Williston Observer 10/13/2022

Town considers racial equity values

Black Lives Matter flag decision put off until 2023

BY JASON STARR Observer staff

The Town of Williston now has the draft of a statement on dismantling racism to un derpin a coming discussion about the fate of the Black Lives Matter flag that continues to fly on the Town Hall flagpole.

The flag was first raised in the winter of 2021 as a symbol of the town’s commitment to confronting rac ism in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd. The selectboard reautho rized the flag last March while at the same time approving an investigation into how the town can turn the symbolism of the flag into anti-racism action.

The board, in a unanimously approved motion last March, said it would reconsider the flying of the flag at town hall when the investigation is complete.

Last week, a committee led by Willis ton Community Justice Center Executive Director Cristalee McSweeney delivered the results of its six-month initiative to ex press the town’s values around anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion. The values statement reads, in part: “Williston is com

Cyclocross blows through Catamount

Form-based code set to take effect

Selectboard gives final approval to new Taft Corners zoning regs

BY JASON STARR Observer staff

Barring a citizen-led appeal, new zon ing rules that regulate what can and can’t be built on land in Williston’s Taft Corners area will become law Oct. 25.

The selectboard approved them last Tuesday after a lengthy discussion and numerous resident comments. Any appeal would require a petition signed by at least 5 percent of Williston’s registered voters to force a townwide vote to overrule the ap

proval, according to a “Notice of Adop tion” that the town published this week. The petition would have to be submitted to the Town Clerk’s office by Oct. 24.

The approved “form-based code” cre ates a plan for a block-style street grid, vertical mixed-use buildings (up to 87 feet in height) and public green spaces. It was drafted over the past two years by the planning commission with input from residents and the help of a consultant. The goal of the code is to encourage a more pedestrian-friendly pattern of buildings for the area — a stated goal in Williston’s Comprehensive Town Plan. The regu

“If you don’t like the idea that some part of Taft Corners might look a lot like a city at some point, I can’t offer a lot of comfort. That just comes with the territory of making a place a walkable downtown.”

Matt Boulanger

Williston Planning and Zoning Director

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PROPERTY TRANSFERS -

Theogene Mahoro bought 2 homes on Mountain View Drive from Henry Iby for 108,900 and $386,100.

• Scott Feldman-Peobody bought a home on Ledgewood Drive from Adam Bauer for $739,000.

• Kristin Clark bought a con dominium on Kadence Circle from Northridge-Williston LLC for $610,403.

• Douglas Daigle bought a home on Walker Hill Road from Allen Lemieux for $390,000.

• Cody Benoit bought a con dominium on Hideaway Lane from Darlene Ashley for $300,000.

• Barbara Martin bought a con dominium on Commons Road from the Janice Parker Revoca ble Trust for $432,000.

• Cory Scritchfield bought a home on Wildflower Circle from Jayson Argento for $670,000.

• Martin Schmidt bought a home on 1.8 acres on Desarno Drive from Joanne Farrell for $1.3 million.

• Jeremy Hamm bought a home

on O’Brien Court from Kyle Michel for $580,000.

• Wendy Lapine-Kenny bought a condominium on Holland Lane from Andrea Martin for $453,000.

• Jan Wilkinson bought a con dominium on Churchview Drive from Alan and Josephine Caycedo for $475,500.

• Hao Chen bought a home on Wildflower Circle from the Da vid C. Resi Revocable Trust for $610,000.

• Sergiu Toma bought a home on South Brownell Road from Cameron Morway for $520,000.

• GPA LLC bought 9 acres of open land on Williston Road from James Robear for $1.3 million.

• Gregory Shover bought a home on Terrace Drive from Oliver Quayle for $365,000.

• Bryan Skyler bought a con dominium on Westview Circle from the Sandra S. Jones Trust for $298,500.

• Katherine Mullins bought a multi-family home on 2 acres on Old Creamery Road from the

John Lawrence Ward Jr. Revo cable Trust for $360,000.

• John Joseph Synott bought a condominium on Cedar Lane from Roy Subharup Gupta for $320,000.

• Fectau Residential Inc. bought a mobile home on Porterwood Drive from Joanna Key for $8,000.

• Douglas Isham bought a mobile home on Red Pine Road from Janipher Kane for $155,000.

• The Jeffrey P. Sercel Revo cable Trust bought a home on Creeks Edge Drive from Mark Bernstein for $815,000.

• Catherine Reimer bought a home on Chloe Circle from Northridge-Williston LLC for $851,858.

• Chirag Lala bought a home on Maidstone Lane from Eswar Tipirneni for $650,000.

Property Transfers sponsored by

Great pumpkin anniversary

Mark Companion of Whitcomb’s Land of Pumpkins in Williston loads a pumpkin for delivery. Whitcomb’s is celebrating its 20th year of selling pumpkins and having a corn maze in Williston.

OBSERVER COURTESY PHOTO

Friday forum

Candidates in the upcoming General Election, left, came to Williston Central School on Friday morning to field students' questions.

Seated on the stage are (L to R) Gov. Phil Scott, Charity Clark, Gerald Malloy, Becca Balint, Michael Tagliavia, David Zuckerman, Brenda Siegel, Joe Benning, and Congressman Peter Welch.

Zephyr Haines, below right, puts a question to Attorney General candidate Michael Tagliavia.

The auditorium, decorated with candidate posters, was filled with students and teachers absorbing the living civic lesson.

Volunteers,

sought

‘Feed Starving Children’

Hundreds of Champlain Valley community members will fight world hunger through a partnership between With Love From Vermont and nonprofit Feed My Starving Children (FMSC). This MobilePack will add to the 1.3 million meals previously packed in Vermont and shipped around the world to FMSC partners to feed starving children.

Volunteers — including families, churches and civic groups from Williston — will make a difference by packing 100,000 meals in just three two-hour shifts over two days. Volunteers will also drop off non-perishable food goods for area food shelves.

The event will take place Oct. 21-22 at A.D. Lawton Intermediate School, 104 Maple Street, in Essex Junction. Community members can support this MobilePack by making a donation to cover the cost of the food to be packed or by volunteering to pack food at the event. Donations may be made, and volunteers may register, online at www.give.fmsc.org/ Vermont.

Williston Observer rack distribution

at these locations in Williston, Richmond and Essex

Williston

Belle’s Café

Dorothy Alling Memorial Library

Fairfield Inn

Gardener’s Supply

Green Mountain Bagel

Hannaford

Healthy Living Williston

Home2Suites

Korner Kwik Stop Marriott Courtyard

Men At Wok

People’s United Bank

Ramunto’s

Rehab Gym

Shell Gas Station (Essex Rd)

Simon’s Mobil Williston

Simply Divine Café Sonesta

Sunoco Station

Town of Williston Offices

UPS Store

Williston Coffee Shop

Essex Junction Essex Automotive

Five Corner Variety Hannaford Inn at Essex

Mac’s Market

Martone’s Deli Price Chopper

Williston

Quality Bake Shop River Road Beverage

Richmond

Cumberland Farms

Richmond Free Library

Richmond Market

Richmond Mobil Mart

Cannabis stores report brisk early sales

BY FRED THYS VTDigger

Cannabis sales have been brisk in the days since Vermont’s retail market for recreational cannabis opened Oct. 1. “Fantastic” is how Dave Silberman de scribed sales at his store, FLORA, in Middle bury. “We had a really nice opening weekend. It was a lot of fun. It was exhausting.”

Silberman said customers had about a 45-minute wait when he opened the doors that first day. The nine employees who worked the store Saturday could not possibly have han dled more transactions, he said, estimating that about 1,000 people visited the store over the weekend. He said the sales floor can han dle about eight customers at a time while an other eight customers wait in a lounge.

What was for sale these first few days was cannabis flower. Silberman said the store offered 11 different strains from five grow ers sold in pre-rolled joints and in 3.5-gram (about an eighth-ounce) and seven-gram (quarter-ounce) jars. Regulations require all growers must be based in Vermont and all sales must be of cannabis grown and pro cessed in Vermont.

At Burlington’s Ceres Collaborative, which also opened last Saturday, chief op erating officer Russ Todia said the store has seen lines every day it’s been open. He said the store has had about 12 customers inside at a time.

After the excitement of opening day, sales briefly subsided, Todia said, then rebounded again later in the week.

“It could just be that word has gotten around that we’re open,” Todia said.

Ceres has offered about a dozen variet ies of flower in eighth-ounce jars, pre-rolled joints and seven varieties of gummies, as well as vape cartridges in different sizes, a distil late hash and a topical salve. Todia expects more varieties of flower and more edible op tions to arrive by the end of the month.

Silberman anticipates that FLORA will

Kristin Landry, left, hands a customer their order at Ceres Collaborative dispensary in Burlington on the first day of legal retail cannabis sales in Vermont on Oct. 1.

have more strains of flower and its first batch of gummies for sale by the end of the month.

At last Thursday’s meeting of the Can nabis Control Board, chair James Pepper ac knowledged problems with the diversity of product due to delays in approving licenses.

“But the supply held,” Pepper noted, after retailers and growers initially had said there may be a shortage of supply ahead of the retail opening.

Pepper also acknowledged delays in re tailers receiving their certificates of occupan cy from the state Division of Fire Safety, with out which they cannot be licensed. He said the problem is occurring in cities and towns that have municipal inspection agreements with the division, including Barre, Bennington, Brattleboro, Burlington, Hartford, Montpe lier, Putney, St. Albans and Winooski.

The board on Thursday licensed one more retailer, Apex Arboretum in Burlington, in addition to four manufacturers, three grow ers, four wholesalers (including Apex Arbo retum) and a lab, SH Lab, in Colchester.

Vermont now has three labs licensed to test cannabis and five licensed retailers. Mountain Girl Cannabis opened its store in Rutland in early October, and Scott Sparks, owner of Bud Barn, in Brattleboro, antici pates opening his store on Oct. 17.

PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER

In Hinesburg, rural development restrictions draw debate

BY AUBREY WEAVER Community News Service

Hinesburg landowners have clashed with town planners over proposed zoning changes that, to prioritize forest conservation, would more strictly govern land use across a large stretch of town.

“That’s not what my vision is for my property,” resident Tony St. Hilaire told the Hinesburg Planning Commission during a Sept. 14 meet ing, the first of two last month where citizens aired concerns about the proposals.

Selectboard member Dennis Place expressed frustration at that meeting too, getting into a backand-forth with Planning and Zon ing Director Alex Weinhagan over the wording and enforcement of the proposed policies.

Both meetings began with read ings of a proposed revision to the town’s zoning rules for the Rural Residential 1 district, which cov ers densely developed areas along Richmond Road and sparsely set tled areas to the north, around Mt. Pritchard, and the south, around Lavigne Hill Road.

The changes, proposed by com mission member Lenore Budd, in clude decreasing the building densi ty from 3 acres of undeveloped land per unit to 5 acres per unit. They are intended to “preserve significant forest blocks and core wildlife hab itat, to retain access to other blocks of undeveloped forest land.”

Commission meetings on the subject have devolved into conten tious exchanges between property owners and town officials. Land owners like Place argue the changes are hard to understand and based on out-of-date mapping.

Officials at the Sept. 14 meeting showed a map of areas that are home to wildlife. But residents disagreed with officials’ assessment of those wildlife corridors.

A number of attendees grum bled at that meeting that they’ve witnessed more deer carcasses behind Champlain Valley Union High School, not in the pockets on the map. The mapping was done by the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife in 2007, according to Weinhagan. There seemed to be a consensus among those present that the mapping was either speculative, out of date or both.

Place said he believes landown ers looking for loopholes around the conservation standards could do so easily and questioned whether the

new changes could be enforced.

Notably absent from the first meeting was Budd. In an email to Weinhagan ahead of the meeting, she requested the revisions still be discussed at the meeting in her ab sence. Some commissioners and residents that night said she should have been present to explain the rea soning behind some of the wording. She was present at last week’s meet ing.

“I own a sugarbush, I’m not in conservation. I don’t know what (Budd) is trying to say here,” Place lamented.

“Several of the folks who have expressed some concern are ex pressing, you know, real concerns that are founded on their belief

that whatever changes come from this discussion, that some of those changes may further restrict how much they could develop their prop erty,” Weinhagan said, adding, “and that’s a fair concern.”

But Weinhagan pointed out that the planning commission made a “concerted effort” to receive feed back from landowners on the revi sions back in February. These de bates are by no means new, he said.

The town planning office, which Weinhagan runs, routinely asks the commission to consider zoning changes, particularly in regard to the more rural areas in Hinesburg. Those requests often spur debate with landowners.

“Zoning is all about creating a

framework and rules by which prop erty is developed,” he said, “so it’s a reasonable thing for a landowner to be curious and potentially con cerned about a zoning change.”

What likely makes the Rural Residential district so contentious is that it’s a mix of highly developed and rural areas.

“It’s not a cohesive, homoge neous zoning district,” Weinhagan said. “It has some areas that are the densest settlement pattern in Hines burg, areas along Richmond Road

that include the Birchwood drive neighborhood and two of our three mobile home parks … and then it has these areas to the north and the south … that are much more rural, much lower development densities, and in some cases, large areas with out any development.”

The revision process has taken months longer than expected, Wein hagan said.

There is no deadline to make the change, and whatever revisions are approved could later be amended.

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GUEST COLUMN

A large-scale effort to support mental health

BY STEVEN BERBECO

The pandemic has exposed the fault lines in our state’s mental health system of care, with many more of us trying to connect to services for depression, anxiety and other issues. World Mental Health Day (which was Oct. 10) gave us an opportunity to recon nect with each other in our shared efforts to protect and improve mental health resources for our selves and our neighbors.

As I write this, about one in five positions are vacant across Vermont’s state-designated mental health and specialized service agencies, where nearly 1,000 Vermonters are waiting for mental health and substance use services. Therapists in private practice, too, say they are booked with people who decided to pri oritize their mental health during the pandemic, contributing to long wait times for many of us to access care.

Youth mental health has emerged as a national priority,

and school leaders in Vermont are reporting growing complexi ty and severity of student behav ior, including violent outbursts, threats of harm to themselves and others, and sexualized behaviors. At the same time, there are limit ed mental health resources avail able to our public schools.

Vermont’s suicide rate exceeds the national average by 30 percent, and the most recent data from the Vermont Department of Health show the numbers continue to head in the wrong direction. Suicide is the eighth-leading cause of death in Vermont, touching every socio economic status, race, identity and community.

In response to these and many other mental health challenges that predate the pandemic, the Unit ed Way of Northwest Vermont launched the Mental Health Initia tive earlier this year. This collective impact project leverages the par ticipation of 100-plus community members to solve, at scale, many of our most pressing problems in the system of mental health care.

We have three volunteer-led action teams focused on the Mental Health Initiative’s initial priorities: workforce develop ment for mental health providers, youth mental health, and suicide prevention.

The most effective solutions will come from engagement with mental health professionals and — very importantly — our neigh bors with lived experience. But we know mental health touches all of us and overlaps with every sector, system and institution in our society, which is why we have welcomed the participation of representatives from our schools,

early childhood education, local and state government, religious and civic groups, and many other organizations and alliances that focus on mental health care and substance misuse.

We are excited about our early successes in promoting the effec tive integration of mental health first aid training into workforce programs and programs that sup port our oldest and youngest Ver monters. Mental health first aid is a course that teaches people how to identify, understand and re spond to signs of mental illness es and substance use disorders. We have also helped to connect mental health professionals with important cross-cultural training so that our neighbors can access care that better meets their needs.

Much like knowing how to administer CPR, understand ing how to support someone in a mental health crisis can be a life-saving skill. Vermonters can contact the Vermont Sui cide Prevention Center to learn more about mental health first aid training and other suicide preven tion resources.

Together we can make a dif

ference, strengthening timely ac cess to appropriate mental health care for each other. Vermont has always been a community of communities where neighbors help neighbors. We are stronger when we come together to solve our problems.

The United Way’s Mental Health Initiative is all about el evating voices and bringing di verse perspectives together to not only respond to urgent needs but to create a stronger system of mental health care for all of us. Join our vibrant conversations, our shared decision-making and our implementation of steps that aim to keep our neighbors safe and thriving.

Learn more about the Mental Health Initiative and get involved at: www.unitedwaynwvt.org/men tal-health-initiative.

Steven Berbeco is the director of United Way of Northwest Vermont’s Mental Health Initiative, a collective impact project launched in early 2022. He lives in Winooski with his family and serves on the Winooski School Board.

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so that we can verify the letter’s author.

Much like knowing how to administer CPR, understanding how to support someone in a mental health crisis can be a life-saving skill.

Supporting change for Williston

I read with interest the Letters to the Editor in the Oct. 6 issue of the Observer. Each author stated their support for their candidate of choice for the Vermont House of Representatives.

It is clear from the endorse ments that a distinct choice is available to Williston voters this November. On the one side, there is the argument that, if you are content with the status quo and the “sharing of the same play book” of the legislative past, then there is one way to vote. On the other hand, if you feel Williston and Vermont need some change in perspective and a focus on the immediate pressing needs of ev eryday life, then there is another way to vote.

I believe we need a change to ward balance and common sense in Montpelier. Gasoline, health care, grocery and heating fuel prices continue to rise and are at historic levels. The tax burden on Vermonters is the fourth highest in the nation. Public safety con cerns are high. Social Security income continues to be taxed on those who need relief the most.

The current “playbook” just isn’t working. We truly need change, common sense and bal ance in Montpelier.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The facts compel a choice for change to get us back on track to a prosperous future for Vermont. I will be voting for new ideas and new perspectives. I will be voting for candidates who under stand the kitchen table pressures all Vermonters are facing daily. I will be voting for Bruce Roy and Tony O’Rourke to represent me and the Williston Chittenden-2 District in the Vermont House of Representatives.

Norman Boyden Williston

Two proven leaders

At the top of my ballot for state representative are my top choices, Angela Arsenault and Erin Brady. I hope they are your choices also.

Erin is our current represen tative who is also a nationally recognized school social studies teacher and who led the effort to pass the Universal School Lunch bill in her first term in the Leg islature. She also has supported efforts to promote climate action and racial justice. She is a proven leader.

Angela is the chair of the Champlain Valley School Board. She is a professional journalist and a prolific volunteer with the Williston Community Justice Center, the Williston-Richmond

Rotary Club’s many projects to assist those who need it, and the Education Justice Coalition of Vermont. She is also a proven leader.

These are two extraordinary candidates and the only ones running who support the consti tutional amendment on reproduc tive liberty that assures women have the right to control their own bodies the same as men have had for centuries. Both have giv en many years of public service to Williston on the school board.

Please join me in voting for Angela and Erin on or before Nov. 8.

Terry Macaig Williston

Fully supporting Erin and Angela

I am thrilled to vote for two women for state Legislature who share many of my values and pri orities for our community. Erin Brady and Angela Arsenault will be strong advocates for children and families.

We have a severe shortage of high-quality childcare in Vermont. Early childhood professionals are underpaid and undervalued. Childcare is a high priority item. Erin and Angela are committed to creating an affordable, accessi ble, quality childcare system that serves all Vermonters. They have been endorsed by the Let’s Grow

Kids Action Network.

Erin has been a champion for universal meals in schools, and she and Angela are passionate about seeing this program contin ue. Students may come to school hungry for many reasons, includ ing economic need, family stress,

Estate Planning, Elder Law & Medicaid Planning

of mind for families and loved ones

we do:

Protection of assets

spending

down

Medicaid

Wills & Living Trusts

Assistance with

B. LaPlante, Esq. Stephen A. Unsworth, Esq. Wendy S Hillmuth, Esq.

of the American Academy of Estate Planning

National Association of Elder Law Attorneys.

Dorothy Alling Memorial Library hours:

• Monday and Wednesday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

• Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

• Saturday: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Visit www.damlvt.org to apply for a library card, renew materials, access digital offerings and register online for programs. For help accessing materials or services, call 8784918 or email daml@damlvt.org.

YOUTH PROGRAMS

Children in fourth grade and younger must be supervised by someone over 16 years of age.

STORYWALK

On the Town Green: “Leaves” by David Ezra Stein

In the Park: “The Path to Kindness: Poems of Connection and Joy” by James Crews TEEN GENRE BOOK CLUB

Friday, Oct. 14, 5-6 p.m. Ages 12-plus.

Come discuss your favorite horror novel, graphic novel or short story with the group. Vote on December’s genre or theme.

TEEN NIGHTS: DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS

Mondays, Oct. 17 and 24, 5-6 p.m. Ages 12-plus. Continue our first month’s campaign at the library.

PRESCHOOL STORYTIME

Tuesdays, Oct. 18 and 25, 10:30-11 a.m. Join Danielle for indoor or outdoor (weath er-dependent) stories and fun.

AFTER SCHOOL STEAM FUN ACTIVITY

Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2-3 p.m. Try your hand at a fun experiment.

PRESCHOOL MUSIC AND PLAYTIME

Thursdays, Oct. 20 and 27, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Enjoy music with Linda Bassick, then stay to play.

TWEEN BOOK CLUB

Monday, Oct. 24, 3-4 p.m. Have fun dis cussing Golden Dome books in this tween-led discussion.

AFTER SCHOOL CRAFT

Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2-3 p.m. Sign up to

paint a mini pumpkin or gourd. Registration required.

LEGO TIME

Thursday, Oct. 27, 3-4 p.m. Build some thing with the library’s LEGO collection.

MULTI-AGE PROGRAMS

TELESCOPE NIGHT

Monday, Oct. 17, 7-8 p.m. Step outside to learn how to use the library’s telescope and view the night sky.

READ TO A DOG

Thursday, Oct. 20, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Call to schedule a 10-minute time slot to read to ther apy dog Lola.

PUMPKIN CARVING

Saturday, Oct. 22, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Carve a pumpkin with family and friends on the town green. Registration required.

PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS

To join a program or for a Zoom link, email programs@damlvt.org.

GUIDED MEDITATION (ONLINE)

Fridays in October, 12-12:30 p.m. BOOK CLUB BUFFET (ONLINE)

Tuesday, Oct. 18, 12:30-1:30 p.m. “The Perfect Alibi” by Philip Margolin features a young lawyer juggling two impossible cases.

COOK THE BOOK

Wednesday, Oct. 19, 12-1 p.m. Share a rec ipe from “New Native Kitchen” by Freddie Bitsoie at our potluck. Register when you stop by the library to pick a recipe.

SPANISH CONVERSATION (ONLINE)

Wednesday, Oct. 19, 5-6 p.m. Practice Spanish conversation.

MAH JONGG

Friday, Oct. 21, 1-3 p.m. Drop in! TECH TUTOR

Friday, Oct. 21, 2-4 p.m. Call to book a time slot for help with your technology.

Fall

BROWN BAG BOOK CLUB

Tuesday, Oct. 25, 12:30-1:30 p.m. “Home Before Dark” by Riley Sager is a supernatural tale set in the Vermont woods.

CURRENT EVENTS DISCUSSION

Wednesday, Oct. 26, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Drop by for a discussion of newsworthy top ics.

HEALTH AND RESILIENCE IN CHALLENGING TIMES

Wednesday, Oct. 26, 6:30-7:45 p.m. Join Nancy Somers in this interactive presentation on the five pillars of health and how to maxi mize stress management.

TALES AND TOMBSTONES CEMETERY TOUR

Thursday, Oct. 27, 3:15-4:30 p.m. Meet behind the Korner Kwik Stop for a walking tour of historic Thomas Chittenden Cemetery, where a group of WCS students will present skits about the lives of some of our most fa mous residents. Rain or shine.

Film study: a look at the paranormal

Do you need a good ghost story? Join the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library on Oct. 19 at 6 p.m. for “Ghosts and the Supernatural: A film study with Rick Winston.”

Winston will share film clips depicting how the paranormal can be portrayed on film for straight chills, roman tic drama and lively comedy. He’ll share clips from a wide variety of films.

Winston has taught film history at Bur lington College, Community College of Vermont, Goddard College and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and has made presentations throughout Vermont.

working parents and early school start times. Universal meals level the playing field and reduce asso ciated stigma.

Erin and Angela also share my belief that reproductive health care decisions are deeply person al and should be made between a patient and their physician. They support Article 22, the Reproduc tive Liberty Amendment. With Roe overturned by the Supreme Court, state-level protections are now vital to safeguarding access to reproductive health care.

Erin is a nationally recog nized high school teacher, a member of the Champlain Val

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

ley School Board and a working mom. She was first elected to the Legislature in 2020 and serves on the House Education Com mittee. Angela has a background in journalism, is the chair of the Champlain Valley School Board and is a dedicated volunteer with the Education Justice Coalition of Vermont, the Williston Commu nity Justice Center, CY Mentor ing and the Williston-Richmond Rotary Club.

I hope that Williston will join me in voting for Erin Brady and Angela Arsenault as our state representatives (Chittenden-2 District).

Katie Devitt Williston

Williston deserves Arsenault

I have lived in Williston since 1987 and have never publicly en dorsed a candidate until now. I urge you to vote for Angela Arsenault for state representative.

I got to know Angela while serving on the Racial Equity Part nership Committee. I’ve never seen anybody multi-task so well. Even though she’s busy, I’ve seen her volunteer to take on a task, because she’s passionate about it. Angela shows up, is action-oriented and gets things done.

I’ve also noticed how inclusive — not selective — Angela is when she works with a group of people.

VOTE

She walks the walk. And you can tell by the way she talks about her 12- and 14-year-old children how proud she is of them.

Today, many critical issues are on the line: the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade; climate action; health care and child care for all; gun violence prevention; af fordable housing; and inclusion, eq uity and welcoming diversity of all people. Angela has the experience, skills and dedication to fight for all of these issues. She’s a caring person who is a fighter.

Angela has been on the board of the Champlain Valley School Dis trict since 2019, and its chair since 2021. She has 20 years of experience as a professional journalist, includ

ing reporting on family matters and women’s health. Her volunteer work includes working with the Educa tion Justice Coalition of Vermont, the Williston Community Justice Center, CY Mentoring, the Willis ton-Richmond Rotary Club and the Williston Joy Brigade.

Williston deserves a state repre sentative like Angela Arsenault.

Brant Dinkin Williston

Speak up!

Erin

Easy-care floors for busy bodies.

Angela Arsenault

CVSD

Values

mitted to identifying, addressing and eliminating policies and pro cedures that have contributed to institutional and structural rac ism. Williston will address this harm through education, commu nity engagement and restorative actions.” (See sidebar for the full statement).

But McSweeney also request ed more time — until the end of this year — for the selectboard to revisit its Black Lives Matter flag decision and consider a new way to symbolize the town’s anti-rac ism efforts.

“Maybe it’s a flag, maybe it’s not. Maybe it’s artwork, maybe it’s edu cational opportunities,” McSwee ney said. “Our goal is to make sure we’re not just putting up a symbol, but we are taking actionable steps … The core of the work is about what we are going to do to live up to those values so that everyone in our community feels welcomed, respected and valued.”

Putting off the Black Lives Matter flag decision will also al low McSweeney to incorporate what she is learning at a diversity, equity and inclusion leadership course she is currently enrolled in at Cornell University. That course ends in December.

“We will be revisiting the is sue of the Black Lives Matter flag probably in early January,” she said. “That’s when we will be making a proposal to look at how we want to visualize these val ues. The issue of the Black Lives Matter flag will be on the table for consideration.”

Before crafting the values statement, the committee (called the Racial Equity Partnership) sought input from community members through distribution of a

flyer, posting online and sending emails. Reflecting the controver sial nature of the subject, several businesses declined to post the flyer. The committee anonymous ly reported some of their reasons:

“This is not the direction we are looking to go in” … “We don’t want our business being retaliated against” … “We can’t take sides — this ‘ask’ would reflect us tak ing the side of supporting this.”

Other feedback encouraged the committee and expressed sup port for the work, McSweeney said during last week’s meeting of the selectboard.

After collecting resident input in the spring, the committee got to work writing the values statement through the summer. In addition to McSweeney, the committee includes Pastor Paul Eyer of the Williston Fed erated Church, former Willis ton-Richmond Rotary Club President Les ley Murray and Champlain Valley School Board Chair and Democrat ic nominee for state represen tative Angela Arsenault, among others.

“It was really heartwarming to have such a committed group of people come together and re ally think about everyone in the community, and I think that the outcome will bring us to better places. The goal is to make Wil liston the best we can have it be,” McSweeney said.

The racial equity values state ment is on the selectboard’s Oct. 18 agenda Town Manager Erik Wells said.

The Racial Equity Alliance’s goal is to have the values state ment inform every aspect of town government “so that we’re really being thoughtful … and making sure we’re constant ly looking back at these values so we are holding ourselves and each other accountable,” McSweeney said.

Town of Williston racial equity values statement

Up for selectboard adoption Oct. 18

ANTI-RACISM

Williston acknowledges that racism exists. Williston is committed to identifying, addressing and eliminating policies and procedures that have contributed to institu tional and structural racism. Williston will address this harm through education, community engagement and restorative actions.

DIVERSITY

Differences of all kinds and a diversity of people contribute to a stronger, healthier and more vibrant community where all are celebrated and valued. Wil liston encourages and em braces diversity in all aspects of community life and civic engagement.

EQUITY

Every decision made from a governance and operation al standpoint will be fair and impartial by consistently re viewing and redefining town policies and procedures. De cisions and actions will be made with the awareness of what each community mem ber needs, recognizing and owning that some may re quire more than others.

INCLUSION

Williston is committed to identifying and eliminating barriers that limit commu nity engagement by creat ing equal opportunity and access for all, regardless of race, class, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, political views, age, ability, identity or background status. All town programming, volunteer and engagement opportu nities, leadership positions and community spaces will be open and accessible to all.

The Black Lives Matter flag was first raised at Town Hall in the winter of

selectboard

reconsider

approval of the flag in early

“Our goal is to make sure we’re not just putting up a symbol, but we are taking actionable steps.”

Cristalee McSweeney Williston Racial Equity Partnership

lations prescribe the aesthetics (form) of buildings, rather than the traditional zoning rules that regu late building use.

The board’s approval came on a 4-1 vote. Board member Gordon St. Hilaire cast the opposing vote in deference to a group of resi dents dismayed by the prospect of 80-plus-foot-tall apartment build ings and the potential increase in population that would follow.

“Williston’s infrastructure cannot handle that type of in flux,” resident David Martel said. “That’s a lot of people. That’s a lot of cars. The streets aren’t designed for it. I don’t know if the sewer and water can handle it.”

Planning Director Matt

langer noted that the town’s existing growth management system, which caps the pace of housing develop ment to a maximum of 50 new units per year, is in place to address con cerns about overwhelming current infrastructure and wastewater ca pacity. He touted the benefits of the urban-style development pattern that the new regulations prescribe where densely packed buildings create energy efficiencies, reduce car dependance and increase hous ing availability.

“If you don’t like the idea that some part of Taft Corners might look a lot like a city at some point, I can’t offer a lot of comfort,” he said. “That just comes with the territory of making a place a walk able downtown.”

Boulanger also noted that not all of Taft Corners will have an

87-foot height (five stories) allow ance under the new rules. On the outskirts of the district, building heights are capped at three and four stories.

Planning commission member Chapin Kaynor offered a remind er that planners undertook the process of changing Taft Corners zoning rules because of negative sentiment about developments re cently completed (Finney Cross ing) and now underway (Cotton wood Crossing). He also assured opponents that the plan does not itself constitute a development proposal.

“This is intended as a long-term design,” Kaynor said. “It’s not a plan to do any particular number of houses. It’s to say, ‘when houses are built, here’s the plan that it has to follow.’”

“Williston is lucky to have a growth problem,” resident Kyle Sala said, “but it’s a problem none theless. The buildings will get built either way. There’s really no stopping it. The form-based code is one of the best options we have to manage the growth in a sustain able way that has public benefit.”

Board member Ted Kenney echoed that sentiment in making the motion to approve the new regulations.

“Development is allowed in this area right now. It’s not like it was going to remain an open field across from Walmart forever,” he said.

“Buildings are going to be built whether we approve this or not.

“I’ve listened to what people are saying and I’ve thought about it and weighed it,” he added. “On balance, I think the form-based code is the way to go.”

A fall farms tour in

Paquette

of Posies

Foley-Fontaine Farm

Windswept Farm

Adams Apple Orchard

Isham Family Farm

Johnson Family Farm

Whitcomb’s Land of Pumpkins and Corn Maze

Isham Family Farm

Whitcomb’s Land of Pumpkins and Corn Maze

Managing forests for adaptability

BY ETHAN TAPPER Special to the Observer

Vermont’s forests tell a story of adapta tion undertaken over massive expanses of time and across a dynamic landscape. Along this continuum of change, our flora and fauna have evolved and co-evolved, exploited nich es, developed complex relationships with one another and with their environment — even tually becoming the species that comprise our modern-day forests. Over tens of thousands of years, these species have formed natural com munities, ecosystems that are unique, resilient and biologically diverse.

In the last 300 years, Vermont’s for ests have undergone a similarly remark able transformation, but on a massively compressed sched ule. Over just a few centuries, many wildlife species have been lost from our forests, some of which have returned or been reintroduced, and some of which have not.

Nearly all our forests have been cleared, many maintained as agricultural land for a century or more.

Vermont has lost huge amounts of forest land and continues to lose thousands of acres each year. Our remaining forests are increas ingly fragmented by deforestation, roads and development, and degraded by a variety of in troduced stressors, including non-native inva sive plants and non-native pests and pathogens that have caused the loss or functional-loss of several important tree species.

We are in the midst of a biodiversity cri sis — species across the globe going extinct or racing toward extinction at an alarming rate. We are in the midst of a climate crisis, with a climate that has changed and is changing faster than ever.

When change occurs slowly and in small measures, ecosystems and species are able adapt as they have for millennia. Today, this immense volume of changes and stressors is occurring all at once and at an incredible rate. There is no going back, no returning to when Vermont was endless old growth forests, undammed streams and expansive networks of beaver wetlands. While mitigation — slowing these changes — is critical, the health and resilience of our forests will also depend on their adaptability.

A key consideration in managing for adaptability is the recognition of uncertainty: We don’t know exactly how global change will manifest in the future, so we need to ensure that our forests have the tools to adapt to a wide variety of poten tial future conditions.

One of the key ingredients in adapt ability is diversity. On a landscape in which forests are generally young and simple, managing for forests with lots of different tree species and differ ent sizes and ages of trees buffers forests from stressors that may affect a single species or a single size or age of tree, giving forests a range of potential adaptive pathways forward. Also critical is managing for diverse landscapes with many different types of forests and other ecosystems.

Forests are more than trees. Managing for adaptability includes helping all our native flo ra and fauna adapt to a changed and changing world. In addition to managing for diverse and complex forests — which will provide habitat and refuge for many species — we need to protect threatened species and unusual hab itats and to take action to create important habitats that are underrepresented across our landscape. We also need to ensure that ecosys tems are connected, so that species can move between them as they are faced with changes

and challenges, and so that they can maintain the genetic diversity necessary to adapt.

Another important part of managing for adaptability is addressing threats. Deforesta tion, forest fragmentation and non-native in vasive plants, animals, pests and pathogens — and deer overpopulation — all undermine forests’ ability to regenerate, to change, to be come diverse and complex, thus threatening their adaptability. All of these threats are hu man-caused, and only we have the power to address them.

How will we help forests adapt to an un certain future? We are in uncharted waters,

off the map and becoming more so each day. Responding to this moment will mean making uncomfortable decisions — doing things like managing forests, controlling invasive plants and changing our behavior in many ways.

Adaptability is a quality that we will need to cultivate both in our forests and in our selves. The choices we make, the way we change, will dictate the world that we give to future generations.

Ethan Tapper is the Chittenden County Forester for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.

How will we help forests adapt to an uncertain future?

We are in uncharted waters, off the map and becoming more so each day.

Sports

Burr and Burton battle and the Bucs

The CVSD Buccaneer flag football offensive and defensive lines, left, clash as the teams entertain the fans at halftime of the CVU vs. BBA game on Saturday in Hinesburg. The Bucs quarterback, above, hands the ball off to his running back.

Top right, CVU’s Aidan Morris kicks an extra point during the Redhawks’ 38-35 win over the Burr and Burton Bulldogs. Right, the football eludes defenders allowing CVU’s Alex Provost to make a diving catch.

Hard drives

CVU's Ryan Sleeper, above, takes a swing on the eighth hole at the girls' state golf championship held at the Willison Golf Club on Tuesday morning. The CVU girls finished second, three strokes behind winner Burr and Burton. Elise Ayer, below, chips on to the sixth green.

On the seventh, Megan Rexford, bottom, makes a short putt .

Next Week: Jack-o’lanterns

Time to Write!

November is National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. For 30 days, participants are invited to let their imaginations run free and write a novel on their own at their own pace.

This week, The Mini Page learns about NaNoWriMo for kids.

Challenge

NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program (YWP) is geared toward students interested in challenging themselves through writing. During November, anyone who would like to participate is invited to write an entire novel in one month.

YWP is set up in a flexible way that allows young writers to choose their own goals. For example, if you would like your novel to be 1,000 words, then that’s OK. If you would like to write 10,000 or 50,000 words that month, that’s good, too. Whatever your goal is, there are tools to help you on the YWP website (see “On the Web” section).

Goals

While some students prefer to track their progress themselves, others sign up — with a grown-up’s help — on the YWP website and

use the word-counting and progress-tracking tools on there.

Some families decide to take on the NaNoWriMo challenge as a unit and write together. In other cases, grown-ups and kids in a household participate in NaNoWriMo by writing separate novels, but they spend their time creating while sitting side by side. There are many options, and authors get to decide what will work best for them.

Who’s it for?

Anyone can write a novel! In 2019, it was predicted that 95,000 students from kindergarten through 12th grade were part of YWP and participated in NaNoWriMo programs.

“Being a novelist is a matter of keeping at it, putting one word after the other day after day. You can’t wait for the muse* to come to you — you have to create your own muse. We want everyone to be able to tell their story, to trust in the beauty of their muse,” says Grant Faulkner, executive director of NaNoWriMo.

* “Muse” means inspiration.

OLIVIA

How it works

If a student sets up an account online at YWP with a grown-up’s help, they can write and create online under that account after they log in to the website.

However, there are many other ways to write. Some authors like to jot down their stories with pencil onto paper and track their own progress. Others like to write in their favorite program on their computer. If participants are very young, they might prefer to tell their story to a grown-up who will do the actual typing or writing on paper.

Goals

A writer can set a daily word count goal, which means every day they do their best to write as many words as they have set their sights on. Some writers have one goal: to see how much they can write in one month, without setting a daily goal. It’s really all up to the participant.

One important thing to remember is that it’s OK if a goal changes as the writer adjusts their plan.

Resources

On the

At the library:

Founded by Betty Debnam

Ink: A Young Writer’s Handbook” by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter

Your Story?” by Marion Dane Bauer

Resources

some students

Try ’n’ Find

Words that remind us of NaNoWriMo are hidden in this puzzle. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find:

CHALLENGE, CREATE, FAMILIES, GOALS, IMAGINE, MONTH, MUSE, NATIONAL, NOVEL, NOVEMBER, PAPER, PARTICIPATE, PENCIL, PROGRAM, STUDENT, WORDS, WRITING, YWP.

Cook’s Corner

Dill Cucumbers

You’ll need:

1/4 cup white vinegar

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dill

What to do:

vinegar, sugar, lemon juice

cucumbers

hours

pepper

large

peeled

with

sliced

an

Mini Jokes

Wyatt: How do you catch a whole school of fish?

Whitney: With bookworms!

Eco Note

Hotter and drier weather brought on by climate change has nearly doubled the amount of forest cover burned around the world during the past 20 years. The worst year for forest losses due to fire was 2021, which saw an area the size of Portugal being blackened. Of the 35,750 square miles of trees destroyed by wildfires last year, more than half were in Russia. The forests may grow back in about a century, but their burning spews vast amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.

For later: Look in your newspaper for articles about National Writing Month.

Teachers: Follow and interact with The Mini Page on Facebook!

BY DAN THOMPSON

Potter

Your

by Marion Dane Bauer

R E B M E V O N Z P E N C I L U L A N O I T A N V B R W R N E G N E L L A H C J E S U M S R Q G O A L S E B A B Q V S E P E T A P I C I T R A P E B I A N O V E L O E M H B R P S L P E N I G A M I F P G W I D I E Q T N E D U T S O Y I V R M R T P G P R O G R A M K R O A H T N O M D W R I T I N G W F

By Jim Miller

Savvy Senior

How much does an average funeral cost?

Dear Savvy Senior, How much does a typical funeral and body burial cost today? My wife and I are in terested in prearranging our funerals but would like to have a cost idea before going in so we can plan and budget appropri ately.

Planning Ahead

Dear Planning,

It definitely pays to know what charges to expect when pre-plan ning a funeral. Most people don’t have a clue and can be upsold thousands of dollars’ worth of ex tra services they may not want or need. Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect.

FUNERAL PRICES

The first thing you need to be aware of is that funeral costs will vary considerably depending on your geographic location, the fu neral home you choose and the fu neral choices you make. With that said, here’s a breakdown of what an average funeral costs, nation wide, according to the most recent data from the National Funeral Directors Association.

Professional services fee: This is a basic non-declinable fee that covers the funeral provider’s time, expertise and overhead: $2,300.

Transfer of the remains: This is for picking up the body and tak ing it to the funeral home: $350.

Embalming and body prepa ration: Embalming is usually man datory for open-casket viewing, otherwise it’s not required unless the body is going to be transport ed across state lines. Embalming

costs $775. Other body prepara tions, which include hairdressing and cosmetics, runs $275.

Funeral viewing and cere mony: If the viewing and funeral ceremony is at the funeral home, you’ll be charged for use of the chapel and any necessary staff. Costs: $450 for viewing and $515 for funeral ceremony.

Metal casket: This is a big money maker for funeral homes, with markups of up to 300 percent over the wholesale price: $2,500.

Funeral transportation: Use of hearse and driver is $325 to transport the body to the cemetery. Use of a service car/van is $150.

Memorial printed package: This includes printed programs and memorial guest book: $183.

In addition to these costs, there are also a number of cemetery costs, like the plot or mausoleum fee, the vault or grave liner that most cemeteries require, and the opening and closing of the grave, all of which can run between $2,000 and $3,000; and the grave stone, which typically runs be tween $1,000 and $3,000.

You’ll also need to budget for related expenses like flowers for the funeral ($200 to $400), the

clergy honorarium ($200 to $300) and extra copies of the death cer tificate ($5 to $35 per copy de pending on the state).

All told, the average cost of a total U.S. funeral today with viewing and cemetery burial is around $12,000.

WAYS TO SAVE

If this is more than you’re will ing or able to pay, there are ways to save. For starters, you should know that prices can vary signifi cantly by funeral provider, so it’s wise to shop around. If you need some help, there are websites you can turn to, like www.Parting.com, that let you easily compare prices online based on what you want.

When evaluating funeral pro viders, be sure you get an itemized price list of services and products so you can accurately compare and choose what you want.

The most significant way to save is to request a “direct burial” or “direct cremation.” With these options, you and your wife would be buried or cremated shortly after death, which skips the embalming and viewing. If you want a memo rial service, you can have it at the graveside or at your place of wor ship without the body. These ser vices usually run between $1,000 and $3,000, not counting ceme tery charges.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

TODAY’S HISTORY:

• In 1792, the cornerstone of the White House was ceremonially laid.

• In 1845, Texas ratified a state constitution.

• In 1943, Italy declared war on Germany, its former Axis ally.

• In 1970, the People’s Republic of China and Canada announced they would establish diplomatic relations, prompting Taiwan to break ties with Canada.

• In 2010, 33 miners who had survived 69 days underground after a mining accident in Copiapo, Chile, were rescued.

TODAY’S FACT:

The White House has 132 rooms, including three kitchens and 35 bathrooms.

OBITUARIES

Elaine L. Begin

Elaine L. Begin, 69, passed away on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, due to a convergence of multiple long-term health issues.

The daughter of Albert H. Whit comb and Joyce E. Payne, she grew up in central Vermont, eventually moving to Richmond and graduat ing from Mount Mansfield Union High School in 1971.

She married Michael P. Begin, the love of her life and constant companion and support, making their home in Jericho for the past 49 years. As a young dialysis patient and kidney transplant candidate in the early 1970s, she was active in advocating for the creation of a di alysis unit in Burlington. She soon received her father’s donated kidney at Mass General Hospital in Boston and lived a full, healthy life for two decades as a result.

While dedicated to being a fulltime mom, friend, and confidante to their only daughter, she also worked and volunteered in roles caring for the elderly and disabled. She grad uated from Fanny Allen School of Practical Nursing in 1987 and en joyed working as a nurse and phle botomist. She was also a volunteer and leader of the local Ecumenical Ministry food shelf for three de cades.

As she reached mid-life, and

once again found herself in need of dialysis treatment as well as a progressively growing list of relat ed health issues, she drew joy and strength from her role as a fun, adventurous, sweet, and caring grandmother to her three grandchil dren. She was fortunate to receive a second kidney transplant in 2015, allowing her several more years cre ating special moments and sharing memories with her growing fami ly. If Elaine had to be described in three words, they would be: Tiny… Fierce…Resilient.

Despite her ongoing health struggles, she faced them all with astonishing strength and courage, living each day to its fullest. She loved travel, music, craft shows,

playing with her grandkids, long rides, long chats, and HGTV. Coffee and chocolate were her favorite in dulgences. She was a compassionate and loyal friend, loving and devoted to her family, and will leave an un fathomable void in their hearts and lives.

She leaves behind her husband of nearly 52 years, Michael; her daughter, Asmaa Michele (Ahmed) Daoudi; her grandchildren Rashid, Radia (Mohamed), and Oumniya; her maternal aunt, Janet Larkin, and a great many cousins, family inlaw, and life-long friends. She was predeceased by her mother, Joyce Lamberti in 2002; her father, Albert Whitcomb in 2020, and an infant sister, Shelly Whitcomb, in 1956.

The funeral service to honor and celebrate her life will be held on Sat urday, Oct. 15, 2022, at 2 p.m. in the Hooker Whitcomb Funeral Home, 7 Academy Street in Barre. Family and friends may call at 1 p.m. prior to the service. Following the service, fellowship will take place at Delicate Decadence, 14 North Main Street, Barre. For a memorial guestbook, please visit www.hookerwhitcomb. com. In lieu of flowers, her family requests donations to be made to Essex-Jericho-Underhill Food Shelf, PO Box 65, Jericho, VT 05465 to provide for Thanksgiving meals.

Marsha (Williams) Duell

Marsha (Williams) Duell, 76, passed away peacefully on Thurs day, Oct. 6, 2022, after a short and unexpected illness. Her son, daughter and stepsister were by her side at McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester.

Marsha was born on May 9, 1946, in Rutland to John and Ruth (Bulris) Williams and grew up in Sudbury, VT. She graduated from Otter Valley Union High School and Albany Business College and lived most of her life in Essex and Williston.

On Sept. 23, 1994, Marsha married Rufus Duell, Jr., who pre deceased her on Feb. 25, 2012.

Having met at IBM, they re tired together and subsequently enjoyed camping throughout New England and traveling to Alaska. Marsha also enjoyed tour groups to Scotland, England, Iceland and more. She was most passionate about her ancestry and traced her lineage as a direct descendant of The Mayflower. She was recently inducted as a member of the DAR.

Additionally, she was an expert quilter and a long-standing mem ber of the First Congregational Church of Essex, member of their choir for over 30 years and a vol unteer at their Heavenly Cents Thrift Shop.

Besides her parents and hus band, Rufus, Marsha was prede ceased by her stepmother, Frances Williams and stepbrother Charles Needham. She was also prede ceased by her loving pets Shaggy and Sophie. She is survived by her brother Phil (wife Penny) of Alaska, brother Gary of Florida and stepsis ter, Judi of Colchester. She is also survived by her four children Peter,

John, Todd and Tami, twelve grand children, one great grandchild and several nieces and nephews.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to all of the staff at the McClure Miller respite house for their com passionate care.

Per Marsha’s wishes, there will be no calling hours or funeral. A memorial graveside service was held Oct. 13, 2022 at Resurrection Park Cemetery, South Burlington.

In lieu of flowers, the family would request that any donations in Marsha’s name be mailed to Vermont Society of Mayflower Decedents (VTSMD) attention Seth Hopkins, 850 Park Street, Brandon, VT 05733 and payable to “Vermont Mayflower Society”; or the McClure Miller Respite House: Mailed to UVM Health Network - Home Health & Hos pice, 1110 Prim Road, Colchester, VT 05446.

Arrangements are in care of Corbin & Palmer Funeral Home, 9 Pleasant Street, Essex Junction, VT.

Douglass Gordon Prescott Jr.

With heavy hearts, we share the passing of our beloved “Dou gie”— father, grandfather, hus band, uncle, friend, spiritual ad visor.

Douglass Gordon Prescott Jr. died peacefully on Sept. 29, 2022 at the University of Vermont Med ical Center. He was surrounded by the love and comfort of his loved ones, as well as compassionate UVMMC staff members, to whom he grew close during his extended journey leaving the physical plane.

Douglass was born on Staten Island, NY on June 26, 1942 to Douglass Prescott Sr. and Evelyn (Hill) Prescott. On the day Doug lass was born, his father, a Captain in the United States Army during WWII, was assigned Officer of the Day, overseeing the New York Harbor. Evelyn bravely labored alone with the birth of Douglass Jr. as his father defended our country.

With roots in the Granite State, the young family returned to New Hampshire after the war to be near family due to the devastating loss of Uncle Alan Prescott in the Eu ropean theatre. The family took up residence in Sanbornton Square, NH, where they lived in the his toric Lane Tavern. It is here where Douglass met David Wiggins, with whom he shared a lifelong friendship rooted in fine arts and spirituality.

The Prescott family eventual ly built a home on Perkins Road where Doug’s passion for the arts both written and visual as well as his love of New England devel oped. It was during this time in a humble cabin that he produced his first works of art - his true passion.

After graduating from Laconia High School, Doug pursued his further education at the Boston School of Practical Art, Boston Architectural Center, eventual ly graduating from The Museum School of Fine Arts in the late 1980s. During his time in Boston and traveling back and forth to New Hampshire he met his first wife Pamela Matty from North field, NH whom he married in 1964 and with her had two sons, Christian and Tobey Prescott. He maintained a familial relationship with the Matty Family through his final days.

Having experienced profound life changes, Doug moved to Ver mont to pursue a new career in the 1970’s, after having been called to help others in their recovery from

addiction disorders. He greatly enjoyed his work, sharing his ex perience, strength and hope with those who suffered, and was an inspiration for many. It was during this time that he met and married his second wife, Carolyn Auer in Wallingford, VT. They raised their two daughters, Abigail and Nettie, in Belmont, VT.

Doug would eventually return to Sanbornton, New Hampshire, where he lived for the remainder of his life. He and Carolyn, to whom he referred as the “love of my life,” continued to share a close, mean ingful relationship until his death.

He is survived by his four children; Christian (Margaret) Prescott and their son Liam of Hampstead, NH, Tobey and his children Tobey Jr. of Laconia, NH, and Madeline of Albuquerque, NM, Abigail (Christopher) Heck, and their son Oliver of Williston, VT, and Jeanette “Nettie” Prescott and her companion Charles Quine of Marin County, CA. Additional ly surviving are his former wives Pamela Prescott of Laconia, NH, and Carolyn Prescott of Belmont, VT, brother Jeff (Mabel) Prescott and their three daughters Rachel, Alana and Camellia of Destin, FL, very special grand nieces and grand nephews in Florida, and lifelong close friend David (Anne) Wiggins of Concord, NH.

A Celebration of Life for Doug will be held on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022 at the Sanbornton Congrega tional Church in Sanbornton, NH at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers contributions can be made to your local Turning Point Centers of Vermont or Sant Bani Ashram in Sanbornton, NH. The William F. Smart Sr. Memo rial Home in Tilton, NH is assist ing the family with arrangements. For more information go to www. smartmemorialhome.com.

Henrietta Williams

Henrietta Williams, 95 of South Street in Essex Junction died on Sept. 28, 2022, UVM Medical Center in Burlington, Vermont.

She was born on Dec. 4, 1926, in Winooski, Vermont the daughter of Leon and Marie Le Beau St. Peter. She was married to Norman Williams on June 19, 1948, in Winooski.

She is survived by her chil dren: Kathy (Bernard) Demosi of Murfreesboro, TN, James (Emily) Wil liams of Aynor, SC, Daniel (Kim) Williams of Fletcher, VT, Alan Williams of Essex Junction, VT and Patrick (Penny) Williams of Venice, FL, and many grandchildren and

great-grandchildren.

She is also survived by her brother Paul (Eve lyn) St. Peter of Willis ton, VT. She was prede ceased by her husband, Norman in 1994 and her parents, her brothers, Louis, Robert and Leon ard St. Peter, and by her sisters, Irene Cummings and Theresa Partelo.

The funeral was held Oct. 8, 2022 at Ready Funeral Home Moun tain View Chapel, Essex Junction. Burial will be at Resurrection Park Cemetery in South Burlington. Online condolences may be left at: www.readyfuneral.com.

Why not have a job you love?

Positions include a sign on bonus, strong benefits package and the opportunity to work at one of the “Best Places to Work in Vermont”.

Service Coordinator: Continue your career in human services in a supportive environment by providing case management for individuals either for our Adult Family Care program or our Developmental Services program. The ideal candidate will have strong clinical, organizational & leadership skills and enjoy working in a team-oriented position. $47,000 annual salary, $1,500 sign on bonus.

Residential Program Manager: Coordinate staffed residential and community supports for an individual in their home. The ideal candidate will enjoy working in a team-oriented position, have strong clinical skills, and demonstrated leadership. $45,900 annual salary, $1,500 sign on bonus.

Direct Support Professional: Provide 1:1 supports to help individuals reach their goals in a variety of settings. This is a great position to start or continue your career in human services. Full and part time positions available starting at $19/hr, $1,000 sign on bonus.

Residential Direct Support Professional: Provide supports to an individual in their home and in the community in 24h shifts including asleep overnights in a private, furnished bedroom. You can work two days, receive full benefits and have five days off each week! Other flexible schedules available, starting wage is $20/hr, $1,000 sign on bonus.

Shared Living Provider: Move into someone’s home or have someone live with you to provide residential supports. There are a variety of opportunities available that could be the perfect match for you and your household. Salary varies dependent on individual care requirements. $1,000 sign on bonus.

our dedicated team and together we’ll build a community where everyone participates and belongs https://ccs-vt.org/current-openings/

LEGAL

TOWN OF WILLISTON Notice of Adoption Williston Unified Development Bylaw Amendments

On October 4, 2022 the Williston Selectboard adopted amendments to the Town’s Unified Development Bylaw. Adoption followed a second public hearing that was held to receive comment on the amendments that took place on October 4, 2022.

The approved amendments to the Williston Unified Development Bylaw will replace most of the zoning requirements in the Taft Corners Growth Center with a form-based code overlay district, will establish an official map for all of Williston, and generally include:

• A regulating plan that specifies the location and type of new streets, alleys, bike paths, public parks, and green spaces to be constructed and dedicated as a requirement of new development in Taft Corners and identifies parking setbacks and building build-to lines.

EMAILED ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISING INSERTION ORDER

Thomas Hirchak Company

• Architectural requirements for all new buildings in the form-based code overlay district.

FROM: Dakota Ward

Phone: 802-888-4662 Email: Advertising2@THCAuction.com

• Building form standards regulating building height, maximum width and footprint, and placement in the formbased code overlay district.

• An amended zoning map showing the boundaries of the form-based code overlay district.

To: Rick & Susan Cote Paper: Williston Observer Max Length 12.5

• A Town-wide official map showing planned public streets, paths, trails, green spaces and facilities within and outside of the form-based code overlay district.

• General amendments to Williston Unified Development Bylaw Chapters 1-46 to incorporate the form-based code into the existing bylaws.

TODAY’S DATE: 10/7/2022

NAME OF FILE: 10132022_WO DATE(S) TO RUN: 10/13/2022

The amendments to this bylaw will take effect on October 25, 2022 unless a petition signed by at least five percent of the voters of Williston is filed with the Town Clerk by October 24, 2022 asking for a vote to disapprove the adoption. If a petition is received, the Selectboard will warn a special meeting and the voters may vote on that question pursuant to 24 V.S.A. § 4442.

SIZE OF AD: 1/8 page (4” x 5”)

EMAILED TO: Rick@Willistonobserver.com

Publishes in Williston Observer

Auctions

The above is a summary. Copies of the entire text of the proposed Williston Unified Development Bylaw amendments are available for review during regular business hours at the Town Hall and can also be found on the Town’s website at http://town.williston.vt.us by navigating to public records and then documents / legal notices. Members of the public can contact the Williston Planning Department at (802) 878-6704, or at planning@willistonvt.org with any questions and also visit the project website https://mytaftcorners.com/ for additional information.

EMPLOYMENT

WIND ENGINEER —SOH Wind Engineering LLC seeks Wind Engineer in Williston, VT to plan and coordinate all aspects of assigned projects, review structural drawings and calculations, design wind tunnel experiments and analyze results, create project reports, and interface with customers. If interested send resume to: careers@sohwind.com,

Ref# WE072022

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far this year, 23 animals in Vermont have tested positive for rabies, and 14 of those have been raccoons.

According to wildlife officials, rabid animals often show a change in their nor mal behavior, but you cannot tell whether an animal has rabies simply by looking at it. People should not touch or pick up wild animals or strays – even baby animals.

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Williston