WVTK Local & State News December 20, 2011

Beginning Monday, January 2nd the historic Pulp Mill Bridge in Middlebury will be closed for repairs and restoration for an extended period of time. Officials say a definitive date for the opening will be announced once it’s clearly known. The circa-1820 covered bridge will get a major face starting in 2012. Middlebury and Weybridge town officials said the ailing wooden bridge would be extensively rehabilitated, including fixing 19th-century design errors. The construction project will cost $2.6 million. Construction will create some traffic snarls for commuters using the bridge, which connects Middlebury and Weybridge. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and is called a Burr-arch bridge.

The Moriah Central School Board meets this evening in the High School library. Agenda items include bid opens for cabinetry and reports on revenue and 2011 uncollected taxes. The public is welcome to attend. Also, happening today will be the annual Senior Citizens Christmas Dinner from 4 to 6PM and then at 7 elementary students will perform a Christmas concert in the auditorium.

A panel of Vermont lawmakers that has been reviewing the state's public records law plans to issue its report to the full Legislature next month. Sen. Claire Ayer says it appears poised to restrict access to academic research at the University of Vermont and Vermont State Colleges, except for that involving the care and treatment of animals. The committee has been delving into the more than 200 exemptions from the underlying Vermont law that says records generated by the various arms of government need to be open for inspection by members of the public. Ayer says the committee will recommend that records having to do with health care provided to individuals remain private.

The Vergennes Union High School Board is now looking at a third budget draft for the 2012-2013 academic year that could raise spending by 2.47 percent to a little more than $9 million. VUHS Co-principals Ed Webbley and Peter Reynolds made the recommendations to the board last week. They also shared with the board the outline of what another level-funded budget could mean in terms of reductions in force. However they did not make specific recommendations at the last meeting. Next year, the VUHS enrollment is projected to drop by 30 students to 585, and by 2013 it will fall to 525.

According to “Time” magazine it’s the year of the protester and Ripton’s Bill McKibben has made it onto the “People Who Mattered” list in the magazine’s annual year-in-review issue. However he stressed, it’s not his accomplishments exclusively that landed him in the national media this year, it’s everyone who participated in the actions coordinated by environmental group 350.org, which he co-founded with students at Middlebury College.

Gerry Gossens’ volunteer contributions have been recognized throughout New England. The Salisbury resident received the New England Healthcare Assembly’s “Trustee Leadership Award” this month. The award is given annually on a hospital trustee in the Northeast who has made exceptional contributions to the health care industry. Over the years he has collected various awards and received recognition for his service in the state Legislature and on the leadership boards of more than a dozen local and statewide nonprofits.

Students in the Middlebury College Environmental Studies Senior Seminar have been busy analyzing Vermont’s forgotten dams and have proposed guidelines for removing or developing the existing infrastructure. Vermont’s forgotten dams are mostly small structures tucked away on streams and brooks, once used in small-scale milling operations. Most have been dormant for a century.

The Town Of Killington’s auditor has confirmed that there is $639,401 in undesignated cash the town can use to offset the 2012 budget. According to Town Manager Seth Webb it will completely cover the budget deficit for next year of less than $160,000. Before the money was found in the town's latest audit report the municipal tax rate was expected to jump 2.5 cents next year. Depending on the discussion tonight at the Select Board's regular meeting, utilizing some of these funds could allow the Select Board to avoid increased taxes.

The Moriah Food pantry is getting a holiday gift from a group of students at the Yandon Dillon Center in Mineville. Champlain Valley Educational Services students sold soup and cookies during the holiday season to raise money for the local food shelf. They raised $250. Students from Moriah, Crown Point, Schroon Lake and Ticonderoga schools took part in the project. The Moriah Food Pantry is seeing major cutbacks to its donations and increased number of patrons this year.

The Essex County Layoffs Committee has chosen the 10 jobs that will be eliminated next year. The 2012 county budget cuts nine full-time positions and one part-time slot to save money, and County Board of Supervisors Chair Randy Douglas said he appointed a three-person subcommittee to decide who goes. The list is not yet ready for public release but they expect that would be done later this week. The County Manager said those people laid off will go on recall status, so if other jobs open, they can return to county employment.

A Vermont high school principal hired to boost academic performance at Winooski High School is leaving before the end of his 3-year contract. Justin Brown submitted his resignation last month, effect June 30, the end of the second year of the 3-year federal School Improvements Grants program. The Burlington Free Press reports Brown felt that his "skill set as an administrator is not the match for the challenges" facing Winooski High School." In 2010 Winooski High school was identified as 1 of Vermont's 10 lowest-achieving schools.

A plan to sell Fletcher Allen Health Care's five outpatient dialysis clinics has been dropped after a top Vermont official said he would reject the proposal. Fletcher Allen said Monday it would not pursue the plan. State officials said Bio-Medical Applications of New Hampshire had withdrawn its application to buy the clinics.

Vermont businesses tied to the future of one of the world's more distinctive brands expressed concern Monday after the carmaker filed for bankruptcy. The chief executive of SAAB Automobile hand-delivered an application for bankruptcy protection to a Swedish judge after talks with General Motors and Chinese investors interested in taking over the niche carmaker collapsed last week.

The attorney general's office says it wants 27 Burlington landlords to prove they're in compliance with the state's laws about lead in housing. Attorney General William Sorrell says 80% of Vermont's rental housing units were built before 1978 when lead-based paint was banned.

Vermont's largest city is considering an outdoor smoking ban. The Burlington City Council is looking at an ordinance that would exempt smoking on private property and on stretches of sidewalk leased by the city to cafes and restaurants. If approved, the resolution would be forwarded to a committee for refinement. A separate ordinance under consideration would set aside part of City Hall Park for smokers.

Studies have shown that Tai Chi can improve balance, flexibility, and muscle strength while relieving chronic pain in joints. CVAA is offering several Tai Chi classes in Addison County for resident age 50 and over. There is no charge for classes, which are open to anyone age 50 and over (donations are appreciated). Volunteer leaders are certified through the Arthritis Foundation. Call Cindy at ext. 1028 at CVAA 1-800-642-5119 for more information. 

The LaChute Road Runners Club of Ticonderoga is planning its 10th annual Resolution Run on New Year’s Day 2012. The event will include a five-kilometer run and a four-kilometer walk. Both events will begin and end at the Community Building on Montcalm Street at 11AM. The course follows Lake Champlain Avenue to Water Street to Lake George Avenue back to Montcalm Street. Registration will be that day beginning at 10:15AM at Bicentennial Park. Registration fee is $2 or two food items. All proceeds will be donated to the local food pantry. For more information just visit www.lachute.us.

Some seminal documents from Vermont's first century as a state are now available online. Secretary of State Jim Condos says his office's website now includes a link to the work of the Council of Censors, a 13-member body that met every seven years from 1777 to 1870 to review the actions of state government and to propose amendments to the Vermont Constitution. In 1869, the Council recommended women's suffrage about a half-century before it became the law of the land nationally. It recommended the creation of a state Senate in 1835, but against the idea of having legislative sessions every year. 1 of the Council's final recommendations was for its own abolishment and replacement with something very much like the current system for amending the Constitution.

The National Weather Service says the latest outlook opens the door to a sliver of hope for a white Christmas in northern New England. Meteorologist Stacie Hanes says the forecast calls for a low-pressure system to develop off the coast, bringing the possibility of rain or snow on Christmas Day. She says it's too early to predict with any certainty what will happen. But she says it "looks like some snow is possible."