Tuesday, June 1, 2010

WVTK Local & State News June 1, 2010

The 3-day weekend wrapped up with a smoky hazy across the region. There are more than 50 forest fires burning about a hundred miles north of Montreal and that smoke has worked its way to our area. Officials are urging people who are sensitive to smoke should stay inside. Rain showers today should help clear the air.

A construction contract for the new Crown Point Bridge has been awarded. The New York State Department of Transportation and Vermont Agency of Transportation jointly announced Friday that the contract has been formally awarded to Flatiron Constructors of Boulder, Colorado. Construction is expected to start right away and should be done by September of next year.

Bristol residents began talking last week about where and how gravel extraction should happen in the town. The conversation was the second in a series of three round-table forums designed to change the process of town planning in Bristol for the time being. The three town forums will play a large role in directing the planning commission’s next move. The third and final forum will take place on Saturday, June 5, from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Mount Abe cafeteria.

Vergennes aldermen have taken a look at the first draft of a proposed $1.6 million 2010-2011 city budget that if adopted would not require an increase in the portion of the city tax rate that supports municipal spending. There will be several budget workshops to go over the draft. The first meeting will be held on June 8; residents are welcome to the 6 p.m. meeting at the fire station.

Middlebury voters will be asked this summer to endorse a $3 million, 20-year bond to chip away at a mounting backlog of needed repairs to the town’s water system infrastructure.

For the second time in recent months, a longtime member of both the Vergennes Planning Commission and the Development Review Board has decided to step down. Mark Hattler submitted his resignation to aldermen via email. He has been a member of both boards since January 2001. Hattler’s decision follows the departure earlier this spring of longtime planning chairman Neil Curtis, who resigned after a move out of Vergennes. Hattler’s primary reason for resigning is to spend more time with his children.

Bristol residents in the village police district voted down the proposed police department spending plan for fiscal year 2011 in a narrow 15-14 paper ballot vote. The proposed 2010-2011 budget would have meant a 12.5 percent hike in the amount to be raised by taxes if residents had approved the budget.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last week that Fair Haven had been approved for a $67,500 grant and $157,500 loan toward the purchase of a new fire truck estimated at around $450,000. The remainder of the money is expected to come from a reserve fund. Bids on the new truck are due in later this week.

The year's final tax deadline in Rutland has come and gone and despite the hit the region's economy took in the past year, tax delinquencies remained low and on par with last year. Taxpayers have until June 30 to pay taxes due this year and the city expects the overdue figure to whittle down as the date gets closer.

For more than 60 years, thousands of people have flocked to Vergennes on for Vermont's largest Memorial Day parade. And while it's the largest, with all the high school marching bands, color guards and veterans groups, it still has the small town feel, despite so many people coming from other communities to watch it. This year’s theme was "Never to be Forgotten".

An investigation into the death of a woman in a Vermont prison says there were problems with communication and health care staffing. The Rutland Herald says a report released last week by the nonprofit group Disability Rights Vermont found the death of 23-year-old Ashley Ellis of Rutland could have been prevented if the Department of Corrections and the health care contractor Prison Health Services had done a better job.

Vermont lawmakers will decide this week whether to return for a special veto session on June 9. Governor Jim Douglas vetoed a bill changing the current use program. Douglas says the bill would have increased taxes for owners of farms and forestland. Lawmakers have the option of letting the veto stand and waiting until next year to address changes.

A fire yesterday afternoon completely destroyed a vacant historic building in Barre. The blaze at the old Key Bank took more than 100 firefighters to control. Renovations on the building were scheduled to start next month. Officials say this may change the timetable, but they will rebuild the building. Firefighters are not sure what caused the blaze, or if it is suspicious.

Two Burlington Schools will be closing their doors this month. A couple of months ago, officials announced this would be the last year for St. Joseph's School on Allen Street in Burlington. Now another catholic school will be closing as well. The North Avenue Christian School will also be closing this month. School officials blame the economy for the low enrollment.

The 22nd Annual Key Bank Vermont City Marathon over the weekend was a huge success with more than 8,000 competitors. The winner in the men's division was 25-year-old John Crews of Raleigh, North Carolina. He also won last year. As for the ladies' division, Heidi Westerline of Walpole, New Hampshire, claimed her 4th women's title in 5 years.

Some of our solders stationed in Afghanistan also ran the Vermont City Marathon. About 200 soldiers at Camp Phoenix held their own race, which included a full marathon and a relay. Another 40 ran a complete marathon at Bagram Airfield. Due to the time difference, they were actually done before the runners in Burlington lined-up. The results were official.

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine has ranked Burlington one of the Top 10 Cities for the next decade. The magazine looked at economic and other indicators while using a formula to identify places with growth in high-quality jobs and income. Austin, Texas was at the top of the list. Burlington was ranked number 8. The list comes out in Kiplinger's July issue.

Another leak of radioactive material has been found and fixed at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. Crews found the leak Friday while the plant was powering back up after a month long shutdown for refueling. Plant and federal regulatory officials said it poses no threat to public health or safety. The plant should be back to full power in the next couple days.

The Foundation of CVPH will be hosting two fitness fundraisers this year. The first is a 5k Run/Walk this Saturday. Then, on July 11, its the CVPH Mayor's Cup Mountain to Lake Bike Ride. The proceeds from the 2 fundraisers will help the Foundation at CVPH provide and support community health education and as well as a number of patient care enhancement initiatives.