WVTK Local & State News October 15, 2012

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets, in partnership with the Vermont Sugarmakers Association and UVM Extension, will hold three public meetings to take comment on the proposed changes to the maple grading system.  One of the three meetings will take place locally tomorrow at the American Legion Post 27 here in Middlebury. The meetings will begin promptly at 7:00PM. For more information, please contact Henry Marckres at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets: 802-828-3458

Various meetings are coming up this week here in Middlebury.  The Planning Commission will meet this afternoon at 5:15. Agenda items include discussion of the Select Board's proposals on the Town Plan update and updating the Town's zoning regulations.  On Wednesday the Recreation Committee will meet at 5:30 PM. Agenda items include an update on recruitment of a new Parks & Recreation Director, a preview of winter programs and finalizing plans for the Turkey Trot and New Years Eve.  Meanwhile the River Task Force will me meet soon, stay tuned for details on a date and time.  Get an up-to-date list of meetings and agendas anytime by visiting the Town of Middlebury’s Website.

Last week the Middlebury Select Board discussed its compilation of proposed responses to comments received at the Town Plan hearing on September 18th and after. A complete summary of the proposals agreed to by the Board are available at the Town's website on the Select Board Agenda & Meeting page. The Planning Commission will review the Select Board's proposals at its meeting today and submit its comments to the Select Board on Tuesday the 23rd. A second public hearing on the update of the Town Plan will be held on Tuesday, November 13th.

At last week’s Middlebury Select Board meeting the Board adopted the bid and contract security policy as proposed by the Performance Bond Task Force. The amount of bid and performance security needed increases as the value of the proposed contract increases.  Also Town Planner Fred Dunnington reported that the Energy Committee met on October 3rd and discussed promoting energy efficiency through a weatherization workshop, which it hopes to put on in the late fall.  The group also discussed expanding its membership and renewable energy projects.  Meanwhile the Board appointed David Andrews as the Town's second representative to the Addison County Transit Resources Board of Directors.

Better Middlebury Partnership President Ben Wilson updated the Middlebury Select Board on the Partnership's new initiative to create a network for telecommuters.  At their first get together, a group of about 40 discussed building community for telecommuters and identifying and addressing issues including the need for shared office space and social aspects of telecommuting.

The Town of Middlebury and the Middlebury Fire Department would like to invite the community to the ribbon cutting ceremony for Station #2 in East Middlebury. The ceremony will be held on Saturday October 27th, at 10:00 AM at the building site located on the corner of King's Row and East Main Street.

Board Member Victor Nuovo reported last week that the Offices/Community Center Steering Committee heard the report of the Finance & Fundraising Task Force, which continues to refine its strategy for pursuing outside funding sources, including federal funding, grant programs and private donors. The next F & F meeting will be Tuesday, October 23rd at 9 AM.  The Town Center Steering Committee also discussed setting-up informational displays about the project at the upcoming election. The Committee will meet again on Tuesday, October 23 at 10:30 AM.

EastView at Middlebury, the area’s newest community for seniors, will host this month’s Addison County Chamber Of Commerce Mixer. The mixer is just one of several events that week that will celebrate EastView's grand opening. Tours of both the independent-living and assisted living apartments will be offered.   There was no Pot of Gold winner drawn at September's mixer! The value of the pot grows to $550!  The mixer will take place this Thursday from 5 – 7 PM.  Get details and RSVP today HERE.

The Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce October “After Business Mixer” will be held this Thursday at Eddie’s Restaurant from 5:30 PM until 7:00 PM. Sponsors providing door prizes include Dunkin Donuts of Ticonderoga, Jayna Anderson Photography and the Wagon Wheel Restaurant. Eddie’s Restaurant is located on Route 9N in Ti.  The Chambers “After Business Mixers” provide a networking forum for area business people in addition to showcasing the site of the host as well as promoting the door prize sponsors.  All area chamber members, business people and their employees are invited to attend.  For more information just visit www.ticonderogany.com

The Addison County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that its member, Middlebury Transportation Group, formerly known as Middlebury Transit, has been renamed and has moved to a new, larger location in Middlebury.  By changing its name to Middlebury Transportation Group, the company hopes to better reflect the scope of luxury transportation services they provide. In addition to the Middlebury location, the Middlebury Transportation Group maintains offices in Burlington on the premises of Burlington International Airport and in Stowe. In early October the company moved its operation center approximately ¼ mile north on Route 7. They are now located at 13-96 Route 7 South in the space previously occupied by the Ducktails store. 

SunCommon, a new initiative to get homeowners using solar energy with no money down, will host a solar seminar in Middlebury this Thursday. This will be a chance to learn more about how solar works, what makes a good solar site, and how incentives and innovative financing have finally made it affordable for all Vermonters.  The seminar will be held at the Ilsley Library at 6 PM.  The event is co-sponsored by the Middlebury Energy Committee.

The Moriah Food Pantry needs your help. Shelves are nearly empty and the community service is short of cash.  The Moriah Food Pantry, located in the basement of All Saints Church on Bartlett Pond Road in Mineville, serves about 85 families a month.  The pantry director is asking residents to donate non-perishable food items, hold food drives and make cash donations.  Non-perishable food can be left in drop boxes at Mac’s Market, St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Port Henry, All Saints Church in Mineville and at other churches in the town.  Groups wishing to hold food drives can contact Sue Morse at 942-3386. She said pantry volunteers would pick up all donations.

High school students from Westport, Crown Point and Moriah had the chance to talk and learn about peer relationships at the Essex County Fairgrounds earlier this month.  The Prevention Team of Essex County held a day of workshops on relationships and peer interaction October 4th at the fairgrounds, with CVES Risk Management Specialist Jeff Sisson leading a discussion on bullying. Sisson said that the key factor in bullying is the repeated nature of the action used by the bully to cause harm — mental or physical — to their victim.  He also explained that looking at just the bully or the victim will not fully solve the problem. Prevention educator Angie MacAlpine said the event was held to allow students the chance to talk about relationships in a less formal setting.

Lakes to Locks Passage just got an $85,000 grant to plan for the proposed Lake Champlain Bridge Heritage Area Park.  The park, the idea of former Essex County Planner William Johnston of Westport, would link Crown Point State Historic Site and Crown Point Reservation Campground with Chimney Point State Historic Site on the other side of the bridge in Vermont.  The grant will also enable preparation of construction documents for landscaping and traffic-calming measures to create scenic character for the nationally designated byway, State Route 185 that leads up to the Champlain Bridge.  The new Champlain Bridge has pedestrian and bicycle paths, and walking and bicycling across the bridge have become an attraction in itself.

The Essex County Board of Supervisors plans to fill by appointment a sudden vacancy for an Essex County coroner position.  Longtime coroner Walter Robert Huestis of Willsboro, one of four elected to serve in the post, passed away earlier this month.  Willsboro Supervisor Edward Hatch said his sympathy goes out to Heustis’s family.  He had owned the Huestis Funeral Home on Maple Street in Willsboro since about 1972.

Appreciation was bestowed upon 46 volunteers who helped out at the Westport Heritage House Visitors Center during the past summer season.   The ambassadors welcomed more than 325 visitors, which was almost half again as many as they served last year. The visitor’s book had signatures from tourists coming from as far away as the Netherlands, as well as from 22 states, among them Florida, California and Alaska. The Visitors Center is always looking for items that celebrate Westport’s history and culture to borrow for display.

The Ticonderoga and Ticonderoga drive-in offices of Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Co. collected dozens of coats, hats and other winter items for families in need as part of its Community Appreciation Day on Friday, October 5th.  The bank began accepting new and gently used winter clothing in September. The donations were presented on Friday to Winter Warmth for Kids, a local organization that distributed the items to 21 local children.  With the holidays approaching, the Ticonderoga office is now turning its attention to collecting nonperishable food items for the local food pantry. Anyone can contribute by dropping off canned or dry goods at 123 Montcalm St. between 9 AM and 3 PM Mondays to Wednesdays or 9 AM to 4:30 PM Thursdays and Fridays through the week of Thanksgiving.

As part of its annual Credit Union Week celebration, the Ticonderoga Federal Credit Union will host its third annual Shred Fest today and tomorrow.  The free paper-shredding event aims to increase public awareness of identity-theft prevention. Community members are invited to bring their confidential documents to be shredded at their local TFCU office during event hours. Documents will be shredded on site in a mobile shredding truck.

On Saturday between the hours of 8am and noon, a residence on Route 30 in Sudbury was burglarized. Forced entry was gained by using the ground level door. Jewelry was stolen from the master bedroom. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Vermont State Police at the Castleton Outpost. (802-773-9101) Information can also be submitted anonymously online at www.vtips.info or text CRIMES to Keyword VTIPS.

A long-time volunteer at the Benson Haunted Hayride is now able to talk about the injuries, which landed him in an Albany hospital.  Norman Grenier says he was walking alongside the wagon October 6th when he slipped, was caught in the front wheel and then the second wheel rolled over his abdomen.  His injuries include several broken bones, a punctured lung and road burn, all of which will keep him from working for the next several months.  A fundraiser for Grenier is set for November 10th at the Castleton American Legion.

Several people are recovering after an SUV went out of control at a soccer match over the weekend, plowing into cars and people.  Bristol police say it happened Saturday morning at Mount Abraham Union High School, and that the driver appeared to have suffered some sort of seizure.  The SUV hit two parked cars and four people at the event, leaving a total of five people hurt, with at least one injured seriously.  Investigators are asking if anyone took videos of the incident to please contact Bristol police.

Vermont's newest distillery is planning to produce a line of vodka made from locally grown grains from area farms. The Lebanon Valley News reports American Crafted Spirits plans to begin operations in Windsor in December. The $1 million distillery will use corn, wheat and rye for its products.

The administration of Governor Peter Shumlin is drawing fire from wind energy supporters for its opposition to a possible wind energy project in Windham. The state cited local regulations blocking the project when it urged the Public Service Board to reject a plan to erect towers to test wind speeds in the area. The Vermont Public Interest Research Group and the industry group Renewable Energy Vermont are criticizing the administration for that stance.

Investigators say a fire at an unoccupied house in Tinmouth is considered suspicious. Fire officials say the house on Mountain View Road was fully engulfed in flames when they were called at about 1:30 AM Saturday. Nobody was injured. Officials are seeking additional information from the public.

Vermont is making it easier for novice hunters to learn by going hunting with an experienced licensed hunter. Mentored hunting licenses are available for residents and non-residents who have never completed a hunter safety course or who have never held a hunting license in Vermont or any other state or province. The license costs $10 and allows the person to hunt when accompanied by an adult at least 21 years old who holds a valid Vermont hunting license.

Medicaid costs continue to rise in New York State. Officials say the health care program for the poor and disabled spent $41.4 billion for the state fiscal year that ended March 31. That's up 26% from the $32.8 billion spent four years ago.

From Fox 44 and ABC 22 News Your Voice in Vermont & New York:

Depending on where you live in Vermont you might remember seeing some snow flurries earlier this week. At Killington they thought, "why not just make it ski season?"  It officially opened ski season this weekend to its season and express pass holders in an appreciation weekend. More than 400 took advantage and today we took a trip up the mountain with them to see what it was like.  You couldn't tell from the bottom of the ski slopes that there was a place at the top where skiing and snowboarding was possible. There were just patches of snow and a thick cloud cover the gondolas disappeared into as they carried excited pass holders up the mountain.  After exiting the gondola and following a boardwalk for a few hundred feet Anthony Accurso found his powdered heaven. An inch or two of it natural most manmade.  "We really didn't anticipate being out here this early but fortunately we were prepared," Accurso said.  In fact few could have anticipated just how early. The earliest in 15 years according to Director of Marketing Rob Megnin. But it also took some work.  "We fired up Friday afternoon and we just kept going and in the morning this is what we were here with," Megnin said.  It was just one slope that was open but it was still hard for some to believe they were strapping on their skis for at least while.  "We have leaves to rake. It's October!" Accurso said.  The slope was only open for the weekend but crews will work to save the snow that's already on the mountain. It was much needed for Killington after a less than stellar season last year.