WVTK Local & State News October 2, 2012

The Middlebury Town Center Steering Committee meets at 9 this morning in the Town Offices Conference Room.  Items to be discussed include financing, the product brochure, and the identification of sources and delegate contacts.  Get details right now by visiting the Town’s Website.

A new community solar offering is coming to Addison County next month. SunCommon launched in March 2012 serving only Chittenden and Washington Counties and increasing the number of solar homes there by over 20% in just a few months.  Since March, more than 100 Addison homeowners have reached out to SunCommon, requesting our program.  SunCommon is responding to that call by making this opportunity available in Addison County beginning in October.  You can learn more by joining them on the Middlebury Village Green, this morning at 11.  Dave Conant with SunCommon says now homeowners here will be able to go solar with no upfront cost and a monthly payment the same or less than your utility bill.

The Addison County Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a Candidates' Forum on October 25th, focusing on the Addison County races for the Vermont House of Representatives and Senate. It will be held from 8:00 to 9:30 AM at the Ilsley Library Community Room in Middlebury. Many of our state representatives in uncontested races will also be in attendance for a discussion of issues and legislation important to you. It will cost $5 to attend and coffee and baked goods will be provided. An RSVP to maria@addisoncounty.com would be appreciated.

Porter Hospital is in the process of welcoming several new providers to our community and re-opening practices to new patients.  During the past several months, all of the primary care practices in Addison County have not been accepting new patients, but with the arrival of new providers, our community will once again have more convenient access to primary care services.  To view the roster of new providers just visit the Chamber’s Website.

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 on October 18^th from 5 – 7 PM.  Get details and RSVP right HERE!

National Bank of Middlebury has achieved the highest possible rating during its recent Community Reinvestment Act Performance Evaluation from the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Administrator of National Banks. Factors that led to the achievement of this “outstanding” rating included their level of lending, a substantial majority of originated and purchased loans are within the Bank’s assessment area, the borrower distribution of loans reflects excellent penetration among individuals of different income levels and a strong level of community development activities as evidenced by qualified community development investments and services.

Essex County’s new budget so far has a spending gap of about $13 million over this year. County lawmakers said yesterday they intend to continue budget work to reduce that figure, maybe by speeding up the sale of Horace Nye Nursing Home. The County Board of Supervisors agreed in June to sell the Nursing Home to the Centers for Specialty Care of the Bronx for $4.01 million. But to date, no contract has been signed.

Rebuilding a damaged wastewater pipe and its trestle will be a safety priority in Ticonderoga’s upgrade of its sewage-treatment facility.  The huge pipe is on a trestle that crosses the LaChute River to access the Town Wastewater Treatment Plant on Montcalm Street.  Ticonderoga Town Supervisor Debra Malaney said replacing the rusted pipe welds and parts would be about $100,000 of the total project cost of $300,000. The town already paid $14,000 to have the pipe repaired temporarily. 

The Westport Town Council will hold special meetings to work on the 2013 budget.  The meetings, which are open to the public, will be held at 7 PM October 4th, 4 PM on October 9^th, 6:30 PM on October 16th and 5 PM on October 23rd, all with regular board meetings to follow.

The Elizabethtown-Lewis Central School Board will meet at 6:30 PM this Wednesday for a special meeting exclusively focused on executive-session interviews with second-round candidates for the combined position of superintendent/principal. The board had selected three individuals from their candidate pool to participate in first-round interviews. Two have been chosen for round two and will meet with a committee of stakeholders representing cross-sections of the school community.  The appointment is expected in October.

Vermont's Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Brock says the state needs to do more to declare that Vermont is open for business and to make that a reality. In a news conference yesterday at a Williston business Brock outlined his plan to spur economic development and as he put it, "put Vermonters back to work."

The mayor of Vermont's largest city says a $1 million grant will help the Burlington Electric Department provide financing to customers for energy efficiency projects. Mayor Miro Weinberger says the grant will help the city build on its continuing commitment to improve energy efficiency and keep energy costs affordable for Burlington businesses.

The Vermont community of Shaftsbury has wrapped up celebrations commemorating the 250th anniversary of the town's chartering with a time capsule that won't be opened until the 300th anniversary. Residents tell The Bennington Banner the sealed container includes an anniversary charter, newspaper, phone book and children's essays about Tropical Storm Irene.

Autumn just arrived, but members of the Carillon Garden Club are thinking about Christmas.  The club is taking orders for Christmas wreaths and kissing balls until October 26^th.  Wreaths come in 12, 18, 24 and 36-inch sizes and may be purchased plain, with a bow only or decorated with pine cones, berries and bows. Bows and berries come in red or burgundy. Prices range from $15 for a plain 12-inch wreath to $60 for a 36-inch decorated wreath.  Decorated kissing balls are available for $30.  The sale of wreaths and kissing balls each year are an important fundraiser for the club and enables them to beautify areas in Ticonderoga and Hague with special seasonal plantings. To place an order call Jackie Viestenz at 546-9855 or any garden club member.

Local Artists are being sought to assist with a playground project at Ticonderoga Elementary School.  The young-children’s playground is being renovated to make it safer and more appealing. An old, concrete wall and teeter-totter will be removed and three new pieces of equipment will be installed. The remaining pieces will be given a face-lift.  Among the pieces to be renovated are the playground ponies. The ponies will be available at the Downtown Gallery October 14th, when they are scheduled to return to the playground.  Artists interested in painting a pony can contact Chattie Van Wert at 593-9093 or ChattieVW@ticonderoga-alliance.org.

Vermont State Police turn up empty handed after a 12-mile chase through several towns.  A trooper tried to pull over a truck in New Haven just before midnight for running a stop sign and driving without headlights.  The driver failed to stop.  The chase went through Bristol, New Haven and Monkton before it was called off.

The war between GOP state Chairman Jack Lindley and Attorney General Bill Sorrell continues.  Last week Lindley wrote to Governor Shumlin asking him to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate alleged campaign finance law violations by Sorrell.  Now Lindley has written to Sorrell himself asking him to appoint the independent prosecutor.  According to Lindley there was collusion between Sorrell's re-election campaign and a Political Action Committee in producing a TV ad this summer.  Sorrell says there's nothing to investigate and he's done nothing wrong.

Vermont's newest welcome center on I-91 is officially open for business.  The Hartford Welcome Center is located just south of the I-89 junction and features free Wi-Fi, coffee, maps, and, of course, good clean restrooms.  Yesterday, the center was doing a brisk business and getting rave reviews from motorists happy to have a place to stretch their legs.

The Bartonsville covered bridge is being rebuilt.  After serving the public since 1870 the bridge was wept downstream last year during Tropical Storm Irene.  Now timbers from the Pacific Northwest have been shipped in and will be used to construct the new span.  A company called Cold River Bridges from Walpole New Hampshire is building the bridge, which they hope will last another 140 years at least.

Governor Cuomo reportedly talked campaign finance reform with several groups yesterday.  The "Daily News" says many were in agreement that the public has been shelled with campaign ads and they are trying to get support for changes.  A source tells the newspaper that Cuomo told the group he doesn't expect campaign finance reform to come up this fall but it will be a focus next year. 

As seasonal cooling continues, colors are firing up, sometimes seemingly brightening overnight as foliage unfolds across Vermont’s scenic landscape. Foresters are now pointing out regions where colors are showing mid-stage foliage, at 25-50 percent peak in the northeastern Washington County, Northeast Kingdom and chasing along the peaks of the Green Mountains.  Windsor County Forester Jon Bouton reported “The clear cool air is Nirvana…we've had several days in the last week when one could clearly see more than 50 miles from one of our hill tops.”  Best Bets: This week, Vermont State Foresters and the New England Maple Museum suggest touring these Mid-Peak routes:  Route 302 through Orange, Groton & Ryegate, Route 4 from West Bridgewater, heading west to Killington over Sherburne Pass to Mendon, Route 73 from Rochester heading west over Brandon Gap to Sudbury, and Route 103 from Ludlow through Mount Holly to Route 7.  “Treetops on higher elevations are showing bright yellows and oranges. Reds are plentiful and starting to brighten road sides and meadow hedgerows. Could be a good year for red on the hillsides as the soft maples seem to be co-operating,” Tom Olson of the New England Maple Museum reports. “The rain and cooler weather has lowered temperatures in marshy areas causing trees to turn bright red and orange...a great contrast against the beige and brown backdrop of marsh grass, wild rice and cat tails.” Jon the Forester notes I-89 / I-91 Bethel to Springfield are good starting points to see early stages of foliage, 5-20 percent. Also, Chittenden County is just starting to show modest colors, along low-lying march regions and vistas from Washington County along Route 2 and Route 12 are beginning to hint at the dynamicity that’s ahead in the next few weeks.  Suggested Hikes and Walks: Mount Horrid near the Brandon Gap, Stowe Recreation Path, Wheeler Mountain - Barton, Sunset Ledge - Warren, Groton State Park’s Boulder Beach.  Leaf-peepers can also easily stay up-to-date on the colorprogression of Vermont’s foliage by calling the Fall Foliage Hotline at 1-800-VERMONT.

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

A multi-million dollar bridge isn't operating quite as it should. Half of the lights on the Lake Champlain Bridge work about half the time. And while many people are just happy to have the bridge, others want answers.  The Lake Champlain Bridge has been open for almost a year now, and ever since it opened, the lighting hasn't worked properly, but even worse... the New York State Department of Transportation can't figure out what's wrong.  "We've got a brand new bridge, what's wrong?" questioned Karen Hennessy of the Lake Champlain Bridge Coalition.  The majority of people, tourists included... "it's absolutely stunning" think the bridge is beautiful and more importantly convenient. Every day more than 15-hundred drivers cross between Bridport, Vermont and Crown Point, New York, but ever since it opened, almost a year ago, the lights haven't worked properly. Hennessy can see the bridge from her kitchen window.  "It looks kind of awful when you see half the arch lit and not half the arch lit," she said.  Most of the complaints aren't about the bridge being dangerous to use without lights on, it's the principle of things, that a brand new, expensive bridge isn't working entirely as it was intended.  "They're having a few bugs, hopefully they get it fixed," two sisters said as they walked across the bridge.  But a year later, the New York State Department of Transportation, which operates the bridge still hasn't been able to diagnose the problem. Lights on the handrail and on the arch are supposed to turn on automatically when it gets dark.  "Visually it's such a beautiful affect when all of the lights are lit up, but with any new project, if the lighting is the only really big issue out there, I am putting faith that they're going to get it fixed," Hennessy said.  So even though it's a functioning bridge, people on both sides of the span agree the millions poured into the project should go to full use.  "I haven't seen the bridge at night, but I would like to."  The New York State Department of Transportation is currently working with the contractor and design consultant to get the lighting problem fixed. New York and Vermont each paid for ten percent of the bridge, and the federal highway paid for the remaining amount. It's unknown who will pay to have the problem fixed.

It's that time of year the Health Department is encouraging anyone over six months old to get the influenza vaccination.  The flu shot is available now and experts say it closely protects against the strain of the flu virus that they're anticipating.   The peak flu seasons aren't until December through February but the sooner you get it, the more time the vaccine has to build up in your system.  "I think a lot of people are confused about - should I be vaccinated now or should I wait? And do I need to be vaccinated if it was a mild season last year? And yes, you do need to be vaccinated because the flu is unpredictable and it changes each year," Chris Finley, Immunization Program Chief for the Vermont Department of Health said.  The Health Department also wants people to know that you can not get the flu from the flu shot... it's a common misconception.  Click HERE to see where you can get a flu shot.

People in Rutland are grieving the tragic loss of 17-year-old Carly Ferro.  Yesterday Rutland police and Rutland united neighborhoods held a special meeting and fox 44's Brittney hobs explains how it was designed to help those affected start to heal.  Its been less than a week since a man lost control of his car in front of this Rutland store. And hit several other cars and struck 17 year old Carly Ferro killing her.  She was a bright star and we lost her.  Monday- dozens of people gathered for a neighborhood meeting to come to grips with what happened so close to their homes.   Its important to have it here in this neighborhood beccause this is where it happened. Because of this event and how public it was and how many people were in the area at the time of the ax it would be a good idea to hold an event where we brought mental health advisors in.  To hopefully answer questions on grief and to allow neighbors to talk with one another about how to move forward.  This is a place for those people who may have witnessed it or been traumatized in some way because of it.  To understand what we can do is support each other it’s going to take a long time for the community to heal.  Rutland city police chief James Baker says the ax was very traumatic for those who witnessed the horrific scene that day and it will take some folks a long time for the community to heal   this event has affected the entire community, it doesn't matter where you live, who you are, if you knew Carly or not.