The River Task Force will me meet on Friday at 9AM
in the Middlebury Town Offices.
Items to be covered include a review of the Engineering RFP and Schedule
as well as the remaining tasks and schedule for the River Task Force. Get an up-to-date list of meetings and
agendas anytime by visiting the Town of Middlebury’s Website.
SunCommon, a new initiative to get homeowners using
solar energy with no money down, will host a solar seminar in Middlebury this evening.
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.
Moving the Essex County Fair to start earlier next
summer is expected to boost attendance.
Attendance was down this year, and its mid-August dates conflicted with
other local fairs, necessitating the change, fair officials said. Supervisor Daniel Connell said next
year’s event is tentatively set for July 31st to August 4th. It was August 8th to 12th this year,
overlapping some days of the Franklin County Fair and Addison County Field
Days.
A book detailing the history of the Lake Champlain
Bridge is available to the public for free. A limited number of copies of “Spanning the Decades: The
Lake Champlain Bridge Story” are being distributed at no charge. The books can be picked up at the Crown
Point State Historic Site operations building Monday through Friday 8 AM to 3 PM
and at the Lake Champlain Visitors Center in Crown Point Monday through
Saturday 8:30 AM to 4 PM and on Sunday from Noon to 4 PM while supplies last. The sites also have indoor and outdoor
interpretive displays about the 1929 Lake Champlain Bridge. The book is also
available in electronic (PDF) format on the commemoration website.
Over the summer the Ti-Alliance applied for a
Consolidated Funding Application Grant from the State of New York that could
provide up to $450,000 in funding to renovate some of the buildings along the
Montcalm Street corridor. If they
are successful in their bid for the grant, the funds will be used to turn
several buildings into new retail space, apartments, and a theater. Response from the state is expected before
the end of the year.
With the success of the Ticonderoga Downtown
Gallery, the Reale Family has made the other side of the Montcalm Street building
available to Ti-Alliance to extend the cultural activities of our mission. Additional art will grace some of the
walls, but the space will also be available to TRA and the public for other
uses. The community is invited to
utilize the space for events, classes, workshops, performances, or holiday
parties. Donations to help cover
the cost of heat and electricity will be gratefully accepted. Contact the Alliance for more
information.
A $7 million project to construct a senior citizen
housing complex in Ticonderoga is on schedule, but there has been a major
change in the plan. Liberty
Affordable Housing Inc. had planned to renovate the old Moses-Ludington
Hospital into 31 apartments, but the firm has decided that is no longer
feasible. As a result Liberty has
decided to raze the long-vacant building and construct a new building in its
place. It will be called Moses Circle Senior Apartments. Work is expected to start soon with completion
scheduled at the end of 2013 as originally planned.
Vermont Corrections and Sex Offender Registry
officials said yesterday that a high-risk, untreated sex offender who was
released from jail on Tuesday has taken up residence in South Burlington. But in Rutland County, one of the
places considered a possible destination for 56-year-old Calbraith MacLeod, some
officials said they had concerns about the notifications they received — or
didn’t — before the release. Corrections
officials confirmed yesterday that MacLeod had contacted the Sex Offender
Registry after his release and provided them with an address where he is
residing in South Burlington. Officials say most of the communities were
notified six weeks ago but communities in Rutland County weren’t notified until
a little later because the Brandon connection where MacLeod held a bank account
wasn’t known earlier.
An interest in making Fair Haven a more
bicycle-friendly community has prompted the creation of a new committee. The committee was formed after resident
Marty Irons asked town officials to consider an initiative to promote the use
of bicycles in and around town. Select Board Chairman Christopher Cole said
looking for ways to make Fair Haven a bicycle community is positive. The logistics of the committee are
still being discussed and letters of interest will be accepted soon.
Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin has declared October "Tech Month." Shumlin was at a meeting at the
Champlain Mill in Winooski yesterday with representatives of some of the
state's high-tech businesses to talk about the importance of high technology to
the state and how important it is for the state's economy.
A northeastern New York road has reopened after a
massive rockslide dumped debris over a 200-foot stretch of pavement. State transportation officials say
Wednesday afternoon a contractor worked round the clock to clear Route 4 in
Washington County, a key link between New York and Vermont. Massive boulders tumbled onto the road
Monday morning in Fort Ann. The
transportation department is still trying to determine why the hillside
collapsed. Searchers determined
that an initial report an SUV might have been trapped under the rocks was
unfounded.
The New York Air National Guard is headed south. Several planes are headed to Antarctica. It's a 5-day 1,110 mile annual journey. The planes and crews will be on the continent through February supporting the National Science Foundation's research. They'll run supplies and people to field camps across the continent and the South Pole station. The planes they're using are the only aircraft in the United States military capable of landing on snow and ice.
Two members of the Vermont State Police are now on paid administrative leave, but the department is not saying why. Senior Trooper David Shaffer, a seven-year-veteran, who fired a Taser at a Thetford man last June, killing him was put on leave last month. Detective Sergeant James Claremont who has been with the department 24 years and worked as a criminal investigator in northwestern Vermont was put on leave October 5th. The department will not comment, saying only that they are internal investigations.
The New York Air National Guard is headed south. Several planes are headed to Antarctica. It's a 5-day 1,110 mile annual journey. The planes and crews will be on the continent through February supporting the National Science Foundation's research. They'll run supplies and people to field camps across the continent and the South Pole station. The planes they're using are the only aircraft in the United States military capable of landing on snow and ice.
Two members of the Vermont State Police are now on paid administrative leave, but the department is not saying why. Senior Trooper David Shaffer, a seven-year-veteran, who fired a Taser at a Thetford man last June, killing him was put on leave last month. Detective Sergeant James Claremont who has been with the department 24 years and worked as a criminal investigator in northwestern Vermont was put on leave October 5th. The department will not comment, saying only that they are internal investigations.
Construction on a new private ski lodge is
anticipated to start in about two weeks, once the Wilmington Development Review
Board decides on plans and artist renderings before it now. The Haystack Club is a private ski
mountain, where memberships range from 20-thousand to one million dollars. The owner's calculations have
construction jobs adding up to about 100, with 50-to-75 more jobs inside the
lodge once it's finished.
According to the "Brattleboro Reformer," the lodge would open
in December 2013.
Governor Cuomo says a pay raise for Albany
lawmakers won't be a top priority for any special session. Cuomo says he won't even consider the
issue until the "people's agenda" is resolved. That agenda allegedly concerns an
increase in the state minimum wage and the governor's proposal to decriminalize
small-scale marijuana possession.
Speculation remains that Cuomo might call lawmakers back to Albany after
the November election for a special session.
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand continues to
maintain a heavy lead over her Republican challenger. Gillibrand's lead over Wendy Long remains well into double
digits, even following the pair's debate in Saratoga Springs Wednesday night. Long spent much of the debate attacking
Gillibrand's record, claiming the senator is partially responsible for the loss
of jobs in the Empire State.
The inaugural Relay for Life of Crown Point
exceeded all expectations. The
American Cancer Society benefit attracted 250 participants and raised more than
$36,000. Held at Crown Point
Central School, the relay featured teams walking on a track from 7 PM Saturday,
October 6th to 7 AM Sunday the 7th. Walkers raised money through pledges, fund-raising
events and other activities to be donated to the American Cancer Society.
This Sunday from 10 AM to 2 PM, the Middlebury Snow
Bowl will host an open house with a pancake breakfast, lift rides, retail and
pass sales. The Middlebury Ski club
will be selling breakfast for $5 featuring pancakes, sausage and local Vermont
maple syrup with proceeds to benefit the club. New members are welcome and will be served breakfast on the
club! The Worth Mt. Chair will be operating and season passes will be sold and
processed. The ski shop will be
open for retail sales and equipment leases, and Snow School staff will be
available to answer any questions about or registrations for our many Snow
School programs. Come on up to the
bowl and enjoy a view from the top!!
Brandon Music on Country Club Road in Brandon will
present drummer Yoron Israel and his High Standards Quartet this evening at
7:30. General Admission is $12. Brandon Music Café offers a concert and dinner
package, which includes dinner and a ticket to the show for $27 plus tax per
person. Yoron Israel is a drummer, composer, bandleader and educator. While
serving as a professor at the Berklee College of Music, Israel consistently
records and performs. For
Information & Reservations just visit their Website!
From Fox 44 and ABC 22 News – Your Voice in Vermont
& New York:
Vermont Gas struck an agreement to sell natural gas
to International Paper Ticonderoga Mill.
It will require laying a new pipeline under Lake Champlain. The companies say this deal is good for
everyone, including the environment by cutting greenhouse gases. "Very exciting, very
positive project for us," say Donna Wadsworth, International Paper
spokeswoman. Wadsworth says by
2015 they hope to be fueling the plant with natural gas. Right now they use expensive oil. "We anticipate that we'll see a
significant reduction in our energy costs," says Wadsworth. To get the natural gas to Ticonderoga
will require laying a new pipe under Lake Champlain. Vermont Gas spokesman
Steve Wark says they will use a process called horizontal directional boring. "What we really like about this
technique is that it has a minimal environmental impact. It doesn't disturb the
lake bottom or any of the bodies of water that we cross under. It protects the
pipe," says Wark. Vermont Gas
says this agreement will also benefit Vermonters by speeding up the plan to
bring natural gas to Rutland. That's
because Vermont Gas says adding the mill will mean a longer, bigger pipeline
than originally planned to go to Addison County. The mill says it will pay for the $70-million upgrade, not
Vermont Gas ratepayers. "This
is a win for Vermont and New York," says Wark. Lake Champlain International while they support projects
like this, they want to make sure they are done with the lake environment in
mind. The project still needs
permits from both states and the feds.
Vermont Gas says it plans to start applying for them later this year.
A debate held at Saint Michael's college featuring
"experts" on both sides of the F-35 issue, square off Wednesday
night. In less than 2 months the United States Air Force will decide whether or
not its F-35 planes will call the Burlington Airport home. The issue is very
divisive, which is why so many showed up to see both sides go head to head. "Seeing the two sides going up
should be a good conversation to have," said Thomas Grace, who opposes the
fighter jets coming to Burlington.
Rosanne Greco with the ‘Stop F-35' group spoke at the debate and came
prepared with data opposing the jets, "Areas exposed to DNL above 65
decibels are generally not considered suitable for recreational use." But when it comes down to the facts,
it's hard for the average Joe to know who has the correct information. "A lot of what's been said, a lot
of what you heard, the negative is simply not true," said supporter Tom
Torti. Which begs the question, if
the United States Air Force will make the ultimate decision in the end, what is
the point of holding debates and forums such as this? Thomas Grace, a ‘Stop F-35' supporter says it puts on
public pressure, "There are people of power who can influence the decision
and does the air force really want to put a base in and divide a
community?" The decision on
where the F-35 jets will be placed is expected to be determined in December.
The candidates for Vermont treasurer are vying to
win the position that manages the state's surplus money. Now the Republican challenger says too
much overtime is being paid to some employees. Republican challenger Wendy Wilton obtained the salaries and
overtime pays of Treasurer office employees and is now asking the state to
perform an independent audit of the treasurer's office. Employees in the
Retirement System Re-Engineering Project tended to work much longer hours than
others in the years 2010-2012, the period released. Those 9,000 overtime hours
across the last three years was worth more than $250,000 of work. But Treasurer
Beth Pearce said the Treasurer's office gets an independent audit every two
years. It's part of the state annual audit. There are no findings and they've
done the correct things.