WVTK Local & State News February 21, 2012

Vermont State Police are investigating a burglary from the Norris Berry Farm on Davis Road in Monkton. Norma Norris came back from vacation to find that her home had been burglarized and several items taken from the residence. Also approximately 200 gallons of diesel fuel was stolen from an outside tank and several tractors were siphoned dry. These incidents occurred sometime in the last 2 weeks. A suspicious black Chevrolet Lumina was seen in the area Friday afternoon. Anyone with information should contact the State Police Barracks in New Haven.

Planning for the Middlebury fire facilities improvement project continues to go smoothly, both on-schedule and within budget. Voting will take place on Tuesday, March 6th in the gym from 7AM to 7PM. Absentee ballots are also available from the Town Clerk's Office. To give you another opportunity to visit Middlebury Fire Station 2 on Kings Row in East Middlebury, the Fire Department is hosting the Police Department's bike sale at Station 2 on the Feb. 25th from 9 to 3PM.

The Design - Build Approach to Riverfront Work in the Marble Works Area was discussed last week at the Select Board meeting. As proposed, the project would coordinate with existing terrain, create attractive and functional seating and events areas, provide low-cost pathways for pedestrian and maintenance access, and stabilize banks and slopes with plantings. The anticipated budget for the project is $70,000: $50,000 for construction work, $10,000 for design work; $5,000 for construction oversight; $4,000 for contingency; and $1,000 for reimbursable expenses.

Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports will host its annual Ski Challenge fundraising event on Saturday, March 10th at Pico Mountain. This year’s theme is a retro '80s. You do not have to participate in the race to attend the family-friendly gala after the day's event at the Killington Grand Hotel. Gala-only tickets are available. In addition, Killington Resort and Pico Mountain are providing lift ticket and season pass fundraising incentives in order for the non-profit to reach its event goal of raising $100,000. Learn more right now at www.vermontadaptive.org.

The Ticonderoga Area Chamber Of Commerce will be holding its February After Business Mixer tomorrow. Join in on the fun, door prizes and great networking opportunities from 5:30PM – 7:00PM at the Denton Publications – Times Of Ti office. Get more information right now at www.ticonderogany.com.

Essex County lawmakers are looking for ways to help Elizabethtown with a sewer system that could cost $9.5 million. The town has a public water system installed two years ago but no sewers. Town officials have been seeking grants and no or low-interest loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, State Department of Environmental Conservation and State Environmental Facilities Corp. The estimated annual user cost of $362 for a single-family home is based on obtaining a no-interest loan from Environmental Facilities and a low-interest note from USDA.

Back in November members of the Rutland community and VT health officials came together to discuss options for a possible opiate treatment center. At that meeting, the plan was to create a model treatment facility with the potential to help over 400 clients. But now Dan Quinn, CEO of Rutland Mental Health, says funding issues make that goal unattainable. Right now, the budget that includes about $500,000 coming from the State health department could staff about six people and treat up to 75 clients. This is a much smaller version of the center dreamed up in November. A rented space from Rutland Plywood on Park Street is Quinn's choice for the treatment facility. But Mayor Christopher Louras says he'd rather see the facility put on Allen Street near Rutland Regional Medical Center.

Three more sections of downtown Rutland sidewalks are targeted for replacement. The Downtown Rutland Partnership and Rutland Redevelopment Authority are applying for a $50,000 grant from the state’s downtown transportation fund for new sidewalks in three sections of downtown along with historic-style lighting in two of those sections. The first section the grant would address is Madison Street from Strongs Avenue to Prospect Street.

Two young men are okay, but their jeep is pretty waterlogged. They had it out on the ice Saturday evening on Lake Champlain when it fell through. The U.S. Coast Guard says Jesse Demar of Colchester and a friend were in it, and made it to shore on their own. Demar had a minor injury. It took work crews a lot of hours to pull it out, and by the time they could get it to move only the roof was barely visible.

The new chair of the Vermont Republican State Committee is warning against what he says is the reckless agenda of Governor Peter Shumlin. Jack Lindley was unanimously elected party chair over the weekend during a meeting in Montpelier. Lindley says it could be a great year for Vermont Republicans, but it will take a lot of hard work.

The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife is working to buy 110 acres of Lake Champlain marshland in Colchester. The marshland is home to a variety of rare species of fish and plants. The area just south of Chimney Corners along Route 7 is known as either Munson Flats Wetlands or the Mallets Creek.

Vermont's first Baptist College is set to open its doors a year ahead of a schedule. Classes at Northeastern Baptist College will begin in late August. The private four-year school in Bennington will offer bachelor degree programs in biblical studies, music, and education. The school will share a building and grounds with Grace Christian School. The college hopes to launch with 100 students.

This year experts say we're less likely to see Lake Champlain flood and cause significant damage. That's because snow totals are far behind average compared to last year. When the snow melts this spring, there could be good news for people who live and work near Lake Champlain. Eric Evenson is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service and says we probably won't see the extremes we saw last year. That's when Lake Champlain rose to record levels and damaged homes, businesses and almost everything in its way.

According to a study from the Vermont Law School’s Institute for Energy and the Environment, utilities and policymakers around the country could learn a valuable lesson from the approach Central Vermont Public Service Corp. is taking to implement deployment of its $63 million smart grid project. CVPS, Green Mountain Power Corp., and the state’s other electric utilities are implementing smart grid programs that they say will allow consumers to monitor in real-time their energy consumption with the potential to save on their electric bills. It will also allow utilities to more effectively manage their peak loads and better respond to power outages, more precisely pinpointing the location. The report is part of a broader study begun last year by the Vermont Law School’s Institute for Energy and the Environment.

Stowe Mountain Resort will be offing two free days of skiing and riding for all active, full-time, National Guard and Army Reserve Vermont military personnel and their families. The first one is this Sunday the 26th and the next one will take place on March 25th. For more information just visit the resorts website - www.stowe.com.

Vermont's congressional delegation has introduced a bill to extend a program that provides payments to dairy farmers to help weather fluctuating milk prices. The delegation says that in September, farmers could face a severe drop in support from the Milk Income Loss Contract program if no action is taken.

Something new is on the menu for students. The Vermont State College system is changing food providers. For the past two decades Aramark has been contracted with the state college system. But next Fall Sodexo will take over. The deal will save the VSC system about 250-thousand dollars each year and officials expect the food to be better. More then 6-thousand students use the on campus dining halls.

Gas prices are now the highest they have ever been this time of year. As of yesterday, the average price of a gallon of gas in Vermont was $3.69. That is even higher than the national average of $3.53. If you thought that was bad, experts say national gas prices could reach $4.25 a gallon by late April. They say it is a combination of tension in Iran and more demand for gasoline from developing nations. Some experts predict it could cost the national economy $35 billion if gas prices stay at least 25 cents higher than usual for a full year.

Senator Patrick Leahy will travel to Cuba and two other countries later this week. Senator Leahy's spokesperson says the Senator will be traveling with a delegation of lawmakers beginning on Wednesday. Cuba will be one stop in the weeklong trip. The other two countries are Haiti and Columbia. Leahy visited Haiti last year after an earthquake devastated that country. The Senator will be releasing a more detailed itinerary later this week.

Officials with the Army Corps of Engineers say a series of flood control projects built decades ago helped save Vermont from tens of millions of dollars in damage during flooding from Tropical Storm Irene last summer. The town of Springfield didn't suffer any significant damage during Irene thanks to the North Springfield Dam, which held back the floodwaters that damaged communities upstream such as Cavendish and Ludlow.

The Vermont outpost of a multinational company that makes medical products is considering an expansion of its St. Albans facility, which could add 150 jobs to the local economy. The St. Albans Messenger says the Vermont Economic Progress Council has given preliminary approval to $4.2 million in cash incentives to Mylan Technologies, should the company expand in St. Albans.

Vermont State Police and environmental officials are going to work to remove a truck that went through the ice on Lake Willoughby in the town of Westmore. Police say that early Sunday morning a truck driven by 36-year-old Douglas Mott of Newport went through the ice. Mott was later charged with driving under the influence.

New York College students and young professionals are being encouraged to apply for two new programs aimed at nurturing the next generation of New York leaders and policy makers. The "New New York Leaders Initiative" includes a program called the Empire State Fellows and another called the Student Intern Program. Candidates may receive more information and apply online.