WVTK Local & State News September 22, 2011

Taxpayers in Clarendon will have an extra month to pay their property tax bills. The Clarendon Select Board has agreed to extend the property tax deadline from October 14 to November 18. The decision was made at a recent board meeting after hearing from residents impacted by Tropical Storm Irene that more time was needed to pay tax bills.

Residents from the town of Brandon met earlier this week to listen and discuss a corridor plan for the Neshobe River Watershed with the purpose of mitigating future flood damage. A steering committee is now reaching out to landowners along the Neshobe River Watershed and presenting the potential projects and their benefits. They are working on determining what volunteer options are available for property owners. Copies of the Neshobe River Corridor Plan are available at the Brandon town offices and at townofbrandon.com.

The city of Rutland will get a look tonight at how Evelyn Street and Wales Street could be different. The Community and Economic Development Committee meets at 5:30PM to discuss a recent traffic study. The study presents three approaches to altering Evelyn Street and looks at changing the direction of traffic on Wales Street.

State officials now estimate the damage to roads, bridges and other infrastructure in Vermont will exceed $1 billion. Much of that damage is in towns where 1,950 roads, 200 bridges and 900 culverts need repairs. The state is rushing emergency funds to towns to pay for the work, while they await federal disaster aid. Meanwhile, transportation officials report more progress on repairing state infrastructure. There were 180 separate closures of state roads and bridges following Irene, today that is down to 13. But there still is a long way to go to get the system fully repaired.

Gov. Peter Shumlin is urging Vermonters whose homes were damaged by flooding to register for help with the Federal Emergency Management Agency by the end of October. Shumlin said Tuesday that officials are extremely concerned that every Vermonter who was displaced by the storm has adequate housing before winter, whether they are a homeowner or renter. He says the federal agency won't know how much help is needed until it gets the information it needs. He is urging Vermonters to call 1-800-621-FEMA by the end of next month.

The federal government has extended unemployment assistance to three more Vermont counties following Tropical Storm Irene. The Vermont Department of Labor said Wednesday that the filing deadline for individuals in Franklin, Lamoille and Orleans counties to determine if they eligible for help is Oct. 21. Officials say a person must be continuously unemployed as a direct result of the remnants of Hurricane Irene to continue to get help. Vermont already received approval for assistance in nine other counties. The deadline for those areas is October 7.

Although it's been a few weeks since Tropical Storm Irene, homeless shelters around the state are busier than ever. The Rutland City Rescue Mission says it's doubled the amount of meals served in its soup kitchen, and the shelter for homeless is filled with people whose homes are damaged and have nowhere to go. Vermont 2-1-1 says the number of after-hours emergency calls reached an all-time high in the month of August, with more than 160 calls of people needing information about where to go and what to do.

The full Senate Appropriations Committee has signed off a measure that would once again allow heavy trucks to use interstate highways in Maine and Vermont. Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy placed the provision approved yesterday in the transportation-spending bill along with Maine colleague Susan Collins. The proposal now goes to the full Senate. There's no similar language in the House version.

A new legislative bill would exempt New York flood victims from state sales tax for their moving expenses and for purchases that replace clothing, appliances and other items. The proposal by two upstate lawmakers would cover the sales tax on storage, furniture and other purchases large and small necessitated by the flooding damage caused by from tropical storms Irene and Lee. Flood victims would be reimbursed for disaster purchases through a tax credit as long as they have receipts. The bill could be taken up in January or earlier if the Legislature calls a special session this fall.

Paul Van Horn has been named store manager of the Tractor Supply store under construction in Ticonderoga. Van Horn will oversee all store operations, including receiving, inventory control and merchandising, as well as customer and team relations. The new Ticonderoga Tractor Supply store, located in the former Dockside Landing Boat Center at 9 Commercial Drive, is expected to open for business in mid October. The new store is located inside Ticonderoga Commerce Park off Route 74.

Vermont schools damaged by the remnants of Hurricane Irene as the academic year began are getting back to normal. Moretown Elementary School had to adapt to get students back to their studies as quickly as possible. The floors are just bare concrete, but the 120 students returned to class Monday. After the storm, at least five Vermont schools were closed until further notice and about 120 delayed opening for the school year because of roads or buildings ravaged by flooding.

Investigators now say a fire Tuesday at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant corporate office was definitely a case of arson and vandalism. The fire in the three-story building on Old Ferry Road was reported by an automatic alarm early Tuesday morning. The initial investigation determined a window to the building had been broken, and the sprinkler system inside was activated. The building is about seven miles from the plant, and had smoke, fire and water damage. While some areas are now re-opened, it's believed the rest of the building may be open by the end of the week.

The King’s Garden at Fort Ticonderoga will officially welcome autumn with its annual plant sale and harvest market. The event will be held Saturday, October 1, 10AM to 4PM. The plant sale will offer a variety of perennials from the historic gardens. Staff and volunteers will be available to answer questions and dig visitor’s selections. People are encouraged to bring their own bags, boxes or bins.

Gov. Peter Shumlin thanked the many Vermonters and business leaders who have been instrumental in the recovery efforts from Tropical Storm Irene in a news conference Wednesday at the National Life Building. That goodness, he said, extends to businesses like Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. It donated $250,000 to various recovery efforts and has helped in other ways. As the recovery process continues Shumlin encourages Vermonters who would like to help to call 1-800-VERMONT.