Monday, June 18, 2012

WVTK Local & State News June 18, 2012


The next Addison County Chamber Of Commerce “After Hours Business Mixer” is coming up this Thursday and is being held at Helen Porter Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center in Middlebury. Plenty of great door prizes plus a chance to win the Pot of Gold—which is valued at $550!  The mixer will take place on the 21st from 5 – 7PM.  For more information and to RSVP to Sue Hoxie just visit Addison County Dot Com

The Middlebury Business Development Fund Advisory Board will meet this afternoon at 3:30 in the Town Offices Main Conference Room.  Agenda items include the welcoming of new Board Members, a review of the notes from the June 4th meeting, a strategy discussion to meet the fundraising goal along with the review of the recruitment strategy.  They will also plan for the Middlebury Business Development Fund Report to the Select-Board on June 26th and set the next meeting date.

The Town Of Middlebury will be holding a special Select-Board meeting tomorrow evening at 7 at the Russ Sholes Senior Center on Main Street.  On the agenda is a Presentation of the Town Offices/Community Center Steering Committee.  Get more information anytime by visiting the Town’s Website

The latest edition of the annual Addison County Guide & Map is at the printer and will be ready for shipment very soon!  This is our region's primary tourism lure piece. They print and distribute 35,000 copies annually via the state's highway welcome centers, PP&D Brochure Distribution's racks, the Chamber’s own visitors' center, and more. In addition, they print 5,000 copies of just the map.  If you'd like copies of the guide & map, or just the map alone, to distribute to your guests, customers or clients, please contact the Addison County Chamber Of Commerce.    If you'd like a preview of the guide and map, you can download the PDFs:

Potholes nearly 20 inches long have neighbors in Bridport reaching out to officials and wanting answers.  The oversized potholes are on the road leading up to the new Champlain Bridge, and they say the new bridge should have a new road. People who live in the area say the potholes are a safety concern.  They can be seen between route 125 and route 17.  "You know, you've got this gorgeous multi million dollar bridge. You've got one of the most beautiful campuses in Middlebury College. And the road between them is just horrendous” for now town officials plan to temporarily fill the craters but Crawmer is looking for a permanent fix.

5th and 6th graders at the Neshobe Elementary School headed up a school beautification project this year.  They recognized the school needed a new sign and worked under the guidance of Winning Image Graphics to design and build it. The Brandon Zoning Commission helped the children place the sign and obtain a permit.  Last week, students presented it to the PTO, which funded the project.  The sign was unveiled June 7th at the school's Celebration of Student Learning event.

The state’s two largest utilities now have the approval of the Vermont Public Service Board to become one.  The actual merger of Green Mountain Power and Central Vermont Public Service Corporation is likely in October.  Gaz Metro of Quebec, which owns Green Mountain Power, is expected to close on acquisition of C-V-P-S later this month, unless there’s an appeal.  While Governor Peter Shumlin was pleased with the decision Friday, the A-A-R-P state director called it a “travesty” that the board approved it, but would not order the utilities to repay the 21-million dollars to customers who bailed out C-V-P-S 12 years ago.

Ticonderoga firefighters have a new tool to utilize during water emergencies.  The Ti Fire Department has a 23-foot deck boat for use on Lake George, Lake Champlain, Eagle Lake and Putt’s Pond.  Snug Harbor Marina in Ticonderoga donated the boat, which replaces an old pontoon boat, to the department. The fire department purchased an $8,000 motor for the craft. The Ticonderoga Fire Department water rescue team has four divers and dive tenders. It works in conjunction with water rescue teams from Port Henry, Hague and Putnam.

Essex County is poised to spend $2,500 to help get rid of an evasive species in Lake George.  The Economic Development-Planning and Publicity Committee of Essex County moved a resolution to the full board to give the money to the Lake George Association, which is in the second year of an Asian Clam eradication program on the waters that border Ticonderoga. The project has been effective over the first year, when the county also gave $2,500 to help deal with the problem.

Fort Ticonderoga recently received a grant from the South Lake Champlain Fund of the Vermont Community Foundation supporting the first conference on Lake George and Lake Champlain, which the fort will host on August 11th and 12th.  The grant will help launch the new conference exploring the history, geography, culture, ecology and current issues related to the Lake George and Lake Champlain region. Registration for the conference is now open. People can learn more about the conference by downloading a conference brochure from the Fort Ticonderoga website at www.fort-ticonderoga.org.

Pet feces are becoming a problem in Ticonderoga, and Town Supervisor Debra Malaney says they’re doing something about it.  The town has a local Animal Control Law that prohibits leaving pet feces on the ground, and it provides a minimum $25 fine for a first offense. The law also requires dogs to be leashed at all times when off their owner’s property.  Both the Ticonderoga Town Police Department and the town dog control officer have been notified to begin enforcing the pet law.

Two western Vermont towns have renewed a contract that provides a law enforcement presence in the town of Benson for at least a year.  The Benson Select Board voted recently to approve a one-year contract with the Fair Haven Police Department for three hours of police coverage a week. The Benson vote was pending approval from the Fair Haven Select Board, which voted unanimously last week to go ahead with a new contract.  The contract runs from July 1 through June 30, 2013.

Vermont Health Commissioner Harry Chen announced Friday that planners trying to open a methadone clinic in Rutland are no longer considering a site on Granger Street that has been opposed by residents. It is unclear which sites are now under consideration by Chen and officials with Rutland Regional Medical Center and Rutland Mental Health Services. But the health commissioner said planners need to make a decision soon to have any hope of opening the clinic by October 1st — a deadline the state must meet to receive federal funding for 90 percent of the clinic’s cost.

Attorney General William Sorrell says Vermont is joining six other states that are banding together in a lawsuit seeking cleaner fuel standards for motor vehicles.  Vermont on Friday filed a "friend of the court" brief with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals supporting California's appeal of a lower court's rulings invalidating its low carbon fuel standard. Sorrell says the federal government has been slow to take action on climate change. He says Vermont needs to have the ability to adopt a low-carbon fuel standard as one of its tools to confront climate change.

Vermont's unemployment rate remains 4.6% for the month of May.  According to a press release, Vermont added 5,000 jobs in May compared to the revised April numbers. May's unemployment rate for the United States was 8.2%.

A water rescue was called in yesterday in Isle La Motte for a capsized canoe.  Initially, a wind surfer was having problems getting out of the water.  That's when two people in a canoe went out to help, but also capsized.  All three people were rescued by a civilian boat and brought to shore.  Luckily, no one was injured.  "Life jackets of course are a must, I think that’s what helped in this situation. Other than that, also helping fellow boaters that are out on the water. That played a big role today too."  Officials say high winds and rough waters were to blame.

Vermont moose hunters have until July 5th to apply for permits, which will be awarded by lottery.  Lottery applications are $10 for residents and $25 for nonresidents. The state is also auctioning off five permits to the highest bidders. Applications can be found at the department's web site. Printed moose applications are available at license agents, but officials encourage people to use the online application.

The Schroon Lake Chamber of Commerce has announced the Schroon Lake Bed & Breakfast has been awarded the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.  The accolade, which honors hospitality excellence, is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveler reviews on TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor is the world’s largest travel site. The online resource offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features. For more information about the Schroon Lake Bed & Breakfast, visit www.schroonbb.com.  For information about the Schroon Lake Region, visit www.schroonlakeregion.com