WVTK Local & State News January 28, 2011

Teachers in the Addison Northeast Supervisory Union could leave the classroom. Teachers say they are prepared to strike February 9th if they can't reach a deal. Teachers are currently working without a contract. The board voted to stop talks and impose working conditions earlier this month. The board increased health insurance premiums by 50% and eliminated raises for some.

There will be a three-way race for two select-board spots on the ballot in Middlebury March 1st. Eric Murray of East Middlebury will oppose incumbent Selectmen Dean George and Craig Bingham in the race for two three-year terms on the board. Murray is the owner of East Middlebury-based EJM Enterprises. He decided this was a good year to make his second bid for a seat on the board. Murray ran for a spot about 12 years ago and narrowly lost to former Selectman Max Eaton.

The Middlebury select-board has OK’d a Town Meeting Day warning that includes a request for a 20-year, $3 million bond issue to take care 17 different road improvement projects. Officials stressed they would not seek to repay the bond issue through a property tax increase. They are proposing to pay down the bond debt with funds Middlebury already budgets annually for capital improvements.

Middlebury continues to maintain a rather long list of other capital improvement projects that local officials believe need attention in the very near future. The Middlebury Town Manager gave the select-board what he said was an incomplete list of almost 30 potential projects. These projects include items ranging from the fairly basic and inexpensive like the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the town charter to the complex and costly new town offices.

The students of Middlebury College’s month-long J-Term are heading up the college’s Solar Decathlon team. Just last week, several students made the trip down to Orlando, Florida for a Solar Decathlon conference and to attend the International Builders’ Show. The team gathered to host a fund-raising event at 51 Main here in Middlebury earlier this week.

Last Friday some kindergarten students from St. Mary’s School were at the Middlebury College Museum of Art. It was part of the college’s MiddArts program. The St. Mary’s students visit was a carefully planned exercise in Visual Thinking Strategies which is a curriculum for teaching art to primary and secondary school students.

School directors in Middlebury have decided to delay the introduction of Spanish language teaching at Mary Hogan Elementary School for at least a year. The decision came in the wake of concerns voiced by some teachers about how the program would be implemented and whether those resources would be best spent on other needs.

The Bridport Grange has confirmed the 2011 legislative breakfast series that will debut on Monday, February 7th. On March 7th there will be a session with the state’s new governor, Peter Shumlin. The Monday morning legislative breakfasts are organized with the support of the Middlebury Chamber of Commerce and Addison County Regional Planning Commission. The breakfasts will begin at 7 AM with the political program beginning at 7:30 and ending promptly at 8:45.

A Rutland man has been charged of burglarizing a half-dozen homes during the past month in Vergennes. Nicholas C. Moretti, 36, was issued a citation recently to appear in Middlebury criminal court next month on six felony counts of burglary. Moretti may remain behind bars until his arraignment date after a judge in Addison County ordered him jailed earlier this week on a charge of violating his probation in another case.

Crown Point's lone grocery store is closing. Crown Point Discount Grocery has been a community fixture for eight years and will close February 1st at least for now. The owners hope to reopen in the future. They blamed the store closing on the poor national economy and the closure of the Champlain Bridge that eliminated most of his Vermont customers.

The current water rates in the village of Port Henry do not cover the operating costs of the water department. A special committee has concluded that a rate increase is necessary. Any proposed future rate increases will be for water only and will not impact the sewer portion of bills. Once the review process is complete, the village board and water committee will hold a special meeting to inform the public of any and all proposed water rate increases and changes, as well as the projected impacts on consumers.

The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce needs help. The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce is looking for chamber and community members who would like to donate their time and talent to serve on chamber event committees. Volunteers are needed to plan the chamber's annual dinner and auction along with other events coming up this year. Interested people should contact Matt Courtright at the chamber. (585-6619 or at chamberinfo@Ticonderogany.com)

Voters have made it clear they do not want a department of public works in Ticonderoga, but the town board is still taking steps to consolidate operations and save money. The Ti town board voted to merge the water and sewer departments at its January meeting. The town board had hoped to merge the highway, water and sewer departments into a single department of public works with an appointed director. That plan failed when voters overwhelmingly rejected a ballot measure to eliminate the elected highway superintendent's position.

Crown Point is forming a chamber of commerce. An organizational meeting will be held next Tuesday, February 1st, at 6 PM at Frenchman's Restaurant. The meeting will include the election officers and adoption of by-laws. The chamber's goals will be shared and all are welcome to bring their input and ideas.

Governor Peter Shumlin yesterday announced his new Chief of Connect VT. Karen Marshall, who served as COO for SecurShred will be responsible for bringing broadband and mobile phone service to Vermonters. She lives in Williston and will join the Agency of Administration.

After the federal government backed off plans to expand a tiny U.S.-Canadian border station by seizing a Vermont dairy farmer's land, legislators are now urging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to keep the crossing open. A Senate resolution calls for the Morses Line port of entry to stay open because communities and businesses in Vermont and Quebec rely on it.

Vermont doctors were taking to the halls of the Statehouse to lend their backing to Gov. Peter Shumlin's push for a single-payer health care system. More than two-dozen doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners were in a committee room Thursday, taking turns explaining why they feel a universal health care system would better serve patients than the existing system.

The Connecticut and Massachusetts congressional delegations are promoting high-speed rail in the Northeast to the new Republican congressman whose subcommittee oversees rail matters. The agenda includes presentations from Connecticut’s Governor, Amtrak, and state transportation officials from Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont.

Strong milk prices projected for this year will help farmers recover from the crash of 2009 that put more than 100 Vermont dairy farms out of business. But farmers from around the state say they hope the rising milk prices don’t “take the wind out of the sails” of an effort to eliminate volatility in the milk market. At the Vermont Farm Show in Barre, dairy economist Bob Wellington said demand from overseas, due in part to severe weather problems in Australia, will sustain milk prices in 2011. John Roberts, a dairy farmer from Cornwall, said it will be important to sustain momentum behind the supply management system that gained support among many farmers during the most recent price downturn.