The Charlotte News | January 25, 2017

The

Charlotte News Charlotte’s award-winning community newspaper

Love TRUMPS HATE

VolUme LIX NUmBer 13

The Voice of the ToWn

WednesdAY, JAnUArY 25, 2017

IN MONTPELIER

Charlotters join Sue Minter, Bernie Sanders and Women’s March masses, page 3

On the inside: • Mary Mead gets her raise, page 1 • New school board approves $75M budget, page 1 • Town christens Seguin Bridge, page 6

CharlotteNewsVT.org

Charlotte News

The

Vol. 59, no. 13 January 25, 2017

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

Selectboard approves new pay grades for town positions Lynn Monty EDITOR IN CHIEF

The Charlotte Selectboard approved new factor scores for the town administrator and town clerk/treasurer positions on Jan. 17. When combined

CharlotteTown Clerk/Treasurer Mary Mead to receive pay raise.

File photo

with step increases and cost-of-living adjustments this means pay increases for both.

With the Palmer and Associates job evaluation grade-and-step system, the board determined the town administrator’s position should be grade 19 rather than the current grade 20—primarily due to changes in the evaluation of supervision exercised and financial and material accountability. The town clerk/treasurer should be 19 rather than the current 18—primarily because of a change in the score for supervision exercised.

The new factor scores were agreed upon by the current Selectboard and will be reviewed by the next Selectboard in March after the election for concurrence.

“This is to assure there is no bias in our factor determination,” Chairman Lane Morrison said. “Once agreement is reached, pay adjustments, if any, will take place July 1, 2017, first day of the fiscal year.”

A pay policy clause states any decrease in pay grade for current employees will not reduce their current pay. Town Administrator Dean Bloch’s pay for 2017–18, if approved by the next Selectboard, will be based on his current pay at grade 20, plus applicable cost-of-

living and step adjustments. Together these will increase his salary from its current $64,438 to $66,227.

Town Clerk/Treasurer Mary Mead’s pay will be based on the current grade of 18 until the new Selectboard agrees with the town clerk/treasurer grade adjustment from 18 to 19. Until that is confirmed, she is slated to receive a cost-of-living increase, in addition to a one-time two percent increase that the Selectboard agreed to in 2016 to recognize longterm town employees. Together these will increase her salary from $64,522 to $66,331. Mead’s salary will increase another 5 percent, to $69,648, if the grade adjustment from 18 to 19 is approved.

Prior to the Selectboard’s vote on the new job factor scores for the two positions, Morrison reviewed the history of the town clerk/treasurer pay issues, which started with a request by Mary Mead for a pay raise at the March 2014 Town Meeting.

To evaluate Mead’s request and to ensure equity in the salaries paid to all town employees, the Selectboard reviewed the pay systems in a number of towns throughout the state and eventually adopted the Palmer and Associates job

see PAY GRADES page 6

Champlain Valley School District $75M budget approved Lynn Monty EDITOR IN CHIEF

In June 2016 voters in the Chittenden South Supervisory Union school district voted to approve forming a unified district known as the Champlain Valley School District. This new governance will be fully operational on July 1, 2017.

This is when the seven Chittenden South Supervisory Union (CSSU) boards will be replaced with one Champlain Valley School District (CVSD) board overseeing the district.

During this year of transition, the newly formed board began working on the budget for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. A single $75 million budget for a coordinated pre-K to 12 system was approved Jan. 17 and will be presented to voters on Town Meeting Day in March.

CSSU Superintendent Elaine Pinckney said the transition has been a positive change for all districts as a whole and separately. “We are already working together more collaboratively and looking out for all students in a way that wasn’t

SCHOOL BOARD

UPDATE

possible when we were doing our work separately, even though this has been our goal and focus for quite a few years,” she said. “Once we’ve understood that we’re all in the very same organization, there is a greater willingness for collective problem solving and a greater understanding of how we are collectively using our precious resources.”

CVSD Board Chair Dave Connery said this year has been a first step to understanding how each district teaches,

uses its resources and allocates costs. “We have held a full board meeting at each school and preceded each meeting with a tour of the school,” he said. “Getting the lay of the land physically and mentally is important.”

This first budget was a large task, Connery said. Sharing fixed costs allows for a town like Charlotte to benefit from a district-wide spread of cost. The work to fix the Charlotte Central School roof has been added to the operation and maintenance budget rather than bonded to pay back over a 20-year period, he said.

Charlotte has two members on the board, Mark McDermott as vice chair and Erik Beal as head of the budget committee. Charlotte Central School makes up about 350 students in the 4,000-student district, McDermott said. With this unified consolidation, taxpayers in Charlotte could see a tax rate decrease of about 11 percent. “Our town has benefited greatly,” he said. “Now that

see BUDGET page 11

Annual Celebration of Charlotte’s Town Volunteers

Carrie Spear serves cake at the Annual Celebration of Charlotte’s Volunteers at The Charlotte Senior Center. Courtesy photo

Staff Report Clark Hinsdale presented at the annual celebration of Charlotte’s volunteers at the Charlotte Senior Center last week.

Special thanks went out to all of the many volunteers who provide valuable town services, including school directors, members of boards, commissions and committees, as well as volunteers at the library and Fire and Rescue.

“If you ask some of our most faithful volunteers if they’ve volunteered all their lives in Charlotte they might say, not yet,” Hinsdale said. “We recently lost two volunteers in their 90s who exemplified that spirit.”

Larry Hamilton and Shirley Bean were committed lifers in the volunteer business.

“We are grateful for their service, we miss their fellowship, and they enriched our community life,” Hinsdale said.

John Hammer was given a special mention. “Like Larry Hamilton, John Hammer was not born here, and like Larry he moved slightly out of town in his retirement, and like Larry, John’s allegiance remains with Charlotte,” he said.

Jenny Cole was also singled out. “Like Shirley Bean, our second honoree is a home-grown product. She was a long-time Fire and Rescue volunteer, a selectperson, auditor, she serves on the Park Oversight Committee and works in the library. She holds the distinction of being the only

see VOLUNTEERS page 15

Library News 9 • Senior Center 10 • Community Events 21 • Crossword & Sudoku 21

2 • January 25, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Weather Tornado recap in the south, and freezing temps on the way for us The Charlotte News

Matt Sutkoski CONTRIBUTOR

As expected, more tornadoes broke out Sunday across the South, including a huge wedge tornado that killed four people and caused extensive damage in Albany, Georgia. At least 19 people died in the Southern tornadoes over the weekend, more than the number of people who died in tornadoes during all of 2016 in the United States.

Last year was near a record low in tornado deaths for the nation, but it looks like our luck has run out, at least for now, with a dearth of tornado disasters in past few years. Thankfully, though, this tornado outbreak is over and there is no signs of another blast of severe weather in the next week, probably more.

Also as forecast, the storm system has consolidated into a nor’easter, which means a lot of wind and mixed precipitation came to the Northeast Monday and Tuesday. A variety of winter storm warnings, watches and advisories were up for the interior Northeast.

As many of you noticed, Vermont and many surrounding regions had been entombed in a dense, low, foggy, drizzly, warm overcast last week. Mountain summits have been above the inversion that has caused this and have poked into the sunshine. The spate of warm, gloomy weather we’ve had is very unusual for January. This is the kind of air the storm ran into. Not the usual cold stuff.

The Charlotte News is a nonprofit community-based 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.

Barb Keefe snapped this shot of an icy Tuesday for Charlotters and our Hinesburg neighbors, including the squirrels and chickadees.

Courtesy photo

Vermont impacts

Mixed precipitation hit the Green Mountain State Monday and Tuesday. Following the storm, temperatures will remain warmer than normal in Vermont through the weekend, but will be trending downward with time.

Instead of each day being a whopping 15 to 20 degrees warmer than normal like the past week, we’ll trend down to something like five degrees warmer than normal by the weekend.

That’ll keep temperatures below freez-

ing in most spots, even during the day.

Weak weather disturbances will keep zipping past Vermont through the weekend, which will keep occasional light snow going. This will keep slowly piling up in the mountains, which is good news for the ski industry.

Matt’s Weather Rapport is written by Vermont-based journalist and weather reporter Matt Sutkoski. This blog has a nationwide and worldwide focus, with particular interest in Vermont and the Northeast. Find Matt’s Weather Rapport at mattsweatherrapport.blogspot.com for expert analysis of weather events, news, the latest on climate change science, fun stuff, and wild photos and videos of big weather events. Also check for his frequent quick weather updates on Twitter @mattalltradesb

Trails Committee public meeting at 7 p.m. on Feb. 7 The second public meeting to report on the scoping project currently in progress for the Town Link Trail will be held at Charlotte Town Hall at 7 p.m. on Feb. 7.

DuBois & King, the engineering firm spearheading the scoping, will present an update for all interested residents. The meeting will show the options D & K has found through its research and work on potential trail sites. Everyone is welcome to attend this meeting to hear the D & K findings.

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 Thursday 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.

Editorial Staff

news@thecharlottenews.org / 425-4949 Editor in chief: Lynn Monty Layout manager: Anna Cyr Contributing editors: John Hammer, Edd Merritt Copy editors: Beth Merritt, Leslie Botjer, Vince Crockenberg, Carol Hanley, Edd Merritt, Janet Yantachka

Business Staff

ads@thecharlottenews.org / 343-0279 Ad manager: Monica Marshall Business manager: Shanley Hinge

Board Members

President: Vince Crockenberg Secretary: John Hammer Treasurer: Patrice Machavern Board members: Bob Bloch, Carol Hanley, Gay Regan, Louisa Schibli

Contributors

Elizabeth Bassett, Jorden Blucher, Catherine Bock, Mark Dillenbeck, Laurel Lakey, Alice Outwater, Kerrie Pughe, Mary Recchia, Cheryl Sloan, Matt Sutkoski, Ruah Swennerfelt, Alice Trageser, Margaret Woodruff and Mike Yantachka

Subscription Information

The Charlotte News is delivered at no cost to all Charlotte residences. Effective May 1, 2016, we will no longer offer bulk mail subscriptions.

Subscriptions are available for first-class delivery at $40 per calendar year. Want a subscription? Please send a check payable to The Charlotte News, PO 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 © 2016 The Charlotte News, Inc. Printed in Burlington, Vermont, by Gannet Publishing Services Member of the New England Newspaper and Press Association and the Vermont Press Association.

The Charlotte News • January 25, 2017 • 3

Letters

Voices from the Women’s March Ruah Swennerfelt CONTRIBUTOR

I’d never seen so many people crowding the streets and the lawn of the Statehouse in Montpelier as I did on Saturday, Jan. 21, when an estimated 15,000 citizens offered a “Love Trumps Hate” alternative to the frightening future portended by the recent U.S. election. The Women’s March was historic not only for Vermont, but also for the planet. I felt in solidarity with hundreds of thousands in Washington D.C., as well as millions around the country and around the world, who gathered to send a message of hope and determination.

To march with so many people for women’s rights as human rights, and then to include the rights of all humans and all that lives on the planet, was lifechanging. The crowd’s songs and chants were joyful. Their many imaginative hand-written signs—some serious and some hilarious— were heart-warming.

Thousands of us wore pink “pussy hats” as a pointed rebuke to DJT’s appallingly abusive speech and actions toward women. The hat I wore was one of many that had been knitted for the occasion by my neighbor Sandy Schofield, who wasn’t able to attend.

I asked some Charlotte and Monkton residents who had gone to the march what the day had meant to them.

John Howe: I went to the march to be in community with other Vermonters who value gender, racial, and economic equality and to challenge the agenda of the Trump administration. This was a women’s march and so I went there to show solidarity, to make a statement, as a man, that women’s rights are important for all of us.

I marched with my sister Jane. We often held hands and did a lot of hugging.

We greeted friends with warmth and kindness. Madeleine Kunin’s speech from the Statehouse steps brought tears to our eyes. We had talked earlier about our mother who, like Kunin, pioneered in traditionally male professions. My mother’s ghost was with us and it felt good.

Wolfger Schneider: I attended the Women’s March in Montpelier somewhat reluctantly. You see, I grew up in Germany

“What made this march different, though, was that it was largely about what we would like this country to be; it was about values, dreams, and actions all beautifully expressed in dress, artful signs, music, and speeches.”

Wolfger Schneider

during WWII and have had to carry the burden of my birth country’s history of crowd support and mass chanting of support for political leaders.

What made this march different, though, was that it was largely about what we would like this country to be; it was about values, dreams, and actions all beautifully expressed in dress, artful signs, music, and speeches. Yes, I got into it, felt emotional, sang and even danced a little. Not bad for a 76-year-old proud to have been able to support the march.

Dora Coates: I loved was all the fantastically creative signs. Let me tell you, women are a force to be reckoned with once they get going. One said, “Hell hath no fury like 157,000 women scorned!” written in a burst of flames. There were many men standing for their women, which was heartening. My friend’s sign got a lot of notice because it was different.

She’s been deeply crushed by Trumpism, and her message was,”Stand Strong America with your Broken Heart.”

To me it was a real solidarity moment, and I just wanted to observe, absorb, and be part of it. We all want to keep active during this Trump term. Bernie Sanders made a surprise impassioned speech to the crowd, which of course screamed at every

ON THE COVER:

Former VTRANS Secretary Sue Minter speaks to the crowd with help from a sign language interpreter at the Montpelier Women’s March on Saturday. About 15,000 people attended which prompted interstate exit closures due to overcrowding.

Photo by Tom Remp

About 15,000 people attended theWomen’s March in Montpelier joining more than a million people who marched worldwide, the day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, in defense of human rights.

Photo by Tom Remp pause.

Nancy Goodrich: We rode over on a train of outrage, floated back on a joyful cloud of hope. We embraced victory when we saw the pictures of fellow marchers filling the streets in cities all across

our county and around the world! Yes, ‘Love Trumps Hate’ and ‘Joy Trumps Despair.’ And, yes, we need to keep riding that train of outrage, but it sure felt good to step off for a little bit!

4 • January 25, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Commentary

Standing Rock: Day two and beyond Catherine Bock CONTRIBUTOR

The next morning we helped install a floor in a tent housing a group of Northwest Indians who offered us oranges and venison jerky in appreciation. The elder who had brought her grown children and a granddaughter to the camp told us that the youth in her tribe were not engaged in fighting their own water battle back in

“Why don’t you go home to your families? It’s

Tacoma but wanted to come to Standing Rock. Here they would gather knowledge and inspiration for their fight back home.

That afternoon we headed across the river for a women’s meeting at Rose Bud camp. It was warm and smoky inside the teepee packed with women of all colors and ages. A strong-looking native elder spoke forcefully about the importance of women protecting the people. “Don’t think that everything is wonderful here.

There has been a rape in the Oceti Sakowin camp and domestic violence.

People bring their problems with them. If you hear anything, come to me, I will take care of it.” She said there had been many raids and that police had leveled camps early on when there were fewer people.

“Now there are so many, we can protect each other.” She taught us the words “mini wichoni,” water is life, and had us yell them as loud as we could. “Did you hear how powerful you are?” she asked.

Thanksgiving.

They miss you.

We only want to pray for the water, for our people and for Mother Earth.”

Photo courtesy of Catherine Bock

The following morning we gathered to plan the Thanksgiving action. Vermonters in the East action team were expected to look out for one another. Our team leader asked how many of us were willing to risk arrest. I raised my hand, thinking the police would certainly be nicer to an older white woman than to an indigenous person. I quickly learned not to count on that. Standing Rock was one place where white privilege wasn’t always a reliable protection from the police.

That night I fell asleep to the now normal sound of drumming and praying but was awakened by thunderous drumming, chanting and screaming.

I imagined a police raid as I lay awake in fear, hoping that nothing terrible was actually happening. I arose before dawn to find a beautiful blanket of snow covering the camp. At the porta potty, 10 people waited in line. The noise, they explained, “was just praying for today’s action.”

Even so, tension in the camp was high as if something terrible was about to happen. In need of comfort I set out for the Quaker camp that someone said was near the horses.

I spotted their blue flag and was invited in for a few minutes of silent worship. The trailer was warm and the seat was oh so comfortable. As I settled into the familiar silence, I felt an indescribable sense of relief, disturbed minutes later by the sound of galloping horses and the shout, “Women and children to the dome…police raid.”

We pulled on boots and jackets and swarmed toward the dome.

Halfway there we learned it was a false alarm. At the dome we Vermonters learned we were heading to Turtle Island to try to enter the sacred land. People donned the masks and eye protection provided, expecting to be gassed any minute. I stowed mine in

my pocket thinking, “I’m going to stay safe.”

Our group locked arms, forming a tight mass walking toward Turtle Island.

Across the Cannonball River lay the sacred burial site, where the pipeline was to be built; atop stood 30 menacing guards. To avoid arrest, I joined a group building a fire to warm people who got sprayed with water.

People worked frantically to build a bridge as the police shouted. “Stop the building. If you cross we will be forced to shoot.” The people replied, “We want to pray on our sacred land.” Those already on the island built a fire and began a ceremony. When the bridge was complete, more people crossed. “Do not cross the bridge! We will be forced to shoot. We don’t want to have to shoot,” shouted the officers. More people crossed the bridge. More police appeared. Then firefighters. I counted about 90 law enforcement officers and over 1,000 unarmed demonstrators. Police sprayed water at the demonstrators, but were too far away to do harm. “Don’t come up here or we’ll have to shoot,” they called again. The Indians responded, “Why don’t you go home to your families? It’s Thanksgiving. They miss you. We only want to pray for the water, for our people and for Mother Earth.”

Suddenly a man charged up the steep cliff toward the police who shouted that they would shoot if he continued. People tried to block him, but he raged on.

Finally, one man simply picked him up and carried him down the hill. Everyone cheered. Instigators like this one come into the camp and incite the police to violence. We had prevented that from happening this time.

As the Indians trekked across the bridge heading back to camp, one called up to the police “We are finished praying.

We will go back across the bridge now.

Thank you for leaving us in peace. You can go home to your families now.” The police thanked us for not trying to climb to the top. Just then the sun came out.

Everyone held hands forming a giant circle and began singing. An elder said this was a victory for both sides. He knew because the sun came out just as they compromised. “Circle up,” he called to the police. “Give yourselves a little love.”

Perhaps the police avoided violence because it was Thanksgiving and it would have been very bad press, but I prefer to believe that both sides were able to see the humanity in the other.

A week later the Army Core of Engineers denied a permit to Dakota Access Pipeline to provide time for further environmental impact studies and citizen input. The fight is over for now, but people will remain in the camp all winter to watch over the land.

This is the continuation of Bock’s article that appeared in the Jan. 11 edition of The News.

The Charlotte News • January 25, 2017 • 5

Report from the Legislature

Vermonters rally for universal background checks

By Rep. Mike Yantachka The Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier is nicknamed “The People’s House.”

For one thing, it is where legislators do “the people’s business.” Furthermore, unlike many other statehouses around the country, the public has complete access to both the building and their legislators when the Legislature is in session, usually January through early May. In fact, the Statehouse functions as a living museum, with free access and free tours all year long. Those Vermonters who let their representative know they will be visiting during the session are often introduced to and welcomed by the assembly during the announcements.

This accessibility is a hallmark of democracy in Vermont and is most apparent when groups of citizens, advocating for one issue or another, converge on the building en masse. The place becomes a beehive of bodies and voices. Press conferences by legislators or organizations are often held in the Cedar Creek Room, which features a huge mural of the Civil War battle of Cedar Creek in which the First Vermont Brigade played a key role in the Union victory.

It was such a press conference organized by Gun Sense Vermont on January 10 that saw more than 100 Vermont citizens from across the state pack the room in support of background checks for all firearms sales. Senator Phil Baruth introduced a bill (S.6) that would extend the federal requirement of a background check for firearm purchases from a licensed firearms dealer in Vermont to include private and internet purchases as well. A companion bill, which I plan to co-sponsor, is being drafted for introduction in the House.

These bills would close the so-called “gun show loophole,” which today allows a prohibited person to obtain a gun without going through a background check. The definition of a “prohibited person” includes anyone convicted of a violent felony, anyone with a restraining order resulting from domestic abuse, and anyone judged in a court of law to be mentally ill and considered a danger to themselves or others.

Vermont is considered to be one of the safest states for gun violence per capita, so why do we need such a law? Governor Scott, as did his predecessor Governor Shumlin, has stated that he does not see a need for any more gun laws in Vermont.

It is true that most gun owners in Vermont are responsible individuals and would pass a background check without any problems. However, we still read and hear about gun violence in Vermont, often perpetrated by individuals who fall into the prohibited category. According to the Gun Sense VT website, in the states that require criminal background checks on unlicensed handgun sales, there are 38% percent fewer women killed by guns than in the states that do not have this requirement. In Vermont in 2013, there were more than 1,000 final relief-fromabuse orders issued and 1,457 violent crimes that involved violence against intimate partners or family members.

And of the 13 homicides in Vermont in 2013, eight were deemed related to domestic violence, and of these, four were committed with a firearm.

Gun trafficking is another problem fueled by the ubiquitous opiate crisis that results in guns being traded for drugs. I-91 has become known as the “iron pipeline” because drug dealers and criminals find it easier to buy a gun in Vermont than in southern New England or New York, states that have stronger gun laws. Without a federal universal background-check law, state laws are like Swiss cheese, with Vermont being one of the holes. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued a report last October that showed 74 percent of firearms used in New York crimes were bought in states with weak gun laws, and that 489 of those were traced back to

Vermont. While this was only 1 percent of the total, it illustrates that Vermont is a source. Every gun sale prevented by a background check has the potential of saving a life. A VPR-Castleton Polling Institute poll found that 84 percent of Vermonters, including more than 70% percent of gun owners, approve of universal background checks. Common sense dictates that the hole should be

plugged, and I hope that Governor Scott will eventually agree.

I encourage you to let me know your concerns and opinions. I can be reached by phone (802-233-5238) or by email (myantachka.dfa@gmail.com), and you can find this article and past articles at my website, MikeYantachka.com.

6 • January 25, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Town Rehabilitation of the historic Seguin Covered Bridge celebrated

B

low & Cote, the Morrisville heavy construction company that builds bridges, finished the rehabilitation of the historic Seguin Covered Bridge in December. The Charlotte Conservation Commission organized the Jan. 22 celebration of its

MembersoftheSeguinfamily,forwhomthehistoricSeguinCoveredBridgeisnamed, came from as far away as Connecticut. Marion Seguin, standing, of Williston. In front are her sister and brother-in-law, Cecile and Leonard Tyl, of Uncasville, Connecticut.

Photo by Meg Berlin

rebirth. Experts call the bridge, built in 1849, one of the finest in the state.

VTrans engineers, president of the Charlotte Historical Society Dan Cole and community members as well as members of the Seguin family attended.

Townspeople and visitors celebrate the rehabilitation of the historic Seguin Covered Bridge Jan 22.

Photo by Meg Berlin

PAY GRADES

continued from page 1 evaluation grade-and-step system. “The human resources consultant that the town hired when this process was created and the state human resources director both complimented the town for developing the system that we now have,” Morrison said.

All employees, including Mead, reviewed their initial grades and steps, Morrison said. “There seemed to be an agreement in January 2015 when the policies were approved,” he said. “As time went on, Mary continually challenged her grade and pay. There was no change in her job description over the last couple of years, but she felt she was rated too low and very vocally objected to the pay system overall.”

The town had been dealing with Mead’s pay raise request and subsequent grievances for more than two years. “In May of 2016 we were about to finish this negotiation but learned that another

grievance was submitted to the Vermont Department of Labor for $15,000 and later updated to $17,000 by Mead regarding back pay,” Morrison said.

The Selectboard stopped discussing the matter until August of 2016 when the Department of Labor ruled Mead was not entitled to back pay. Morrison said the town clerk/treasurer job evaluation was researched and found to be consistent with market conditions, but Mead still requested a higher job factor score and pay grade.

“The board made adjustments to satisfy some needed corrections brought up by Mary, and now I think we have a pay system that is good for the years to come,” Morrison said. “I believe the Selectboard has been fair and responsive to the issues that Mary has brought to us over the last several years and hope we don’t have to spend any more time on the pay system.

There are other important town issues to address.”

Mead declined to comment on the process when The News requested an interview.

The Charlotte News • January 25, 2017 • 7

News from the Tree Warden: Emerald ash borer coming to town

Submit your petitions, it’s not too late – but almost John Hammer CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Mark Dillenbeck TREE WARDEN

At some point in the not-distant future an exotic insect, the emerald ash borer (EAB), will make its appearance in Charlotte and kill almost every ash tree in town. The sudden demise of our ash trees is something we need to expect and plan for. The good news is that EAB has not yet been detected in Vermont, although it is present in all surrounding states and Quebec. This means that we have time to strategize and prepare.

There are four levels of action: detection, threat mitigation, planning and management.

Detection: Telltale signs are the distinctive D-shaped exit holes seen on the bark of infested trees and the serpentine galleries, or tracks, carved

by EAB larva just underneath the bark.

Other signs include branch die-back from the top of the crown and thin shoots, or branches, growing at the bottom of the tree trunk or around lower main branches. For more information about EAB, please go to the link in the tree warden section of the town website.

Please contact me if you think you have detected EAB. Threat mitigation: The first and most important measure to postpone arrival of EAB is to prevent the importation and movement of EAB-infested firewood.

This has been the primary vector for the pest. Second, we can remove weak or damaged ash trees, especially along our roadways. EAB will selectively infest weak or dying ash trees first, so if these trees are removed, it will deny the insect a preferred host. Thinning dense stands of trees also ensures that the remaining trees have the growing space needed to remain robust, heathy and able to resist disease and pests of any type.

Planning: State and federal authorities are encouraging Vermont towns to develop EAB preparedness plans. To that end, the Charlotte Selectboard has authorized an inventory of ash trees on town property and in the town rights of way, with a focus on potential future hazard trees. The Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program has completed, on our behalf, an inventory of trees on town property, and the results can be seen in the town website. A sample inventory of trees in the town rights of way is pending. An EAB preparedness plan will follow.

Management: Some of our ash trees can be saved, but this will require inoculating individual trees with a pesticide every two years. These treatments are expensive, so treatment is only feasible for a small number of trees. For the most part, management will consist of removing dead hazard trees in public areas and along our roads.

Removal of dead, diseased, dying or malformed ash trees right now has the double benefit of spreading the cost of ash tree removal over a longer period of

Michigan ashtreeshowing declinedue to emerald ash borer.

Photo credit USDA time as well as removing likely hosts for early EAB infestation. I have requested the road commissioner to remove weak ash trees along our roads and in public areas. In addition, I will be taking a liberal attitude toward requests for ash tree removal at camps on Thompson’s Point and other town property and within the rights of way. At this stage, however, we are not recommending the removal of healthy ash trees.

If we are lucky, we will be able to enjoy our ash trees for several more years. In the most optimistic scenario biological controls currently being deployed experimentally will keep EAB populations under control. Even in the worst case we will preserve some select ash trees by inoculating them every two years. In any event, when this unwelcome intruder arrives we intend to be prepared.

Upcoming Tree Events A Tree Care Workshop will be held from 6–7 p.m. at the Senior Center on Feb. 15. VJ Comai, Charlotte resident and professional arborist, will offering a short workshop on the basics of tree care, from planting to maintenance of mature trees.

A Tree Pruning Workshop will be held from 10–11:30 a.m. at the Senior Center on March 11.

VJ Comai, Charlotte resident and professional arborist, will offering a short workshop on tree pruning with field demonstration, weather permitting.

The deadline for submitting petitions for elected public office is next Monday, January 30. The Town of Charlotte depends to a great extent on its volunteers. Don’t let that frighten you. All you need to do to get on the ballot is to circulate a petition, get the signatures of 30 registered Charlotte voters and submit it to the Town Clerk’s Office on time. Campaigning is as hard as you wish to make it, and you have plenty of opportunities and time to do so. If you are running unopposed, its almost a “walk in the park.” Don’t let this suggest that the jobs are not important; they are, but they can be fun and are inevitably rewarding, too.

The following positions for town offices are up for election March 7, 2017. Petitions are available at the Town Clerk’s office. In each case, the name of the incumbent is listed. Those names in bold have submitted petitions to run or have indicated a desire to run as of the publication date.

Auditor: 3-year term (Jennifer Cole, incumbent), Allen Ash

Mason, incumbent) Delinquent Tax Collector: 1-year term (Mary Mead, incumbent) Lister: 3-year term (vacant), Charles Russell Town Moderator: 1-year term (Jerry Schwartz, incumbent**) Ed Stone, Charles Russell, John Rosenthal School Moderator: 1-year term (Jerry Schwartz, incumbent**) Ed Stone, Charles Russell Road Commissioner: 1-year term (Hugh Lewis Jr, incumbent) Selectboard: 2-year term (Jacob Spell, incumbent) Seth Zimmerman, Frank Tenney

Cemetery Commissioner: 3-year term Chris Falk

Selectboard: 3-year term (Fritz Tegatz, incumbent) Ed Stone

Cemetery Commissioner: 2-year term (Victoria Zulkoski, incumbent)

Town Agent: 1-year term (vacant)

Cemetery Commissioner: 1-year term (vacant), Susan O’Hanian

Trustee of Public Funds: 3-year term (Jill Lowry, incumbent)

CVU School Director: 3-year term* (Lorna Jimerson, incumbent)

Trustee of Public Funds: 2-year term (vacant)

CCS School Director: 3-year term* Susan Nostrand

* Position may expire around the end of CY 2016 depending on a decision arising from the consolidation of school districts (Act 46).

CCS School Director: 2-year term* (Erik Beal, incumbent) CCS School Director: 1-year term* (Sue Thibault, incumbent) Library Trustee: 5-year term (Nan

Town Grand Juror: 1-year term (vacant)

** Indicates not running.

Mark your calendars now for Town Meeting, Tuesday, March 7, 2017

8 • January 25, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Food Shelf News Kerrie Pughe CONTRIBUTOR

Thank you!

Thank you to all who participated in the creation and distribution of the holiday baskets. Overflowing baskets of food and presents were distributed a week before Christmas to about 25 local families. Thank you to all who contributed toys, gift cards, food and knitted items. Tracey Beaudon and her daughter made yummy cookies for each basket. Hadley Abernathy and Charlotte Congregational Church children made holiday treats for every family. Pastor Suzanne Kittredge and the Sunday School children created beautifully crafted cards.

Thank you to the knitters and sewers for the mittens, hats and scarves! We appreciate Yoga Roots’ gift of a yoga class card for a teenager. Thank you to Charlotte Boy Scout Moises Cowart as well as to Seth Zimmerman, Ken Oboz, Karen and Bill Doris, Nancy Bloch, Diane Cote, Cindy Tyler, Pat Rodar and Cindi Robinson for helping out with distribution and heavy lifting on distribution day.

Secret Santa delivered 37 movie tickets to the Food Shelf for the children. Thank you, Santa! The Charlotte-Shelburne Rotary supplied 25 hams for the holiday— thank you to Tod Whitaker for coordinating this. Thank you to the families and staff of CCS for the baskets of holiday dinner fixings. Thanks to Miles Jordan and Mrs. Fraser’s class for supplying extra baskets.

We appreciate the cookies-in-a jar gifts from Kris Gerson’s class. Bob Chutter and Quinlan School volunteers donated a beautiful tree for a family. Philo Ridge Farm donated organic garlic, red onions and squash. Thank you to Anne Marie Andriola and family for the Italian candy for both the Thanksgiving and holiday baskets. And a

big thank you to Horsford Nursery for over 15 years of supplying beautiful balsam wreaths for each family.

Thank you to WowToyz coordinators Melody Miller, Julie Cogswell and the Frank Beck family for the generous donation of toys for 37 children. Thank you to CCS students Coco Eyre, Rory McDermatt and Natalie D’Amico for the decorations for the boxes and gift envelopes. Thank you to the volunteers who helped to assemble the baskets: Michelle Jordan, Patrice Machavern, Jenny Cole, Elaine Ittleman, Diane Cote, Kestral Grevatt, Maya Grevatt, Noah Schwaegerle, Cindy Tyler, Hadley Bunting, Christie Garrett, Susan Ohanian, Karen and Bill Doris, John Lavigne, Alaina Murphy, Carol Chenevert, Stephanie Wells, Licia Brown, Ken Oboz, Victoria Rosen, Cindi Robinson and Liz DesLauriers. A special thank you to Laura Iglehart and her husband, Jon, and son Wolfie for coordinating the toys and gifts.

We appreciate the support from the Charlotte Central School Sunshine Fund in memory of University of Connecticut Professor Emeritus Louis L. Gerson, from David and Julia Bergeron in memory of Mrs. Marie Machavern, from Hugh and Leslie Lewis in memory of Arline and Cowboy Lewis, from Thomas and MariePierre Jackson in honor of Kim Findley, from Barry and Susan Cluff in honor of Greg and Lynn Cluff, and from Alicia Kroll in honor of Alex Kroll. In addition, we thank Lori Racha and Damon, Chloe and Kate Silverman for the donation in honor of CCS 4th-grade teacher Kathy Lara and CCS 7th-grade teachers Matthew Lutz, Mary Tierny, Leslie Williams and Nancy Matthews.

We appreciate the financial support from Frances Foster, Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom, Remo and Donna Pizzagalli, Rice Lumber, Village Wine and Coffee, Elizabeth Bassett and John Pane, Luella Aube and Jeanette Myers-Whitney, Margaret and Jim Sharpe, Susan and Hans Ohanian, John and Nancy Calcagni, Nancy and Jack Barnes family, Charlotte Congregational Church Mission Committee, Lynn Cluff and the 40 Cookie Party friends for the food and cash donations, Elizabeth and Tom Scatchard, the Pughe Family, Global Maritime Transportation

Services, Inc., Eileen and Ray Curtis, Evan Metropoulos, Patrice Machavern, Joseph and Jennifer Dickerman, Janet Morrison, Laura Iglehart and family, Emile and Diane Cote, Meredith Corporation Foundation employee contribution matching gifts program, Kathleen and William Posey, Myron and Lenore Sopher, Mark and Eleanor Capeless, Jan and Larry Sudbay, David and Karen Hurwitt, John and Carolyn Kovac, Heather and John Dwight, Lell and Rex Forehand, and Shirley and Cynthia Marshall. Shirley Marshall, a lifelong, much loved member of the Charlotte community passed away in December.

She will be missed by our community, and the Food Shelf sends condolences to her family.

Thank you to John, Christy, Olivia, Greta and Ray for the donation from the proceeds from the Hagios Berry Patch Farm Stand.

Thanks to the Hagios family and neighbors for their hard work and continued support of the food shelf.

A belated thank you to Charlotte Boy Scout Troop 615 for help with the Thanksgiving baskets. Thank you to Moises Cowart, Keagan Bothwell, Zack Aubin and Stuart Robinson. And thank you to Bill and Karen Doris, Nancy Bloch, Nina Falsen, John Lavigne, and Mike and Cindi Robinson for all your help.

Donations We are a volunteer organization, so all donations you make to the Food Shelf go directly for food and/or 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.

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 425-3130.

For emergency assistance (electricity, fuel) call Cindi at 425-3234.

For more information call Karen at 4253252.

Important Upcoming 2017 Charlotte Food Shelf Distribution Dates Wednesdays, Jan. 25, Feb. 8 and 22, Mar. 8 and 22, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Thursdays, Jan. 26, Feb. 9 and 23, Mar. 9 and 23, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.

The Charlotte Food Shelf is located on the lower level of the Charlotte Congregational Church vestry.

Notice of Petition to amend the Town of Charlotte Land Use Regulations Pursuant to 24 VSA Section 4111, the Charlotte Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Thursday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. at the Charlotte Town Offices on 159 Ferry Road for the purpose of reviewing a petition to amend the Town Land Use Regulations.

You are invited to submit any comments with respect to the petitionary ordinance change or attend the Jan. 26 public hearing. Please submit any of your comments electronically or in hard-copy form in advance of or during the public hearing. If your preference is by email, please send your comments to dbenoit@ townofcharlotte.com.

The notice for the Planning Commission’s public hearing and the notice of petition to amend the Land Use Regulations is posted on the “Meeting Calendar” of the Town of Charlotte’s website at charlottevt.org The report that the Planning Commission has developed to address the petition is at https://is.gd/ nMBHvn. Please feel free to contact the Charlotte Planning & Zoning Office for more information or if you would prefer a hard copy of the report or the public notice.

Charlotte Community Cleanup Fund STAFF REPORT

For many years, the Chittenden Solid Waste District has allocated money to each of its member towns for a Community Clean-Up Fund for projects involving the cleanup of solid waste at a location deemed beneficial to the community.

Grants may be used to pay for activities directly related to the cleanup of solid waste such as disposal fees, container rental, transportation and labor. Funds may also be used for the prevention of future disposal at the site through proper placement of signage and containers. The municipality may choose to clean up sites located on either private (financial need must be proven) or public property.

Some examples of clean-up projects approved by town selectboards and CSWD have included cleanup of illegal dumpsites, the addition of signage and sorting containers in public areas to discourage littering, the rental of containers for additional Green Up Day expenses (e.g. a zero-sort recycling dumpster for parallel collection of recycling) and demo and disposal of a foreclosed property.

If you have an idea for a cleanup project contact Abby Foulk at afoulk@gmavt.net.

Project proposals will be considered by the fund contact, the CSWD enforcement coordinator and the Charlotte Selectboard.

The Charlotte News • January 25, 2017 • 9

NeWs From

we get a glimpse into the lives of children in 24 locations.

CHAPTER BOOKS Juana and Lucas by Juana Medina: A delightfully illustrated book about Juana and her dog, Lucas, and her life in modern-day Bogota, Columbia.

I Lived on Butterfly Hill by Marjorie Agosin: A military dictator has taken over Celeste’s home country of Chile. She learns the term “subversives” when her doctor-parents are forced into hiding.

What Elephants Know by Eric Dinerstein: Twelve-year-old Nandu helps his father raise elephants in the lush green jungle of Nepal—a great introduction to the religion, customs and culture of the region.

SUBMITTED BY CHERYL SLOAN & MARGARET WOODRUFF

CULTURAL DIVERSITY AWARENESS IN CHILDREN From the headlines to the bookshelves, the issue of racial and cultural diversity has captured our nation’s attention. We offer here a list of titles available in our children’s collection that address issues of racial and cultural identity. Children as young as 2 to 3 years of age start to notice racial differences in people. Their interest and questions are attempts to understand their observations. The Charlotte Library has a wide range of culturally diverse books for readers of all ages to help start conversations with children and with adults.

PRE-SCHOOL TO EARLY ELEMENTARY Same, Same but Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw: Two pen pals, Elliot and Kailash, write about their very similar, yet culturally different lives in America and India.

Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors by Hena Khan: Using the language of color, readers are introduced to the beauty and traditions of Muslim culture in Iran.

At the Same Moment Around the World by Clotilde Perrin: Traveling eastward from the Greenwich meridian

UpcomingPUBlic Meetings Zoning Board of Adjustment: Jan. 25 at 7 p.m.

Planning Commission: Jan. 26 and Feb. 2 at 7 p.m.

Selectboard hearing on amendment to Land Use Regulations: Feb. 13 at 7:15 p.m.

YOUNG ADULT Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples: Set in Pakistan, Shabanu is member of a nomadic tribe of camel herders. All in the name of duty and centuries of tradition, she is one year away from an arranged marriage. But the directions of her life will take a sudden turn, and she will have to make decisions that bring shame to her family.

The Tyrant’s Daughter by J.C. Carleson: As the daughter of a slain Middle East king, Laila is forced to flee her homeland and create a new life in Washington D.C. Was her father a brutal dictator? And how far will her mother go to regain her position of power?

Thunder Over Kandahar by Sharon McKay: Fleeing from an attack on their school in Afghanistan, two teens are alone in Taliban-infested mountains. This book pulls no punches as to the horror endured by people in this part of our world.

UPCOMING AT THE CHARLOTTE LIBRARY Tuesday, Jan. 31, 5:30 p.m.

Cooking Book Club Soup for Syria.

Cookbook author, photographer and food writer Barbara Abdeni Massaad (Man’oushe: Inside the Lebanese Street Corner Bakery)—together with nearly 80 acclaimed chefs—put together a humanitarian cookbook project; profits will be donated to the UN Refugee Agency

PUBlicAtion DAtes Publication date: Feb. 8 Columns/features deadline: Jan. 30 Letters due: Feb. 3 Ads deadline: Feb. 3 Publication date: Feb. 22 Columns/features deadline: Feb. 13 Letters due: Feb. 17 Ads deadline: Feb. 17

UNHCR to provide urgently needed food relief for Syrian refugees. Support these relief efforts and share a bowl of delicious soup with your neighbors. Pick a recipe from Soup for Syria (on display at the library) and bring a batch to share; salad, bread and dessert provided. This program takes places at the Charlotte Senior Center. Registration required.

Wednesday, Feb. 1, 3:15 p.m.

Afterschool Activity: Birds in Winter. What do birds do all day? Where do they hang out on frosty days? Come to the library and find out as we search for our feathered friends in the winter landscape and make some (bird) yummy treats for them to eat. For grades 2 and up.

Registration required. Please call or email the library to sign up: 425-3864 or youth. charlottelibraryvt@gmail.com.

Thursdays, Feb. 2 through Feb. 23, 3:15–4:15 p.m.

Coding Club. The coding adventure continues. Discover what you can create and animate through the power of code!

No experience needed; for grades 3 and up. Registration required. Please call or email the library to sign up: 425-3864 or youth.charlottelibraryvt@gmail.com.

Fridays, Feb. 3 through Feb. 24, 10:30 a.m. Friday Free for All. We’re exploring the natural world, from snowflakes to sugar crystals. Join us each Friday for a new adventure with stories, experiments and (of course!) snacks. For children ages 3 to 5 who are comfortable in a story time setting. Please call or email the library to sign up: 425-3864 or youth. charlottelibraryvt@gmail.com.

Tuesday, Feb. 7, 7 p.m.

TEDx Charlotte Library “The Beauty of Human Skin in Every Color.” Join us for a conversation about ethnic identity, taking inspiration from Angelica Dass and her portrait project, Humanae. Following the showing of the TED talk, Jonathan Silverman facilitates a conversation about “humanity’s true colors.”

Thursday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m. Net Zero Year Round. Vermont has a goal of getting to 90 percent renewable energy use by 2050.

Unrealistic? Not at all. We now have a range of tools to make our homes “net zero,” which means the building creates

as much energy as it uses. Bill Kallock of the Charlotte Energy Committee shares information on how new construction can be built to net-zero and how old housing stock can be transformed from inefficient and leaky to practically fossil fuel-free.

Thursday, Feb. 16, 7:30 p.m.

Fleeing Dictatorship Book Discussion. The month’s selection, The Prince of los Cocuyos by Richard Blanco, describes his “childhood and adolescence…experienced between two imaginary worlds: his parents’ nostalgic world of 1950s Cuba and his imagined America, the country he saw on reruns of “The Brady Bunch” and “Leave it to Beaver”—an ‘exotic’ life he yearned for as much as he yearned to see ‘la patria.’”

Copies available to check out at the circulation desk.

Wednesday, Feb. 22, 7 p.m.

Rokeby Legacy in Our Times. Jane Williamson, director of the Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh, highlights the Robinson family’s role in the Underground Railroad and how that history is remembered today. Refreshments and conversation to follow the presentation.

Monday, Feb. 27, 10 a.m.

Mystery Book Group: Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains.

“Dear Mrs. Gilver, My husband is going to kill me, and I would rather he didn’t…”

Read the book and join us to discuss.

NOTE: Meeting one week later because of President’s Day holiday.

LIBRARY HOURS: Monday & Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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

10 • January 25, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Waldorf students honor Martin Luther King Jr.

Senior Center News

Mary Recchia CONTRIBUTOR

Seventh through 12th-grade Waldorf students watch a performance on MLK Day by Muslim Girls Making Change, a Burlington High School group that has gained national recognition for delivering its social justice message through outstanding slam poetry.

Courtesy photo Staff report For the tenth year in a row, students and faculty at the Lake Champlain Waldorf School in Shelburne have devoted their Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to community service—paying respect to the man who once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?”

The day began with seventh through 12th grade students watching a performance by Muslim Girls Making Change, a Burlington High School group that has gained national recognition for delivering its social justice message through outstanding slam poetry. “Their performance was so powerful and creative,” said Waldorf senior Maeve McCurdy.

“Their positivity and passion really stood out to me. They gave me hope that I can make change like they are doing.

They were so inspirational, and I am so grateful they came.”

After the poetry performance and an in-depth question and answer session, students delved into workshop areas of interest like “Speak Up: Collaborative Poetry” and “Self Defense and Good Bystander Behaviors.”

In the afternoon, 100 students piled into cars and vans to canvass 21 neighborhoods in Charlotte, Shelburne and South Burlington. They collected bags and bags of nonperishable food items and toiletries. “In the past we have received over 1,000 pounds of donations,” Front Office Manager Laura Slesar said.

“This year we collected more donations than ever before, so we are eager for the food shelves to let us know the final count.”

Donations are sent to the Shelburne Food Shelf and the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf. LCWS students, faculty and parents express their heartfelt thanks to the surrounding communities for their generous donations.

Calling all creative spirits! The Senior Center Community Art Show, now in its 11th year, has become a favorite among our community of artists. This year the show will be held during the month of February and is open to everyone 50 years or older. All mediums are welcome, and there is a two-piece limit so everyone will have a chance to see their work displayed in the Great Room. Registration forms are located in the foyer, with a deadline for submitting of Wednesday, Jan. 25. Mark your calendars and join us for a reception for the artists, friends and relatives on Wednesday, March 1, at 1 pm.

You are invited to an exciting tour of the great works of classical music and opera. Join music professor and composer Damon Ferrante for Classical Music Conversations on Friday mornings, Jan. 27, Feb. 10 and 24 from 9:30–10:30. Part conversation and part educational, this lively listening and discussion group provides us all with opportunities to explore the wonderful music of these great composers and to socialize along the way. We will have fun learning about the music of Beethoven, Mozart, Ravel and Verdi.

Open to anyone who enjoys (or is curious about) classical music. Some of the sessions will also feature live performances by talented Vermont musicians. Registration required. No fee.

Unleash your creative spirit! On Wednesday morning, Feb. 8 from 9–11:30, join Sabina Evarts for our once-a-month craft offering. We will be Celebrating the Chinese New Year, and Sabina will demonstrate how to make decorative origami pieces with a Chinese theme to go along with the luncheon meal. You do not have to already be an artist, and this could open that part of you! A sample of the craft will be available in the foyer at the Center prior to class so you can see what we will be making. All materials will be supplied. Registration required. Max. 8.

No fee.

Understanding Nonverbal Communication will be the topic Tuesday afternoons from 1–2:30. Dates:

February 7, 14, 21 and 28. Posture.

Eye contact and blinking. Gestures.

Tone and pitch. Gait. Body type and clothing choices. How much of our communication is nonverbal? This Great Course will view the scope of nonverbal communication through the lens of science, led on DVD by Dr. Mark Frank, a professor and chair of the Department of Communication, as well as the director of the Communication Science Center at SUNY at Buffalo. In 12 revealing lectures, you’ll explore the history, evolution and context of both the outright obvious and the sublimely subtle nuances of personal expression.

Throughout this course, you will explore the role of nonverbal communication as it relates to understanding. With careful observation, you can capitalize on this science to further appreciate human expression, smooth social interactions and strengthen relationships.

Registration required. No fee.

A collection of lectures, performances and special events showcasing the diverse interests of our community Wednesday afternoon beginning at 1 o’clock. No registration or fee.

1/25: Land of the Thunder Dragon with Carl Herzog Join Carl Herzog as he takes us on a photographic journey to Bhutan, “Land of the Thunder Dragon.” A Himalayan Buddhist kingdom sandwiched between China and India, Bhutan is noted for its remoteness and uniqueness. (Where else is gross national happiness more important than gross domestic product?)

Carl has made two trekking visits to Bhutan and will introduce us to the scenery and culture of this fantastic country.

2/1: A Look at Nepal with Sandi Detwiler Resilient people, historical sites and breath-taking natural beauty! Rick and Sandi had the privilege of living in Nepal for several months in 2012, before the devastating earthquake of 2015.

Although Nepal is a poor, landlocked country struggling with the aftermath of the earthquake, it is a tolerant country where Hindus and Buddhists live side by side. Her pictures tell a story of the history, the challenges and the perseverance of Nepali people.

Visit Our NEW web site! charlottenewsvt.org

The Charlotte News • January 25, 2017 • 11

Charlotters achieve UVM dean’s list The following students have been named to the dean’s list at The University of Vermont. To be named, students must have a grade-point average of 3.0 or better and rank in the top 20 percent of their class in their respective college or school.

Kathleen Bedell Stephen Donahue Avery Ekman Aryn Hall Maeve Higgins Kienan Kittredge Lindsey Mick Mi Mucklow Kara Pflaster Abigail Postlewaite Benjamin Recchia Elizabeth Richards Jasper White-Hansen

BUDGET

continued from page 1 we can combine resources, we are able to provide more for students while lowering the cost for taxpayers.”

The biggest budgeting challenge has been developing a new process for determining whether and how to allocate additional resources in any particular site and to decide how savings in one school would be appropriated in the total budget, Pinckney said. “For example, a teacher reduction in one school (based on enrollment) was used to fund an additional teacher in another school (also based on enrollment),” she said. “In the end, this meant changing a decadeslong process that occurred at the local level. It will absolutely serve us well in the long run, but it was a big change for local administration.”

Of the 12 board members on the new CVSD board, 11 had already served on their local boards. “All have experience working together collaboratively,” Pinckney said. “Most were involved in the mission/vision work we did several years ago, and all are committed to having the highest functioning educational system possible. And they’re all willing to put in the time and energy to accomplish this.”

“Kudos to board members and budget buddies (one from each town, with Lynne Jaunich from Charlotte) for doing the heavy lifting in this very first year,” Pinckney said. “They have represented our communities professionally, strategically and with heart.”

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

12 • January 25, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Plaster

& Pop-Up

Masks

Art at CVU Photos courtesy of Alice Trageser

More than 450 art installations were exhibited throughout Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg on Jan. 10. Students currently enrolled in the arts at CVU, Williston Central, Shelburne Community School, Hinesburg Elementary and Charlotte Central School displayed their work for public viewing. Here are a few samplings from Charlotte students.

Eighth graders created masks of animals that had sign face and then built the structure for their animal wi

King Charles spaniel by Moira Buxton.

American Pride by Jenna Baginski.

Eighth graders created masks of animals that had significant meaning to them. They used plaster gauze strips first on their face and then built the structure for their animal with paper towels and tape.

Watercolor by Rosie Oates.

FuchsiaHighwaybyJennaBaginski.

The Charlotte News • January 25, 2017 • 13 Lion mask by Lulu Loucheim at CVU’s Celebrate the Arts Night.

nificant meaning to them. They used plaster gauze strips first on their ith paper towels and tape.

Portrait painted by Rosie Oates from a photograph of a Syrian boy who lives in a refugee camp.

Charlotte’s Paige Thibault, sophomore soloist, performs at CVU’s Celebrate the Arts Night.

Devon Lussier of Charlotte performs.

14 • January 25, 2017 • The Charlotte News

4th Annual Local Legends Concert at CVU Friday

The band PossumHaw will play a benefit concert for Responsible Growth Hinesburg, an advocacy group focused on responsible land use and environmental stewardship.

Courtesy photo

Staff report The 4th annual Local Legends Concert will be held at 7 p.m. at Champlain Valley Union High School on Jan. 27.

The Will Patton Quartet, Patti Casey and PossumHaw will be part of the lineup featuring some of the most talented acoustic musicians in Vermont. This is a benefit concert for Responsible Growth Hinesburg, an advocacy group focused on responsible land use and environmental stewardship.

Will Patton Quartet Combine a jazz/Brazilian mandolinist with an accordionist, add a string bass player, a lifelong guitarist and stir in a

BCA features Charlotte photographer

Steve Mann, of Charlotte, took this portrait of Adhieu and Aluel, a mother and daughter who visit the VNA Family Room. It’s on display at City Hall in Burlington in a BCA exhibit.

Courtesy of Steve Mann

little rock & roll attitude and season for 15 years and you get some idea of the music of the Will Patton Quartet.

Patti Casey

This prolific songwriter has perfected her own New England-flavored, bluegrassy style. She has recorded five solo albums, and her latest, “The Heart of a Waiting Boy,” is aural testament to “the sweetest voice and some of the finest songwriting to come out of Vermont…”

(Vermont Public Radio).

PossumHaw

A special combination: the drive of bluegrass and the original lyricism of folk, delivered by Colby Crehan, one of the finest female vocalists in the region.

After performing together for 12 years, PossumHaw will be playing its final round of shows this winter—loss for Vermont but a wonderful opportunity to see them one last time and benefit a great local cause.

Tickets are $20 and $15 for students 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased through flynntix.com, and the Vermont Liquor Store in the Aubuchon Plaza in Hinesburg.

Coco (Huigi Wu), Gigi and Jinshun Zhong are mother, daughter and father who visit the VNA Family Room. This portrait and more are on display at City Hall in Burlington.

Courtesy of Steve Mann Staff report Folks gathered on Jan. 6 to view portraits of the Visiting Nurse Association Family Room community photographed

by Charlotter Steve Mann. The BCA event took place at City Hall on Church Street in Burlington. The exhibit will be on display there through the first week in February.

At the event, community leaders spoke of the critical importance of the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) Family Room.

African, Nepali and Burmese traditional foods were offered as refreshments. More than 400 families frequent the Family Room each year. These are people from more than 50 countries who speak about 28 different languages. Programs and services at this center are provided at no cost and are designed to help parents, children and communities thrive.

The Family Room aims to shine as an example of a place that celebrates diversity and families of all races and socio-economic and religious backgrounds and promotes peace, friendship, wellness and understanding.

Last spring a group of parents and community members responded to budget and staff cuts at the Family Room with a fundraising campaign that raised just over $70,000 and allowed for the return of two staff members whose jobs were cut.

This is a time of great uncertainty for the center. Learn how you can help ensure that this organization continues its vital role within our community by visiting familyroomfamily.org or by emailing familyroomfolk@gmail.com.

The Charlotte News • January 25, 2017 • 15

Rotary supports local Scouts and Cubs Submitted by the Charlotte Shelburne Rotary Club

Charlotte Shelburne Rotary President Judith Christensen presented a $500 check to Michael Sedotto of Shelburne, an 8-year-old Cub Scout, and David Buley, pack committee chairman for Shelburne Cub Scout Pack 607, at the Rotary meeting on Jan. 11. Courtesy photo

VOLUNTEERS

continued from page 1 person who ever beat Robert Mack in a local election, and she did that twice. Her artwork lovingly chronicles decades of life in Charlotte,” he said.

Hinsdale thanked volunteers Carrie Spear, Suzanne Hinsdale, Heather

For many years the Charlotte Shelburne Rotary Club has supported the programs of Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts in our towns. At its January 11 meeting the club welcomed representatives of local scouting, heard reports of the year’s accomplishments and renewed its support with financial contributions and promises of future cooperation.

David Buley from Shelburne, pack committee chair of Shelburne Cub Scout Pack 607, described the successful growth in the size of the pack, from about a dozen a few years ago to more than 30 this year, and its success in reaching out to welcome boys from Charlotte to be part of the pack. A highlight of their year was camping and hiking programs, as well as a very successful popcorn sale that raises funds for their programs and ensures that boys who could not otherwise afford the fees or the summer camp costs can participate.

Manning, Sarah Shays, Sherry Irish, Debbie Christie, Hannah and Jackie Postlewaite. Musical guests Dick Preston and his band, Abbey and Jim SheldonDean and Johnny Sheehan played.

Before the meal Hinsdale said, “With hearts full of gratitude to those who share their time and even risk their lives to serve our community we dedicate this meal.

Amen.”

A Maasai cultural event popped up at the Barn House

Lydia Clemmons sits with Kenyan Maasai performers. Music and dance traditions were celebrated at the Clemmons Family Farm in the Barn House on Jan. 22.

A Maasai cultural pop-up event took place in the Barn House at the Clemmons Family Farm on Jan. 22. Special guest Daniel ole Iree presented. He is an elder of one of the last Maasai tribes in Kenya who have maintained their traditional seminomadic lifestyle.

Demonstrations of Maasai music and dance traditions were explored.

Jack and Lydia Clemmons spoke of

their own adventures in Tanzania and Kenya and their experiences with the Maasai. Jewelry, arts and crafts were on display and were for sale. Purchases and donations supported water source construction for the Maasai community in southern Kenya.

The Clemmons Family Farm is located on 2213-2158 Greenbush Road. For more information visit clemmonsfamilyfarm.org.

Norman Smith from Hinesburg, currently the scoutmaster for the Hinesburg and Shelburne Scout troops, thanked Rotary for its support, and Eagle Scout Andrew Gay from Charlotte outlined the year of hiking, camping, community service projects and Christmas tree sales that have kept the local Scouts busy and

engaged. Andrew also reported that an amazing 15 Scouts have earned their Eagle Scout classification, completing projects in their communities that developed their personal leadership skills and met community needs, including a new bike rack at Charlotte Town Hall.

Rotary President Judith Christensen presented a $500 check to Shelburne and Hinesburg Scout Master Norman Smith of Hinesburg and Eagle Scout Andrew Gay of Charlotte.

Courtesy photo

16 • January 25, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Charlotte ice rink abuzz with activity

Sports Roundup Edd Merritt CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Men’s soccer coach Katie Mack takes a new position on the sidelines

Hired three years ago, Katie Mack was the first woman to head the “Soccer Central” men’s team. In that relatively short course of time she compiled an impressive 40-9-3 won/loss record, leading the team to the state tournament each year. She had come to CVU from being the men’s coach at BFA-Fairfax.

Sadie said she is not giving up another opportunity to coach. She simply needs a break from it Meanwhile, she will continue to teach social studies at the high school.

Ben Merritthandles a puck at the Charlotte Ice Rink, located on Hinesburg Road between Williams Hill Road and Charlotte Central School. P hoto

by Chris Merritt

Edd Merritt CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

This weekend was the revival of outdoor ice rinks. Oh yeah, Fenway Park tried to make something of it with a bunch of games in right field, but the real outdoor rink was right here in Charlotte, thanks to Bill Fraser-Harris and his flooders.

My grandsons couldn’t stay off it, and my son was more than happy to join them. Our Sunday dinner conversation was all talk of how great it will be to get there with the lights on.

Rory Merritt at the Charlotte Ice Rink, located on Hinesburg Road between Williams Hill Road and Charlotte Central School.

Photo by Chris Merritt

Outdoor ice was my forte as a kid, too. We started skating on a dammedup portion of the local river, with twoby-sixes for boards. I was a youngster on the team. Most of the stalwarts ended playing football – one even for the likes of the Oakland Raiders. One of the younger players was offspring to the Schlitz Brewery fortune. His family provided our uniforms.

We progressed gradually to indoor ice that was most-often shared with curlers. It did, though, cause our goalies to learn to move around rather then remain more padded with clothing than

goalie equipment. Duluth’s curling club was a combination. It was indoors but unheated and maintained natural ice. People sat in the stands with the windows open while we skated – frankly, I was happy to be moving.

Well, CCS created memories and fun for the kids, despite the fact that when my son was asked by one of his teammates (a current Redhawk) in the pickup game if he had attended CVU and he replied that he had, graduating in 1992, he drew a stare of disbelief that there really was life that long ago.

Thirty schools send wrestlers to Essex for Michael Baker Classic

With high schools from throughout New England and upstate New York gathering in Essex in mid January, CVU’s ninth place was the second-best Vermont score. Essex finished third. Jaret Legg at 138 pounds and Jacob Griggs at 195 pounds were the top two Redhawk wrestlers, each winning his weight class.

Cochran’s two-run slalom provides Alpine opportunities

Find some snow, and the skiers will go, even though the white stuff does not seem as plentiful this winter as in some

see SPORTS ROUNDUP page 17

The Charlotte News • January 25, 2017 • 17

Lewis Creek Association finalizing focus study Lewis Creek Association KRISTA HOFFSIS, PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Lewis Creek Association is currently finalizing plans and funding to do a focus study on water quality in Thorp Brook and Kimball Brook during the 2017 field season. These small watersheds host many acres of open farmland and a local road network that is impacting the water quality of Lake Champlain. The association, through South Chittenden River Watch, currently monitors this Champlain valley landscape at five existing stream stations and is planning to add three more stations along Thorp Brook to learn more about the effectiveness of recently installed water quality improvement practices. The new practices include on-farm and town rightof-way installations that were designed to slow flows, reduce erosion and improve water quality in Thorp Brook and Lake Champlain. Lewis Creek Association,

its sister group, South Chittenden River Watch, and others are facilitating this work as part of the regional Ahead of the Storm program.

In March LCA and Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission will be attending the Leahy Summit at the ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain in Burlington on behalf of the LaPlatte River watershed towns of Charlotte, Hinesburg and Shelburne.

At the summit, they will continue an inter-town water quality master planning discussion that explores new improvement strategies that use an inter-town, watershedbased approach. Resulting projects may likely be eligible for implementation funding.

In other news, LCA just secured funding to make a completely new website that will go live around March. The website will be more modern and user-friendly and will include all LCA’s data and reports for easy access and downloading capability.

SPORTS ROUNDUP

continued from page 16

past years. In mid January CVU Alpiners placed four skiers among the top-ten finishers of men and women at Cochran Mountain course. Rebecca Provost’s fourth and Nathalie Paquette’s seventh were the leading Redhawk finishes among women, and Caden Frost’s second ahead of Charlie Greenlese’s eighth among men.

Charlotte’s Colby Jordan runs the Nor-Am Cup at Stowe

The prestigious Nor-Am Cup Alpine skiing race is only one step below the World Cup, and it saw Colby Jordan from Charlotte compete this year. A freshman at St. Michaels College, Colby has been racing since he was five. A first-place finish at Sunday River in giant slalom began his 2016-2017 season.

Bobwhites prove to be tougher hockey birds this time

Gully and culvert enhancement to mitigate stormwater at Mack Farm and town-owned East Thompson’s Point Road.

Courtesy photo

It was the Bobwhites from St. Albans versus the Redhawks from CVU in a tightly contested men’s hockey game in Cairns Arena. St. Albans being the powerhouse of past years, producing pros like John LeClair and the current coach, Toby Ducolon, came back late in the game for a 5-3 win. The two teams tied 2-2 in their first meeting, and this time, after leading early in the game, CVU dropped the advantage with a fiveminute penalty in the second period. The Redhawks fell behind 4-1 early in the third period before Max Akey brought them back within two. Collin Vincent hit a shot just inside the goal roof with Nate Shanks providing his third assist, but the Redhawks could not manage the equalizers. The win puts BFA atop the state standings with CVU second in Free Press power rankings.

Redhawks rule the court

When the site changes from rink to basketball court, CVU takes on the upper hand. Outscoring BFA 18-5 in the first quarter, the Redhawks expanded that lead to win by a 24 point margin, 69-45.

Walker Storey paced all scorers with 17

points, and Matt Spear added 14.

CVU women are not letting a single loss fog their season as they are back on the winning track with a 49-27 victory over South Burlington. Beginning by outscoring their opponents 6-0, the Redhawks built the lead with a 23-0 streak later in the game. Marlee Gunn and Shannon Loiseau were the top hitters for CVU. Seven wins and a single loss is not a bad record for the season, unless, that is, you’re used to going close to one hundred wins in a row.

Cougar/Hawks are beginning to find the goal

The women’s hockey team that combines players from CVU and Mount Mansfield is beginning to hit the net more often than it did in the early season.

Although they lost to another combined team from Burlington/Colchester, it was only by a 4-3 margin. Lauren Hagerty had a pair of goals, with a goal and an assist coming from Lydia Maitland.

18 • January 25, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Outdoors: Natural beauty in improbable places Elizabeth Bassett CONTRIBUTOR

Palm Springs is best known for movie stars, golf courses, fancy resorts and shopping. In quantity! Yet a few weeks back this nature nerd found a bounty of natural wonders in the Coachella Valley, home to Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage and other tony towns.

Did you know that dates cannot self-pollinate?

Archeologists have found 10,000-year-old containers in Mesopotamia that were used to sprinkle pollen onto female date palm flowers.

Indio, in the Coachella Valley, is home to the USDA’s Date Station, and the Valley is a leader in American date production. We spent an afternoon at Shields Date Garden in Indio, founded in 1924 and still producing a robust crop of dates. For commercial production male trees are planted in a ratio of one to 48 or 49 female trees. One rain shower during maturation can ruin an entire crop, so huge bunches of maturing dates are covered with paper cones. Dates are harvested by hand with workers climbing ladders permanently affixed to the tall trees—not for the faint of heart— and a mature date palm can produce up to 300 pounds of dates per year.

Most of this region in southwestern California is desert, but in 1853 a government survey party discovered a palm grove near a mineral pool bubbling out of the sand. On New Year’s Eve I set out in search of one of these oases. Driving east from Palm Springs I motored across the sun-baked, featureless sand and past thousands of giant wind turbines before arriving at

Coachella Valley Preserve. This 3,709acre protected parcel sits astride the San Andreas fault, that which triggered the 7.9-magnitude San Francisco earthquake and fire in 1906, killing 3,000 people, and the 6.9-magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 that occurred just as the San Francisco Giants prepared to play the Oakland A’s in a World Series game. The latter quake compromised Oakland’s Bay Bridge and brought down San Francisco’s Embarcadero Freeway.

The fault allows underground water to surface, producing both hot and cold springs in the Coachella Valley. At the preserve cold water bubbles to the surface forming swamps and a large pond, both thick with California fan palms. In 1928 the California State Park Commission hired Frederic Law Olmsted to identify preservation targets across the state. In addition to the iconic redwoods Olmsted recognized the importance of palm groves that thrive along the San Andreas Fault.

An hour east of and several thousand feet higher than Palm Springs, Joshua Tree National Park sprawls over nearly 800,000 acres or 1,234 square miles of desert. Two deserts thrive in this vast protected area: the cactus-dotted Colorado Desert and the higher, cooler Mojave Desert, where Joshua trees thrive. A Joshua tree is not a tree at all but a giant yucca, a member of the agave family—think tequila. While the name sounds vaguely biblical, the Joshua tree is not mentioned in the Bible. Legend has it that Mormon pioneers, seeing the limbs of the tree outstretched in supplication, were guided westward.

Homesteaders used its limbs and trunks for fencing and corrals, and miners fired

Oasis Pond, Coachella Valley Preserve. steam engines to process ore with it.

The park is also strewn with enormous rock formations and tenement-sized boulders to which rock climbers gravitate from around the globe. On the drizzly day of our late-December visit sirens echoed off the boulders as fire and rescue vehicles gathered near a favorite climbing route. A helicopter hovered beside a sheer rock face with a Stokes basket dangling below it. The following day I searched online for news of an injured climber at Joshua Tree, only to find dozens of stories of climbing falls and deaths in the park in recent years.

We satisfied ourselves with several hikes and a panorama at Keys View, elevation 5,185 feet, of the Coachella Valley and the San Andreas Fault sprawling at our feet.

On New Year’s morning, while most of the world slept, we boarded the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway for a 12-minute

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Bassett ride through five climatic zones, from Sonoran desert to Arctic alpine, and up 6,000 feet to the 14,000-acre Mount San Jacinto State Park. Nine inches of fresh powder sparkled in the sun as we walked the Desert View Trail, from which we gazed down at the Coachella Valley, 30 degrees warmer than our 8,516-foot perch.

By midday we were back in that valley, in shorts, for a last nature stop—although we did not visit every natural wonder in the Coachella Valley—Moorten Botanical Garden. Established by the Moorten family in 1934, this private cactus arboretum features desert plants from various desert regions in the west: Texas, Sonoran, Mojave and California.

Dozens of rare species shelter in a greenhouse-like “cactaruim.”

All of this before we ventured to Zion National Park and Yellowstone in winter!

Local Church

Services Charlotte Congregational Church, UCC 403 Church Hill Road, 425-3176 Regular Sunday service: 10 a.m.

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

The Charlotte News • January 25, 2017 • 19

Parenting

Distraction techniques at their best Jorden Blucher CONTRIBUTOR

Do you ever feel like a failure as a parent?

I do. More often than I would care to admit to myself or to others. I feel this way not because our boys are incarnations of Junior from the movie Problem Child, but rather because at times I act like a complete and total arse.

As a believer in Christ I am taught to love as God loves, to freely give grace, that fear and love cannot commingle, and that our tongues, though small, can steer our lives, as a rudder steers a ship, usually directly into the rocky shore. I try to remember all these things, but in the heat of it all, I often fail.

As parents we seem to think that other families have it all together and we’re the only ones who yell too often or get mad at such insignificant things as spilt milk.

All the while the parent standing next to us is dealing with the same thoughts. Social media only compounds this problem, with the majority of posts being about the good times in our lives. You don’t read about the time your child yelled at you that you loved his brother more than you loved him, and how heart wrenching that was to hear.

Parenting is far from all smiles, ice cream and beautiful adventures. Courtesyphoto

We can learn a great deal from our children if we would just slow down and take off the blinders.

Nor do we tend to see posts that say little Bobby told me I was “the most rottenest dad in the whole world” today. Instead we see the puppy the Smiths got for Christmas or the cute thing little Sally said. We are lulled into the false sense that everyone’s life, except ours, is all smiles, ice cream and beautiful adventures to places near and far. Thus, we walk around thinking

Notice Of Public Hearing To Amend The Town Of Charotte Land Use Regulations Pursuant to 24 V.S.A. §4442, the Charlotte Selectboard will hold a public hearing at the Charlotte Town Hall on Monday, February 13, 2017 at 7:15 p.m. for the purpose of receiving public comment on an amendment to the Town of Charlotte Land Use Regulations submitted by petition.

The proposed amendment to the Land Use Regulations would allow an existing “Event Facility” that has been operating since January 1, 2016 as an “Allowed

by Right” use within the existing West Charlotte Village (WCV) zoning district, and it would reduce the maximum allowed noise performance standard for such a facility.

Proposed amendment A. would affect the whole Town of Charlotte. Proposed amendments B. and C. would affect the West Charlotte Village District (WCV).

The full text of the proposed amendment to the “Land Use Regulations for the Town of Charlotte, Vermont” is as follows: Under Chapter 10, Section 10.2 – Definitions: Add the following – “Event Facility: Any lot or structure where events take place on a regular basis involving the gathering of individuals assembled for the common purpose of attending an event. Such events

or gatherings may include; community of civic events; or celebrations or ceremonies (such as weddings, funerals, receptions, parties, etc.); or entertainment performances (such as concerts, plays, etc.); or private or public functions (whether held by profit or not for profit or governmental entities); or banquets or food and drink service, including alcoholic drinks; or similar activities to the foregoing. The events may occur entirely within a structure, outside of a structure on the lot, or both inside and outside of the structure and on the lot. The facility owner operator may or may not charge fees for the use of the facility and the services provided at the facility.”

Under Table 2.1 (B) Allowed By Right (No permit needed): Add the following – “6. Event Facility in existence and operating as of January 1, 2016.”

Under Section 3.12 Performance Standards Amend - (1) noise in excess of 70 decibels, or which otherwise represents a significant increase in noise levels in the vicinity of the use so as to be incompatible with the surrounding area; or within the Commercial/Light Industrial District, noise in excess of 75 decibels; With - “or within

that neighbor Sue has it all together and our family is crumbling at our feet.

I think part of the problem is that we as parents think we need to be the ones always doing the teaching. When the fact is we can learn a great deal from our children if we would just slow down and take off the blinders.

We learned this first hand recently when

both our boys taught us that material things don’t really matter. They each did it in their own way, but each was a powerful statement in its own right. Another lesson Luke has been trying to teach me is that it is good to take the long way and enjoy the little things. In other words, it is good to lollygag. These lessons helped me to realize that, instead of approaching situations as a slobbering yelling monster when something goes wrong or annoys me, I need to take a step back, say a little prayer and then approach the situation as if someone has just cut me off in traffic.

Sure I am annoyed, but the driver’s actions have no bearing on the remainder of my life—or in most cases the remainder of my drive. I’m painting with broad strokes here, but it is a good way to try to think about things in the moment. It is a good way to not feel like a rotten parent after you have calmed down.

In the heat of the moment, though, it is much easier to turn into the arse than it is to spread grace, hold your tongue or think in terms of getting cut off. Because of this, Erin and I have been trying something new. When things are starting to really heat up, we take a cue from Austin Powers and repeat, out loud, “Margaret Thatcher naked on a cold day,” repeatedly until the situation is diffused. It is a distraction technique. A sleight of hand, just like we use on our children. It just happens that it works wonders on adults as well.

Email your news announcements to news@thecharlottenews.org

20 • January 25, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Health Preserving balance in the later years of life

Health Matters Laurel Lakey According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of four American adults age 65 and older experiences a fall each year. Many older adults recognize they confront challenges with stability and are at risk for falling but are unsure how this came to be and what, if anything, to do about it. Although it is easy to blame these changes on simply “getting old” and view them as inevitable, there are conservative measures you can take to mitigate the effects of aging on balance.

Common factors that affect balance in the later years of life include deconditioning of your sensory systems as well as physiologic changes in nerve and muscle tissue that respond to messages from your brain. In each of these cases, focused exercise can have a substantial impact on improving your steadiness and increasing your confidence with movement.

To maintain balance your brain must collect and integrate sensory information from your eyes, from receptors in your

joints that sense body position and from equilibrium sensors in your inner ear that detect head movement and positioning.

The brain assimilates this input to determine which signals to send back to your muscles, causing adjustments in body position to prevent a loss of balance. Often the performance of one or more of these sensory systems begins to diminish with age, sometimes due to not engaging them properly. A common mistake made by people who start to mistrust their balance is to reduce their activity level out of a fear of falling. However, avoiding movement robs your senses of the adequate input and activity they need to stay sharp and ready for action.

Physiological changes in nerve and muscle tissue are important to consider as well. Starting as early as your late thirties you begin to lose muscle mass, which leads to a decrease in strength. As muscles weaken they lose their power or ability to contract quickly. A muscle that is weak and slow to respond is unable to adequately support and stabilize your skeleton or respond effectively to sudden changes in the environment. However, a regular routine of strength training and cardiovascular exercise can have a substantial impact on reducing the loss of muscle mass as well as improving the strength and endurance of your muscular system.

Flexibility also affects balance.

Inactivity leads to muscle stiffness and decreased joint mobility. A rigid body is more likely to lose balance and less likely to successfully adapt to and correct a loss of

balance. Although stretching exercises are helpful, simply getting enough movement through out your day plays a huge part in maintaining adequate flexibility.

In addition to muscles, the tissue surrounding your nerves can begin to deteriorate with age. A nerve that is not properly insulated suffers a slower conduction rate, meaning your reflexes and coordination are negatively affected.

Yet just as our muscles can get stronger with strength training, so can our balance improve with the practice of challenging or “exercising” your neural pathways. A regular schedule of performing balance exercises can help reinforce and strengthen the pathways that respond to a loss of balance, thereby improving the likelihood of being able to correct yourself when a loss of balance occurs.

A number of recent research articles have demonstrated the positive effects that strength, flexibility and balance training can have on improving the steadiness of older adults. In 2014 the Shanghai University of Sport published an article in The Journal of Sport and Health Science that examined the effects of a 24-week tai chi chu’an exercise program on the balance of 38 males ages 55–65. Tai chi is a form of martial arts that requires strength, mobility, balance and coordination to perform. The results showed a statistically significant improvement in the participants’ ability to perform balance exercises such as standing on one leg and closing their eyes.

It is important to note that balance can also be affected by a number of medical factors, including cardiovascular insufficiencies, neurological abnormalities and inner ear disorders, as well as side effects from medications. If you are experiencing issues with balance or dizziness, consult your physician. In addition to engaging with exercise forms such as tai chi, your doctor

Train at home You can start training your balance at home with the following basic exercises that are safe for most people to do when hands are placed on a stable surface such as a kitchen counter for support: Single leg: With hands on a stable surface, try to balance on one foot. Progress to taking one or both hands away. Hold 30 seconds.

Eyes closed: In standing with hands on a stable surface, close your eyes.

Progress to taking one or both hands away. Hold 30 seconds.

Staggered feet: With hands on a stable surface, place one foot forward of the other on floor. Progress to taking one or both hands away. Hold 30 seconds. may recommend working with a physical therapist who can teach you exercises to help improve your stability and decrease your risk of falling.

Our ability to move with confidence is closely intertwined with our quality of life and sense of wellbeing. Don’t let getting older make you feel resigned to inactivity.

Talk to your doctor about appropriate resources to help keep you moving, steady and safe.

Laurel Lakey lives in Charlotte and works as a physical therapist assistant at Dee Physical Therapy in Shelburne.

You can reach her with comments and questions by emailing laurellakey@deept. com.

The Charlotte News • January 25, 2017 • 21

Community Events Piano Lessons: Afterschool piano lessons are held after school on Thursdays at Charlotte Central School for students in grades 2 or higher. Lessons are taught by Julie Holmes and start on Jan. 26. For more information email Recreation@townofcharlotte.com.

Yoga: Vinyasa flow led by Charlotte’s Chessy Kelley accompanied with live world percussion by Joss Price from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. at Yoga Roots Vermont on Jan. 27. Cost is $20. For more information call 985-0090 or visit yogarootsvt.com.

Celebration: Welcome the Year of the Rooster from 10 a.m. to noon at Lake Champlain Waldorf School on Jan. 28.

Drumming, dragon dance and goldfish kite-making for kids ages 5 and up. All are welcome to get a taste of Chinese culture.

RSVPs are appreciated. For more information contact Pam Graham at 985-2827 ext.

212 or pgraham@lakechamplainwaldorfschool.org or visit lakechamplainwaldorfschool.org.

Clinic: Attend the Open Door Microchip Clinic from 10 a.m. to noon at Homeward Bound on Jan. 28. Get your year started off right and sign up your pets (dogs and cats only) for Homeward Bound’s low-cost microchip clinic. Microchipping is a great and permanent way to provide identification for your pet. Cost is $35. Space is limited. To sign up call 388-1100.

Junior League: The Junior League of Champlain Valley is seeking new members! This is a nonprofit organization of women committed to promoting volun-

tarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. A “Sip & See” informational meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Main Street Landing (60 Lake Street, Burlington) board room on Jan. 30.

For more information contact Erin Evarts at erinevartsvt@gmail.com.

Driver’s Education Class: A driver’s education program will be held by the 802 Driving School at Charlotte Central School starting Jan. 31. The eight-week program will be taught by Joe Barch. Limited spots available. Registration is $690. For more information email Recreation@townofcharlotte.com.

Dance: Join in for some contemporary dance that combines music, choreography and improvisation in a fun and active art form. It’s an all-levels class held on Thursdays at the Charlotte Central School through Feb. 2. Grades K through 3 held 3 to 4 p.m. and grades 4 through 8 are held 4 to 5 p.m. To register contact Nicole Conley at 425-6129, ext. 204, or email recreation@ townofcharlotte.com.

Literature: Explore literature and the arts with Susan Lepple Tuesdays at 2 p.m. at Charlotte Central School through Feb. 7.

Students can look forward to reading and experiencing exciting, silly, thought-provoking and creative books. Movement, music and dance are also tools for inspiration.

Create your own works of art using collage, sculpture, assemblage, drawing and painting. For grades 1 through 4. To register con-

Please email Lynn@TheCharlotteNews.org to list your community event. Thank you!

Courtesy photo tact Nicole Conley at 425-6129, ext. 204, or email recreation@townofcharlotte.com.

Fundraiser: Purrrses for Paws will be held at 6 p.m. on Feb. 9 at the Burlington International Airport to support the Humane Society of Chittenden County. This evening will consist of hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and an exciting live and silent auction offering new and like-new purses, in addition to many on sale. For more information visit chittendenhumane.org.

Film: Transition Charlotte presents the film “How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change” from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Charlotte Senior Center on Feb. 13. Refreshments provided. Os-

car-nominated director Josh Fox continues investigating climate change. Traveling to 12 countries on six continents, the film acknowledges that it may be too late to stop some of the worst consequences. For more information call Ruah Swennerfelt at 4253377 or email ruahswennerfelt@gmail. com.

Painting/Drawing: Painting/drawing sessions have begun at the Inn at Charlotte in Duker Bower’s studio. A group of local artists meet for 5-hour sessions to paint from a model, both portrait and figure. These are uninstructed sessions; the fee is $22. Bring your own equipment. See dates and details at bowerart.com, or call Duker at 425-2934.

34. Fabric 35. Acadia National Park locale 37. Bakery buy 38. Extreme suffix 39. Foofaraw 40. Ism 41. Eluding an officer 45. Feeder filler 46. Legal org.

47. Catalog 50. Eccentric 55. Kamikaze run?

57. X-Men villain, and namesakes 58. Place 59. Big name in pineapples 60. Eyelid woe 61. Leavings 62. Abreast of

ACROSS 1. Like some columns 5. Strike 9. Cheerless 13. Paella pot 14. Maintain

15. Not fine 16. Acquisition method 19. Ones at the helm 20. “You don’t say!”

21. “___ time” 22. Old Icelandic literary

work 23. Snubbing 31. West Indian folk magic 32. Catch 33. Farm call

DOWN 1. Cries at fireworks 2. Map 3. Further 4. Watch feature, perhaps 5. Fourth letter of Hebrew alphabet 6. Exceedingly 7. “___ go!”

8. Bygone polit. cause 9. Tree type 10. **** review 11. Sheltered 12. Maryland stadium 15. Gregor Johann ___ 17. Dander

18. Certain federal tax 22. Distinctive flair 23. Show fear 24. Having a lot to lose?

25. Boxing blows 26. Not dis 27. Kind of jack 28. Candidate’s concern 29. Standards 30. Reached 35. Unaccompanied compositions 36. Passage 37. Lookout point 39. Aggravation

40. Harsh Athenian lawgiver 42. King Mark’s bride 43. January’s birthstone 44. Old calculator 47. Does something 48. Dirty coat 49. Cut down 50. Coconut fiber 51. African antelope 52. Play thing 53. Capital near the 60th parallel 54. Adult-in-waiting?

56. U.N. workers’ grp.

22 • January 25, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Your body called: It needs your help Taking Care Alice D. Outwater, Ph.D. CONTRIBUTOR

As our bodies age, muscles begin to lose their strength and flexibility. We walk less, bodies may tip forward into an old-age stance, and our feet don’t pick up as easily, resulting in a shuffling gate. This can cause tripping on slight cracks in the sidewalk ending in a nono: a fall. It’s a rare treat to see an older person who holds themselves up straight, their head aligned with the rest of their body, and stepping along briskly. I stop and watch them with admiration. It’s as if their energy is shooting right up from their feet out the top of their head. That’s a real sign of youthful enjoyment of life.

And so attractive. That’s how I want to come across to the world.

To accomplish this I need to exert more self-discipline, e.g., walking more.

Outside is best, while taking deep breaths to inhale Vermont’s clean air, with which we’re blessed.

During inclement weather or when sidewalks are icy, walking outside might not be wise. But I love the outdoors, so I go to the Price Chopper grocery, grab a cart for balance, and walk down to the last store. There’s never any snow or ice underfoot. Sometimes I inspect the store windows along the way. My legs don’t care where I walk as long as I keep moving.

I’m not suggesting large amounts of time spent exercising, just enough to keep your whole body from regressing, or at least to hold its own.

Following this routine now and then won’t do.

You mustn’t shilly-shally; it takes regular persistence to strengthen bones and muscles. Many choices are available.

The most enjoyable for me include weekly yoga, tai chi or weight strengthening. Rolfing can benefit the body. I find something appealing about group exercises and look forward to seeing the same pals weekly. Some

friends prefer to turn on a video at home and follow their routine in private.

At this age my body has accumulated creaky or weaker areas that need more attention. Knees and backs and lackadaisical hips are probably the most common. If you do a workout on one side, you must do the other, to balance things off.

Balance is another problem, and not lifting up your feet. This can lead to tripping on sidewalks or even on uneven floors inside. Cobblestones are a nuisance; country roads can be disastrous. I love my walking sticks (or ski poles) that keep me up straight and give me security of balance. I keep a pair of Yaktrax-type footwear devices in the car in case of ice. Doing my walks at noon may avoid icy conditions earlier or later in the day.

Steps in winter present a major problem, especially if there are no handrails on the side.

We all have our exercise preferences: I admit to never having been keen on gyms.

It’s having to change clothes, put on the

Local Business Directory

gym outfit, and then reverse the process at the end. Why should this process be so annoying? I timed myself yesterday and it took me eight minutes to change.

At the Shelburne Athletic Club, the staff at the desk smile and greet me by name; the rooms and facilities are attractive and clean. I go when it’s not busy.

No one looks at me. The men are too busy flexing their muscles and admiring their biceps in mirrors. I congratulate them on how strong they look, and they fairly gurgle with pride. When I finish my routine, I’m more limber and relaxed. I even feel myself improving incrementally and experience additional energy during the rest of the day.

My biggest luxury was hiring a sports instructor. He seems to know how my body hangs together and what needs adjusting or strengthening. I’m already seeing results with him. He watches me like a hawk to see I do the exercises correctly.

So wish me well. It’s the one thing I’m determined to do to keep my health.

Stop vacillating, and join me in thinking through your own health status and seeking solutions to problem areas.

You’ll be pleased with yourself and enjoy each day more.

The Charlotte News • January 25, 2017 • 23

Classifieds

Around Town Edd Merritt CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Congratulations:

to the Charlotte Central School second graders who have maintained the 55 gallon water tank in the school lobby planted with Brook Trout eggs.

The students noticed that the eggs are starting to hatch (granted only three of the 99 as of January 18, but it’s a beginning). The students have been monitoring them, maintaining the water temperature at a cool 44 degrees Fahrenheit, and testing them on a daily basis to see whether there are changes in pH, ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels. to Annie and Marc Richter on the birth of their daughter, Pearl, on November 4. to mother and daughter team, Cheryl and Mia Sloan of Charlotte who were named Volunteers of the Week emeritus for their work at the Shelburne Museum.

An article describing their volunteerism appeared in the January 23 Burlington Free Press. Mia started as a junior in high school, helping her mother with the museum gardens. They later moved from earthwork to development where they helped set up opening receptions, planned holiday parties and generated fundraising ventures. Cheryl says she enjoys the variety of the work. . . “It’s

never the same thing twice.”

in-law Gary Farnsworth.

Sympathy:

A number of years ago, Charlotte resident, Tony Cairns, had first refusal rights on the property, with the rumored assumption that he wanted to make it the sight of one of his Jiffy Mart stores.

It created concern that such use would create a commercial district in Charlotte which many felt was not good or safe use of the property. Of the various sights for park-and-ride spaces, it ranked number one on the state’s matrix according to VTRANS, but the Charlotte Selectboard felt the potential for high cost, easy availability, scenic views and crime ruled it out, even though it would provide room for nearly 100 parking spaces. Current Selectboard member, Matt Krasnow, is quoted as saying its gathering as a crème stand after little league baseball games was a ritual in his youth for both winners and losers.

It also provided summer jobs for local high school students – opportunities that are often hard to find in Charlotte’s limited business market. Matt hopes someone will pick up on the opportunity to purchase the property. Meanwhile, Front Page Forum contributors are debating the virtues of stoplights or a roundabout at the intersection. Neither option seems to be a major preference at this point, and the increase in large truck traffic may determine the choice.

is extended to family and friends of Martha Wade of Phillipston, MA who passed away January 19 at the age of 86. Her surviving family includes her son Chris Wade and Chris’ wife Ginny of Charlotte. The family asks that those wishing to offer memorial donations in her name do so to Athol YMCA, 545 Main Street, Athol, MA 01331.

Town Bite:

Wall Street, Charlotte

The spot off Route 7 caters to both meanings of Wall Street – economic potential and a barrier to development.

When you hit the midpoint between East and West Charlotte, where Ferry and Churchill Roads intersect at the highway, you realize that businesses closed there a number of years ago and have not re-opened. The January 18 issue of Seven Days wonders why.

There is plenty of traffic on Route 7.

Over 11,000 cars pass the intersection daily. The property contains the former Spears’ and Steve’s garage and Uncle Sam’s Dairy Bar. The owner of the entire corner, Bid Spear, is quoted as saying he is too old to maintain the businesses any longer and would like to sell the property. The problem is getting land-usage rules through the town’s governing bodies, according to his son-

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.

Redstone: Affordable small office spaces available on Ferry Rd. Starting at $250.00 including all utilities. For more information or to schedule a tour call 658-7400.

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