healthy lake.

Wake boats are large vessels powered by 500 horsepower (or so) engines. They take on water ballast to submerge the stern.

GUEST COLUMN and ponds. The shallows are the nursery for juvenile fish. They are the home of mayflies, dragonflies and other bugs critical to the food chain. Wake boats, left unregulat-

These features allow the craft to produce wakes 4 feet or greater for the benefit of rope-less wake surfing. Good fun for the few who can afford the $100,000-plus price tag of the specialized boat. But bad for just about every other user of Vermont’s public waterways, especially those out to enjoy a day’s fishing.

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SUMMER THEATER rus, enhance algae blooms. These problems have already degraded many Vermont waterways. Large wakes also cause shoreline erosion, contrary to the goal of the 2014 Shoreline Protection Act passed by our Legislature to protect shores and water quality.

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Anglers are especially encouraged to scrutinize this new product from the power sports industry, which, in my opinion, is the single driver of getting these rigs on our waters. These boats are detrimental to angling interests on two fronts: environmental and enjoyment of our time spent fishing.

Wake boat’s propulsion creates a strong, downward thrust. In shallower waters, this disturbs lake-bottom sediments. These shallower regions are the nursery of all that lives in our lakes

Who wants to go fishing when you are rocked by waves larger than any ever experienced in a pond or lake’s history? ed, will upset this fragile and critical habitat.

GREATER 281 Terrace Drive, Williston, Sold for $930,000

The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation is spending millions of dollars today attempting to reduce water-borne phosphorus levels, which are rising in many of Vermont’s more pristine lakes. It employs an army of scientists — at taxpayer expense — to curtail pollution in public waterways. Does it make sense to permit wake boats contrary to public interest?

Lake bottoms are also host to nutrient-rich materials deposited over hundreds, even thousands, of years. When disturbed, these nutrients, which include phospho -

From an angler’s viewpoint, wake boats are a two-edged threat. One is the harm to fishery and aquatic habitat. The second is see SHEA page 8

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Gov. Phil Scott’s common sense vetoes attempting to control state spending and keep Vermont affordable have been overridden by all six of Williston’s elected state lawmakers. His drive for financial responsibility with Vermonters’ tax dollars has been rejected by our legislators.

We now have the largest state budget in Vermont’s history at $8.5 billion. That’s over $13,000 in spending for every resident of Vermont. For comparison, New Hampshire’s budget is less than $6,000 per resident.

Gov. Scott’s veto on the new payroll tax funding increasing childcare benefits for households making up to $172,000 a year was overridden and is now law. This payroll tax is to be paid by all employers and employees, and ultimately, the business portion of the tax ends up with the consumer.

Our governor knows Vermonters are financially overburdened enough and cannot afford more taxes, fees and state spending on top of continued high consumer inflation. Our “representatives” — Sens. Thomas Chittenden, Ginny Lyons, Kesha Ram Hinsdale and Reps. Angela Arsenault, Erin Brady and Noah Hyman — thought otherwise.

Bruce Roy Williston

First off, a thank you to the State of Vermont for re-striping bike path lines on Route 2 and Route 117 this spring. These were very significant improvements. On a second note, I have concerns about the Town of Williston’s bike path striping.

Last October, I sent my concerns to the Williston Public Works Department, and Public Works Director Bruce Hoar responded, saying the town strives to refresh lines every other year but has had trouble finding qualified contractors.

While Mr. Hoar did a good job explaining the issues with getting the job done, he did not give any projections on when we might see improvements.

In much of Williston, it has been years since bike path striping has been done. It’s not accurate to say it is getting done bi-annually.

On the roads I ride on a regular basis — North Williston, Marshall, Kimball, Shunpike and Brownell (just to name a few) — bike path striping is