The
Charlotte News Charlotte’s award-winning community newspaper
VOLUME LIX NUMBER 14
THE VOICE OF THE TOWN
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8,
Happy Valentine’s Day from The News “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” Mar�n Luther King Jr.
On the inside: • Charlotte designer works with Ivanka Trump, page 1 • Archaeology off the shores of Lake Champlain, page 1 • Our shifting hardiness zones, page 5
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Vol. 59, no. 14 February 8, 2017
Vermont’s oldest nonprofit community newspaper, bringing you local news and views since 1958.
Charlotte-founded Petit Peony designs for Trump grandchildren Lynn Monty EDITOR IN CHIEF
When Kate Bowen founded her company Petit Peony in Charlotte a few years ago she never dreamed she would be asked to join Ivanka Trump’s “Women Who Work” fall campaign. And to top it off, be asked to create Ivanka’s children’s inaugural weekend attire. Ivanka Trump launched the campaign to encourage and empower women, Bowen said. It featured Trump, Bowen and two other working women. Bowen, a 2004 Saint Michael’s College graduate, took her business administration degree and selftaught design acumen to start Petit Peony from the ground up with no formal children’s wear design training. “I was just a mom interested in creating domestic things,” Bowen told The News in a telephone interview. “I wanted sweet and simple coordinated outfits for my girls.”
As for working closely with and designing for Ivanka Trump, Bowen said, “This is not a political statement. I believe in the Women Who Work Campaign, and when Ivanka left for Washington she told us she would be working to level the playing field for women entrepreneurs. She’s raising awareness and supporting working women. It’s been a wonderful experience working with her.” Bowen and her husband, Ryan, have three children—two girls ages 5 and 4 and a 2-year-old son. Success came early with boutique partners like Jamie Two Coats in Shelburne and Little Citizen on Church Street in Burlington. Nationally it was Mac & Mia and The Monogram Shop at first. Now Bowen’s designs are in 85 boutiques nationwide. “I am grateful for every single one,” she said. The company has since opened an office, boutique
see TRUMP page 2
Archaeology on our shores
Saint Michael’s graduate Kate Bowen designed the outfits worn by Ivanka Trump’s children at her father Donald Trump’s Presidential Inauguration in January. Courtesy photo
Senate Education Committee rejects Gov. Phil Scott’s public school budget proposal Lynn Monty EDITOR IN CHIEF
Last week, the Senate Education Committee rejected Gov. Phil Scott’s Jan. 25 proposal to the Legislature to force school boards to impose a spending freeze, or level fund, their budgets. This comes as somewhat of a relief, considering that the Champlain Valley School District (CVSD) just completed an extensive year-long effort toward a first-ever consolidated budget for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. The board approved the single $75 million budget for a coordinated pre-K to 12 system on Jan. 17 and it is still slated to be presented to voters on Town Meeting Day in March. Along with the call for no growth in school budgets, Scott also proposed that all school districts vote on budgets at a later date, well after Town Meeting Day, to give them more time to reduce their budgets. This was also rejected by the Senate Education Committee. It would be difficult to quantify
an absolute level-funded number for CVSD due to it being the first year of consolidation, Champlain Valley School District Board Chair Dave Connery said. “We are in our first year of Act 46,” he said “Level funding would be difficult to quantify. Also, level funding mandates don’t address the issue of high fixed costs for small schools that have a cost/pupil well above $15,000.” Act 46 is a Vermont law that requires towns to weigh school district consolidation options. The Chittenden South Supervisory Union school boards will be fully replaced with the CVSD board in July. The consolidated budget has resulted in a reduced tax rate for Charlotte. “That is a significant development,” Connery said. The CVSD budget allows for teacher salary increases of three and a half percent, Connery said. Teacher salaries make up nearly 80 percent of the overall budget. Total spending is up four percent with the first installments of payments
CVSD SCHOOL BOARD UPDATE
The old Shelburne Shipyard.
Submitted by the Shelburne Historical Society The Shelburne Historical Society will offer a presentation on the Shelburne Steamboat Graveyard at 11 a.m. at Shelburne Town Hall on Feb. 11. This is sure to be of interest to all of Charlotte’s history lovers, boat lovers and lake lovers, and to curious people in general. Who knew what treasures lay beneath the waters of Shelburne Bay? Well, now we know, as Lake Champlain Maritime Museum archaeologist Chris Sabick and a team of helpers have been exploring an amazing underwater graveyard for
Courtesy photo the past three summers. Sabick will share his findings with the public at a presentation. He will present the final results of the third year of archeological fieldwork at the Steamboat Graveyard and talk about the history and importance of the Shelburne Shipyard itself. New information will be revealed about the 2016 field season, which conclusively identifies the wrecks located within the graveyard. The story of the shipyard and Shelburne Point will also be illustrated in this talk. Sabick joined the Lake Champlain
see ARCHAEOLOGY page 3
see SCHOOL BOARD page 3
Library News 20 • Community Events 20 • Senior Center 21 • Crossword & Sudoku 21
2 • February 8, 2017 • The Charlotte News
Weather January 2017 was among the warmest on record in Vermont Matt Sutkoski
The Charlotte News
CONTRIBUTOR
The mean temperature in Burlington, Vermont, for January was 29.7 degrees. That ties the mark for the third hottest January on record. Data go back to the 1880s. The month was a full 11 degrees warmer than normal. Preliminary data suggest northwestern Vermont had the largest departure from normal of any place in the United States. January is usually the deepest of winter months in Vermont, with long stretches that stay below freezing and frequent excursions to below-zero levels at night. Not this year. It never once got below zero, and only nine days stayed below freezing. Only two days stayed below 20 degrees for the full 24 hours. Snowfall was super wimpy in January, too, at least in low elevations like Burlington. Only 7.6 inches fell during the month against a normal of 21.1 inches. However, we didn’t quite make it into the Top 10 for least snowy Januaries. Snow for the entire season is almost as sparse as the near-record lows suffered last winter. So far, Burlington has received 28.6 inches of snow against a normal of 44.4 inches that should have fallen by now. Elsewhere in Vermont, data from the National Weather Service in South Burlington showed most weather stations in the state, such as at Montpelier, St. Johnsbury and Springfield, averaged about seven to eight degrees warmer than normal—pretty darn substantial. For those wondering about the lingering drought that is still waiting to potentially pounce back out at us in the spring, the news wasn’t super. While Burlington’s precipitation in January 2017 was close to normal, most of the rest of the state had precipitation that was about two-thirds to three- quarters of an inch below normal for
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.
Data shows the eastern half of the nation was warmer than normal in January, while parts of the west were cold. The greatest departure from normal of anywhere in the country was in northwestern Vermont. Courtesy map the month. Vermont wasn’t alone in its January warmth. Many cities across the south and east had one of their mildest Januaries on record. The northwestern part of the country—the upper half of the West Coast, and the northern Rockies—were on the cold side last month. Some areas were particularly hot, such as parts of the Gulf Coast states and New England. But, as I said, it appears that northwestern Vermont around Burlington took the national prize for warmth. Of course, there’s no telling what February will bring. But given a relatively warm December and a super warm January, this winter could be the second in a row that
is among the top 10 warmest. It all depends on whether February continues the big warm streak. 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.
Publication date: Feb. 22 | Columns/features deadline: Feb. 13 | Letters due: Feb. 17
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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
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TRUMP
continued from page 1 and showroom in Duxbury, Mass. The label has tripled in volume, she said, because her designs do well with coastal New England shoppers. Last year, Petit Peony produced 17,000 units, which includes the Magic Balloon label for Marshalls and TJ Maxx. This year the projection is 100,000 units. “We are really missing Charlotte,” Bowen said. They will be visiting friends in town this summer, and the children are looking forward to attending Shelburne Farms Camp.
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The Charlotte News • February 8, 2017 • 3
SCHOOL BOARD
continued from page 1 for work to be done at Williston and Shelburne schools. “There are many moving pieces to the governor’s proposal that have been made not so obvious,” Connery said. For example, “Moving the teacher pension fund out of the general fund makes the general fund look good but sure doesn’t help the education fund. While that pension needs a home, don’t talk about one credit without the other debit.” Scott proposed to help fill the $75 million general fund budget gap by moving the $35 million annual teachers retirement obligation to the education fund in his budget address last week.
Connery asked what would happen to the current CVSD budget if three to five percent needed to be removed. “That is nearly 35 teachers, and $3.75 million is a large number,” he said. “All of the teachers at Charlotte for example.” The CVSD board has begun thinking of ways to leverage consolidation, but the process was very difficult the first time, Connery said. “It would be super frustrating to have to redo this budget again after having just completed it,” he said. In a written statement the Scott administration expressed disappointment with the Senate Education Committee’s rejection of the mandate, and they are optimistic that their proposal will be better received in the House.
ARCHAEOLOGY
continued from page 1 Maritime Museum in 1998 and has acted as the director of conservation since 2000. In 2013 he took the reins of the Maritime Research Institute, the museum’s archaeological research wing, as archaeological director. The program is free and open to everyone. For more information email Shelburne Historical Society President Dorothea Penar at dfpenar@comcast.net.
Letters We are all neighbors The intent of this letter is to pour healing balm over the hate and divisiveness of recent weeks. Perhaps an overview of what unifies us would help. We are all human beings created by God in the image of God. That makes us incredibly special and unique from all other creatures. We are all of one blood. No matter where you live or the color of your skin, we all have the same blood, albeit different types, coursing through our veins. We are all neighbors. We all dream dreams and we all desire a world where there is peace, love and justice for all. There was a march in Montpelier in the morning before the Women’s March to observe the Sanctity of Human Life. I could not stay for the afternoon march, as I rode with a neighbor and his young boys. As I listened to the speeches from the Women’s March in Montpelier and Washington, D.C., I heard anger, derogatory comments, profanity and hate. These are the very things that many have judged the current president for, yet the response is in kind. One celebrity in Washington expressed the desire of “blowing up the White House.” That is illegal! I saw signs that were perverse and even the implication of “pussy hats” hardly encourages a positive response. I did not vote for either major presidential candidate. After much soul searching and prayer, I could not in
Lynne Caulfield, RN, CRNI, Charlotte
Obamacare Repeal
I have an urgent question concerning the upcoming repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act: Will Trumpectomies be covered? This procedure removes an unhealthy buildup of sexism, Lake Champlain Maritime Museum archeologist Chris Sabick and a team of helpers racism, xenophobia and narcissism. It have been exploring an amazing underwater graveyard for the past three summers. also excises incivility, greed, vulgarity Courtesy photo
Email your news announcements to news@thecharlottenews.org
good faith or conscience vote for either. Voting out of fear did not seem to be a good motivation. In God I trust. He has got this. He is in control. Our rights come from Him not the government. He is the supreme peacemaker and justice restorer. An obvious lynchpin of “women’s rights” includes the right to abort their unborn children. Equal rights for all should include the unborn. The most dangerous place on earth for a woman or a person of color is a mother’s womb, as these segments of the population are targeted for destruction. The ideology of Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, was in line with Hitler and Mussolini as a white supremacist. I recently returned from the Middle East where we provided medical clinics to refugees, Muslims and Christians. These people are trying to live to hopefully see tomorrow. This is such a different perspective from those of us who have been blessed with so much. So as fellow human beings, may we treat one another with humbleness and grace. May we continue to dialogue about our dreams and desires for a world of peace, love and justice and how we can work together to make it happen.
and alternate realities (facts). Beneficial side effects include increased levels of empathy and inclusion, an overall improvement in the quality of life and a general lifting of the human spirit. Terrence Dinnan, Charlotte
4 • February 8, 2017 • The Charlotte News
Commentary Funding available for Vermont watershed projects The High Meadows Fund, a supporting organization at the Vermont Community Foundation, has issued a request for proposals that represents a commitment of $180,000 towards promoting planning and action to build resilience within Vermont’s watersheds. Through this initiative, the fund seeks to inspire communities to work together to protect people, farms, homes, roads and water quality, not just in their own towns but also upstream and downstream. Tropical Storm Irene brought the devastation of extreme weather to the forefront in Vermont, but many Vermonters don’t know that since 2000 the state has had at least one federally declared disaster every year. High Meadows is encouraging solutions that build resilience at a multitown, watershed level. In order to reduce the risk from flooding and erosive water surges, communities must understand how their land use decisions impact upstream and downstream neighbors and work collaboratively and proactively, as a
watershed, to build resilience. High Meadows expects to support four to six teams of communities working together within a watershed. Letters of intent are due Feb. 10, 2017. Applicants are encouraged to attend the Leahy Center’s Environmental Summit at ECHO March 24–25, 2017. This RFP follows High Meadows’ 2015 grants to six Vermont watersheds. In those grants, communities made progress in building watershed identities, engaging local government and citizens, and implementing on-the-ground, resilience building projects. However, there is still work to be done. For that reason, we are dedicating funds to support community engagement, multitown watershed planning and early action. The Fund will choose projects by July 2017 and expects them to last up to 18 months. More information can be found online at highmeadowsfund.org. Gaye Symington, High Meadows Fund President
“POEM OF THE MONTH”
Wedding in the Woods by Caroline Slater
High above me Winter’s Chandelier sparkles fragile and new. Adorned in ice, the sentinel boughs of paper birch, sugar maple and red oak Stand in expectation. At sunrise, the North Wind arrives to celebrate his wife. She, in the sleeping spring buds, lilacs and field grasses, Flaunts her diamonds from Their courtship overnight. With one word from the bride groom The trees break into applause, Showering the woodland floor below with prisms of light— Like a thousand shattered champagne glasses The once perfect chandelier Lays in pieces at my feet. L’Chaim!
The Charlotte News • February 8, 2017 • 5
Town
Since the temps have shifted, what is our hardiness zone? Dr. Leonard Perry, horticulture professor emeritus University of Vermont Whether a plant is hardy in the cold north isn’t as simple as just looking at a hardiness map. There are several factors affecting hardiness you should understand in order to know better which plants to grow, where to place them and why some may have died. Hardiness is genetic. That is why some plants are hardier than others, even why some cultivars (cultivated variety) are hardier than others of the same plant. They may have been bred or selected as being hardier clones. To further confuse you, plants adapt or change genetically and slowly over time to their climate and local habitat—something called provenance. That’s why a species grown in southern climates may not be as hardy as the same species grown in a northern locale such as Vermont. Keep this in mind when buying plants from mail order companies or nurseries. Your best bet is a local nursery having experience with a plant. Roots, stems, and leaf and flower buds generally are hardy to different temperatures. This is why many perennials die to the ground in winter only to have their roots survive and produce new shoots the following spring. Forsythias, for example, often have leaves but no flowers. The flower buds, which are less hardy than the leaf buds, are killed by the cold. If flowers appear up to a certain height, but not above this height, this represents the depth of snow cover that protected the flower buds during the killing cold. So how do you determine plant hardiness? Start by figuring out your hardiness zone. These are geographic zones shown on maps that share the same range of average annual minimum winter temperatures. (A few references also will list hardiness zones for heat—the maximum temperature a plant can endure.) These zones are averages only. For instance, on the 2012 USDA hardiness zone map, Burlington is in zone 5a, which indicates average minimum temperatures get -15 to -20 degrees F in any year (planthardiness.ars.usda.gov). Over the last 10 years, average lows have fallen into that range about half the time, one year it was lower (-21 degrees), the rest were slightly warmer. Their 2012 map is more accurate than the previous 1990 map, being based on a broader range of data (1976–2005 vs. 1974–1986 for the former), better mapping techniques and more stations of data. Many areas are shown as half a zone warmer on the newer map. While much of the Champlain Valley was shown as zone 4b on the 1990 map (-20 to -25 degrees average minimum), they’re now in zone 5a on the 2012 map (-15 to -20 degrees). The 2015 hardiness zone map from the National Arbor Day Foundation (arborday. org/media/zones.cfm) is generally similar
to the USDA 2012 map yet shows many areas in a warmer zone. Upstate New York is mainly in zones 4 to 5 on the USDA map, but warmer zones 5 and 6 on the Arbor Day map. When selecting plants, after looking at the hardiness zones, consider more specific locales. Warmer zones (and colder ones) can exist within a hardiness zone. Plants near a building may be in a warmer zone due to heat loss from the building or the solar heat absorbed by it. A steep southern slope may be an entire hardiness zone or two warmer than adjacent level areas. This is called the microclimate effect and may be as small as a few square feet or a whole landscape. Often I find a landscape may have microclimates representing two or three hardiness zones. Mulching can help moderate soil temperatures, similar to snow, preventing plant injury. If you select an exposed site where protective snow cover may blow off next winter, remember to mulch your plants late in the fall. Even a couple inches of mulch usually is sufficient. Sites exposed to winter winds, especially those from the north or west, can cause
desiccation or drying out of evergreens, resulting in leaf burn. If possible, pick a sheltered site or plan to shield plants with a burlap screen next winter. Tree wrap or guards on trunks will help protect trees exposed to early morning winter sun from frost cracking. In summary, keep in mind these few key principles towards better survival of your landscape plants during winter: -Hardiness zones are only a starting point in choosing hardy plants, and the climate of smaller areas on your property can influence their survival, as can variation from year to year. -Hardiness zones are more applicable to woody plants, with parts in winter above ground, than perennials that overwinter below ground. These are more influenced by snow cover and mulch, both of which trap the latent ground warmth. -Culture affects plant vigor, which affects hardiness. You should avoid stresses, such as from too wet soils, avoid fertilizing woody plants (trees and shrubs) late in the season (after mid-summer) and provide wind protection for evergreens.
Growing Zones
Email your news announcements to news @thecharlottenews.org
6 • February 8, 2017 • The Charlotte News
Town Charlotte Garden Club presents Gardens of the Hudson Valley Staff report The Charlotte Garden Club will sponsor a slide talk by garden designer Charlotte Albers at 10 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Shelburne on Feb. 14. The program, called Great Gardens of the Hudson Valley, will feature public gardens along the historic Hudson River, many on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Rockefeller estate Kykuit in Tarrytown, Bellefield at the FDR estate in Hyde Park, and Blithwood, now the Levy Economics Institute at Bard College, located in Annandale-onHudson. Learn about new initiatives at these and other properties as you take a virtual tour of grounds, which feature
classical and modern sculpture, restored gardens, water features and many splendid plants. A garden writer and educator, Albers is a member of GreenWorks, the Vermont Nursery and Landscape Association, and lectures widely on the art of landscape. “There are many outstanding properties along the Hudson,” she said. “One of my favorites is Olana, the home of painter Frederick Church, which overlooks the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. Once a working farm, the property is being restored, which is very exciting.” Open to the public. For more information about the garden club and how to get involved contact Ann Mead at 985-2657.
Charlotte Garden Club will be sponsoring a slide talk by garden designer Charlotte Albers at the United Methodist Church in Shelburne on Feb. 14. Courtesy photo
Employee garden grants, Green Thumbs at Work, up for grabs Time to take advantage of this special grant opportunity for small businesses and organizations to support workplace wellness by starting food gardens for their employees. The Green Thumbs at Work grants are open to any Vermont business or organization with 100 or fewer employees. The application deadline is Feb. 10. The Vermont Department of Health and Vermont Community Garden Network, in partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont, Gardener’s
Supply Company and gardening expert Charlie Nardozzi, is offering grants that include $500 for materials, a $200 gift certificate to Gardener’s Supply Company and $1,000 in garden planning support and technical assistance from Nardozzi and the Vermont Community Garden Network. Now in its fourth year, the Green Thumbs at Work grant program gives employers an additional way to support employee morale and healthy behaviors. Grant winners are selected based on readiness to develop a workplace garden, including the ability to provide matching funds and in-kind services for garden development, plans for employee participation and clear articulation of how the garden will help meet employee wellness goals. Employees must be the primary users and beneficiaries of the garden. The technical assistance provided through the grant program helps each workplace determine the type and size of garden that best meets its needs and develop strategies to ensure the garden will be successful throughout the 2017 season and for years to come. Green Thumbs at Work grant winners will be announced Feb. 24, 2017. For more information call 861-4769.
Visit Our NEW web site! charlottenewsvt.org
The Charlotte News • February 8, 2017 • 7
Town Don’t use climbing spikes when pruning trees
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 in the multi-purpose room at the Charlotte Central School located at 408 Hinesburg Road, Charlotte, Vermont on Monday, March 6, 2017 at 4:30 PM 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.
Climbing spikes are sharpened steel spikes attached to the climber’s leg by leather straps and padded supports. A tree worker should use them only to access trees being removed. Courtesy photo Submitted by the Tree Care Industry Association Is your tree care provider using spikes to climb while pruning your trees? Ouch! Climbing spikes are sharpened steel spikes attached to the climber’s leg by leather straps and padded supports. A tree worker should use them only to access trees being removed. When these spikes are used on living trees, it traumatizes the tree and creates unnecessary damage. Each puncture from a climbing spike produces a certain amount of tree tissue death, though this varies from tree to tree. In most cases, isolated wounds will seal, but over time, groupings of spike holes can cause the entire area on the trunk to die back with no chance of recovery. This happens when a tree is repeatedly climbed for pruning while using spikes. If soon after the work is performed with spikes sap oozes from the wounds, the tree is responding to spike damage. So why would climbers use spikes if they are harmful to the tree? There are a few exceptional situations where using spikes is appropriate, such as when the tree is being removed, or when branches are more than throwline distance apart and there is no other way (an aerial lift device or crane) of getting access to the tree, or if the tree is too close to power lines and cannot be accessed safely by other means, or to reach an injured climber. Professional tree care companies are aware of the dangers of spikes and use proper tree equipment such as ropes and climbing harnesses to climb (or aerial lift devices or cranes, if accessible). This, coupled with their training and experience, contributes to the future health of the tree. Homeowners searching for qualified tree care companies should look for the following:
Good References: Ask for references, and check on the quality of their work. Don’t be rushed by a bargain and don’t pay in advance. Proof of Insurance: Ask for current certificates of liability and workers’ compensation insurance, if applicable. Be aware that if the tree care company you hire doesn’t have insurance or is not a legal company, you could be held responsible as a contractor. Solid Reputation: Verify professional affiliations the company might have, such as memberships in business and/or professional organizations such as the Tree Care Industry Association. Up-to-Date Knowledge: Ask if they follow ANSI Standards. A professional arborist will be aware of the current safety, pruning, fertilizing and cabling standards. Contract: Insist on a signed contract as to cost, dates when work is to be performed, and exactly what is to be done. Insist that climbing spikes are used only if the tree is to be cut down. Find a Professional: A professional arborist can assess your landscape and work with you to determine the best trees and shrubs to plant for your existing landscape. Contact the Tree Care Industry Association, a public and professional resource on trees and arboriculture since 1938, which has the nation’s only accreditation program that helps consumers find tree care companies that have been inspected and accredited based on adherence to industry standards for quality and safety; maintenance of trained, professional staff; and dedication to ethics and quality in business practices. For more, visit tcia.org or treecaretips.org.
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 the Charlotte West Village District (WCV), noise in excess of 65 decibels by any Event Facility in existence and operating as of January 1, 2016.”
8 • February 8, 2017 • The Charlotte News
WARNING TOWN OF CHARLOTTE ANNUAL TOWN MEETING 2017
The legal voters of the Town of Charlotte are hereby notified and warned to meet at the Charlotte Central School Multi-Purpose Room, 408 Hinesburg Road in said Town on Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at nine o’clock in the forenoon to act upon any of the following articles not involving voting by Australian Ballot, and to meet at the Charlotte Central School Multi-Purpose Room in said Town on the same date to vote by Australian Ballot to begin at seven o’clock in the forenoon and to close at seven o’clock in the afternoon. Article 1: To hear the reports of the Town officers and to act upon the same. Article 2: Will the Town vote to have Property Taxes payable on or before November 15, 2017 and to have payments made to the Town Treasurer under 32 VSA § 4773?
Article 3: Will the Town vote pursuant to 32 VSA § 3840 to exempt property owned by Charlotte Volunteer Fire & Rescue Services, Inc. from education and municipal property taxes for a period of five years commencing with fiscal year 2017-18?
to authorize the Selectboard to borrow no more than $85,000 from Charlotte Housing Trust Fund for a maximum of sixteen years for the purpose of constructing an extension to the Thompson’s Point wastewater system to serve seven lots on Lane’s Lane? Article 9: Will the Town vote to authorize an allocation of unused existing capacity of the municipal wastewater system in the west Charlotte village for private uses within the village as provided by 24 V.S.A. §3625 in a manner where all costs are borne by new private users? “Advisory Article”
Article 11: Officers.
To
elect
R D
Article 4: Will the Town vote pursuant to 32 VSA § 3840 to exempt property owned by the Friendship Lodge #24 F&AM located on Church Hill Road from education and municipal property taxes for a period of five years commencing with fiscal year 2017-18?
Article 5: Will the Town approve the Selectboard’s budget of $3,046,847 for the fiscal year July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018 of which an anticipated sum of $1,672,291 will be raised by taxes and an anticipated sum of $1,374,556 will be raised by non-tax revenues, which approval shall not become effective until said budget is adopted by Australian ballot vote in accordance with the requirements of the charter of the Town of Charlotte?
Article 6: Will the Town approve raising $40,000 by taxes, in addition to those monies raised pursuant to Article 5, to be allocated to the Trails Reserve Fund, which approval shall not become effective until further approval by Australian ballot vote in accordance with the requirements of the charter of the Town of Charlotte? . Article 7: Will the Town vote to authorize the Selectboard to borrow money by issuance of bonds or notes not in excess of anticipated revenues for the next fiscal year? Article 8:
Will the Town vote
Town
Article 12: Shall bonds of the Town of Charlotte in an amount not to exceed Six Hundred TwentyFive Thousand Dollars and 00/100 ($625,000.00) be issued to finance the purchase of a new fire pumper truck and related equipment to replace the 1980 fire pumper truck?
Dated this 30th day of January, 2017 at Charlotte, Vermont. Selectboard
Lane Morrison, Chair Matthew Krasnow, Vice Chair Fritz Tegatz
Casting a provisional ballot: If you accept the offer to vote a provisional ballot, you must complete a sworn affidavit on the provisional ballot envelope swearing that you are qualified to vote in Vermont and in the polling place where you are, and that you submitted an application to register to vote before the deadline. You will be given a card explaining how you can find out if your ballot was counted one week after the special meeting by calling the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office at 1-800-439-8683.
from two election officials. Voters who cannot get from the car into the polling place may have a ballot brought to a car outside the polls by the two election officials. Any U.S. citizen and resident of a Vermont town or city who submitted an application to register to vote before the deadline is entitled to vote regardless of race or physical ability. THE LAW PROHIBITS THE FOLLOWING—DO NOT: Vote more than once per election, either in the same town or in different towns. Mislead the board of civil authority about your own or another person’s eligibility to vote. Socialize in a manner that will disturb other voters inside the polling place. Offer a bribe, threaten, or intimidate a person to vote in a particular manner. Hinder or interfere with the progress of a voter going into or from a polling place. Vermont law provides that a person cannot campaign within a polling place, but does NOT specify polling any number of feet that campaigners any need to be away from the polls need outside. The presiding officer will outside. set reasonable rules for where set campaigners can stand.
T F A
Article 10: To transact any other business proper to come before said meeting. BY AUSTRALIAN BALLOT
provide I.D., you will be offered a provisional ballot.
Carrie Spear Jacob Spell
Received for record this _______ day of January, 2017. _______________________ Mary A. Mead, Town Clerk INFORMATION REGARDING REGISTRATION AND VOTING HOW TO REGISTER TO VOTE: There is no deadline to register to vote. You will be able to register to vote on the day of the election. You can register prior to the day of the election by visiting the town clerk’s office or by going online to www.olvr. sec.state.vt.us. If you never voted in Vermont before and you registered individually by mail, you must provide identification before you can vote a regular ballot: current valid photo I.D., or a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document showing your name and current address. If you do not
If your name was dropped from the checklist in error, or has not been added even though you submitted an application before the deadline for applications: Explain the situation to your town clerk or presiding officer and ask that your name be added to the checklist. The town clerk or presiding officer will investigate the situation and then either have you complete a sworn affidavit and then add your name to the checklist or explain why you cannot be added. If the town clerk or presiding officer cannot determine that you are entitled to be added to the checklist on the date of the special meeting, you may appeal to a superior court judge, who will give you a decision on the date of the special meeting OR you may vote a provisional ballot. It is your choice. Absentee ballots and early voting: You can request early absentee ballots at any time during the election year. The latest you can request ballots for this meeting is the close of the town clerk’s office (4:00 p.m.) on March 6, 2017. You or a family member can request early ballots in person, in writing or by telephone. An authorized person can request ballots for you in writing. Methods of voting early/absentee before the special meeting: Vote in town clerk’s office on or before March 6, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. Voter may take the ballots out of the clerk’s office for himself/herself and return in same manner as if the ballots were received by mail. Have ballot mailed to you and return it to clerk’s office before the day of the special meeting or to polling place before 7 p.m. on the date of the special meeting. If you are sick or disabled, you may ask the town clerk on or before March 6, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. to have two justices of the peace bring a ballot to you at your home. Any voter who wants assistance for any reason may bring the person of his or her choice into the voting booth to help or may ask for assistance
The election officials at the polling place are there to serve you. If you have any questions or need assistance while voting, ask your town clerk or any election official for help. If you do not understand something, or you believe a mistake has been made that has not been corrected, or you have a question that cannot be answered to your satisfaction at the polling place, call the Elections Division, Office of the Secretary of State: 1-800-439VOTE (439-8683) (Accessible by TDD). If you believe that any of your voting rights have been violated, you may call the Elections Division at 800439-8683 or (802) 828-2464. You may also file an Administrative Complaint with the Secretary of State’s Office, 128 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05633-1101. If you believe you have witnessed efforts to commit any kind of fraud or corruption in the voting process, you may report this to your local United States Attorney’s Office, the County State’s Attorney or the Vermont Attorney General. If you have witnessed actual or attempted acts of discrimination or intimidation in the voting process, you may report this to the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice at (800) 2533931.
The Charlotte News • February 8, 2017 • 9
Town Town Meeting this year under the new Town Charter John Hammer CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Last year, by a vote of 1,148 to 349, Charlotters passed Town Meeting Article 9, which established a municipal charter that alters the way the town budget is approved. Beginning this year, the following procedure is in place: Those in attendance at Town Meeting can still discuss and amend all warned budget and budget-related articles—including the Selectboard’s proposed budget. Final approval of those (amended) articles, however, will be decided by Australian ballot five weeks later on Tuesday, April 11. The process for voting on all nonbudgetary articles remains the same as before. Those articles will continue to be discussed, amended and voted up or down on the floor of Town Meeting, with no follow-on Australian ballot vote. As it currently stands, Town Meeting this year will consider and decide 10 articles on the floor and two by Australian ballot (see warning). Only articles 5 and 6 are subject to the two-part approval process described in the charter. The dollar amounts in each of these articles will be discussed, possibly modified and then approved on the floor. The final figures approved on the floor will then be voted for adoption by Australian ballot
on April 11. If, however, either Article 5 or Article 6 is defeated by a floor vote at Town Meeting—that is, if no Selectboard budget or no additional money for the Trails Reserve Fund is approved—the floor vote will be final and the defeated article will not appear on the April 11 ballot. It is important to note that bonding and borrowing articles, such as Article 12 on this year’s warning to replace the aging 1980 fire pumper, will continue to be considered under the former procedures How we got here The genesis of the town charter was the failure, on the floor of a Special Town Meeting in May 2012, to pass an article calling for “the Town (to) adopt its budget article, or articles, by Australian ballot.” The article was “postponed indefinitely” in order to allow for alternative solutions to be considered. In the intervening years, an ad hoc Town Meeting Solutions Committee studied potential alternatives and worked with the Selectboard to come up finally with the above-mentioned Article 9. In the view of the committee, this two-part process happily married the direct democracy of Town Meeting and the greater voter participation of the Australian ballot in determining the tax burden all of us will carry to fund town operations.
Included in the charter, as approved by the Vermont State Legislature on April 19, 2016, is a “sunset” clause that states, “Absent action to repeal or modify this Section 7, this charter shall expire, terminate and have no further force and effect four years from the date of passage by the Legislature.” We now have four years to see if this two-part procedure works. If by Town Meeting 2020 we decide that it has worked and we want to continue it, we have to affirmatively renew the provisions of the charter that year—and do so by Australian ballot. Otherwise, the charter will sunset and we will return to traditional Town Meeting, voting town budget articles up or down on the floor.
UPCOMING PUBLIC MEETINGS Selectboard: Feb. 13 to start at CVFRS at 6 p.m. and move to Town Hall at 7:10 p.m. Zoning Board of Adjustment: Feb. 15 and 22 at 7 p.m. Planning Commission: Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. Selectboard: Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.
10 • February 8, 2017 • The Charlotte News
Transition Charlotte presents film on climate change Staff Report Transition Charlotte is hosting a free screening of Josh Fox’s newest film, “How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change” at the Charlotte Senior Center on Monday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m. Refreshments will be provided. Contact: Ruah Swennerfelt at ruahswennerfelt@gmail.com with questions. In How to Let Go, Oscar-nominated director Josh Fox (Gasland) continues his deeply personal style, investigating climate change—the greatest threat our world has ever known. Traveling to 12 countries on six continents, the film acknowledges that it may be too late to stop some of the worst consequences and asks, what is it that climate change can’t destroy? What is so deep within us that no calamity can take it away?
Fox premiered the film at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016. The film was awarded the 2016 Documentary Award for Environmental Advocacy at the Environmental Film Festival in Washington, D.C., and has been invited to screen at the Telluride Mountain Festival, the Cleveland International Film festival, the Princeton Environmental Film Festival, the Environmental Film Festival at Yale and Hot Docs, among many others. Dozens of grassroots groups across the country have asked Fox to bring the film to their communities. The film is about the power that local communities have in determining their own climate and energy solutions democratically. More than just a film, How to Let Go is intended to be a launch-pad for education and action in communities. Community screenings such as this will help communities lead a renewable energy
Thompson’s Point assessments drop John Hammer CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
The Charlotte Selectboard met three times in late January to fine-tune the town budget and official warning for Town Meeting. Selectman Krasnow made a strong case for a separate warned article to allocate $40,000 to accelerate the Town Trails Plan. The final budget was hammered out Jan. 30 after the revelation that assessments on Thompson’s Point properties would likely drop from about $890,000 to $802,000. That being the case, the Selectboard felt that it was not fair to continue to ask
a higher lease fee. This will result in a reduced revenue stream for the town of about $93,000. Ed Clodfelter, the town’s contract appraiser, will be engaged to accurately reappraise the properties. The resulting loss will likely raise the tax rate by 0.8 cents. The final figures in Article 5 of the warning can be found elsewhere in this newspaper issue. Further, the wording for all other articles was finalized. An informational meeting will be held for the public on March 6 concerning the Australian ballot bond vote for the 1980 pumper. A second informational meeting will be held on April 6 in preparation for Australian ballot voting on the budgetary items approved on the floor of the Town Meeting. Other administrative items decided during the meeting on Jan. 23 were the granting of permission to Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom to bury a fiber optic cable along Association Way on Thompson’s Point. This will connect the cable providing coverage on Flat Rock Road. An emailed report from State Police Trooper Matt Daley revealed that a heavily increased presence of patrols, as well as the presence of the speed cart, on Mt. Philo Road found that most motorists “are driving generally within the speed limit.” The UVM Cycling Club received approval for its organizational plan to hold an intercollegiate event on April 2. As many as 250 cyclists in two waves are expected. Participants will gather at Spears Garage corner, proceed east on Hinesburg Road, thence south on Spear Street and finish up on Mt. Philo at Hinesburg Road. Marshals and police vehicles will be at all major intersections and at the churches. Finally, the lease for Thompson’s Point lot 211 at 349 Lane’s Lane was terminated and a new 20-year lease was approved for Christopher and Susanne Davis.
The Charlotte News • February 8, 2017 • 11
Charlotte school board addresses behavior Rowan Beck CONTRIBUTOR
The Charlotte Central School (CCS) school board held a special meeting on behavior in the library conference room on Feb. 3. CCS Principal Barbara Anne Komons-Montroll began the meeting with an overview of what had taken place since their December meeting on the same subject. December’s meeting had been called to address teachers’ concerns about student behavior becoming a major issue. Since then Komons-Montroll and CCS Instructional Leader Stephanie Sumner have put systems in place to provide clearer communication and prevention. By teaming with special educators, getting feedback from teachers and having more adult presence during times of transition, they have created a greater sense of calm they claim. Komons-Montroll informed the board there is a team of people working together creating a plan for children with the most needs. Special educator Alicia Kurth spent a great deal of time “teasing out” the students on individualized learning plans (IEPs) and 504s for actual disabilities versus clear behavioral issues, Komons-Montroll said. Next year there will be a full-time special educator as opposed to half-time to fill the need. CCS is also creating a support group called Safe Harbor, designed to catch and identify students before a situation escalates. Komons-Montroll has two weekly
Staff report Pediatrician Andrea Green of Charlotte has helped the International Club of Burlington High School’s “All Are Welcome” club that makes visible their voice and symbolizes a supportive and welcoming home for all immigrants and all who live in the United States. The recent national election brought fear to many immigrant families in Vermont, Green said. With the increase in anti-immigrant rhetoric, new Americans—refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers—were distressed about their future in Burlington and the United States. What was going to happen to them? Would they be safe in America? Would they have to leave? Driven by the real fear she witnessed in her pediatric practice, Dr. Green reached out to Burlington High School to see if she could support the students in feeling safe and welcome. The students of the International Club of Burlington High School were also worried and wanted to do something. The students met together with Green and their club sponsor, Susan Blethen, to talk about these fears and about ways to communicate that Vermont is a place where all are welcome. During these meetings and design process the students strengthened their voice and power to stand up against hurtful rhetoric, Green said. They were able to share how Burlington has been a welcoming community, something they wanted to make visible to all. The students created an image of two hands supporting a dove. “This symbol
meetings with teams looking at academics and other rotating data, behavior being one of them. For structural purposes, KomonsMontroll is focusing on grades 5-8, while Sumner focuses on the lower grades and implementing Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports Standards. However, they discovered a breakdown in the model – there was no recognition piece for achieving positive behavior goals schoolwide. Faculty and administration are currently working on this and plan to roll something out within the week. The board had several questions for Komons-Montroll and Sumner as did the small audience. Board Member Jeff Martin was curious about staff feedback since a plan has been implemented. KomonsMontroll replied, “Teachers feel a sense of calm around the building and more needs are being met.” More preventative work is happening in lower grades. Proper behavior and support is now embedded throughout the day, Komons-Montroll said. There are places for students to check in and checkout. More options are being offered during the challenging parts of the day. Students can go to the band room, play volleyball or get extra help during lunch hour and recess. The playground is now properly supervised. And a sense of consistency has been created within the school. Data is being prepared for the next board meeting on Feb. 20 that will prove this, KomonsMontroll said. Board member Erik Beal raised the issue
that behavior has been a topic of discussion for years. Concerned parents had voted with their feet by removing students. He also said it took the teachers to push back to make anything happen and felt that the system had failed. He encouraged more parent feedback and was happy with the process that had been made. Audience member Joe Ng voiced concerns about what was currently happening at the school. Ng referred to it as severe “bleeding and putting on a tourniquet.” Komons-Montroll responded to Ng by stating that CCS is a work in progress. “Like building an airplane while it is flying,” she said. “The remedy is more about embedding proper practices and
consistent communication between faculty and faculty to student. The systems are in place and growing.” In the end, all were reminded that CCS was not alone in its discussion on behavior. Schools across Vermont and the nation are having similar discussions. Anxiety among children is higher than ever before. Not only do schools need to build an interior support system, they need one outside as well. Due to the internet, when students leave school social media follows them. When asked how CCS should handle social media Chair Mark McDermott said that would be discussed at the next meeting which will be held at 7 p.m. at Champlain Valley Union High School room 162 on Feb. 21.
means to spread love and peace, and to embrace everyone without prejudice against one’s background. This is a symbol that represents every immigrant that has come to United States for a better life and place to live,” said Radhika, a BHS senior. The dove represents peace and immigration because birds migrate much like immigrants, looking for a welcoming place to live, Green
said. The hands show that our community welcomes everyone, protects them and ensures that they are in a safe place. Although their focus is the immigrant community, the students chose #allarewelcome in English because they did not want anyone of any background, affiliation or identity to feel excluded. The students hope that our community will
freely post their symbol in stores, offices and homes to show solidarity with the immigrant community. “Our goal through this project is to help refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers live in the United States without fear, and it is also our hope that everyone accepts this symbol for its good cause. Namaste, napat, pais, pas, chit, hépíng, hòa bình, amakuru.”
The Charlotte Central School school board meets to discuss student behavior on Feb. 3. Photo by Rowan Beck
All are welcome
12 • February 8, 2017 • The Charlotte News
OVER THE RIVER NILE To South Sudan We Go Celebrate South Sudan with this stunning photo essay created by Charlotter Chol Dhoor. All photos were taken on his December 2016 trip.
Chol Dhoor, 35, of Charlotte recently returned home from a trip to South Sudan to visit family and friends. After living in a refugee camp in Kakuma, Kenya, for 13 years, Dhoor made Vermont his new home where he has thrived for the past nine years. He’s a citizen, a University of Vermont graduate with a degree in economics, works at a local health center, is married and has a five-year-old son. His hometown of Bor welcomed him with open arms for a five-week stay over the holidays. He had not seen his parents in two decades.
A selfie with students at Lualdit Mixed Primary School.
Selfie with my mother, Yar Koryom Leek, in Kuoingo, Bor.
Me, member of P friend Thon Deng in He was a famous a fierce advocate fo camp. He told me th young boys he help them. This is just came to the Unite ref
This is my aunt Ayen Riak. She is the one who took care of me in the Kakuma refugee camp. So when I decided to visit my parents, I didn’t want to fly over her in Kenya to South Sudan. I wanted to visit her first in Kenya and then head to South Sudan. I spent nine days with her in Nairobi.
This is a shot of the meandering River Nile and tributaries around Bor. This was the best shot I could get from a window on a plane. Majestic work of nature, to say the least.
This is my dad, former Chief, Dhoor Riak, at Juba International Airport. I was flying with him to Bor, my hometown, for welcoming prayers.
If you would like to submit your own photo essay to appear in the Travel section of The Charlotte News please email your ideas to Lynn@ TheCharlotteNews.org
From left to rig Machola (cous
My sister-in-law Ajok Akuot (with her son Riak), my cousin’s wife Yar Joh (in yellow), Mama Ayen Deng Arou (center), Yar Koryom (my mother, in pink) and Mama Achuei Lual at Madol Dhoor’s house in Kuoingo, Bor.
The Charlotte News • February 8, 2017 • 13 This is a cow that was offered for festive and welcoming prayers during my visit in Kuoingo. This is a tradition that honors the grace and protection God has given to me during my long separation from the family. Although I met my dad in Juba, he insisted that the prayers be done in Kuoingo, where everyone who knew me as a child lives. “I want to bring you to them so they know what kind of man you have become and give thanks to God for protecting you in front of them,” he said.
Parliament Buol Lual (center) and my longtime Bortown. We met accidentally with Buol Lual. s teacher, former Kakuma Camp chairman and or refugees’ education in the Kakuma refugee hat it gave him a lot of joy and hope to see the ped educate return home and spent time with t wonderful, he said to me. He was invited and ed States a few years ago and spoke to former fugees in recognition of his work in the camp.
ght: My cousin Ayuen Machola, Chol Mach (nephew), me, and Keer sin) just hanging out during the day of my arrival in Kuoingo.
Me, retired and legendary Bishop Nathaniel Garang Anyieth (center) and most senior Rev. Samuel Majok Mathiang in Leu-Dieer, Bortown in Jonglei State. Bishop Nathaniel visited Vermont in 2006 where he was received by Bishop of Vermont Thomas Ely. Bishop Nathaniel explained he was grateful to the people of Vermont and to Bishop Thomas, who gave him the engraved and personalized chain with his name on it.
I spoke to students at Lualdit Mixed Primary School in Kuoingo during the assembly to stress the importance of school as the only tool to uplift oneself and society for a common good. The school urgently needs renovation, especially the windows, doors and fence.
14 • February 8, 2017 • The Charlotte News
Shelburne Craft School adds new members to board of directors Staff report Shelburne Craft School welcomes Shelburne resident Jonathan Harris and Charlotte resident Nancy Winship Milliken to the board of directors. Both are award-winning and internationally celebrated artists who bring unique qualifications to the table. “We are so thrilled to welcome Jonathan and Nancy to our board of directors. These are very important times for the school to establish our place in the larger arts education conversation, and as artists, Nancy and Jonathan understand the importance and needs of professional artists and arts education,” said Executive Director Sage Tucker-Ketcham. Harris is an artist and computer scientist known for his work with data visualization and storytelling. He is the creator of seminal digital art projects and studied computer science at Princeton University and interactive art at Fabrica. His work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art and has
been exhibited at Le Centre Pompidou, the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Pace Gallery. He has lectured all over the world, at many universities and at the TED Conference. After years of living in New York, he recently returned to Vermont to reengage with his family’s land, High Acres Farm, located within Shelburne Farms. He has
been working on a series of “rituals” to cleanse and heal the land of what has been a difficult past to make way for a healthier future. Milliken, a sculptor, works with environmental themes and explores dimensions of the human and animal covenant. Her work with natural and industrial materials resonates in both urban and rural landscapes. Milliken is currently collaborating with farms surrounding her studio on installations, prints and performances. Along with installing her work in New England and New Zealand farmlands, Milliken has shown in solo and select group shows, including Boston Sculptors Gallery, Artstrand Gallery, the Christian Science Plaza in Boston, and more. She has given guest lectures or been an artist-in-residence at several schools, universities, and galleries, including Burlington City Arts, University of Massachusetts, Marlboro College, Amherst College and Hampshire College.
Farewell concert for Bluegrass Gospel Project Staff report The much-loved music ensemble, the Bluegrass Gospel Project, is putting a bow on its 16-year run with a final concert at the group’s favorite Vermont performance venue, the Vergennes Opera House, on March 11. In early December, singer Colby Crehan informed the group that her husband had landed an irresistible job opportunity at Grand Teton National Park in Jackson, Wyoming. The group considered this exciting news and decided that it was a good time to disband. “It’s been 16 years; we’ve had a nice long run, and this seems like the right time to end things on a good note,” said Gene White Jr., the BGP’s fiddler and co-founder. Since their debut appearance before a full house at Burlington’s Flynn Theater for First Night 2001, group members have logged many thousands of miles performing hundreds of concerts throughout the Northeastern U.S. They are especially excited to present one final concert where they will weave stories and memories into an evening of incredible music. Band members include Taylor Armerding on mandolin and vocals, Paul Miller on guitar and vocals, Steve Light on banjo, dobro, guitar and vocals, Kirk Lord on upright bass, and Gene White Jr. on fiddle and percussion. Singer-songwriter Colby Crehan will lend her formidable talents to familiar songs from the band’s extensive repertoire, as well as her own award-winning compositions that have become BGP standards. This concert will also be the Vermont debut of the BGP’s seventh full-length recording. The new album is a compilation of yet-unreleased songs performed at concerts between 2014 and 2016. There will be a cash bar, tended by the experts from Bar Antidote. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. in advance of the 7:30 concert start. Guests are encouraged to come early and settle in for a night of stellar entertainment. Guests will be invited to mingle with the group during the intermission and after the concert to bid the group a fond farewell. Tickets are $25 in advance online at the Vergennes Opera House website, vergennesoperahouse.org, or $30 at the door.
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The Charlotte News • February 8, 2017 • 15
Charlotte’s special trees Meg Berlin CONSERVATION COMMISSION MEMBER
Following a legacy can be a challenge. Last year Charlotte lost two of its largest and most special trees—the slippery elm on Thompson’s Point Road and the butternut at Horsford’s Nursery—as well as another giant in town, our much-loved tree warden, Larry Hamilton, who died in early October. Larry was a professional forester and college professor, brimming with a contagious enthusiasm for people, for life and for trees in particular. At 91, he was about as sharp as he must have been at 60. Twenty years ago Larry initiated a project that lives with us still: to create and maintain a list of the largest native tree species, those with the greatest girths, in the Town of Charlotte. Finding and identifying these trees took a great deal of time and interest on the part of Larry and his helpers, with enthusiasts coming forward with possible “winners.” As more “champions” of their kind were found, Larry took to adding their Abenaki names to the list of special trees along with the details of their size and type. There’s a remarkable diversity to that list of 35 native species that Larry and friends created, including four different kinds of maple (black, sugar, red, silver), five different kinds of oaks (red, white, swamp white, burr, scarlet ) and several each of hickory, cedar, aspen, birch, ash, pine and elm. Some of these giants have lived their lives and are now gone. Many of us have admired over the years the massive Slippery Elm that stood for well over 150 years in front of the Garretts’ house on Thompson’s Point Road, which expired in June, as did shortly thereafter the beloved butternut at Horsford’s Nursery. The black willow on Lewis Creek Road is long gone, according to its stewards at the Dinnan/ Illick homestead. All these trees have a story, and many of them had a specific purpose in addition to adding shade and beauty. The showy fragrant wood of the red cedar (Abenaki:Mekwisagezo) was used for over a century to make pencils because of its lightness and the ease with which it could be sharpened. White cedar (Koksk) was used by Jacques Cartier to cure his sailors of scurvy; Cartier learned this remedy from a Native American along the banks of the St. Lawrence River. The nut meat of the shagbark hickory (Bagimenakwam) was made into a protein-rich cream used in making hominy grits. Because of its lightness, basswood (Wigebimezi) was used for making crates, sandboxes, windowsills and sashes, and musical instruments and also for making excellent honey comb frames for hives. Every tree had its purpose. With the demise of these trees from our woods, fields and yards, the list of special Charlotte trees still living has shrunk,
Charlotte students to represent at National Geographic Geography Bee Submitted by parent volunteers Debbie Deale and Liz Flynn The National Geographic Bee, an annual competition organized by the National Geographic Society, is designed to inspire and reward students’ curiosity about the world. Students from 10,000 schools across the United States are competing in the 2017 National Geographic Bee for a chance to win college scholarships and the glory of being the National Geographic Bee Champion. School Bees were held through Feb. 6. Each school champion must take the online qualifying test by that date for a chance to qualify for the State Bee. School champions who qualify for the State Bee will be notified in early
At the Old Lantern in Charlotte on Oct. 27, snow falls on an autumn sugar maple, ushering in a streak of cold, wet weather. Photo by Lynn Monty
and we would like to expand the list by identifying other stately trees in town. We cannot do this on our own, and therefore we are reaching out to you, our neighbors. Please let us know about other large or unusual trees in our neighborhoods. Tree observations are needed. If you know of a special large, unusual or beautiful tree in town that you’d like us to know about, please call us. Do you have a particularly beautiful specimen on your land that you wish to highlight and tell us about? Perhaps you have the next champion of its kind on your property. Do you know of a giant tree that you’ve wondered about? Is your neighbor’s tree massive and you’ve always wondered how big it is? It’s easy to find out. To measure the girth, take a string and wrap it around the tree at the height of 4.5 feet from the ground, being sure to keep the string level all the way around. When you have the dimensions, mark the string and then measure the string on a flat surface with a tape measure. In the end, we’d like to tally new “giant trees” in town, as well as take note of particularly beautiful specimens. Once we identify the stateliest and most beautiful trees in Charlotte, we plan to create a photographic collection of these trees, from which we’ll produce a 2018 calendar of Charlotte’s biggest and most majestic trees for all of us to admire and learn from. I had no idea there were so many different kinds of oaks in the Champlain Valley nor so many diverse types of trees. In discovering these trees and remembering that they’re all around us we can also honor the memory of Larry and his love of trees and all of nature. We on the Conservation Commission are open to all new tree candidates! For more information contact Meg Berlin at 4255083 or email megandco@gmavt.net.
March. State Bees take place in every state and the District of Columbia on March 31. There were 40 participants in preliminary rounds, grades 4 through 8, at Charlotte Central School with 10 school finalists: Charlie Kantor, Sebastian D’Amico, Conner Falk, Sam Dore, Henry Bushey, Brody Flynn, Patcha Hennessey, Owen Deale, Isabella Hackerman and Riley Marchand. Congrats to the finalists: School champion: Brody Flynn, grade 8 Second place: Patcha Hennessey, grade 8 Third place: Henry Bushey, grade 4
16 • February 8, 2017 • The Charlotte News
Sports Edd’s Sports Report Edd Merritt CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Basketball rankings bounce around
Top state ranking was an easy choice for the past four years when the CVU women never lost a basketball game. This year’s two losses knocked them down to the number four slot – still not bad for a team that graduated its leading scorers last spring. And, if the score gives any indication, the Redhaw’s 49-point home win over Spaulding would suggest they have not lost their touch totally. The Redhawks moved up a notch in state rankings, to third following their win at Mount Anthony a week ago. The men’s team, on the other hand, after blowing out North Country by nearly forty points, have won ten games in a row and are ranked at the top of Division I by the Free Press. Walker Storey and Colin Mounsey have maintained the team’s top offensive capabilities so far this season. In
a 20-point win over Colchester at the end of January, Mounsey hit for a game-high 22 points, followed by Storey’s 14. The Hawks survived a close finish with Mount Mansfield last Thursday as Storey hit a pair of free throws with 2.8 seconds left to give CVU a two-point win, 41-39.
Chillin’ at the Penguin Plunge
Cougar/Hawks are climbing the hockey ladder
The combined Mount Mansfield/CVU women’s hockey team is posting a 5-8 wonloss record this year. After beginning the year without a victory and having trouble finding the goal net, the Cougar/Hawks won their last three games—Burr and Burton, Northfield and Rutland. The Redhawk men, on the other hand, find themselves dropping in the standings with losses to Essex and U-32. However, it took a goal in the last two minutes for Essex to seal the 2-1 victory. And it also took 35 saves by Redhawk goalie, Ty Parker, to keep it such a tight contest.
LaCroix qualifies for New England Track Meet
CVU’s Rosalie LaCroix was the only Redhawk indoor track runner to qualify for the upcoming New England meet by finishing second in the 3,200 meter at a meet at Norwich on January 29 in a time of 12 minutes, 38.23 seconds.
National Registry Emergency Medical Technician Program Charlotte Fire/Rescue This class meets the requirements to obtain Vermont Licensure. Other Programs added to the EMT Curriculum AHA BLS CPR, AHA PEARS Course will run from March 26th to June 25th, 2017 | Classes will be held on Sundays with 8 Saturdays 8:00am – 5:00pm. Books not included in the cost of the class. For more information or to register please go to www.CVFRS.com or Email K.Romano@CVFRS.org
Above: Parker Urie (last in group), of Charlotte, participates in the Penguin Plunge in Burlington on Saturday. Below: CVU had 168 students raising funds for Special Olympics Vermont and plunging into Lake Champlain’s ice cold water. Photos by Monica Marshall
The Charlotte News • February 8, 2017 • 17
Essential Elements Susan Crockenberg CONTRIBUTOR
Always on the lookout for exceptional local food in an effort to support the Vermont economy and reduce transportationassociated carbon, Linda Hamilton introduced me to John O’Brien’s lamb … luscious, local and surprisingly inexpensive. Each fall Linda emailed John our orders for chops, shanks, ground lamb and legs and, a month or so later, collected them at some designated meeting spot. As our order was more than I could possibly store in our refrigerator freezer, Linda carted most of the lamb to her two out-sized freezers chock full of delectable frozen fruits and vegetables she had amassed in the summer and early fall, as well as local chicken, pork and, yes, John’s lamb. The lamb exchange process worked flawlessly. When we craved lamb, the call went out to Linda who would neatly pack it into her portable cooler and drive, in her red bumper-sticker sheathed Prius (extolling local food and world peace) to the Charlotte Library where she volunteers. I collected it from her there, transferring it to my own little cooler that would sit patiently in the back of our Prius until I returned home, having expended no additional carbon in the transport. I’d pop the lamb into our more modest freezer, thawing it as needed in the following weeks. Distributed judiciously,
Meeting John O’Brien John’s lamb provided extended pleasure, lasting us through the next summer. The following fall we’d repeat the ritual. Fall 2016 began as in previous years, with Linda informing John of our continued interest in purchasing his lamb and inquiring when it might be available. Before he could respond, however, Linda’s husband, Larry, died unexpectedly, leaving lamb low on Linda’s to-do list. A month or so later, it occurred to me that the fall was progressing rapidly, our lamb was long gone, and we’d not arranged for more. Had Linda heard back from John, I enquired. She thought not, but couldn’t be sure. Yes, she’d love it if I would take over this year. I contacted John immediately via email and as promptly received my message back as undeliverable. What could have happened, we wondered? Had he foregone lamb for more profitable ventures? As the producer/director of A Man with a Plan, a movie about a Vermont dairy farmer running for the U.S. House of Representatives because he lacks the skills, strength, and education for any other job lucrative enough to pay his father’s costly medical bills, it was just possible that John O’Brien had moved on. Undaunted, I contacted him again, this time through his movie website address. Still no response, and by now it was midDecember. So sure was I that we’d seen the last of John O’Brien’s lamb that in a moment of weakness at Costco I guiltily slipped a tray of 16 Australian lamb chops into my shopping cart, small consolation for the lack of John’s lamb, but lamb nonetheless. I would not tell Linda. Two days later an email from John O’Brien appeared in my inbox. “So sorry,”
he said. “My email went down for some weeks in the fall and I got behind. But I saved some lamb for my Charlotte lamb lovers and could deliver it the next day or the day after (in time for Christmas, I thought). How much did we want? Baa.” (That’s how he signed his email…Baa! I loved this guy already.) Within the day, I’d assembled my lamb list, elicited Linda’s, and sent them off to John, signing off with “Baa back at ya.” We arranged to meet two days later at Village Wine and Coffee in Shelburne. I arrived promptly at 2:30, the designated hour, examined the parking lot for a pickup (I assumed he’d drive a pickup … he was a farmer), and not espying such a vehicle, surveyed the café for someone who looked like he lived off the land. I had never seen John O’Brien and had neglected to ask Linda how to identify him, but imagined him as older and overall-clad. No such person inhabited the café. Thinking perhaps I should expand my image of farmer John, I asked one bespectacled, middle-aged fellow entering the café if his name was John. Nope, he said, what does he look like? I don’t know, I replied. I’ve never met him. That’s why I asked you. The next person I accosted examined me quizzically and politely pointed out that he was Marcy Webster’s father, someone I’d know since Marcy and our Erick were in preschool together. Shortly thereafter an old pickup pulled up to the curb. When a hefty guy in overalls trundled down from the cab, I thought, “Aha,” and called from the porch, “Are you John?” “Yes,” he replied and walked toward me smiling. “Have you had your coffee,” he wanted to know. I hadn’t and hadn’t planned
blades that contains all of the owner’s contact information. Most veterinary offices and shelters have the ability to scan this chip and quickly identify the owner. The insertion takes less than two minutes and is almost painless. The clinic is open to both dogs and cats. The cost of micro-chipping is $35, which covers the microchip implant and initial registration. The clinics take place at the shelter, located at 236 Boardman Street in Middlebury. Shelter staff asks that all dogs be on leash and cats be in carriers for this
event. Interested parties can call 388-1100 to preregister. The service will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Homeward Bound executive director, Jessica Danyow, is a strong advocate for micro-chipping. “Micro-chipping enables people to safeguard their pets should they ever become lost,” she said. “It substantially increases the odds that the animals will be reunited with their families. We feel that our upcoming clinic is a valuable service to the greater community.”
Open door, low-cost microchip clinic schedule announced by Homeward Bound Staff report
Homeward Bound, Addison County’s Humane Society, is pleased to announce the dates of its 2017 Open Door Microchip Clinics. The clinics will be offered every other month on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon on the following dates: March 18, May 20, September 23, November 18 A micro-chip is a small electronic chip (about the size of a piece of rice) inserted under the skin between a pet’s shoulder
to, but thought I should join him given that he’d driven all the way from Tunbridge to deliver his lamb. As we placed our coffee orders, his accompanied by a large slab of chocolate cake, the staff chatted with him familiarly, prompting me to enquire if he came here often. He did. He had just finished collecting and distributing toys for Christmas. He also repaired shoes. Wow, I thought, what a busy guy … lamb, toys, shoes. As we approached a table with our libations, I asked if he was working on another movie. His back to me, I thought I heard him say, “I think you have me confused with someone else.” Before I could clarify, a darling not-yet-50 fellow with hair that stuck up around his head as if he’d just pulled off his stocking cap, gave me a tentative smile. “Susan,” he said, “I’m John O’Brien.” “Ah,” I laughed, explaining as I did that I had mistaken this other rustic gentleman, whose name was also John, for himself. “What did he say about the lamb,” the real John wanted to know. “We hadn’t gotten around to that,” I acknowledged, blushing.
18 • February 8, 2017 • The Charlotte News
Alzheimer’s Association launches Vermont Leadership Board Community volunteers provide strategic leadership for Alzheimer’s care, support and research Staff report The Alzheimer’s Association announces the launch of a brand new Leadership Board for the Vermont Chapter. Board members will dedicate their energy to promoting awareness of the Alzheimer’s Association’s mission to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, including an estimated 12,000 Vermont residents. The seven community members named to the Leadership Board are highly motivated volunteers, eager to communicate, engage and forge relationships with local individuals, foundations, corporations and government officials in the areas of fundraising, advocacy, public policy, care and support, and research. Lisa Beilstein, chair of the Leadership Board, is guided by her 18-year experience in caring for her mother with Alzheimer’s. “I came to understand how critical the time, talent and resource of those at the Alzheimer’s Association are when you
Budget adjustments and education Report from the Legislature Rep. Mike Yantachka, Charlotte
Nancy Stearns Bercaw of Ferrisburgh is on the new Alzheimer’s Association Vermont Leadership Board. Courtsey photo or a loved one is facing a diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease,” said Beilstein. Members of the Alzheimer’s Association, Vermont Chapter Leadership Board include Lori Smith of Shelburne, owner of FIS Consulting, and Nancy Stearns Bercaw of Ferrisburgh, author of Brain in a Jar: A Daughter’s Journey through Her Father’s Memory and her new memoir Tanked, which debuts in April 2017.
Although it is still early in the session, the Vermont House has already done some noteworthy work. Faced with a revenue shortfall for the current fiscal year of $51 million, the House Appropriations Committee made adjustments to the budget adopted in May of last year. The data on which the original budget is built reflect estimates and projected trends that are made several months prior to the start of the fiscal year on July first. The budget adjustment process allows the impact of actual experience to be incorporated into the appropriation levels for the year. The action taken in January brings the budget back into balance. This was accomplished by moving some funds from areas where spending was less than expected, by the addition of non-budgeted federal funds paid to the Agency of Human Services, and by tapping some of the reserve funds set aside for budget adjustment purposes. The budget adjustment bill (H.125) passed on a tri-partisan vote of 141 to 0. Despite the unanimous agreement on the budget adjustment issue, other issues presented more of a challenge. In his budget address Governor Scott laid out a plan to revise how Vermont pays for education. The proposed changes included level funding all school budgets and moving several programs from the General Fund to the Education Fund. Payments to the Teachers’ Retirement
Fund, higher education support, and child care support as well as PreK12 education would come out of the Education Fund which would also see an increase in Innovation Grants. The total additional cost to the Education Fund would be about $136M which the Governor would offset by a transfer of $86M from the General Fund, leaving a difference of $50M. To make up this difference, he proposed using one time funds and requiring all teachers to pay 20 percent of their health insurance premiums, up from an average 16 percent currently. Furthermore, he proposed deferring voting on school budgets from Town Meeting day to May 23. Coming only weeks before school boards had to finalize their budgets, it left little time for the Legislature to review and evaluate the proposal, and threw school boards around the state off balance. These changes would also come just as many school districts are implementing consolidation under Act 46. Adding an additional $50M in costs to the Education Fund will have the effect of raising the statewide property tax rate by at least 5 cents according to the Joint Fiscal Office. The plan for education as proposed by Governor Scott is going to require a lot more analysis that is going to take several weeks. We have taken steps with Act 46 to address education costs, and we need to give those steps time to work before more major changes are made. The Legislature now has to do its job to make sure all the consequences are apparent and determine whether the proposal should be adopted in the future. I encourage you to let me know your concerns and opinions. I can be reached by phone 233-5238 or email myantachka.dfa@gmail.com or visit www.MikeYantachka.com.
The Charlotte News • February 8, 2017 • 19
Health Matters Story submitted by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sickle cell disease is one of the most common genetic diseases in the United States. It is estimated that more than 70,000 people have sickle cell disease and more than two million people carry the gene that allows them to pass it on to their children. People often mistake sickle cell disease as a primarily African-American disease, but in fact sickle cell disease affects millions of people throughout the world and not only people whose ancestors come from Saharan Africa but also from Spanish-speaking regions in the Western Hemisphere (South America, Caribbean, Central America), Saudi Arabia, India and Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Greece and Italy. There are many other facts about sickle cell that most people don’t know—test your knowledge: Did you know that it is still important to know whether or not you have sickle cell trait even if you do not have any symptoms? People with sickle cell trait usually do not have any of the symptoms of the disease (people who inherit one sickle cell gene and one normal gene have the sickle cell trait). However, it is possible for a person with sickle cell trait to have complications of the disease under extreme conditions, such as high altitude (flying, mountain climbing or cities with a high altitude), increased pressure (scuba diving), low oxygen (mountain climbing or exercising extremely hard, such as in military boot camp or when training for an athletic competition) and dehydration (too little water in the body).
Learning the truth about one of the most common genetic diseases In addition, a person with sickle cell trait can pass the sickle cell gene on to their children. Did you know that people with sickle cell trait are less likely to get malaria? People with sickle cell disease can get malaria just like anyone else. However, people with sickle cell trait are less likely to get malaria. The trait does not completely protect a person from infection, but it makes death from malaria less likely. Did you know that a pain “episode” or “crisis” is the most common symptom of sickle cell disease and the top reason that people with the disease go to the emergency room or hospital? When sickle cells travel through small blood vessels, they can get stuck and clog the blood flow. This causes pain that can start suddenly, be mild to severe, and last for any length of time. Did you know that a woman with sickle cell disease can have a healthy pregnancy? Women with sickle cell disease can have a healthy pregnancy but need to be extra careful to avoid problems during pregnancy that can affect their own health and the health of the unborn baby. The disease may become more severe and pain episodes may occur more frequently. There is a higher risk of preterm labor and of having a low-birthweight baby. However, with early prenatal care and careful monitoring throughout pregnancy, women with sickle cell disease can have a healthy pregnancy. During pregnancy, there is a test to find out if the unborn baby will have sickle cell disease, sickle cell trait or neither one. The test is usually conducted after the second month of pregnancy. Women with sickle cell disease might want to see a genetic counselor to find information about the disease and the chances that sickle cell disease will be passed to the baby. Did you know that there are different types of sickle cell disease? People who inherit two sickle cell genes, one from each parent, have a type of sickle cell disease
Courtesy photo called SS. This is commonly called “sickle cell anemia” and is usually the most severe form of the disease. People who inherit a sickle cell gene from one parent and a gene for another type of abnormal hemoglobin (hemoglobin is a protein that allows red blood cells to carry oxygen to all parts of the body) from the other parent have a different type of sickle cell disease. Some types of sickle cell disease are very severe and some are milder. The disease affects each person differently. Did you know that there are a lot of things that a person with sickle cell disease can do to avoid some of the complications? People with sickle cell disease can live full lives and enjoy most of the activities that other people do. There are things that people with sickle cell disease can do to stay as healthy as possible. Here a few examples: -Get regular checkups. Regular health checkups with a primary care doctor can
help prevent some serious problems. Prevent infections. Common illnesses, like the flu, can quickly become dangerous for a child with sickle cell disease. The best defense is to take simple steps to help prevent infections. Learn healthy habits. People with sickle cell disease should drink eight to 10 glasses of water every day and eat healthy food. They also should try not to get too hot, too cold or too tired. Look for clinical studies. New clinical research studies are happening all the time to find better treatments and, hopefully, a cure for sickle cell disease. People who participate in these studies might have access to new medicines and treatment options. To learn more about sickle cell disease or sickle cell trait, get tips for healthy living and other resources for sickle cell disease call 1-800CDC-INFO or go to cdc.gov.
20 • February 8, 2017 • The Charlotte News
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 will be taught by Julie Holmes. For more information email Recreation@townofcharlotte.com. Fundraiser: Purrrses for Paws will be held at 6 p.m. at the Burlington International Airport to support the Humane Society of Chittenden County on Feb. 9. 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. Presentation: The Shelburne Historical Society presents the Shelburne Steamboat Graveyard at 11 a.m. at Shelburne Town Hall on Feb. 11. Sure to be of interest to all of Charlotte’s history lovers, boat lovers, lake lovers and curious people in general. For more information email Shelburne Historical Society President Dorothea Penar at dfpenar@comcast.net. History: Geology of Vermont. Ray Coish, emeritus professor of geosciences at Middlebury College, will talk about the geology of Vermont, with a focus on Ferrisburgh, at 2 p.m. at the Ferrisburgh Town Offices and Community Center on Feb. 12. Sponsored by the Ferrisburgh Historical Society. All are welcome. For more information, contact Silas Towler at
425-3380. Open House: To learn about projectbased learning, attend Vermont Day School’s winter open house at 3 p.m. in Shelburne on Feb. 12. The school is also hosting a kindergarten visiting morning for prospective kindergarten students (preregistration required). For more information, visit the school’s website, vtdayschool.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. Oscar-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 425-3377 or email ruahswennerfelt@gmail.com. Talk: The Charlotte Garden Club will sponsor a slide talk by garden designer Charlotte Albers at 10 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Shelburne on Feb. 14. The program, “Great Gardens of the Hudson Valley,” will feature public gardens along the historic Hudson River, many on the National Register of Historic Places. For more information contact Ann Mead at 985-2657. Open House: The Burlington Technical Center, serving high school
News From The Submitted by Margaret Woodruff Thursdays, Feb. 2 through 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 24, 10:30
lease email Lynn@TheCharlotteNews.org to list your community event. Thank you! Courtesy photo students from CVU, EHS, SBHS and other area high schools, will host an open house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 52 Institute Road in Burlington on Feb. 18. Students, families and friends are encouraged to visit. For more information visit burlingtontechnicalcenter.com or call 864-8426. Carnevale: Carnevale Vergennes! “Il Circo della Vita!” The Circus of Life! is scheduled for 7 to 11 p.m. at the Vergennes Opera House on Saturday, March 4. For
tickets or information about any upcoming concerts or events call 877-6737 or email info@vergennesoperahouse.org. Painting/Drawing: Charlotte painting/ drawing sessions have begun at the Inn at Charlotte in Duker Bower’s studio. A group of local artists meet for five-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.
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 storytime setting. Please call or email the library to sign up: 425-3864 or youth. charlottelibraryvt@gmail.com.
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.
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
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 on 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 and Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Charlotte News • February 8, 2017 • 21
Senior Center Senior Center News
Mary Recchia CONTRIBUTOR
Please look for the new spring program as an insert in the next issue of The Charlotte News. We close out the winter program with the following special offerings in addition to all of our regularly scheduled programs. You are invited to an exciting tour of the great works of classical music and opera! Join Damon Ferrante for Classical Music Conversations on Friday, Feb. 10 and 24, from 9:30–10:30 a.m. Part conversation and part educational, this lively listening and discussion group, led by music professor and composer Damon Ferrante, 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. Understanding Nonverbal Communication continues Tuesday afternoons from 1–2:30 on Feb. 14, 21 and 28. 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 at the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York. 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. Registration required. No fee. Come on an adventure with words that will encourage greater awareness of how your language affects yourself and others. Words are powerful. They often have unexpected influence on actions, attitudes, self-esteem, healing and energy. Join Windsong Dervick for a new offering called Speaking Through the Heart on Tuesday afternoons from
1–2:30. Dates: March 7, 14 and 21. Learn how the body-mind processes words and explore how language is a reflection of our unconscious attitudes. Conscious use of language can be heard and understood; it contributes to self-healing and a more positive and peaceful world. Registration required. Max. 10. No fee. Wednesday Wonders—Try a Craft continues on March 8 from 9–11 a.m. with Ruth Whitaker and Barbara Harrison when we will learn how to make quilted bookmarks. Unleash that creative spirit and join us for this new monthly “craft” offering! A sample of the craft will be available in the foyer at the Center prior to class. Materials will be supplied. Registration required. Max. 8. No fee. A collection of lectures, performances and special events showcasing the diverse interests of our community Wednesday afternoons beginning at 1 p.m. No registration or fee. 2/15: From the Mekong River to the Colorado and Beyond: Global Challenges in Meeting People’s Needs for Safe Drinking Water, with Jim Hyde. More than one billion people worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water. The cruel irony is that in terms of volume there is plenty of
water on earth. The problems are access, control and stewardship of this lifesustaining commodity. These issues have interested Jim both professionally and personally as he has traveled to different parts of the world. In this talk Jim will explore these issues using as examples factors that have affected access to safe drinking water in the different parts of the world he has visited. 2/22: A Seldom Visited Island: Taiwan, with Hank Kaestner. Taiwan contains an abundance of Chinese culture, dozens of snow-capped peaks, fascinating offshore islands that were the source of the early Polynesian seafaring explorers and, for Hank, a wonderful group of birds, many of which are found only on this single island. A well-rounded presentation to educate and entertain, you will see one of the world’s tallest buildings in Taipei, the capitol; giant redwood trees that will remind you of California; a look at food that even brings a smile to Hank (could this mean ice cream?); and, of course, a few feathered friends! Come and enjoy a presentation about an off-the-beaten track location that will make you want to hop on the plane and add Taiwan to your world country list!
Puzzles SOLUTIONS ON PAGE 23: 44. Neotropical mammal 45. Tribe of ancient Media 46. Bummed out 47. State in NE India 48. Double curve 50. ___ kitten 51. Savor enjoyment 55. It has moles: Abbr. 57. “On the ___” (Rimes single) 65. Throb 66. Princes in waiting? 67. Bushels 68. Guffaw 69. Bud Grace comic strip 70. Man, for one 71. With understanding 72. Breaks 73. Bar request
Across 1. Invites 5. Biblical hill 10. Nanking nanny 14. Advanced 15. Twelfth Night role 16. Vermin
17. House of Lords member 18. “Otherwise...” 19. Nuncupative 20. “Here he is now!” 23. Carry the day 24. Chop finely
25. Queen, maybe 28. Goose egg 30. Drink garnish 35. Lower the ___ 37. Word with bar or color 40. Removes with a dipper 41. Brown thriller
Down 1. View from Lake Como 2. Escape, in a way 3. Cap site 4. Hat material 5. Electronics science 6. Annoy 7. Time division 8. ___ Bowl 9. Execrates 10. African flower 11. Ballistic missile sys. 12. Berry 13. Hot spot 21. Connections
22. Wild Asian dog 25. Bananalike plant 26. Taboos 27. One-piece garments 29. Good earth 31. Gyro meat 32. Murtis 33. Locus 34. Antique auto 36. Intro to physics? 38. Chain letters? 39. “The ___ of Night” (old soap) 42. Belafonte dance 43. Strips
49. Kind of tax 52. Behind 53. Mall component 54. Mongol rulers 56. Another time 57. Draped dress 58. Graphical user interface feature 59. Spicy stew 60. Mysterious: Var. 61. Tinker with, in a way 62. Different 63. “Come Back, Little Sheba” wife 64. Galley mark
22 • February 8, 2017 • The Charlotte News
Out Takes Edd Merritt CONTRIBUTING EDITOR We gotta get out of this place If it’ the last thing we e’er do We gotta get out of this place Girl, there’s a better place for me and you “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” The Animals The United States of New England I kinda like the sound of that. With all due respect to a periodic reader and neighbor, Walter Judge, who responds negatively whenever I preach secession, it’s a topic that has hit home again with our new president’s view of the world. At least two recent media items have reincarnated my leading secessionist, the late Thomas Naylor, who pushed for getting Vermont out of the Union. I turned on one of the local TV stations the other night and who should appear but Thomas in an early interview about his Vermont slogan, “Most Likely to Secede.” Thomas, of course, was an interesting mix of background, education, learning and working. Born and raised in Mississippi, he earned an undergraduate degree at Millsaps College in Jackson and probably would have agreed with Phil Ochs that it’s “time for Mississippi to find another country to be part of” (but not, according to Naylor, in order to retain its racism). Thomas
headed north to Columbia University in New York City where he earned a second baccalaureate, then completed an M.B.A. at the University of Indiana and a Ph.D. in economics at Tulane. He spent 30 years teaching economics at Duke University, before retiring to our town—primarily, as he said often, because it had a good feel to it, in terms both of size and closeness among residents. I remember sitting with Thomas, sipping coffee outside Spears Store in East Charlotte, and he told me how he had recently visited Carolyn Chute, an offbeat author (The Beans of Egypt, Maine), who had invited him to attend a gathering of a clan of which she and her husband are members (Curiously, her husband is illiterate, which might seem unusual in an author’s spouse.). The clan is the Second Maine Militia, whose goal also is secession, and Thomas was himself laughing at some of the things that it promoted (not the least impactful was the marijuana inside their brownies), which led me to believe that he retained a certain sense of humor and a degree of common sense about getting the U.S. out of Vermont. Running into Thomas periodically at the store, we felt comfortable talking secession. We’d be outside drinking coffee, and I’d be getting the latest scoop on improvements that could come about if we’d just get out of this damn country and form our own. Thoughtful as always, Thomas had carefully studied European nationhood and had come to the conclusion that individual countries, such as Switzerland and Denmark, were culturally more comfortable places to live and work because the individual citizen was closer to his
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government and could have a more direct bearing on what happened within a smaller nation (and between and among countries) than we of larger nations ever could hope to have—unless, of course, we were part of the government, which then required us to do it as a job. He also pointed out what had happened to the former Soviet Union when it broke apart into its separate entities and became less an overall dictatorship, despite Russia’s seeming continued dominance. Fourteen years ago he launched the Second Vermont Republic (SVR) as a keystone body pushing for Vermont’s independence movement. Not to be chauvinistic, Thomas said it would be all right if other states joined in if they wished, forming the United States of New England. So, here we are again. In the 18th century Vermont had pulled out of the British Empire but had not yet become one of the United States. Maybe 240 years later, it’s time to try independence again. Unfortunately for Thomas’s ideas, the history of secessionism in this country has often focused on the southern confederacy. He pointed out the League of the South, which has been deemed racist, and was compared unfavorably to what he advocated for Vermont. The Southern Poverty Law Center took him to task for making the connection, saying that SVR had formed a “bewildering alliance” with these neo-confederates, according to an article in the January 11 Seven Days. While some of their actions were similar, Thomas always denied the connection between the beliefs of the two bodies. Maintaining financial stability without the larger economy supporting us directly has become another contentious issue.
Critics ask what would happen if you separated from America’s global oversight, had to develop your own currency and succeed in a state with a relatively small labor force, a mountain range down its middle limiting manufacturing jobs. Whether it was foresight on his part or such a rapid change in the ways money is earned these days, Thomas did not believe “smalling down” would hurt Vermont financially. Naylor’s strongest proponent in the movement to secede is a Waitsfield activist and former yak farmer, Rob Williams. He publishes a paper called the Vermont Independent whose editorials focus on ways to break away from corporate America. An article in the latest New Yorker magazine piqued my science fiction curiosity along a similar vein. It focused on living a different type of existence in the future. There is a group that feels it may be desirable to move out of society as it currently exists before we are pushed into a type of existence that is totally foreign to today. In order to prepare themselves, members are purchasing condominium units built into an underground bunker, without windows on the world or porches on the yard. Secession seems almost mild in comparison. An eye glaring down from space or a stray comet could become a closer reality. Douglas Adams’s Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy could prove real. Naylor leaves us Vermont with new bosses. Adams destroys the whole planet to make way for an interstellar bypass, and as they leap into the future, his dolphins bid us, “so long and thanks for all the fish.” Could fat cows serve as our new country’s staple product?
The Charlotte News • February 8, 2017 • 23
Around Town Edd Merritt CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Congratulations:
to our former assistant editor and layout organizer, Geeda Searfoorce, who is back on stage at the Off Center for Dramatic Arts. Geeda is a part of a sketch comedy group calling itself Stealing from Work that has been drawing squeals of laughter from its audiences according to an article in the January 26 Burlington Free Press. Sounding time appropriate, the current show is called “History Re-tweets Itself.” to Madeline Turnau, a student at Elon University located in Elon, North Carolina, who earned placement on the dean’s list for the 2016 fall semester. Madeline is the daughter of Bob and Robin Turnau of Charlotte.
Sympathy:
is extended to family and friends of Phyllis Larry of Charlotte who passed away January 27 at the age of 82. Phyllis was known in the East Charlotte neighborhood as a master gardener and a former president of the Burlington Garden Club. She volunteered as a proofreader for the Charlotte News for a number of years. Her surviving family includes her husband, Carl Tatlock, of Charlotte. is extended to family and friends of Carolyn Lockwood-Pitkin who passed away January 29 at the age of 93. A former resident of Charlotte, she is survived by her daughter, Amy deGroot. The family will sponsor a celebration of her life August 5 at the Charlotte Congregational Church. They ask that those wishing to send remembrances do so in the form of donations to the Music Fund at the Congo
Vermont Day School student receives letter from Barack Obama Sage Bagnato CONTRIBUTOR
As part of a year-long study of Vermont history, government and ecology, Vermont Day School 2nd and 3rd grade students created travel brochures to highlight unique aspects of Vermont. The brochures focused on everything from the maple sugar industry, to favorite swimming holes, to museum offerings. During the process of creating their brochures, students gained invaluable research, interview, writing and graphicdesign skills. The class hosted a mock Chamber Of Commerce event for parents and classmates to showcase their work. And the project did not stop there. Students sent the brochures to people living in other parts of the country to entice them to visit our extraordinary state. While most students sent the brochures to family and friends in places as far reaching as Colorado and Florida, one student took a different approach. “I wanted to send the brochure to someone I look up to as a leader,” said 3rd grade student Felix Nestor. “I like President Obama because he is thoughtful, makes good decisions and thinks about others.” A month later, a thick manila envelope arrived at school, addressed to the class. The return address was unmistakable: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW,
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Felix Nestor. Courtesy photo Washington, DC. “The class was ecstatic when the package from President Obama arrived,” teacher Brea Schwartz said. “It was one of those moments as a teacher that I will never forget.” President Obama’s letter reminded students that their generation “will be charting America’s course.” He encouraged students to “keeping dreaming big and working hard,” a message they will undoubtedly remember for years come, Schwartz said. To learn more about project-based learning, attend Vermont Day School’s winter open house at 3 p.m. on Feb. 12. The school is also hosting a kindergarten visiting morning for prospective kindergarten students (preregistration required). For more information, visit the school’s website vtdayschool.org.
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