WVTK Local & State News March 2, 2011

One outcome from Middlebury’s Town Meeting was the decision within the town budget to partially fund a position that will help boost Middlebury’s economy. The town allocated $25,000; the Downtown Improvement District will fund another $10,000; and the Better Middlebury Partnership will chip in $5,000 for a total of $40,000. The position will help the BMP promote and run four major town events; coordinate sales throughout the year; help fill gaps in the retail offerings in town; and generally work to make the town business community thrive in all ways possible.

The Middlebury highway bond passed 467 to 158. Craig Bingham and Dean George won the select-board race for Middlebury.
The spending plan for the Hannaford Career Center which serves kids in the Addison Northeast, Addison Northwest and Addison Central supervisory unions was OK'd by voters.

On the Addison Northwest unification vote:
Vergennes, 191 yes; 124 no
Ferrisburgh, 270 yes, 161 no
Addison, 177 yes, 150 no
Panton, 62 yes, 15 no
Waltham, 64 yes, 14 no
Total: 764 yes, 464 no

Bristol residents passed their elementary school budget, 479-256.

In the Addison Northeast Supervisory Union, the Lincoln School budget was OK'd.

The UD-3 budget passed 1170-720. The elementary school budget is decided in April.

Bridport approved their school budget by 168 to 162.

In the Brandon select-board race, incumbent Richard Baker won over Jim Leary by a margin of 605-413.

The Cornwall select-board’s proposal to spend $15,000 to arrange for the town-owned Lavalley Store building to be demolished or removed from its present site next to the town offices, and for the remnants to be recycled, repurposed or sold, was too close to call after a voice vote, residents voted 73-53 by paper ballot to table a motion to demolish.

The city of Rutland is getting a new recreation center. Voters approved the bond for the expansion of facilities at Giorgetti Park by a vote of 1,710 to 1,603. Rutland voters also overwhelmingly approved the city and school budgets.

Town and school budgets were passed in Colchester, South Burlington, Williston and Winooski. The school budget also passed in Burlington, but voters turned down two proposals backed by Mayor Bob Kiss, one to authorize a tax increase of up to four cents, the other requiring a 50-percent majority for a candidate to win the mayoral race. In Colchester, voters also decided overwhelmingly to install L-E-D street lights throughout the town.

Killington residents voted down the town budget and now the new select board must find a way to tackle the golf course debt. The Green Mountain National Golf Course operates at a deficit every year and last year ran $460,000 in the red.

South Burlington is on the brink of a teachers' strike. On Tuesday the union votes whether its members will walk off the job. This vote comes after months of unsuccessful negotiations. On February 16, talks between the school board and the teachers' union completely broke down.

Voters in Barre City weighed in on variety of controversial issues on Town Meeting Day, but there is one thing they didn't get to do: fill out the annual Doyle Survey. The city's Board of Civil Authority decided to ban the survey from polling places in Barre City. Washington County Sen. Bill Doyle says this is the first time ever that a town has stopped him from distributing his survey.

On Town Meeting Day, Vernon residents voted to set aside more than $1 million in an emergency reserve fund to help pay for funding issues related to Vermont Yankee. The nuclear plant's license is set to expire in March of 2012. The money for the emergency fund will be reallocated from a discontinued water and sewer fund. Proponents argued the money will help ease the tax burden on residents if Vermont Yankee closes. The nuclear plant currently pays more than 53 percent of the town's property taxes.

Castleton State College says football coach Rich Alercio has resigned over an incident in which he helped get student loans for 1 of his players. College President Dave Wolk says he allegedly violated NCAA rules by arranging a contact that led to three student loans totaling nearly $22,000. The applications were co-signed by a part-time college employee. Wolk says the money was for tuition. He wouldn't identify the player or the employee, whom he said was unaware it was a violation.

A 21-year-old Vermont man has died from injuries suffered when he hanged himself in a New York state jail. The Rockland County Sheriff's Department said Nathan G. Patnode of Essex Junction died Saturday after he was taken off life support. He had been in a coma while in the Hospital.

The Champlain Valley Fair has announced several big acts for its concert series. The 1970s rock groups Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Doobie Brothers will play opening night of Vermont's largest annual entertainment event. Tickets go on sale Friday. Country duo Sugarland is on the schedule with singer Sarah Bareilles. And country group Lady Antebellum is also coming to Vermont. The Champlain Valley Fair runs August 27 through September 5.