FREE FIRST FRIDAY EVE

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The deadline is Monday at noon for letters to be printed in Thursday’s paper.

5–7:30 p.m. | Bands start at 6 p.m.

Celebrate summer at Shelburne Museum and join us for Free First Friday Eve events this season. Enjoy an evening of live music, lawn games, food trucks, and special exhibitions–the entire Museum campus will be open and FREE to all!

Free First Friday Eves is generously sponsored by

JOB POSTING

The Recreation Department is in need of day camp counselors.

Apply soon to not miss out on this great opportunity. Job postings and application materials can be found at www.willistonrec.org.

GET FIT W/JAZZY

Age 18-plus. Wednesdays, 6-6:45 p.m., $10 per class. Instructor: Jazmin Averbuck

RETRO DANCE CARDIO & CORE

Age 50-plus. Mondays, 4:305:30 p.m., $5 per class. Instructor: Jazmin Averbuck

JAZZERCISE CARDIO SCULPT

Age 50-plus. Mondays and/or

Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Instructor: Kit Sayers

SENIOR FITNESS

Age 50-plus. Tuesdays, 10:3011:30 a.m. Instructor: Toni Kunker

TAI CHI- BEGINNER SUN STYLE

Age 50-plus. Thursdays, 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Instructor: Chris Curtis

HEALTHY LIVING FOR YOUR BRAIN & BODY

Age 50-plus. Last Monday of each month, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Instructor: The Alzheimer’s Association-VT Chapter

VOCAL PERCUSSION AND IMPROVISATION WORKSHOP

Age 13-plus. Saturday, Aug. 12, 1-3 p.m. Instructors: Root 7

You can still register for day camps

R.E.C. Camp, for kids entering grades 1-6. Mondays-Fridays, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. or half days 7:30 a.m.-12 p.m. or 12-5:30 p.m.

L.I.T. Camp, for kids entering grades 7-8. Mondays-Fridays, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

continued from page 5

In December, attorneys for the school district and district officials made clear in court filings and interviews that they wanted Monsanto to pay the cost of demolishing the former high school and to assist in building a new one at the site.

The school district alleged that the levels of PCBs in the school made the Institute Road campus unusable. In 2020, the building was closed. When in-person learning resumed in 2021, students were moved to a temporary location at the former Macy’s department store in downtown Burlington.

In November, Burlington vot-

O.U.R. Camps, for kids entering grades 6-8. Mondays-Fridays, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

There are still spots available in the following Enrichment Camps this summer:

• Strike Zone Baseball Camp

• Art with Letters Camp

• Abstract Art Camp

• Creative Engineering Camp

• Voltage Soccer Camp

• Drawing in Nature Camp

• Lego BricQ Camp

• Wicked Cool STEAM Camp

• Chess Wizards Camp

• Safe Sitters Camp

• Horse Camp ers approved borrowing up to $165 million to help pay for the nearly $200 million construction project. The demolition — and environmental remediation — of the old high school began in February and is still underway. District officials hope a successful lawsuit against Monsanto could help to pay down the construction debt.

• Ninja Science Camp.

Burlington is not alone in seeking damages related to PCB contamination. A Burlington attorney said last week that he has been retained by multiple Vermont school districts who are seeking legal action against Monsanto.

Earlier last week, Attorney General Charity Clark filed suit against Monsanto for damaging the state’s natural resources and schools.

continued from page 6 a collision of recreation interests: wake boats and their 4-foot waves vs. the angler who customarily is a tranquil presence enjoying his or her sport. Large wakes pose a safety threat to small craft (kayaks, canoes, small trolling skiffs).

Who wants to go fishing when you are rocked by waves larger than any ever experienced in a pond or lake’s history? Predictably, when wake boats commence operation, most other waterbody users — anglers included — will retreat.

Must the Vermont public embrace every new product produced by the power sports industry? It’s doubtful that there are a half-dozen people in the state that are even interested in getting one of these rigs, and it’s likely all of them can afford a real surfing safari, rather than muck up our waters. How can all of the environmental pitfalls that these serve up possibly be trumped by what is not even a mild public clamor for them? Besides “the industry,” who wants them?

The Department of Environmental Conservation has been petitioned by a citizens’ group http://responsiblewakes. org/ to restrict wake boat operation 1,000 feet from shore in waters 20 feet or deeper. Some 16 Vermont lakes would qualify. The department has proposed a more moderate rule — 500 feet from shore, 20 feet deep or more. This version includes 40-plus lakes and ponds in Vermont. Of course, neither version recognizes the reality that whatever limit is set, it is likely to be violated repeatedly and routinely.

Many critics, and that includes me, would welcome an outright ban on wake boats. I cannot grasp how we’ve come to have to decide between “bad” and “really bad.”

That said, anglers are encouraged to get educated about this new class of vessels and to participate in the state rule making, which is now underway. Visit https://dec.vermont. gov/watershed/lakes-ponds/ rulemaking to get involved.

Peter Shea is a Vermont angler, geographer and outdoor author. He lives in Burlington.