WVTK Local & State News September 17, 2010

Weather Channel Meteorologist Ray Stagich says becoming Sunny later today with a High in the Lower 60’s.

The Cross Street Bridge appears that it will be completed on time. The new roundabout intersection is taking shape on Main Street and the new span is ready for railings and lights. Project directors are so optimistic of an on-schedule finish that they are already looking ahead to a grand unveiling celebration on Oct. 30. The celebration will feature a fireworks display, entertainment, a “first vehicle over the bridge” ceremony and more.

Middlebury’s Ilsley Public Library is participating in a statewide project that will allow global, on-line access to up to 100,000 pages of Vermont newspapers published from 1836 to 1922. The “Vermont Digital Newspaper Project” will make available through the Internet a wealth of historical and genealogical resources contained in microfilmed archives that can now only be accessed at specific sites where that information is stored. The project is funded through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Since the passage 20 years ago of the 1990 Farm Bill the demand for healthy, sustainably produced food has skyrocketed and with it, the demand for organically certified products. People don’t always know how or where their food was produced, so organic certifications give them more information to use when making purchasing decisions. Two decades later, local farmers are still weighing the costs and benefits of going organic, with some saying it helps market their products and others saying national standards are too onerous.

Members of the Bristol Historical Society and their supporters appealed to the Bristol selectboard this week to change its decision to move the police department’s offices into the basement and west wing of Howden Hall. The decision to move the police will result in the loss of a public meeting space in Howden Hall and the historical society will not be able to expand its museum in the historic West Street building.

The New Haven Development Review Board tentatively approved Mike McGrath’s plan to add a 100-car used car lot to his property on Route 7 in a 6-1 vote this week. The property is currently home to McGrath’s Flooring Center Inc. and several self-storage units. The DRB Chairman is compiling a list of conditions for McGrath’s lot and the decision is expected become official at Monday’s meeting.

The Bristol selectboard is moving forward with plans for repair of the South Street Bridge, which was closed a little over a month ago due to safety concerns. Out of the three proposed options, the board decided to go with the first and most expedient option. This puts the reopening of the bridge on track for summer of 2012 at the earliest.

The Addison County Humane Society is seeking to renovate and expand its Middlebury headquarters on Boardman St. in order to better serve the area’s homeless animals and enhance their prospects for adoption. The Middlebury Development Review Board will review the humane society’s plans on September 27th. Those plans include replacement of exterior sheds and outbuildings with a new 2,800-square-foot barn. Renovations to the existing main building are also in the plan.

Stephen Beck of Leicester started work earlier this month as Brandon’s economic development officer. He expects a large part of his role will be to help the town decide collectively what direction to move in and then help bring people together to make it happen. He said he also saw a lot of potential in the community. He said the town might need to make a better effort to make itself known as it could be overlooked because of how it is nestled between Rutland and Middlebury.

The town of Ferrisburgh has placed the 35-acre parcel it owns at the junction of Routes 7 and 22A on the market. The asking price is $375,000. The site has permitted wastewater capacity, level topography, high traffic volume, easy access to rail transportation and frontage on two of the state’s busiest highways. However the land does come with some conditions for the buyer.

In the wake of a new Environmental Court ruling the Ferrisburgh Zoning Board of Adjustment will handle an amended Champlain Oil Co. application for a Route 7 gas station, convenience store and fast-food restaurant. On Sept. 8, Environmental Court Judge Thomas Durkin made a site visit and then issued a decision that Champlain Oil must go back to the ZBA with its proposal to increase the acreage in its application.

According to the latest crime report issued by the FBI, crime dropped in Vermont and around the nation in 2009. 

But police chiefs around the state said this week that while some categories of crimes and violent crimes in particular dropped, property crimes and drug activity increased in many areas.

It's now been exactly one week since anyone has seen Pat O'Hagan of Sheffield. Yesterday, a National Guard Helicopter scanned remote quarries, fields and forests in the hills above the Northeast Kingdom community. State Police detectives are now saying the 78-year-old grandmother is the victim of a kidnapping, but will not give any details about what led them to that conclusion. The FBI is even now involved in the search for her. Police are offering a five-thousand-dollar reward for any help in solving the mystery of what happened to Pat O'Hagan.

An organization that represents 1,500 North American businesses in the organic products industry is moving its headquarters from Massachusetts to Vermont. The Organic Trade Association has announced that it will move operations about 20 miles from Greenfield to Brattleboro, Vt. this fall. About a dozen employees will make the move.

The Crown Point State Historic site is celebrating its 100th anniversary with two days of festivities. The Festival of Nations gets under way this morning when school groups from Vermont and New York visit the grounds where the French and British built forts in the 18th century. Saturday's activities include a walking tour, lectures on archaeological digs conducted at the site and museum displays. French, British and American forces battled for control of Crown Point for much of the 1700s.