WVTKLocal & State News December 27, 2011

The historic Pulp Mill Bridge will close on Jan. 2 for an estimated 10 months of extensive repairs designed to make the span more structurally secure and durable. The 192-year-old, double-laned Bridge links Middlebury with Weybridge across Otter Creek. With some structure deterioration and other deficiencies, the span has needed repairs for several years and has been limited to one vehicle per lane at a time. But the project schedule has a funding package, had to wait for completion of the Cross Street Bridge, and deal with the discovery of bat inhabitants within the span. All of those issues have been resolved, to the extent that New York-based Alpine Construction will begin working on the Pulp Mill Bridge on Jan. 2, according to Mark Sargent, project manager for the Vermont Agency of Transportation. Alpine won the bridge repair project with a bid of 1.7 million dollars.

 “Survivor” champion and hometown hero Sophie Clarke will make her first public appearance in the region at her alma mater. Clarke will be at the Willsboro Central School on Wednesday, Dec. 28, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. School Superintendent Stephen Broadwell said “I reached out to Sophie and asked her if she would be willing to come in, He also said that the majority of the hallway and, in some cases, classroom conversation has centered around the 2007 graduate’s exploits after being named the winner of the show “Survivor: South Pacific” Dec. 18.

Tropical Storm Irene dumped a lot of water on Rutland but also held it back. While Rutland did not have the same sort of flooding as many other communities, homes on Meadow Street, Cleveland Avenue and other city streets suffered water damage. The inlet from Mendon Brook to the Rutland reservoir was destroyed. The city had a 30-day supply in the reservoir, and conservation measures were adopted to stretch that out. A back-up supply worked briefly before failing, but helped buy the city time. Mendon Brook again began flowing into the reservoir in mid-September. Mayor Christopher Louras said he still could not offer a precise estimate of the city’s damages. “Working with FEMA, it’s a broad range of anywhere between $1 to $1.6 (million) total cost, with no indication of how much is reimbursable,” he said. “FEMA is still breaking it down into individual projects.”

It’s the beginning of a critical vacation week period for ski resorts across the Northeast. A record, mild fall that featured minimal natural snowfall led to a slow start for the ski industry this year. Resorts have had to rely heavily on the costly process of manmade snowmaking early this season. Officials are hoping for a big turnout this week despite the difficult start. Bonnie Macpherson with Okemo said "There are a couple vacation periods that are a big percentage of our business overall. The rest of the week is important too, but those holiday weeks are just crucial to our overall season.


Vermont's Governor says he has a new plan to keep you safer on the roads this winter. At a news conference , Governor Peter Shumlin said it starts with giving more power to road crews when it comes to salt and brine. "There was some feeling among some of the hard working men and women that are keeping our roads safe, that for budgetary reasons they couldn't allocate what they thought was right," Shumlin said. Under the new plan, road crews can determine how much salt or brine to use regardless of what their higher-ups say or the cost. Plus, there are other changes including using brine on more locations around the State. "Salt brine is something we've been using in districts five and eight which is Colchester area and St. Albans area. It will be expanding to district three which is the Rutland area this year. And you'll also see it down I-89 in Washington County," Vtrans Operations Director Scott Rogers said. Vtrans says brine, which is a combination of salt and water, is far more effective than salt.

Middlebury’s 2012 Chili Fest will be held Saturday, March 10, according to a decision made by the town Select Board.The Board’s approval was needed to close Main Street, from Seymour Street to the Cross Street Bridge and Merchants Row from South Pleasant Street. This year’s event will start at noon and close at 6 p.m. Similar to the 2011 event, the Board approved the northeast side of the Main Street traffic rotary for the event’s beverage tent.  

Ticonderoga residents still have time to comment on a proposed revision of the town’s zoning law. About two dozen people attended a public hearing on the measure Dec. 8, most expressing concerns with the changes. Many of the complaints centered on the process, which included a residents committee, a paid consultant and a series of public information meetings. Others voiced concerns about their individual situations. The proposed law is available at the town clerk’s office. There is no deadline for comments, but Malaney expects the town board to act on the proposed law before March 31. The zoning revision project is

The UD-3 school board is considering cuts to driver’s education, dance, art and foreign languages in order to limit the increase in the 2012-2013 spending plan to around 3 percent. The UD-3 budget includes expenses for Middlebury Union middle and high schools. School directors earlier this month reviewed a 2012-2013 budget draft of $16,247,714, reflecting a 4.1-percent increase in spending just to cover contracted teacher salary raises and benefits, projected hikes in fuel and electricity costs and a rise in special education transportation expenses.

On the day after Christmas, shoppers sought great deals and retailers looked to close out the season in the black. This Christmas was a little brighter for retailers nationwide. According to the National Retail Federation, holiday sales went up 3.8% over last year. Now, the second half of the holiday shopping season is underway. It was a quiet start yesterday morning for what is expected to be one of the busiest shopping days of the year. The day after Christmas. One Mall in South Burlington opened early, at 8 a.m., for many expected happy returns. "We came to exchange some boots to get the right size and the color," said a Vermont resident. He, like others out early, was hoping to avoid the expected crowds. "Usually if you come early you beat the crowds you can find what you are looking for pretty quickly and get in and out that is what we are trying to do," he said. Final sales figures for the two-month holiday shopping period are expected to reach $469 billion dollars nationwide.