Williston Observer 05/09/2024

Elevated PCB levels found at WCS

District works on mitigation plan

BY JASON STARR Observer staff

The Vermont Department of Health found elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in two Williston Central School classrooms during mandatory air quality testing in early March.

The presence of the chemicals, which emanate from mid-20th-Century-era building materials and are known to cause health problems, will require remediation, according to Champlain Valley School District Facilities Director Chris Giard. Under state

guidance, the school can keep the rooms open to students and teachers as long as mitigation efforts begin this month.

One of the rooms is the home of the Family and Consumer Science program.

The other is a classroom in the Harbor House zone. A handful of other storage spaces and closets also tested high, according to the health department’s test results, delivered to the school district in April. All other tested spots had below actionable levels of PCBs. About a third of the school’s spaces were tested.

School administrators are currently formulating a remediation plan for the spaces

see PCBs page 5

Bunting appointed interim schools superintendent

OBSERVER STAFF REPORT

Adam Bunting will take over as interim superintendent of the Champlain Valley School District in July.

The Champlain Valley School Board announced the appointment last Wednesday, roughly a month after the resignation of Superintendent Rene Sanchez, who held the position for three years. Bunting has been the principal of Champlain Valley Union High School since 2015.

“While we have challenges ahead, I can’t imagine a community more poised to engage in thoughtful, collaborative dis-

course and action,” Bunting said. “I care deeply about our students, community and team of educators and am honored to serve CVSD in a new capacity.”

District administrators plan to appoint an interim principal for CVU before the end of the current school year and initiate a search for a permanent district superintendent in the fall.

A CVU graduate and Vermont Principal of the Year in 2018, Bunting has a master’s degree in school leadership from Harvard University.

“Adam has consistently demonstrated his passion for student-centered education and CVSD,” school board chair Meghan Metzler said. “His collaborative approach and deep understanding of CVSD will be critical as we continue executing our strategic plan and addressing the statewide education funding challenges that are impacting our schools.”

Danelle Cadieux (foreground) and friend pick up trash along Industrial Avenue during Green Up Day on Saturday. More photos on page 11.

Adam Bunting

Littles against litter

Students at Sensations in Learning preschool on Talcott Road held a spontaneous “Earth Rally” on Earth Day, April 22, after noticing trash strewn outside during a walk. The students made signs and gathered at Finney Crossing to rally against littering. “Honk if you hate litter,” was a popular chant during the event.

Around Town

Rotary Club announces May speakers

Community members are invited to join the Williston-Richmond Rotary Club for a series of guest speakers at breakfast meetings each Thursday in May.

• May 9 — Gretchen Owens, executive director of EDD Adaptive Sports in Vermont

• May 16 — Ben Kinnaman, founder and CEO of Greensea IQ, a Richmond-based oceanic robotics company

• May 23 — Ali Dieng, regional manager for Building Bright Futures, a nonprofit that works to build the wellbeing of young children and families in Vermont

• May 30 — Chris Donnelly, director of community relations for Champlain Housing Trust

Meetings are held in the Fellowship Hall at Williston Federated Church starting at 7 a.m. Breakfast is served at 7:15 a.m. and the meeting is called to order at 7:30 a.m.

To join in person or via Zoom, RSVP by email to RotaryClubofWillistonVT@gmail.com.

Help design library expansion

Spaghetti dinner to benefit Williston Food Shelf

5.35

Anna Glosser Financial Advisor

401 Watertower Cir Ste 204 Colchester, VT 05446 802-655-5512

Aaron Glosser, CFP® Financial Advisor

401 Watertower Cir Ste 204 Colchester, VT 05446 802-655-5512

A spaghetti dinner sponsored by Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church will be held Saturday, May 11 from 5:30-7 p.m. in the Parish Hall located at 7415 Williston Rd.

The menu will include spaghetti, homemade meatballs, sausage, fresh salad, vegetables, bread, dessert and beverages. Donations will be accepted with all proceeds going to benefit the Williston Community Food Shelf. Reservations are not required and take-out will be available.

Contact Bill Rensch at (802) 497-4088 with any questions.

The Dorothy Alling Memorial Library Trustees are seeking two community members to serve on a Schematic Design Advisory Committee to participate in the design and budgeting of a planned library renovation and expansion. The project was recommended by a feasibility study presented to the selectboard and library trustees last fall. The committee’s work will begin at the end of May and continue into the fall with biweekly meetings. Send a letter of interest to Library Director Jane Kearns at director@damlvt.org.

PROPERTY TRANSFERSAPRIL 2024

• Anaka Aiyar bought a home on Jakes Way from the Penny R. Camm Revocable Trust for $510,000.

• Gweneth Farrell bought a home on 38 acres on Williston Road from the William S. Burnett Revocable Trust for $900,000.

• Arielle Reid bought a home on 3 acres on Beartown Lane from Autumn Barnett for $646,500.

• Carol Howe bought a home on Hillside Drive from David Glickman for $575,000.

• Cole Mugford bought a home on Sunrise Drive from Nathan Johnson for $524,900.

• Richard Kraybill bought a condominium on Ian Place from the Todd Family Trust for $720,000.

• Elevation Construction LLC bought a home on 10 acres on Mountain View Road from the Scott J. Michaud Revocable Trust for $1.28 million.

• Spencer Forrest bought a home on 21 acres on Lacasse Lane from Dennis Gilroy for $1.65 million.

• Pradip Majumdar bought a home on Zephyr Road from David Merves for $645,000.

A student at Sensations in Learning preschool makes a sign for a spontaneous Earth Day rally in April at Finney Crossing. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Town

continued from page 3

WCS educator recognized for adaptive work

Lindy Gramling, a physical therapist at Williston Central School, was recently named the 2023 Adapted Physical Educator of the Year by the Society of Health and Physical Educators.

“Being part of such a collaborative and inspired team is as joyful as seeing the children I work with feel a sense of pride successfully participating with their peers,” she said about her colleagues and students at WCS.

Town Band announces concert schedule

The Williston Town Band kicked off its 2024 concert season Saturday with a performance at the Town Green gazebo as part of the Williston Town Fair event. The band will play the following Wednesday evenings at the gazebo with concerts starting at 6:30 p.m.: July 3, July 17, July 31, Aug. 14 and Aug. 21.

OBSERVER

Saturday. May 11, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Free

PHOTO BY JASON STARR

Pictured with Gramling, third from left, are WCS physical educators Cathy Kohlasch, left, Dustin King, second from left, and Kate Grozier, right.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Kory George pleads guilty

BY ALAN J. KEAYS VTDigger

A former Bristol man has been sentenced to at least 18 years in prison for conspiring with his mother to kill her husband, a Williston resident who was also his stepfather.

In a deal with prosecutors last year, Kory George, 36, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the 2019 death of David Auclair, 45.

Both the judge and the victim’s sister chastised George during the sentencing last Monday in Chittenden County Superior criminal court in Burling-

gets 18 years for killing Williston man

ton, with Judge Kevin Griffin calling the circumstances of the crime “horrific.”

“From everything that’s been presented to the court, the victim in this case cared deeply about you and played a significant role in your life,” Griffin told George. “To engage in a conspiracy that ended up luring him to that site in Hinesburg for what was an execution killing is about as bad as it gets.”

David Auclair’s sister, Melisa Semprebon, told George that he had “lured (his stepfather) out and turned on him.”

“You chose a brutal act of hate,” she said, “to murder the best man in your life.”

Griffin said he was willing to accept the plea agreement

reached by the prosecution and the defense. The judge then sentenced George under the terms of that deal to 35 years to life in prison, all suspended except 18 years to serve in prison.

Prosecutors have alleged Angela Auclair, George’s mother who was married to David Auclair, pulled the trigger in the fatal shooting. The 51-year-old pleaded guilty earlier this year to the same charge as George as part of a plea agreement and had been awaiting sentencing.

She had at one point been scheduled to be sentenced on

Monday as well. But, according to court records, that hearing was scrapped after she had requested a new attorney.

Chittenden County Deputy State’s Attorney Susan Hardin, the prosecutor, said in court that the plea agreement with George took into consideration several factors, including the brutal nature of the crime and his willingness to cooperate with the prosecution of his mother.

Dan Sedon, George’s attorney, told the judge that because of his client’s role as a witness, George did not want to provide a public statement at the sentencing hearing Monday.

“He feels that the less he says right now the better,” Sedon said of his client, adding, “He did, however, want the court to know, and everyone else to know, that he considers daily the impact of his actions on everyone affected.”

According to documents filed in the case, George and his mother had discussed killing David Auclair weeks earlier and then lured him to the trailhead where the shooting took place July 11, 2019.

David Auclair was shot 11 times, the court filing stated.

George initially denied any involvement in his stepfather’s death and told police he was at a friend’s house in Burlington that night, according to a police affidavit.

That affidavit indicated that “preliminary digital evidence” from George’s cellphone undercut his story, showing him in the region around Hinesburg, Monkton and Williston, before and after the time of the killing.

Semprebon, the victim’s sister, told the court she hoped the proceeding would bring “some justice and closure” to the long-running case.

She described her brother as “a little bit country and a little bit rock ’n’ roll,” as well as a patriotic person who supported the military and first responders.

Semprebon also talked of the role her brother played in George’s life.

“He was not biologically your father, but he did raise you,” she said to George, “and was the only person that actually parented you and held you accountable for your actions.”

Kory George VERMONT STATE POLICE PHOTO

PCBs

with elevated PCB levels.

“We will now look at these spaces in more detail,” Giard said. “We’ll need to figure out what is off-gassing the PCBs.”

Construction materials like caulking, paint, glue, plastic and lighting fixtures that were used in the mid-1900s are known to release the chemicals. The federal Environmental Protection Agency banned the manufacture of PCBs in 1979. Last year, the State of Vermont sued the company Monsanto, alleging that it knowingly marketed and sold toxic PCB-laden materials. The lawsuit seeks to recover the costs of PCB remediation in Vermont schools.

“This lawsuit seeks to hold Monsanto accountable for knowingly misleading the public about the harmful impacts of its products,” Attorney General Charity Clark said in an announcement of the lawsuit last June. “The cost of cleaning up after Monsanto’s deception will be considerable and

should be borne by the multibillion-dollar company that profited from the misconduct, not by Vermont taxpayers.”

With Act 74 passed in 2021, the State of Vermont required all schools built before 1980 to test for PCBs and remediate any spaces with elevated levels. Built in 1996, Allen Brook School is not required to test. Testing of CVU is planned for this summer. The law was passed after Burlington High School was shuttered and later demolished after the discovery of elevated PCB levels.

As part of immediate remediation, Williston school administrators already have installed air filters in the two affected WCS classrooms.

“They run pretty much 24-7 and they have shown to reduce the amount of airborne PCBs,” Giard said, confirming that the classrooms will remain open to students and teachers. “At this moment, we are using these spaces.”

Remediation of the building materials is planned for the summer, after the rooms are retested to verify the original results.

“I’m hoping it’s minimal material and that it’s not going to be overly invasive to remove it,” said Giard.

Under Act 74, the state is covering the cost of testing, but the cost of remediation work will potentially fall on local school districts.

“We’ll need to figure out what is offgassing the PCBs.”

Chris Giard CVSD facilities director

Just as the testing at Williston Central School was commencing in March, legislators in the House of Representatives’ Education Committee were debating pausing the testing program due to the potential cost to taxpayers. According to a VTDigger report in February, the administration of Gov. Phil Scott supports pausing the program.

“I think it shows a clear recognition by the administration that,

especially right now, the potential for PCB testing and remediation to become an unfunded mandate is just not a good idea,” House Education Committee chair Rep. Peter Conlon told VTDigger. “At last, there was recognition that this program is a huge burden, very expensive, and that really it was all going to land on the property taxpayer.”

Williston Rep. Erin Brady, vice chair the House Education Committee, said committee members have been trying to halt the program almost since its inception.

“The program was unfortunately created in the very last gasps of the 2021 session, and we did not have a chance to take proper testimony and understand the implications of what was asserted,” Brady said. “It has continued to be extremely cumbersome to implement.”

Williston’s test results and mitigation obligations are mild compared to other schools in the state, Brady said, where portions of school buildings have been closed and other spaces have been open only to students of certain ages for certain numbers of hours.

With legislators set to adjourn for the year this Friday, Brady expects a legislative fix to pass and become law. That fix, which has already passed the House of Representatives, would pause the testing program when the original $30 million in Act 74 dwindles down to under $4 million.

CVSD is planning a community meeting on the WCS testing and remediation plan at 6:30 p.m. May 22. Location and remote attendance details will be posted on the Williston schools website (www.cvsdvt.org/Williston).

RACK LOCATIONS

Williston

Adams Farm Market

Belle’s Café

Chef’s Corner

Dorothy Alling Memorial Library

Fairfield Inn

Gardener’s Supply

Green Mountain Bagel

Hannaford

Healthy Living Williston

Home2Suites

Island Homemade Ice Cream

Korner Kwik Stop

Marriott Courtyard

Men At Wok

M&T 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

Vermont Meat & Seafood

Williston Coffee Shop

Essex Junction

Essex Automotive

Five Corner Variety

Hannaford Inn at Essex

Mac’s Market

Martone’s Deli

Price Chopper

Quality Bake Shop

River Road Beverage Richmond Cumberland Farms

Richmond Free Library

Richmond Market

Richmond Mobil Mart

BY JACK HOFFMAN

The notorious CLA — new but not improved

The 1973 oil embargo prompted many energy-saving ideas — real and imaginary. Daylight savings was extended year-round, which was spoofed in a cartoon of President Richard Nixon demonstrating an energy-saving blanket. He was shown cutting a strip from one end of the blanket and sewing it back on to the other end.

The current plan to reform the notorious CLA — common level of appraisal—looks a lot like Nixon’s blanket. It doesn’t actually change how things work, it just makes them look a little better to the public. The latest version of the yield bill now in the Senate changes the way the CLA is calculated but doesn’t actually change the way the CLA works or affects tax bills.

The CLA is misunderstood to begin with. It affects school tax rates at the town level, but not

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SUBMISSIONS & LETTERS

Deadline is Monday noon for Thursday issue. News/ story tips are welcomed. Letters to the Editor must be 300 words or fewer and should include your name, address and a daytime phone number so that we can verify the letter’s author.

The Williston Observer reserves the right to edit or refuse submissions or advertising. Opinions expressed in the paper are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the paper.

Michael McCaffrey office@willistonobserver.com A publication of Twin Ponds Publishing LLC

MEMBER:

school tax bills. The CLA is part of the process to ensure fairness in the property tax system. For taxes to be fair, property needs to be evaluated against a uniform standard — a “common level of appraisal.” Townwide reappraisals of individual property are expensive, so they are done periodically. But each year the state determines the aggregate fair market value of each town. Based on those values, the Legislature determines the tax rates — known as “equalized tax rates” — that will generate the revenue needed to help fund public education.

But because towns reappraise property at different times, the official assessed or “listed” values on the Grand List are typically less than fair market values. The CLA is the mechanism to adjust for the gap between the two values: It is the ratio of the listed value to the fair market value. In a town with a 90 percent CLA, the total listed value of property is 90 percent of the state-calculated

The CLA requires a little math, and it can be confusing, but it’s become a bugaboo because it’s so often used as a scapegoat.

fair market value. If property values go up between reappraisals, the CLA goes down. The lower the CLA, the bigger the gap between the assessed value and fair market value.

So when the state sets tax rates for the year, they’re setting a lower rate because they’re assuming a higher property value than the town listed amount. That means the town tax rate is higher than the rate set by the state, but it’s applied to a lower value, resulting in the same bill.

The CLA requires a little math, and it can be confus -

ing, but it’s become a bugaboo because it’s so often used as a scapegoat. Many factors affect town tax rates: changes in per-pupil spending, changes in other revenue sources, changes in property values. But it’s so much easier to blame the CLA.

Even though the CLA is not well understood, the Legislature seems to have concluded that voters don’t like it when they think their CLA is too low, when there is too big of a gap between the listed value and fair market value. So they have devised a formula that will increase all of the CLAs and change equalized tax rates, but leave town tax rates unchanged.

In the end, tax bills won’t change with the redefinition of the CLA. The only difference will be that the CLA will appear to be higher — just as Nixon’s blanket appeared to be bigger.

Jack Hoffman is senior analyst at Public Assets Institute, online at www.publicassets.org.

letters were submitted by a group of fourth graders at Williston Central School. More student writing, photography and artwork will be coming in the Observer’s annual “Kids Take Over” edition to be published June 6.

HAVE YOU SEEN THE NEW PATH NEAR THE WILLISTON PARK AND RIDE? This is close to where I live. I now have paths and sidewalks that connect to my school. Sidewalks make me feel safe, help me exercise, and they help reduce impact to the environment.

Sidewalks allow people to travel on safe routes outside. They reduce accidents near roads.

A path that is similar to a sidewalk and is smooth is called a multi-use path. This type of path makes it easier for people on bikes, in wheelchairs, or in strollers to use. I feel safer riding or walking on a path instead of the road.

Another reason sidewalks are helpful is because gas cars pollute the air. Sidewalks reduce negative impacts to the earth. Side-

walks and paths allow people to walk or bike to their destination instead of driving a car. Fewer people driving means less emissions into the air. This is a fun and easy way to limit pollution. With more sidewalks, more people would probably walk more, and that’s a lot better for the environment.

Sidewalks provide a place to exercise and have fun. I use paths near my school to run laps for the Girls On The Run program. I’m able to do fun activities that improve my health. I see my teachers and adults meeting on the sidewalks to exercise and have fun too!

If we add more sidewalks and paths, then more people can walk, roll or bike to where they want to go. This will increase exercise, help the environment and be a fun gathering place for the community. I encourage you to try a new sidewalk or path soon.

Anna E. Dagesse

WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR DOG TO BE HAPPY? Well, dog parks do that, for many reasons. When kids play with dogs, they get happy.

Dog parks are really important because see OPINIONS page 8

Comprehensive Dentistry

Opinions

when dogs get outside, they get Vitamin D from sunlight. When dogs interact, they learn body language with other dogs.

One reason Williston needs dog parks is because dogs would be able to run around with other dogs and get their energy out, then sleep in the evening. When dogs get outside, they are more healthy. When dogs get healthy they are more kind and they focus way better.

Dog parks are as important as healthy food for kids. You can make dogs happy by bringing your dog to the park.

Williston needs dog parks for plenty of reasons. So call Williston town administrators and ask for dog parks.

Charlotte K. Howe

another Green Up Day. Because trash can pollute, which can cause global warming, which could cause animals to die, which could cause people to have a lack of food, which could cause humans to die, which would cause humans to be extinct. That is why we should have another Green Up Day.

Cormac Brown

SIDEWALKS IN OUR TOWN ARE IMPORTANT FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS. Sidewalks in Williston will help with safety and health.

munity are like teachers for our schools.

One reason Williston needs more parks is because of exercise. Exercise is as important to people as shells are to turtles. People who like to exercise can do it at parks. You can run, play and jump, instead of buying stuff to exercise.

PSST, DO YOU WANT TO HEAR A SECRET? The secret is that we should have another Green Up Day, for many reasons. Our state needs an extra day to pick up trash.

We should have another Green Up Day so animals in the water won’t get hurt. If you throw trash, the fish will eat the plastic and die. So many fish could die and one day be extinct.

Also, you can’t get exercise if there is trash everywhere.

That is why we should have

One reason Williston needs more sidewalks is because people want to get around safely. Lots of people love to go on walks in the mornings and afternoons. For example, people go on walks to get to work. If there are no sidewalks on the route, they will have to go on the road. Is that safe? I don’t think so.

Another reason Williston needs more sidewalks is because citizens in Williston need to exercise and get Vitamin D. Lots of citizens need to walk, jog, run, ride a bike and even scooter, and much more.

Addison M. Amin

I USED TO THINK PARKS WERE FOR LITTLE KIDS. Now I think parks are for everyone. Williston needs more parks for many reasons. Parks for our com-

According to Parks and Healthy Kids, children who live within two-thirds of a mile of a park with a playground are five times more likely to be a healthy weight. Time spent outside leads to higher levels of physical activity in children. That is why parks make for healthier kids.

Another reason Vermont needs more parks is because parks make kids happy. Kids will run around and play. Playing is really fun. When you have fun, you are smiling and laughing. If we do not have parks, we will not have happy kids. I know this because, one day I came home from school grumpy so my dad asked me “Do you want to go to a park?” “Yes,” I said. And the rest of the day I was happy. We need more parks for a variety of reasons, and these are only a few. That is why I suggest that Williston should build more parks.

Kalina L. Lemieux

WE SHOULD HAVE MORE MUSEUMS IN WILLISTON. Our town needs more museums so kids have something to do. They are important for learning!

Museums help kids learn new things. Museums teach kids about jobs, culture and how to make living better.

Another reason why museums are needed in Williston is because they would give kids hands-on activities. For example, I went to a space museum where I was able to touch space rocks.

Imagine you were thinking what to do with kids that are off of school. You could take them to the museum!

Mckenzie R. Burnett

DO YOU WANT KIDS TO BE SAFE? Williston needs more sidewalks for many reasons. Our community needs more paths to make people safe.

One reason Williston needs more sidewalks is because kids will be a lot happier if they get to go outside in a clean and healthy world and take a walk around their neighborhood, or some -

Opinions

continued from page 8

where else they want to walk. The more time you spend outside, the healthier and safer you’ll be.

Another reason Williston needs more sidewalks is so kids can walk to school or ride their bikes. Now, many have to ride the bus or drive. According to the national institutes of health, walking will give you more Vitamin D. If you don’t get Vitamin D, you will not grow up big and strong.

Vote for more sidewalks in Williston. Kids would be healthier and happier. I know I want to be.

Rudy J. Williams

I USED TO THINK SIDEWALKS WERE JUST FOR WALKING, BUT NOW I REALIZE THAT THEY ARE WAY MORE IMPORTANT.

I think that we need more sidewalks for many reasons, like steps, health and other important and other things.

One reason that we need more sidewalks is so adults and kids can get steps in. Don’t you want more steps? Sidewalks will help you go somewhere without walking on the road. If you are a kid, then your school might have a “walk to school” day. Walking 30 minutes a day can decrease your chances of diabetes,

heart disease, obesity, depression and certain cancers.

Another reason is that sidewalks are as important as your job. It’s good for you and your kids’ health too. You should stop driving to work and instead walk on the sidewalks. The more days you walk to work, the healthier you get, so keep walking!

Shea W. Brooks

WILLISTON NEEDS MORE PARKS. I used to think parks were for dogs, but now I think they’re for pets and people.

Williston needs more parks because kids need more exercise, and all people need more clean air,

Exercise makes kids happy and healthy. If they get more exercise, they will be ready for the day.

More parks will let kids play more — they won’t be in front of the TV.

Another reason our community needs more parks is for chances to get fresh air. Clean air for kids is as important as fur for mammals! Clean air keeps kids healthy.

In conclusion, we need more parks for a lot of reasons. Parks make kids happy and healthy. This is important because more kids will come to Williston. More kids and people in Williston will make a big, nice community.

Weston T. Carty

Green and fair

Tents sprouted up May 4 on the Village Green, top left, as part of Williston’s Green Up Day and Town Fair with give-aways, info and fun. Morgan Randall, far right, finds plenty of litter along Mountain View Road. On South Road, Dave Schmidt, center left, finds himself with a full bag of collected trash. Williston Cub Scout Pack 692 gathered to fuel up before cleaning up the school grounds. Meanwhile, bottom left, Sophia Lisnic (left) and Shayla Polli worked with a group and did their part to clean up Rossignol Park.

Observing the ‘secret deaths’ in our forests

BY ETHAN TAPPER Special to the Observer

One of the great joys of being a forester is developing a deep and complex relationship with the vital and beautiful biotic communities that we call forests.

It’s a double-edged sword: Building a more in-depth understanding of forests forces us to confront some harsh realities.

The death of a tree can help contribute to the lives of billions or trillions of organisms, now and in the future.

When I walk in the woods, I see forests that are young and simple, invaded and degraded, missing vital pieces and parts. I see both a complex community of living things and a world of things that are missing. I call

these missing things the “secret deaths” in our forests — all the things that never had a chance to exist.

It’s easiest to visualize these secret deaths in a parking lot. Every parking lot (and everything that’s not a forest or a wetland) in Vermont is the site of a cleared forest or a drained wetland. When that forest was cleared, some trees were killed. However, there is a far greater loss: the trillions of living things of thousands of different species that will simply never exist because that parking lot will never be a forest, and thus never provide habitat for them.

While it’s harder to visualize than when I’m in a parking lot, when I walk in a forest, I am also surrounded by secret deaths.

Everything that’s not a forest or a wetland in Vermont is the site of a cleared forest or a drained wetland. PHOTO COURTESY OF UNSPLASH.COM

species to non-native pathogens, been invaded by non-native invasive plants that undermine forests’ diversity and resilience, lost wildlife species, and seen new species introduced. When I walk in the woods, I am overwhelmed by the abundance of life, but also by how much life is missing — the living things that cannot exist because our forests lack the basic attributes that these species have adapted to for thousands of years.

missing from our landscape for centuries. I started to question what “protecting” a forest truly meant.

We do not have to be bystanders, watching our forests navigate a climate crisis and a biodiversity crisis alone. We can take action to reverse the secret deaths in our forests, but we can’t do that without making some compromises, without doing some things as complex and as bittersweet as cutting trees.

Nearly all of Vermont’s forests are young and simple, most having regenerated from agricultural land within the last century. Nearly all are missing critical habitats and characteristics — things like big, old trees, dead wood, a gappy, irregular canopy, and different sizes and ages of trees — that have defined them and provided habitats for our biodiversity for millennia.

As forest managers, forest stewards and forest lovers, it is vital that we recognize that caring for forests goes far beyond the trees. Managing a forest responsibly also means caring for animals and plants, fungi and insects, soils and waters — the entirety of the forest ecosystem — and safeguarding all of these things into the indefinite future.

If we look at forests with a more expansive view of forest ecology, and an understanding of how the death of a tree can help contribute to the lives of billions or trillions of organisms, now and in the future, we can see that it’s a small price to pay.

Our forests have lost, or functionally lost, numerous tree

I began my own journey in forestry as someone who just loved trees and forests and wanted to protect them. As I learned more about forest ecology, and the reality of the threats and stressors that our modern-day forests face, I began to see how forest management could help restore ecosystems, help them navigate the incredible challenges of the modern world, and help them move into an uncertain future with grace.

I began to see how the death of trees could be an important tool for creating habitats for thousands of species and ecological attributes that had been

Understanding the secret deaths in our forests is sobering but also hopeful. When I walk through the woods, rather than focus on the secret deaths, I think of what Dr. Gabor Mat calls “the compassion of possibility” — trying to see the forest not just for what it is missing, but also for what it could be. If we take action, we can reverse the secret deaths, helping our forests rediscover their true capacity for life.

Ethan Tapper is the Chittenden County Forester for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. For more, visit https://linktr. ee/ChittendenCountyForester.

BY CARLY BERLIN VTDigger

Senate passes Act 250 reform bill

After a flurry of last-minute deliberations, the Vermont Senate passed a mammoth bill last Friday that makes sweeping reforms to the state’s land use and housing policies.

The bill, H.687, relaxes the reach of Act 250 — Vermont’s half-century-old land use review law — in existing development centers, a move proponents hope will clear red tape and encourage more housing growth amid an acute housing shortage. It also lays the groundwork for extending Act 250’s protections over to-be-determined ecologically sensitive areas.

The bill’s passage marks a major juncture for legislators, who for years have attempted — and failed — to thread the needle on modernizing Act 250. Proponents of H.687 argue it strikes the right balance between protecting Vermont’s natural resources in an era of climate change while also lowering barriers to more housing development.

“I hope that we can all look ahead and celebrate both the places that we’ve allowed to further thrive (and) the people that we’ve allowed to live here,” said Sen.

Kesha Ram Hinsdale, D/P-Chittenden Southeast, before voting in favor of the bill, “and also the places that we love and care about, that we get to still gaze upon and celebrate. And that’s truly what makes us Vermont.”

Yet the bill has more hurdles to clear. The Senate made fundamental changes to the version passed by the House in March; as lawmakers race toward a planned adjournment date of May 10, time is running out for the two chambers to reconcile their differences.

And as lawmakers consider their next moves, they also face the possibility of a veto from Gov. Phil Scott. The Republican governor has criticized earlier versions of H.687, arguing that it does not go far enough to promote housing development, particularly in rural areas. The Senate passed H.687 with 18 votes in favor and 10 against, making the likelihood of a veto override — which requires a twothirds majority — questionable.

WHO HEARS APPEALS?

One of the Senate’s major changes to the bill involves who will hear appeals of Act 250 permits. The Senate’s version keeps appeals in the judicial system, while teeing up a study to consider moving appeals out of the courts

Proponents argue it strikes the right balance between protecting Vermont’s natural resources in an era of climate change while also lowering barriers to more housing development.

and to a new quasi-judicial board.

“There’s no reason to make a decision now,” Sen. Christopher Bray, D-Addison, told colleagues during an all-Senate caucus. He noted that moving appeals to the new board had arisen as a contentious issue, and proposed the study instead.

The House’s version of H.687 would have shifted appeals to such a board, modeled after the Public Utility Commission. Proponents argue that shifting appeals out of the courts would speed up the process and allow the new board to make precedent-setting decisions on land use policies.

The Senate’s approval of a

study appears as something of a concession to the Scott administration, which has voiced its strong opposition to shifting appeals to the new board. Officials have argued that the move would in fact increase the time it takes a developer to get a permit and potentially increase development costs.

HOUSING POLICIES IN THE MIX

H.687 sets in motion a yearslong process to chop Vermont into a series of “tiers” that will dictate how development is treated under Act 250, loosening the law’s reach in some municipalities and strengthening its protections over “critical natural resources areas.”

Yet the actual boundaries of those tiers are largely left up to future mapping and rulemaking efforts. In the meantime, the bill sets up a number of interim exemptions from Act 250, including one for all housing projects within the state’s 24 designated downtown areas through July 2028, and up to 50 units in dozens of village centers around the state.

The sprawling bill — which multiple senators lamented they had not had enough time to fully read and comprehend — includes a laundry list of other housing policies and money for programs out-

side of the Act 250 realm.

It creates a new property transfer tax on second homes, expected to bring in about $10 million this coming year. It places a property tax valuation freeze on some newly constructed and rehabbed homes in areas impacted by last year’s catastrophic flooding. The bill also includes flood disclosure requirements for home purchases, rental agreements, and mobile home lot leases.

A last-minute amendment would have placed a temporary moratorium on no-cause evictions in municipalities that have already voted to approve the protections for tenants, but has faced roadblocks at the Statehouse. The amendment failed, as senators considered it not to be pertinent to the bill.

H.687 will now be sent back to the House, and leadership can decide to either concur with the Senate’s changes or request a conference committee to allow members of the two chambers to hash out their differences.

This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.

Dorothy Alling Memorial Library hours:

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

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

• Saturday: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Visit www.damlvt.org to apply for a library card and to register for programs that require registration. Need help? Call (802) 878-4918 or email daml@damlvt.org.

The library will be closed Monday, May 20 for staff training.

SEEKING LIBRARY EXPANSION COMMITTEE MEMBERS

The library trustees are seeking two community members to serve on a “Schematic Design Advisory Committee.” The seven-person committee will advise an architect’s design team during the schematic design and budget development process for

a library renovation and expansion on the current library site.

This was the recommended option in a scoping and feasibility study presented to the selectboard and library trustees last fall. Work will begin at end of May, and continue until the fall, with meetings every couple of weeks. If you are interested, please send a letter of interest to Library Director Jane Kearns at director@damlvt.org.

YOUTH PROGRAMS

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

TEENS DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

Friday, May 10, 5-6 p.m. Ages 12-plus. Join our D&D campaign. Stop by early for help creating a character if needed.

FRENCH STORYTIME

Saturday, May 11, 10:1510:45 a.m. Drop in for stories

read aloud by a native French speaker.

POKÉMON CLUB

Monday, May 13, 4-5 p.m. Have fun with Pokémon-themed activities.

STORYTIME

Tuesdays, May 14 and 21, 10:30-11 a.m. Drop in for stories and fun.

BABY TIME

Wednesday, May 15, 10:3011 a.m. Socialize and bond with these gentle activities.

AFTER SCHOOL MOVIE

Wednesday, May 15, 2-4 p.m.

Rated PG. Snack on popcorn and learn what it means to wish upon a star.

MUSIC AND PLAYTIME

Thursdays, May 16 and 23, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Sing with Linda.

AFTER SCHOOL CRAFT

Wednesday, May 22, 2-3 p.m. Use paper and craft supplies to create a collage.

LEGO TIME

Thursday, May 23, 3-4 p.m. Build and create exciting things with our LEGO collection.

MULTI-AGE

CRAFT CIRCLE

PROGRAMS

Monday, May 13, 5-6 p.m. Bring your current craft project to work on in the company of other crafters. All ages welcome.

READ TO A DOG (LOLA)

Thursday, May 16, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Call to register for a 10-minute time slot to read to Lola the Therapy Dog.

NAME OUR BOOK CARTS CONTEST

Enter your suggestions for names for our hard-working book carts at the front desk. A group of volunteers will help decide the winners at the beginning of June.

ADULT PROGRAMS

For online programs or to join a book club, email daml@damlvt.org.

ADULT MEDITATION (ONLINE)

Fridays in May, 12-12:30 p.m. Get in touch with your peaceful self.

MAH JONGG

Fridays, May 10 and 17, 1-3 p.m. Drop in to play this fun tile game.

FRENCH CONVERSATION

Saturday, May 11, 10:45-11:45 a.m. All levels welcome.

TECH TUTOR

Monday, May 13, 10:30 a.m.12:30 p.m. Call for a half-hour appointment.

COOK THE BOOK

Wednesday, May 15, 12-1 p.m. Stop by to choose a recipe from one of the two highlighted cookbooks on display and share your dish at the potluck.

SPANISH (ONLINE)

Wednesday, May 15, 5-6 p.m. All levels welcome.

BIRDING WALK AT CATAMOUNT

Saturday, May 18, 8-10 a.m. Take a morning walk with Vermont Master Naturalist Terry Marron and learn how to identify our feathered friends. Hiking shoes and binoculars recommended. Meet in the Catamount Outdoor Family Center parking lot. Preregister.

BOOK CLUB BUFFET (ONLINE)

Tuesday, May 21, 12:30-1:30 p.m. “The Girls in the Stilt House” by Kelly Mustian.

CURRENT EVENTS

Wednesday, May 22, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Drop in to talk current events.

Hinesburg tries tree planting for Green Up Day

50-plus trees set to take root on the Town Common over the next two years

BY JACOB MILLER-ARSENAULT Community News Service

Lush green fields and rolling farmlands frame the drive into Hinesburg on Route 116, which was strangely devoid of Green Up Dayers on an overcast but temperate morning last Saturday.

That might’ve been because residents were busy with another environmentally friendly project downtown.

On the Hinesburg Town Common behind the police and fire stations, a band of volunteers put on a tree care workshop received by perhaps two dozen attendees throughout the day. The workshop demonstrated the “three Ps,” said organizer Andrea Morgante, longtime town government participant and noted green thumb: planting, pruning and procurement.

The hope is to train volunteers who will take an active role in planting and caring for the 50-plus trees set to occupy the green space over the next two years. Morgante was one of the people who helped Hinesburg get a $30,000 state grant in January to fund that work.

It’s only the first step in a detailed plan to revamp the area, which has existed since the mid2000s, with amenities like a playground, gazebo and expanded parking.

“The idea of having a pavilion or a grandstand, having live music, local bands, that’s what brings a community together,” said arborist and workshop volunteer Nick Kierstead, who lives in Hinesburg with his wife and 1-year-old daughter.

“It’s good to emphasize how much impact a gathering space in Hinesburg could have. People want to gather, and we don’t have a space to do that.”

“People want to gather, and we don’t have a space to do that.”

Nick Kierstead Hinesburg

Kierstead delighted audiences by scaling a sprawling ash tree on the northeast corner of the common, handsaw strapped to his shin and a helmet on his head, and revving his chainsaw at the top to provide the town with some “free pruning.” The sight made sense given his background working for a power company in Colorado and Montana. He and other workers would drop into remote areas and clear vegetation from power lines.

Teetering on a bough 30 feet above the ground, Kierstead described the importance of context when pruning trees.

“I wouldn’t prune this tree like a forest tree, and vice versa,” he said, explaining how a tree like the

one he was standing on would tend to grow straight up like an arrow, with a narrower canopy, when in a dense forest. Without competition from other trees, the one on the common had developed a chaotic spread of limbs.

Master gardener Marie Ambusk instructed visitors on proper pruning practices. To say trees are her passion would be an understatement; the word is stamped across the license plate of her white Toyota SUV. She snipped away at the pesky low-hanging branches of one young honey locust tree.

“The worst time to prune a tree is right now because the tree is waking up (from the winter), and it is very stressful to wake up,” Ambusk said. “The worst time is when the buds are opening.”

Ambusk fielded questions about technique from onlookers as the brush pile mounted behind her. There are a lot of rules when it comes to pruning trees, she said, such as not removing more than a third of the tree’s growth in a single growing season. Cuts should be made just outside the spot where a branch meets the trunk, or branch collar, and end in the smallest possible circle. Precision is vital: Cuts too far outside the branch collar result in stubs, while flush cuts damage the branch collar and open the tree up to rot and decay.

Volunteers were apprehensive when Ambusk asked if they would like to try pruning. She tried to assuage their fears by admitting, “At a certain point, it becomes a little

subjective what you’re doing.”

Xander Patterson, a 61-year-old Hinesburg resident, made a couple of cuts to the tree while his 2-yearold dog Louie tramped between the legs of observers. He came because he was curious about the plans for the area and wanted to support the community.

“I’m very glad the town is doing this whether I use it much or not,” he said.

Sara Lovitz, who lives right across the street, brought along her kids: Zeke, 8, and Gabe, 5. She’s excited to see the development of the lot, she said, and anticipates being part of the team dedicated to the upkeep of the trees. She wants

to encourage her kids to do the same.

As the event stretched on, more visitors arrived, no doubt drawn in part by a table sporting Vermont cider donuts. Cyclists stopped to chat with their neighbors and dogs chased tennis balls across the lawn as Ambusk and Morgante demonstrated how to plant ball-and-burlap trees.

The Community News Service is a program in which University of Vermont students work with professional editors to provide material for local news outlets at no cost.

Be Bookish!

Summer’s nearly here, and along with all the other fun it brings, there will be more time for books, too! This week, The Mini Page shares suggestions for your summer reading.

• Author Jonathan Todd is a former second-grade teacher, so he knows something about the stress of arriving at a new school. In “Timid: A Graphic Novel,” Cecil Hall is navigating a new home and an unfamiliar group of schoolmates, who aren’t sure what to make of the kid who loves to draw.

• When visitors arrive from outer space in Stephen’s yard one dark night, one of them gets left behind in “Dalmartian: A Mars Rover’s Story.” Author Lucy Ruth Cummins tells the tale of Stephen and his new houseguest trying to understand each other and become friends.

• In “Keep It Like a Secret,” author John David Anderson explores the special relationship between Morgan and his older sister, Claire. They’ve always been close until they’re not and Morgan must adjust to their new normal.

Mini Fact: Your local library probably has a summer reading program. Check it out!

• Asian Americans come from widely varied backgrounds and origins, and some of their stories of coming to the United States reflect bravery and difficulty. “Made in Asian America” by Erika Lee and Christina Soontornvat describes how ordinary people contribute to the American story in an extraordinary way.

Next Week: Be safe in the sun

• At the School for Unusual Magic, students must pass a test to pass into Middle Magic. “The Equinox Test” by Liz Montague introduces Rose, Amethyst and Lavender, three friends who are depending on the results of the test, in this new book series.

• What’s a girl to do when her uncle and aunt are separated, her little sister is on the warpath and her grandmother is seeing ghosts? It’s going to be a wild summer for “Ferris” by Kate DiCamillo, with readers along for the bumpy ride.

• In “Great Gusts: Winds of the World and the Science Behind Them,” authors Megan Benedict and Melanie Crowder employ poetry to describe winds such as Japan’s oroshi and Libya’s ghibli. Along with poems, the book includes the science of each wind: how it forms and what weather systems it brings.

• Readers (and aspiring chefs) looking for another way to think about history will love “Bite by Bite: American History Through Feasts, Foods, and Side Dishes” by Marc Aronson and Paul Freedman. With dishes and cuisines from prehistory to today, the authors show us who we are and how we’ve moved about the globe.

• During the Great Depression, the Pack Horse Library Project delivered books to remote parts of Kentucky, where many people had no other access to books.

“Junia, The Book Mule of Troublesome Creek” by Kim Michele Richardson tells the story of the mule who carries her “Book Woman” up and down mountains, through forests and in spite of rain and snow to deliver books.

the Web:

bit.ly/MPlog

At the library:

kids.scholastic.com/kid/homebase/

• “Digging for Words: José Alberto Gutiérrez and the Library He Built” by Angela Burke Kunkel

on Feb. 24 by an automatic camera along

Founded by Betty Debnam

photo by Chavelli

Try ’n’ Find

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

AMERICAN, ASIAN, AUTHOR, BOOKS, CUISINE, EQUINOX, FAMILY, FOOD, FRIENDS, FUN, GUSTS, HISTORY, KIDS, MAGIC, MULE, READING, SCHOOL, SECRET, SISTER, SUMMER, TIME, VISITOR.

Cook’s Corner Barbecue Baked Potato Chips

You’ll need:

• cooking spray

• 4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick

• 2 teaspoons mesquite seasoning

What to do:

Mini Jokes

Ben: Why was the dinosaur afraid to go to the library? Bina: His books were 65 million years overdue!

Eco Note

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. Arrange the potato slices on the baking sheet. Spray the potatoes with cooking spray and sprinkle with the mesquite seasoning.

3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown and crisp. Serves 4.

7 Little Words for Kids

1. cooked in oil (5)

2. change places (6)

3. smoke comes out of it (7)

4. part (7)

5. risk of harm (6)

6. blue pants (5)

7. very smart person (6)

Use the letters in the boxes to make a word with the same meaning as the clue. The numbers in parentheses represent the number of letters in the solution. Each letter combination can be used only once, but all letter combinations will be necessary to complete the puzzle. Answers: fried, switch, chimney, portion, danger, jeans, genius.

The first live golden jackal ever to be seen in Spain was photographed on Feb. 24 by an automatic camera along the Ebro River. Canis aureus is native to Asia, but it has expanded westward across Europe during the past decade, now finally reaching Spain. A dead jackal was found on a highway in Álva during January 2023, indicating that the species had only recently arrived in Spain. “For now, we cannot say if it is good or bad news,” said José Garcia of the Spanish Society for the Conservation and Study of Mammals.

For later:

Look in your newspaper for reviews of children’s books.

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

By Jim Miller

SAVVY SENIOR

Financial and legal resources for grandparents raising grandchildren

Dear Savvy Senior, Are there any programs that you can refer me to that financially help grandparents who are raising their grandkids? I’m raising two of my grandchildren and could use some help.

Dear Tonya,

Tapped Out Tonya

Money is a common problem for the nearly 2.4 million U.S. grandparents who are raising their grandchildren today. To help with the day-to-day expenses, there are a wide variety of programs and tax benefits that can make a big difference in stretching your budget.

Here’s where to look for help.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

For starters, find out whether your family qualifies for your state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which may include cash assistance, food benefits, utility bill assistance and free or low-cost daycare. Or, if your household income is too high to qualify as a family, ask about the “child-only grant” to support just the grandkids.

Also, check to see if you’re eligible for foster care payments as a relative caregiver, or if your state

offers any additional programs like guardianship subsidies, non-parent grants or kinship care. Adoption assistance payments are also available to adopted grandchildren with special needs.

To inquire about these programs, contact your state’s TANF program and/or its Department of Human Services. For contact information, see www.ACF.hhs.gov/ ofa/map/about/help-families.

You also need to see if your grandkids are eligible for Social Security, including benefits for dependent children, survivor benefits or SSI. Visit www.SSA.gov or call 800-772-1213 for more information. And find out if they’re eligible for free/low-cost health or dental coverage through your state’s Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program — www.InsureKidsNow.gov or 877-543-7669.

You can also use www.Benefits.gov, the official benefits website of the U.S. government that has a screening tool to help you identify the programs that you and

your grandchildren may be eligible for. It will direct you to the appropriate agency to apply.

TAX BENEFITS

In addition to financial assistance programs, there are also a range of tax benefits that you may qualify for, like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which is available to those with moderate to low incomes, and the Child Tax Credit, which is worth $2,000 per dependent child under age 17. If you’re working, and are incurring childcare expenses in order to work, there’s a Child and Dependent Care Credit that can help. And, if you’ve legally adopted your grandkids, there’s an Adoption Tax Credit that provides a federal tax credit of up to $16,810 in 2024.

You can also deduct medical and dental expenses if you and your dependent grandchildren’s healthcare cost exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income for the year. And there’s even educasee SAVVY page 21

TODAY’S HISTORY:

• In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson issued the first presidential proclamation calling for a national Mother’s Day holiday.

• In 1974, the U.S. House of Representatives opened impeachment hearings against President Richard Nixon.

• In 2001, 126 soccer fans died in a stampede at the Accra Sports Stadium in Ghana.

TODAY’S FACT:

• When Federal Communications Commission Chairman Newton Minow described network TV programming as a “vast wasteland” during a speech on this day in 1961, the top-rated shows in the United States were “Gunsmoke,” “Wagon Train” and “Have Gun -- Will Travel.”

SUDOKU

Harriet Wheatley Riggs

Harriet Wheatley Riggs, beloved by many, passed away peacefully on April 26, 2024 at the age of 104. A stream of friends and family surrounded her in her final days.

Harriet lived a life filled with love, laughter and profound impact. She was an amazing wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend. Harriet was a gifted writer, gardener, cook, and had a passion for Vermont history, notably Richmond history. She cherished her family and her Richmond town community. She will be missed by many.

Harriet was born in Rutland, Vermont, on June 4, 1919, daughter of Mary (Markolf) and Ernest Wheatley. Harriet was predeceased by her husband, Dr. Heath K. Riggs, daughter, Linda Riggs Abbott, and brother, Donald Wheatley and his

In print & online: We’re your neighbors, committed to keeping you informed on what’s going on in Williston.

wife Carol. She leaves behind her loving family: son-in-law David Abbott of Montpelier, (husband of Linda), their daughter Sarah and David Murphy of WI, and their children, Luke and Grace; Bruce and Melanie Riggs of N.Y. and their children Aaron and Chelsea Riggs of N.Y. and their children, Isla and Kit; Marcail and Drew Rodgers of CT and their son Eirnin; Kent and Helen Riggs of VT, and their children Ryan Riggs of OR, Evan Riggs and Heidi Smith of OR and their sons, Sage and Jameson, Alicia and Jordan Goodwin of VT and their son Cooper, her cousin and dear friend Becky Reynolds of Lyndonville, VT and many nieces, nephews, and friends.

Harriet attended Chester High School and was salutatorian of her class. She took a gap year as she couldn’t afford to go to college right off and took postgraduate courses at Chester High School. Harriet was awarded the Cotting Memorial Scholarship which was presented to one New England girl. This scholarship paid all her expenses at the University of MA Amherst for one year.

She continued her education at the University of MA Amherst and worked her way through college as an assistant cook at the sorority house, cleaning silver for the dean of women, and worked with the state nutritionist testing recipes for her. Harriet graduated with a BS degree in Home Economics in 1941. She belonged to Alpha Lambda, Local Chapter E Sorority and kept in touch with many members by participating in a Round

OBITUARIES

Robin Letter group for more than 75 years.

Harriet met her husband Heath at a University of Vermont sugar and snow party in March of 1942. By August of that year they got engaged, and were married on Feb 6, 1943 in Montpelier, VT. They were married 68 years.

Having a love of travel, Harriet and Heath took their family and sometimes a neighbor’s child on tent-camping vacations all over North America. Together, they visited all 50 states, all Canadian provinces and several foreign countries. In their golden years, they wintered in Treasure Island, FL.

Harriet continued to fly to Florida at the age of 99 and was still organizing Florida reunions for the various friends she and Heath had made over decades of vacationing there. Many of these friends traveled long distances from out of state and out of the country to attend her 100th Birthday celebration back home in Vermont.

Early in their marriage, while Heath worked on his doctorate at the University of Chicago, Harriet worked at the Cereal Institute to support the family. She had a job offer to test recipes for a cookbook but knew that once the book was published her job would be done. So instead she took a job as a food writer for the Cereal Institute and wrote about breakfast cereals.

She wrote news releases and magazine articles. She was promoted to Assistant Home Economics Director and tested recipes even after she retired. She became

April 15 at 3:22 p.m. — Report of an unresponsive male on the bus at Walmart. Male was awake upon arrival and was transported to the hospital for evaluation.

April 15 at 9:21 p.m. — Report of a suspicious vehicle on Barrett Lane. Vehicle was gone upon officer’s arrival.

April 16 at 9:37 a.m. — Death investigation conducted. Nothing suspicious.

April 16 at 2:27 p.m. —Two females acting suspicious in Walmart. Both females were issued a notice of trespass and moved along.

a freelance writer coming back home to VT in 1953. She would have her own byline and wrote over 300 feature articles for the Burlington Free Press.

She loved writing about unknown people who did interesting things. She has been published in many periodicals, was a photographer and author; freelance writer for local and national publications: Vermont Life, Adirondack Life, Yankee magazine, and Christian Science Monitor. Harriet published a story in Highlights for Children Magazine “The Elephant Who Cried Real Tears” winning a national award by National Pen Women. Harriet also wrote an article “Cooking on Six Cylinders” that was published in Travel Magazine based on a true experience with her family.

While living in Pleasant Hill, CA she and her family traveled to Los Angeles and cooked a pot roast on the car’s manifold as an experiment. This experience inspired her to write the article which was later published.

Harriet and Heath returned to Richmond, Vermont to raise their three children, Linda, Bruce, and Kent. Harriet was very active in her Richmond Community. She served as a 4-H Leader for Richmond area youths under the UVM Extension Service for many years, specializing in Foods and Home Economics. In 1957, at age 40, she was named Mrs. Vermont based on Community Service and her work as President of the Richmond Parent Teacher Association.

For over 69 years she was a mem-

April 19 at 5:34 p.m. — Retail theft reported at Old Navy. An arrest warrant was issued for male suspect.

April 19 at 6:50 p.m. — Report of a truck that hit a tree. Male operator was issued a citation to appear in court for suspicion of DUI.

ber of the Richmond Congregational Church and was the first female Deacon. Harriet was a founding member of the Richmond Historical Society, served as an Old Round Church Guide and was the Richmond Town Historian for many years. Harriet, with others, was the author of the book, Richmond VT, A History of More Than 200 Years.

Harriet was very compassionate and believed in helping others. Harriet supported many charities and those in need. In their earlier years Harriet and Heath hosted many foreign exchange students. She is “Mom” to Prem Dhotre of Nepal and remained in touch with Cecil Caruth of Tobago.

Harriet had a zest for life! She may have departed from this world, but her love and impact will endure eternally in the hearts of those she touched. Rest in peace, Mom. You will forever be remembered and cherished.

A celebration of Harriet’s life was held on Saturday, May 4, 2024 at the Richmond Congregational Church 20 Church St. Richmond, VT. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity at 300 Cornerstone Drive Suite 335 Williston, VT 05495 and/or the UVM Extension Services-State Office College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Morrill Hall-146 University Place Burlington, VT 05405 in Harriet’s honor.

We want to thank the staff at Bayada Hospice and the aides and nurses at Mansfield Place Assisted Living for their care and love for Harriet over the last few months.

April 17 at 11:11 a.m. — Report of a retail theft at Walmart. Suspect was gone before officer’s arrival. April 17 at 3:48 p.m. — Report of a retail theft at Lenny’s. Male and female were gone before officer’s arrival.

April 18 at 9:14 a.m. — Report of a suspicious male in Walmart. Employee believed they were going to steal. Male did not steal and left everything in the store.

April 19 at 12:13 a.m. — Following a traffic stop, a female was issued a citation to appear in court for suspicion of DUI.

April 19 at 8:23 p.m. — Assisted Williston Fire Department with fire on Industrial Avenue.

April 20 at 8:17 a.m. — Report of a male with aerosol cans on River Cove Road. Male was issued a citation to appear in court for improper possession of hazardous inhalants.

April 20 at 9:13 p.m. — Report of a retail theft at Marshalls. Property was located but suspects were gone upon arrival.

April 21 at 3:56 p.m. — Report of suspicious males in Home Depot. Male suspects were issued a notice of trespass.

April 21 at 9:13 p.m. — Officers responded to Walmart for a reported threat. Employee stated that two males threatened to stab him and then barricaded themselves in the bathroom. Males were gone upon officer’s arrival.

April 22 at 6:58 p.m. — Report of a male causing a disturbance in the Home Depot parking lot. Male was located and escorted off the property.

April 22 at 8:13 p.m. — Retail theft reported at Marshalls. Female was located and all property was returned to the store.

Officers also conducted 24 traffic stops and responded to nine alarm activations and 10 motor vehicle crashes during this time frame.

John Early Arceneaux

John Early Arceneaux, age 79, passed away peacefully on March 13, 2024, at the UVM Medical Center in Burlington Vermont.

Born Jan. 22, 1945, in Dallas, Texas, he was the son of the late Ralph Early Arceneaux and Reba Oleta (Hill) Arceneaux. Because of his father’s Air Force duties, John’s family moved several times during his early life, spending time in Madison, Wisconsin, Waco, Texas, and eventually settling in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1962.

John graduated from Rider High School in Wichita Falls Texas in 1963 and went on to study at Midwestern University and Loyola University. He earned a Master’s Degree in Religious Studies from Eastern New Mexico University in 1973.

John had a variety of vocational callings and held jobs in construction, as a hospital orderly, and as a college professor, but his love was trains. He worked as a conductor for many years before moving to Vermont in 1987 when he began working at the Ben & Jerry’s plant in Waterbury.

John was an enthusiastic reader and writer. He loved listening to and playing folk music, playing with his pets and making all those around him smile and laugh. He would engage in deeply philosophical discussions with anyone who would have them.

John was a devoted Christian and a proud member of the Church of Christ. He was baptized and became a member of the church when he was in Texas. Once he moved to Vermont nearly 30 years ago, he continued this dedication by worshiping and serving with the Church of Christ in South Burlington.

During his early years in Vermont, when he worked at Ben & Jerry’s, John kept the church stocked in many flavors of ice cream that he was able to get at a great discount. John loved the church, was very active in almost every area, serving as a trustee and secretary, serving in worship by leading singing, prayer, reading, leading devotionals, and teaching when he had the opportunity. He continued to serve actively until the past couple years when his health began to fail and he was no longer able. To the very end, John was much respected and loved by his brothers and sisters

OBITUARIES

at church, and was a great example of the faith to all.

John is survived by his beloved wife of 30 years to the day, Bonnie Parent Arceneaux; his nephews John and Andrew Nicholls and their families; his stepson Josh Parent; as well as cousins and extended family members and loved ones including his church family.

A memorial service was held at the South Burlington Church of Christ on May 4.

John is deeply missed. His enthusiasm for life, gentleness, curiosity, and his smile will be cherished by all who knew him. May he rest in peace.

Kathy Merchant

Kathy Merchant, 63, of Berlin, VT passed away in the comfort of her home surrounded by family during the evening of April 13, 2024 after a brief illness.

She was born in Upland, California and grew up in the Pacific Beach neighborhood of San Diego, California. She and her girlfriends spent many days on the beach enjoying the sun and fun.

After high school, she attended and graduated in 1982 from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Bachelor’s degree in business, cum laude. After graduation, she and friends travelled around Europe experiencing the sights of several countries.

She then became a consultant for a national business consulting firm.

In 1984, she married Cliff Harris. They operated a petroleum research firm while living first in Louisiana, then Texas and later Williston, VT. They had two daughters, Stephanie and Madison. They later divorced.

Kathy was then employed by what is now the UVM Medical Center and became a Director of Information Technology.

In 2007, Kathy married Steve Merchant. They moved to New Hampshire where she was employed as the Chief Operating Officer of a healthcare technology consulting firm. Later while self-employed, she did IT consulting work for hospitals.

Moving back to Vermont, she and Steve retired and made their home in Berlin.

Kathy loved experiencing the joys and

pleasures of life. She was very energetic and always on the lookout for an adventure. One of her favorite things to do was drive around in her red Miata with the roof down on a sunny day listening and singing to music. Kathy also enjoyed quieter indoor activities such as playing with creative office supplies including colorful gel pens and cute stickers, as well as reading her murder mystery novels. Kathy had a tremendous heart and loved her family, friends, and dogs. She always saw the good in people and had an endless positive outlook on

Savvy

continued from page 18

tion-related tax credits that can help your grandkids go to college, like the American Opportunity Tax Credit and the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit.

In addition to the tax credits and deductions, if you’re unmarried, you may qualify for “head of household” status when you file your tax return, which has a higher standard deduction and a lower tax rate than you would filing as a single.

LEGAL HELP

If you haven’t already done so, you should also talk to an attorney to discuss the pros and cons of obtaining legal guardianship, custody or adoption. With-

life.

There will be no calling hours. A gathering of her family and friends will be held at the grave site in the Berlin Corner Cemetery on June 15 at 11 a.m.

Kathy enjoyed the comfort and companionship of her dogs. In lieu of flowers, please make a memorial donation to the Washington County Humane Society. The family thanks the staff and volunteers of the Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice for their care and comfort.

out some sort of legal custody, you may not be eligible for many of the previously listed financial assistance programs, and there can be problems with basic things like enrolling your grandkids in school or giving a doctor permission to treat them. For help locating affordable or free legal assistance, visit www.FindLegalHelp.org, or call the Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116 for referrals. Also see www. GrandFamilies.org, a clearinghouse resource that offers information on financial assistance, adoption, foster care and more.

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

GARAGE SALES

OAK KNOLL ROAD — Threefamily garage sale Friday and Saturday May 10 & 11, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., 500 Oak Knoll Rd, Williston. Antiques and vintage items, jewelry, framed prints, bedding, furniture, household and kitchen items, Star Wars

collection and many other collectibles, children’s clothes and toys, stroller, tools, large collection of rubber stamps and ink and much, much more!

FOR SALE

FURNITURE — Q Murphy bed - like

The legal voters of the Town of Williston are hereby warned and notified to meet at the Williston Central School Auditorium in Williston, Vermont at 7:00 PM on Monday, May 20, 2024 for a public information hearing on the revised fiscal year 2025 budget proposal for consideration at a Special Town Meeting on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, and there will be an opportunity for questions and comments.

The legal voters of the Town of Williston are hereby warned and notified to meet on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 for a Special Town Meeting, at Vermont Army National Guard Armory located at 7846 Williston Road beginning at 7:00 AM, at which time the polls will open, until 7:00 PM, at which time the polls will close, to vote by Australian ballot upon the following article:

Article 1: Shall the voters authorize General Fund Expenditures of $15,042,710 of which $7,654,710 shall be raised by taxes, for the year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025?

HOW TO REGISTER TO VOTE: There is no deadline to register to vote. You will be able to register to vote on the day of the election. You can register prior by visiting the town clerk’s office or going online to www.olvr.vermont.gov

REQUEST EARLY or ABSENTEE BALLOTS: You or a family member can request early or absentee ballots at any time during the year of the election in person, in writing, by telephone, email, or online at www.mvp.vermont.gov

CLASSIFIEDS

new condition; $500. Beautiful piece of furniture open or closed. Will text pictures. Glider Rocker with matching ottoman and matching upholstered back, cushion and attached padded arm rests; $75. Loveseat: beige with some green and pink - like new condition; $75 . Must pick up in Essex Jct. 802-305-9433

2014 RAM PROMASTER 1500 CARGO VAN— in Williston $19,438. Very good condition, low mileage 55,000, well maintained, summer & winter tires. Recent improvements: new radiator, new AC/blower motor, new heater and new battery. Call 802-658-0000

LEGAL

TOWN OF WILLISTON DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD AGENDA

Tuesday, May 28, 2024 – 7:00 PM

Town Hall Meeting Room (Town Hall,

7900 Williston Road, use rear entrance) Zoom Meeting ID 846 5863 3532 on zoom.us/join or call 1-646-558-8656

DP 23-02 Trinity Baptist Church c/o Robert McIlwaine request a discretionary permit for a 3-lot subdivision and creation of one (1) new dwelling: Lot 1 (1.81 acres, existing dwelling), Lot 2 (6.85 acres, proposed new dwelling), and Lot 3 (45.7 acres, Trinity Baptist Church & School) at 425 Mountain View Road in the ARZD and 300 Trinity Drive in the RZD.

DP 24-19 Matthew & Tammy Ketcham c/o Scott Baker request pre-application review of a proposed 2-lot subdivision around two (2) existing dwellings on a 7.89-acre parcel at 5402-5418 St George Road in the ARZD.

Project details and site plans are available on the website, town.williston.vt.us, under “Public Records and Documents”, then “Agendas & Minutes”, and “Development Review Board”. Contact Planning & Zoning Office for more information: 802-878-6704 or email planning@willistonvt.org

Maintenance Technician – Skilled

Immediate opening for a skilled technician with mechanical, plumbing & heating, construction and electrical knowledge. This position will include day-to-day building needs for Williston Central & Allen Brook School.

Full time, full year - 7 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Preference will be given for certified/licensed HVAC, Electrical or AC Technician.

For further information contact Ron Larivee, rlarivee@cvsdvt.org.

Email resume directly to Ron Larivee or apply online to www. schoolspring.com, job# 4491999 or www.cvsdvt.org/jobs

CVSD is an equal opportunity employer. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), immigrants, women, and LGBTQ+ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. For reference, CVSD Equity Policy

LEGAL

TOWN OF WILLISTON Selectboard

Notice of Public Hearing Tuesday, June 4, 2024 7:05 PM

The Williston Selectboard will hold a public hearing to receive comment on proposed changes to the existing Williston Unified Development Bylaw related to residential building heights, residential densities, density bonuses for affordable housing developments, and zoning map amendments, related to compliance with new provisions of 24 V.S.A. 4412 adopted under Vermont Act 47, the HOME Act of 2023.

The public hearing will take place on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, at 7:05 PM in the Beckett/McGuire Meeting Room at Williston Town Hall located at 7900 Williston Road with remote participation available using the online platform zoom with access information listed at the bottom of this hearing notice. The amendments are summarized as follows:

Allow multi-family residential buildings with four or fewer units in Williston Sewer Service Area, Including Agricultural Rural Residential Zone, where required by the HOME ACT.

• Allow 5 dwellings per acre in zoning districts that allow residential and are in the Williston Sewer Service Area which ensures Williston’s zoning regarding density complies with the HOME Act.

• Reduce minimum parking requirements for residential developments as required by the HOME Act.

• Change Taft Corners Form Based Code Overlay District to Taft Corners Form Based Code Zoning District, move from Appendix F to Chapter 32, and Amend Zoning Map to reflect.

• Clarify motor vehicle fueling (gas stations) and cannabis retail are prohibited uses within the Taft Corners Form Based Code Zoning District.

• Remove Business Park Zoning District from Chapter 32.

• Reduce maximum allowed building height in Form-Based Code Zoning District Shopfront and Town Center from five stories to four stories, previous five-story maximum only allowed for Affordable Housing Projects as required by the HOME Act.

• Replace “Dwelling Unit Equivalent” throughout with “dwelling,” which ensures Williston’s zoning regarding density complies with the HOME Act.

• Restate required 40% density bonus for Affordable Housing Projects as required by the HOME Act in all residential and mixed-use districts.

• Remove “focal point” from Chapter 46 Definitions and add “footprint lot” definition to clarify that such lots are not subject to allowed residential densities for small lots otherwise required by provisions of the HOME Act.

If adopted, the amendments to the Bylaw will go into effect 21 days after adoption unless a petition is filed for a popular vote to repeal the amendments within 20 days of the adoption vote as provided for in 24 V.S.A. §4442.

The above is a summary. A complete copy of the proposed 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 documents then to legal notices. Members of the public can contact the Williston Planning Department at (802) 878-6704, or at planning@willistonvt.org with any questions.

Zoom Participation: https://us02web. zoom.us/j/83823909187

Phone: 1-646-558-8656; Meeting ID: #838 2390 9187.

Rabies is a deadly viral disease of the brain that infects mammals. It is most often seen in raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats, but unvaccinated pets and livestock can also get rabies. The virus is spread through the bite of an infected animal or contact with its

saliva. If left untreated, rabies is almost always fatal in humans and animals. However, treatment with the rabies vaccine is nearly 100 percent effective when given soon after a person is bitten by a rabid animal.

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

Shelburne Historical Society will have a display and president Dorothea Penar will lead a cemetery tour at 1 p.m. Food vendors round out the event with everything from coffee and lemonade to burgers and creemees. Kids will enjoy meeting animals from Shelburne Farms, craft projects,

According to wildlife officials, rabid animals often show a change in their normal 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.

Shelburne display lead dors from creemees. from SHELBURNE continued

Outpatient Surgery Center: a big piece of the access puzzle

By: Dr. Stephen Leffler, President and COO, University of Vermont Medical Center

“This isn’t a facility that would be nice to have — for the people of our region, it’s a must-have.”

Every week I get calls and letters from patients who say they are waiting too long for care, especially surgical care. Often, they are right — no question. There are several reasons behind the wait times and it’s going to take work to make a dent in our access challenges, but serving our patients and ensuring they get great care is why I became a physician, so I’m deeply committed to that effort.

We know one of the solutions to improve timely access to care is construction of the outpatient surgery center in South Burlington that we have asked the Green Mountain Care Board to approve.

This isn’t a facility that would be nice to have — for the people of our region, it’s a must-have.

First, the proposed outpatient surgery center replaces our five ORs at the Fanny Allen campus with eight larger, modern ORs where — unlike the Fanny Allen — we can do more complex surgeries such as joint replacements.

Second, our population is growing and aging, which drives an increasing demand for surgeries — particularly surgeries that can be done in an outpatient surgery setting. We’re seeing this in the less-than-desirable waits that some of our patients experience today.

If current population trends continue as projected — aging throughout the region, a growing population in Chittenden and surrounding counties — by 2030, our current surgical case backlog is going to be more than 4,000 surgeries annually.

That’s 4,000 people who need care who will wait longer than they should for surgery, leave the state for care, or even worse, go completely without the care they need — with potential serious impacts to their health as a result.

While that’s the five-year projection, we feel the urgency now. Today, UVM Medical Center’s operating rooms are running at full capacity, and we are still not keeping up with our patients’ needs for surgery as quickly as we should. Every time a patient is waiting, I assure you there’s a doctor or nurse at UVM Medical Center who is concerned about them and feels it is absolutely imperative to get them in sooner.

Not only would the new center help us keep up with both highly complex and more routine needs, but it would let us do so in a way that responds to how people prefer to receive health care. Studies across the country show that the number of outpatient surgeries are increasing. Advancements in surgical fields allow more procedures to be performed outpatient, and it is more convenient for patients compared to hospital stays for the same procedures. We also know patients prefer an outpatient setting because they can return home quickly to recover in a familiar environment.

Beyond simply having enough space, construction of this facility will help us recruit, retain and train medical professionals our community sorely needs. Our learners need to train at a place that offers them time to hone their professional skills alongside our exceptional physician teachers, with access to time in modern ORs with robotic surgical resources — this is an experience that we cannot deliver to all of these learners with our current facilities.

I’m a frugal Vermonter, so I get it. As a state we want to make sure this $130 million project is justified and in the best interest of patients. Please know that we are focused on making sure the outpatient surgery center won’t drive up costs for our patients — in fact, studies show that outpatient procedures keep costs down compared to the inpatient setting, which requires a hospital stay.

We already provide advanced, high-quality care in our region. What’s clear is that our community needs more of it, and that need is growing. I say both as president of UVM Medical Center, and as someone who will someday need the excellent care provided by UVM Medical Center for myself or my family, I hope we are able to move forward with this crucial project so that all who need care will be able to access it easily and without delay.

Scan the QR to watch our clinicians talk about the need.