WVTK Local & State News April 27, 2012

Seymour Street here in Middlebury will be closed to through traffic on Monday, April 30th starting at 7AM until 5PM. It will be closed at Main Street and at Elm Street for water main work at the Fire Station. Access to businesses and residences north of the Fire Station will be via the Elm Street End.

Vermont State Police are currently investigating the theft of a ring from the residence of Lisa Bowdish in Salisbury. The estimated value of the ring is $500.00. Anyone with information concerning the theft of the ring is encouraged to contact The Vermont State Police New Haven Barracks. (1-802-388-4919)

The memorial service for Sheriff Jim Coons will be held 11:00 AM on Monday, April 30th at Mead Chapel at Middlebury College with the reception immediately following at the American Legion Post on Wilson Road behind G. Stone Motors. There is NO PARKING area at the chapel. Public parking is provided at the Center For Fine Arts and at the Nelson Arena on Route 30 and at the American Legion Post. Shuttle van and busses have been arranged to bring people from the parking areas to the Chapel. The Legion shuttle will run between 9:30 and 10 only. Please do not use Route 125 Hillside or Adirondack View for parking.

At Tuesday’s Middlebury Select Board Meeting the Board appointed candidates to a number of boards and commissions and nominated Pete Diminico to the River Task Force. There are still several openings on the Recreation Advisory Board, the Sports Commission and the Board of Listers, and an opening as the Town's alternate representative to the Addison County Regional Planning Commission. Interested individuals should contact the Town Manager's Office.

The Business Development Fund Advisory Board held its first meeting on Monday. The initial four members of the Board, two representing the Town and two representing the College, recommended Ken Perine as the fifth member of the Board, representing the business community. On the Advisory Board's recommendation, the Select Board appointed him as the fifth member on Tuesday.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Fire Facilities will be held at 6:30PM on Tuesday, May 8th at the Seymour Street Fire Station. This week the Select Board approved the lease of property from the East Middlebury Fire District, pending negotiation of provisions acceptable to the Fire District for disposition of the building if the Town terminates the lease before the end of its 99-year term. The closing on the Community Cottage was last week. Meanwhile the Board approved hiring Judy & Steve Harris as Clerk of the Works for the fire facilities project.

The Middlebury Downtown Improvement District Commission will solicit proposals for a downtown public parking study. The study will measure the utilization of downtown parking spaces, which would enable more efficient management of existing parking. Responses to the Request for Proposals will be due on May 30th and considered at the next DIDC meeting on Thursday, June 7th.

Brandon’s waterline project would reroute the village’s waterline to run through the Brandon Inn, behind the buildings and reconnect to the Neshobe River near West Seminary Street. Town Manager Keith Arlund said recently their goal is to complete the rerouting of the waterline before the reconstruction of Route 7. A public forum to further discuss the project and update the Brandon community will be at 7PM on Monday at the Brandon Congregational Church.

The Addison County Chamber of Commerce congratulates Vermont Coffee Company and its employee, Lily H., for winning the Pot of Gold at the Chamber’s monthly after hours business mixer held at Art on Main, Bristol last week. Each Chamber member’s name is placed into a pot and one business’s name is drawn at each month’s mixer. If an employee is present from the business whose name was drawn, that business-employee wins the pot. The pot starts at $500 and increases $50 each month that it goes unclaimed. The next after hours business mixer will be held on Thursday, May 17th at Bristol Financial Services in Bristol.

Mitt Romney was the top vote getter in the North Country in Tuesday's Republican presidential primary. Romney tallied 403 votes in Clinton County; 257 in Franklin and 469 in Essex County, easily outdistancing Ron Paul, who came in second in all three counties. Turnout was extremely light, as only 618 voters went to the polls in Clinton County out of a possible 14,800. In Essex County, 753 people voted out of a potential 11,855, and in Franklin County, 417 cast ballots out of 9,749 registered Republicans.

Village leaders in Port Henry are hoping the community and potential campers will turn out for an event designed to show off the rebuilt Port Henry Village Campground. The camping facility on Lake Champlain was virtually destroyed by last year's tropical storms, and a $950,000 project to rebuild it is wrapping up just in time for the summer season. An open house from 1 to 3PM on Sunday May 6th will introduce residents and potential campers to the facility, which has showers, washrooms, a convenience store, a concession stand, playground, basketball court and public beach to accommodate its 99 sites. The village will give away a free weekend of camping. In addition, George's Italian Restaurant of Port Henry will be set up at the open house with free coffee and cookies and will be selling hot dogs, sno-cones and soda.

The Fort Ticonderoga Association named Anne McDonald to its board of trustees. McDonald is a retired teacher and a Ticonderoga resident. McDonald holds an undergraduate degree from Russell Sage College, Troy, and completed master level work at SUNY-Plattsburgh. McDonald is active in regional professional, political, civic organizations and has served as the chairwoman for the Essex County Republican Committee and president of the Heritage Museum Board of Directors in Ticonderoga. She is currently a member of the North Country Community College Foundation Board.

The Vermont Senate has voted to intervene in a case before the Public Service Board - the proposed merger of the state's two largest utilities. At issue was whether lawmakers should tell the board to direct the companies to make refunds to ratepayers of $21 million for extra payments they made a decade ago to get Central Vermont Public Service out of financial trouble. That money was to be paid back if CVPS was ever sold. The companies want the money to go to weatherization and efficiency measures, but the Senate yesterday voted to have that money returned directly to ratepayers. The House is to vote on the bill today.

Governor Peter Shumlin is not happy with lawmakers on their actions considering a proposed merger of the state's two largest electric companies. Central Vermont Public Service and Green Mountain Power Corporation plan on merging, and politicians aren't happy with the way ratepayers, who paid extra to help a financially-strapped utility, are not getting paid back. Governor Shumlin feels lawmakers are overstepping their boundaries by even getting involved, as the ultimate decision rests with the Public Service Board.

As chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy is using his authority to hold hearings into the misconduct of Secret Service agents on a recent presidential trip to Colombia. Vermont's senior senator is also leading the effort to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, backing an amendment that would focus on domestic violence and rates of violence against teens.

A group of immigrant students from two Chittenden County high schools are telling lawmakers they have to deal with racism in school most every day. Some of the same students staged a protest at Burlington High School earlier this month where they said they should not be judged on standardized test scores, which show performance gaps between immigrant students and others.

There's a lot of "green" lights going in and around East Montpelier, but this has nothing to do with the stop-and-go kind of green lights. Instead, it's the environmental type, as L-E-D lights are going up to replace all the outdated street lamps. The town administrator says the intent is to do something positive for the environment, and it's not costing the town anything. Green Mountain Power is picking up the tab, and is partnering with Efficiency Vermont to work together with towns to assess and convert lights over to L-E-D.

A key state lawmaker says a bill calling for labeling of genetically modified food won't pass this year. The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee says he generally supports the idea, but there's no time to act on the bill before lawmakers adjourn for the year.

Vermont hunters will have an opportunity to weigh in on deer management. The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is set to hold two public hearings next month on the management of white-tail deer. Last year, hunters took 12,132 deer during the archery, youth, rifle, and muzzleloader seasons.

A 30-year-old man is in custody on charges he was peering into windows in South Burlington. South Burlington police say Benjamin Alley was arrested just before noon on Thursday and charged with stalking. On April 15, South Burlington police reported they were investigating reports of a "Peeping Tom" on Hadley Road. Police say they found Alley in a wooded area near Hadley Road after receiving a report that a man was staring into homes. Investigators determined that it was not the first time Alley had been looking into homes on Hadley Road.

Brandon Music on Country Club Road in Brandon will present Trio Balkan Strings this Sunday at 7pm. The concert is a part of the year-round weekly “Sunday Jazz” series hosted in the intimate Brandon Music Café. Tickets are $15 in advance, and $18 at the door. The trio is world-renowned for high-energy virtuosic performances that flow seamlessly from solo features to ensemble pieces, and include their own technique for playing with six hands on one guitar. For more information just click HERE.

The Middlebury Maple Run is coming up on Sunday, May 6th. We’re expecting 800-900 runners at this year’s event and could use a few additional volunteers! This is a great opportunity for young and old. We have a variety of jobs that take just a couple of hours. This is one of Middlebury’s premier events that brings more than a thousand people to town including runners, family and guests. More than 40% of them are from out of state. It’s a perfect time to show off what a great community we are by welcoming the runners and making sure they have a great event. Learn more about how you can help right now by clicking HERE.

Mary Powell, president and chief executive officer of Green Mountain Power, is slated to give this year’s Castleton State College Commencement Address. Powell has served as president and CEO of the company since August 2008. She joined GMP in March 1998 and previously served as the company’s chief operating officer. Since becoming GMP’s president, she has led the company in building cost-effective renewable wind power for its customers and in merging with Central Vermont Public Service.