece, the Redhawks pulled away in the second half, outscoring BFA by 10 points in the third quarter and going on to win by 9, 46-37, with Gilwee hitting for the victory margin in the final quarter. CVU had gained the quarterfinal game by beating 15th ranked Burr and Burton Academy, 55-33. Charlotte’s Maryn Askew contributed nine points offensively, coupled with a strong defensive effort that produced five steals. CVU will face third-ranked North Country in the FinalFour match up. The Lady Falcons beat Brattleboro to move on. Essex and Colchester were the losers to CVU men hoopsters. In the Essex contest, Charlotte’s Cole Otley led the way with 18 points, three-quarters of them in the first half. Graham Walker was close behind Otley with a triple-double that included 16 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists. The Redhawk’s season record moved ahead to 13 wins with a victory over Colchester, 48-34, and again showed the value of collective scoring, particularly produced by co-captains Paul Keen (12 points) and Will Buroughs (8 points). The Hawks began in a flurry in the first half, claiming a 16-0 run. They maintained the pressure in the second half, outscoring the Lakers 9-0. As with their women counterparts, the CVU men play a strong team game,

spreading scoring among many and coupling offense with a strong team defense.

Hockey, no Redhawk men’s hockey was ranked seventh in Vermont’s top division and faced second- ranked Essex in a quarterfinal game on the Hornet’s ice last Saturday. Coached by Chris Line, an Essex alum and former CSB youth hockey skater who went on to play college hockey at Clarkson, Essex was expected to overcome CVU, if not easily, at least with a limited resistance. That resistance was stronger than expected as the Redhawks played a solid game at both ends of the ice, forcing two overtime periods before losing 3-2. Having been upset on their home ice last year, the Hornets grew fearful of similar happenings until Chris Blanco scored two minutes and 34 seconds into the second OT. Up until then, CVU goalie from Charlotte, Reed Dousevicz, had blocked 59 shots in an enormous defensive effort. Another Charlotter, co-captain and senior Jennings Lobel, set up the opening goal with just over two minutes left in the first period. After fighting off two defenders behind the Hornet net, Lobel sent a pass to Jake Schaefer who hit the net from between the circles. CVU ended the season with 9 wins and 12 losses.

Redhawks celebrate their quarterfinal win over BFA - St. Albans.

Photo by Al Frey

Maryn Askeal lays one in against Burlington.

Photo by Al Frey

The MMU/CVU women Cougar Hawks ended their hockey season losing to topranked Essex 3-0 in a state quarterfinal game. The Hornets out shot MMU/CVU 36 to 13, with Cougar/Hawk goalie Joanna Wright stopping 33 of them.

see

SPORTS page 17

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The Charlotte News • March 8, 2018 • 17

Sports Charlotters take to the hills

SPORTS

continued from page 16

Nordic skiers serve up freestyle and classical runs

Celebrating senior Jack Schibli’s last run as a member of the Middlebury D1 Ski Team last weekend at the Middlebury Snow Bowl. L-R Louisa Schibli, Jack Schibli, Movember Flat Jack, Anna Schibli and cousin James Schibli.

CVU’s Nordic ski teams came in near the top of both men’s and women’s divisions of the classical and freestyle races. Mount Mansfield Union swept all four classes in the two types of runs. The freestyle races were Day One at Craftsbury Outdoor Center, with CVU women finishing behind MMU and Brattleboro. The men were an extra place back with Mount Anthony in third behind MMU and Brattleboro. Emma Strack was among the top-ten women, and the 4x2.5K relay team finished fourth. Jared Leonard was among the first 10 finishers for men, and the men’s 4x2.5K relayers also ran fourth. Day Two moved the classical races to Ripton at the Rikert Nordic Center where both men and women finished fourth behind MMU and three other schools. Emma Strack moved up to second place, only a minute behind the winner. Jared Leonard skied in fourth

place among individuals, while both relay teams earned fourth-place finishes. Charlotte contributed many skiers to both men’s and women’s teams. On the men’s side, Charlotters Gus Lunde Jack Boynton, Matt and Andrew Silverman and Aaron McNally skied both freestyle and classical, with Skyler Heininger added for classic runs and Conor Falk added to the freestyle roster. Sadie Holmes and Lily Porth contributed to the women’s teams.

CVU wrestlers finish sixth out of 19 teams Small, medium and large — Riley Brown at 113 pounds, Matt Trifaro at 138 pounds and Jared Forsythe at 182 pounds — were the top CVU finishers at the State Wrestling Championships held at Otter Valley High School. The team ended in sixth place among the 19 schools that sent competitors. Mount Anthony and Essex were the top two teams.

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Charlotters Binney Patton, Sean Gilliam, Seth Boffa and Ethan Lisle with the CVU Alpine ski team. Races were held at Burke Mountain and the boys and girls combined took the overall win. Photo contributed

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18 • March 8, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Conservation currents

The importance of corridors

Keeping Charlotte a “home sweet home” for all our residents Linda Radimer How would you react if you received a notice that said your home property would be bisected by a new highway? You would likely go to your town, county and state officials, hire a lawyer, form a neighborhood group to defeat this issue, and, in the end, maybe even try to physically obstruct the process. You have rights, and you voice your objections to this incursion. Now ask yourself, how can wildlife express their distress when their home and ability to survive is threatened by a new road, by developments that fragments forests with spread-out houses and by the addition of domestic predators? The unfortunate truth is they can’t. They try—they shift their routes and try to find new food sources and shelter, but this is becoming harder to do. The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources reported that “From 1980 to 2000, Vermonters consumed land at a rate of 2.5 times the rate of population growth.” The agency also found that today “Vermont loses 1500 acres every year of what is called significant wildlife habitat—deer wintering grounds, important wetlands, habitat for rare or endangered species and black bear habitat.” Charlotte and many Chittenden County towns have experienced this growth in new housing and will likely experience a great deal more. The State of Vermont has recently responded to these factors by making people aware of the fragmentation of Vermont forests and the need to preserve corridors. For those of us who grew up thinking a corridor was the hallway our schools used to access classrooms, the scientists from the Conservation Corridor Organization define them as, “habitats that are typically long, relative to their width, and connect fragmented patches of habitat.” They go on to say that corridors allow animals to migrate and disperse to facilitate a healthy population and gene pool. The importance of corridors was exemplified when Florida experienced near loss of its

native catamounts. Inbreeding and high mortalities on highways that blocked animal movements greatly affected their health and survival. In addition to cougars, Florida has had high mortality in the black bear population, dropping from an estimated population of 12,000 to an endangered species of 1,500 or fewer, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Approximately 50 bears are reported killed on Florida’s roadways each year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calculated that there is an animal death at least every 26 seconds across our country. This results in approximately a billion dollars in property damage and an average of 200 human deaths every year. Some towns across the United States have created over- and underpasses to assist animals in their necessary movements across transit zones, with signage for drivers to be on the watch for wildlife. This can reduce deaths and severe injury for both the animals and drivers. Just to our south an amphibian road crossing was constructed and resulted in a safe transition from forest to pond for thousands of amphibians. According to Mark Ferguson of the VT Department of Fish and Wildlife, “Most amphibian migration takes place over several rainy spring nights. On these nights, drivers should slow down on roads near vernal pools and wetlands, or try to use an alternative route.” Turtle nesting activity reaches its peak from late May to June. If you are in a safe area, you can assist the turtle to cross from ponds and wetlands to nesting soils. If the turtle is a snapping turtle (the back of the shell has pointed sections) you will want to use a shovel or something to keep away from its head and sharp beak. They have long necks and will pivot to express their displeasure at being herded. Another thing that all towns can do is adopt planning guidelines that cluster houses to decrease the impacts on wildlife and plant communities and to encourage the preservation of larger habitat areas that link together needed corridors for connectivity. It

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Wide-ranging large carnivores and slow-moving animals are particularly vulnerable to roadkill. Photo contributed has been shown that each new house affects the quality of the natural areas around it in a “ripple” effect. Compact development that clusters new development in areas with the least ecological value has been shown to be the best way to preserve high-quality habitat and unimpaired blocks for wildlife and plant communities. New research in Canada has found that “protecting the top 17 percent of the regional area based on prioritizing for habitat quality and connectivity could lead to the retention of up to 72 percent of all conservation criteria.” A 2006 survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that “about 45 percent of Vermonters took part in wildlife watching activities, 150,000 Vermonters engaged in hunting or fishing and visitors and Vermonters spent $383 million dollars in wild-life-associated recreation.” This past year much of Charlotte was thrilled to experience the sight of a mother bear and her two cubs. According to the 2008 Vermonter Poll, “preservation of Vermont’s

working landscape is a priority for over 97 percent of Vermonters.” Many species, such as bear, bobcat and otter, are wideranging and depend upon open corridors such as those found along rivers and ridges to migrate across the landscape to meet their needs for food and shelter. So, what else can be done to keep this connectivity through Charlotte? The Charlotte Conservation Commission has purchased some road signs to alert drivers to be watchful for animals crossing. These will be installed, with Selectboard permission, after careful camera monitoring of suspected predominant crossing areas. The commission will also be asking for input from residents to add to and fine-tune information about areas that serve as habitat connectors. Together, we can keep Charlotte a “Home Sweet Home” for all our residents. Linda Radimer is a member of the Charlotte Conservation Commission.

The Charlotte News • March 8, 2018 • 19

Sacred hunter

Learning lessons from the outdoors

Bradley Carleton Tonight I am packing my dark-green duffle bag and my backpack with all of my favorite toys: duck and goose calls, turkey box calls, slate calls, turkey wing bone calls, turtle shell calls, crow and peacock calls, owl calls and all my late-season ice fishing gear. I will stuff the large green duffle bag with my favorite base layers and chamois shirts, my old Carhartt coveralls and my “camp pillow”—a chamois shirt stuffed with fleece vests and jackets. Tomorrow morning at dawn I will turn out of the driveway in my old Tundra truck and head east to the little town of Fairlee for a weekend at the Hulbert Outdoor Center on Lake Morey, with around 80 women who have taken the challenge to expand their outdoor skills amidst the beautiful Connecticut River Valley background. I will be “in my element,” as some say, teaching outdoor skills to those who desire a sincere connection to nature. Through the Vermont Outdoor Woman’s group, which sponsors “Doe Camp” twice a year, I am honored to be asked for a 16th year to be an instructor for the most ambitious and fun group of women in the Northeast. Forget the gender thing; these women are here to learn and to take their independence in the outdoors to a new level. Courses include Traditional Ax Skills, Core Navigation, Winter Camping (yes, there will be some hardy souls who will sleep in a tent all weekend), Archery, Wild Fibers with the amazing Sarah Corrigan of Roots School, and, of course, little old

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share what I have learned in the outdoors and all the while helping people to link our emotional and spiritual selves to the Earth and its inhabitants. I believe that if we all spent more time learning lessons from the outdoors, animals and our natural place in the Universe we would be a much more peaceful and tolerant society. We would take the time to walk in the woods and discover the winter snowline receding to create trickles of water that lead us to our lakes. We would notice the pileated woodpecker and wonder how he can be as persistent as he bores into a dead tree. We would take pleasure in the song of the geese as they fly back north with their mates. We would, if we just took the time, learn that we belong to all of this, and the closer we look, we see our own reflections as a part of something greater than all the information that flashes in front of us every day. For more information on VT Outdoors Woman and their upcoming events go to outdoorswoman.org.

I believe that, if we all spent more time learning lessons from the outdoors, animals and our natural place in the Universe, we would be a much more peaceful and tolerant society.

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me. I will be teaching Spring Turkey Hunting, Ice Fishing for Panfish (yes, as of this writing the ice was still safe up in the Kingdom) and Critter Calling. We will dine on donated moose and venison steaks, maybe some rabbit stew or possum pie and wash it all down with some flavorful adult craft beverages. The bonfire will propel its embers into the starry heavens above and laughter will reign long into the night. Picture a group of women and a few male instructors

Photo contributed singing along to guitar music under the stars, celebrating the end of winter and an awakening energy for gaining new skills and practicing them under the guidance of expert and patient instructors. This truly is one of my favorite weekends all year—not just because of the obvious male to female ratio but because everyone is so interested in learning. I am driven by my passion to

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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 and raises funds for TraditionsOutdoorMentoring. org, which mentors at-risk young men in outdoor pursuits.

20 • March 8, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Outdoors Coming soon to your neighborhood: Spring! Elizabeth Bassett The natural world is awakening. March entries from my garden journal prepare me for the vicissitudes of the month, when lions and lambs interact frequently. From 1998: Snow cover generally gone since early February. Huge snowstorm on March 22. In 2001: Town Meeting Day Storm cancels Town Meeting and dumps 30 inches of snow on Burlington, fourth greatest snowfall on record. Also three snowstorms after March 25! Second week notes include first crocus blooms and first snowdrops. In 2011the first killdeer return on March 12. Christmas rose, hellebore, is blooming with lots of white flowers. (Same lovely blossoms are currently on display in my garden, peeking through fresh snow!) Third week notes include many sightings of iris reticulata, diminutive flowers with wispy foliage, tulip leaves, and crocus flowers poking through snow. Fourth week notes describe several large snowfalls including 16 inches in 1998. The snow melts quickly, leaving lots of crocuses, snowdrops, iris reticulata and tulip leaves. Also peepers!

Accepting New Patients

This morning a phoebe sings outside my window, phoe-be, phoe-be, even as the snow tumbles down. Phoebes return early in March and build nests on ledges, often in close proximity to humans. Phoebes are tame at the nest. Audubon banded one in 1840, likely the first bird banding, and recorded its return the following year. Also in our neighborhood in recent weeks a lonely owl hooting in the darkness, looking for a partner. Later in March keep an ear out for a nighttime chorus of peepers. Take a walk in the woods on a spring day. Vernal pools—temporary bodies of water created by melting snow and run off— host wood frogs looking or, more accurately, listening for mates. Male wood frogs outnumber females about six to one, and their duck-like call is meant to lure a partner. After being fertilized, masses of jelly-like eggs float on a pool’s surface for several weeks until tadpoles hatch—if the eggs have not been consumed in the interim by snapping turtles, leeches, caddis fly larvae or eastern newts. An early migrant to return to local marshes and swamps is the red-winged blackbird. The red- and yellow-shouldered

Patrick Kearney, MS, PA-C is experienced provider of prima care for adults and children. H accepting Accepting Newnew patients at Char Patients Family Health Center, a partn PA-C practice of Evergreen Famil Accepting New Patients Along Same Day Appointments Available Health. with Andrea Re

Photo by contributed

male screeches loudly to establish his territory and, in early April, attract a mate. If my journal is predictive, the groundnesting killdeer will return in late March or early April, usually in groups of four to six. This shorebird is well adapted to fields, gravel parking lots and flat roofs, where the female lays well-camouflaged eggs in a shallow depression. The long-legged bird, with two bold black bands across its breast, Patrick Kearney, MS, PA-C is is best an known for its screeching cry—kill experienced provider of primary DEEE—and its “broken-wing dance,” care for adults and children.performed He is at a distance from its nest as a distraction, in the hope of luring predators accepting new patients at Charlotte away from its eggs. As with many returning Family Health Center, a partner Patrick Kearney, PA-C migrants, killdeer are more readily heard practice of Evergreen Family Patrick Kearney, PA-C than seen. Same DayHealth. Appointments Available Along with Andrea Regan, Mammals, too, are awakening from Call 425-5121 to schedule an appointment various degrees of winter slumber. Tracks, chases, scat, scent and disturbed ground Charlotte Family Health Center

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28 Park Avenue Patrick Kearney, MS, PA-CWilliston, is anVT 05495 experienced provider of primary 878-1008 care for adults and children. He is accepting new patients at www.evergreenhealth.org Charlotte Family Health Center, a partner practice Comprehensive family care as of it should be Evergreen Family Health. Along with Andrea Regan, MD and Gordon Gieg, MD, Patrick is dedicated to providing exceptional quality care in a warm, friendly atmosphere. We welcome patients of all ages.

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all testify to a high level of activity. A red fox recently hunted behind our house, pouncing on and devouring several small mammals. Acute hearing allows foxes to hear low-frequency sounds of animals moving beneath the ground. The fox pounces and scratches at the dirt or snow until it unearths a wiggling (not for long) critter in its mouth. Foxes usually mate in January and February with the female giving birth to between one and 10 kits from March to May. I can always hope that a family of foxes in my ‘hood will control the population of bunnies that delights in my garden veggies. Another early sign of spring is the mourning cloak butterfly, unusual in that it hibernates as an adult. On the first warm days of March this dark-winged insect, its coloring that of crepe mourning garments, emerges from beneath the bark of trees. It sips sweet sap and may also feed on rotting fruit. Buds are already swelling on red maple trees. Greening of willows and the explosive growth of skunk cabbage cannot be far behind. Keep an eye out for pussy willows. Take cuttings to force spring blooms in the house—hobblebush from the high country, forsythia or apple. I am attempting to force peach blossoms after ice shattered a branch of our tree.

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The Charlotte News • March 8, 2018 • 21

Around the world

Into the woods Resilience J. Ethan Tapper CHITTENDEN COUNTY FORESTER

When trying to manage for healthy forests, you must first consider how to gauge forest health. After all, if we don’t know what condition we’re shooting for, it’s hard to know when we’re headed in the right direction. Is a healthy forest, one filled with trees growing quickly and efficiently? Or one without disease? Does it include high-quality wildlife habitat, or should forest health be measured solely on the condition of trees? While foresters and scientists have scratched their heads over this for a long time, the best answer we have is that forest health is determined by a quality that is difficult to measure or quantify. This quality is called “resilience.” While we are often hyper-focused on the trees in our forests, trees are just one part of a vastly complex and interconnected system. The more we learn about forests, the more we understand that “non-tree stuff,” like wildlife, plants, insects and pollinators, soil microbes and fungi, all play critical roles in keeping them healthy. Accordingly, even if you are mostly concerned with just managing trees, you should consider a more holistic approach when thinking about forest management strategies. Following the wind storm last October, I was inundated with calls from landowners deeply concerned about the health of their forest, heartbroken at the death of trees they had watched grow for decades and by seeing their yard or woodlot drastically changed. However, from my perspective this event was an opportunity to explain an important concept: that disturbance and change are necessary and inevitable processes in our forests, and that these processes are part of how they remain vibrant, diverse and healthy over time. The question is not if disturbance is part of healthy forests, but how forests respond to these events, which is where “resilience” comes into play. The resilience of a forest can be defined as its ability to respond to disturbance while maintaining its productive capacity. The trees, plants, wildlife and other species that make up our forested systems have evolved while dealing with constant change and disturbance. These species, functioning as systems, have developed means of retaining and enhancing the fertility of their environment, even in the face of catastrophic disturbance. This is most obvious in forests’ ability to protect the productivity of their soils but could also be extended to include their ability to resist infestation by diseases and invasive species, to offer habitat to a wide range of native flora and fauna, and to offer a continuity of ecosystem services like clean air, clean water and carbon storage. One can observe the resilience of forested systems by observing how forests respond to disturbances, from the death of a single tree to a large-

Discovering Cuba: Part II

scale blowdown. Disturbances create conditions that trigger new growth and regeneration, with different tree species responding to fill each niche. This regeneration stabilizes and protects soils and their vital nutrients that would otherwise be lost in the course of this disturbance. At the same time, they provide new habitat for wildlife and future generations of trees. This process is continuous—a forest is dealing with some degree of disturbance at all times. So how can we manage for resilience? As I have said in this column many times, the answer is diversity, diversity, diversity. Forests with a diversity of tree species can respond to a wide range of pests, pathogens and environmental conditions. Similarly, forests with many different sizes and ages of trees are able to respond vigorously to disturbances affecting a single age class of trees, such as a wind or ice event that can remove the forest’s overstory. Encouraging the

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Disturbance and change are necessary and inevitable processes in our forests, and these processes are part of how they remain vibrant, diverse and healthy over time.

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forest’s “weirdness” (diversity) is critical and should be coupled with removing factors that interfere with the forest’s ability to respond to disturbance, such as removing invasive exotic plant species and taking steps to limit over-browsing by deer. The final piece of managing for resilient forests is achieved by keeping them forested and whole; parcelization, fragmentation and development limit forests’ ability to remain healthy and our ability to manage them. Conserving your forest land, making a succession plan to ensure that your forest persists after your time, and advocating for protecting forest resources and intact forest blocks in the course of development are all ways to keep our forests growing, changing and remaining healthy into the future. Ethan Tapper is the Chittenden County forester. He can be reached at (802)585-9099, at ethan.tapper@vemont.gov or at his office at 111 West Street, Essex Junction.

Susan Crockenberg A goal I had in visiting Cuba was to discover, as best one can in 11 days, how the Cuban people feel about Fidel and Raul Castro, whose socialist government has ruled Cuba for nearly 60 years. Much like Americans today, Cubans are deeply divided in their views and in whether and how they would like their government to change. Young people (under 40), especially those living in vibrant, entrepreneurial Havana, openly advocate for changes in government policies to encourage greater privatization. In this evolving Cuba, we were impressed by how forthrightly the ordinary people we encountered expressed their criticisms of the Cuban government. When we inquired if they worried about retribution should their views become known to the authorities, they scoffed at the idea. Twenty years ago, possibly, but that was then and this is now. Our tour guide, Aniel, reported that low government salaries for professionals are prompting doctors, teachers, lawyers, engineers and urban planners to abandon their careers in record numbers for more lucrative positions in tourism. As we traveled around Havana, we met more than one professor-by-training driving a cab or leading a tour group, likely making 10 times more than they did as government employees. The dearth of urban planners is a particular concern of Miguel Coyula, the architect and urban planner renowned for his success in rejuvenating Old Havana. Miguel worried aloud about what will happen in Havana when government restrictions on foreign investment are lifted and water, sewage, housing, construction and traffic issues proliferate as money pours into the country. As it is, he says, there are too few planners to effectively manage existing problems. High taxes are also a concern. Doctors who work abroad for foreign governments must remit 50 percent of their earnings to the Cuban government, which uses those funds to help support the Cuba’s health and education systems that everyone we spoke with appears to value. Others complained about government regulations that, for example, prevent individuals in Havana from owning more than one property in the city, a policy that has, however, allowed more Cubans to own their own homes. After an adventurous ride on bicycle cabs through Havana’s cobbled streets, whose centuriesold stones arrived from Massachusetts as ballast for ships, we chatted with the leader of the bicycle cabbies, all of whom own their own cabs. He explained that government regulations limit each to owning just one vehicle. Many have earned enough from the tips they receive to have others, but this is not allowed. People also want better internet access, which is virtually nonexistent in many areas of Cuba and frustratingly slow even in Havana, a reality the government attributes to the U.S. embargo and that others suspect is orchestrated by the Cuban government as a way of maintaining control over the flow of information. They advocate, too, for direct election of the president. The current indirect process is arguably democratic but too far removed from the people, who vote individually only at the neighborhood level,

Coffee farmer, Omar.

Photo by Susan Crockenberg

for them to feel in control, and allowing, some experts argue, too much influence by the Communist party. In contrast, Cubans living in rural areas express considerable satisfaction with the status quo, both in their responses to our questions and in the pictures of Fidel and Che they prominently display on the walls of their modest homes. We visited the red-headed farmer, Omar, a descendent of the Irishmen imported during the 19th century to work in the sugarcane fields, at his coffee farm in the Sierra del Escambray (the mountains near Trinidad in south central Cuba). When we asked how he felt about having to sell 90 percent of his crop to the government at belowmarket prices, he said he was doing all right, pointing to his son whom we watched constructing a fenced-in area where the family planned to raise peanuts they would market privately. Others of his children attend university. As an example of how Cubans conspire openly to moderate the effect of unpopular government policies, Aniel later explained that 90 percent was more like 75 to 80 percent because the government assessors, who establish how much each farmer will sell to the government, routinely underestimate the size of the coffee crop, with the result that farmers are able to sell more coffee privately than the official regulations permit. Our group bought between 30 and 40 pounds of coffee at eight CUCS (equivalent to eight American dollars) a pound, yielding a tidy profit for Omar and his family in the heart of Fidel land. This collaboration is increasingly important as the changing climate (no rain when there is supposed to be rain, too much rain when the bees are meant to pollinate the coffee plants) has reduced the yearly coffee bean yield from three harvests to just one, perhaps a second small harvest in April if they are lucky. If they are to survive, the coffee farmers of Cuba need to privatize and diversify. That’s just what they’re doing. Charlotters, Susan and Vince Crockenberg and Jim and Susan Hyde recently returned from an eleven-day visit to Cuba.

22 • March 8, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Senior Center news Join us for lunch You don’t have to be a senior to enjoy the delicious meals served at the Senior Center—all are welcome! And these are not your run-of-the-mill institutional offerings. Monday cooking crews prepare fresh, homemade soups, salads and special desserts for you, which are served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., no reservations needed. On Wednesdays sit down at noon to enjoy our special senior luncheons; make your reservations by calling the Center at 425-6345. The suggested donation for either meal is $5, truly a bargain!

Please register for this no-fee event in case we need to change the date for any reason. Blood Pressure Clinic, Wednesday, March 14, 11:30 a.m. to noon, with Martha McAuliffe, R.N., UVM Medical Center. This clinic is free, open to the public and offered before the Wednesday luncheon.

Upcoming programs and classes: Register for classes by calling the Center at 425-6345 or drop by to sign up in person.

Cuba with Susan & Vince Crockenberg and Susan & Jim Hyde on Wednesday, March 21, at 1 p.m. The Crockenbergs and the Hydes team up to give a photo presentation of their recent trip to Cuba, focusing on the country’s politics, economy, burgeoning arts and a few of those colorful old cars.

Our Vermont Reads kick-off is on Tuesday, March 13, at 2:15 p.m. at the Charlotte Library, followed by a book discussion at CCS on Tuesday, March 20, from 11–11:30 a.m. This marks the 16th year of the Vermont Humanities Council’s Vermont Reads program, which invites people of all ages across the state to read and discuss the same book. This year’s selection is Katherine Paterson’s Bread & Roses, Too. The Center joins the Charlotte Library and CCS in sponsoring this program. Don’t miss the season’s first Birding Expedition with Hank Kaestner on March 14. Meet at the Center 10 minutes prior to the 9 a.m. departure to carpool to the location for spectacular bird watching.

Irish Music on Wednesday, March 14, at 1 p.m. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Robert Resnik and our own Marty Morrissey of the Highland Weavers band. Sponsored by the Friends of the Charlotte Senior Center.

The next Men’s Breakfast is Thursday, March 22, 7:30–9 a.m. Join the group for an early morning of camaraderie and conversation. Please register by the Tuesday before the breakfast. Suggested donation, $5. New classes starting this week include: Origami with Gail Martin at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays (note the day change), Mindfulness with Jill Abilock, on Wednesday mornings, 10:30–noon, and Loss and Change with Marilyn Buchanan on Thursdays at 10 a.m. Check the spring

program on the town website, charlottevt. org, for registration information and fees. Exercise classes: Choose from a number of classes offered at the Center: Ginger Lambert’s fitness class (Getting Ready for an Active Summer) on Tuesday mornings at 9:15; Step Aerobics with Pam Lord on Wednesdays at 9:10 a.m.; Pilates with Phyllis Bartling on Thursdays at 8:30 a.m.; dance with Liesje Smith (Dance: Moving Better, Living Better) on Friday mornings at 9:30. These classes accommodate all levels of fitness and will get you moving! See the spring program at charlottevt.org for class fees. On Mondays join the Chair Yoga class with Tiny Sikkes at 9:30 a.m. and Gentle Yoga at 11 a.m. with Jean White. New this spring is a second Gentle Yoga class with Marilyn Buchanan on Thursdays at 1 p.m. The fee for yoga classes is $10 per class. The Strength Maintenance group, led by Sylvia Levine, meets on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 a.m. Based on the Living Strong program, this free class works on improving strength and balance. On Thursdays join John Creech at 10 a.m. for Yang Tai Chi Chuan for Beginners. Learn the movements and postures that increase flexibility, improve balance and strengthen core muscles. The fee per class is $7. Tai Chi Practice, led by Marty Morrissey

SENIOR CENTER MENU March 12 Chicken tortilla soup Green salad Homemade dessert March 19 Creamy tomato soup Caesar salad with chicken Apple bread pudding Wednesday Lunch (all diners eat at noon) March 14 Corned beef & cabbage Homemade dessert March 21 Spinach & mushroom lasagna Tiramisu on Thursdays at 11 a.m., is for students familiar with the form. Work on improving your balance, flexibility, stability and overall health in these free sessions. Check out other ongoing offerings at the Center—among these are Spanish Conversation, Friday Morning Art Group, Friday Writers Group, Bridge and Mah Jong.

Holy Week Church Services Charlotte Congregational Church, UCC 403 Church Hill Road, 425-3176

Holy Week Schedule Palm/Passion Sunday Mar. 25 10:00 a.m. - Service of Palms & Passion with an octet performing Haydn’s, “7 Last Words of Christ on the Cross” Holy Week Prayer Walks Mar. 3/26-30 @ 11:30 a.m. Meet @ LaPlatte Nature Park for prayer & 30 min. walk Maundy Thursday - Mar. 29 Foot Washing @ 6:30 p.m.; Service @ 7:00 p.m. Holy Vigil - March 29th-30th Sign up in vestry to hold vigil from 8:00 p.m. on Thur. to 3:00 p.m. on Fri. Holy Saturday - Mar. 31 Community Easter Egg Hunt - 1:00 p.m. Confirmation Class - 4:00 p.m. Easter Sunday Apr. 1 - Sunrise service @ 6:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. services

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church Spear Street, 425-2637 Sister parish: St. Jude’s, Hinesburg

Holy Week and Easter Schedule: Holy Thursday 7:00 p.m. at St. Jude Good Friday 3:00 p.m. at OLMC Good Friday (Ecumenical) 3:00 p.m. at St. Jude Good Friday 7:00 p.m. at St. Jude Easter Vigil 8:00 p.m. at St. Jude Easter Sunday 8:00 a.m. at OLMC Easter Sunday 9:30 a.m. at St. Jude Easter Sunday 11:00 a.m. at OLMC The Taize Community will hold an evening of music at St. Jude Parish in Hinesburg on Tuesday, March 20 at 7:00 p.m. Free will offering at the door. All are welcome.

Send us your news story ideas! news@thecharlottenews.org

The Charlotte News • March 8, 2018 • 23

Calendar of events March Events March 16

A Talk by George Lakey: A Divided America: What Can We Learn from the Nordics? George Lakey contends that “Polarization may be as much an opportunity as it is dismaying.” The lifetime activist, sociologist, professor and author of nine books will present his research at a talk at 7 p.m. at the First Unitarian Universalist Society, 152 Pearl St., Burlington. This event is free. Donations are accepted at the door. Childcare is available. Parents planning to bring children must register for childcare by emailing Ruah Swennerfelt at ruahswennerfelt@gmail.com no later than March 5, giving the number of children and their ages. Sponsored by Transition Town Charlotte.

March 17

Jukebox: A Warehouse Chamber

SPEAR

continued from page 1

his father. Back then the garage was where Rise ‘n Shine is now, that was the original Spear’s Garage. When did the garage move? When they changed Route 7, which used to come down the hill, Church Hill Road, that’s when they built the new building. What about the other building—when did that go up and what was it used for? At one point Charlotte decided they needed a police force. Bid’s dad was the police chief for several years. Eventually they disbanded, but they used to have bingo games to raise money for the police department. The warehouse was built to help support the police force. Then Sam and his wife, Priscilla, decided they were going to have a dairy bar, so that’s where Uncle Sam’s came from. It was a bingo hall and a dairy bar. The dairy bar started in the mid-1960s and was always open from mid-May to mid-September. Bid and I worked there together one summer, but he eventually went back to the garage. His dad retired and then Bid ran Spear’s Garage. I’ll bet you saw a lot of kids from this town pass through Uncle Sam’s. So many kids from town over the years! It’s fun to go back over the payroll book and look at the names. A lot of Charlotte kids passed through that door. I heard a lot of parent troubles and boyfriend troubles and school troubles! How many years did you have the dairy bar? We were there for about 38 years; it’s been closed for four years now. We were getting older and I wanted more time with my husband. The property has been for sale for a while now. What would you want people to know about that? It’s been for sale for about ten years. Bid was ready to sell it when he retired. It’s a sad situation. The need is there for

Music Project at 7:30 p.m. at ArtsRiot, 400 Pine St., Burlington. Jukebox returns for a second season to continue taking you closer to the music. This innovative chamber music series, copresented by the VSO and ArtsRiot, and curated by Vermont composer Matt LaRocca, features a sliding-scale payment option and a singular concert experience. Tickets are available at sevendaystickets.com.

March 18

Lillian Kennedy will give a benefit painting workshop to support All Souls from 1 to 4:30 p.m. She will teach Fearless and Serene: Watercolor and Gouache landscape painting. No previous art experience is needed, and all materials are provided. $25. lillian@

rockfire.com to register. View Kennedy’s paintings at All Souls Interfaith Gathering on Bostwick Farm Road in Shelburne. Tuesday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

March 25

Haydn’s The Seven Last Words of Christ will be performed from 10 to 11:15 a.m. during Palm Sunday worship service at the Charlotte Congregational Church. Admission is free and all are invited to attend. A small group of Vermont musicians has carried on a tradition of offering music commemorating Jesus’s final hours. Joseph Haydn’s hour-long work sets each of the traditional last sayings of Jesus to music. For more information see charlotteucc.org or call the church office

Ongoing Webby’s Art Studio is offered every Saturday in March from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Come create! Specialized art activities for all ages, inspired by temporary and permanent exhibitions. On Puppet Day, March 24, Webby’s will be offered at a special time from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Webby’s Art Studio activities are offered in the Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education classroom. Free with admission. 6000 Shelburne Road. 985-3346; info@shelburnemuseum.org/ calendar.

Classifieds

travelers on Route 7 to have access to service. I remember once when a woman, a trucker, came through and nobody would accept her credit card because she was from the Midwest. I gave her $20 for diesel so she could get to the next location.

Reach your friends and neighbors for only $7 per issue. (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.

It hasn’t been a happy situation, but we’ve dealt with it and we’ll continue to deal with it until the clouds lift and the sun shines. I’ve got more important things on my mind now. What did Bid love about this place, about Charlotte? He loved the lake and his boat—it’s a house boat. He and his friends would go out during the Derby. They’d leave early in the morning and cook breakfast out in the middle of the lake. He loved the “campers,” the summer people who came to Cedar Beach and Thompson’s Point. They were some of his favorite customers. He worked on their cars and then store them for the winter. He touched a lot of lives there at the garage. A lot of kids looked up to him like a dad. I remember Bid going with one boy when he bought his first car.

at 425-3176.

Helena and Bid Spear garage is on Route 7 to the state and then in 1985 the state gave it to the town. Tell me one thing that you loved about Bid. He was so polite, such a polite man. He always held the door for you.

Bid’s family always loved this town. In 1965 his dad gave the land where the town

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 Thursday March 22, 2018 @ 4 PM Any questions should be directed to Dean Bloch, Town Administrator, at 425-3701 ext. 5 or dean@townofcharlotte.com

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Shelburne, VT

T he C harloTTe N ews

Kwi r Golf Juniobership Mem& under

Voice of the town since 1958

! L A I C SPE $2n5ia0ska

Steve GonSalveS, PGa Junior Golf Academy

8 Weekly summeR camps staRting June 18 9 am - 3 pm daily PGA Award Winning Instructors n Ages 8-14 n Lunch provided daily n

deliver To: loCal Boxholder

RegistRation

sunday, FebRuaRy 18 at 10 am Gonzos HD Sports 1860 Williston Road South Burlington

802-233-6019 stevegkwini@gmail.com www.kwiniaska.com

U.S. POSTAGE PAID MAILED FROM ZIP CODE 05482 PERMIT NO. 9

Owner of the Kwini practice facility

presorted standard

Steve Gonsalves

Must register in person no phone calls accepted. You may sign up your child & one buddy.