The Charlotte News | June 14, 2017

Charlotte News

The

Charlotte’s award-winning community newspaper

VOLUME LIX NUMBER 23

THE VOICE OF THE TOWN

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2017

SUMMER GOODNESS!

Sunshine finally ushers in strawberry season page 5

Proposed solar array on hold,

page 1

Congratulations to CCS grads

pages 12, 13, 14

Effortless optimism with Alice Outwater,

page 22

CharlotteNewsVT.org

Vol. 59, no. 23 June 14, 2017

Charlotte News

The

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

CVU to raise livestock on campus for the first time Lynn Monty EDITOR IN CHIEF

We had the pleasure of visiting with Dave Trevithick’s Natural Resources class where we learned all about caring for goats, that we have 8,000 coyotes in the state, and how bats like to sleep. His students have been busy! We asked a few more questions about goats finding permanent residence on the CVU campus in a June 6 interview, and Dave was happy to oblige.

Please see a video of the goats on The Charlotte News Facebook page, where it already has about 4,000 views!

The Charlotte News: Why livestock at CVU?

Champlain Valley Union High School’s Natural Resources class introduced goats on campus for the first time last week.

Photo by Lynn Monty

Dave Trevithick: As we started creating our Sustainability Hub at CVU, we realized that part of not only farm-to-school but sustainability in general is animals and their role in the environment. With the goats we wanted animals that would be able to take care of our landscape as well as be relatively hardy animals to introduce to CVU. We could not have done this without the help of Diantha Francis, who raises goats and works at CVU. The chickens were also an easy choice as we can start getting eggs soon and they are also pretty easy to care for.

TCN: Are you prepared to house goats and chickens all year round?

DT: We are prepared to house goats year round, and as for the chickens, we are still figuring that out.

TCN: Are any other animals on their way? Cows perhaps?

DT: As for other animals, we don’t have any plans currently, but Angora goats have been discussed, as well as geese. We are trying to work around the mixed uses that the campus currently has, for example the disc golf course.

TCN: What is the added workload for housing these animals?

DT: Currently the work load includes putting the goats and chickens into the student-built goat cart in the evening, letting them out in the morning and always making sure they have fresh water.

When the grazing opportunities diminish we will move the cart, goat and fencing to a new area. Already they are having an impact on the unwanted vegetation that we have here.

see GOATS page 3

Proposed view-blocking solar array put on hold Keith Morrill STAFF WRITER

A Vermont company’s plan to build solar panels in Charlotte was dealt a serious setback after a recent proposed decision recommended that the Vermont Public Service Board deny the permit for the project. Peck Electric, a solar electric company in South Burlington, seeks to build an array less than a mile from the base of Mt. Philo, but those plans might stand at odds with Vermont state law.

Though ground has yet to be broken on the project, the effort is already a year and a half in the making. Peck Electric initially filed for the permit in September 2015, though it wasn’t until the following May that the board flagged the proposal for potential conflicts with several state laws. This set off a year of hearings and site visits with representatives from Peck Electric, the Town of Charlotte and several Vermont State agencies.

At the heart of the issue is the westward view from the summit of Mt. Philo, which offers an unobstructed panorama of Vermont pastures and peaks, Lake

Peck Electric filed for permits in September 2015, the following May the proposal was flagged for potiential conflicts with state laws.

Champlain and the distant Adirondacks.

That view has been popular since the park was established in 1924, and it now draws 50,000 visitors annually, making Mt. Philo the fourth-most popular state park in Vermont.

The proposed array—650 groundmounted panels spread over one acre— would sit in the middle of that view.

The town contends that, if built, the array would be out of character with the

Solar panels, similar to these, are proposed for the one acre site. Courtesy photo surrounding landscape, which the town has gone to great lengths to protect. The panels would mar the view and ultimately compromise the park’s popularity.

Peck Electric has taken efforts to mitigate the project’s impact by proposing to plant trees and bushes to screen the array from view. Those efforts, however, might not be enough. John Gerhard, the

Sports 17 • Senior Center 20 • Community Events 22

hearing officer appointed by the board, concluded that the array would still be fully visible from the summit, even once the proposed trees grew to maturity.

As a result, the project would violate two statutes: It would “interfere with the public’s use and enjoyment of Mt. Philo

see SOLAR page 3

2 • June 14, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Editorial Catching up and buckling down Last week in the Tree Tribe story on page 7 we neglected to give Meg Berlin credit for her stunning images of that old Slippery Elm receiving hugs Lynn Monty from our community EDITOR IN CHIEF just before it was removed last year and of the champion White Cedar at Barber Hill Cemetery. In the hustle and bustle of meeting deadlines and getting the paper on the stands we regretfully miss a few things at times. Incidentally, Charlotte’s Tree Tribe still needs volunteers! Check out our last edition for more information.

In other news, Heather Morse and Greg Armell have continued to orchestrate their renovation of the historic Elijah Alexander House. We initially covered the story in the Jan. 11 edition. It is our most popular story this year to date! Feel free to pick up a copy at our office on Ferry Road or read the story online at CharlotteNewsVT.org. We caught up with Mike Gingras of Addison Residential last week as he worked on the place. He said the project is both a restoration and a renovation. The exterior main house is almost an exact reproduction of the original trim, entryway and louver in the front gable. The wing details reflect traditional early 1900s style as well. It’s all mahogany and the exposed flashings are copper. It will be ready to paint in about a week.

You’ll notice a new writer in this week’s edition. We would like to welcome intern Sarah Wolverton to The News team this summer. She is a college student eager to become a published journalist.

Please enjoy this week’s centerfold of Charlotte Central School students who are on their way to high school. High school!?!

Can you believe it? Kids grow up so fast!

Speaking of how time flies, in July we will begin our 60th year in production!

Please note this honorable mention of editors past: Nancy Wood, 1958 (summer)

The Charlotte News 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.

Mike Gingras of Addison Residential and Lucas Sweeney of Sweeney Construction make steady progress on the Elijah Alexander House in Charlotte.

Photo by Heather Morse Connie Waller, 1958 Marge Coleman, 1961 Mary King 1974 Abby Sheldon-Dean 1987 Bob and Pat Turner 1992 Janice Heilmann and Elizabeth Bassett 1994 Janice Heilmann 1995 Laura Cahners-Ford 2001 Edd Merritt 2001 Peter Coleman 2002 Robbie Stanley 2004 Melissa O’Brien 2008 Nancy Wood 2009 Rowan Beck 2012 Brett Sigurdson 2013 Alex Bunten 2015 Thank you all for the foundation you have set, and cheers to yet another successful edition of The News.

Remember we are always looking for story and photo submissions. So please send yours to Lynn@TheCharlotteNews. org.

Contributions in the form of articles, press releases and photographs pertaining to Charlotte-related people and events are accepted and encouraged. For submission guidelines and deadlines, please visit our website or contact the editor at news@thecharlottenews.org.

The Charlotte News is published in Charlotte

by The Charlotte News, Inc., a Vermont domestic 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation.

Distribution is made every other Thursday to all households and businesses in Charlotte and to more than 50 outlets in Shelburne, Hinesburg, North Ferrisburgh, Ferrisburgh, Vergennes and Burlington. The Charlotte News relies on the generous financial contributions of its readers, subscriptions and advertising revenue to sustain its operations.

Editorial Staff news@thecharlottenews.org / 425-4949 Editor in chief: Lynn Monty Layout manager: Anna Cyr Staff writers: Keith Morrill, Rowan Beck Outwater intern: Sarah Wolverton Contributing editors: Edd Merritt Copy editors: Beth Merritt, Vince Crockenberg, Carol Hanley, Edd Merritt, Janet Yantachka Business Staff ads@thecharlottenews.org / 343-0279 Ad manager: Monica Marshall Business manager: Shanley Hinge

Correction: This Tree Tribe treehugger photo from our last edition was erroneously marked “courtesy photo” when we should have given photo credit to Meg Berlin.

Board Members President: Vince Crockenberg Secretaries: Rick Detwiler, Carol Hanley Treasurer: Patrice Machavern Board members: Rachel Allard, Bob Bloch, Rick Detwiler, Carol Hanley, Gay Regan, Louisa Schibli Contributors Elizabeth Bassett, Meg Berlin, Cindy Bradley, Bradley Carleton, Carina Cartelli, Joanne Lafreniere, Molly King, Sheri Larsen, Heather Morse, Rob Mullin, Alice Outwater, Deb Preston, Mary Recchia and Margaret Woodruff Subscription Information The Charlotte News is delivered at no cost to all Charlotte residences. Subscriptions are available for first-class delivery at $40 per calendar year. Want a subscription? Please send a check payable to The Charlotte News, PO Box 251, Charlotte, VT 05445.

ON THE COVER: Wilder Rye Hausmann of Charlotte savors the season’s first strawberries at Adam’s Berry Farm.

Courtesy photo

Postmaster Send address changes to: The Charlotte News P.O. Box 251, Charlotte, VT 05445 Telephone: 425-4949 Circulation: 3,000 copies per issue.

Copyright © 2017 The Charlotte News, Inc. Printed in Burlington, Vermont, by Gannet Publishing Services Member of the New England Newspaper and Press Association and the Vermont Press Association.

The Charlotte News • June 14, 2017 • 3

SOLAR

continued from page 1 State Park” and also “have an undue adverse effect on the aesthetics of the area.”

Though this is not a final decision, if the board does not modify, it could spell the end of the project.

“We will file comments asking the board to decline some of the proposed findings from the hearing officer,” said

GOATS

continued from page 1 TCN: How did this rotational grazing goat cart come about?

DT: This started in the fall in Natural Resources when students created a permaculture plan for CVU that included livestock. Students in the spring picked up the project to make it happen.

TCN: Is it costly?

DT: I purchased the goats myself, as well as the chicken eggs that were incubated.

The costs so far have been for the incubator and the goat cart material. Those costs were taken care of by a donation from the Norman Foundation and Phil Lassalle. We

Peck Electric’s lawyer, Justin Barnard.

Beyond that, Barnard said, it’s too early to speculate on a next move should the board uphold the decision.

Town Administrator Dean Bloch said the town is pleased with the proposed decision. Bloch also said the town takes no issue with Peck Electric itself or with the idea of giving a home to solar arrays elsewhere in town, so long as proposed arrays fall in line with the Town Plan.

“With the right location, I think the Selectboard would be very supportive.”

are hoping to one day have the chickens and garden producing enough to make their upkeep sustainable.

TCN: What would you like our readers to know about livestock being introduced on campus for the first time?

DT: I feel it is so important for people to be connected to their food, as well as to our agricultural roots, which sometimes feel lost even when it was only 20 years ago we were called “Cow Valley Union.”

Currently our biggest concerns about bringing livestock to CVU are unleashed dogs on the disc golf course. CVU policy doesn’t allow dogs on campus to begin with, but I understand that it really isn’t enforced. So if people could really make an effort to keep their dogs at home or have them leashed at all times, that would be a huge help.

Photo of the week

Barn swallow eggs, taken by Payton Sweet, 7, in the Town of Charlotte.

Submitted by Deb Preston

E-MAIL US YOUR NEWS! news@TheCharlotteNews.org

4 • June 14, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Around Town Edd Merritt CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Congratulations: to Madison Tieso of Charlotte who earned placement on the Castleton University Dean’s List for the spring semester, 2017.

Madison met the requirements of full-time student status and maintaining a grade point average of 3.5 or higher. to the following students at Rice Memorial High School who are from Charlotte and who earned rewards for the 2016/2017 school year: Underclassmen: Cooper Harvey; Governor’s Institute on Environmental Science & Technology Award Andrew Slauterbeck; Junior John Donohue Award for Growth and Achievement and the Saint Michael’s College Book Award Graduates: Anna Schibli; Vermont Principals Association Scholar-Athlete Award Caroline Breen; Vermont Principals Association Scholar-Athlete Award Emma Hudziak; Vermont Principals Association Scholar-Athlete Award Saige Alpeter; Vermont Principals Association Scholar-Athlete Award to Chase Weaver of Charlotte who graduated from Clarkson University, Potsdam, N.Y., earning a bachelor of science degree with great distinction in civil engineering. to the following Charlotters who earned undergraduatedegreesfromtheUniversity of Vermont this year: Nathaniel Bauman; Bachelor Arts in

history Gabriel Bosen; Bachelor of Science in natural resources Benjamin Comai; Bachelor of Science Magna Cum Laude in environmental studies Nicholas Ferrentino; Bachelor of Science in business administration Mkeia Freese; Bachelor of Arts in psychological science Jessica Hella; Bachelor of Arts in English Silas Hill; Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering Tylor Mayfield; Bachelor of Arts in computer science Lindsey Mick; Bachelor Arts Summa Cum Laude in history Christopher Moran; Bachelor of Science in business administration Ezra Mount-Finette; Bachelor of Science in a self-designed major Bradley Ohlson; Bachelor of Science in music education Elizabeth Richards; Bachelor of Science Cum Laude in civil engineering Ashley Strong; Bachelor of Arts in political science Jamieson Thayer; Bachelor of Arts in political science Kyla Williamson; Bachelor Arts in mathematics to the following Charlotters who earned Dean’s List honors at the University of Vermont for the spring semester 2017: Abigail Postlewaite, Addison Zinner, Benjamin Rechia, Bradley Ohlson, Brooks Jordan, Jasper White-Hansen, Lindsey Mick, Maeve Higgins, Mi Mucklow, Sophie Judge, Stephen Donahue, William Sudbay. to Elaine Ittleman whose abstract landscape art work will be on display through June 25th in the Jackson Gallery of the Town Hall Theater, Middlebury to CVU senior Carly Alpert from Charlotte whoearnedthetitleofsecond-placewinner in the Vermont Real Entrepreneurship Video Pitch contest for her creation of

Rice Memorial High School recognizes the following Charlotte students as Graduates of the Class of 2017: Saige Alpeter, Caroline Breen, Emma Hudziak, Anna Schibli

Courtesy photo

“The Flow.” Carly was chosen because of her “innovative and viable idea of starting a food boat business on Lake Champlain.”

This year’s judges were impressed also by the way she presented her “pitch” with “knowledge, poise and professionalism.” to the incoming new staff at Charlotte Central School for the 2017/2018 school year. Matt Kent will replace Robyn Davis as a physical education teacher and Katie Duprat will replace Cindy Schnell as school nurse.

Town Bite:

Register your dog (s) now No pun intended, this bite is a request to register your dog/dogs now if you have not done so already. Town Clerk Mary Mead wrote in Front Page Forum that dogs were to have been licensed by April 1. She then said some stragglers have been reported, and she has a list of their owners. She apologizes if there are names on the list that should not be there. She says she received several phone messages from people who said they no longer had their dogs but did not leave their names. Mary asks that they call her back. Fees are $11 for spayed or neutered dogs and $17 for intact males and females.

Regional Bites:

Seven Days asks whether Vermont Public

Radio is fulfilling its responsibility In his column for Seven Days (May 31), John Walters asks whether another Vermont news medium, Vermont Public Radio (VPR) is producing the type and quality of news it should be, given what he feels is a hefty budget – nearly $9 million in 2016. He compares it to New Hampshire Public Radio that spent about one and a half million dollars less ($7.3 million) last year. He speaks at length with VPR’s CEO, Robin Turnau of Charlotte. She feels VPR has grown rapidly and dramatically to serve its audience well, and that, she says, has taken a good deal of fund raising.

She is quoted as saying, “it takes money to raise money.” Only about one quarter of the revenue comes from pledge drives.

The rest comes through major donors, corporateunderwritersand13,000monthly donations. That also takes time to manage it, Walter says.

Walters suggests that much of what comes across the waves is no longer in a standard news format. It is what he terms“lifestyle-y programming,” and he feels that perhaps the balance may be slightly tipped in terms of more “lighter fare.” Robin, on the other hand, feels that, in fact, they do “a lot of hard news, but we do it in a different way.”

And she does believe that they will need to invest in more investigative journalism as the station moves forward. It seems that part of the reason the question arises is that VPR holds a good deal of influence with its audience, and Walters leaves the piece with the question of whether it is fulfilling its responsibility at the price it pays.

To make it personal or not?

Charlotte and Washington, D.C. attorney Brady Toensing, who also happens to be vice chair of the Vermont Republican Party,hasenteredthedebateaboutmaking personal emails of state employees open to the public. The debate had a national bearing during the presidential election when Hilary Clinton’s private email account became a point of controversy over what some felt was political content.

Toensinghasappealedastaterulingthatthe attorney general’s office need not ask state employees whether their personal email accounts contain any “responsive public records,” according to a June 8 Burlington Free Press article. The Vermont Press Association joined Brady in his appeal.

The Charlotte News • June 14, 2017 • 5

Town

Strawberry season kicks off summer Lynn Monty

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Strawberry season is in full swing and Adam’s Berry Farm is finally buzzing. Its first harvest is underway about two weeks later than usual due to the cool and wet start to the season, Jessica Sanford said.

She and Adam Hausmann are partners and manage the farm together.

“The weather has delayed ripening and has made it difficult for many farmers to get into their fields to perform necessary spring tasks such as cultivating, mowing down cover crop and planting,” Sanford said.

New warmth jumpstarted the ripening process as sunshine finally broke through the clouds last week, allowing fruit to emerge in luscious glory. Strawberry season is quick, lasting only about 25 days, but it truly signifies the onset of summer.

“We are excited for the start of the season and to again open the farm to the public,” Sanford said. “We love when it is buzzing with kids, families and the sounds of summer.”

All of Adam’s berries are certified organic by Vermont Organic Farmers.

Right now the farm does not offer pick-

your-own strawberries, but pre-picked strawberries are available for sale at the farm stand, as are popsicles, sorbets, jams, honey and eggs. Adam’s berries are also sold at City Market, Shelburne Market and Healthy Living, as well as at the Burlington Farmers Market every Saturday.

The pick-your-own season will begin with summer raspberries, followed by blueberries and fall raspberries. The owners welcome visitors to picnic on the grounds overlooking the farm. “Bring a date, plan a family excursion, pack a lunch, meet a play-group, or see old friends and meet new ones,” Sanford said.

Adam’s Berry Farm, located on 985 Bingham Brook Road, has partnered with the Charlotte Library to offer story hour for kids of all ages and a summer book group series. They have also partnered with Yoga Roots to offer a yoga class to benefit the Charlotte Land Trust.

WHAT: Reading Fun at the Berry Farm. Meet us at the farm for a summer of berries, great stories, gardening and busy activities. All ages are welcome.

WHEN: Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. from June 20 to Aug. 15.

WHAT: Summer Book Group Series.

Adults can celebrate the summer solstice

Courtsey photo with an al fresco potluck and book group conversations. This first of three monthly meetings will feature selections from Changing Season: A Father, a Daughter and a Family Farm, by David Mas Masumoto and Nikiko Masumoto.

WHEN: Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. June 21, July 19 and Aug. 23 WHAT: Yoga Roots at Adam’s Berry

Farm to benefit the Charlotte Land Trust.

A well-rounded practice accessible to all levels. Use your Yoga Roots class card or drop in for $16. Registration suggested.

Call 985-0090 or visit yogarootsvt. com or adamsberryfarm.com.

WHEN: Mondays 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. from July 10 to Aug. 21

Annual Library Book Sale preparations under way

Again this year the Friends of the Charlotte Library book sale will be on a Sunday— July 9—from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

You’ll find our usual tent on the Town Green with a wonderful assortment of books at great bargain prices. Various food vendors have been invited to the event to provide sustenance for hungry book buyers.

As always, your donations of books make the book sale the success it is. To help us uphold our reputation for having the best quality used books around, please follow the guidelines below.

Book sale guidelines To avoid rejecting pounds of books and adding to the already labor-intensive sorting process, please recycle unsaleable books before dropping off your donations at the library.

We cannot accept: Damp, moldy or mildewed books Books in poor condition (missing pages/ covers, underlined, yellowed, etc.)

Textbooks, encyclopedias, Reader’s Digest condensed books Travel books older than 2010

Magazines

Here’s what you need to do: Throw out damp, moldy, mildewed or smelly books with your trash.

Recycle other unsaleable books (see previos list): • Paperbacks—recycle with your other recyclables or drop off at • a Chittenden Solid Waste (CSWD) drop-off site.

• Hardcovers—cannot be recycled with your regular recycling but can be • dropped off at a CSWD drop-off site.

• Goodwill (open every day) on Shelburne Road takes donations of most books, including textbooks, encyclopedias, old books.

Donations for the Book Sale: Bring saleable books to the library when the library is open. Please • do not leave donations outside the door when the library is closed.

• check in with library staff to find out where to leave your donations and to • preview for suitability if you are uncertain.

•

request a donation receipt from library staff.

We will be accepting donations starting Wednesday, June 21, and ending Thursday, July 6. If you have a large number of books to donate, please call Nan Mason (425-2588) or Beth Merritt (4252191) to make arrangements.

Following these guidelines will make this year’s sale the best ever! We thank you for your continuing support and look forward to seeing you on July 9 for some great book shopping.

6 • June 14, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Town

Tales from the past with S. Russell Williams Charlotte softball and “God’s time”

Submitted by Molly King These tales of the past are the work of lifelong Charlotte resident S. Russell Williams, who was born in town in 1904. Molly King is his granddaughter. This story was first published in The News in January of 1980. Williams died that following June.

Softball (modified baseball) hit Charlotte in the 1930s. It resulted from a union of the American male’s natural desire to play baseball and The Great Depression, which made it necessary for people to entertain themselves in inexpensive ways.

The rules for softball differed in some respects from regular baseball, but the general game was the same. Pitching had to be done with an underhand motion, there were 10 men on a team, and a few other changes. A rule which one Charlotte player refused to accept for a while was one against metal spikes, but he finally came around.

Softball was attractive in that it did not require as much space as baseball, and the equipment was less costly. One could play without a glove—but the ball was soft only by comparison.

At first the games were between pick-up teams composed of anyone who wanted to play, and games were played on any vacant field. As things went along, inevitably some players were found to be better than others, and the best evolved into “The Team.”

With the game becoming more and more organized, a regular field was needed, and Mr. Harry Van Vleit of East Charlotte kindly allowed the squad to use one of his fields and to build a backstop and small grandstand. The field and equipment were given perfect care by Mr. Edward Bessette.

Softball came into being at other places too, so it was only natural that games with out of town teams started. Opponents were Lakeside, Strong Hardware, Burlington, Milton, Thompson’s Point, Basin Harbor, Vergennes and others.

One year there was a little difficulty with time. Practically all games were played

after work, meaning usually as soon as possible after five o’clock. Charlotte was one of the few towns which did not believe in messing up “God’s time,” as it was called, by changing to daylight saving time.

Consequently, teams from out of town had to sit around for an hour waiting for the home team to appear, and those same teams waited at home when Charlotte was on the road. Everything seemed to work out all right in spite of it.

Unless players and spectators are willing to put up with 10 minutes of bickering for every two minutes of played, an umpire is necessary. Ed Bessette, Dan St. George and William Thorpe did the officiating at home games. When Will Thorpe umpired, the visiting team took great delight in ribbing the Charlotte team for having the father of Charlotte’s pitcher (Roy Thorpe) as umpire.

To the credit of everyone concerned, no blood was shed because of it. Also, because of scheduling requirements, a manager was needed, and Bill Williams took the job of keeping things going smoothly.

Even though the hat was passed, additional funds were required for simple uniforms, travel, etc. In those days, people didn’t rush for grants if they needed money for something, so, old fashioned as it may sound, they looked for a way to earn it.

The team decided to put on a play, and under the coaching of Grace Devoid of Burlington, they staged The Detective, with many players and wives in it. In addition to a Charlotte performance, they “trod the boards” in Bridport, Addison, Burlington, Lincoln and Vergennes.

Most of these appearances were churchsponsored and usually involved a church supper. Addison fed the team some fine baked eel pies, which everyone liked, including those who would have run out of the hall had they known the contents. The plot of the play required that a man be shot— with a blank, of course. Unfortunately, at one performance the wad caught Roy Thorpe in the eye, and he had to be treated by a doctor.

Fortunately there were no lasting effects.

To be sure the customers received full value for their money, the versatile Roy Thorpe, who both pitched and was shot, also sang between the acts, accompanied by the troop’s pianist, Helen Williams.

By the summer of 1938, the ball team had become a fixture. The attendance was good, and the team won far more games than it lost. By this time, the whole country had taken to the game, and it became organized on a national level. Teams, presumably all amateur, were fielded by small towns, large towns, industries, churches, clubs, etc. Regional competitions led to national competitions, and Charlotte was caught up in the current.

Toward the end of the ‘38 season, Charlotte found itself faced with the possibility of becoming a regional champion. With two games to go, at a double-header in Montpelier, Charlotte won the first game.

The second game, against Rock of Ages of Barre, was about as close as a game could be. But the score, one to zero, Barre! It could easily have gone the other way, but it didn’t.

There was a rule which allowed the winning team to pick one player from another team in the area to play with them in the nationals. The Rock of Ages team liked pitcher Thorpe’s fire ball, so he was picked by them for the playoffs in Chicago. The Rocks were eventually beaten by Roanoke, Virginia, but all hands were royally entertained and it was a good experience.

Softball continued for a few years, but the clouds of the ‘40s sort of dimmed the enthusiasm of the ‘30s along amusement lines. It was great while it lasted!

The names of the ball players, as remembered, follow: Clayton Sheehan (Capt.), Roy Thorpe, Sidney Falby, Forest Carpenter, Earl Carpenter, John Magee (Shelburne), Harold Sipsey (Middlebury), Ted Caldwell (Thompson’s Point), Bill Root, Rhodes Bucklin, Maurice Williams and Hugh Hart (Hinesburg). There were undoubtedly others, and if anyone knows of them, their names should be added to the list.

New solar development to power 500 Vermont homes Staff report

The Bullrock Corporation of Shelburne announced today that it has received a Certificate of Public Good that will enable it to construct the state’s largest solar array intended to produce electricity for consumption by Vermonters. The 5.7 megawatt project will be built in Grand Isle on 57 acres of land leased from Dreamwalker Farm. Construction is slated to begin in July and will employ approximately 40 people during the six-month project.

The lease allows the farm to remain in agriculture and avoid development.

Bullrock owner and CEO Gregg Beldock of Charlotte said, “This is a very exciting moment for solar energy in Vermont. This new development will produce enough electricity to power 500 homes, moving the Green Mountain State another critical step on the road to a clean and independent energy future. We look forward to getting to work with our friends and partners in Grand Isle and in the various state agencies that are helping us through the regulatory process.”

Andy Thomas, president of Bullrock, said, “This latest solar project is another sign that Vermont is a leading voice in the renewable energy market.

We are excited to get shovels in the ground, and for the project to come online before the end of the year.”

Through a Power Purchase Agreement, Vermont Electric Cooperative will buy the electricity generated by the project, allowing VEC to meet its clean energy mandate.

Bullrock is one of the state’s leading solar developers with more than 30 projects in Vermont.

For more information visit bullrockcorp.com.

The Charlotte News • June 14, 2017 • 7

Final Route 7 paving should begin this fall

Town

Photo submitted by Francine Perkins

Lynn Monty EDITOR IN CHIEF

The U.S. Route 7 reconstruction and roadway widening between the Charlotte and Ferrisburgh town line and East Thompson’s Point Road that started in 2016 is slated to wrap up next June. Work on this one-mile stretch also included drainage improvements and replacement of two aging culverts with new concrete box culverts. Two layers of new pavement were installed with a final layer planned for the end of 2017, VTRANS officials said.

Right now crews are working on the remaining two-mile stretch between East Thompson’s Point Road and Ferry Road.

Similar to last year, reconstruction of the roadway will consist of removing the existing pavement, along with underlying select materials, and replacing it with new select materials and four layers of new pavement. Drainage improvements will also be made to this stretch of U.S. 7.

Earlier this spring, traffic was shifted to two-way traffic detours between State Park Road and the Wildwood West development.

Crews then began reconstructing the section between State Park Road and the Charlotte Berry Farm, and this section is now ready for the base course of new pavement, officials at VTRANS said. Paving is scheduled for the week of June 12.

Reconstruction of U.S. 7 from the Charlotte Berry Farm to Wildwood West is currently underway. Crews are expecting this section to be reconstructed and ready for paving by mid-July.

One of the project highlights this year

includes the installation of a new concrete box culvert that will serve as a recreational facility underpass near the Lower Old Town Trail, providing bicycle and pedestrian connectivity with Greenbush Road to the west. A section of the culvert has been installed in the newly reconstructed section, with the remaining section expected to be completed later this summer after traffic has been shifted back over to U.S. 7.

The two-way traffic detour for the final mile of the project between the Wildwood West development and just south of Ferry Road is constructed and scheduled for paving. Traffic will likely be shifted onto the traffic detour by the end of June, as construction operations move north to start reconstruction of this section.

Final paving is expected to occur over the entire three miles of the project in either late fall or early spring, with the project scheduled for completion in June 2018, VTRANS officials said.

The primary purpose of the project is to enhance safety and mobility along the Charlotte U.S. 7 corridor through expanding the existing two-foot shoulders to full eightfoot shoulders consistent with not only the U.S. 7 typical sections to the immediate north and south but also consistent with the majority of U.S. 7 between Burlington and Bennington, VTRANS officials said. This expanded shoulder, built to state and federal design standards, is expected to enhanced safety for vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians, as well as law enforcement. The project will also enhance safety through improved sight distance on two of the redesigned vertical curves along the corridor.

Charlotte Girl Scouts’ float wins in Vergennes Memorial Day Parade

Charlotte Girl Scouts decorated a float and participated in the Vergennes Memorial Day Parade for the first time this year. They won third place in the junior division.

Photo by Cindy Bradley

8 • June 14, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Town Clemmons farm considered for national grant program

Happy Father’s Day from Fresh Air

Staff report The Clemmons Family Farm is a finalist for ArtPlace America’s 2017 National Creative Placemaking Fund.

This competitive national grant program will consider 70 projects. Only seven percent of the 987 applications received from across the country this year made the cut.

The fund invests money to support artists, arts organizations and arts and culture programs to help drive community development in communities across the country. The Clemmons proposed a project called “A Sense of Place” to bring recent immigrants and longtime residents of Chittenden County together to plan and create indoor and outdoor venues, as well as African and African American arts and culture programs on their historic 148-acre farm.

“We are honored to have made it into the finalist round given the stiff competition among so many phenomenal applicants across the country,” said Clemmons Family Farm Director Dr. Lydia Clemmons. “We are also obviously thrilled with this opportunity. Winning the National Creative Placemaking grant would direct new resources for more arts and culture opportunities toward rural Chittenden County and help advance the farm’s work to foster a thriving, joyful and loving multicultural community here. We are already in dialogue with our prospective institutional partners, and we can’t wait to engage our local government officials and communities in

Charlotte and around Chittenden County in developing the ideas further. We are looking forward to submitting what we hope will be a successful final round grant proposal to ArtPlace America.”

To date, ArtPlace’s National Creative Placemaking Fund has invested $77 million in 256 creative placemaking projects across 187 communities of all sizes, including 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“We believe that these projects, when added to our tremendously strong portfolio of demonstration projects, will inspire, equip and connect members of the arts and culture field, the community planning and development field and those who are working to make healthy and equitable communities creatively across the country,” said ArtPlace America Executive Director Jamie Bennett.

Each summer, thousands of children from New York City’s low-income communities visit volunteer host families in rural, suburban and small town communities along the East Coast and Southern Canada. Courtesy photo Staff Report This Father’s Day, we celebrate all the men in our lives and the many men in the Champlain Valley who take on the role of Fresh Air father, as they open their hearts to New York City children for one to two weeks during the summer through The Fresh Air Fund’s Friendly Towns Program.

“Hosting has been a wonderful experience. It’s provided us with special memories and gives us something to look forward to every summer,” says Richard, a Fresh Air host father.

Each summer thousands of children from New York City’s low-income communities visit volunteer host families in rural, suburban and small-

town communities along the East Coast and southern Canada. Fresh Air children are given the opportunity to experience a world outside of New York City full of backyards to play in and lakes to swim in.

Fresh Air children are boys and girls, from seven to 18 years old, who live in New York City. Children who are reinvited by host families may continue with The Fresh Air Fund through age 18 and can enjoy extended trips.

The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer experiences to more than 1.8 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877.

For more information visit The Fresh Air Fund at freshair.org.

The Charlotte News • June 14, 2017 • 9

Town

Burn permit reminder and fire safety advice Rob Mullin CHARLOTTE FIRE & RESCUE SERVICES

Before burning any brush or yard waste, please remember to call Shelburne Dispatch at 985-8051 from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a burn permit. The dispatcher on duty will ask what you plan to burn, your name and phone number and the location where the burning is planned.

The dispatcher will tell you the rules and recommended safety precautions, and if the weather conditions are favorable a burn permit will be issued and the burn location logged. Then when a neighbor or passing motorist spots smoke or flames and calls 911 to report a fire, the dispatcher will see that a burn permit has been issued for the area in question and will not dispatch the fire department.

State rules regarding burn permits:

• Burn untreated and unpainted wood, brush, leaves, yard debris only.

• You must call for a permit whenever you wish to burn these materials in Charlotte.

• The burn pile must be attended at all times.

• Have plenty of water at the fire site before igniting the fire, and do not leave the fire unattended for even a short time. Always extinguish the fire with water and stir the ashes to be sure it is completely out before leaving the fire site.

• Permits are not issued during periods of rain, low clouds or high winds.

• Fines for burning without a permit and reimbursement of fire department costs to extinguish a burn pile that gets out of control can be accessed

Campfires or other recreational open fires:

Please call for a burn permit prior to having any sort of recreational or open cooking fire so that the fire department is not called to respond. If a passing motorist or neighbor spots your fire and calls 911, the fire department will be dispatched unless you have a burn permit on record

with Shelburne Dispatch.

Have plenty of water at the fire site before igniting the fire and do not leave the fire unattended for even a short time.

Always extinguish the fire with water and stir the ashes to be sure it is completely out before leaving the fire site.

Outdoor grilling safety tips: Gas Grills

Please follow a few simple procedures before lighting your grill for the first time each season.

First, check inside the grill under the lava rocks and cooking surfaces to make sure there are no mouse or bee nests.

Second, inspect the condition of the hose from the tank to the grill for cracks, wear or other signs of aging. If necessary, replace the hose. Also check to make sure there are no grease spots on the hose.

Then, still with the grill off, check the tank fittings by tightening the connection at the tank and then, using a soapy sponge, check all visible connections between the tank and grill. If soap bubbles appear, then there is a leak at the connection, and the grill should not be operated until the connection is fixed. Many of our local gas companies will come out on a service call to inspect your gas grill and make sure it is ready to operate. If you need to replace any parts, they are readily available at local hardware stores, at retail stores where grills are sold and on the internet.

Move the grill at least 10 feet away from a building or deck railing. Never operate a gas grill indoors.

When ready to light the grill, always open the grill top and stand well back before igniting, keeping your body to the side as much as possible. If the unit fails to light on the first try, allow ample time for the gas to vent before attempting to light the grill again.

Always follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer of the gas cooking appliance you are using. These are available from the retailer who sold it or on the internet.

Charcoal Grills Make sure it is clean inside and the rack is clean and the vents are operating properly.

Courtesy photo Move the grill at least 10 feet away from a building or deck. Never use a charcoal grill indoors.

Always keep the top open when using charcoal starter and make sure to stand back when lighting the coals. Never pour accelerant onto lit coals.

When finished cooking, pour water into the ash bed and stir it around to be sure that the coals are thoroughly soaked, then close the vents and replace the lid.

All Grills • Move the grill at least 10 feet away from a building or deck before using it. Never use a grill indoors.

• Ensure that the grill is completely cool to the touch before covering or storing it. Do not store it against building walls or wooden railings.

• Do not leave the grill unattended when it is lit.

Charlotte Volunteer Fire and Rescue highly recommends using the preceding tips in order to keep yourself, your family and your home safe during this season.

There have been quite a few preventable fires in Charlotte resulting from improper grill use, some of which have resulted in severe damage to property.

If there are any questions or concerns, you can call the Charlotte Fire Department at 425-3111.

10 • June 14, 2017 • The Charlotte News

News Margaret Woodruff LIBRARY DIRECTOR

Getting ready for summer and reading!

Why is summer reading important?

Summer is an important time for students to keep reading and improving their language skills. If your child hasn’t been reading regularly this summer, they may

be in danger of the “summer slide”—a decline in their reading ability.

Numerous studies indicate that students who don’t read or who read infrequently during summer vacation see their reading abilities stagnate or decline. This effect becomes more pronounced as students get older and advance through the school system. The situation for economically disadvantaged students is especially grim: if students from low-income families don’t read over the summer, they are much more likely to fall behind their more privileged peers, widening the “achievement gap.”

“It’s like if you play an instrument but put it down for three months,” said Laurie Calvert, a teacher who is working as the Director of Teacher Outreach at the U.S. Department of Education. She wrote an academic thesis on improving summer reading programs at her North Carolina high school. “You’re not going to be as good as a person who continues to play the instrument over those three months.”

However, this “summer slide” can be avoided by ensuring that children are as engaged as possible in whatever they choose to read—just as long as they’re reading every day.

“Anything that keeps students reading works,” Calvert said. “The more engaged you are in the text, the closer you’re going to read it. The closer you read it, the more you comprehend. And that process grows your skill.”

(From blog.ed.gov/2011/08/why-summerreading-pays-off-year-round/) Good Tips for Fun & Constructive Reading • Point out print in the child’s environment: on cereal boxes, food labels, toys, restaurants and traffic signs.

• Sing songs, say short poems or nursery rhymes and play rhyming words games with your child.

• Tell stories to your child.

• Read aloud to your child. Point to the words on the page as you read.

• Read a short passage several times to your child until your child can read it with you. Then encourage your child to read the passage to you.

• Encourage older children to read with younger children.

• Encourage your child to read (or pretend read) to you. Make this reading enjoyable. Don’t worry if your child does not read all of the words correctly; instead, applaud your child’s efforts to read.

• Go to the library together.

• Have books, magazines and newspapers around the house. Let your child see you reading.

• Encourage your child to write messages such as grocery lists, to-do lists, postcards or short messages to family members or friends. Don’t worry about conventional spelling at this point; instead, encourage your child’s first efforts at authorship.

• When watching television, have the captioning feature enabled so that the children view the words while hearing them performed aloud.

(From cslpreads.org/summerreading-benefits/family-literacy/ summer-reading-benefits/)

Upcoming at the Library Fridays at 10:30a.m. Friday Free for All. Stories, songs and fun. We’ll explore the great outdoors this month, as the weather permits. For ages 3-5 who are comfortable in a story time setting.

Monday, June 19, at 10 a.m.

Mystery Book Group. This month we read Louise Penny’s first Inspector Gamache novel, Still Life. Join us for coffee and conversation about our introduction to the village of Three Pines and the captivating case of characters.

Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m., starting June 20: Reading Fun at Adam’s Berry Farm. Meet us at the farm on Bingham Brook Road for a summer of berries, great stories, gardening and busy activities. All ages are welcome.

Wednesday, June 21, at 6:30 p.m. Berry Farm Book Club.

Share a sample of food-related reading and discussion while enjoying a potluck of local food and drink at Adam’s Berry Farm.

We begin with Changing Season: A Father, a Daughter and a Family Farm, by David Mas Masumoto and Nikiko Masumoto.

Book excerpts and video available at the circulation desk.

Tuesday, June 27, at 1 p.m.

Summer Reading Kick-Off. Learn how raptors build their habitats in this hands-on session with Vermont Institute of Natural Science. Sign up for summer reading activities and get ready to read! For all ages.

Check out our summer program flyer for more info about upcoming programs for adults and kids.

The Charlotte News • June 14, 2017 • 11

Education Farewell Robyn Davis and Leslie Williams

Tentative agreement reached between teachers and CVSD board

Rowan Beck STAFF WRITER

Every year it seems Charlotte Central School says goodbye to teachers. This year is no different. A huge hole will be left by two teachers in particular, Robyn Davis and Leslie Williams, whose combined tenure stands 56 years. Davis came to CCS when Larry Ketchum was principal.

She began subbing, then became a paraeducator in the K-3 multi-age classroom before she became the physical education teacher 33 years ago. Leslie Williams joined the CCS family 23 years ago. She has mainly been at the grades 7/8 level in language arts but had a six-year stint at the 6th grade level.

Both have seen numerous changes in the school, the biggest being the population decline. With it came shrinking budgets, fewer teachers and changes in programs.

“There seemed to always be a shift in initiatives every five years or so,” they agreed. “That’s why you need to find middle ground,” Williams said. “A lot of things change in education, but working with kids and making connections with colleagues is paramount.” Both felt very lucky that the faculty was so collaborative in working with the students.

Williams and Davis also reflected on their beginnings at CCS. When Davis first began, the gym was located where the library is now. She tried painting it and putting things up on the wall to make it feel more like a gym. The stage was located where librarian Heidi Huestis sits now. Underneath the stage were large drawers for her to store balls and other equipment. During this time the famous Ethel Atkins was working in the cafeteria.

Every morning she would come in and bake fresh bread. When Davis would open the drawers to get out her equipment, the smell of freshly baked bread wafted up into her face, and all the balls would be deflated from the heat. “Every day I blew up the balls.” Eventually the new gym and Multipurpose Room were built, and Davis no longer got the smell of freshly baked goods in the morning or needed to inflate balls.

Davis also fondly remembered the bike ride teachers and students used to take to Button Bay at the end of the year, as well as camping on Mt. Philo.

During her tenure Davis created flash mobs, expressive art performances and a volleyball team. “I kinda grew up in this school professionally. We’ve had an administration that gave us a lot of rope and let us go where we needed to.”

Davis spoke highly of former principal Monica Smith and all the support she gave throughout the years. “We took a lot of direction from the kids. That’s where the volleyball program came from. Kids wanted something to do during the cold winter months as an alternative to recess.”

Williams concurred. “Our core staff has

Charlotte Central School teachers Robyn Davis and Leslie Williams retire this year.

Photo by Rowan Beck Courtesy photo been so strong, no matter what’s going on outside we have done what’s best for the kids.” For several years she did a puppet show on the Middle Ages with her students. The stage was built by former editor of The Charlotte News, Alex Bunten, when he was in the 7th grade, with the help of his father. The unit got a lot of excitement from the kids, and they would write their own scripts, some of which she still has. “I would get such a kick out of hearing them say things like….no, no my love, you mustn’t doubt my devotion…. they would get so into it,” she said with a smile. “Kids need new experiences, they need projects that allow them to stretch, make choices and take safe risks. Our best teaching moments come when we push ourselves and the kids step up to the plate.”

Both are looking forward to retirement.

Davis is most looking forward to not having to answer to a clock. She will continue coaching the boys volleyball team at CVU next year. CVU won the inaugural volleyball state championships last year. Williams is looking forward to spending time with her mom and doing some volunteer work in her Burlington community. She may also come back in the fall to help some of her colleagues get ready for the new year.

No matter what they do they will be missed, as they leave a large hole in the hearts of parents, faculty and students.

Staff report The Chittenden South Education Association and the Champlain Valley School District Board of School Directors just announced a tentative agreement on a new contract for the 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 school years.

The contract maintains current working conditions and benefits, but changes were made to reflect the consolidation of the Chittenden South Supervisory Union into the new Champlain Valley School District (CVSD).

Modest raises for teachers will be based on experience and level of education.

The average of these pay raises will total about 3 percent per year. Teachers will also increase their contribution to health insurance premiums to 16 percent, with additional contributions from both the CVSD and teachers to a new HRA (Health Reimbursement Account) arrangement. The two parties agreed to create two committees to explore issues related to safety and salary.

Both parties still need to ratify the contract for it to become effective.

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12 • June 14, 2017 • The Charlotte News

CongratulationsCharlotteCentralSchool8

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l8thGradeGraduates!

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14 • June 14, 2017 • The Charlotte News

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CongratulationsCharlotteCentralSchool 8thGradeGraduates!

The Charlotte News • June 14, 2017 • 15

Education Full CVSD consolidation happens July 1 Rowan Beck

STAFF WRITER

July marks a major change for our school district: the official start of the consolidation of boards. In June 2016 voters in the Chittenden South Supervisory Union school district voted to approve forming a unified district now known as the Champlain Valley School District. This new governance will be fully operational July 1, when five separate Chittenden South Supervisory Union (CSSU) boards will be replaced with one Champlain Valley School District (CVSD) board overseeing the district.

Superintendent Elaine Pinckney said schools will continue sending newsletters out to families and to use Connect 5 to email or phone for important information.

Should a problem arise that parents wish to address, the points of contact remain in the same order: teacher, principal, superintendent, school board.

Principals will still give reports to the

board, and meetings will be held the first and third Tuesdays of each month. The board will meet at CVU during nonbudget months and rotate through the district’s schools during budget season.

All meetings will continue to be recorded

by RETN. Four committees have been formed: Finance and Facilities; Communications; Human Resources, Human Capital and Negotiations; and Policy. The new board will also look for support from PTOs. “The board is working on this one,” Pinckney said. “The PTO is an important component to ensure local connections.

The board’s Communications Committee will focus its energies on developing a plan that meets and exceeds current practice for distributing important information, for collecting important input and for synthesizing information so that it is comprehensive and understandable.”

The board retreat was held on May 24. Both Board Chair Dave Connery and Superintendent Pinckney are in the process of drafting a board work plan based on the discussions.

Students engineer spaghetti to greatest possible heights

Final adjustments being made with care by Celeste Slauterbeck of Charlotte, Haley Walker of Burlington, JaidenTremblay of Milton and Seamus Howrigan of Colchester.

Courtesy photo Sr. Joanne LaFreniere

MATER CHRISTI SCHOOL

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

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church Spear Street, 425-2637

Sister parish: St. Jude’s, Hinesburg Regular schedule of masses: Saturday, 4:30 p.m., at St. Jude’s, Hinesburg Sunday, 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Sunday, 9:30 a.m., at St. Jude’s, Hinesburg

After a long week of filling in standardized test bubbles, Mater Christi School 7th graders got some much needed relief from sedentary assessment.

At the beginning of science class last week, they were divided into groups of four or five. Then science teacher Mark Pendergrass explained that they would be competing to build the highest structure that they could, using only 10 pieces of spaghetti, 50 cm of masking tape and one marshmallow.

In order to win, teams had to build a

freestanding structure that elevated their marshmallow to the greatest possible height. A time limit of 20 minutes was imposed so students needed to plan, execute, modify and collaborate in order to make a functional structure.

After the time elapsed, the structures were measured and a victor was determined. The activity ended with some discussion about the nature of group work and the engineering process.

In the end everyone agreed on two points: marshmallows are delicious, and building something is better than filling in bubbles.

16 • June 14, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Outdoors The eagles have landed Elizabeth Bassett CONTRIBUTOR

Eagles above Snake Den Harbor.

Photo by Sheri Larsen

Eagles have landed in the Champlain Valley. Eggs have hatched and fuzzy young eaglets populate local nests. With patience and a good pair of binoculars it’s possible to see the buff-colored mounds of fluff moving around the huge piles of sticks they call home.

For much of the past century, hunting, habitat loss and widespread use of DDT took a huge toll on the bald eagle population. DDT slows calcium metabolism causing reproductive failure (weak egg shells) in bald eagles. Biologists estimate that there may have been as many as 100,000 bald eagles in the lower 48 states before Europeans arrived. By the early 1960s fewer than 100 were nesting in the northeastern United States.

In recent decades these giant birds have been reintroduced. Audubon Vermont and Vermont Fish and Wildlife record 21 territorial pairs in Vermont, a number of which are at or near the edge of Lake Champlain.

The bald eagle is big. Its wingspan can extend to 90 inches, and it stands more than 30 inches tall. The blackish eagle sports a white head and tail and a long yellow bill. The eagle can be a powerful predator but also will feed on carrion, including dead fish washed ashore. It will steal food from ospreys and other birds.

Its primary diet is fish, but eagles will also eat birds, small mammals, turtles, crabs and shellfish.

The eagle’s nest is a massive pile of sticks usually high in a tree near the water and occasionally on top of a cliff.

For good hunting the eagle needs a wide field of view; nests frequently tower above neighboring trees. The tree must be sturdy—white pines are a preferred species in this region—and the nest can be as high as 180 feet above the ground.

Nests are lined with finer materials and

can be reused and added to for many years, becoming enormous. Great horned owls sometimes take over nests.

Eagles first breed at age four or five and may mate for life. In spring an eagle lays two or three white eggs that both parents will incubate for 34 to 36 days.

The Audubon Guide to North American Birds says, “At least one parent remains with young almost constantly for first two weeks. Both parents bring prey to nest, tearing food into small pieces and feeding it directly to young at first; after three to six weeks, young begin pecking at food dropped in nest. In seasons when prey is scarce, only largest young may survive.”

Age at first flight is about 10–12 weeks.

Eaglets are terrifically camouflaged (against predation), as can be seen in the accompanying photo.

Where might you see an eagle’s nest?

The road leading to Kingsland Bay State Park in Ferrisburgh, Hawkins Road, has a nest set back from the road above a large field. The home tree—a cottonwood if my memory serves me—is very close to Little Otter Creek. On a recent visit a man with a bird-spotting scope was able to see one eaglet head. The field is marked with “keep out” signs to protect the eagles.

They also serve to identify the location.

Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area in Addison is another place to look. It’s easier to see nests from the water. A paddler or boater often knows a nest is nearby because screeching parents will warn off trespassers.

Is the recovery of eagles likely to continue in the Champlain Valley? Bald eagles are extremely susceptible to lead poisoning, and eating fish that have swallowed leaded hooks, lines or sinkers, remains an ongoing threat to our national bird—as does the recent relaxation of rules governing lead shot by President Trump.

So, don’t use lead. Grab your binoculars instead, and get outdoors to look for eagles!

The Charlotte News • June 14, 2017 • 17

Sports Edd’s Sports Report Edd Merritt CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Read Redhawks for state championships

It’s June and just another state championship for the Redhawk women tennis players. That makes three straight and four out of the last five years. Playing on their home courts at Davis Park in Shelburne, the women smothered what will be the last year of a South Burlington “Rebel” squad, 5-2. Having replaced her older sister as the #1 singles player, Stephanie Joseph started the day off on the right foot winning her match 6-1, 6-0. A strong serve followed by focused return play have been Stephanie’s characteristics all year. She did not change for the championship match, hard and low over the net. With Charlotte’s Meara Heininger the lone senior playing regularly for CVU, the Redhawks should be strong again next year. However, it takes, as Coach Amy deGroot noted in the Burlington Free Press, an ability to overcome the pressure of tournament play. The championship goal can put undue pressure on the players to win their matches. She followed by saying “they played really well.” Heininger, by the way, finished her high school career with a 6-0, 6-2 singles win. Arielle DeSmet, a junior from Charlotte, and

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her partner, Corina Gorman, won their doubles match, 6-0, 6-2.

Men’s LAX goes fifth in a row

Well, we should have known it would eventually happen. CVU turned from “Soccer Central” into “Lacrosse Central.” As columnist Alex Abrami noted in the June 11 Burlington Free Press, CVU is now the most “decorated high school boys lacrosse program in the state.” They earned the title well by topping South Burlington at UVM’s Virtue Field, 10-8. For the Redhawks it was early offense followed by strong defense to give them their fifth Division I title in a row. Co-captain Charlie Bernicke’s name appeared again at the top of the scoring list with a hat trick and Congratulations to Charlotte’s Richard Lowrey who finished 28th in the 55th running an assist, and Charlotte’s Walter Braun of the Memorial Day Classic late model stock car races at Barre’s Thunder Road this time was the Braun on the board with track.

Courtesy photo two goals. Face-off wins can produce a strong offense by moving the ball into the The Redhawk women mixed upper- and Ashley Clark in state golf attack zone. Another senior co-captain Jake Evans won the face-off contest 14- under-class persons. Freshman Charlotte tournament 3. A second offensive advantage from Hill won the 100 meters and ran a leg on Charlotte swinger Ashley Clark was collecting ground balls also went to the 4x100 winning relay. Sophomore Ella one of two Redhawks who competed the Redhawks 25-9. Both face-off and Whitman placed first at 3,000 meters, and in the women’s golf championships on ground ball control call for good body senior Allison Kloeckner won both shot the Newport Country Club Course. She positioning as well as stick handling and put and discuss. It was an awarding final helped CVU finish in the middle of the come as a result of continuous practice. year for her since she had not finished eight-team pack, 58 strokes behind As a follower of the lacrosse team’s higher than third as a sophomore and winner North Country. growth at CVU since the early1990s, it junior. is a pleasure to see that occur, not only Richard Lowrey places at In the men’s events Tyler Marshall locally but throughout the state. wore the red jersey to first places in three Thunder Road events—the 1,500, 3,000 and 800 meters. Congratulations to Richard Lowrey of CVU runners and jumpers According to the Burlington Free Press, Charlotte and UVM who finished 28th finish state meet in the 55th running of the Memorial Track ended its season early in June the middle race at 800 meters brought his Day Classic for late model stock cars at with a second place finish for women toughest competition from a Burlington Barre’s Thunder Road track. Word has it and a strong individual showing for High School sophomore. Tyler said he that he would have placed higher, but he men, particularly Tyler Marshall. St. was definitely a bit scared in the course didn’t want to embarrass Governor Scott of the race, but he pulled it out.

Johnsbury took both team titles. who ended the race just ahead of him.

18 • June 14, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Arts “I have felt very fulfilled by this career,” CCS art teacher retires Sarah Wolverton NEWS INTERN

Periwinkle-blue glasses frame eyes that are only a shade lighter than they are. These eyes belong to Alice Trageser, retiring art teacher at Charlotte Central School.

Trageser’s glasses, periwinkle-blue frames with striped temples, are a lot like the teacher herself: fun, colorful and doing their job brilliantly.

Certified to teach art in 1981, she has taught at CCS for six years, been named Vermont’s 2013 art educator of the year, and run a summer camp for artistically inclined youths out of her own barn.

During her 40 years in Vermont, Trageser has taught in Vergennes, Hinesburg and Charlotte. Her summer camp also ran for eight years. Her six years in Charlotte, she says, “have felt much longer. I’m always being enriched by [the students’] art.”

Walking through the halls of CCS, this is easy to see.

Nearly every flat surface has at least one piece of student art carefully hung on it, and the longer the hallway, the more art Trageser has put up.

Vicki Nelson, a school counselor at CCS, says that Trageser “makes the school a welcoming place for art.”

Directly inside the doors, the walls are currently home to paintings of birch trees. Trageser excitedly points to them and explains that the students used tongue depressors dipped in paint and then moved sideways to achieve the mottled look of birch bark. Her face lights up when she talks about her projects, especially the less conventional ones.

For Trageser, art is a way for students to integrate learning and open their minds across all spectrums of study. One of her favorite projects focused on sustainability by urging students to bring in plastic bottle tops, which they would have otherwise thrown away, and make a mural out of them.

“Alice understands that students benefit when their learning is choice-based, integrated and authentic,” said Heidi Huestis, library media specialist at CCS. Indeed, Trageser is excited for the future of art education and integration into other fields. “There’s been

“Experiment, take risks, creativity will come.” a lot of talk about the STEM subjects—science, technology, engineering and math—becoming STEAM, using art to help teach.” Even with art programs being cut around the country, Trageser is “hopeful” for the future of art education and intends to remain as involved as she can.

Her retirement from the public school system does not mark a retirement from either art or teaching, she says. She’s hoping to use her free time to travel and broaden her own artistic horizons while focusing some on her own work.

Trageser’s personal art form often takes the shape of sculpture, using things from nature, but she says she’s open to dabbling more in painting and drawing.

In teaching, Trageser loves the units where she gets to educate on cultural and professional art, not just on different art projects. She always tries to find an art museum on any trip she takes and would love to travel to exotic locations to see new styles of art.

“All of the arts,” says Trageser, “can let you put aside your problems of the moment and let you get absorbed and find inner creativity. And that’s what we hope, that’s what you build an art program to do.”

“She loves to connect about art,” says Nelson, “and cultivate a love of art.”

This love of art extends beyond just her job of teaching children and into her interaction with colleagues as well.

In talking to her colleagues, words like kind, caring, authentic and inspiring are the most often used.

As for the kids, Trageser says she has felt “very

Photo by Sarah Wolverton fulfilled by this career.” Kids, she says, “are ready to go, with very few inhibitions about their art.”

She says her teaching philosophy about art is simple: “experiment, take risks, creativity will come.”

Summer intern Sarah Wolverton was born and raised in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and moved to Charlotte two years ago. She is a rising senior at Syracuse University with a double major in magazine journalism and marketing management. She enjoys writing, reading and telling each of her three dogs that they’re her favorite.

The Charlotte News • June 14, 2017 • 19

Parenting Quietly Making Noise: Home alone

I am screaming in the back seat of the family station wagon, a tan behemoth of a car with a gear shift that looks like it belongs in a big rig and a trunk that could Jorden Blucher hold a mattress, as CONTRIBUTOR it whips in circles spraying dirt and gravel into the air at the intersection of Hosington Cross Road and Blood Street.

Mom and Dad have gone to Maine for the weekend leaving my 15-year-old brother, Tycen, and me home alone. The ride had been calm up until this point when temptation of blowing donuts was too much for my brother’s friend Josh to ignore.

After three or four rotations, Josh stops the car. He and Tycen are laughing and saying how great that was. I am as angry as I’ve ever been and think I may throw up. Tycen and Josh switch places and I settle down, thankful it is over. Tycen has promised not to do any more donuts, but then he guns the engine and pops the clutch and the wheels are not straight and we are fishtailing from one side of the narrow dirt road to the other. The steel bumper on the passenger side hooks some small trees and rips them out of the ground, and now everyone is yelling and screaming and no one is having fun.

Tycen slams on the brakes and we all

get out to inspect the damage, a large dent and a flat rear tire, along with a now badly rutted road. The trees are pulled from the bumper, but we can’t change the tire here, as there is no place to pull off. On the dirt road, driving on a flat tire is not that loud, but as soon as we reach the pavement the noise increases, and when the tire sheers off the rim it quadruples. Sparks are flying in the air as we drive through Danby Four Corners. I am curled in a ball with my hands clasped firmly over my ears to try to block out the horrendous noise.

After what seems like an eternity, Tycen stops at a small dirt pull-off. Standing there in the dark, my imagination racing, I keep looking over my shoulder, certain some animal is going to come up from the ravine behind me and pull me down to my doom. Then I hear the sound of a car, and before we know it we see the headlights.

Josh and I scamper nearly half way down the embankment and lie on our stomachs with our heads pressed to the ground.

Tycen is lying on Courtesy photo the ground half under the car. The headlights sweep over us and continue on, leaving us in the dark once again. Josh and Tycen continue to frantically change the tire, then they pitch the mangled rim over the bank and we climb back into the car.

Tycen carefully pulls back onto the road and cautiously drives home.

Despite Tycen replacing the rim with a nearly identical one and buffing out the dents, our parents still found out and consequently never left us home alone again.

Health Matters

“Just say no?”

The opiod epidemic may be less about choices we make as individuals and more about choices we make as a society

Health Matters Carina Cartelli, M.D. CONTRIBUTOR

“What caused the opioid epidemic?”

This is a question I frequently get asked as a physician who works on the front lines of the opioid crisis. For the past several decades, our country has been waging a War on Drugs. The strategy on its face seems logical: If we eliminate the source of recreational drugs by incarcerating users and traffickers, we can eliminate the plague of addiction.

Thus far this war has been an unmitigated disaster. It has cost billions of dollars, drug use rates remain the same or have increased, and millions of people, disproportionately those from poor and minority communities, have been incarcerated, destroying the social fabric in many parts of our country. All in an attempt to squelch drug use, a behavior that has existed across all societies since the dawn of humanity.

While the war on drugs has been around for several decades, the opioid epidemic in its current form started about 20 years ago. It began with aggressive attempts by pharmaceutical companies to promote use of prescription opioids.

These companies lobbied regulatory

organizations to encourage physicians to treat pain more aggressively. At the same time, physicians were not educated about the true risks of opioids and how to use them judiciously. When you factor in cultural expectations that we treat pain to the point of eradication—despite the fact that this is not always possible—and an over-reliance on pills to remedy all that ails us, everything was in place to create a dramatic increase in the prescribing of opioids. This led to increased availability in medicine cabinets and, eventually, on the streets. To put a global perspective on our opioid consumption, consider that while the US makes up only 5% percent of the world’s population, it consumes 80 percent of the opioid supply. Are we in the U.S. in that much more pain then the rest of the world?

To make sense of this perhaps it helps to know that emotional and physical pain are processed in the same part of the brain. And opioids relieve both types of pain. A study on rats conducted in the 1970s by psychologist Bruce K. Alexander helped us to understand the complex interaction between addiction and emotional stress. Previous studies looking at the behavior of rats in solitary confinement produced consistent results: A rat in this environment, given the choice between plain water and water laced with opioids, will most often choose the drugged water until it kills itself.

see HEALTH page 21

20 • June 14, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Senior Center

Senior Center News

Mary Recchia CHARLOTTE SENIOR CENTER

Happy Summer!

The next Birding Expedition with Hank Kaestner will be on Wednesday, June 21.

Please meet at the Center at 8 a.m. so we can carpool together to the location Hank has scouted for spectacular bird watching.

Good views are guaranteed through Hank’s “Oh my God” telescope. Register for this event, and if we have to change the date due to bird migration or weather, we will call you. Registration necessary.

No fee.

There will be an AARP Driver Safety Class with Baird Morgan, AARP volunteer instructor on Thursday, June 22, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. A classroom refresher course for drivers age 50 and over, this highly effective defensive driving course (which may enable you to receive an auto insurance discount) covers important issues that affect older drivers, such as physical changes and limitations, normal driving situations and environmental conditions, safe driving and vehicle information, and the effects of medication on the motorist. The course provides drivers the opportunity to finetune driving skills and become safer and better drivers. Upon completion of the course, you will receive a certificate valid for three years, a course workbook, and other instructional material. Please bring a lunch. Registration necessary. Class limit: 25. Fee: $20 ($15 AARP members), payable to AARP and collected at the beginning of class.

Chair Yoga is a great class if you are

concerned about adapting in a standard class. This class uses chairs for balance and for all seated postures and makes yoga accessible to those who are challenged by balance, the ability to get on the floor or have any physical limitations. We cover the full range of yoga postures and benefits while sitting comfortably in chairs— improving breath capacity, strength and flexibility. Tiny Sikkes invites you to give it a try on Monday mornings from 9:30– 10:30. Registration necessary. Fee: $10 per class.

Come enjoy a specially arranged guided tour though the Vermont Marble Museum on Thursday, July 6. Please Getting ready for an active summer in Ginger Lambert’s class. Courtesy photo meet at the Center by 9 a.m. Discover where Vermont marble is used all over including saving whites and giving the flower paintings. Some experience with the world to highlight significant places appearance of white petals that actually watercolor necessary. If you haven’t taken and people. Enjoy the new educational have thin washes of color. You’ll learn some a class from Lynn before, please request room on the current uses of calcium secrets of mixing color to create shadows a supply list so you have the proper tools carbonate (marble) in the paper, plastic, that are interesting without creating mud. for the class. (Email: Lynn.Cummings@ food and pharmaceutical industries—for We will have plenty of time to work on uvm.edu). Registration necessary. Max. example, chewing gum and toothpaste…. the elements of making exciting white 12. Fee: $60. you’ll be surprised! Marvel at the classic statuary carved by the artists of Vermont Marble Company years ago and today’s statuary carved by local sculptors. Meet the resident artist at work in the studio; even participate in the art of carving.

Bring a bag lunch and continue to enjoy the museum for the afternoon or head out to nearby Brandon for a leisurely lunch.

Registration necessary. Fee: $7.

Lynn Cummings is offering a special Watercolor Class: White Flower/ Exciting Shadows on Tuesday mornings from 9 to noon, July 11 and 18. This twopart workshop will concentrate on various techniques for painting white flowers,

The Boss

Tom the turkey in the backyard in Charlotte last week.

Photo by Edd Merritt

The Charlotte News • June 14, 2017 • 21

HEALTH

continued from page 19 Alexander then asked, “What if a rat was placed in a ‘rat utopia’ with plenty of adequate food, space, recreation, social interaction and mating opportunities and given the same choice?” The results were provocative. His rats preferred plain water to drugged water. Furthermore, rats in solitary confinement that had been imbibing opioid- laced water for weeks chose plain water after being moved to “rat utopia,” even if that meant enduring withdrawal symptoms. Alexander’s research team concluded that isolation, boredom, alienation and a lack of connection appear to be the most important contributors to drug addiction. When one lives in an enriched environment with minimal stress and where one’s basic needs are met, one would be unlikely to use drugs. To the contrary, one would

likely avoid them.

This leads me to wonder: As our society’s rates of opioid use increase, is it our environment and its effect on our sense of well-being that is the major contributor to this increase? The World Happiness Report 2017 states, “The USA is a story of reduced happiness. In 2007 the USA ranked 3rd among the OECD countries; in 2016 it came in 19th. The reasons are declining social support and increased corruption....” Could the opioid epidemic be the result of a perfect storm: increased drug availability and an unhappy, stressed, disconnected populous doing what they can to cope? Are we in a situation very similar to that of rats deprived of their basic needs?

It seems that for most of my patients, drug use starts out as a solution to problems of living. I would argue that part of that problem is the disconnect between how we currently exist and how we as human beings evolved to exist. We are social animals that have evolved to gather

in communities, not to live increasingly isolated lives. We are supposed to follow natural rhythms of wake and sleep instead of burning candles at both ends. We are supposed to have time to rest and play instead of working longer and longer in order to meet basic material needs. And while many other factors contribute to the development of addiction, including genetics, socioeconomic status and exposure to trauma, most of these factors are deeply influenced and intertwined with the environmental factors I have already mentioned.

Given the enormity and complexity of the opioid epidemic and its root causes, it can be difficult to know where to begin when addressing it. In the next issue of The Charlotte News, I will outline a series of possible remedies for this devastating problem.

Carina Cartelli, M.D., is a Charlotte resident and a physician practicing at Howard Center’s Chittenden Clinic in South Burlington.

Puzzles 9. Need a bath 10. Injured 11. Melodic passage 12. Look into again, as a cold case 13. Buttery 18. Kempt 19. Printing flourish 24. Swell place 26. Global fin. overseer 27. Name 28. U.N. working-conditions agcy.

29. Messenger ___ 30. Swift work 31. Word with bum or

ACROSS

1. Recipient 6. Winston Churchill’s “___ Country” 10. Be a kvetch 14. Flip 15. Latest thing 16. Carbamide 17. Cross query 20. Misjudge 21. Emolument 22. ___ out a win 23. Not req.

24. City in Central China 25. Stage item 27. It’s given on the

stand 33. Long bones 34. Flat-bottomed boat 35. Fancy neckwear 36. ___ box 38. Didn’t hold 41. 100 kobos 43. Approval 45. No cross allowed for him 50. Furnace button 51. Berry 52. Hotel sign 53. Rel. leader 56. Affect, with “to” 57. Kind of approval 60. Testify out of court

64. Bookkeeping entry 65. Canyon in Utah 66. Young hooter 67. Hollows 68. Swerves at sea 69. Choker

DOWN

1. Cry softly 2. Takeoff artist 3. Four quarters 4. Word with loose or back 5. Skyscraper, e.g.

6. Silver, in heraldry 7. Query list, for short 8. Fit of fever

“While the U.S. makes up only 5 percent of the world’s population, it consumes 80 percent of the opioid supply.

Are we in the U.S. in that much more pain then the rest of the world?”

SOLUTIONS ON PAGE 22:

bunny 32. Square one?

36. Central 37. Web browser entry 38. Kvass ingredient 39. Balaam’s mount 40. Figs.

41. Watchman ___, Chinese Christian author 42. Bone cavities 43. Booster ___ 44. Singer DiFranco 45. Gelid 46. Enumerate 47. Gets revenge 48. Black Marias, e.g.

49. Locks up 54. Irascible 55. A constellation 57. Pastry dough 58. Buck passers?

59. Part of A.M. 61. German spa 62. Nave bench 63. First prime

22 • June 14, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Taking Care Alice D. Outwater Ph.D. CONTRIBUTOR

The year was 1951, and having just graduated from college I had gone to seek a job in Washington, D.C. Before long I connected with college friends, and we rented a three-bedroom row house on upper Wisconsin Avenue a block from the trolley line. The Admiral and his wife in whose house I first lived were more than cordial including me in several fancy receptions, but it was a relief to reconnect with my age group. Many classmates had been hired by the CIA and spent days sitting at long tables, sworn to secrecy about their jobs. They reported week after week to the same room and never received an assignment. Months later many left to marry. They waved good-

1951: When Washington was a haven for people in their twenties bye to their careers that had never gotten off the ground. I was delighted to have avoided that fate.

A friend and I regularly ate our brown bag lunches at nearby Lafeyette Park.

Often President Truman, cane in hand, would leave the White House to take his daily stroll. He paused briefly and tipped his bowler hat to greet us. We nodded and returned his smile. Only one Secret Service man accompanied him. At that time you could almost walk into the White House. Barricades to protect the president would come in the future, as well as numerous security personnel.

Washington was a haven for people in their twenties, and there was a surplus of young men. We had a myriad of activities from which to choose: access to free tennis courts, museums galore, movies, trails along Rock Creek Park for picnicking, and endless historic places such as Mt. Vernon to visit.

My salary that year was $2,500 with no taxes. I managed a 10-day ski trip to Aspen with friends and proudly saved 15

percent of my salary that first year.

However, we were unprepared for the relentless summer heat—over 100 degrees many days—and nights that never cooled off. Air conditioning was almost nonexistent. My roommates and I decided a swimming pool was the solution, and I was determined to find one.

I had noticed a few attached to some of the embassies in the upscale Kalorama neighborhood. I assumed they might like to share with us. Why not inquire?

I set off one day after work and approached the enormous British Embassy.

I pounded the shiny brass knocker on the front door; a butler opened it and I asked for the first secretary. He politely told me they were preparing for Sir Winston Churchill’s arrival, perhaps I could return another time. A week later I saw his portly figure silhouetted against the front door as guests arrived for a dazzling state dinner.

So I continued to the more modest French Embassy; and the attractive second secretary, Jacques, answered. “Ah,

Mademoiselle. What can I do for you?”

I announced my request in my best French, mentioning my two summers in France. He looked bemused at my bag with a swimsuit and towel. “Ah, peutêtre, mais l’Ambassador n’est pas ici.”

(The ambassador is not here.) After a bit more conversation, as my fluency was running short, he agreed, and showed me the changing room.

My roommates and I spent many a hot afternoon using the pool. Jacques occasionally parted the sheer curtains and gave a friendly wave from the window, but we never saw anyone else. The ambassador and his family had probably returned to France for the summer. This luxury added tremendously to our combating the heat and enjoying the summer.

In looking back I realize how many advantages the presumptuous audacity of youth offers. What ever happened to that effortless optimism? So often we make our own luck and never think twice about it. Perhaps a few incidents will occur to you.

Community Events Garden Club: The Shelburne Charlotte Garden Club will meet at the LaVilla Restaurant at 11:30 a.m. on June 13.

There will be election of officers as well as sharing your plans for the summer.

Reservations are a must. For information call Ann Mead at 985-2657.

Tour: Starting on Thursday, June 15, the Burlington Edible History Tour will once again take participants back in time to connect the history of Burlington’s early migrant groups to their food traditions, when farm to table was a way of life.

Tickets must be purchased in advance through FlynnTix at flynntix.org, phone 802-863-5966 or in-person sales at 153

Main Street in Burlington, or online at burlingtonediblehistory.com.

Concert: A celebration of Utah Phillips and Philo Records will take place 126 Covered Bridge Road in North Ferrisburgh from 2 to 8 p.m. on June 17.

The benefit concert will raise money to move Utah’s flanger car to Black Butte Center for Railroad Culture. For more information visit generosity.com/education-fundraising/utah-phillips-flangerrailroad-car-restoration.

Course: The Charlotte Senior Center will host the new AARP Smart Driver Class on Thursday, June 22, at 9:30 a.m.

The 4.5 hour refresher course is open to all drivers 50 years and older. The fee for the course is $15 for AARP members and $20 for nonmembers. Participants should bring a box lunch, as there will be a halfhour lunch break. To reserve space in the upcoming class, please call Mary Recchia at 425-6345. Space is limited.

Reunion: A 1970s Charlotte Central School reunion will take place at 6 p.m. at Charlotte Beach on July 7. Reconnect with classmates. Potluck. All CCS graduates from any year are welcomed to attend.

Reunion: Champlain Valley Union High School Class of 1972 will host a reunion from 3 to 8 p.m. at Cedar Knoll Country Club in Hinesburg on Saturday, July 15. Light fare. Golf is available. Please RSVP to Gary Shepard at gshep18@yahoo.com.

Reunion: A Red Balloon Reunion will take place on Aug. 5 at 4 p.m. at the Red Balloon on 3998 Greenbush Road. It is a potluck—please pass on the word to Red Balloon students, parents, families and teachers. RSVP to barbara.jean.lawrence@gmail.com or call 425-3068.

Summer Tai Chi: Open to all adults whether beginning or advanced students. Designed to keep you engaged and current in your practice. All programs offer a falls prevention component and are safe for persons with inflammatory joint conditions. These will be held on Mondays from 10 to 11 a.m. through Aug. 14 at the Charlotte Congregational Church.

To register please contact Mary West at (802) 922-0498 or email igolflikeagirl@ gmail.com.

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

ANSWERS TO THIS ISSUE’S PUZZLES FROM PAGE 21:

The Charlotte News • June 14, 2017 • 23

Classifieds

Real Estate Tips for that dreamy lakefront property search As summer approaches many home buyers find themselves searching for that perfect home or cabin on the lake.

From cool dips on hot days to barbecues with Heather Morse friends, it’s no wonder so many CONTRIBUTOR buyers are drawn to an oasis on the water. But before you start stocking up on s’mores supplies there are a few key things about lakefront properties you should know. For instance, purchasing camps requires a different type of financing than traditional homes, there are specific laws associated with lakefront properties, and it’s best to be fully informed before you start your search.

First, to purchase a lake home your lender will want to know if the home is considered seasonal or year-round. Just because the property has heat, insulation, septic and water doesn’t allow you to live there as a full-time resident. Special permits are required for year-round residency. When you start shopping make sure to clarify with your realtor whether you are looking to live on the lake or just summer there.

Want to make changes to the property?

A little due diligence will be needed to ensure you’re complying with the Shoreland Protection Act, which regulates shore land development within 250 feet of the water’s edge. To be able to cut trees or limbs you will need a state department employee to visit the property and grant permission.

Typically, permission is only granted in the

Summer house cleaning available.

Honest, dependable, and reasonable rates. Call or text 802-349-9775. Please call me at the number listed with any questions.

instance that a tree or limbs are threatening the house. This means if you want to put on an addition, a deck or create a better view, your options might be limited. While this can be somewhat discouraging, it’s all for the well-being and preservation of the lake and surrounding land.

Location is also something to consider, not just for resale or convenience but for water quality and potential flooding. Bluegreen algae can be found in many Vermont lakes and can affect your ability to use the water because of the dangerous toxins this alga can produce. Make sure to research the lake and region’s history for algae, keeping in mind no year is the same. Flooding is another danger not only to your property but to your wallet. Flood insurance has the potential to cost more than your home owners insurance.

Another common occurrence in lakefront properties is leased land. If you purchase a lake home or camp, you may be purchasing only the building, not the land. Many lake homes are on leased land, whether this

Courtsey photo means the land belongs to the state, a person or perhaps a homeowner’s association. When considering purchasing you should discuss with your realtor the terms of the lease and how much time it has left. Advantages to leased land include the potential for more shared land to enjoy, shared cost of maintenance and potentially being able to afford more house since you’re buying just the house and not the land. However, because you don’t own it, it’s important to know what your rights and limitations are.

These are just a few of the things to consider about lakefront properties. Local realtors who know the area can provide invaluable help, but make sure to do your research and never hesitate to ask any questions. A lake home can provide years of cherished times and sun-soaked memories— as long as you buy the one that’s right for you.

Heather Morse of Charlotte is a Greentree Real Estate agent. For more information email heather@vermontgreentree.com. Agent

Charlotte property transfers April 3 Matthew M. and Theresa M. Maynard to Josh E. May and Rachel M. Daley, 1.0 acre with dwelling, 237 Lynrick Acres, $298,000.

April 3 Linda Reynolds to Michael Haulenbeek and Vera Simon-Nobes, 4.93 acres with dwelling, 86 Tavern Road, $363,000.

April 5 Mary Van Vleck to April Thanhauser, 0.11 acre with dwelling, 17 Common Way, $410,000.

April 12 Henry S. Barnes and Kathryn S. Barnes Joint Trust to Thomas Andrew Shurman, Monique Shurman, Elias Schoen and Isabelle Shurman, 1.0 acre with dwelling, 2356 Spear Street, $269,000.

April 17 Clark W. III and Suzanne Hinsdale to Mount Philo Hops LLC, 58.89 acres, land only, 301 East Thompson’s Point Road, $245,000.

April 25 Richard G. LaBoeuf Family Trust to Estate of Shirley Bruce, 1.2 acres with dwelling, 715 Cedar Beach Road, $718,511.

Reach your friends and neighbors for only $7 per issue. (Payment must be sent before issue date.)

Please limit your ad to 35 words or fewer and send it to The Charlotte News Classifieds, P.O. Box 251, Charlotte, VT 05445 or email ads@ thecharlottenews.org.

April 28 Laura Lipton to Christine Souliere and Caryn Waxman, 1 acre boundary adjustment, 236 Lucy’s Lane, $8,353.17.

June 5 Jonathan and Lorelei Atwood to Daniel and Julia Cavanagh, 0.6 acre with

dwelling, 13 Common Way, $335,000.

June 8 Residents Trust to Komal Dhall and Ajat Tariyal, 144 acres with dwelling, 1914 Prindle Road, $775,000.

Lafayette Painting delivers top quality service on every interior and exterior project. We have been serving the homes and businesses of Chittenden County for 41 years! Call us at 863-5397 or visit us at LafayettePaintingInc.com Redstone: Affordable small office spaces available on Ferry Rd. Starting at $250.00 including all utilities. For more information or to schedule a tour call 658-7400.

Interior and Exterior Painting If you’re looking for quality painting with regular or low voc paints and reasonable rates with 35 years of experience call John McCaffrey at 802-999-0963, 802338-1331 or 802-877-2172 Mt. Philo Inn A unique hotel situated at the base of Mt. Philo State Par k with stunning panoramic views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks. Spacious 3 bedroom suites with 2 bathrooms and a complete kitchen. Thoughtfully designed for casual elegance. Privacy, space and tranquility.

Bigger on the inside. MtPhiloInn.com 802425-3335 Does your home need a fresh coat of paint or brand new color? Lupine Painting can help with any of your painting needs. 20+ years of stressfree painting. Call for a free consultation (802)598-9940.

Tree Service. Lot clearing. Tree and brush removal. Local and fully insured. Call Bud 802-734-4503 O f f i ce s Fo r R e nt i n we s t C h a r l o t te village, SW corner of Greenbush and Ferry. Lake views, basic Internet included, common kitchen, deck and showers, $300-$525/month, contact 802-318-6228 or 2848.Greenbush@gmail.com Ser vices: GARDENING. Could you use some help with your garden? Sunnyside Gardener is now open for the season. We can assist you with planting, weeding, edging, mulching, vacation watering and care. Now in our ninth year of operation.

Master Gardener trained. Call 864-3268 The News is looking for writers, photographers and drivers to join the communit y of Charlotters. I f you’re interested in supplying news stories or photography, please email editor in chief, Lynn Monty, at lynn@thecharlottenews. org. For paper distribution contact Vince Crockenberg at vince.crockenberg@gmail. com.

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