According to the Addison Independent Weybridge Town Clerk and Treasurer Karen Brisson
resigned from her job this week.
Karen told Town Officials that she had been embezzling funds throughout
the past few years. It’s estimated
that the range of money could be between $100,000 and $150,000. She has been the Town Clerk and
treasurer in Weybridge for over 26 years.
In the meantime the Select Board has appointed Brenda Jaring as acting
town clerk and treasurer until the next municipal election in March.
The Middlebury Select Board held its second public
hearing on the proposed Town Plan and will review input received at the hearing
at its next meeting on November 27th. The proposed Town Plan and a summary of
the modifications to the Plan proposed by the Board are available on the Town's website.
This week the Middlebury Select Board received an update
on the Riverfront Project. As
permitting for the project needs to be finalized before proceeding, the project
will be delayed until the Spring of 2013. The contractor will hold the bid
price for the project with no price increase for Spring construction.
Fundraising has begun for project additions, including landscape and
interpretive elements, as well as a rain garden. Interested donors should
contact Nancy Malcolm of the Planning Commission who is coordinating the
fundraising piece of the project.
The Middlebury Business Development Fund Advisory
Board is actively fundraising for the business contribution of the fund and is
advertising for the Business Development Director position as it continues its
fundraising efforts over the course of the next couple of weeks. The Select Board granted the Board's
request to advertise the position, with the caveat that funding for the
position should be in place before interviews for the position begin.
The National Flood Insurance Program / Fluvial-Flood
Erosion Hazard subcommittee met for the second time on November 5th to review
re-drafted regulations. The
subcommittee recommended that the Select Board proceed with the adoption
process by warning a public hearing for December 11, 2012 to consider adoption
of a modified proposal. The Select Board has agreed to go forward with the
public hearing on December 11th.
Board Member Victor Nuovo reported to the
Middlebury Select Board this week the Finance & Fundraising Task Force continues
to refine its strategy for pursuing outside funding sources, including federal
funding, grant programs and private donors. The F & F Task Force will work
on developing the project prospectus for consideration and review at its next
meeting on Tuesday, December 11th at 9 AM.
According to Task Force Member Nick Artim the Gym
Task Force has developed a list of deferred maintenance and improvement
projects for gym. In order to identify possible constraints before going
forward with any substantial projects for the gym, the Task Force recommended
that the Select Board authorize a structural engineering analysis of the gym
building, which the board authorized.
Meanwhile the Steering Committee also reviewed comments received on the
Town Offices project from the comment box at the November 6th Election. The
comments are posted on the Town's web site on the Town Offices/Community Center
page. The next meeting of the Steering Committee will be on December 18th at
10:30 AM.
This week Middlebury Town Planner Fred Dunnington
reported on the Middlebury Energy Committee Meeting of November 7th. The first
round of financing for home energy efficiency improvements through the Property
Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program is anticipated in the late winter of
2012/2013, with additional opportunities to participate in the program planned
for the summer and fall of 2013. The
Committee also discussed Town and private energy efficiency improvement and
renewable energy projects. The Committee will meet again on Wednesday, December
5th at 7:30 AM. You are encouraged to visit the committee’s website, www.middleburyenergy.org.
Middlebury Town Planner Fred Dunnington reported on
the Downtown Improvement District Commission's meeting of November 13th. The
Commission reviewed the draft downtown parking study with Corey Mack of RSG,
the consulting group for the study. The Commission will discuss next steps in
the consideration of recommendations outlined in the study at its next meeting
on November 29th. Copies of the study are available upon request at the Town
Offices and the study is posted on the Town's website.
This week the Middlebury Select Board reviewed
local option tax receipts for 2012 through the second quarter ending on June
30th. Receipts so far this year are running ahead of last year's by
approximately $15,000. Third quarter results (July 1 - September 30) are
expected soon. Meanwhile Town
Manager Kathleen Ramsay, with unanimous support of the Recreation Committee,
recommended the appointment of Terri Arnold as the Town's next Parks &
Recreation Director. The Board approved the appointment.
The next Middlebury Select Board Meeting will be held
at the United Methodist Church in East Middlebury and the agenda will include
updates on Middlebury River-related matters.
The Ticonderoga Revitalization Alliance welcomes a
joint effort between North Country Community College and JASAMA LLC, an investment
group that will offer student housing in downtown Ticonderoga. N-C-C-C has
recently signed a "Letter of Intent" with JASAMA to offer dormitory
housing in currently vacant buildings on Montcalm St. The new student housing
opportunity will support the College's effort to increase enrollment at the
Ticonderoga campus. With the "Letter of Intent" having been signed,
both parties are working on a formal contract that is expected to be signed
within 60 days.
Ticonderoga High School Principal Mike Graney is stepping
down. He will become principal at
Bolton Central School January 1st.
Mike has been Ti High principal the past 11 years and said he has
learned a lot and enjoyed his time there tremendously. It’s really just a
matter of seeking out new challenges. Ticonderoga Central School superintendent
John McDonald said Mike would be missed. Mike helped set the standard of high
expectations which has led to Ti’s top 2 percent ranking in U.S. News and World
Report. No decisions have been made about replacing him. The school board will
discuss the vacancy at its next meeting.
New campaign finance reports show that Vermont
Republican gubernatorial challenger Randy Brock spent more than $806,000 in his
unsuccessful attempt to unseat Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin. In campaign finance reports filed
Thursday, Brock said he spent $806,647, which included a $300,000 loan he made
to his campaign. Shumlin's finance
report says he spent $320,761 and he still has $932,975 on hand. Thursday was a deadline for candidates
to file their post-election campaign finance reports with the Secretary of
State's office. The reports should
give a final tally on how much was spent during the election cycle.
A top Vermont official is defending the state
against a complaint that it discriminated by paying a man more than a woman
doing the same job. Human
Resources Commissioner Kate Duffy says she and her boss, Gov. Peter Shumlin,
are strong supporters of equal pay for equal work. Duffy says the fact that Corrections Department employee
Lynne Silloway was being paid about $10,000 less a year than a man doing the
same work was due to the mechanics of the step system in the state's civil
service system, and because he had transferred from another job in state
government. The Vermont Human
Rights Commission announced Thursday it was joining Silloway's suit against the
state.
There's still no definitive word on how much
Vermont can expect in federal help with recovery from Tropical Storm Irene. Deputy Administration Secretary Michael
Clasen told a legislative committee on Thursday that it's expected to be
January before the state can expect a firm answer. Officials in the administration of Gov. Peter Shumlin
expressed confidence earlier this year that FEMA would cover up to 90% of the
estimated $120 million in costs tied to recovery from the storm in late August
of last year.
A New York state official says the health
department has named experts from George Washington University, the University
of California Los Angeles and the Colorado School of Public Health to review
the state's environmental study on shale gas development using hydraulic
fracturing. Health and
environmental groups have pressed for a comprehensive and independent health
impact analysis before hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is allowed.
Brandon Music on Country Club Road in Brandon presents
the second of two concerts featuring local bluegrass and folk musicians. This
Sunday afternoon at 4:00 the band Wiley Dobbs will perform. The Vermont-based
band makes a return to Brandon Music. Their eclectic mix of bluegrass, jazz,
and original music charts new musical territories while simultaneously paying
homage to the masters. Tickets are $15 for each concert. Call (802) 465-4071 or
email info@brandon-music.net
for reservations or information.
With a terrific line-up of talent and tunes, the
Vergennes Opera House is preparing for its annual Broadway revue benefit show,
“Broadway Direct”. This year’s show
will be held on Sunday afternoon December 2nd at 4 and will once
again be hosted by Vergennes resident and Broadway veteran Bill Carmichael. Proceeds from the best-of-Broadway show
go to benefit the non-profit group Friends of the Vergennes Opera House who are
responsible for the restoration and operation of the historic 1897 theater
above the Vergennes City Hall.
The planned concert by Francois Clemmons at
Middlebury College, scheduled for Friday this evening at 8:00, has been
canceled due to illness. Please
join everyone at the Mahaney Center for the Arts in wishing "The
Maestro" a speedy recovery.
The Vermont State Police in New Haven are
investigating the theft of a back blade attachment for a tractor that occurred
in Leicester. The back blade is described as "orange/yellow" in color
and weighs approximately 140 pounds. Anyone with information is encouraged to
contact the Vermont State Police at 388-4919. Information can also be submitted
online at www.vtips.info or text
"CRIMES" (274637) to Keyword: VTIPS.
While the state still does not know how much
assistance it will receive from FEMA, it's still moving ahead with
reconstruction of the Waterbury office complex, destroyed by floodwaters from
Tropical Storm Irene. The
Legislature's Joint Fiscal Committee signed off Thursday on plans to rehab some
buildings while tear down others in order to rebuild. That plan will move on to the full Legislature in
January. The goal is to bring
hundreds of displaced state employees back to Waterbury.
Police are looking for the person who shot a young
man in Barre City. It happened
Thursday evening during a scuffle in a parking lot near Brooklyn Street. Authorities will only say the victim is
a 20-year-old man who was shot in the shoulder, and expected to be okay. No word yet on a suspect or what
sparked the struggle and shooting.
Vermont's attorney general says the state will
receive $1.1 million as part of a national settlement with pharmaceutical
manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline over allegations the company deceptively marketed
a diabetes drug. The complaint accuses GSK of engaging in unfair and deceptive
practices by misrepresenting the drugs cardiovascular risks and safety profile.
Officials say New York's unemployment rate dropped
in October to 8.7% from 8.9% statewide as 5,900 new private sector jobs were
added to the economy. The state labor department says 110,300 private sector
jobs have been added this year and total employment in the state stands at 7,340,100.
