Seven Days, March 17, 2021

OLD SCHOOL

BHS alums recall being downtown

V ERM ONT ’S INDEP E NDE NT VO IC E MARCH 17-24, 2021 VOL.26 NO.24 SEVENDAYSVT.COM

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Vermont’s aging transmission network can’t keep pace with green power projects B Y K EV I N M C C A L L U M , PA G E 34

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GEE WHIZ

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Let loose with SheFly pants

OVER COOKING

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Chefs’ pandemic burnout hacks

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WEEK IN REVIEW MARCH 10-17, 2021 COMPILED BY SASHA GOLDSTEIN & MATTHEW ROY

TRAFFIC JAM

Activists commandeered Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger’s city hall parking spot to hand out food last week.

The revolution will keep rolling.

MAYOR’S DECISION

COVER UP

COURTNEY LAMDIN

SPARKS ANGER

Mayor Miro Weinberger

Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger has changed the employee in charge of a major study of city policing, a decision that drew outrage from some city councilors and police commissioners during a meeting on Monday.

Darren Springer, general manager of the Burlington Electric Department, will oversee the contractor responsible for the operational and functional assessment of the Burlington Police Department. Springer will replace Tyeastia Green, a Black woman who serves as the city’s director of racial equity, inclusion and belonging.

The change was made to insert an “independent department head who has been neutral and separate from the contentious debates in recent months over proper officer staffing levels,” the mayor said in a Monday email to members of the Burlington Police Commission and the city council’s Public Safety Committee.

Sharp rebukes came from Police Commissioner Melo Grant and City Councilor Perri Freeman (P-Central District), both of whom demanded answers from the mayor, who was not initially at the meeting. On February 8, the city council voted to award a $99,525 contract to Virginia-based nonprofit CNA to analyze “who, what, where, and how the department polices.” Green was to oversee the contract, which came out of a city council decision last June to cut the police force by 30 percent.

Springer told the joint committee that he felt up to

802nice

COURTESY OF MARIE HAMILTON

?? ? ?? ? ??

Marie Hamilton, after springing the car from the Montréal airport lot

the task because of past experience overseeing requests for proposals and dealing with consultants. Springer has worked as chief counsel in U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) office and as chief of staff for former Democratic governor Peter Shumlin. Weinberger appointed him as general manager of the Burlington Electric Department in October 2018.

Asked why Weinberger had replaced her, Green seemed unwilling to speculate on Monday.

The mayor’s chief of staff, Jordan Redell, ultimately summoned Weinberger to the virtual meeting.

“It’s a very divided city,” Weinberger said to the remote crowd. “I think neutrality is key here.”

“I do have concerns that there might be questions about the report and questions about the conclusions of the report if it is seen as being kind of guided only through the lens of racial equity, racial justice,” Weinberger said. “Clearly racial justice is a critical lens and one that must be brought to bear, and I am absolutely counting on Director Green and her team to be weighing in on the report.”

“I think that you really need to review the concept of trust as you see it and this concept of neutrality as you see it,” Grant said, “because I think a lot of people are not going to feel that’s the best way forward. It feels to me like a rug is being pulled from under us … I’ve just got a lot of concerns.”

Read Sasha Goldstein’s full story at sevendaysvt.com.

A judge ruled against the owner of a former UPS store in Newport who disobeyed the governor’s mask mandate. Signed, sealed, delivered.

DEFENSE-LESS

The Vermont House passed a bill that would prohibit defendants from using someone’s sexual or gender identity as justification for committing a crime. No excuse.

215

That’s how many Vermonters, as of Tuesday, had died of COVID-19. The state reported the first two deaths on March 19, 2020.

TOPFIVE

MOST POPULAR ITEMS ON SEVENDAYSVT.COM

1. “After Complaint, Chase Bank to Remove Ad From Church Street” by Courtney Lamdin.

One person complained that the Black man in the graphic looked like he was panhandling.

The bank said the image wasn’t meant to be interpreted that way.

2. “Want to Live at Shelburne Farms? Here’s Your Chance” by Anne Wallace Allen. Sweeping views of the Adirondacks and lakefront beaches can be yours for just $3.3 million.

3. “State Aims to Vaccinate More BIPOC Vermonters With New Rule” by Anne Wallace Allen. BIPOC Vermonters eligible for a vaccine can bring household members to be inoculated — even if they aren’t otherwise eligible.

4. “Mother Load: A Year in the Life of Three Single Moms in Vermont” by Chelsea Edgar.

A trio of beleaguered moms recounts their challenges during the pandemic.

5. “Scott Relaxes Rules to Allow MultiHousehold Gatherings” by Courtney Lamdin.

Unvaccinated people from two separate households can socialize, as long as they wear masks and keep a six-foot distance, the governor announced.

GREEN THUMB

A UVM geologist discovered plant life that could be a million years old in a soil sample taken from below Greenland’s miledeep ice sheet.

Grass from the past.

tweet of the week @CarmenLagala Every Vermont couple I meet is like “hi, I’m Wilderblossom Chagaroot, this is my half daughter Auberghine Maplesteep, and this is my lover, Kyle.”

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @SEVENDAYSVT OUR TWEEPLE: SEVENDAYSVT.COM/TWITTER

WHAT’S KIND IN VERMONT

BON RETOUR! A Vermonter’s car stuck for nearly a year at the Montréal-Trudeau International Airport has been repatriated.

Emmanuel Capitaine was reunited with his Toyota RAV4 last week in Williston.

Seven Days recounted Capitaine’s story in this column last month: He drove the car to the airport to catch a flight to Paris on March 11, 2020. Days later, Canada closed its border with the U.S. due to the pandemic.

The border still isn’t open, but the Seven Days article caught the attention of a native Vermonter now living

in Montréal. Marie Hamilton is a dual citizen, and she wanted to help.

Hamilton admits, too, that she had an ulterior motive: to see her 93-year-old grandmother, who lives in Shelburne.

So she got in touch with Capitaine, and they hatched a plan. He mailed her the car keys and documents asserting that she had permission to drive the vehicle across the border.

After nearly a year of no use, the car wouldn’t budge. The battery was dead, the brakes had seized, and the tires were low on air. A tow truck hauled the Toyota to a repair shop for about $1,500 worth of work, according to Capitaine.

Once the car was road ready, Hamilton headed south. Any concerns about cross-

ing the border were quickly alleviated. As she explained the backstory to an agent, he laughed. “I heard of that. I read about that!” Hamilton said he told her. She added, “It was incredibly smooth — like, one of the smoother crossings I’ve ever had.”

Hamilton was grateful to be in Vermont for the first time since February 2020. She plans to quarantine before visiting her grandmother. Then she’ll hitch a ride back to Canada with a Vermonter in early April. They connected on Facebook after both commented on this newspaper’s original article about Capitaine’s car.

“It was just a very Vermonty situation,” Hamilton said of her unique travel arrangements. “All thanks to Seven Days!”

SASHA GOLDSTEIN SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

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TRUTH TO POWER.  Paula Routly

  Cathy Resmer  

Don Eggert, Pamela Polston, Colby Roberts NEWS & POLITICS  Matthew Roy

  Sasha Goldstein

  Candace Page

  Derek Brouwer, Chelsea Edgar,

Colin Flanders, Courtney Lamdin, Kevin McCallum, Alison Novak, Anne Wallace Allen   Dave Gram ARTS & LIFE  Pamela Polston

  Margot Harrison

  Dan Bolles, Elizabeth M. Seyler   Jordan Adams

CHSLV is now Lamoille Health Partners We have a new name and a new look!

Community Health Services of Lamoille Valley (CHSLV) is excited to announce that we are re-branding as Lamoille Health Partners. While our name is changing, our commitment to providing comprehensive, premier health services to all our neighbors in the Lamoille Valley is stronger than ever.

  Kristen Ravin

   Carolyn Fox

  Jordan Barry, Margaret Grayson, Melissa Pasanen, Ken Picard, Sally Pollak  Carolyn Fox, Elizabeth M. Seyler   Katherine Isaacs D I G I TA L & V I D E O    Bryan Parmelee    Eva Sollberger   James Buck DESIGN   Don Eggert

  Rev. Diane Sullivan

  John James

 Jeff Baron, Kirsten Thompson SALES & MARKETING    Colby Roberts

   Michael Bradshaw   Robyn Birgisson,

Michelle Brown, Logan Pintka

 &   Corey Grenier

 &   Katie Hodges A D M I N I S T R AT I O N   Marcy Carton

   Matt Weiner   Jeff Baron

Our Services & Locations

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Benjamin Aleshire, Luke Baynes, Justin Boland, Alex Brown, Chris Farnsworth, Amy Lilly, Bryan Parmelee, Jim Schley, Carolyn Shapiro, Molly Zapp

Lamoille Health Pediatrics (formerly Appleseed Pediatrics) 609 Washington Hwy., Morrisville | (802) 888-7337 Lamoille Health Behavioral Health & Wellness (formerly Behavioral Health & Wellness Center) 607 Washington Hwy., Morrisville | (802) 888-8320 Lamoille Health Family Dentistry (formerly Community Dental Clinic) 66 Morrisville Plaza, Morrisville | (802) 888-7585 Lamoille Health Family Medicine, Morrisville (formerly Morrisville Family Health Care) 609 Washington Hwy., Morrisville | (802) 888-5639 Lamoille Health Family Medicine, Stowe (formerly Stowe Family Practice) 1878 Mountain Road, Stowe | (802) 253-4853

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SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021 2/25/21 10:19 AM

FEEDback

punishment; this means that inmates must be provided with access to timely and appropriate medical interventions to READER REACTION TO RECENT ARTICLES assess, diagnose, treat and prevent health conditions. Scott’s decision to deny inmates access to the vaccine, despite his ‘DAMN GOOD JOURNALISM’ knowledge that inmates are at increased Chelsea Edgar is an absolutely amazing risk of contracting the virus, amounts to writer. Reading her deliberate indifference [“Mother Load,” to inmates’ medical March 10], I felt needs — a clear constithis crazy swirl of tutional violation. things: guilty relief Oregon’s courts have that my pandemic addressed the matter. life has been relaFailure to provide tively stable; anger inmates with timely about how — even access to the vaccine in Vermont — we is a violation of the haven’t figured Eighth Amendment, and inmates must be out how to make provided with the life not suck for everyone; a rush of vaccine immediately. empathy and affecScott should quesJOBS! JOBS! JOBS! AGAINST THE WALL tion for these three tion whatever consult OUTBREAKING POINT? brave, strong, nearly he has received on broken women. Her the matter related to writing made it all the way into my heart. inmates’ access to the vaccine — clearly That’s a mark of damn good journalism. the DOC is not up to speed on the most Thank you. basic principles of correctional health Jason Van Driesche care, which should concern us all.

Advocacy organizations should file an BURLINGTON emergency injunction for the vaccine to be made immediately available to all ANOTHER MOTHER Vermont inmates, in and out of state.

Chelsea Edgar’s article was outstandBen Watts ing and heartbreaking [“Mother Load,” GEORGIA March 10]. All during the months last year, I felt so fortunate to be 59 years old with young motherhood behind THE TROUBLE WITH MURALS me. That’s because I knew how awful it Margaret Grayson’s article “Art Out of would have been to be a young mother Time” [March 10] reminds me of when dealing with it. my husband and I toured the state capiHolly Wilkins tol in Jefferson City, Mo. The state hired Thomas Hart Benton to paint murals on LAKE ELMORE the four walls of a legislative chamber in 1933. Benton did so. They hated it. It CRUEL AND UNUSUAL? glorified Missouri folklore and the folks As former director of health services who tell it, and it depicted the rich and for the Department of Corrections, their political allies in an unflattering with substantial research and consult- way. But they could not afford to get ing experience in correctional health it repainted because they knew, if they care at a national level, I was compelled did, there would be public outcry over to respond to your article on Gov. Phil wasted taxpayer funds. So, they used it Scott’s failure to provide the COVID- to snuff their cigars, spat tobacco juice 19 vaccine to inmates in the care and on it and in other ways tried to make sure custody of the Vermont DOC [“‘Cess- future generations would do away with it. pool of COVID-19,’” March 10]. A deeper Instead, it was restored. dive into the constitutional requireThose campaigning to remove or hide ments regarding health care services Sam Kerson’s mural complain that the for inmates, as well as national trends African Americans in his mural are “carion the subject of inmates’ access to catures designed to perpetuate the white the vaccine, would have revealed the superiority views.” But notice the absence following. of white superiority in the caricatures of Under the Eighth Amendment, the white people in it. The slave drivers correctional jurisdictions must protect are green (for love of money?) and look inmates from cruel and unusual ridiculous. The orange-faced abolitionists VOL.26 NO.23 SEVENDAYSVT.COM VERMONT’S INDEPENDENT VOICE MARCH 10-17, 2021

/ Pamela Polston, Paula Routly

MOTHER LOAD A year in the life of three single moms in Vermont

BY CHELSEA EDGAR, PAGE 26

PAGE 14

Scott resists vaccinating inmates

PAGE 22

Muralist sues Vermont Law School

16 pages of employment ads

PAGE 58

WEEK IN REVIEW

TIM NEWCOMB

are also lacking “white superiority” or any sign of pride.

What I see are proud Africans who have captured a green white man and are celebrating (as in Amistad); a slave driver with a whip facing defiant brown men (as in “Roots”); and the slave hunter’s path blocked by a blond woman protecting runaways hiding nearby (as in Harriet Tubman stories). And the orange-faced abolitionist is signing a document that causes a brown man to express his amazement that it is really happening: He’s going to be free!

I wonder, if the artist were a Black man, would anyone complain about his mural?

Lori Wilson

HINESBURG

POSSIBLE POSSUM

Your March 3 article about museums [“Framing the Questions”] mentioned how the Fleming Museum of Art removed a painting of an elderly brown gentleman cooking possum because the dialect was supposedly racist. Actually, the situation and the dialect were accurate for the times and a “tribute” to the chef. In addition to living in Vermont, I have spent substantial time in the states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia and Connecticut, which has given me some cross-cultural background. Perhaps the folks at the Fleming are undereducated or basing decisions on current emotion rather than fact. I hope not.

Warren Ross

COVENTRY

‘JUST CAUSE’ AND EFFECT CORRECTIONS

Last week’s Fair Game column, “Waiting to Inhale,” reported the wrong number of applicants Gov. Phil Scott was considering for the Cannabis Control Board; the correct figure is 10.

The Grilling the Chef feature, “Deep Dive,” contained an erroneous date. The Burlington restaurant Deep City was originally scheduled to open in March 2020.

A February 24 story, “Waste Not,” misstated the source of the grains that Black Dirt Farm feeds its chickens.

The grain comes from Vermont mills but is not necessarily Vermont grain.

[Re Off Message: “Burlington Voters Back Ballot Measures on Weed, Evictions by Big Margins,” March 2; “A Just Cause?

Landlords, Tenants Battle Over Burlington Eviction Proposal,” February 15]: The wrongly titled “Just Cause Evictions” charter change that Burlington voters recently approved is misleading and offers no protections from the high costs and lack of housing. The premise is that renters can be evicted at any time for no cause, which simply is not true. Currently leases are for a set period, typically 12 months, during which time tenants cannot be evicted without cause. “Just cause” will do away with lease end dates in Burlington. Renters could decide to stay for years and years and years, and property owners would have no say in the matter.

We all agree that it’s time-consuming and expensive to turn over apartments, but sometimes not renewing a lease helps remove a tenant who’s delinquent on rent or harassing or not compatible with other tenants. Otherwise, landlords and other renters will be stuck with a bad neighbor or the very time-consuming and expensive eviction process. Expect a much more thorough application process and rising rents as landlords are forced into neverending leases.

The majority of local landlords aren’t greedy, uncaring out-of-state institutional investors. They are hardworking momand-pop property owners, former tenants, and caring members of our community who have saved up and invested in Burlington.

If this charter change is approved at the state level, it will not just be property owners getting “stuck” with difficult tenants — it will also be most of the tenants in our community that this ordinance fails to protect in an already tight rental market.

Steve Lipkin

BURLINGTON

Lipkin is a Burlington Realtor.

AIRPORT GARAGE NEEDS HELP

In a recent Pomerleau Real Estate ad [“Boarding Call for BTV: Burlington’s Airport Is Ready for Takeoff,” February 24], I was disappointed not to read anything about a rehab of the Burlington International Airport garage during this period of vastly reduced use. Gene Richards likes to tell us what an outstanding job he and his team are doing, and rightfully so in many respects, but with the finances and bond rating in good shape, why hasn’t any attention been given to this problem? It seems like an opportunity that truly creative management would not have missed.

Steven Wood

ESSEX JUNCTION FEEDBACK

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contents MARCH 17-24, 2021 VOL.26 NO.24

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SECTIONS

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23 44 50 54 56 59

Fair Game WTF Bottom Line Side Dishes Soundbites Album Reviews Movie Review Ask the Reverend

Life Lines Food + Drink Music + Nightlife Movies Classes Classifieds + Puzzles 80 Fun Stuff 84 Personals

FOOD 44 Done With Dinner

Two Vermont chefs talk about cooking burnout and hacks to get food on the table

All In

Dining inside at Montpelier’s Oakes & Evelyn

RIP, Fidough

How I murdered my sourdough start and realized I wasn’t ready for dog ownership

Vermont’s aging transmission network can’t keep pace with green power projects

46

STUCK IN VERMONT

GRID BLOCK

BY KEVIN MCCALLUM, PAGE 34

Online Now

COVER IMAGE ROB DONNELLY • COVER DESIGN REV. DIANE SULLIVAN

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NEWS & POLITICS 11

ARTS NEWS 26

FEATURES 34

From the Publisher

Stitches in Time

Way to Go

Out With the Old

New Haven’s historic train station has to get out of Amtrak’s way — literally

School at the Center of Things

As Burlington High School returns to downtown, alumni recall an earlier era

Art review: “Pivotal Moments: Select Works by Diane Gabrielle,” BCA Center

Mourning in Place

Book review: American Wake, Kerrin McCadden

Act Together

Middlebury professor Michole Biancosino talks about figuring out virtual theater

Like many older Vermonters, Gốc Văn Trần, SUPPORTED BY: 93, has spent the last year isolated from family and friends. Last week, he got his second vaccination for COVID-19 at the Winooski Armory. His five children and 11 grandchildren in Vermont are excited to see more of him soon.

42

Author and painter Richard Alther on life, death and his new novel, Bedside Matters

We have

Keeping the Past Present

With a UVM program threatened by cuts, does historic preservation have a future in Vermont?

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FROM THE DEPUTY PUBLISHER

Backpack Journalists

When photojournalist Cat Cutillo showed up to cover the opening of Burlington High School’s new downtown campus, she never imagined her images would appear on BuzzFeed and on the websites for People magazine and the UK-based Daily Mail.

Cutillo, a regular contributor to Seven Days’ parenting magazine, Kids VT, was excited about the assignment when writer Alison Novak invited her along. What would a high school inside a former Macy’s look like?

To document the BHS event, Cutillo toted two Canon DSLR 5D Mark IV cameras — one with a long lens and one with a wide lens, so she wouldn’t have to switch lenses. She used a GoPro camera mounted on a selfie stick to shoot video. “It creates kind of a steady-cam feel,” she explained.

Cutillo alternated between filming and taking photos. In all, she spent two hours at the school, peeking into rooms and documenting “visual surprises,” such as designer Michael Kors branding in the cafeteria and people taking selfies in front of “the Levi’s wall.”

As soon as it was published (see sevendaysvt.com/macys-bhs), Novak’s story quickly became the most popular thing on the Seven Days website. Cutillo’s BHS video went up on the paper’s YouTube channel, where it has been viewed more than 27,000 times.

PHOTOS: CAT CUTILLO

Soon Cutillo was getting requests from national outlets eager to license her photos — images that convey both the excitement of this innovative and hastily improvised space and the pandemic weirdness of socially distanced desks inside windowless classrooms.

Her visuals complement Novak’s text, which recorded the hopeful reactions of students, teachers and administrators who’ve been doing their best to cope during this challenging year.

“It’s really cool to see,” senior Ariel Felcan said of the makeshift campus. “I’m excited to spend the rest of the school year here.”

Novak, the managing editor of Kids VT, has chronicled the BHS saga for Seven Days. Working as a news reporter on the education beat since the start of the pandemic, she’s produced roughly 40 stories, mostly about K-12 instruction. The former elementary school teacher has covered the sudden closure of the high school’s New North End campus last fall due to PCB contamination, the BHS principal’s recent resignation and the impact of remote learning on its students. This week Novak dug into the history of Burlington’s If you like what we do and can afford to help first downtown campus, Edmunds High School. pay for it, become a Seven Days Super Reader!

In “School at the Center of Things” (page 15), Look for the “Give Now” buttons at the top of alumni now in their seventies, eighties and nineties sevendaysvt.com. Or send a check with your recall cruising their cars down pre-pedestrian address and contact info to: Church Street and working at Woolworth’s for 35

SEVEN DAYS, C/O SUPER READERS cents an hour. Ruth Wallman, class of 1960, offered

P.O. BOX 1164 an olfactory memory of the former high school

BURLINGTON, VT 05402-1164 building: a combination of “wax and dust and For more information on making a financial probably some dirty socks.” contribution to Seven Days, please contact That might smell like heaven to students who Corey Grenier: haven’t seen each other for a year.

Cathy Resmer

VOICEMAIL: 802-865-1020, EXT. 36 EMAIL: SUPERREADERS@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

11

FAIR GAME

OPEN SEASON ON VERMONT POLITICS BY DAVE GRAM

Team Molly

Lt. Gov. Gray hires a political staffer to stay “connected”

H

12

SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

SOME DEMOCRATIC INSIDERS SEE BROWN’S HIRING AS A CLEAR SIGN THAT

GRAY WANTS TO BE READY IN CASE LEAHY ANNOUNCES HE WON’T SEEK REELECTION IN 2022.

TIM NEWCOMB

ere’s something you don’t see very often. In fact, it may be unprecedented in Vermont.

One of the five statewide officeholders — governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general and auditor — has hired a paid political staffer outside of her official, state-funded office in the first months of a new term.

“I never had paid political staff in the odd-numbered years that I recall,” said former Democratic governor PETER SHUMLIN in response to a question from Fair Game. “In fact, because I’m such a frugal Vermonter, I put off having a paid campaign staff as long as I possibly could. I usually didn’t start that until the legislature adjourned in the election year.”

JASON MAULUCCI, spokesperson for Gov. PHIL SCOTT, gave a similar answer when I asked if his boss had ever hired political staff this early in an odd-numbered year.

Maulucci waited until after 5 p.m., the standard end of the state workday, to return Fair Game’s call, so he could answer a political question on his own time. Maulucci said Scott doesn’t maintain a political staff in the off-election years, though he did hire people in December 2015 when the thenlieutenant governor was gearing up to run for the top job the following year.

So governors typically don’t have paid political staffs early in odd-numbered years, but now we have a lieutenant governor who does. LIZ BROWN, a veteran of Democratic U.S. Senate and congressional campaigns in the Midwest, returned to Vermont (she grew up in Burlington) in January and has been working since then for Team Molly, also known as Molly Gray for Vermont. It’s a 32-hour-a-week job.

Gray, who grew up on a farm in Newbury and was working as a lawyer in the Vermont Attorney General’s Office, rose from political obscurity last year to win the No. 2 job in her first election bid.

A former intern for U.S. Sen. PATRICK LEAHY (D-Vt.), she’s had help from some key Leahy supporters. Speculation is widespread that she would like to be the first woman Vermont sends to Washington, D.C., but she’s being reticent about that for the time being.

“My sole focus, right now, 60 days into my job as lieutenant governor, is meeting the needs of Vermonters,” Gray said. She added that she hired Brown to help her keep “a clear distinction between official work and political things that may come up from time to time.” Among the latter: “making sure that we’re staying connected

to those individuals in Vermont who helped get me elected.”

While HAZEL BREWSTER, Gray’s chief of staff in the lieutenant governor’s office, has put out official news releases about events such as the “Seat at the Table” public issue discussions Gray has been hosting, Brown has run a parallel operation, sending emails about the same events to supporters of Team Molly. The Brown emails include notice that they are “paid for by Molly Gray for Vermont.”

Brown’s hiring could be a sign that Gray wants to be ready in case Leahy, who turns 81 on March 31 and is the longest-serving current member of the Senate, announces he won’t seek reelection in 2022. Or it could be, as Gray says, simply a good way to separate the official from the political roles of a lieutenant governor.

Either way, said former legislator and former Vermont Democratic Party chair STEVE HOWARD, it’s “brilliant.”

‘For Crying Out Loud!’

Vermont is about to get a boatload of federal money to address its long-standing rural broadband problem, but deployment of high-speed internet might not get the scrutiny it deserves.

Of the roughly $1 billion Vermont is slated to get under the federal stimulus bill passed last week, a significant share will go to expanding broadband. One regional broadband board was told last week that between $300 million and $400 million would be spent building out internet service statewide in the next few years.

But let’s imagine for a moment that you’re a citizen-critic who has watched millions of dollars earmarked for rural broadband over the past couple of decades get doled out to private internet service providers. Let’s say you’ve seen those companies spend the money to build in highly populated areas, leaving tougherto-serve and less profitable rural areas behind. Let’s say you want to provide some tough-love public scrutiny of where the new money’s going.

Forget it. And by the way, happy Sunshine Week.

Sunshine Week, led by the News Leaders Association, formerly the American Society of News Editors, promotes the message that democracy requires open government and is harmed by secrecy. This year’s Sunshine Week comes as Vermont lawmakers

consider H.360, a bill that would enhance Vermont’s push to make a new kind of municipality — a communications union district — the main vehicle for building broadband statewide.

Communications union districts were established in law a few years ago. Like towns and school districts, they’re able to soak up state and federal financial support and to borrow money cheaply. For towns and schools, those advantages come with a caveat: They have to allow public scrutiny of their spending decisions, which means they have to pay close attention to Vermont’s open meetings and public records laws.

As legal municipalities, communications union districts “currently, and on into the future, are going to be subject to open meeting laws, and people can attend their meetings,” said Rep. TIM BRIGLIN (D-Thetford), chair of the House Energy and Technology Committee and a key architect of broadband legislation.

At the same time, the districts are going to be collaborators and competitors in an unregulated marketplace with players such as Comcast, Consolidated Communications, VTel and other private companies.

They’ll collaborate when districts contract

GOT A TIP FOR DAVE? DAVE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM ®

with private firms to string fiber down rural roads; they’ll compete when they race to sign up customers.

That’s likely to make district boards less friendly than the average town clerk or school board when reporters or other citizens come looking to attend meetings or gather information about what they’re up to. Consider these three case studies: Dodge No. 1: You can’t come to our district board meeting — or even find out what was discussed — because we’ve signed a nondisclosure agreement with a private company.

ANN MANWARING, board chair for the DVFiber internet district in southern Vermont, said the board’s vendor committee recently signed such an agreement about a meeting with Consolidated Communications. Under Vermont’s open meeting law, a public board can go into private executive session to discuss sensitive topics, such as labor contract negotiations.

But it must publicly identify the topic to be discussed, and it must not stray from that topic once behind closed doors.

Rural Vermonters naturally want to know when they’ll start getting broadband service. But when I asked Manwaring whether the timing of deployment had been discussed in the meeting, she said that the nondisclosure agreement barred her from answering.

“They could have done that, yes, and we could not disclose it,” she said. “They could have said anything in there, and we could not disclose it. We could have talked about the weather, and we couldn’t disclose it.”

So much for the executive session rule about telling us at least what the topics will be.

Dodge No. 3: You don’t have to produce a record if you can avoid creating it.

ELIJAH EMERSON , a lawyer who has been a key player in getting Vermont’s communications districts organized, provided a coaching session on the public records and meetings law last week to the board of NEK Community Broadband. To my ears, Emerson’s advice promoted secrecy. He called the open records law’s exemption from disclosure for business information “the big one that you guys will probably be using most often” to deny members of the public access to information.

Here’s Emerson on how board members should communicate with one another: “If it’s just as easy to make a phone call rather than send an email … think about making a phone call. Think about not making a public record if you don’t need to.”

So there you have it: Vermont heading into the age of information by choking the open meeting law with nondisclosure agreements, letting decisions about disclosure be tinged with personal annoyance and figuring out ways to skirt the transparency laws.

As I said, Happy Sunshine Week.

POLITICS

Dodge No. 2: Let personal pique influence decisions about access to records.

Longtime telecom gadfly STEVE WHITAKER wanted to see public documents related to network design at the ECFiber communications union district in eastcentral Vermont last summer. He was turned down and appealed that decision to ECFiber board chair F.X. FLINN. Here is Flinn’s ruling, delivered in an email: “For crying out loud, Steve. The people and institutions who will take responsibility for this will obviously have access to all the information they need. You are not one of them, nor is any other member of the general public. Appeal denied.”

Flinn said in an interview that some of what Whitaker was asking for was sensitive from a security standpoint. He said Whitaker didn’t make clear the legal grounds for his appeal.

Media Note: Dillon Departs JOHN DILLON,

Vermont Public Radio’s first full-time staff reporter when he was hired in 2001, has announced he’s dropping the mic in May. Dillon, now 66, was already established as one of the state’s best journalists when he left the Rutland Herald and the BarreMontpelier Times Argus for radio land. In the new-to-him medium, Dillon kept up his groundbreaking reporting on energy, the environment and agriculture with work that included series on the plight of undocumented immigrants working on Vermont’s dairy farms and the social and environmental harms of Hydro-Québec, Vermont’s biggest source of electric power. He won several regional awards and one national Edward R. Murrow Award.

Dillon served as news editor for four years, helping stock VPR with a new generation of journalists. He later returned to reporting but broadened his role as the VPR staffer assigned to the New England News Collaborative.

“They’ll carry the torch. They’re doing a great job,” he said of his colleagues on Monday. He added, “I really do admire VPR, its mission and the people. I am really grateful for the chance they took in hiring an ink-stained wretch to do radio.” He said he plans to continue “working at my own pace on my own projects.” m

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news

EDUCATION

MORE INSIDE

WRONG-WAY DRIVER LOSES APPEAL PAGE 17

‘CLOSE TO NORMAL’

BY JULY 4?

PAGE 18

CALEB KENNA

New Haven Train Depot

Out With the Old

New Haven’s historic train station has to get out of Amtrak’s way — literally B Y CO L I N FL A ND ER S • colin@sevendaysvt.com

T

he New Haven Train Depot has long been a monument to the golden age of Vermont railroading. Just yards from Route 7, the 19th-century Italianate brick station is a visual landmark for thousands of passersby every day and serves as a reminder of the bygone era when trains used to shuttle passengers up and down the western side of the state.

But as Vermont prepares to achieve its long-awaited goal of restoring Amtrak service to Burlington, the 170-year-old depot now stands in the way.

Amtrak has deemed the depot a safety risk because it’s less than a dozen feet from the tracks and says it must be removed before passenger trains can start heading up to the Queen City.

Railroad buffs and local officials have floated numerous alternatives in hopes 14

SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

of keeping the depot in its original place.

But the state is adamant: The building must go — and soon.

“There’s really no other option,” said Trini Brassard, special projects manager of the Vermont Agency of Transportation.

Determined to preserve the historic depot, New Haven officials are now trying to move it before the end of the year, when Amtrak aims to launch its new service. But where exactly the depot will go, what it will be used for and who will pay for the move remain open questions. Each day without answers brings the depot closer to the wrecking ball.

“We’re putting a lot of time and money and effort into getting Amtrak up the western side of the state,” Brassard said. “One way or another, we will have the service up and running.”

The depot’s exact construction date is unclear, but best estimates place it around 1852, not long after the completion of the Rutland and Burlington Railroad. The stop first appeared on timetables for the train service in 1854, and the building ’s traditional architecture — brick façade, slate gabled roof and round-headed arches atop the windows — suggests a mid-19th-century design, according to architectural historian Charles Ashton, who successfully nominated the depot for the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Newspaper archives yield a handful of intriguing mentions of the station, including the 1871 recapture of alleged bank

HISTORY

OUT WITH THE OLD

» P.16

UVM Professor’s Viral Video Prompts Calls for His Resignation B Y C H EL S EA ED G A R chelsea@sevendaysvt.com Some University of Vermont students and faculty members are calling for the resignation of associate professor Aaron Kindsvatter in response to a video he posted last week, in which he claimed that he feels ostracized for being white.

On March 8, Kindsvatter, a counseling lecturer in the College of Education and Social Services, uploaded the video to YouTube titled “Racism and the Secular Religion at the University of Vermont.” In the video, which had been viewed more than 17,000 times as of Tuesday evening, Kindsvatter asserted that he “first heard of whiteness” when a faculty colleague “offered to help [him] with it, like it was some kind of disease,” as he put it. “It was a dehumanizing experience,” he said.

“I never expected the concept of whiteness to endure, because it’s so obviously discriminatory,” Kindsvatter continued. “But not only has this ideology endured within the university, it has flourished.” He cited a July 2020 teach-in organized by UVM’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, called “Turning the Conversation to Whiteness,” as an instance “in which a number of vague social ills were associated in a causal way with people of a particular race.”

On Saturday, the heads of UVM Sisters of Color, a student organization, launched a Change.org petition demanding that Kindsvatter step down on the grounds that the views he expressed endanger students of color and undermine the university’s purported values.

“We couldn’t stay silent on it,” said Ayanna McDaniel, a sophomore and a vice president of programming of UVM Sisters of Color. “A UVM professor shouldn’t be saying those things, and he definitely shouldn’t be able to represent the university.”

Kindsvatter felt compelled to speak out after a UVM administrator commented that debates about newly adopted diversity, equity and inclusion requirements in the curriculum were resulting in “harm,” he told Seven Days.

That criticism, he said, was intended to “gain ideological compliance” and “maintain ideological conformity.”

“As a counselor, I have often seen this tactic used in abusive relationships; it’s called emotional blackmail,” he wrote in an email.

Scott Thomas, dean of the College of Education and Social Services, and provost Patricia Prelock announced that they would accommodate any student “who wishes to seek alternative courses taught by other faculty members to complete their program requirements.”

Neither Thomas nor Prelock would comment on whether the administration might proceed with disciplinary action against Kindsvatter, who is tenured.

School at the Center of Things As Burlington High School returns downtown, alumni recall an earlier era

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I

n 1964, high school students in Burlington prepared to leave their downtown digs for a sprawling, cutting-edge campus off North Avenue on the outskirts of town.

A ballooning student body had led to overcrowding and wear and tear on Edmunds High School, a stately Renaissance Revival building that opened in the spring of 1900 on the corner of Main and South Union streets. Its wooden staircase had even developed a dip in the middle from years of stomping feet.

Student staff writers of the 1965 yearbook contrasted “the crowded classrooms and corridors, the insufficient space and equipment of Edmunds” with “the modern laboratories, spacious corridors and classrooms, and up-to-date facilities” of the new campus on Institute Road.

“Yes, we remember fondly our years at Edmunds,” they declared, “but — we were the first class to graduate from the new Burlington High School!”

Nearly 60 years later, students have been forced to relocate from their nowoutdated New North End home after tests found high levels of airborne, cancercausing PCBs in several buildings. Their new school is back downtown, but the

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location is better described as dystopian than cutting-edge. The 150,000-squarefoot Cherry Street space is, after all, a former Macy’s department store, remodeled in just 10 weeks.

Escalators run up and down the center of the building, the walls are still plastered with Levi’s ads, and hot meals are dished out in a cafeteria that once held the latest fashions from Michael Kors.

Students will call the building home for three-plus years as the district figures out what to do with the contaminated Institute Road campus.

I WAS SO GLAD WHEN THEY TOOK OVER MACY’S. TO ME [BHS] SHOULD

BE DOWNTOWN.

MEDA LOW E L L

The Macy’s building didn’t even exist when Burlington high schoolers last studied downtown. But the recent move evoked a flood of memories for Edmunds alumni, who remembered fondly the days SCHOOL AT THE CENTER OF THINGS

» P.18 3v-lakechampchoc031721 1

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news robber and jail escapee Charles Barton.

In a first-person account published in the Vermont Watchman, Barton recalled the depot’s minor role in his regrettable journey back to imprisonment.

“At three o’clock I was taken to the New Haven depot, one of my hands was handcuffed to one of the [police officer’s] hands and I was hurried aboard the train, which started at once,” Barton said.

Another dramatic report from 1903 featured an oncoming train, a 12-year-old girl and a stuck bicycle. “She paid no attention to the train although the engineer blew the whistle,” reads the story from the Middlebury Register. “The people on the depot steps yelled ‘jump for your life’ and she did jump in time. The cowcatcher to the engine missed her by not over six inches.” The bike was not so lucky, landing in a nearby lot, “badly disfigured.”

Passenger trains stopped servicing New Haven in 1953, and the depot spent the next two decades without a purpose.

In 1975, governor Thomas Salmon transferred its deed to the Vermont Division of Historic Preservation so that the state could create a museum for early American railroad history. When that didn’t pan out, New Haven renovated it to house the town offices and the local historical society. But the plan never came to fruition, and the depot sat vacant six more years, until 1986, when the state entered a lease with Roundtree Construction, a company that has occupied the old building ever since.

Amtrak took notice of the depot only four or five years ago, when its officials surveyed the proposed line to Burlington and noticed the building’s distance from the track: a mere 11 feet.

Amtrak had two main concerns, according to Brassard, the VTrans official. First, it concluded that the building would be at substantial risk in the event of a derailment. Such crashes are rare, but trains have derailed at least twice at the Route 7 crossing. In May 1982, a train carrying coal left the tracks. Six months later, a hurtling train car slammed into the depot, causing extensive damage.

Amtrak’s second concern involves visibility: The building prevents train engineers heading south from seeing the Route 7 crossing until they’re right on top of it, meaning they have no way to know whether a car is stuck on the tracks. This doesn’t appear to have caused major issues for the freight trains that still travel the route at speeds of up to 39 miles per hour.

But Brassard said passenger trains will be traveling up to 20 miles per hour faster.

When it comes to stopping trains, she said, every second counts.

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CALEB KENNA

Out With the Old « P.14

New Haven Train Depot

IF YOU’RE REALLY TRYING TO SELL AMTRAK, HAVING AN ICONIC TRAIN STATION [TO PASS] JUST MAKES SENSE.

THE STATION SHOULD BE WHERE IT IS. R IC S ANTA MAR IA

To be sure, no one is arguing that the train depot’s preservation should take precedence over Vermont’s longdiscussed goal to return Amtrak service to Burlington, particularly given the financial considerations at play. The project’s final price tag is expected to eclipse $100 million. Much of that will have been spent on upgrading the tracks between Rutland and Burlington to ensure the latter becomes the new northern terminus of the Ethan Allen Express, which will soon run through Vergennes, Middlebury, Castleton and Rutland en route to New York City.

Nor is anyone saying it would be safe to ignore the problem entirely.

But proponents of keeping the depot on-site believe the state is overlooking viable alternatives, threatening a piece of Vermont history in the process.

“If you’re really trying to sell Amtrak, having an iconic train station [to pass] just makes sense,” said Ric Santa Maria, owner of Roundtree Construction, who has worked inside the depot for more than three decades. “The station should be where it is.”

Those who agree have questioned why Amtrak’s trains can’t just slow down as they pass the depot. “It would take all of two minutes,” said John Christman, a conductor who used to live in Rutland and now resides across the border in Chestertown, N.Y. Brassard dismissed the idea, saying it doesn’t solve the visibility issue. “It will just mean the train will hit [someone] going a little bit slower, but it’s still going to hit them,” she said.

The state also says that it cannot move the depot back from the track because of environmental concerns with nearby wetlands — a stance that Santa Maria disputes. “There really isn’t any distinguishable difference between where the station lives right now and where

it could be moved on the lot,” he said, noting that the area has been covered with fill for decades. “That, to me, is the biggest misstep and the most unfortunate piece of bureaucracy in this whole thing.”

Adding to his frustration is how the state has communicated its decision.

Santa Maria said he was told five years ago that the building may have to move eventually. But he only received confirmation of that in January. He’s now in the process of relocating Roundtree Construction’s offices. “They had their mind made up five years ago,” he said.

“They just never made it official.”

Indeed, while the state has known about Amtrak’s stance on the depot for at least several years, the Town of New Haven was apparently in the dark until earlier this year, according to selectboard member Steve Dupoise. He says it would have been far easier to address the problem had the town been given more runway.

“Didn’t they think we’d have some concern about them coming in and knocking it down?” he said.

State officials acknowledge a communication breakdown but disagree on who’s to blame. Brassard said VTrans notified the Division of Historic Preservation

about the problem several years ago and expected that it would handle the public outreach from there. “They probably have a valid complaint there,” she said of the town.

Vermont historic preservation officer Laura Trieschmann, however, said she was also waiting on an official determination. “Since I first heard about it unofficially, I have been looking for alternatives and stronger direction from VTrans to be able to go to the town to be able to say, ‘Here’s the situation,’” she said.

Now fully aware of the predicament, town officials say their chief priority is to keep the depot in New Haven.

Dupoise is overseeing a committee dedicated to the issue and said he knows of at least six potential townowned plots. He said the state should pay for the move.

“We didn’t create this problem,” he said.

The funding question poses a catch-22, however: The state can only offer financing once it knows what the building will be used for, and the building’s use may depend on who foots the bill, with estimates ranging anywhere from $500,000 to more than $1 million.

“If it’s going to be for transportation use in some way, VTrans thinks they can help us out,” Dupoise said. “If it’s going to be turned into the New Haven Historical Society, there’s probably money out there we can apply for.”

Yet the equation changes if the town plans to lease it to a commercial venture.

And if major alterations are needed to adapt the building for its next use, then the Division of Historic Preservation may be less willing to transfer ownership, Trieschmann said.

If the town decides it can’t thread this needle, there’s still one last option: Dupoise knows of at least one investor interested in purchasing the depot. But he hasn’t “ventured down that road yet.”

“I don’t want to see it get bought and moved to another town,” Dupoise said.

“It’s New Haven’s.”

Gov. Phil Scott suspended all passenger rail service in Vermont last March, and officials estimate that Amtrak will need roughly 90 days to resume service once his executive order is lifted. Amtrak has yet to declare a firm launch date for the Burlington service, and the state still has a number of projects to complete this summer, Brassard said.

Asked for a drop-dead date to remove the depot, Brassard said it all depends on when Amtrak is ready to go.

“I don’t care if they’re moving the last pieces of it the day before service starts,” she said. “As long as it’s gone.” m

LAW ENFORCEMENT

High Court Upholds Murder Convictions in 2016 Crash B Y DE R E K BR O UW E R derek@sevendaysvt.com The Vermont Supreme Court has upheld five murder convictions against Steven Bourgoin, who killed five teenagers in a wrong-way crash in 2016.

The justices’ ruling last Friday rejected Bourgoin’s appeal following a trial held in May 2019, when a jury found him guilty of five counts of second-degree murder, one count of gross negligence, and operating a vehicle without its owners’ consent.

The court sentenced Bourgoin to 30 years to life in prison.

Bourgoin had claimed he was insane at the time of the crash. In his appeal, Bourgoin contended that the prosecution, led by Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George, had failed to prove that he intended to kill the teens. He also took issue with the court’s handling of certain testimony and the instructions given to the jury.

Justices were unpersuaded by any of Bourgoin’s arguments. Under Vermont law, second-degree murder requires that the perpetrator either intended to kill or do great bodily harm, or showed a wanton disregard about the likely consequences of one’s behavior. The high court concluded that the evidence suggested Bourgoin knew he was driving the wrong direction on Interstate 89 and that it was not unreasonable for a jury to decide that he understood the risks involved.

“The fact that he may have been doing so because he believed he was on a government mission or that he was responding to some imagined threat to himself or others, even if believed by the jury, did not preclude the jury from concluding beyond a reasonable doubt that he wantonly disregarded his subjective awareness of the deadly risk his actions posed to other motorists on the highway,” the justices wrote.

Bourgoin also argued that the trial court judge should have granted a mistrial following the delivery of testimony that Bourgoin’s attorneys said had not been disclosed to them ahead of time.

The judge, Kevin Griffin, allowed the trial to proceed but instructed jurors to disregard the testimony in question.

The Supreme Court said that decision was appropriate.

George, in an email, praised the justices’ “incredibly thorough and thoughtful” decision and said she was glad it was rendered quickly.

“I’m hopeful it allows for even the slightest bit of closure for the families, to the extent that’s ever possible,” she wrote. m

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news Vermont Could Be ‘Close to Normal’ Around July 4, Scott Says B Y A NNE WAL L A C E ALLEN anne@sevendaysvt.com

I WAS SO GLAD WHEN THEY TOOK OVER MACY’S. TO ME [BHS] SHOULD BE DOWNTOWN.

With a healthy supply of vaccine headed Vermont’s way, Gov. Phil Scott said on Tuesday that he expects the state to be close to normal around the Fourth of July, a dramatic improvement in expectations.

Hospitality businesses and the organizers of fairs and parades have been wondering whether they’ll be Meda Lowell able to host events at all this summer.

And while Scott didn’t make any guarantees, he floated a hypothetical in which most Vermonters would have received or been registered for a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of May. If that happens, summer could look more like it did in 2019, he said.

“There are a lot of things that come into play with this,” the governor cautioned, warning of unknowns about continued adherence to best public health practices.

“But from my standpoint, it’s almost like we’re back to where we were pre-pandemic, in terms of having businesses open and being able to freely travel throughout the United States,” Scott said of his hopes for midsummer.

Scott takes part in a virtual meeting most Tuesday mornings with other governors and the White House, and he often delivers news from that briefing. This week’s update included good news about vaccine supply, which the governors were told would increase nationwide and in Vermont over the coming weeks.

“This is the assurance we’ve been waiting for,” Scott said.

Hospitality businesses have been waiting for a different kind of assurance: a firm date after which prospective guests can book a stay and travel from out of state without quarantining.

State officials didn’t provide anything like that on Tuesday. But Scott said he planned to release information on Friday about the next phases of the vaccination process, which have thus far been determined mostly by age.

That pattern will continue, he said, with those 60 and over next up.

By the first week in April, “we’ll be publicly showing you what our exit strategy is,” he said, referring to the lifting of restrictions on businesses and social gatherings that are in place to limit the spread of the virus.

“A lot of those timelines and gathering limits and so forth will be in that strategy. It will be apparent at that point what you can do,” he said. m

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SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

School at the Center of Things « P.15 when the city center was an integral part of their high school years — the place for lunchtime hangouts, afterschool jobs and streets to cruise on Saturday nights. Half a dozen alums, the youngest now in their seventies, spoke to Seven Days about their long-ago experiences.

Edmunds’ Main Street location allowed more students to walk to school, so socializing began as soon as teens left their homes in the morning. Joyce Albarelli, class of 1949, remembered the walk to the Edmunds building as a social time. She’d leave her home on Luck Street in the Old North End and pick up classmates along the way.

“By the time we got to school, there were 10 or 12 kids,” she said.

Ruth Wallman, class of 1960, also walked to school every day, from her house on Colchester Avenue, wearing the current fashions: a pencil skirt, a blouse with a Peter Pan collar, a sweater, bobby socks and flats — no matter the weather.

In the colder months, she’d be so frozen when she arrived that she would have to stand by a big radiator to warm up.

Once inside the aging building, there was a distinctive smell, she remembered, of “wax and dust and probably some dirty socks.”

At lunch time, some high schoolers would hurry the two blocks down to the Hitching Post restaurant for a tuna or grilled cheese sandwich, said Meda Lowell, a 1960 grad.

Since students were “regulars” at the spot on the northeast corner of Church and Main streets, the waitresses knew their orders by heart and would “slap it down on the table,” Lowell recalled.

After school, teens would frequent Valade’s Terminal Restaurant, across from City Hall Park, for Cokes and fries, Lowell’s friend Lorrie Colburn recalled.

Church Street, which didn’t become a pedestrian walkway until 1981, was “the center of everything” for students, Lowell said. High schoolers cruised in their cars up and down the thoroughfare. During hunting season, vehicles would pull up at the corner of Church and Bank streets with deer — and occasionally a bear — strapped to them, and then use the big game weigh station at Wood’s Sporting Goods, she remembered.

The YMCA, just a block from the high school at the corner of College and South Union streets, was another popular hangout. Opened in 1934, it housed Vermont’s first indoor pool, a basketball court, a snack bar and a bowling alley.

Edmunds lacked playing fields and had limited gym space, so student activities spread across the city center. Fans cheered

PHOTOS COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

HEALTH

Edmunds High School, circa 1951

BHS Twirlers, 1949

Woolworth’s building, 1945

Boys’ varsity track team, 1949

the football team at South (now Calahan) Park; teams practiced at Roosevelt and Smalley parks. Lowell, who was a cheerleader, remembers evening basketball games at Memorial Auditorium, which also housed sold-out student productions of West Side Story and The Pajama Game in the early 1960s.

Alums also recalled working at downtown businesses now long gone. When Flora Palm graduated in 1948, students were on one of three tracks: basic, commercial or college-bound. As a commercialtrack student, she found a job with the school’s help at Woolworth’s department store on Church Street, earning 35 cents an hour in the hardware department.

During her senior year, she told her guidance counselor that she wanted to be a certified public accountant, but he rebuffed her.

“He said, ‘That’s a lot of hours, and that’s just not a woman’s job, but … I’ll keep you in mind in case something comes up,’” Palm said. That spring, he helped her secure work as a secretary, just up the hill at the University of Vermont. She started on a temporary basis and ended up staying for 10 years, she said.

Wayne Conner, a 1964 graduate, also had a job at UVM. He recalled walking up the steep Main Street hill after school so he could assist a professor doing experimental work with different kinds of grasses. The money from that job helped Conner pay his way through college at UVM. Albarelli, the 1949 grad, worked

The school’s machine shop, circa 1951

after school and weekends as a waitress at Concord Candy Kitchen, a casual restaurant on the corner of Church and Bank streets. When she finished her shift around 7 or 8 p.m., she would have dinner or ice cream with her friends who worked there.

Burlington High School students were not the only ones hanging out and spending their money downtown. Cathedral High School, a Catholic school, sat at the intersection of Pearl and St. Paul streets.

Pat Robins, a retired businessman and 1955 Cathedral grad, recalled in an email that his alma mater and Edmunds “were #1 opponents in all team sports.” Students from the two schools otherwise didn’t interact much, save for those who had “personal connections outside of school,” he said.

Cathedral relocated to South Burlington and became Rice Memorial High School in 1959. With Burlington High School’s departure from Edmunds five years later, the downtown was without high school students for 57 years — until now.

BHS French class in 1953

“I was so glad when they took over Macy’s,” Lowell said, noting that students were “isolated” on Institute Road. “To me, they should be downtown … I’m curious to see if they like it.”

CHURCH STREET, WHICH DIDN’T BECOME A PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY UNTIL 1981,

WAS “THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING” FOR STUDENTS.

School administrators, too, hope that students will like their return to downtown and find opportunities that weren’t available in the school’s more suburban setting off North Avenue. The district is discussing partnerships with

BHS faculty, 1930s

nearby institutions such as the Flynn and ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain.

Students could more easily participate in internships with local businesses.

Choral director Billy Ray Poli said he’s excited about the possibility of holding pop-up musical and theatrical performances on Church Street and the waterfront, in front of an audience.

“Transportation was holding us back before,” Poli said. “The fact that all of this is now, literally, within a 10-minute walking distance — we’re able to access so many different aspects of the community that we just never had before.”

Queen City businesses are eager to welcome students back to the center of the city.

“I think everyone from City Market to Ken’s Pizza is aware of the upside,” said Kara Alnasrawi, the City of Burlington’s director of business support.

Last week, the Church Street Marketplace delivered packets of coupons from local businesses to students at the downtown campus. Pokéworks, a poke

bowl chain on Church Street, attached its coupons to cans of Hawaiian fruit drinks.

“It’s been really fun to see the outreach that’s been pouring out for our faculty and staff and our students,” interim principal Lauren McBride said.

Church Street biz Tradewinds Imports promoted a giveaway for a sterling silver seahorse necklace in honor of the high school’s mascot, she said. Another retailer, Monelle Vermont, is selling sequined change purses that say “I love BHS.” Hotel Vermont and Vermont Federal Credit Union have stopped by with treats.

And, in a gesture that recalls simpler times, parishioners from Cathedral Church of St. Paul, located down the street from the school, plan to bake 70 dozen cookies and hand them out to students and faculty at the end of March — an event being dubbed Cathedral’s Cookie Caper.

The students “have been through so much,” said organizer Penny Pillsbury, whose kids, now grown, went to Burlington High School. “It just seemed to be the welcoming thing to do.” m

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FEED back « P.7

Tobacco ads may bring in money, but in carrying that advertising, you are showing hypocrisy and inconsistency. As Allan Brandt documented so well in The Tobacco Century, cigarette companies have had a long history of duplicity. Tobacco, particularly the brand advertised in Seven Days, killed the truth and killed people. As a journal that has high standards of truth and transparency, you cannot afford to sell out to the merchants of cancer.

George Longenecker

MIDDLESEX

BUTT WHY?

I was shocked to see a cigarette ad on page 41 in the February 17 edition.

Please tell me this is not a real ad, but one somehow associated with an antismoking campaign.

Michael Mellott

UNDERHILL

LOW POINT

My wife and I were shocked and very disappointed to see a full-page ad for cigarettes in a paper with a reputation for being socially conscious and progressive. Really? Come on, Seven Days, this was low. Are you that hard up for cash?

Larry Mindell

WILLISTON

NOT-SO-LUCKY STRIKE

I have now seen two full-page ads in your paper circular advertising Lucky Strike

cigarettes with a link to luckystrike.com for coupons. Seriously? I notice that Nevin Zablotsky has also criticized the ad choice in the February 17 issue [Feedback: “What’s Next — Ads for Oxy?”].

I would like to add my astonished and dismayed voice to that ad feedback.

When I was 10 years old in l959, I started seeing public service announcements and videos about the dangers of nicotine and nicotine addiction. To put these advertisements in your public paper, which is available to a person of any age to pick up, is unconscionable.

The parent company of Lucky Strike is now also selling CBD vapes and may get into THC vapes in the future: The company’s chief marketing officer, Kingsley Wheaton, told CNBC recently that CBD is an “exciting growth area for our business for the future.” Recently the company launched a CBD vaping product called Vuse in England. Will THC be far behind?

A publisher’s note in response to Zablotsky said that you refrain from publishing ads that “include discriminatory language, make fraudulent claims or spread misinformation.” Brown & Williamson was purchased by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco in 2004, forming Reynolds American, which still makes Lucky Strike non-filter today. You know cigarettes are bad for you, right?

Running these ads is a poor choice of revenue.

Melinde Kantor

PLAINFIELD

Publisher’s note: Seven Days is a forum for free speech and a reflection of the diversity of desires and beliefs in our community. We’ve always been very reluctant to start down the slippery slope of rejecting ads for legal products or services. Despite the well-documented harmful effects of smoking, tobacco products remain legal. There are strict guidelines governing where advertisements for them can appear, and we follow them closely.

We do not accept advertisements that promote hate, violence or illegal products. In ads that are published, we refrain from dictating or censoring the messaging, as long as it doesn’t include discriminatory language, make fraudulent claims or spread misinformation.

Seven Days targets an 18-plus audience; the average age of our readers is 41 — old enough to make informed decisions about consuming regulated products such as tobacco, cannabis, beer, wine and spirits. Our parenting publication, Kids VT, does not accept advertisements that encourage consumption of tobacco, cannabis, beer, wine and spirits.

You can find this policy on our website at sevendaysvt.com/advertising-policy.

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SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

COUNT CANAAN

Many thanks for your great article on our neat little club [Staytripper: “Roads Less Traveled,” February 24]. You covered a lot of ground and really gave the essence of what the 251 Club is all about.

I do have one slight correction to offer. You had mentioned Beecher Falls being a town. Actually, Beecher Falls is a village or hamlet in the town of Canaan, the northeastern-most town in the state.

Sorry to be nitpicky, but I am a bit of a detail freak.

I just finished my 251 this past Veterans Day up in Lewis. It was a quest I started 52 years ago as a 16-year-old. It has been an awesome adventure, and about 100 towns were visited while going to the old-time fiddle contests we used to have back in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. In addition to the 251 towns, there are also three gores — Buels, Warren and Avery’s — as well as one other interesting tract called Warner’s Grant.

For some reason, the club does not require you to visit these four places to be a club completer.

I entreat those eight Republicans to give this some serious thought and rescind their House bill H.92.

Russ Layne

DANBY

GRAFFITI NOT FOR SALE

[Re “Tag Team,” February 17]: In Sally Pollak’s article on graffiti in Burlington, I was struck by some dissonance between possible motivations of the artists featured and the goals of Arts So Wonderful to shift them in a different direction — to production of art for sale in a gallery. I’m curious if folks who are “totally fucking fed up with a system that doesn’t pay any attention to them” and who paint work that says “fuck capitalism” would be satisfied by a commercial outlet selling traditional canvas paintings.

This question is not intended as a critique of Arts So Wonderful or any other specific organization, but Bill Guenther MISSION of the assumption NEWFANE STATEMENT that admittance into the capitalRAISING A FLAG ist art market of [Re Off Message: “Bill canvas paintings Would Bar Black Lives intended to adorn Matter and Other the walls of those on Rural Education Flags From Flying at who can afford Schools,” February them is a suitable 2]: Since 1972, public transition for a buildings including type of art that schools have been has a very differflying the Prisoner of ent “aboutness” War flag. Why, all of a about it. sudden, is a group of It seems to Vermont legislators me that graffiti wanting to ban Black is imbued with Lives Matters flags? Indeed, the issue of an implicit frustration with mistreatment of Americans of color goes capitalism and private property ownerback to 1619. Think of that: more than 350 ship and aims to make work that is visible years prior to the Vietnam War. So what is to all community members, regardless the agenda of the eight Republicans in the of the aesthetic preferences of business Vermont House of Representatives? owners or property managers. I’m curious The POW flag was initiated by a group how much of that can be translated into of POW families. The BLM flag was initi- work that is intended for sale. ated by a group of Black citizens whose Kristian Brevik families have been prisoners right here BURLINGTON on American soil for centuries, right up until today.

I’d like to think that there is a consen- SAVE OUR SCHOOLS sus of understanding historically that the [Re “Cliff Notes on Rural Education,” treatment of Black people in this country February 17]: What young family will has been and remains unacceptable. Not so choose to make their home in a Vermont with regard to the war in Vietnam, which town without an elementary school? remains to this day an issue of controversy. How much property tax can closing an But the Republicans are calling the BLM elementary school cut? Administrative, movement a political agenda. Since when food service, health care and mainteis the mistreatment of humans a “political nance staff may be laid off, but school agenda”? buses and drivers must be funded instead.

Norwich U prez quarantines in a dorm

PAGE 15

VERMONT’S INDEPENDENT VOICE FEBRUARY 17-24 VOL.26 NO.20 SEVENDAYSVT.COM

‘MERCHANTS OF CANCER’

CLIFF NOTES

Finances threaten local schools such as Lincoln’s.

Can towns afford to lose them?

STORY BY JONATHAN MINGLE • PHOTOS BY CALEB KENNA

PAGE 28

Burlington grapples with pandemic-era graffiti STORY BY SALLY POLL AK PHOTOS BY LUKE AWTRY

PAGE 38

WEEK IN REVIEW

Howard Fairman

PUTNEY

WOOD WISER

[Re “Carbon Quandary,” October 9, 2019]: We are facing climate choices that will determine the future of living on Earth. Wood burning creates particulate pollution that damages human health while speeding global climate change.

Wood is not an instantly renewable fuel source. It takes 50 to 75 years for a newly planted tree to grow to its full carbon-absorbing potential. Our carbon dioxide emissions need to go down now, not 50 years from now.

Vermont has no old-growth virgin forests remaining over 10 acres in size.

The trees in our woods look like toothpicks as a result of logging. Even loggers can’t find many trees large enough for making boards.

Residential wood burning is hypocritical. We don’t allow cars and trucks to drive around belching out a cloud of smoke, so why do we permit homes to do so?

State and federal policies that encourage electric cars, heat pumps and solar energy while at the same time promote wood burning are hypocritical and delusional.

Vermont environmental laws put money interests first. All of us should be concerned about the future of the Earth.

Robert Young

WEST WINDSOR

CUT TO THE CHASE

There’s plenty of color in the window display advertising the impending arrival of Chase bank in Burlington’s Masonic Temple building, where the Gap used to be. But at least one city resident — longtime Burlingtonian Jenni Johnson — didn’t like how diversity was depicted in the mural-like street scene that wraps around the corner of Church and Pearl streets. The graphic shows people of all stripes engaged in the pre-pandemic activity of social interaction; most of them are carrying shopping bags. But the only Black person in the group is in a wheelchair, with his arm awkwardly extended upward in a gesture Johnson interpreted as begging.

Offended, she took her complaint to Chase, the bank agreed to “address it” and Seven Days covered the conflict in a March 10 web story, “After Complaint, Chase Bank to Remove Ad from Church Street.” Some readers took a different view of the odd artwork, which is proving to be something of a racial Rorschach test, and of the bank’s speedy resolution of the matter.

Thank you, Seven Days and Courtney Lamdin, for your coverage of the complaint against the Chase bank graphic on Pearl Street. It is important to fairly acknowledge the opinions of Jenni Johnson and Max Tracy and to further acknowledge that these two opinions comprise one strong view of the display — a view that is not shared unanimously in Burlington. It is good that Chase has acknowledged the complaint, and I express hope that some balanced discussion will take place before Chase decides to remove or edit the graphic.

Johnson and Tracy now hold a strong opinion of the display, but calling this “racist and ableist” is only one way to view it. This graphic appears to be a group of seven or more residents during activity on a Burlington sidewalk: some are in conversation, some strolling or biking. I see only a positive in viewing this overall scene, as well as the conversation between a wheelchair user and the person he is speaking to. BIPOC and white residents are equally represented in the graphic if one wishes to do some math.

I would urge some healthy discourse in Burlington before a hasty condemnation of this community-focused marketing display.

Robert Kiernan

BURLINGTON

I read this article, and my immediate reaction was to feel badly that it caused such negative feelings in Jenni Johnson.

Everyone reacts differently to things.

Then I looked more closely at the Chase ad to try to understand better.

What I saw were two male friends — one Black, one white — exchanging some kind of nonverbal communication. Why do I think they were friends? They had the same shopping bags, so they probably

Detail of the window display at Chase bank

This stuff cuts both ways. How racist is it to assume the only reason a Black man in a wheelchair is in the park with his hand out is because he’s panhandling?

Clearly, the Black man is gesturing with his hand as he speaks to the white man, who is looking down to make eye contact, which is what normal people do when speaking to each other. Rest assured, if Mr. White weren’t looking down, he would be racist for ignoring the disabled man and not acknowledging his presence.

Funny how no one brought up the white woman in the background who is using the same hand gesture, simply flipped 180 degrees. Given the evidence so far, they are clearly a mixed-race couple who came to the park that day for no other reason than to beg for money. Is our society at such a loss for clear signs of malice and injustice that we need to make stuff like this up?

Phil St. Aubin

CHICAGO, IL

FILE: DEREK BROUWER

If teacher-student ratios are preserved, teachers and teachers’ aides cannot be laid off.

I served on a school board in Québec, where the provincial income tax funded per-student operating-expense grants and justified capital-expense grants. We also could fund via local property tax up to 5 percent of our annual budget for schools’ discretionary expenses. We still closed elementary schools when enrollments became too few.

What if Vermonters innovated a solution? What if the solution must preserve local elementary schools? The internet can interactively connect local elementary schools staffed by teachers’ aides. Classroom teachers can make their weekly rounds of these schools, teaching in-person at one and to the rest of them interactively that day. Art, music and physical education teachers can make their weekly rounds as now.

These and similar grassroots suggestions, not consolidations and closures dictated from Montpelier, will find our “Vermont way.”

were out on Church Street together. The guy in the wheelchair couldn’t possibly be panhandling, since he had the money to fill the two fancy shopping bags.

The more I thought about it, it seemed that Chase had gone out of its way to remove the likelihood of hurting anyone’s feelings. They could have easily stuck a token Black guy in the background of the picture, but they made him the centerpiece.

The fact that he was wheelchair-bound but still apparently living an active, engaged life is a subtle tribute to his strength and self-confidence.

Knowing Chase, they were celebrating how great it is for all people to shop on Church Street — and use Chase’s credit cards. But again, people can read the same thing differently, and I respect that.

Robert Bloch

CHARLOTTE

The most prophetic quote in this entire article is, “I don’t know what the message is, but it’s the wrong message”!

When in doubt, cancel it out. Did Jenni Johnson, in her due diligence, bother to communicate with the actual artist, who is the only person truly qualified to comment on what is going on visually? And what if it turns out the artist is a person of color?

Is the Chase mural offensive? I think not. I don’t know how anyone could view this artwork as anything other than a creative community mural. It surely depicts what occurs on and near Church Street: a bicyclist, Vermont greenery, a couple walking their baby, two female shoppers conversing, a handicapped shopper conversing with a friend. Isn’t it nice that they all exist in harmony no matter their skin color or physical limitations? Kudos to the artist.

I showed this mural to my wife and children, and no one agreed with the objector. The only comment was: “No cow or dog?” It’s a shame that some people need to read into things that just don’t exist. If the person in the wheelchair were lighter skinned and the person standing were darker skinned, would an issue be raised?

The world would be a better place if we did not always assume a racial issue exists when it doesn’t.

This article started a discussion at our dinner table. One of my children said that the government and the press always make it a race issue when, in fact, most of the time it is not. Even in this article, does it really make a difference if the objector was white or black? They objected; that is their opinion. We can’t please everyone in life; that is just life. The subtle differences make us who we are.

Let’s leave the mural and continue to live and work in harmony without reading into things that just don’t exist.

John Roberts

POINT PLEASANT, N.J.

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OBITUARIES, VOWS, CELEBRATIONS

OBITUARIES Rita Elizabeth Murphy Pomerleau Rita Elizabeth Murphy Pomerleau was an extraordinary woman. Although she left this world on March 10, 2021, she will never be forgotten. Remarkably, both she and her husband lived to celebrate their 100th birthdays. At the time of her death, Rita was surrounded by her family, who had been caring for her in her lifelong home and who had given her the reason to live so long.

Rita was born in 1920 in Melrose, New Brunswick, Canada, to Helena Winnifred Helm and Denis Ignatius Murphy. Rita was the eldest of their five daughters and the last surviving member of her family. Always signing her name as Rita Murphy Pomerleau, she never forgot her Irish heritage or Canadian upbringing.

Rita fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming a registered nurse after studying at Hôtel-Dieu de l’Assumption Hospital in Moncton, New Brunswick. Her first position after graduating was at Arvida General Hospital in Arvida, Québec.

While nursing in Arvida, Rita developed a friendship with one of her patients, Ida Pomerleau Bushnell, whose younger brother became a frequent visitor. Ida’s brother’s name was Tony Pomerleau, and the rest is history. They were married on October 14, 1946, and in the years that followed, Rita and Tony created their own dynasty of 10 children, 13 grandchildren, four great-grandsons and a successful real estate business.

All of this was accomplished in Burlington, Vt. Tony’s French Canadian background and Rita’s Irish Canadian background provided for years of good-natured banter between them.

To know Rita was to appreciate her love of family, animals, the arts, books, politics and fashion. Second only to the love for her family were the numerous beloved cats,

dogs, birds and other animals she nurtured over the many years. She also orchestrated her 10 children’s ballet, piano, art and singing lessons, often for unappreciative offspring.

She was inexhaustible in attending baptisms, communions, confirmations, recitals, graduations, college visits, parents’ weekends and weddings, only to start all over again with her grandchildren. Reading a good book in the privacy of her bedroom was her main refuge, and her beautiful gardens were renowned. Painting and calligraphy were arts she enjoyed even in the constant chaos of her large family. In the midst of it all, she always managed to elegantly attire herself and her children and still get out the door with her lipstick perfectly applied and in her trademark high-heeled shoes.

Family trips are the folklore of her family. The memories of journeys to Canada, Mexico, Florida and many other destinations in the United States by car, plane and Winnebago provided for endless latenight entertainment. Rita somehow packed herself and the family and still managed to relax despite lost children, motion sickness, canceled reservations and vehicle breakdowns. Despite all this, Rita and Tony found time to escape together by ship and air to Europe, Canada, several islands and United States destinations. Their winter home in Bal Harbour, Fla., also became the winter destination for their children and later their grandchildren and great-grandchildren who trickled in one by one, often uninvited but always welcomed. This same approach

worked for their summer home and boat.

Tony and Rita were pillars of strength for each other.

After Tony died in 2018, the family she nurtured continued their care for her, all the while attempting to fill the largerthan-life space that Tony had filled for her. Rita and Tony weathered years of joy and pain, building a business, and growing old together. Their financial success allowed for many charities to benefit from their generosity and the Antonio B. and Rita M. Pomerleau Foundation will carry on helping Vermont institutions into the future.

Together they were pillars of their family and the Burlington community. Rita’s husband, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were her pride and constant companions.

Rita is now reunited with her beloved husband of 71 years, Tony, and their forever-young daughters and granddaughter, Anne Marie, Ellen Theresa and Jessica Anne. Her surviving family is blessed with that comfort and has envisioned the reunion. Rita and Tony mourned the loss of their precious daughters, Anne Marie and Ellen, to the end of their own lives. The Pomerleau family mourned the recent loss of Tony and Rita’s granddaughter, Jessica Pomerleau Halnon, and their son-in-law, F. Daniel Corkery.

Rita leaves behind her devoted children: Ernest Pomerleau and wife Dee, Patricia Pomerleau, Elizabeth Pomerleau Mays and husband Thomas, Susan Pomerleau Corkery, Dennis Pomerleau, Rosemary

Pomerleau, Alice Pomerleau Waxler and husband Brian, and Grace Pomerleau; and her loving grandchildren: Alexis Pomerleau, Terrence Pomerleau and wife Natalie, Ellen Waxler McGinnis and husband Ryan, Drew Waxler, Madeline Waxler, Olivia Waxler and fiancé Judd Waite, Caroline Rita Mays, Lauren Mays Tsentas and husband Christos, Alexandra Mays, Charlotte Mays, and Frank and Catherine Corkery.

Last but certainly not least are her very special and much-loved great-grandchildren: Spencer, Sullivan, Oliver and Arden.

Rita was predeceased by her husband, Tony; her daughters Anne Marie and Ellen Theresa; her granddaughter Jessica Anne; and her sisters Laura, Frances, Alice and Stella.

Besides her immediate family, Rita leaves behind many beloved nieces and nephews in the U.S. and Canada.

The Pomerleau family would like to thank Rita’s personal caregivers, Danielle Dixon, Justine Autor, Morgan Lentine, Victoria Swindell and Beata Byrd, who provided loving care to Rita over the last many years. Understanding her pride, they made sure Rita was never seen without her signature black hair, chignon, beautiful dresses and lipstick.

Rita was perfectly beautiful to her last day.

A private family mass and celebration of her life will be held on Saint Patrick’s Day — one of Rita’s favorite days of the year.

Lastly, our amazing mom always said, “If I can instill my love of cats and flowers to my children and grandchildren, I will have done a good job.”

Well, Mom, you did a great job.

Therefore, in lieu of flowers and in honor of her love of animals, a donation in her name to the Humane Society of Chittenden County directed to the “Rita Pomerleau Feline Sanctuary” would be greatly appreciated: Humane Society of Chittenden County, 142 Kindness Ct., South Burlington, VT 05403 (hsccvt. org/donate).

Arrangements are in the care of Ready Funeral Service, 261 Shelburne Rd., Burlington, VT 05401 (readyfuneral.com).

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OBITUARIES, VOWS, CELEBRATIONS

OBITUARIES Netta Engel Tudhope

dental hygiene at the University of Vermont before marrying Doug in 1951. They then moved to Richford for nine years, where Doug had his first teaching job. At only 19, Billie

coached the cheerleaders of the school and updated their uniforms with a design based on her own high school uniform.

Billie and Doug had three daughters together: Jane, Sandy and Mary. For years, Billie was a stay-at-home mom to her three daughters. After they left for college, Billie started her career in real estate brokerage. She later founded Billie Tudhope Realtor in North Hero and began a lifelong friendship with Betty Little, her teammate. While Billie’s home was North Hero, she loved to vacation on Captiva Island, Fla., where she enjoyed time with her kids, grandkids and friends.

Billie’s love for the ocean began as a child, when she often went to the beach with her parents on Long Island. While she loved Lake Champlain, she missed the ocean when she moved to Vermont. With

visits to Captiva, she had the best of both worlds.

After surviving breast cancer, Billie became an advocate for women suffering from breast cancer and worked hard to ensure they were given the guidance and compassion essential for healing.

Billie was a warrior! She overcame breast cancer four times, as well as endured the limitations of a stroke and the passing of her daughter, Sandy, yet she always maintained an upbeat and positive outlook.

Billie’s fun, feisty, dynamic and loving personality was a gift to everyone she met. She had a reputation for making friends with anybody she talked to, always learning their names and their stories. Billie was a lover of music, especially old show tunes and jazz from artists like Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. She had a beautiful singing voice and was

known to spontaneously break into song. Billie was a gem!

Billie is survived by Doug Tudhope, her husband of 69 years, and her daughters: Jane (and her husband, Bill) and Mary.

Grandchildren include Dan Shearer, Courtney Shearer, Ben Shearer, Sarah Bowley and Peter Bowley.

Billie’s two great-grandchildren are Henry Shearer and Amelia Shearer.

She is also survived by her sisterin-law, Janet Austin. Billie will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

Due to COVID-19, an outdoor service will be held later this year.

Arrangements are being made through Stephen C. Gregory and Son Cremation Service. Donations can be made to CIDER for all of their help with transportation: P.O. Box 13, South Hero, VT 05486 and/or Grand Isle Rescue, 3 Faywood Rd., Grand Isle, VT 05458.

He looked forward to the beginning of each semester with enthusiasm — the new and returning students, the new syllabus, and the new texts all brought him joy.

While teaching gave him satisfaction, the family he created brought him happiness and comfort. With his first wife, Judith Yarnall, he

welcomed Julia True (Jeroen Kok) and Katherine True into the world — and completely lost his heart and equilibrium. In time, and after his marriage to Charon (Goderwis) True, his family was complete with the arrival of twin sons, Adam True and Steven True (Joy Watson).

In 1971, we bought a house in East Fairfield that we fondly nicknamed the Big Wooden Tent. Having quickly learned that the plumbing, wiring and other repairs the old house required were best left to professionals, we turned instead to its rolling hillsides. Over the next 50 years, we created, imagined, abandoned and reimagined our gardens to our hearts’ content. Marshall loved working the ground and was particularly fond of his flowers — peonies, clematis, hollyhocks. He found inspiration in the indefatigable asparagus, reawakening every spring without fail. When age and illness put him on the sidelines, Marshall delighted in sitting on the back deck in the evenings, taking in the scents and views of the gardens,

full of suggestions about what we should do next year.

In 1995, after what Marshall described as a terribly long wait, we began welcoming another generation into our lives. Over the following 10 years, we were abundantly blessed with nine grandchildren: Lara Kok, Nico Lepeska-True, Milo Kok, Julian Lepeska-True, Lilia True, Emma True, Alexander True, Tess Lepeska-True and Sarah True. The last two Marshall affectionately dubbed “Tessara” because they arrived nearly at once. He loved being a father, but he really blossomed as a grandfather. He held, cuddled, soothed and was charmed by each grandchild. He particularly loved sitting with a grandchild or two in his lap and a book that demanded many silly voices.

After Marshall’s retirement, we traveled to visit family and also to satisfy curiosity about places we had read about. The week before Marshall died, he reminded me that our passports expired during the pandemic, and he asked me to

start the process of renewing them.

We had begun planning our first post-pandemic trip to the Scots Highlands, a place Marshall had always wanted to see. Ever hopeful.

Ever adventurous.

As soon as travel becomes safe, hopefully by summer, we will gather in East Fairfield at the Meeting House on the Green (a former village church that he loved) and celebrate the 82 years of Marshall True’s life. A further notice of the details will appear in this publication. Marshall is survived by his brother Michael True (Edie Williams) and sister Marilyn True, both of Auburn, Maine, as well as his wife Charon, his four children and his nine grandchildren.

In the place of flowers, please consider a donation to the Bent Northrop Memorial Library, 164 Park St., Fairfield, VT 05455.

Goss Life Celebration Homes is the area’s exclusive provider of life celebration events. Please visit our website to share condolences, photos and favorite memories at gossfs.com.

MARCH 23, 1932-MARCH 5, 2021 NORTH HERO, VT. Netta Engel Tudhope, lovingly referred to as “Billie” by friends and family and “Grandma Booie” by her grandchildren, passed away peacefully on March 5, 2021. Billie was born on March 23, 1932, to William Engel and Netta Engel. She grew up in East Williston in Long Island, N.Y., where she graduated from Roslyn High School. Billie earned her nickname from her tomboy style — her mother struggled to get her inside for piano lessons because she was busy playing baseball.

Billie’s family vacationed during summers in North Hero, Vt., where she met Doug Tudhope at the Town Hall Dance. She later studied

Marshall MacDonald True

JUNE 28, 1938-FEBRUARY 28, 2021 EAST FAIRFIELD, VT. Marshall MacDonald True slipped gently from this life on the morning of February 28, 2021. He was born June 28, 1938, in Portland, Maine, to Marshall Leland True and Marion (Young) True. Marshall grew up and attended elementary and high school in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, a childhood that he described as perfect.

He graduated from Bates College in 1960 and found his way to the University of Virginia, where he received his master’s degree and then his doctorate. After a year of teaching at UVA on Wallops Island, Va., he took the position of professor of history at the University of Vermont in 1966, where he remained until his retirement in 2000. Teaching was Marshall’s passion. He often described his job as “getting paid to read books and talk about them, which I would happily do for free.”

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arts news

Stitches in Time Art review: “Pivotal Moments: Select Works by Diane Gabriel,” BCA Center B Y PA M EL A POL ST O N • pamela@sevendaysvt.com

O

n the second floor of the BCA CENTER in Burlington, the exhibit “Pivotal Moments” is modest in size but eloquent in scope; it’s a testament to the wideranging interests and exquisite skills of Vermont artist Diane Gabriel. Sadly, the show is posthumous; Gabriel died unexpectedly in 2017 at age 70. Viewing her prints, photographs and mixed-media creations, one wonders what she would have thought of this abbreviated survey of her prolific art-making over some 40 years.

The task of selection fell to BCA curator and director of exhibitions HEATHER FERRELL, who pored over works in the home Gabriel had shared with her husband, MARK STOLER. “We found about 600 pieces of Diane’s work in the house,” Stoler said in a phone call. With printmaking in particular, Gabriel liked to work in series, he noted, “so there are a lot of multiples.”

“Pivotal Moments” presents 13 two-dimensional works — prints and photographs, as well as one drawing — and a trio of objects in freestanding vitrines. The latter pieces capture the eye immediately as one enters the gallery.

ART

ARE AKIN TO MEMORIES CAUGHT IN AMBER.

PAMELA POLSTON

HER MANIFESTATIONS WITH INK ON PAPER

“Hair Shirt” initially elicits a smile, perhaps because small things are adorable. Supported internally so that it stands upright, the childsize dress shirt is made from delicate paper; tea-stained, its ocher blotches recall ancient walls. The dressmaking is impeccable: pointed collar, patch pocket, tiny buttons and buttonholes. The shirt is unbuttoned, like a door left ajar for a visitor.

Those who peek inside will be rewarded with an explanation for the title: Clouds of human hair, resembling hirsute dust bunnies, fill the space where one would expect a body. While punny and clever, the piece also conveys a sense of loss, of hollowness. One wishes the artist were 26

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"Hair Shirt"

there to answer questions: Whose hair is this? Who or what is missing? Whose penitence?

Two objects share the second vitrine. “Baby Slippers on Thorns” is a pair of tea-dyed paper shoes in an early 20th-century style that balance awkwardly on long,

needlelike thorns. Obviously not meant to be worn, they suggest any number of metaphors for the difficulty of standing up, moving forward, embarking on journeys.

The other creation, “Bag of Tears,” appears to the casual glance like a lady’s purse with strands of clear plastic spilling out of it. The object loses its innocence with a closer look.

Using a transfer technique, Gabriel imprinted the tea-dyed muslin purse with photographs that are dark in every sense of the word: images from the Holocaust and other 20th-century genocides.

Gallery text explains that Gabriel was descended from European Jews and grew up in a Jewish neighborhood in the Bronx, N.Y. She claimed to have “a complex relationship with her faith and cultural identity.”

The text also explains that Gabriel took the idea and title for this piece from a speech by Holocaust survivor, author and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel in which he said he felt like he traveled the world collecting tears.

Gabriel reportedly considered this her most important work.

There is also much to admire, however, in the artist’s twodimensional explorations. The oldest piece in this exhibit, from 1978, is a grid-based graphite drawing that Gabriel made two years after graduating from Goddard College. The techniques used in each of its 48 squares — smudging, puncturing, erasing, rubbing — show an emerging artist in thrall to variations on a theme.

The rigor of repetition is fundamental to certain printmaking techniques, including monoprints. One of the most remarkable examples in this exhibit illustrates Gabriel’s deep interest in textiles as a form of communion with the past.

“Shoah” lays out a baby sock, a bonnet, a dress and other items, which appear like fragile crocheted ghosts against a black background. The viewer is left to decipher this

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PAMELA POLSTON

flaw of the low-fi Holga gives the image a sort of tunnel effect — in this case an impression of going toward the light.

Gabriel’s exhibition comes in tandem with a new artist award in her name. She was the inaugural recipient of the Barbara Smail Award, which was supported by that late artist’s family and has now run its course, according to BCA executive director DOREEN KRAFT. “I didn’t want to see this go away,” Kraft said of the annually granted Smail award, which included a modest amount of cash and full use of BCA’s studios.

The new Diane Gabriel Visual Artist Award will do the same. Kraft, who first met the artist in the 1970s, said her family “ended up loving the idea” of honoring her in this way. Stoler confirmed that he and Gabriel’s son, sister and brother-in-law have committed to donating $1,500 per year for at least five years.

“Diane was so good — her artwork, even

Mourning in Place

COURTESY OF BCA CENTER

neckwear in “Two Collars Separated by One Hundred Years.”

Whatever personal meaning these items held for Gabriel, her manifestations with ink on paper are akin to memories caught in amber.

Just three photographs are included in “Pivotal Moments”: two compeltableau, much as the ling digital "Bag of Tears" brain might try to translate prints of young a photographic negative. girls circa 2010 and a 1994 gelatin silver print Several monotypes, or one-of-a-kind of the New Haven River. The latter, captured images, also appear in the exhibit. Like with a plastic Holga camera, is a moody “Shoah,” some of these are printed directly scene, with the water reflecting clouds and from textiles — a baby’s embroidered dark trees on either side guiding the eye christening dress in “Vessel #4,” women’s toward a horizon point. The characteristic

“Shoah I”

metaphorically, stitched together past and present,” Kraft said. “So this award continues what her work was really about.”

INFO “Pivotal Moments: Select Works by Diane Gabriel,” on view through May 15 at BCA Center in Burlington. burlingtoncityarts.org

BOOKS

Book review: American Wake, Kerrin McCadden B Y J I M SCHL EY • schley@sevendaysvt.com

T

he phrase “American wake” is used for the mourning party held when family members leave Ireland, emigrating in aspiration or desperation for better chances across the ocean. There is no certainty of seeing one another again.

American Wake is also the name of Vermont poet KERRIN MCCADDEN’s newest book, and the title poem begins this way: Hold a wake for the living, the leaving. Stop the clocks and turn the mirrors. Tell stories. Smoke and eat and drink. It was never a question of whether they’d leave, but when.

Irish wakes are legendary for churning together grief with a passionate claim for more life, always fueled by music.

A reader whose ear is attuned to McCadden’s carefully placed syllables will hear another reverberation in “wake”:

The word also means the tumultuous trail rolling out from a fast-moving vehicle.

Within the world of this book, the death of a brother from a heroin overdose creates such a wake.

McCadden, who lives in South Burlington and teaches at Montpelier High School, is the author of Landscape With Plywood Silhouettes (New Issues Poetry & Prose, 2014), which in 2015 won the first Vermont Book Award. Her chapbook Keep This to Yourself, published last year

by Button Poetry, included some of the poems about her brother’s addiction.

These are interspersed in the full-length American Wake among pieces with a different focus.

The book’s stylistic variety is striking, at times disorienting, requiring shifts to different ways of reading. There’s a series of sturdy, sonnet-shaped pieces and a poem that surveys a loved but faraway landscape via Google Earth, toggling

between map and street view. In “Choose Your Own Adventure: Loneliness,” the reader is given options for jumping around among the stanzas and permission “to get up and get a snack,” “to give up” or “to give in.” “On the Moon” imagines a home on the lunar plain, and “Seal Bride” reinhabits the myth of the selkie.

This poet loves fables and etymologies, genre jumping and digital imaging, and we can hear her at play in long lines, searching for a hue, texture or rhythm. Yet even when most imaginative, McCadden’s poems are remarkably quiet.

Inevitably, the poems about her brother’s death have the greatest impact.

McCadden’s recent chapbook, the beautifully shaped Keep This to Yourself, contains a briefer selection, which pivots entirely upon the brother’s long, drawnout suffering. In that more compressed sequence, the force of feeling is intensified.

In American Wake, the brother poems

are much farther apart. Readers must piece together the filial situation and chronology, including that the lost brother was adopted as a child, had previously been abused and never found his biological family. In the process, we’re given crisp verbal snapshots from a shared childhood, glimpses of the children’s troubles in coping with each other (the brother often “wailing”) and with a parent who has an actual “hole” at her center, patched with “Teflon … and a valve from a cow to seal the doorway” (“My Mother Talks to Her Son About Her Heart”).

The drama of sister and lost brother is repeatedly interrupted. Perhaps it seemed unbearable to proffer the addiction and overdose poems consecutively, without relent.

In an interview included with the publisher’s press release, McCadden says MOURNING IN PLACE SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

» P.28 27

arts news

COURTESY OF JESS DEWES

Mourning in Place « P.27 FROM AMERICAN WAKE “If They Mean to Have a War, Let It Begin Here” My brother can’t swim. No promise of shipwrecks can make him keep a needle out of his arm. I tread water out past the dock. Our mother makes piles of rocks, twenty-eight rocks in each, rocks for years. If you put your hand between her shoulders, her back is a shell. Our father paces and remembers the Revolution, its many dawns like holidays. We only want to take a vacation. We want to get away from home. Other families do it and return refreshed. We have come to John’s Pond as a last resort, to regroup. We only want what we can’t have, each of us striking off. Every direction we take is grace. My brother’s teeth fall out one by one like casings as he sings about the whites of our eyes.

through a child’s-eye view of the saints’ torments in “A Hagiography”: Kerrin McCadden

of the elegies for her brother, “I thought they would help me process this colossal loss, but they don’t. They don’t comfort me, and they don’t comfort readers.

That’s hard — hearing that a poem has made someone cry. It’s simply a terrible landscape to visit.”

No rule says a book of poems must group pieces with similar themes, and the choice not to do so in American Wake was surely intentional. And maybe many poetry readers don’t proceed through a volume from start to finish but instead roam around, lifting and settling as birds do in a field.

Still, for this reader, the book would have 28

SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

— a box filled with rusted bed- / frames and ploughs” (“Our House Behind the Hawthorns”).

The terrain holds a touchstone that McCadden never ceases to think about and seek throughout years of visits.

She haunts and is haunted by the place; it’s both haven and inexorable trial.

Essential to her poems set in Ireland is penitence, which the pilgrimpoet enacts with visits to Station Island.

Known to many readers from Seamus Heaney’s poem cycle of that name, this is a site of rigorous absolution, in legend where Christ showed St. Patrick the entrance to purgatory.

McCadden struggles with the guilt and fury of a survivor and with a thorny inherited faith. The weird mix of brutality and release in Christian devotion is reflected

THE DRAMA OF SISTER AND LOST BROTHER IS

REPEATEDLY INTERRUPTED. gained momentum and strength if the pieces about the brother had been gathered together.

Another group of poems spread out through the book explores McCadden’s ongoing relationship with what had been, a century earlier, her family’s homestead in rural Ireland.

Now it’s a vacant ruin, “just stone walls

Where was Saint Denis going when he walked downhill into Paris, holding his head in his hands?

Where does anyone go with their head in their own hands?

And what sermon does he give, this man gone walking and praying, having played chicken without backing down from men with swords, scourged and racked?

What an unforgettable image of the brother, playing chicken with swords.

And of the poet, testifying, her head in her hands.

INFO American Wake by Kerrin McCadden, Black Sparrow Press, 104 pages. $16.95. McCadden gives a virtual reading on Thursday, April 1, at 7 p.m., hosted by Phoenix Books. Register at phoenixbooks.biz.

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Act Together

Middlebury professor Michole Biancosino talks about figuring out virtual theater

COURTESY OF PROJECT Y THEATRE

B Y M ARG A RET G RAYSON • margaret@sevendaysvt.com

A still from “Close (but Not Too Close!)”

W

hen the pandemic shut down in-person theater, MICHOLE BIANCOSINO realized pretty quickly the theater world would have to adapt. The Middlebury College assistant professor is also the cofounder of New York-based Project Y Theatre with a fellow Middlebury graduate, Andrew W. Smith. This summer, she’ll launch a Vermont-based project: TINY BARN THEATRE. “I thought, We need to pivot immediately,” Biancosino said in a phone interview. “Rather than wait and see what happens, just embrace doing work digitally. That was probably the smartest decision that we made: realizing, like, the world was changing in this moment, and we should change with it.”

The Project Y team decided that, if theater were going to move to video presentations, they needed to start with plays that worked in that medium, with all its glitches and time delays.

THEATER

“You have to do different sorts of plays in Theatre Festival, which features female over Zoom,” Biancosino said. “You can’t playwrights and prioritizes women workdo plays where people cut each other off ing in all roles in theater production. Three all the time, because you can never know are already available online, and the fourth if it’s going to line up.” will be released on Friday, March 19.

Project Y put out a call for Called “Close (but Not Too “Zoom plays” — scripts that Close!),” it’s a 25-minute had been written with a musical, with book by videoconference platPaloma Sierra and form in mind or could lyrics by Julia Koyfbe adapted to one. man, about a dating They received more app for people who than 600 submiswant a relationship sions, which they but are too nervous collected in a database to leave the house and and made free to use for meet people. While not a pandemic story, educational purposes. it plays on the inherent (Those who want to use Michole Biancosino awkwardness of video calling a play for other reasons are asked to contact the playwright.) and online dating.

“It’s a collection where people who are Biancosino directed the musical with directors or running theaters or education Smith, who lives in Pittsburgh. “I think programs are going and looking for mate- it just felt so of-this-moment,” she said. rial,” Biancosino said.

“We’ve all been forced into this asocial Project Y selected four plays from the way of being.” database to produce for its annual Women The sound on the video recording of

“Close” is remarkably clear, matching the quality of the singing — far from what we’ve come to expect from Zoom calls.

Biancosino said Project Y hired a sound technician who discovered the actors could use free software to join a virtual “room” and sing and harmonize together with very little lag.

“At rehearsal, when they were all singing together and able to do it in real time, it was the first that any of us had experienced that sort of technology working since the pandemic hit,” she said. “That was very exciting for everybody.”

Typically, Biancosino spends her winters teaching in Middlebury and her summers working in theater in New York. But this year, she’s sticking around Vermont to launch Tiny Barn Theatre. The tiny barn is in Biancosino’s backyard, and she will put on a series of “hybrid” shows, produced simultaneously for a small audience (maybe six people, she said) and a livestream.

“We’ve commissioned playwrights to write short, hybrid theater acts — and we’re calling them experiments, because we don’t know how they’ll work — where you really acknowledge the dual audience,” Biancosino explained.

She’s excited to reinvest in Vermont theater, she added. Last October, Biancosino directed a socially distanced reading of The Agitators, a play about Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass, at Charlotte’s CLEMMONS FAMILY FARM, a collaboration of Middlebury’s TOWN HALL THEATER and Middlebury College’s 21st Century Theatre Festival.

“That’s the benefit of Vermont — the space, and that there’s so many people here who are interested in arts and interested in having interesting conversations after seeing a play,” Biancosino said. m

INFO “Close (but Not Too Close!),” book by Paloma Sierra, lyrics by Julia Koyfman, compositions

by Dusty Sanders, codirected by Michole Biancosino and Andrew W. Smith, produced

by Project Y Theatre, Friday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m., online. Free, donations accepted. Tickets on Eventbrite. witfestival.projectytheatre.org.

For info on or tickets to Tiny Barn Theatre, email tinybarn@projectytheatre.com.

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WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT BY KEN PICARD

Why Is Someone Giving Away a Free House in Shelburne?

of obstacles such as power lines, traffic signals and tree branches.

“If somebody’s got a use for it, that would be wonderful,” Frisbie said.

But as of press time, he hadn’t found any takers.

Haddock is skeptical that anyone will step up before Sterling Homes breaks ground this spring.

If not, the house will be dismantled.

Offering to give away and move historic houses isn’t as unusual as you might think, said state architectural historian Devin Colman. Though he admitted that such offers rarely result in a successful move, in 2016 a historic house in Winooski was moved to Burlington’s Old North End to make way for a new apartment building.

That house was also built in the 1840s.

Is Haddock sad to see the house go?

“I spent my entire working life there, so there are pangs of remorse about it,” he said. “But overall, no.”

Haddock will have one final duty before the house is relocated or dismantled. He’ll need to help move his brother, Christopher, who’s still living in it.

PRESERVATION

from his father in 1997 and ran it with his wife, Sandy, until the couple retired in July 2019. They’re now selling the land to Sterling Homes to help fund their retirement. Frisbie plans to redevelop the 8.7-acre property, turning it into a 17-home residential neighborhood.

First, there are some loose ends to tie up. The farmhouse and several other structures on the land, includ- The historic farmhouse ing three 19th-century greenhouses that were built at Shelburne Farms and moved to the property in the 1920s, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Chicago Colts, are listed on the Vermont State Register the Washington Senators and the Brookof Historic Places. As such, they cannot be lyn Bridegrooms. summarily demolished without efforts to Alas, even such major league cred likely preserve their historic value. won’t be enough to spark much interest in the farmhouse. Due to the prohibitive cost So how “historic” is the farmhouse?

“There’s nothing historically signifi- of getting it up to code, independently esticant about it except that it’s old,” Haddock mated at $600,000, the Vermont Division said. “But that’s not unusual in a town in for Historic Preservation agreed to let the Vermont.” developer give away the Greek RevivalNevertheless, as part of the project’s style house to anyone who’s willing to, Act 250 permit application, Sterling well, revive it.

Homes had to submit a historic resource The new owner would be responsible for documentation package to the state. The finding land to put it on, as well as paying 163-page report includes some interesting for a mover, which isn’t cheap. According tidbits about the property. For example, to Jason Messier, with Messier House Bert Abbey, the father of Gardenside Moving & Construction in East Montpelier, Nurseries founder Frederick Abbey, was a such projects can run tens of thousands of Major League Baseball pitcher from Essex dollars, and the cost is based on the buildin the early 20th century. One of the origi- ing’s weight, not the distance it travels. nal inductees in the University of Vermont Then there are the costs of state highway Athletic Hall of Fame in 1969, he played for permits, support vehicles, and the removal

DIVISION FOR HISTORIC

SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

Farmhouse on Webster Road in Shelburne

COURTESY OF VERMONT

30

KEN PICARD

T

he classified ad in Seven Days seems fairly straightforward: An old Vermont farmhouse, circa 1840, is available in Shelburne for near-immediate occupancy. It’s a oneand-a-half-story, L-shaped farmhouse with wooden siding, a stone foundation, and a newer porch and addition that could be removed by the new owner. Asking price: free for the taking, provided you take it somewhere else.

One might assume that a free house would move quickly, given how Vermont’s residential real estate market has boomed since the start of the pandemic. According to the Vermont Association of Realtors, the average sales price for a single-family home in January 2021 was $314,949 — more than 14 percent higher than in January 2020. But that early 2021 average reflected a slight cooling of the housing market since late last fall. In November, the average sales price for a single-family home was $352,537, more than 26 percent higher than the year before.

Talk to any Vermont real estate professional, and they’ll tell you they have buyers aplenty but virtually nothing to show them. Once a house hits the market, it gets snapped up right away, often by out-ofstate buyers who can plunk down cash, site unseen.

So why is this 19th-century farmhouse on Webster Road in Shelburne still up for grabs?

“It’s in pretty rugged shape, and it’s of a design and size and ceiling heights that are not conducive to today’s market,” explained Bart Frisbie, president and co-owner of Sterling Homes in South Burlington. The company placed the ad to get the old house off a property where it aims to build.

If Frisbie sounds like he’s being diplomatic in describing the house’s shortcomings, its owner, Jeffrey Haddock, is more blunt.

“The wiring is poor. The plumbing is poor. The basement is constantly wet, and the beams are showing signs of rot,” he said. Also, the roof leaks, the floor sags and, for a time, raccoons were living in the basement. In short, Haddock added, “There’s a lot wrong with this house.”

He should know. Haddock lived there from the time he was 13, when his family moved to Vermont from Connecticut, until he left for college. His father bought the place in 1964 to run Gardenside Nurseries, which was founded on the same property in 1926.

Haddock took over the family business

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BOTTOM LINE BY KEN PICARD

Sweet Relief Slammed by COVID-19, women’s pant maker SheFly is back and raring to go

G

COURTESY OF SHEFLY

Georgia Grace Edwards

WE HAD QUITE A FEW FANS TELL US HOW HELPFUL

THEIR SHEFLYS WERE DURING THE PANDEMIC.

G E O RG IA G RACE EDWARDS

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eorgia Grace Edwards spends lots of time talking about dropping trou. The 25-year-old Middlebury College grad is cofounder of Burlington-based startup SheFly, which set out to solve a problem that’s long plagued half the world’s population: peeing outdoors as a woman.

The problem has nothing to do with the female anatomy and everything to do with women’s apparel, the majority of which, Edwards noted, is designed by men. Traditional pants zippers are engineered primarily for the male anatomy — a members-only club, if you will.

In the summer of 2016, while she was working as a guide on the Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska, women’s bum rap in trousers hit home for Edwards. Spending eight to 12 hours a day on the ice, she was seriously disadvantaged compared to her male colleagues, who could easily wee at will without baring too much.

In contrast, Edwards found herself taking long and sometimes dangerous treks to find privacy, and then removing multiple layers of clothing in butt-clenching cold before relieving herself. Burning unnecessary time and energy, she knew there had to be a better way to go.

Edwards wasn’t alone. While interning in Salt Lake City the following summer, she befriended fellow Middlebury College student Bianca Gonzalez, an avid hiker from Taos, N.M. They’d both endured many embarrassing and uncomfortable potty breaks al fresco, so they started brainstorming solutions.

Back in Middlebury, Edwards attended an entrepreneurial training program and began prototyping what would become their user-friendly outdoor she-slacks.

She and Gonzalez hooked up with fellow Midd kid Charlotte Massey, an avid climber and mountaineer from Washington State. In August 2018, the trio of twentysomethings registered SheFly Apparel as a Vermont-based company. Its slogan: “Answer nature’s call.”

Consumers were highly interested in their innovative design. The pants’ double zippers run along a hidden seam between the pant legs, allowing wearers easy and adjustable access to their privates in both front and back. As for undergarments?

Women either pull them to the side, Edward explained, or “go commando.”

SheFly is also developing base layers with a similar design.

By late 2018, SheFly was winning statewide entrepreneurial pitch competitions and garnering national press. The small startup crowdfunded more than $51,000 in March 2019 and presold 500 pairs. SheFly contracted with a certified fair-trade, zero-waste facility in Dharamshala, in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, to manufacture their product.

When the pandemic hit and Americans went outdoors in record numbers, demand surged for SheFly, which was tailor-made for women with active lifestyles. But just as the company was taking off, its progress was halted midstream.

“This time last year,” Edwards recalled, “we found out that our factory in India was going to be closed down for a government-mandated lockdown.”

SheFly notified its customers of the delay and promised to get them their gear as soon as possible. But the “temporary” shutdown became permanent when the manufacturer went out of business.

“Like, closed their doors, sold all their machines [and] tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of inventory stuck in India that we won’t be able to recover,” Edwards said. Because the expense of shipping the unused fabric to a new manufacturer costs more than the material was worth, the company took a total loss.

“So we’ve been without SheFly product for a full year now,” Edwards said. “There are about 400 people in the world who have SheFlys, but the rest are still waiting, unfortunately.”

And, because SheFly is a startup without a regular payroll, the company didn’t qualify for state or federal assistance such as Paycheck Protection Program loans.

Despite the costly and demoralizing setback, the SheFly team, which has grown to a half dozen employees, spent its lockdown scattered across the country and focused on other projects, such as rebranding and rebuilding its supply chain. Though the company tried to move production to the U.S., Edwards said they couldn’t find a domestic manufacturer that could make their technical product without tripling the price of the pants.

(SheFly’s two models sell for $128 a pair.)

Still, when nature calls, she won’t be left on hold for long. With a waiting list of more than 3,000 people “of all genders,”

Edwards said, SheFly has lined up a new manufacturer in Shanghai, China. The company expects to place an order soon.

Edwards estimated that consumers could have their products by late summer.

In the meantime, feedback from the lucky women who wear them has been, in Edwards’ words, “overwhelmingly positive.

“We had quite a few fans tell us how helpful their SheFlys were during the pandemic,” she said, “especially in the context of avoiding high-traffic public restrooms, frequenting places where public restrooms were closed altogether — we got lots of golf course anecdotes — spending longer periods of time outside overall, and taking on new hobbies like rock climbing.”

SheFly isn’t just about helping women avoid embarrassment and discomfort. As Edwards pointed out, women who work and play outdoors for long periods often limit their fluid intake to avoid having to pee, putting themselves at risk of dehydration. Others hold their bladders excessively long, which increases their chances of urinary tract infections.

Moreover, for women serving as firefighters, police officers and military personnel, disrobing on the job can create serious safety concerns. Her team has heard numerous anecdotes from female soldiers about the dangers of relieving themselves in combat zones, as well as from police officers who have to remove

their utility belts and firearms while on duty.

About two weeks ago, Edwards spoke to a woman from Colorado who works as a bridge inspector and dangles in a harness all day. She told Edwards that SheFly has completely changed her life, and she requested five more pairs so that she can hire more women.

Recently, the company was one of four startups chosen from among hundreds of applicants to participate in the Moosejaw Outdoor Accelerator, an eight-week intensive business mentoring program sponsored by the outdoor gear and apparel retailer.

Though SheFly isn’t taking orders on its website until production resumes, getting

its products into Moosejaw’s shops and on its website would be a real game changer.

About a third of all communications the company receives are from people who want to bring the product to a new industry, Edwards said. Now that SheFly has patented its dual-zipper technology, the company could license its design to other manufacturers.

After what had looked to be a dismal year, SheFly is giving new meaning to the phrase “squatters’ rights.” m

INFO Bottom Line is a series on how Vermont businesses are faring during the pandemic.

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GRID BLOCK Vermont’s aging transmission network can’t keep pace with green power projects B Y KEV I N MCCAL LU M

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SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

KEVIN MCCALLUM

J

ohn Ovitt has a sticky problem. The Franklin Foods cream cheese plant he runs in Enosburg Falls makes more wastewater than the tiny village treatment plant can handle.

Eric Fitch has an innovative solution. The founder and CEO of New Hampshire-based renewable power company PurposeEnergy could transform that foul cheese water into a valued commodity: renewable electricity.

Their partnership seemed like a perfect match until the state’s energy regulators recently raised an inconvenient truth: The power grid in the northern third of Vermont already has more renewable energy than it can handle.

Big wind and solar projects developed in recent years in rural parts of the region generate far more power than businesses and residents there consume. The surplus electricity is exported to more densely populated parts of the state over older transmission lines that, on sunny or windy days, can be pushed to their limit.

When that happens, regional grid managers must step in and tell power generators — usually the owners of the two large wind farms in Lowell and Sheffield — to cut back on their electricity production to keep the lines from overheating.

That costs a lot of money: $13 million in lost energy sales over the last several years, according to an estimate by Green Mountain Power, the state’s dominant utility and owner of the Lowell wind farm.

When utilities lose revenue, customers bear the cost by paying more for power.

So when Franklin Foods recently sought permission to fire up a modest new wasteto-energy plant in the heart of this overloaded zone, state energy officials winced.

In theory, such a project should be well received for its multiple economic and environmental benefits. It would diversify the state’s portfolio of renewable energy beyond wind, solar and hydro. It would eliminate a waste stream that contributes to lake pollution. And it would help a major

Lineman Cody Crowe upgrading a Green Mountain Power line in Eden

employer in an economically depressed area lower its costs, stay competitive and, potentially, expand.

It’s just in the wrong place.

“Having excess renewable generation in an area means that maybe we shouldn’t be prioritizing new renewable generation in that area,” Ed McNamara, director of utility planning for the state Department of Public Service, told Seven Days.

These grid-related problems and their costs have led both McNamara’s department and a local utility to oppose the Franklin Foods project. The maxed-out grid has already cost Vermont the loss of renewable energy projects. While some

were of modest size, at least one, a 40- to 60-megawatt wind farm proposed near Island Pond, was industrial scale. Developers of Seneca Mountain Wind canceled their plans in 2012, in part because of the grid limitations.

Renewable energy advocates describe reluctance to add new sources as shortsighted at a time when Vermont’s ambitious climate goals require a sweeping transformation of the state’s energy sector. They say the persistent grid limitations underscore just how far the Green Mountain State remains from embracing a clean energy future. Vermont need look no further than the recent widespread, extended power

outages in Texas to see the peril of delaying modernization of the electrical grid, said Chad Farrell, founder and CEO of Burlington-based solar developer Encore Renewable Energy.

Unlike Texas, Vermont has not deregulated its electric utilities. But no single entity is responsible for the management and operation of transmission lines and associated infrastructure that make up the state’s electrical grid. Rather, a complex web of public and private entities import, generate and distribute electricity to homes and businesses in a marketplace tightly controlled by federal, regional and state regulators.

KEVIN MCCALLUM

WASTE NOT

Jeff Jewett preparing to haul excess cheese wastewater to a local dairy farm

The grid has been woefully underinvested in for years.

Grandpa’s grid has got to go.

Franklin Foods in Enosburg Falls

C H AD FAR R E L L

State and utility energy planners acknowledge that the grid would need significant investment to accommodate additional renewable sources. A recent report by Vermont Electric Power Company, better known as VELCO, the manager of the state’s 738 miles of highvoltage transmission lines, estimates that tripling the amount of solar power statewide would require more than $500 million in transmission system upgrades alone.

But VELCO’s mission is to build and maintain transmission capacity needed to reliably serve existing power demands, said Frank Ettori, its director of power accounting. VELCO’s role is not to overbuild the grid to handle prospective future generation projects by for-profit energy developers.

“Unfortunately, in order to solve this problem, it takes a lot of money, and it comes down to who pays,” Ettori said.

It’s up to renewable energy developers who want to tie in to the grid to fund any needed upgrades, he said.

McNamara, the utility planning official, is among those who contend that upgrading transmission lines solely to accommodate new projects is not the best way to achieve the state’s renewable energy and carbon-reduction goals. It’s just as important to keep electricity costs low so that consumers have an incentive to switch to cleaner electric heating and electric vehicles, McNamara said.

Green power developers counter that such policies impede their projects even as the climate crisis demands more of them. Allowing large swaths of Vermont to become no-go zones for significant new projects is unfair to the people and business owners there who want to be part of the clean energy future, Farrell said.

“The grid has been woefully underinvested in for years,” Farrell said. “Grandpa’s grid has got to go.”

On a frigid February morning, in an industrial park on the banks of the Missisquoi River, Jeff Jewett climbed atop his tanker truck, opened the hatch and peered into the darkness. Inside sloshed 4,500 gallons of milky white wastewater that had just been pumped into his truck from a reservoir in the bowels of the Franklin Foods plant.

The protein-rich slurry was a mixture of whey from the cheesemaking process and wastewater created when workers hosed down equipment between batches.

The plant produces more than a dozen brands of cream cheese. Its biggest seller, Hahn’s, is prized by bakers as a key ingredient in New York-style cheesecake.

Founded in 1899, the cheese plant is an economic driver in its corner of the state, purchasing tens of millions of gallons of milk and cream annually from more than a dozen dairies in northwestern Vermont.

Owned by German food conglomerate Hochland SE, Franklin Foods, which also runs a cream cheese plant in Arizona, is the third-largest cream cheese producer in the United States. The Enosburg Falls plant produces about 45 million pounds of cheese annually and employs 80 full-time workers.

Making all that cheese, however, generates millions of gallons of waste, more than the modest Enosburg Falls village treatment plant can handle. So Franklin Foods pays Jewett to haul it away daily.

After closing the tank hatch, Jewett climbed down, hopped up into the cab and drove off, heading east out of town. Passing the Hannaford supermarket, Jewett soon crossed the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail and arrived at the Choquette Dairy farm.

He backed up to one of the barns, hooked one end of a thick hose to a tanker valve and threaded the other beneath a row of cows mooing for breakfast.

Jewett pulled a lever, and milky swill inundated the cement floor and mixed with the manure and urine from dozens of cows. The whole fetid mess streamed into a nearby manure pit.

Dumping wastewater this way at local dairies is a convenient — though not inexpensive — way for Franklin Foods to manage what is often referred to as “high-strength” waste. Unlike wastewater from homes, the material has such a high organic content that it is too costly for many municipal wastewater treatment plants to handle — and impossible for smaller ones like Enosburg Falls’.

The cheese plant has its own pretreatment system to filter some of the wastewater, but it takes vigilance to ensure that GRID BLOCK SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

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the permitted volume and concentration levels are maintained. That can become especially difficult during the fall when holiday orders soar and the plant takes in a million pounds of milk a week, Ovitt, the plant manager, said.

Diverting the cheesy slop into an on-site digester would solve several problems, Ovitt said. It would reduce Franklin Foods’ trucking costs. It would ensure the company didn’t violate its existing wastewater permit. And it would position the plant for additional investment from its German owners, for whom sustainability is a core value, Ovitt said.

“We want to compete,” Ovitt said. “We want to be the plant that is able to expand, but to do that we need not only the capacity but also the ability to handle the [waste] on the other end.”

That’s where Fitch comes in. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology-trained engineer started PurposeEnergy, which converts organic waste into renewable biogas.

The cheesemaker’s waste could be captured in an oxygen-free vessel, called a reactor, where bacteria break down organic matter and create methane. Such biodigesters have been turning manure into “cow power” on Vermont farms for decades, but they produce only a tiny sliver of the total electricity supply.

Fitch was one of the first to take the technology beyond dairies when, in 2010, he helped Magic Hat Brewing in South Burlington build the nation’s first brewery waste-to-electricity plant. In the fall of 2020, the Vanguard Renewables started work on a project at a large dairy farm in Salisbury to combine manure and food waste diverted from landfills to generate biogas to heat buildings at Middlebury College.

Fitch’s plan was to convert the methane from Franklin Foods’ wastewater into 710 kilowatts of electricity, enough to power roughly 800 homes. He was awarded a 20-year power contract through the state’s Standard Offer Program, which encourages the development of renewable energy sources.

Utilities are required to buy that power at fixed rates.

When he applied to the Public Utility Commission for a project permit late last year, however, both Vermont Electric Coop, the utility that serves the area around Enosburg Falls, and the Department of Public Service, which advocates for ratepayers, raised concerns. McNamara said his Department of Public Service flagged the project for the same reason it has others 36

PHOTOS: KEVIN MCCALLUM

GRID BLOCK

SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

Roger Jacobs showing Franklin Foods wastewater in the pretreatment system

that were proposed in the area in recent years — the grid.

Wastewater from Franklin Foods that could be turned into electricity instead being flushed into area manure pits

POWER SQUEEZE

This congested corner of the grid is known as the Sheffield-Highgate Export Interface, or SHEI for short. It stretches across parts of six northern counties — Grand Isle, Franklin, Lamoille, Orleans, Caledonia and Essex — where the electricity supply far outstrips the demand.

Transmission lines in the region were never built to serve anything beyond the limited needs of the largely rural area, according to VELCO’s Ettori. VELCO, collectively owned by the state and 17 private and public utilities, has been chipping away at the region’s limitations for years, but comprehensive solutions remain elusive.

In 2004, for instance, VELCO built a new transmission line from Irasburg to Newport linking two separate dead-end lines into a loop, which improved system reliability in the region. But the project, a $24 million investment for VELCO, did not significantly expand the capacity of the grid to export power, Ettori said.

While the grid in northern Vermont is up to date in some places, in others it remains wanting. One of the transmission lines near Highgate is probably the smallest-capacity line in New England, Ettori acknowledged.

The SHEI region uses an average of 35 megawatts of electricity, but its transmission lines must carry more than 10 times that from green-power sources near and far: 225 megawatts imported from Hydro-Québec; 63 megawatts produced by Kingdom Community Wind’s turbines in Lowell; 40 megawatts from Sheffield Wind Farm; 35 megawatts from hydro plants in Sheldon Springs and Highgate Falls; and 8 megawatts from the Coventry landfill, where gas is collected and turned into electricity.

The imbalance in the region is particularly acute in the spring and fall, when

rivers are running high and the wind is blowing, but demand is low.

Northern Vermont is not the only place in New England where renewable energy has outstripped the capacity of rural wires.

The grid in northern Maine has struggled to reliably export wind projects’ power to where it is needed.

The nonprofit ISO New England, which runs the grid in the Northeast, works to keep the system in northern Vermont stable in several ways, one of which is to limit how much large producers, particularly the two wind projects, can generate.

For example, Kingdom Wind’s 21 turbines can produce enough power for

about 24,000 homes when the wind is strong enough. But grid managers occasionally issue “Do Not Exceed” orders to throttle down production at the farm, said Josh Castonguay, GMP’s vice president and chief innovation officer.

These mandated power reductions take place about 9 percent of the time, according to the Department of Public Service.

Building more renewable power projects in the area risks further stressing the grid and forcing generators to scale back production more often. A 2019 state report warned that allowing such projects could “impose uneconomic and unreasonable costs on ratepayers,” in part because of the risk that new, higher-priced power would displace cheaper power already available.

The Public Utility Commission has in recent years denied new solar projects in the region for this reason. McNamara argues that it makes sense to steer solar developers to parts of the state where the grid can handle the load.

But that’s not an option for Franklin Foods.

“We didn’t choose this place arbitrarily because of the cheap land costs,” Fitch said. “We chose it because there’s a whole bunch of organic waste that originates there, and if we treat it on-site, we can make the world a better place.”

Regulators supported Fitch’s pioneering Magic Hat project, but much has changed since. A similar project he’s proposing in St. Albans to convert waste from Ben & Jerry’s and food scraps from Casella Waste Systems is also receiving far more scrutiny than expected, he said.

For an otherwise beneficial project to get tripped up by grid constraints is frustrating, McNamara said.

“When I first saw this [Franklin Foods proposal], I thought, What other job could I possibly do? Can I maybe make a living as a carpenter?” McNamara quipped. “This stuff just hurts my head.”

The Public Utility Commission is considering a compromise with solar developers who still want to build in the area. It would charge them a “grid adjustor” fee meant to offset the economic harm to the ratepayers from new renewable solar projects.

But that won’t help Franklin Foods, whose project remains in limbo. The commission has yet to rule on Fitch’s request for a certificate of public good.

The company has options that don’t involve generating electricity. Franklin Foods could, in theory, burn its wastegenerated gas to heat its buildings,

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McNamara noted. Vermont Gas officials have inquired about purchasing the gas, too, but the economics don’t seem to

pencil out, Fitch said.

No new transmission improvement projects are coming to the rescue. VELCO has maintenance work in the pipeline, but SATURDAYS > 9:30 p.m. it isn’t planning any beefier lines in the near future. VELCO’s member utilities recently nixed a plan for a $40 million line upgrade in the northwest corner of the state, contending that it was too expensive, Ettori said.

That doesn’t mean utilities are powerless to fix the problem. Vermont Electric Say you saw it in... 3/15/21 16T-VCAM031721.indd 16t-vcam-weekly.indd 11 11/2/20 5:19 3:07 PM PM Coop is exploring installing more battery PRACTICAL MAGICK storage along its network in the region.

15 PEARL ST, ESSEX JUNCTION 05452 802-662-5570 PRACTICALMAGICKVT.COM And GMP has made a number of upgrades sevendaysvt.com aimed at increasing the export capacity in the area, Castonguay said.

When GMP built Kingdom Wind in12v-practicalmagick011321.indd 1 1 11/24/09 1:33:19 PM 1/8/21mini-sawit-black.indd 4:20 PM 2012, regulators knew it had the potential to destabilize the grid. GMP was required, over its objections, to add equipment to counterbalance those effects.

This included constructSTARTING AT ing an expensive device in THE 2021 $ * Jay called a synchronous 54,750 GLE condenser, which helps maintain a stable voltage on the grid during isolated STARTING AT THE 2021 $ outages. More recently, 54,750* GLE GMP installed similar equipment at the Sheldon Springs hydroelectric dam; such upgrades are also planned for the Sheffield Wind Farm.

These stabilization measures matter because they increase the capacity at which ISO New England is willing to operate the grid and, therefore, limit the need to scale back production, Castonguay explained.

GMP is also upgrading an 18-mile section of its own lines from Lowell to Johnson. A crew was working near Eden last week to install new, thicker-gauge aluminum wires that will double the line’s ability to export power, Castonguay said.

“It’s like another relief valve, another path for electricity to come out of the SHEI area,” he said.

Renewable energy advocates are unimpressed. Farrell, the solar developer based in Burlington, calls the upgrades Band-Aids on a system that needs major investment, including grid-scale battery storage. Farrell’s company is working with London-based Highview Power to develop a 50-megawatt, long-duration 2021 GLE 350 SUV shown in Iridium Silver metallic paint with optional equipment. *MSRP excludes all options, taxes, title, registration, transportation charge and dealer prep. Options, model availability and actual battery that would dwarf anything in the dealer price may vary. See dealer for details. ©2020 Authorized Mercedes-Benz Dealers For more information, call 1-800-FOR-MERCEDES, or visit MBUSA.com.

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KEVIN MCCALLUM

GRID BLOCK

« P.37

and then generate electricity when needed by allowing the liquid to warm and expand to power a generator.

No site has been selected for the project, but Farrell said it’s exactly what the northern reaches of the state need to ensure that existing renewables are captured and new sources can be added. Focusing primarily on the expense to ratepayers of improving the grid ignores other costs of declaring an entire region effectively off-limits to new clean energy generation, Farrell said.

“What do you say to the business owner, the homeowner, the school, the hospital up in the Northeast Kingdom when they want to participate in the clean energy economy, when they want to access all of the financial, economic and social benefits of participating in a distributed energy project, and are not able to?” he asked.

WHO IS CONDUCTING?

The need for a statewide approach gets more pressing as Vermont increasingly looks to meet its climate goals by steering people away from fueling their cars and heating their homes with fossil fuels and toward electric alternatives, said Jim Merriam, CEO of Norwich Solar Technologies.

“If we are to address climate change quickly and efficiently, we cannot approach grid modernization by project fees in lieu of a comprehensive plan and funding strategy,” Merriam said.

Lawmakers know any hope of hitting the state’s climate goals hinges on a rapid shift to “beneficial electrification” of cars and heating sources. Sen. Chris Pearson (P/D-Chittenden) pushed hard last year to expand from 10 to 20 percent the amount of power that utilities would be required to buy from small, locally based renewable sources. Utilities balked at infrastructure costs they estimated at up to $900 million, and the bill failed.

“There was basically a resistance from the utilities because they’d rather have their own generation projects as opposed to democratizing that a little bit,” Pearson said.

Despite some progress, there remains “enormous potential for improvement” in how the grid is designed and managed, Pearson said. This includes more battery storage to soak up intermittent sources, such as solar and wind, and microgrids that make the system more resilient in the face of severe weather.

He acknowledges, however, that the complexities of energy policy and grid management make them challenging for a part-time citizen legislature to oversee effectively.

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SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

New, thicker aluminum high-voltage transmission lines that will double capacity to export power

The Public Utility Commission is the three-member, quasi-judicial body most directly responsible for ensuring that the grid serves residents as intended. The commission’s policy director, Tom Knauer, noted that the Vermont Supreme Court has upheld a 2019 commission decision denying a permit to a Derby solar project due to “undue adverse impacts” on ratepayers directly related to the grid’s limitations.

He declined to discuss the issue further, citing multiple cases pending before the commission.

POWERING DOWN

Over time, congestion on the grid is expected to spread south, following green electric projects. That has huge implications for the state’s climate goals, said Nils Behn, CEO of the Waitsfieldbased Aegis Renewable Energy.

“When you eliminate large swaths of Vermont from participating in renewable energy solutions to climate change, you are hobbling the state from being able to truly and meaningfully offset its carbon emissions,” Behn said.

He and other energy developers argue that the state needs to do a better job of encouraging more in-state renewable energy production. Reforming the way utilities are able to trade in renewable energy credits would be a good place to start, Behn said.

Such credits, known as RECs, are what qualify a utility to characterize its energy as green or renewable. By allowing Vermont utilities to meet their renewable energy goals on paper by purchasing inexpensive

The State of Vermont can’t have it both ways.

There’s a price to be paid for green energy.

J O H N O VIT T

credits from Hydro-Québec, the state removes an important incentive to develop more local green energy sources, he said.

“It’s not fixing anything that wasn’t already fixed 40 years ago,” Behn said.

Castonguay disagrees. Those credits play a role while utilities continue to upgrade the grid and expand the number and kind of renewable energy sources distributed around the state.

“We need to continue to build new renewables. Period. We need to continue to build them in Vermont and in the region,” he said. But insisting on concentrating them all where land is cheap doesn’t make economic sense because of the expense involved in the construction of new transmission lines, he said.

There are smarter, more cost-effective ways to keep the grid in balance while shifting it toward more renewable sources, Castonguay said. This change involves pairing intermittent power sources with batteries, such as GMP’s Tesla Powerwall program, and shifting the demand for power. Some electric vehicles, for instance, automatically charge at night, when power is cheapest.

After decades focused primarily on ensuring that the state’s electric grid was reliable and affordable, the Public Utility Commission has in recent years paid more attention to facilitating the shift to cleaner energy.

“The problem is that the clean energy future has lots of variations and flavors,” McNamara said.

When the costs of all those options are laid before lawmakers in his department’s upcoming revision to the state’s annual Comprehensive Energy Plan, the choices will be stark. “We’re going to really irritate a lot of people over the next year,” McNamara said.

Fitch said he understands a small wasteto-energy project like the one at Franklin Foods needs to take into account cost to ratepayers, including whether it would force existing renewable projects in the area to reduce generation more often.

He’s open to paying a reasonable grid-impact fee as long as it doesn’t make the $10 million cheese-waste digester uneconomical.

“I think we could make that work,” he said.

Ovitt, the cheese plant manager, said he understands the state’s resistance to forcing ratepayers to pay more for power.

He would hate to see the government do something that increased the price of milk and cream for his business, he said. At the same time, if it costs people more to do the right thing for the climate, he said, so be it.

“The State of Vermont can’t have it both ways,” Ovitt said. “There is a price to be paid for green energy.” m

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3/16/21 3:12 PM

Way to Go

Author and painter Richard Alther on life, death and his new novel, Bedside Matters B Y D A N BOL L ES • dan@sevendaysvt.com

I

f you ask someone how they hope to die, most people will … well, they’ll look at you in fear, confusion and/ or shock and probably scurry away.

Those who stick around long enough to answer might say something like, “In my sleep, blissfully unaware.”

“That’s the nirvana,” Richard Alther said in an interview. “Avoid death altogether.”

Indeed, slipping peacefully away into dreamland with no pain or suffering is typically considered the ideal way to depart this mortal coil. But Alther, an author, painter and competitive swimmer who lives in Ferrisburgh and Palm Springs, Calif., isn’t convinced.

In his latest book, Bedside Matters, Alther explores end-of-life issues through the eyes of Walter, a dying tycoon. In a series of deathbed interactions with family and caretakers — along with an assist from the works of 13th-century Persian poet Rumi — Walter comes to a different and deeper understanding of his life and humanity in the days immediately before he leaves it.

Alther’s fifth novel is a quiet exploration of how we prepare for death — or, maybe more accurately, how we don’t.

But it’s also a rumination on how life and death are inextricable and how accepting the inevitability of dying can reframe how we approach living, even in our very last moments. As former Vermont governor Madeleine Kunin wrote in a book jacket blurb, “Bedside Matters is a rich and articulate example of how truths fall into place towards the end of a life. Richard Alther has written with sensitive insight into the mystery of death.”

Seven Days recently spoke with Alther by phone from Palm Springs.

SEVEN DAYS: What inspired a novellength rumination on death?

RICHARD ALTHER: Each of my books has been inspired by a subject by which I’m compelled to spend two or three years to dig into, saturate myself. They’re issues that are fairly contentious, raising a lot of questions and various points of view for me to snoop into, but not necessarily come up with a resolution. I do a tremendous amount of reading, mostly nonfiction, to screw up the courage to tell a story from those issues.

The issue of mortality — I think all of us have had experience with death, probably from childhood on in various ways. How we 40

SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

SD: Death is a difficult topic to talk about in part because of the finality.

What I find hopeful about your book is the idea that change is possible, even up to that last minute.

RA: From the start, I wanted to make Walter a curmudgeon and a highly privileged character — white, very wealthy, male — so that I could spin the story from where we started to how his concept of himself erodes to acknowledging, really for the first time, the plights of other people.

So the characters in the book help Walter shift from his self-focus to a more immediate one, on these people as he’s engaging with them. He’s not thinking about his past, the future or his impending death. They are bridges to what he’s about to do.

How I would describe it is that Walter winds up as an everyman because of these interactions. He comes to realize that he’s simply a soul, like all other living things.

And, ironically, that’s a source of expanding his view of life and looking back to the way he’s been.

It’s tricky business because we don’t talk about death; we do try to shove it aside.

Death gets a bad rap. What I wanted to show was the other side of the coin. That death is intricately a part of life.

BOOKS

Richard Alther

incorporate death is entirely different for each individual. As a young boy, I’ll never forget being in a funeral home, standing next to a casket and looking at my grandmother, this waxen, otherworldly figure — she never wore rouge — and thinking, Holy cow. That’s not Nana. And, Death is not life.

Death is something over here.

In our culture we are so infused — and for the most part, appropriately — that life is for the living, and we’re encouraged

not to think about death. In my case, I came of age reading Saul Bellow, Bernard Malamud and Philip Roth. And their characters got to me because they were grasping for a life while they had it, which underscores the fragility of life. So I went off in that direction early on. And for me, personally, there were suicides, and then I lost three dear friends to natural causes in my early thirties. And they left scars on my soul.

SD: Why do you think death gets such a bad rap?

RA: As a culture, we’re obsessed with prolonging life at all costs. Even when there’s a living will that says, “Don’t resuscitate me,” it gets blurry. And I would argue that obsession with prolonging life is depriving the dying person of a more natural leave-taking leading up to the death — forgiving or not forgiving, having an important dialogue with someone.

When those things happen, the loved ones who are left have a lighter burden of grief, because they, too, have been able to let go.

But it’s so ingrained in us: “Carpe diem.” “Hold on for dear life.” “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” “Life is short.” And that’s good. Live every day to the fullest. But these clichés sink down into our very being, and they aggregate into, I think, the basic message of the book.

I hear all the time, “Oh, I just want to have a heart attack and go.” But I suspect for the average person dying, there’s a

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Walter wasn’t even a reader, so he’s like a blank slate to these provocative poems. And Rumi provokes, in an affectionate way.

DEATH GETS A BAD RAP. R I CH AR D ALT HER

good measure of time in that decline, so there is opportunity to engage in some of this thinking and reflection.

And we’re seeing in the pandemic that people are being cheated of that, people in the ICU dying alone. What a horror that is. And it’s another reason why a little preparation can go a long way.

SD: Walter is an unlikely candidate to be taken by the poetry of Rumi. Why use his work to enlighten Walter?

RA: He is an unlikely candidate. Rumi is a vehicle, among several others in the book, for Walter to move beyond his concept of himself. Rumi has lasted centuries because he turns everything inside out.

He’s also funny and amusing in his poetry, so he’s very accessible.

I wanted to find ways for Walter to fritter away his days. But it occurred to me that because Rumi is quixotic and delightfully surprising and he picks up on people’s follies, it parallels what Walter is doing with his recollections, his memories. He’s replaying a lot of his past and coming to different interpretations about them. So there are little parallels there that tickle him, that help Walter crack a smile.

SD: What was the biggest challenge for you with this book?

RA: I thought it was presumptuous for me to devote a whole novel to this.

Because death is in every novel, but it’s usually couched in layers of plot. I wanted to put a laser beam just on the heart and soul of this one character and keep it held steady there. The challenge was how Walter could be made accessible and cause a reader to say, “These are good things to think about.”

SD: How much of you is in Walter?

RA: Most authors start with autobiographically juiced fiction. But this was the first chance for me to really write about what I don’t know. So Walter was my vessel carrying the story forward. I knew where it would end — his death. But I was learning so much along the process. If we follow this craft, we go more and more inward to dig into ourselves, even into the subconscious, for material we couldn’t ordinarily access.

I kept thinking of impressionist paintings. They’re so popular because they’re not literal and they invite the viewer to complete them. So you participate in them. And that’s what I was striving for in this story. It’s not specifically clear how Walter brings himself to the brink.

And I’ve wondered if I could let that happen the way, fictionally, I’ve made Walter’s death. Could I internalize that? As a writer, it was kind of a dress rehearsal for me. I would like to emulate the path that he took. And I wonder if I would be able to.

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SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

41

3/16/21 7:56 AM

OLIVER PARINI

Devin Colman in front of his favorite midcentury house in Burlington

Keeping the Past Present With a UVM program threatened by cuts, does historic preservation have a future in Vermont?

BY AMY L IL LY • lilly@sevendaysvt.com

O

n January 24, the preservation experts of seven northeastern states, including Pennsylvania and New York, convened for a webinar on historic barns, hosted by the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance.

One of the three invited guest speakers was Tom Visser, professor and director of the master’s of science program in historic preservation at the University of Vermont.

In the subsequent breakout session for Vermont, the main speakers, Vermont state architectural historian Devin Colman and Preservation Trust of Vermont field service representative Alex Tolstoi, greeted each other familiarly. Both graduates of Visser’s program, they gave a shout-out to a third grad, Caitlin Corkins, tax credits and grants coordinator at the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, who didn’t make it to the event.

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SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

What these professionals didn’t mention was that their common graduate program was on the chopping block. On December 2, Bill Falls, dean of UVM’s College of Arts and Sciences, proposed phasing out 12 majors, 11 minors and four master’s programs.

Aimed at culling low-enrollment programs, the cost-cutting measure is designed to combat the university’s $8.6 million deficit for fiscal year 2021. (Learn more about it in Seven Days’ January 27 cover story, “Major Fallout.”)

The historic preservation program was a conspicuous target for Falls’ plan. Small and personalized by design, it typically graduates five to 15 students a year — more when the economy is down, fewer when it’s up — and employs just two full-time professors: Visser and Robert McCullough.

The fate of the master’s degree in historic preservation isn’t yet sealed. But

graduates worry about what Vermont might lose with it, because this small operation has had an outsize impact.

Since the program launched in 1975, its 375-plus graduates have populated every level and sector of preservation jobs in the state. A graduate of its inaugural class, John Dumville oversaw Vermont’s state-owned historic sites — such as the Bennington Monument — for 35 years until he retired in 2014. Both of his successors, Tracy Martin and Jamie Duggan, are graduates of the UVM program.

Graduates have gone into the profession of municipal planning and regulatory review, such as Sarah Hadd, director of planning and zoning for the Town of Colchester, and Mary O’Neil, principal planner for the City of Burlington. The nonprofit Preservation Trust of Vermont currently employs four graduates of the

UVM program: easement program director Meg Campbell and field-service reps Tolstoi, Lisa Ryan and Jenna Lapachinski. Other grads have entered the private sector, including Eliot Lothrop, who started the Huntington-based restoration firm Building Heritage.

Alumni of the UVM program have distinguished themselves elsewhere, too.

Mark Wolfe, a 1990 graduate, holds the top preservation job in Texas — executive director of the state historic preservation office. Daniel Leckie, class of 2014, is an associate architectural historian at the California Department of Transportation, Central Region. According to McCullough, graduates have found jobs at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the New York City Landmarks Preservation

HISTORY

SINCE THE PROGRAM LAUNCHED IN 1975, ITS 375-PLUS GRADUATES

HAVE POPULATED EVERY LEVEL AND SECTOR OF PRESERVATION JOBS IN THE STATE. states at preserving its built environment,” she opined.

Theses such as Innamorati’s can be useful to the public as well as government officials. Visser started the online Historic Burlington Project to give the public access to graduate student projects.

In Colman’s view, “all those projects over the decades” amount to “an incredible resource.”

AMY LILLY

Commission and many statewide preservation nonprofits.

But the program tends to attract out-ofstaters who stay after graduation, according to Colman, who specified that he was speaking as a program graduate and not in his professional capacity.

“I definitely would not be living and working in Vermont were it not for the historic preservation program,” said Colman, who is from Minnesota. “I doubt many who get a degree elsewhere would [move] to Vermont, since so many connections are made as a student with professionals in the area where you’re studying.”

UVM’s program is one of 37 in the country and among the oldest. Master’s programs in historic preservation started popping up in the wake of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, which required federal agencies to assess their projects’ impacts on historic resources.

The first such program was at Columbia University; one of its first graduates, Chester Liebs, founded the UVM program.

McCullough, who earned his own master’s at Cornell University, took a class with Liebs in the 1980s on conservation of the built environment before he began teaching at UVM in 1995.

He described the UVM program as a generalist one that prepares students for a range of jobs in preservation. The 18-month curriculum includes architectural history, historic preservation law, preservation planning and inventory, architectural conservation, and preservation practice methods.

“I loved it,” said Jean Innamorati, a 2008 graduate, in a phone interview from her home in central Massachusetts.

“Bob’s knowledge, his history of the land class — they changed my life. The same goes for Tom’s conservation class on paint, masonry, mortar. I did a mortar sample at the Henry Hobson Richardson [Billings] library to restore the pointing around the red stone. We learned about every little element of old buildings.”

Innamorati did her thesis on the history of Burlington’s water supply. After graduating, she worked for six months for the City of Burlington researching, with O’Neil, all 98 buildings on Church Street for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The application for listing was successful, allowing business owners to qualify for federal tax credits if they rehabilitate according to the U.S. secretary of the interior’s standards.

After that, when no other Vermont job materialized, Innamorati became the preservation planner for Brookline, Mass.

“I really wanted to stay in Vermont,” she said — partly because she found the state’s historic resources “amazing.” “With Act 250 and other proactive laws, Vermont has done a better job than the surrounding

Burlington — a document local homeowners still request, he said. It led to a 2010 conference on modernism cosponsored by the university and the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, featuring speakers from the National Trust. Preservation Burlington’s annual Homes Tour showed modern homes that year.

“Burlington has been our laboratory,” Visser said in a phone call. “But also, Vermont has been an outstanding lab for studying the field of historic preservation.

Why should UVM host a program? Well, we have the resources here. Walk around Burlington, and what do you see? There are historic buildings everywhere.”

Those buildings help create a sense of community, according to Ben Doyle, president of Preservation Trust of Vermont.

“People need to have places that are authentic, accessible and vibrant to gather [in],” he wrote in an email. “Box stores don’t cut it. Historic preservation work is critical to ensuring that our communities can welcome new Vermonters without Billings Student Center at the University of Vermont

Some UVM historic preservation students do volunteer research for the state.

In 2011, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources acquired a Grafton property with the intention of turning it into a wildlife management area. Part of the site once belonged to Alexander Turner, a freed slave who moved there in 1872. To assess the potential impact of its plans on historic buildings, the agency drew on the work of then-master’s student Melissa Smith, who wrote her thesis on the evolution of Turner’s homestead and graduated in 2013.

“It was a great resource for ... [the state], because a thesis is far beyond anything we would have time or resources to do,” Colman said.

Colman did his own 2006 thesis on midcentury-modern buildings in

losing the sense of place that attracted [them] to Vermont to begin with.”

McCullough offered similar observations. “A lot of what Vermont looks like today is a result of its preservation practices,” he said. “Sure, we can let people do what they want with their buildings, and Vermont will start to look like every other place. Whereas, if we educate people about why buildings are historically important, people can adapt them to new uses without compromising that historic quality.”

McCullough, 71, and Visser, 69, have guided the program for much of its existence. Visser, who enrolled as a student in the program in 1984, began teaching courses as he finished his degree and took over from Liebs as director in 1994. While

guest speakers and the occasional adjunct professor have always augmented instruction, straitened budgets in recent years have kept the program from expanding.

Paul Wyncoop, a 1997 graduate, leads construction and engineering projects at Bread Loaf Corporation in Middlebury with a focus on historic renovations.

Among the recent adaptive-reuse projects he has led are the UVM Alumni House in Burlington and the Putnam Block in Bennington.

Wyncoop used to co-teach a course in adaptive reuse every other year as an adjunct in UVM’s program. This year, he gave a few guest lectures instead. He attributed his reduced schedule to the university’s lack of funds.

The university’s cost-cutting plan has drawn widespread criticism. On March 1, 1,500 UVM students, faculty and staff signed a vote of no confidence in the administration and its president, Suresh Garimella. Since his December announcement, Falls has been considering counterproposals from the embattled departments.

In a phone interview, Falls said he’s asking the department heads to consider such questions as “Are there strategies to make the programs more efficient, grow the programs, combine them with other programs?” Specifically, he said, the historic preservation program could attract first- and second-year undergrads with entry-level courses.

(Only upper-level ones are currently on offer.) And it could transform its typically free services to government and private entities into “fee-for-service” opportunities.

The latter option wouldn’t be unprecedented. According to Visser, when the Vermont Statehouse was under renovation, the state hired him and his students to “come in and apply museum techniques to look back through the layers of paint” and document the original colors and designs.

Falls turned down an initial counterproposal from Visser and McCullough that “didn’t go far enough,” he said. As of this writing, the dean is considering a second proposal that “has merit, but there are additional questions I have.”

After a meeting last Thursday with Falls, Visser reported in an email, “We are optimistic!”

Visser hopes the bigger picture will prevail. “Let that judgment of value [of the program] go beyond dollars and cents,” he said, “to include how we’re serving the university and the state.” m

INFO Learn more about the historic preservation master’s program at uvm.edu/cas/ historicpreservation.

SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

43

food+drink

Done With Dinner Two Vermont chefs talk about cooking burnout and hacks to get food on the table B Y M E L I SSA PASANEN • pasanen@sevendaysvt.com

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SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

F IL

COURTESY CARA CHIGAZOLA TOBIN

DON’T WANT TO MAKE DINNER ANYMORE.” When Cara Chigazola Tobin posted this declaration on Instagram in early February, the mother of two from Charlotte echoed what many people were feeling deep into a year of pandemic-related restrictions and stress.

Chigazola Tobin also happens to be chef and co-owner of popular Honey Road restaurant in Burlington. That even she was sick of cooking for her family underscored our collective burnout.

According to a January 2021 analysis by the Hartman Group, a national food and beverage industry consulting firm, cooking and baking at home spiked early in the pandemic. But “these shifts did not last throughout the year as cooking fatigue quickly set in.”

During the early months of lockdown, the report detailed, people cooked because they had to. Many also saw it as a way to be creative, build new skills and demonstrate caring.

But the novelty wore off, and as time passed, people found themselves “stretched thin in terms of their time and responsibilities,” the Hartman Group concluded.

“Let’s be real about it,” Chigazola Tobin told Seven Days. “It’s not all rainbows and roses all the time, cooking at home.”

The chef and her husband juggle care of their 5- and almost-2-year-old sons with her husband’s full-time job and Chigazola Tobin’s two or three days per week at the restaurant, which is open for takeout Thursday through Sunday. Their older son returned to preschool four days a week in September, but they have not been able to find daycare for their younger child.

Added to the stresses of the pandemic — both personal and business-related — the daily chore of cooking for two picky children has worn Chigazola Tobin down. Not to mention the constant cleanup.

It “just repeats every week, and you’re so sick of it, but you’re also too tired to do anything about it,” she said.

The struggle is compounded by the lack

E: O

LIVE

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Cara Chigazola Tobin

Turkish breakfast for dinner

of outside diversions, Chigazola Tobin acknowledged: “It’s just being burnt out on everything. It’s not being able to do what you enjoy.”

Among those who responded to Chigazola Tobin’s Instagram post was Breana Killeen, who commented, “Right there with you.”

Killeen is test kitchen and editorial operations manager for the national magazine EatingWell — based in Shelburne, where she also lives. The registered dietitian and graduate of Le Cordon Bleu London oversees development, testing and nutritional analysis of roughly 500 recipes a year.

Killeen loves to cook, both for work and for her husband and 16-year-old stepson.

In contrast to the detail-driven, methodical approach she must take in the test kitchen, she said, home cooking is about being creative. Pre-pandemic, she would happily go from testing pies and paella all day at work to making an Indian feast for supper at home.

“Dinner used to be my favorite time of the day,” she said.

But the pandemic intensified her recipetesting work — which, for safety reasons, became less of a team project and more of an individual one.

The new restrictions also complicated cooking at home. “Everything was harder.

Grocery shopping was harder,” Killeen said.

“It very much became a chore for the first time.”

Despite their burnout, Chigazola Tobin and Killeen still get dinner on the table for their families most nights, they said. To do so, they apply their experience as culinary professionals to the realities of their situation: the time and energy they have to devote to the particular needs of their households.

Here are a few of their best hacks.

BREAKFAST FOR DINNER

Chigazola Tobin makes pancakes for breakfast five days a week. One night,

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shortly after her “I don’t want to make dinner” post, she threw up her hands and made pancakes for supper, too. “The kids were so excited,” she said.

Killeen often throws an egg frittata together for dinner, she said. Essentially lighter, crustless quiches, frittatas easily absorb all manner of leftover vegetables and meats.

One low-fuss, build-your-own dinner in Chigazola Tobin’s house is what she calls “Turkish breakfast.” Start with purchased ingredients: hummus, olives, Greek yogurt, carrot sticks. Add a few simply prepared items, such as hard-cooked eggs, pita bread filled with mozzarella or fontina cheese and warmed in the oven, and diced tomatoes drizzled with warm olive oil in which you’ve lightly toasted garlic. Her 5-year-old loves putting his own dinner together.

POWER UP

Killeen relies on what she called “power flavor ingredients” that deliver “a ton of concentrated flavor.”

Sun-dried tomatoes in oil, for example, star in a popular five-ingredient EatingWell

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recipe for chicken cutlets with sun-dried tomato cream sauce. The tomatoes’ oil is also used to sauté the chicken.

Orange marmalade is another MVP. Killeen whisks it with soy and rice wine to use in stir-fries or a quick sauce for Asian-style dishes.

Chipotle chiles in adobo and cans of enchilada sauce are powerhouses. Both feature in a layered chicken-and-kale enchilada dish that Killeen developed for the magazine and that has become a family favorite.

Killeen discovered the power of tomatillo salsa through a soup a friend made her. Recently, she threw a jar of the tangy green salsa into her Instant Pot with a pork shoulder. After the meat was cooked, she reduced the juices, added fresh chopped white onion and tossed it all with the shredded pork.

STANDBY SOLUTIONS

SIDEdishes

She starts with mushroom stock, whisks in a little garlic-chile paste, rice vinegar, ginger and garlic, and brings it all to a simmer. She throws leftover vegetables, and perhaps browned tofu or mushrooms, into a soup bowl. She cracks an egg into the hot broth and stirs “to get the egg situation happening.” Then the broth goes in the bowl with a little soy and toasted sesame oil.

Killeen’s go-to is “what I call fancy ramen,” she said. “I always have stuff on hand to make it.”

She gets a jump-start with Shin Ramyun ramen, then adds frozen shrimp and leftover vegetables or frozen green beans.

(Both frozen items are staples for her.)

Sesame oil and scallions finish it off. m

SERVING UP FOOD NEWS

Hailey Cohn of Woodbelly Pizza in front of a mural by Frances Cannon

Breana Killeen COURTESY OF KES MARCEL

The night Chigazola Tobin made pancakes for her kids, she also made a quick hot and sour soup for herself, as she often does.

Home Slice

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BREANA KILLEEN

WOODBELLY PIZZA OPENS MONTPELIER RESTAURANT

Quick ramen

After about a decade of mobile pizza making, WOODBELLY PIZZA launched a brick-and-mortar location at 79 Barre Street in Montpelier on March 4. For now, the restaurant is open Thursday through Saturday for takeout only.

But Woodbelly’s workerowner cooperative plans to expand hours and offer limited seating indoors and out as the weather warms and pandemic restrictions allow, according to three-year member KES MARCEL. The new pizzeria is on the same block as the commercial kitchen the cooperative uses to prep ingredients for its three mobile ovens.

Establishing a storefront was already in the works, Marcel said, but when COVID-19 sharply curtailed Woodbelly’s usually busy schedule of festivals and farmers

markets, “the pandemic kinda pushed our hand.”

The heart of the new restaurant is Woodbelly’s first stationary woodburning oven, which was built by cooperative member JONAH BOURNE with Jeremiah Church of Oregon-based Boreal Heat. The walls bear murals depicting regional birds by Burlington artist FRANCES CANNON. Woodbelly’s pizza and fougasse — a traditional French bread that resembles a large, thick soft pretzel — begin with a 15-year-old sourdough starter originally from Italy, Marcel said. Pizzas feature as many local ingredients as possible.

One recent offering was topped with squash, apple, sausage, fennel and garlic; another, with chèvre, kale, caramelized onions and artichoke hearts. The menu also includes salads and Vermont beer and hard cider.

The project was supported by a loan from

the Cooperative Fund of New England. Woodbelly also received a Paycheck Protection Program loan.

Melissa Pasanen

Latin Hero CHAMPLAIN ISLANDS CANDY LAB OWNERS ADD PAN-LATIN FOOD TRAILER ALBERT REYES-MCCARVER and

MICHAEL MCCARVER-REYES, the married couple behind candy and coffee shop CHAMPLAIN ISLANDS CANDY LAB, have added LOLA’S LATIN KITCHEN to their food enterprises at 6 South Street in South Hero. They named the new business after Lola Rodríguez de Tío in honor of her advocacy for Puerto Rican independence from Spain starting in the late 1800s.

Located in front of the Candy Lab, Lola’s will operate out of a food trailer that the couple purchased from the Accidental Farmer Café, which relocated last year from ALLENHOLM FARM SIDE DISHES

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PHOTOS: JEB WALLACE-BRODEUR

FIRST

BITE

James Ives mixing a Winks & Daggers cocktail

Winks & Daggers cocktail Winks and

All In

Dining inside at Montpelier’s Oakes & Evelyn B Y M O L LY ZAPP • zapp@sevendaysvt.com

S

itting down for dinner in Montpelier’s new upscale restaurant, Oakes & Evelyn, was like falling through a portal into a fabulous alternative universe, where unmasked strangers were enjoying themselves. “It feels like a secret club we’re in, doesn’t it?” said my partner, Joshua.

It had been half a year since I’d eaten inside a busy restaurant; getting vaccinated made the visit possible. My day job at an in-person therapeutic school gave me access to the Moderna vaccine, for which I’m deeply grateful; Joshua, who works in mental health, has also gotten the “jab.”

Justin Dain, chef-owner of Oakes & Evelyn, said that the restaurant has had more dine-in customers than takeout since it opened on February 3. I can only presume that fellow diners, vaccinated or not, craved what we did: meals that came from neither a box nor the home kitchen, a beautiful atmosphere that we didn’t have to clean, and a couple hours in which the restaurant’s hum and bustle eased the stress of this past pandemic year.

That remains an assumption, though, as 46

SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

conversing with unmasked strangers was still a bridge too far for me to cross.

It was a daring move to open a high-end restaurant at a time when one in six eateries nationwide has shut down. Dain, who grew up in Waterbury, said that he began planning the restaurant about a year ago, although his ownership dream began even earlier. He and executive chef Amanda Champagne “have been talking about this for years,” Dain said.

The pair worked together at Hanover Inn Dartmouth and both attended New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier. “We enjoy working with each other, and we balance each other in many ways,” Dain said.

Front-of-the-house manager Emily Chism and beverage director James Ives also migrated from Hanover Inn with the chefs. Having a trusted crew, said Dain, “makes this dream come to life.”

The restaurant is named in honor of Thomas Oakes, Dain’s maternal grandfather, and for Evelyn Darby, a great-aunt who raised his father. He said both family members, whom he loved to cook for and with, supported his culinary education and career before they passed away.

Hamachi crudo

Oakes & Evelyn is in the State Street location previously occupied by Kismet, which has returned to its original site on Barre Street. Fans of the latter restaurant will find enough in common with Oakes & Evelyn, where Dain and Champagne cook “regional American cuisine with broadening touches — spices from Japan or South America,” Dain said. Most of the meats and seafood come from New England; he hopes to incorporate more local produce as the warm season arrives.

The restaurant’s interior is a mix of unaltered and updated elements, with vaulted, tin-punch ceilings; Edison bulb light fixtures; walls painted dusty blue; and a dark wooden floor that’s curved and

buckled by the wear of restaurants past.

At current half capacity, the dining room can hold about 20 customers, plus seven at the bar. Across from our table was an airfiltration unit the size of R2-D2. That, along with the restaurant’s adherence to cleaning and spacing guidelines, helped me more comfortably reacclimate to indoor dining.

Nonetheless, I felt rusty navigating menu choices in person and repeatedly apologized to our genial server for taking so much time to decide. For drinks, we considered the dozen wines on the list, which skew toward the natural side. Then there were the Vermont and New England microbrews, which heavily favored IPAs. Our server steered me to the Earthly

food+drink Paradise cocktail ($13), made of gin, pear cordial, thyme, lemon and whey left over from housemade ricotta. Warmly herbaceous and a touch sweet, the whey added body and creamy umami.

Experiencing the scene and sounds of the busy restaurant quickly got me mistyeyed: a bartender shaking ice and booze to craft a cocktail; a parent talking to his toddler, whose dinner flotsam encircled their table; the delicate clinking of kitchen staff carefully plating our starter.

We began with the well-executed General Tso’s pork belly steam bun ($7).

The warm, airy open-faced bun was stuffed with crispy, tender meat, crunchy kimchi and shichimi togarashi, a Japanese spice blend typically made with dried chiles, citrus peels, sesame seeds, seaweed and garlic.

The half dozen oysters ($18), from Wellfleet and Island Creek in Duxbury, Mass., were enlivening — and fresh enough to make the mignonette and Tabasco citrus aioli unnecessary. Dain said he’s been surprised by how many takeout customers order raw dishes — oysters, beef carpaccio, hamachi crudo.

For takeout, the restaurant’s online ordering system allows customers to choose when they want to pick up their orders, rather than telling them when their meals will be ready. This precision in food timing allows the restaurant to offer a broad array of options that survive the takeout box. Dain has set up the system to allow only two takeout orders every 15 minutes, ensuring that the kitchen can keep up with in-person dining.

The takeout and in-person menus offer both small and large plates; we had four small and one large. First up was the crispy octopus ($17). One thick, deepfried tentacle on top of crispy fingerlings rested in a curry sauce with yuzu and coconut, alongside a fried shishito pepper. We devoured it along with the eggplant ($14), which came with a smoky, creamy Sichuan sauce. It was served on a deep-fried rice cake and topped with pickled chiles and local microgreens, which balanced the richness.

Our server had suggested the Caesar salad and the gnocchi, both of which will hasten my return to Oakes & Evelyn. The broccolini Caesar ($15), easily one of the top two Caesars I’ve ever eaten, included oven-roasted florets and a dressing that melded perfectly with the soft egg. Lacy Parmesan frico and brioche croutons were crispy yet soft enough to appease even the tender-mouthed.

The potato-free, Parisian-style gnocchi Bolognese ($16) was made from pâte à choux, the type of dough used to make cream puffs and éclairs. Its thimble-size pillows came with a Bolognese sauce made from Black River Meats pork and New England beef and were topped with generous dollops of house ricotta. Still delicious in my leftovers the next day, the dish is especially amenable to takeout and comes in small and large sizes.

I had a glass of Salchetto sangiovese ($11), made from organic grapes, along with the roasted duck ($33), sourced from La Belle Farm in Ferndale, N.Y. A medium-rare duck breast and a crispy, salty, confit thigh came with Imperial black rice, charred blood oranges, baby unpeeled turnips and an ultra-smooth celeriac purée, finished with duck fat and shallot vinaigrette.

The open kitchen, cozy dining space and staff cohesiveness evoked a sense of rhythm between the front and back, servers and customers. Our server told us that about half of the diners appeared to be seniors; I wondered whether many were vaccinated.

Two parties that night told her this was their first dinner out in a year.

The other diners, our server said, tended to be couples in their thirties — our age group.

Though I wanted to speak with fellow patrons, I worried that would rush the resocialization process.

One older couple took photos of each other, smiling against the backdrop of the hardworking kitchen staff. Another white-haired man thanked the chef, who already knew him by name.

The dessert menu, which seemed designed to appeal to one’s inner child, included a banana cheesecake tart and a chocolate cinnamon roll with burnt marshmallows. Our peanut butter cake ($10) was playful, with a smattering of peanut butter and chocolate crispies scattered on top. In no way did we need dessert after such a feast, but it made our dinner date last longer, which we relished.

“Somewhat back to normal?” Joshua asked me as we prepared to leave. “No!” I emphatically replied. Though happy with our dining experience, it did not feel like pre-pandemic times, nor did I want to return to them. I’d rather envision a postpandemic existence that’s an improvement — for restaurants and more broadly.

“I know,” Joshua said with a sly smile.

“That was a joke.” m

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2/12/21 10:59 AM

RIP, Fidough

How I murdered my sourdough starter and realized I wasn’t ready for dog ownership B Y J O R D AN BAR RY • jbarry@sevendaysvt.com

A

with sourdough. Robertson’s training process seemed relatively straightforward for a novice pet owner, despite requiring five pounds of flour, which was hard to come by at the time.

I filled a small glass bowl halfway with lukewarm water, added fistfuls of

all-purpose flour and plunged in my hands to mix until I had a gloppy, thick batter. I covered the bowl with a cloth and put it on a cool, dark shelf. Easy.

Over the next few days, bubbles dotted the top and sides of the mixture, right on time. I was optimistic.

EASTER BRUNCH DINNER :

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SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

4h-cateringbydale03172 1

But on day four, peeling back the dark crust that had formed on top of Fidough filled my kitchen with a smell that was more “poop bag” than the romanticized “aroma of fermentation” the instructions promised. I started to wish I could tie Fidough up outside.

Good pet owners put up with the smells and the cleaning for the rewards of the relationship.

But as I progressed to daily feedings and then to my first loaves, Fidough and I were not bonding. I had only managed to train it to play dead.

As friends and coworkers shared photos of their airy, crusty bread and perfect discard crackers, I hid the fact that I was baking up one failure after another.

Each Frisbee-like loaf frustrated me more.

I began to neglect Fidough, skipping feedings and eventually crating it in the fridge. Finally, in a shame-filled fit — and without ever baking a successful loaf — I threw it in the compost.

In the year since I murdered Fidough, I’ve stuck to baking no-knead bread with reliable commercial yeast — and to watching videos of other people’s dogs online. I’ll leave the sourdough up to our talented local bakers, and if I ever get a dog, I’ll hire a professional trainer.

JULIANNA BRAZILL

year ago, in mid-March 2020, when we were all staying at home for two weeks to flatten the curve,, I jumped on the sourdough bandwagon. Despite regular experiments with no-knead loaves, quick breads and other floury delights (and hosting two seasons of a podcast about bread), I’d never actually kept a sourdough starter of my own. But boredom led to baking, so I stopped loafing around.

At the same time, I was wrapped up in another popular early pandemic pastime: really, really wanting a dog. I spent hours searching online for a hypoallergenic rescue pup, to no avail. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who had that idea, or whose partner had dog allergies.

Since I couldn’t have a canine companion, I channeled those caregiving urges into a mixture of flour, water and ambient yeast, bacteria and other microflora — and Fidough was born.

Barring the requirement of regular walks, caring for a starter is similar to owning a dog: Feed it on a strict schedule, clean up after its accidents, and don’t worry if it’s a little stinky. The instructions I followed even likened the daily feeding process — giving it flour and water — to “training.” Sit. Stay.

Good Fidough.

Those instructions came from Chad Robertson’s book Tartine Bread, named for the San Francisco bakery synonymous

3/16/21 8:13 AM

COURTESY OF MATT CARRE

FILE: OLIVER PARINI

food+drink

Candy Lab co-owners Michael McCarverReyes (left) and Albert Reyes-McCarver

Matt Carrell and his family

COURTESY MICHAEL MCCARVER-REYES

Side Dishes « P.45

Traditional Puerto Rican chicken and rice from Lola’s Latin Kitchen

CONNECT Follow us for the latest food gossip! On Twitter: Sally Pollak: @vtpollak. On Instagram: Seven Days: @7deatsvt; Jordan Barry: @jordankbarry; Melissa Pasanen: @mpasanen.

to 6 South Street before closing for good.

While the trailer is under renovation, the pair is serving up a sampling of their pan-Latin menu on Sundays on top of their regular weekly sweet and savory crêpes. After Easter Sunday (when the Candy Lab will be closed), Lola’s will be open both weekend days until Memorial Day, when hours will expand.

Having observed a lack of similar culinary options in the area, ReyesMcCarver drew inspiration from his heritage.

“I’m pan-Latin myself,” he said, noting that his ancestry is Puerto Rican, Colombian, Venezuelan and Dominican.

The dishes on Lola’s menu will range from

Argentinean empanadas to Mexican-style tacos, tamales and enchiladas.

Items might be “intermixed” across cultures, McCarver-Reyes said.

Enchiladas, for example, might come with a side of Puerto Rican yellow rice, which contains onions, bell peppers and garlic with cumin, oregano, thyme and annatto for color. It recalls the rice Reyes-McCarver’s paternal grandmother made. “That’s my childhood,” he said.

M.P.

Into the Woods WOODLAND BAKING & COFFEE BRINGS NEW PASTRY AND COFFEE OPTION TO STOWE

When WOODLAND BAKING & COFFEE opens this spring at 394 Mountain Road in Stowe, both halves of

e h T

in local producers and educate customers.

Cafés have long been part of Carrell’s life; his mother owned a lunchfocused business called Truffles in Stowe, and he grew up doing homework in the basement and watching her bake. “It’s kind of in you at some point,” he said.

Truffles was in the Gale Farm Center, where Carrell later worked as co-owner of PK COFFEE’s original Stowe location. Now, he’ll be doing his own thing just up the road in the space that once housed Ride, an indoor cycling studio.

Currently busy transforming that space into a shop with a “modern, woodsy vibe,” Carrell hopes to open his café in early April.

Jordan Barry

introducing

The Kinney Wine Trail! Check out our expanded selections at amazing everyday prices!

. e n i w e m o s e u c s e “R It’s trapped in a bottle.“ Untitled-54 1

its name will have equal weight. “It’s not just a bakeshop, and it’s not just a coffee shop,” owner MATT CARRELL said.

The menu will feature whole-grain pastries such as croissants and canelés made with various kinds of flour milled by ELMORE MOUNTAIN BREAD. “Most people eat just one kind of flour, but we wouldn’t accept that for any other food,” Carrell said. “If most of your baked good is made up of flour, then that’s going to be the prime mover of flavor, and you can really change that by using different grains.”

Beans from VIVID COFFEE ROASTERS will anchor the coffee program, and Carrell will highlight the Burlington roaster’s direct sourcing. Carrell plans to use Woodland’s role as a community hub to bring

SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

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7/21/20 12:56 PM

music+nightlife As Is Tradition

Here’s a little media note for ya: ROBERT

RESNIK, longtime host of Vermont Public

Paint the Town Red

50

SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

News and views on the local music + nightlife scene

BY J O R D A N A D A MS

Stills from Ruby’s “Marrow”

explosive joy, dissonant chaos and deep guttural rage.”

“Marrow” is the third single and title track from Ruby’s upcoming debut, out on Monday, April 5. Hellman and Lebel tapped GRACE POTTER guitarist BENNY YURCO to engineer the record. The video, shot

by A BOX OF STARS’ MACAULAY LERMAN and coedited and codirected by Lerman and Hellman, dropped on Monday. Watch it on YouTube.

The clip features a colorful cohort of dancers — including JUSTINE BELLE, RACHEL HAWKINS, MARCIE HERNANDEZ, MADELINE PAJEROWSKI, DREA TREMOLS, DONNA WATERMAN and LILLY XIAN — reveling in the splendor of a Vermont fall.

“I wanted the video to [reflect] the theme of changing form,” Hellman wrote. As the folk-edelic song

Robert Resnik

COURTESY OF TODD R. LOCKWOOD

Singer-songwriter KATY HELLMAN is back in action with a new song and music video, “Marrow.” Hellman co-fronted the much-loved indie outfit JULIA CAESAR, which rocked Vermont for a brief period in the mid- to late 2010s. She moved to Philadelphia a couple of years ago with Julia Caesar drummer STEVEN LEBEL, and they created a new project called RUBY. The pair returned to Vermont in 2020 amid the pandemic.

Describing the new band in general terms, Hellman wrote in an email, “Ruby emerges at a point of tension. It is an ode to the wild grandness of being alive:

S UNDbites

COURTESY OF RUBY

Radio’s folk and traditional music show “All the Traditions,” is finally back at the mic after a nine-month absence.

Resnik had been away from his post and quarantining hard due to some personal health factors that made him high risk for COVID-19. He recently scheduled his first round of vaccination and has returned to the radio booth.

Resnik’s first show of 2021 aired on Sunday. The episode is currently in the station’s Replay Stream, which cycles through a number of current episodes of various programs, for a limited time.

Check vpr.org to find out how and when to hear the broadcast.

“I’m so excited to be back,” Resnik said in a recent phone call. “It’s become a habit for me, and a bunch of listeners, too.”

Though many VPR operatives currently produce their shows remotely — as interim “All the Traditions” hosts MOIRA SMILEY, MARY MCGINNIS and IDA MAE SPECKER did — Resnik said he didn’t have the necessary equipment to do so. For one, being away from his 17,000-CD collection housed at the station would have made it difficult for him to do his show justice because, he noted, he has only 1,500 or so discs at home.

“That’s not enough,” he said without a trace of sarcasm. Resnik added that he knows the VPR stacks so well he can essentially close his eyes and pull out any album from the colossal collection on request. Clearly, he’s back where he belongs.

“All the Traditions” airs on Sundays at 7 p.m. on VPR.

crescendos and climaxes, the cast wanders through fields, explores forests and plunges into creeks. As Hellman explained, those actions symbolize “the essence … of the mystery of life and how we try to rationalize these underlying patterns the farther we get from them.”

Be on the lookout for a review of Marrow in an upcoming issue of Seven Days.

FILE: MATTHEW THORSEN

GOT MUSIC NEWS? JORDAN@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

Attachment Theory

I get a lot of emails from local musicians I’ve never met nor heard of with various story pitches, often with links or songs attached. Sometimes I get an extremely detailed, thorough pitch and, for whatever reason, I don’t find time or space to cover the sender’s work. And there are other times when I get a scant email, no more than a few sentences, with something that truly catches me off guard and knocks my socks off. And then I just have to write a little blurb about it in this column.

Jazz vocalist and Burlington native ANDREW RICHARDS recently sent along one such brief, humble message to share his first-ever self-written and -produced track, “It’s Never Been the Same.” And I just about swooned. His CHET BAKER vocals, simple boom-bap drum machine beats and collaborator PETER HORGER’s warm trumpet solo converge to form a track that sounds both nostalgic and modern.

Hear it on Spotify.

Beat Mash

One of the Queen City’s DJ royalty, FATTIE B, just released a hot collection of mashups. Under the brand Fattie B Blends, the DJ constructed and uploaded more than 50 bangers to Bandcamp, inspired by the kinds of tracks he plays on his WOMM-LP the Radiator radio program, “The Bangers & Mash Show.”

Just in case someone reading this doesn’t know what a mashup is, think of it as a track that combines the vocals from one song layered atop the music or beats from another. It helps if they have the same chord progression, although there are ways around that.

Sometimes more than two tracks get mashed up, which can make things even more fun. (A particular favorite of mine comes from DJ TOPSIDER, who expertly combined TAYLOR SWIFT’s “We

DJ Fattie B

Listening In If I were a superhero, my superpower would be the ability to get songs stuck in other people’s heads. Here are five songs that have been stuck in my head this week. May they also get stuck in yours.

ALTIN GÜN, “Kesik Çayir” WORKING MEN’S CLUB, “A.A.A.A.” KONEY, “Combos” GOLDLINK, “More (featuring Lola Rae)” TEARS FOR FEARS, “Sowing the Seeds of Love”

Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” CHVRCHES’ “Recover” and the MONSIEUR ADI remix of LANA DEL REY’s “Born to Die.” Google it!)

It seems like Fattie B tends to let well-known artists be the “voice” of his mixes, while lesser-known producers and electronic artists hold down the

foundation. For example, he puts EVE and ALICIA KEYS’ vocals from their 2002 hit “Gangsta Lovin’” with producer MISTER T.’s funkalicious 2013 cut “The Party,” and RADIOHEAD’s “Creep” over seminal chillout artist ST GERMAIN’s “Sure Thing.”

In an email, Fattie B dished a bit about how much the last year has sucked for all of DJ-kind.

“The interaction between DJ and live humans is something I’ve missed so terribly,” he wrote. “Having had this project to focus on and bring life to has really been something I’m grateful for.”

Check into Fattie B Blends at fattiebblends.bandcamp.com.

Listening for Listings

As I write this column on what I hope is the last super cold day of winter, I’m mentally preparing for the surge of live entertainment that’s sure to arrive once it’s warm enough for outdoor events. Indoor nightlife is likely close behind. In fact, I’ve already heard about some things in

the works. Hopefully I’ll be able to share them sooner rather than later — you know, when there’s actually something concrete to report instead of speculation and wishful thinking.

Some things are starting to happen, though! For example, I recently got an email from a talent booker at a local live music spot asking when we’d start publishing club dates again. Fun fact: We never stopped listing events online, including virtual ones, which was something we chose to do for the first time at the pandemic’s onset. We did, however, pull the club listings and the entire calendar from the physical paper shortly after the world fell apart a year ago. For the last 12 months, there haven’t been a ton of club dates, anyway, but we’ve done our best to list those online.

Memo to Vermont nightclubs, bars and talent bookers: As you begin to make your schedules, keep us in the loop! Send me an email, and we’ll get your events all sorted out in our online listings. And, hopefully one day soon, in the paper, as well.

SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

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GOT MUSIC NEWS? JORDAN@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

REVIEW this Sarah King, The Hour

not without reason. On the single “Not Worth the Whisky,” for example, King reminds a misbehaving man that she “can only be good for so long.”

In the piano-driven album opener, “Poison,” King reinforces a sentiment expressed by women musicians ranging

from the Chicks to Lil Debbie. To paraphrase, “I’m not crazy, and fuck you for using a misogynistic trope to excuse your own bad behavior.” King identified fellow badass U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) as inspiration for the song in an Instagram post on International Women’s Day. The alt-country murder ballad “Nightstand” is sung from the viewpoint of a woman born with the devil inside: “There’s a darkness a-reaching for my hand / I keep a gun in my nightstand / Waiting for music to bury a body by.”

Driving percussion, spooky background vocals and crunchy electric guitar — including a standout solo by Steve Milbourne — make for a tense atmosphere on “Nightstand.” It feels as though something scary could jump out from around a corner at any moment.

With just her voice and acoustic guitar, King creates an immersive mood

on a cover of “War Pigs.” The reverb on her stripped-down recording of the Black Sabbath anti-war anthem gives the impression that she’s alone in a cavern or large room. The song’s video deepens the sense of isolation as black-and-white shots of King sitting solitary in a field punctuate Vietnam War footage. It hits even harder knowing that her first husband, a soldier, died of suicide as the result of PTSD. For this EP, King collaborated with producers David Baron and Simone Felice of the Felice Brothers, who has also worked with the Lumineers and Bat for Lashes. Fortunately, even with new producers and tweaks to her sound, King’s storytelling, signature themes and strong point of view are intact for the long haul.

The Hour is available at sarahkingsings.com. Catch King’s virtual album-release show on Friday, March 19, at 8 p.m. on her YouTube channel.

solo compositions written on the road and workshopping new material. The resulting debut LP, Hikikomori, is a remarkably mature piece of work.

A sly nod to life during COVID-19, the album is named after Japan’s “shut-in” culture. But this collection is anything but boring. From the opening minute of lead track “Love Does,” the sound fuses rock, jazz and electronic vocabularies, united by Kimock’s unique ear and fondness for lush arrangements. As

on other recent genre-defying local standouts — such as Benny Yurco’s You Are My Dreams and Elder Orange’s Bricks in the Bathwater — the careful editing and transitions on Hikikomori help make an eclectic set a smooth, steady ride.

Kimock’s drum work, no surprise, is exquisite. The musicianship throughout is top-notch, thanks to a broad array of guests, including his dad and Gordon.

But Hikikomori isn’t about the younger Kimock’s percussion work or his talents as a collaborator and bandleader.

It’s about creating huge, textural soundscapes that evoke a real feeling in the listener. And by that yardstick, the album is a big, often surprising success.

Indeed, for some of the album’s best moments, Kimock pulls back the percussion altogether, as on the expansive “Alyeska” — likely named after the Alaskan ski resort where his short-lived band Maximum Love Vibes had a brief residency in 2019. Stripped of drums, the composition highlights a majestic melody.

Hikikomori is a perfect addition to the work of Astrology Days Records, the Vermont label Kimock founded with Gordon Stone protégé Patrick “Pappy” Biondo. The imprint’s catalog has been dominated by Biondo’s prolific solo output as KingZeek. But other notable releases have helped the young label carve out an experimental and organic niche.

For example, Biondo helped assemble last year’s posthumously released The Music of Gordon Stone: A Retrospective Anthology, one of the most essential Vermont albums of the decade so far.

Astrology Days has also worked with BTV punk-grass outfit the Wormdogs and Lincoln-based folk visionary Nate Gusakov.

Even among such a distinguished lineup, Kimock’s debut is a gem.

Hikikomori is an exciting blast of wideopen creativity and a mandatory spin for adventurous listeners.

Hikikomori is available at johnmorgankimock.bandcamp.com.

(SELF-RELEASED, CD, DIGITAL, VINYL)

When it comes to playing music, Sarah King is a lifer. The gritty Americana singer, songwriter and musician moved from Maine to the Deep South to pursue her career. She became an active livestreamer when the pandemic decimated live music events. In her bio, she even cites her commitment to music as a factor in the dissolution of a key relationship.

Now based in Ripton, King keeps on trucking with her debut solo EP, The Hour, to be released on March 19. Those familiar with King’s 2019 blues-rock LP What Happened Last Night, made with her old band the Guilty Henchmen, will recognize her bold feminist voice and dark storytelling. Characters both sinister and spurned commit sinful deeds in these five new songs — but

John Morgan Kimock, Hikikomori

(ASTROLOGY DAYS RECORDS, LIMITED-EDITION CD, DIGITAL DOWNLOAD)

John Morgan Kimock was onstage before he was old enough for school. His father, Steve Kimock, is an underground legend, a guitarist’s guitarist like Robert Fripp or Allan Holdsworth. Steve’s career has spanned countless genres, and, over the years, his son has joined him on drums for some of those journeys. Most notably that includes KIMOCK’s 2017 album Satellite City, a knockout rock-soul LP with Leslie Mendelson on vocals.

In recent years, John Kimock has become a fixture in the Burlington scene, working with Kat Wright and Madaila and touring with the Mike Gordon Band.

And that’s just a small slice of what his schedule used to be.

Due to the pandemic, Kimock’s life as a busy touring artist came to a crashing halt with the advent of coast-to-coast lockdowns around this time last year.

He turned inward, focusing on some

GET YOUR MUSIC REVIEWED:

J

SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

JUSTIN BOLAND

ARE YOU A VT ARTIST OR BAND? SEND US YOUR MUSIC! DIGITAL: MUSIC@SEVENDAYSVT.COM; SNAIL MAIL: MUSIC C/O SEVEN DAYS, 255 S. CHAMPLAIN ST., SUITE 5, BURLINGTON, VT 05401

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movies The Dissident ★★★★ FALL FROM GRACE Fogel’s documentary explores how Khashoggi (shown with Cengiz) went from being a Saudi insider to an alleged assassination victim.

COURTESY OF BRIARCLIFF ENTERTAINMENT

O

ur streaming entertainment options are overwhelming — and not always easy to sort through.

This week, the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival and Vermont International Film Foundation present a new installment of their Split/Screen virtual cinema program, this one curated

by MNFF. (Find more info and tickets at middfilmfest.org.) I watched The Dissident, a ripped-from-the-headlines documentary about the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Director Bryan Fogel also made the Oscar-winning sportsdoping exposé Icarus.

REVIEW

The deal

On October 2, 2018, Saudi expatriate Khashoggi went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul seeking documents to prove he was divorced from his wife so he could marry his Turkish fiancée, Hatice Cengiz.

He and Cengiz were both apprehensive about the seemingly routine errand, because Khashoggi had left his homeland 54

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after criticizing the repressive policies of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Cengiz waited outside the consulate, but her fiancé never emerged. Turkish prosecutors believe, based on an audio recording of Khashoggi’s last moments, that he was assassinated and dismembered on the orders of bin Salman. The Central Intelligence Agency and the United Nations reached similar conclusions. Saudi authorities sentenced several men for Khashoggi’s murder but have denied that it was a state-sponsored assassination.

Former president Donald Trump declined to impose direct sanctions on the crown prince over Khashoggi’s killing. Now pressure is mounting on President Joe Biden to take a more aggressive approach to his “Saudi Arabia Problem,” as a March 1 Post headline put it.

Will you like it?

How do you make an exciting documentary about events that have already received extensive media coverage? Or generate suspense with a mystery that has, essentially, been solved, even as the shock waves continue to reverberate?

Fogel presents some exclusive material

in The Dissident. Intimate interviews with Cengiz and an international array of Khashoggi’s friends illuminate both his personal and professional lives, tracing his evolution from Saudi insider to gadfly to activist. Excerpts from the transcripts of Turkish intelligence’s audio recordings leave a chilling impression of how he died.

But Fogel also makes an unexpected choice: He opens and frames the film not with the story of Khashoggi but with scenes from the life of a younger Saudi dissident, Omar Abdulaziz, who has sought asylum in Montréal.

When we meet the personable Abdulaziz, a friend of Khashoggi’s, he’s posting fierce critiques of bin Salman’s government to YouTube from a room in the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel. “In Saudi Arabia, having an opinion is a crime,” he declares.

“But Jamal’s death changed everything.”

Later, Abdulaziz admits that he feels a certain personal responsibility for his friend’s grisly demise. Fogel’s documentary gradually reveals why. In the process, it unspools a wild tale of digital warfare that encompasses the appropriation of Israeli malware, the hacking of Jeff Bezos’ phone,

and the clash of rival Twitter armies known as “the Flies” and “the Bees.”

More and more, documentarians are confronting the fact that a lot of momentous stuff in modern life happens online.

It’s a struggle to make Twitter hashtag battles visually exciting, but those battles matter in Saudi Arabia — where, we learn, eight out of 10 people use Twitter, versus two out of 10 in the U.S. Fogel deploys a visual effects team to give animated life to the warring government troll armies and their dissident counterparts. (For other recent efforts to make social media cinematic, see A Thousand Cuts and The Social Dilemma.) Those CG flies and bees may look a little silly, but we’re left with the sobering impression that struggles for social media supremacy have very real consequences, especially under governments that repress speech and expect journalists to be cheerleaders.

The Dissident isn’t a deep dive into Saudi history and culture, nor does it explore the nuances of Khashoggi’s and Abdulaziz’s political views. But it does effectively demonstrate how battles for hearts and minds are fought today. And it leaves the viewer with a dismaying sense that world leaders may find the geopolitical price of justice for this particular dissident simply too high.

If you like this, try...

• A Thousand Cuts (2020; pbs.org, rentable): In many parts of the world, being a journalist who doesn’t toe the party line can be dangerous. This doc looks at one woman’s fight to hold the government accountable in the Philippines.

• The Square (2013; Netflix, Tubi, rentable): The Dissident mentions the role of Egypt’s 2011 Tahrir Square uprising in shaping Khashoggi’s political views.

This doc offers a stirring primer on that pivotal event in the “Arab Spring.”

• Time (2020; Amazon Prime Video): The 2021 Oscar nominees are out! On the list of contenders for Best Documentary is this acclaimed look at a woman’s struggle to get her husband’s 60-year prison sentence for robbery reduced.

• Some Kind of Heaven (2021; MNFF or VTIFF virtual cinema): Also on the Split/ Screen program is this documentary that profiles four misfit residents of Florida’s the Villages, the nation’s largest planned retirement community.

MARGO T HARRI S O N margot@sevendaysvt.com

COURTESY OF SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES

Frances McDormand in Nomadland

NEW IN THEATERS THE COURIER: Benedict Cumberbatch plays a businessman who is recruited by MI-6 and the CIA to work with a Soviet agent in this Cold War spy thriller. With Merab Ninidze and Rachel Brosnahan. Dominic Cooke (On Chesil Beach) directed. (111 min, PG-13. Essex Cinemas) LAST CALL: A successful developer (Jeremy Piven) returns to his old Philly neighborhood for an emergency and finds himself running the family bar in this comedy from director Paolo Pilladi. With Taryn Manning and Bruce Dern. (102 min, R. Essex Cinemas)

NOW PLAYING CHAOS WALKINGHH Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley star in this adaptation of Patrick Ness’ dystopian YA trilogy about a boy growing up in a society that is all-male and full of oppressive psychic Noise, much like parts of Reddit. Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity) directed. (109 min, PG-13. Essex Cinemas) THE FATHERHHHH1/2 Anthony Hopkins has been nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a man struggling with dementia in Florian Zeller’s drama, also starring Olivia Colman. (97 min, PG-13. Savoy Theater) JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAHHHHH1/2 Daniel Kaluuya plays Fred Hampton, chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, in this Golden Globe-winning historical drama about his betrayal by an FBI informant. With LaKeith Stanfield. Shaka King directed. (126 min, R; Savoy Theater) LONG WEEKENDHH1/2 A struggling writer’s weekend is complicated by a mysterious new acquaintance in this romantic comedy written and directed by Steven Basilone, starring Finn Wittrock, Zoë Chao and Casey Wilson. (91 min, R; Essex Cinemas) MINARIHHHH1/2 In Lee Isaac Chung’s bittersweet autobiographical drama, a Korean immigrant family struggles to make their new Arkansas vegetable farm pay off. Steven Yeun and Yeri Han star in this festival favorite. (115 min, PG-13. Essex Cinemas; Savoy Theater, Sat & Sun only; reviewed by M.H. 2/24)

NOMADLANDHHHHH Frances McDormand plays a woman set adrift by the Great Recession to travel the country in her beatup van in this Golden Globe nominee directed

by Chloé Zhao. (108 min, R. Savoy Theater) RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGONHHHH A young warrior seeks the help of the last living dragon to save humanity from monsters in this Disney animated fantasy. With the voices of Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina and Gemma Chan. Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada directed. (114 min, PG. Essex Cinemas)

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STRAYHHHH Elizabeth Lo’s acclaimed documentary follows three stray dogs as they find companionship, including among Syrian refugees, on the streets of Istanbul.

(72 min, NR. Savoy Theater) TOM AND JERRYH1/2 A tale with the existential resonance of Groundhog Day or Waiting for Godot: Cartoon cat attempts to catch cartoon mouse, over and over and over. But what is their origin story? This family animation reveals all. With the voices of Chloë Grace Moretz and Michael Peña. Tim Story (Ride Along) directed. (101 min, PG. Essex Cinemas) WOLFWALKERSHHHH1/2 An apprentice wolf hunter in Ireland discovers a different point of view in this family animation from the makers of The Secret of Kells, featuring the voices of Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker and Sean Bean. (103 min, PG. Savoy Theater, Sat only; reviewed by M.H. 1/13)

OPEN THEATERS ESSEX CINEMAS & T-REX THEATER: 21 Essex Way, Suite 300, Essex, 879-6543, essexcinemas.com. (Note: New listings for this theater were not available at press time.)

THE SAVOY THEATER: 26 Main St., Montpelier, 229-0598, savoytheater.com

Say you saw it in...

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ow n WHAT?

3/15/21 10:06 AM

STAY SAFE, STAY ACTIVE The Seven Days team has reenvisioned our weekly Notes On the Weekend newsletter to include creative, constructive and fun ways to spend your time from a safe social distance.

From virtual yoga classes to delicious recipes to day trips, there is something for everyone asking, “NOW what?”

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CLASS PHOTOS + MORE INFO ONLINE SEVENDAYSVT.COM/CLASSES

classes ONIONS 101: Onions are one of the most widely used vegetables, and they are great growers. Join Julie Rubaud, Founder of Red Wagon Plants, for this primer on all things onions. We’ll cover the life cycle of the onion from seedling to harvest and winter storage — and every step in between.

Tue., Mar. 23, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Cost: $10. Location: Red Wagon Plants, Zoom class. Info: 482-4060, sarah.m@redwagonplants.com, redwagonplants.com.

THE FOLLOWING CLASS LISTINGS ARE PAID ADVERTISEMENTS. ANNOUNCE YOUR CLASS FOR AS LITTLE AS $16.75/WEEK (INCLUDES SIX PHOTOS AND UNLIMITED DESCRIPTION ONLINE). SUBMIT YOUR CLASS AD AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POSTCLASS.

art ONLINE ART CLASSES FOR KIDS: Five stand-alone, high-quality art classes from Middlebury Studio School in painting, draw or crafting, accessible from home via Zoom, with experienced art teachers. A complete materials list is provided for each class. Parents are welcome to attend with their child. Mon. or Wed., Mar. 22-Apr. 7, 3:30 p.m. Cost: $20 per 45-minute to 1-hour class. Location: Online through Middlebury Studio School, 2377 Rte. 7, Middlebury.

Info: Kathy Hall, 458-8979, info@ middleburystudioschool.org, middleburystudioschool.org.

BCA Studios

Burlington City Arts winter/spring class registration is now open!

Find these classes and many more at burlingtoncityarts.org.

FAMILY VEGGIE PRINTS: Ages 6 and up. Six families max. Join us to create one-of-a-kind prints using fruits or veggies! Make beautiful, organic patterns on paper and fabric. All supplies are provided in a handy kit, and no experience is needed. Includes all the materials you will need to make multiple prints. Sun., Mar. 21, 11 a.m.-noon.

Cost: $25/person; $22.50 for BCA members. Location: BCA Studios, Zoom class. Info: John Flanagan, 865-5355, jflanagan@burlington cityarts.org, burlingtoncityarts.org.

examples, lots of tips and encouraging feedback. Using watersoluble oils, students create one or two small paintings on primed panels. Tue., Apr. 6-27, 1-3 p.m.

Cost: $160. Location: BCA Studios, Zoom class. Info: John Flanagan, 865-5355, jflanagan@burlington cityarts.org, burlingtoncityarts.org.

STUDIO ART: Six weeks. Explore a variety of art projects, including drawing, painting, printmaking and craft while also getting a lot of time for outdoor activities.

All materials provided. Children remain in the same classroom and with the same teachers for the entire six weeks. Option 8: Wed., Mar. 10-Apr. 14, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. (Aftercare is not avail.). Cost: $405. Location: BCA Studios, 405 Pine St., Burlington. Info: John Flanagan, 865-5355, jflanagan@ burlingtoncityarts.org, burlingtoncityarts.org.

WIRE EARRINGS: Ages 13 and up.

Six students max. Let BCA’s jewelry studio come to you this winter!

Join local jeweler Bren Prescott on Zoom to make simple but satisfying fine metal jewelry. Learn the basics wirework and beading to create your own unique pieces to keep or give as gifts. Wed., Mar. 24, 6-8 p.m. Cost: $50/person; $45 for BCA members. Location: BCA Studios, Zoom class. Info: John Flanagan, 865-5355, jflanagan@burlingtoncityarts.org, burlingtoncityarts.org.

HOME STUDIO: DRAWING: Ages 13 and up. Four weeks. 12 students max. Learn a variety of drawing techniques, including basic perspective, compositional layout, and use of dramatic light and shadow — all from your comfortable home. Local artist Ashley Stagner leads students through a variety of drawing exercises and group discussions over Zoom.

Wed., Apr. 7-28, 6-7:30 p.m.

Cost: $120. Location: BCA Studios, Zoom class. Info: John Flanagan, 865-5355, jflanagan@burlingtoncit arts.org, burlingtoncityarts.org.

HOME STUDIO: STILL LIFE PAINTING: Ages 13 and up. Four weeks. Six students max. Drawing and oil painting experience recommended. Local artist and master teacher Gail Salzman leads a live Zoom class with painting demos,

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language

drumming DJEMBE & TAIKO DRUMMING: JOIN US!: New hybrid classes (Zoom and in-person) starting!

Taiko Tuesday and Wednesday.

Djembe Wednesday. Kids and Parents Tuesday and Wednesday.

COVID-19-free rental instruments, curbside pickup, too. Private Hybrid Conga lessons by appointment.

Let’s prepare for future drumming outdoors. Schedule/register online.

Location: Online and in-person at Taiko Space, 208 Flynn Ave., Suite 3G, Burlington. Info: 999-4255, burlingtontaiko.org.

ADULT LIVE SPANISH E-CLASSES: Adult Spanish classes starting next week, using Zoom online video conferencing. Our 15th year. Learn from a native speaker via small group classes and individual instruction.

You’ll always be participating and speaking. Levels from beginning to advanced. Still a few openings left. See our website or contact us for details. Beginning Mar. 22.

Cost: $270/10 weekly 90-minute classes. Location: Spanish in Waterbury Center, Waterbury Center. Info: 585-1025, spanis hparavos@gmail.com, spanish waterburycenter.com.

gardening

martial arts

FOR RENT FITNESS STUDIO SPACE Bring students or teach for us! Contact 316-7142 or visit shelburneathletic.com.

well-being

AYURVEDA INTEGRATION 1x1.5-SAC-020321.indd 12/2/21 11:49 AM VERMONT BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU: PROGRAM: Virtual Program.

This school was developed to Join us in learning and immerse communicate the importance of yourself in the oldest surviving proper, legitimate and complete preventative health care system.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instruction. We Our 200-hour Ayurveda Integration cover fundamentals of Brazilian Program is ideal for yoga teachers, Jiu-Jitsu with a realistic approach counselors, therapists, bodyworkto self-defense training skills ers, nurses, doctors, wellness in a friendly, safe and positive coaches, herbalists and anyone environment. All are welcome; no wanting to improve their own experience required. Develop conhealth. Learn seasonal and daily fidence, strength and endurance. routines, holistic nutrition, stress Julio Cesar “Foca” Fernandez reduction techniques, and home Nunes was born and raised on remedies to slow down, stop and the shores of Copacabana, Rio reverse health conditions. VSAC apde Janeiro, Brazil. Earning his proved. Starts in May, one weekend black belt and representing the monthly, Sat. & Sun., 9:00 a.m.Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Team, 3:30 p.m. Cost: $2,795/200-hour Julio “Foca” went on to become training. Location: The Ayurvedic a five-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Center of Vermont, 34 Oak Hill Rd., National Champion, three-time Williston. Info: Allison Morse, 872Rio de Janeiro State Champion 8898, info@ayurvedavermont.com, and two-time IBJJF World Jiuayurvedavermont.com.

Jitsu Champion! Julio “Foca” is the only CBJJP, USBJJF and IBJJF-certified seventh-degree coral belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu EVOLUTION YOGA: Bring your body and self-defense instructor and mind toward balance and find under late grand master Carlson connection in community. All are Gracie Sr. currently teaching in welcome. Find support you need the USA. Accept no Iimitations!. to awaken your practice. Offering Location: Vermont Brazilian livestream and recorded classes.

Jiu-Jitsu, 55 Leroy Rd., Williston.

Give the gift of yoga with a gift card Info: 598-2839, julio@bjjusa.com, on our website. Flexible pricing vermontbjj.com. based on your needs; scholarships

yoga

GARDENING FOR ABUNDANCE: VEGETABLES: Join Julie as she shares her vegetable gardening insights gleaned from years of growing in Vermont. Focus on veggies that are great for winter storage or sharing with your local food pantry. Learn about growing storage crops, maximizing yield and methods of preserving the harvest (like canning, pickling and freezing). Sat., Mar. 27, 10-11 a.m.

Cost: $15. Location: Red Wagon Plants, Zoom class. Info: 4824060, sarah.m@redwagonplants. com, redwagonplants.com.

INTRODUCTION TO POLLINATOR GARDENS: How can you turn your little patch of earth into a thriving habitat for pollinators? Red Wagon Plants friend and Master Gardener Julia Parker-Dickerson discusses creating thriving pollinator habitats. She’ll share tools, plants and experiences to inspire the creation of a beautiful and functional pollinator habitat in your own backyard. Sat., Mar. 20, 10-11:30 a.m. Cost: $15. Location: Red Wagon Plants, Zoom class.

Info: 482-4060, sarah.m@ redwagonplants.com, redwagonplants.com.

ONLINE SPANISH CLASSES FOR ALL AGES: Premier nativespeaking Spanish professor Maigualida Rak is giving fun, interactive online lessons to improve comprehension and pronunciation and to achieve fluency. Audio-visual material is used. “I feel proud to say that my students have significantly improved their Spanish with my teaching approach.” -Maigualida Rak. Read reviews on Facebook at facebook.com/spanishonlinevt.

Location: Maigualida Rak, Online.

Info: Maigualida Rak, spanish tutor.vtfla@gmail.com, facebook. com/spanishonlinevt.

psychology

JAPAN AMERICA SOCIETY OF VERMONT: Offering beginning and intermediate Japanese language courses for children online with Zoom. Seven classes begin Sat., Apr. 3. Level 1: 9:30-10 a.m. Level 2: 10:15-10:45 a.m.

Tuition is very affordable. For more information, please visit our website. For further questions or registration, please contact JASV/Masako. Sat., Apr. 3-May 15.

Location: Japan America Society of Vermont, Zoom class. Info: mtcarter77@gmail.com, jasv.org/ v2/language.

INTRODUCTION TO ALCHEMY: Learn how you are living alchemy and discover what transformations lie ahead for you in this experiential workshop derived from Carl Jung’s insights and theories.

Led by Sue Mehrtens, teacher and author. Zoom class. Register by emailing info@jungiancenter. org. Mar. 31, Apr. 7,14, 21, 7-9 p.m.

Cost: $60/via PayPal or check.

Location: Jungian Center for the Spiritual Sciences, Zoom class.

Info: Sue Mehrtens, 244-7909, info@ jungiancenter.org, jungiancenter.org.

avail. Contact yoga@evolutionvt. com. Single class: $0-15. Weekly membership: $10-25. 10-class pass: $140. New student special: $20 for 3 classes. Location: Evolution Yoga, 20 Kilburn St., Burlington. Info: 864-9642, evolutionvt.com.

APRIL

VIRTUAL!

9-10

ALL NEW PRESENTERS

AND SPONSORED BY

SPONSORED BY

EXPLORE EVEN MORE OPTIONS FOR SUMMER! Join us for this second virtual event featuring all new presenters.

This Zoom-based Q&A series on April 9-10 is a great way to learn about opportunities for your child from a safe distance. Connect with representatives from summer camps and schools and hear about COVID-19 safety protocols.

Ask questions or just listen in. Attend one session or all — for free!

MORE INFORMATION AT KIDSVT.COM/FAIR K1T-CampFair0321.indd 1

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LOOKING FOR WORK? Meet the area’s top employers at:

Hire Up!

A Live Video Q&A Session Connecting Companies With Candidates Considering a new career path?

Want to get back into the field you love?

These sessions will help you explore your options from a safe social distance.

During each 30-minute session recruiters will explain what jobs they have available and what they’re looking for in an applicant.

You can ask questions or just listen in.

Attend one session or all — for free!

WED., MARCH 31 10 a.m.

Noon

2 p.m.

Register for the free live video sessions at:

jobs.sevendaysvt.com/hire-up

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SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

Roxy & Piper AGE/SEX: 5-year-old spayed females ARRIVAL DATE: March 9, 2021

COURTESY OF KELLY SCHULZE/MOUNTAIN DOG PHOTOGRAPHY

REASON HERE: Their owner was moving and could not take them.

SUMMARY: Between their good looks and great personalities, there’s a lot to love about these gorgeous gals! Roxy and Piper enjoy the simple things in life, like going for walks around the neighborhood and lounging in the sun. They’re easygoing girls who can often be found hanging out during lunch hour or cuddling with our staff.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS: As with other dogs who arrive at HSCC in pairs, we are going through a process of gradual separation to determine whether these sisters can be comfortable individually. Until we reach that conclusion, they are available for adoption as a pair.

housing »

DID YOU KNOW?

At HSCC, we follow a separation protocol to determine whether two pets need to be adopted together (i.e., do one or both show signs of stress, anxiety or other behavior changes when separated) or whether they actually enjoy having some independence. Single pets have a shorter shelter stay, but it’s important to keep bonded pairs together if they need a pal to be their best selves.

Sponsored by:

DOGS/CATS/KIDS: They have done well with other dogs in the past.

They have lived with a cat and children and done well with them.

Visit the Humane Society of Chittenden County at 142 Kindness Court, South Burlington, Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 6 p.m., or Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 862-0135 or visit hsccvt.org for more info.

NEW STUFF ONLINE EVERY DAY! PLACE YOUR ADS 24-7 AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM.

APARTMENTS, CONDOS & HOMES

on the road »

CARS, TRUCKS, MOTORCYCLES

pro services »

CHILDCARE, HEALTH/ WELLNESS, PAINTING

buy this stuff »

APPLIANCES, KID STUFF, ELECTRONICS, FURNITURE

music »

INSTRUCTION, CASTING, INSTRUMENTS FOR SALE

jobs »

NO SCAMS, ALL LOCAL, POSTINGS DAILY

SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

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on the road

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FOR RENT

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EDUCATION

HOUSEMATES

m

services

ADOPTION

FINANCIAL/LEGAL

CLASSIFIEDS KEY BA bathroom BR bedroom DR dining room DW dishwasher HDWD hardwood HW hot water LR living room NS no smoking OBO or best offer refs. references sec. dep. security deposit W/D washer & dryer

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 and similar Vermont statutes which make it illegal to advertise any preference, limitations, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, handicap, presence of minor children in the family or receipt of public assistance, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or a discrimination. The newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate, which is in violation of the law. Our

60

OFFICE/ COMMERCIAL

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Bring your students & rent the space or teach for us. View photos online. Contact 316-7142, rayne@ shelburneathletic.com.

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m

readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. Any home seeker who feels he or she has encountered discrimination should contact: HUD Office of Fair Housing 10 Causeway St., Boston, MA 02222-1092 (617) 565-5309 — OR — Vermont Human Rights Commission 14-16 Baldwin St. Montpelier, VT 05633-0633 1-800-416-2010 hrc@vermont.gov

SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

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Show and tell.

Calcoku »

View and post up to SEVENDAYSVT.COM/CLASSIFIEDS Using the enclosed math operations as a guide, fill the grid 6 photos per ad online.

using the numbers 1 - 6 only once in each row and column.

music

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Learn guitar, bass, piano, voice, violin, drums, flute, sax, trumpet, production & beyond w/ pro local instructors from the Burlington Music Dojo on Pine St. All levels & styles are welcome, incl. absolute beginners.

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3+

2-

1-

60x

5-

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3-

60x

LEGALS »

72x 2-

432x

10+

STUDIO/ REHEARSAL REHEARSAL SPACE Safe & sanitary music/ creative spaces avail. by the hour in the heart of the South End art district. Monthly arrangements avail., as well. Tailored for music but can be multipurpose. info@ burlingtonmusicdojo. com, 802-540-0321.

3÷

CALCOKU

Difficulty - Hard

BY JOSH REYNOLDS

Open 24/7/365.

Sudoku Extra! Extra!

Post & browse ads

There’s no limit to

Complete the following puzzlead by using at your convenience. length online.the numbers 1-9 only once in each row, column and 3 x 3 box.

5 1 1 9

3 8 2 3 6 5 8 2 7 5 8 7 6 3 9 8 2 4 1 7 4 1 2 Difficulty - Hard

No. 679

SUDOKU

BY JOSH REYNOLDS

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: ★★★

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: ★★★

Fill the grid using the numbers 1-6, only once in each row and column. The numbers in each heavily outlined “cage” must combine to produce the target number in the top corner, using the mathematical operation indicated. A onebox cage should be filled in with the target number in the top corner. A number can be repeated within a cage as long as it is not the same row or column.

Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each 9-box square contains all of the numbers one to nine. The same numbers cannot be repeated in a row or column.

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6

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crossword1

JUMBLE OF TREES ANSWERS ON P.62

6 4 5 1 2 7 9 3 8 ANSWERS ON P.62 8 1 3 9 6 5 4 2 7 ★ = MODERATE ★★ = CHALLENGING ★★★ = HOO, BOY! 2 9 7 8 3 4 1 6 5 4 8 2 7 9 6 3 5 1 7 6 1 5 4 3 2 8 9 3 5 9 2 1 8 7 4 6 1 7 8 3 5 2 6 9 4 5 2 4 6 7 9 8 1 3 9 3 6 4 8 1 5 7 2

SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

61

Legal Notices

The District 4 Environmental Commission is reviewing this application under Act 250 Rule 51— Minor Applications. A copy of the application and proposed permit are available for review at the office listed below. The application and a draft permit may also be viewed on the Natural Resources Board’s web site (http://nrb.vermont. gov) by clicking on “Act 250 Database” and entering the project number “4C0436-38.”

No hearing will be held and a permit may be issued unless, on or before April 1, 2021, a person notifies the Commission of an issue or issues requiring the presentation of evidence at a hearing, or the Commission sets the matter for a hearing on its own motion. Any person as defined in 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c)(1) may request a hearing. Any hearing request must be in writing to the address below, must state the criteria or sub-criteria at issue, why a hearing is required and what additional evidence will be presented at the hearing. Any hearing request by an adjoining property owner or other person eligible for party status under 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c)(1)(E) must include a petition for party status under the Act 250 Rules. Prior to submitting a request for a hearing, please contact the district coordinator at the telephone number listed below

FROM P.61

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4 6 6+8 2 60x 4 7 3 1 5 9

for more information. Prior to convening a hearing, the Commission must determine that substantive issues requiring a hearing have been raised.

Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law may not be prepared unless the Commission holds a public hearing.

If you have a disability for which you need accommodation in order to participate in this process (including participating in a public hearing, if one is held), please notify us as soon as possible, in order to allow us as much time as possible to accommodate your needs.

If you feel that any of the District Commission members listed on the attached Certificate of Service under “For Your Information” may have a conflict of interest, or if there is any other reason a member should be disqualified from sitting on this case, please contact the District Coordinator as soon as possible, and by no later than April 1, 2021.

Parties entitled to participate are the Municipality, the Municipal Planning Commission, the Regional Planning Commission, affected state agencies, and adjoining property owners and other persons to the extent that they have a particularized interest that may be affected by the proposed project under the Act 250 criteria. Non-party participants may also be allowed under 10 V.S.A. Section 6085(c)(5).

If you have a disability for which you need accommodation in order to participate in this process (including participating in a public hearing, if one is held), please notify us as soon as possible, in order to allow us as much time as possible to accommodate your needs.

Parties entitled to participate are the Municipality, the Municipal Planning Commission, the Regional Planning Commission, affected state agencies, and adjoining property owners and other persons to the extent that they have a particularized interest that may be affected by the proposed project under the Act 250 criteria. Non-party participants may also be allowed under 10 V.S.A. Section 6085(c)(5).

Dated at Essex Junction, Vermont this 9th day of March, 2021.

By: /s/Rachel Lomonaco Rachel Lomonaco, District Coordinator 111 West Street Essex Junction, VT 05452 802-879-5658 rachel.lomonaco@vermont.gov ACT 250 NOTICE MINOR APPLICATION #4C060821B 10 V.S.A. §§ 6001 - 6093 On February 26, 2021, the Town of Essex, 81 Main Street, Essex, VT 05452 filed application number 4C0608-21B for a project generally described as upgrades to two stormwater treatment facilities including subsurface piping and chambers. The project is located at 73 Essex Way in Essex, Vermont.

The District 4 Environmental Commission is reviewing this application under Act 250 Rule 51— Minor Applications. A copy of the application and proposed permit are available for review at the office listed below. The application and a draft permit may also be viewed on the Natural Resources Board’s web site (http://nrb.vermont. gov) by clicking on “Act 250 Database” and entering the project number “4C0608-21B.” No hearing will be held and a permit may be issued unless, on or before April 1, 2021, a person notifies the Commission of an issue or issues requiring the presentation of evidence at a hearing, or the Commission sets the matter for a hearing on its own motion. Any person as defined in 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c)(1) may request a hearing. Any hearing request must be in writing to the address below, must state the criteria or sub-criteria at issue, why a hearing is required and what additional evidence will be presented at the hearing. Any hearing request by an adjoining property owner or other person eligible for party status under 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c)(1)(E) must include a petition for party status under the Act 250 Rules. Prior to submitting a request for a hearing, please contact the district coordinator at the telephone number listed below for more information. Prior to convening a hearing, the Commission must determine that substantive issues requiring a hearing have been raised.

Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law may not be prepared unless the Commission holds a public hearing.

If you feel that any of the District Commission members listed on the attached Certificate of Service under “For Your Information” may have a conflict of interest, or if there is any other reason a member should be disqualified from sitting on this case, please contact the District Coordinator as soon as possible, and by no later than April 1, 2021.

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4 5 1 3 9 7 8 2 62- 1 510+ 9 7 8 2 4 3 6

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4 1

2 2 7 6 5 3 4 72x 9 6 4 3 1 8 5 2 7 9 8 1

3+

5 9 4 1 3 32x 2 7 6 8 5 5-

1 5 2 6 3 3 8 2 7 6 5 45 1 8 9 4 6 9 4 Difficulty - Hard 1 3 7 2 3÷

2-

Using the enclosed math operations as a guide, fill the grid using the numbers 1 - 6 only once in each row and column.

Calcoku

No. 679

4

1

Difficulty - Hard

2

SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

3

4 62

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FROM P.61

2

PUZZLE ANSWERS

ACT 250 NOTICE MINOR APPLICATION #4C043638 10 V.S.A. §§ 6001 - 6093 On March 4, 2021, Bolton Valley Resort, LLC, 4302 Bolton Valley Access Road, Bolton, VT 05477 filed application number 4C0436-38 for a project generally described as construction of a new 3,400 sf vehicle maintenance building within the existing maintenance yard, the removal of two existing petroleum storage tanks and the installation of one petroleum storage tank. The project is located at 3220 Bolton Valley Access Road in Bolton, Vermont.

2

If you have a disability for which you need accommodation in order to participate in this process (including participating in a public hearing, if one is held), please notify us as soon as possible,

By: Stephanie H. Monaghan District Coordinator 111 West Street Essex Junction, VT 05452 802-879-5662 stephanie.monaghan@vermont.gov

1

If you feel that any of the District Commission members listed on the attached Certificate of Service under “For Your Information” may have a conflict of interest, or if there is any other reason a member should be disqualified from sitting on this case, please contact the District Coordinator as soon as possible, and by no later than April 2, 2021.

Dated at Essex Junction, Vermont this 12th day of March, 2021.

6

No hearing will be held and a permit may be issued unless, on or before April 2, 2021, a person notifies the Commission of an issue or issues requiring the presentation of evidence at a hearing, or the Commission sets the matter for a hearing on its own motion. Any person as defined in 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c)(1) may request a hearing. Any hearing request must be in writing to the address below, must state the criteria or sub-criteria at issue, why a hearing is required and what additional evidence will be presented at the hearing. Any hearing request by an adjoining property owner or other person eligible for party status under 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c)(1)(E) must include a petition for party status under the Act 250 Rules. Prior to submitting a request for a hearing, please contact the district coordinator at the telephone number listed below for more information. Prior to convening a hearing, the Commission must determine that substantive issues requiring a hearing have been raised. Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law may not be prepared unless the Commission holds a public hearing.

Parties entitled to participate are the Municipality, the Municipal Planning Commission, the Regional Planning Commission, affected state agencies, and adjoining property owners and other persons to the extent that they have a particularized interest that may be affected by the proposed project under the Act 250 criteria. Non-party participants may also be allowed under 10 V.S.A. Section 6085(c)(5).

3

The District 4 Environmental Commission is reviewing this application under Act 250 Rule 51—Minor Applications. A copy of the application and proposed permit are available for review at the office listed below. The application and a draft permit may also be viewed on the Natural Resources Board’s web site (http://nrb.vermont. gov) by clicking on “Act 250 Database” and entering the project number “4C0331-35A.”

in order to allow us as much time as possible to accommodate your needs.

5

ACT 250 NOTICE MINOR APPLICATION #4C033135A 10 V.S.A. §§ 6001 - 6093 On March 1, 2021, City of Burlington, Burlington International Airport, 1200 Airport Drive, #1, South Burlington, VT 05403 and Beta Air, LLC, 1150 Airport Drive, South Burlington, VT 05403 filed application number 4C0331-35A for a project generally described as updates to plans previously-approved under Land Use Permit Amendment #4C0331-35, construction of a 762 square foot South Wing Addition, conversion of five temporary shipping containers to permanent, and associated landscaping and parking improvements. The project is located at 1150 Airport Drive in South Burlington, Vermont.

PLACE AN AFFORDABLE NOTICE AT: SEVENDAYSVT.COM/LEGAL-NOTICES OR CALL 802-865-1020, EXT. 10.

Dated at Essex Junction, Vermont this 10th day of March, 2021.

By: /s/Rachel Lomonaco Rachel Lomonaco, District Coordinator 111 West Street Essex Junction, VT 05452 802-879-5658 Rachel.Lomonaco@vermont.gov ACT 250 NOTICE MINOR APPLICATION #4C08247C 10 V.S.A. §§ 6001 - 6093 On February 17, 2021, Rice Lumber Company, Inc., P.O. Box 1029, Shelburne, VT 05482 and Pizzagalli Properties, LLC, 462 Shelburne Street, Suite 101, Burlington, VT 05401 filed application number 4C0824-7C for a project generally described as sign changes to the Healthy Living Market and Cafe previously permitted in LUP #4C0824-7.

These changes include the south facade sign to be relocated from the center of the building to the right corner, an increase in the free standing sign from 4’x6’ to 5’x10’, and the remaining portion of the sign to be split into 6 equal sections for future signs. The project is located at 4188 Shelburne Road in Shelburne, Vermont. The application was deemed complete on March 11, 2021.

The District 4 Environmental Commission is reviewing this application under Act 250 Rule 51—Minor Applications. A copy of the application and proposed permit are available for review at the office listed below. The application and a draft permit may also be viewed on the Natural Resources Board’s web site (http://nrb.vermont. gov) by clicking on “Act 250 Database” and entering the project number “4C0824-7C.” No hearing will be held and a permit may be issued unless, on or before April 2, 2021, a person notifies the Commission of an issue or issues requiring the presentation of evidence at a hearing, or the Commission sets the matter for a hearing on its own motion. Any person as defined in 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c)(1) may request a hearing. Any hearing request must be in writing to the address below, must state the criteria or sub-criteria at issue, why a hearing is required and what additional evidence will be presented at the hearing. Any hearing request by an adjoining property owner or other person eligible for party status under 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c)(1)(E) must include a petition for party status under the Act 250 Rules. Prior to submitting a request for a hearing, please contact the district coordinator at the telephone number listed below for more information. Prior to convening a hearing, the Commission must determine that substantive issues requiring a hearing have been raised. Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law may not be prepared unless the Commission holds a public hearing.

If you feel that any of the District Commission members listed on the attached Certificate of Service under “For Your Information” may have a conflict of interest, or if there is any other reason a member should be disqualified from sitting on this case, please contact the District Coordinator as soon as possible, and by no later than April 2, 2021.

If you have a disability for which you need accommodation in order to participate in this process (including participating in a public hearing, if one is held), please notify us as soon as possible, in order to allow us as much time as possible to accommodate your needs.

Parties entitled to participate are the Municipality, the Municipal Planning Commission, the Regional Planning Commission, affected state agencies, and adjoining property owners and other persons to the extent that they have a particularized interest that may be affected by the proposed project under the Act 250 criteria. Non-party participants may also be allowed under 10 V.S.A. Section 6085(c)(5).

Dated at Essex Junction, Vermont this 12th day of March, 2021.

By: Stephanie H. Monaghan District Coordinator 111 West Street Essex Junction, VT 05452 802-879-5662 stephanie.monaghan@vermont.gov

1. Public Comments

Name of Publication: Seven Days Publication Date: March 15, 2021

The only exception may be for the consideration of police services.

Chittenden Probate Court P.O. Box 511 Burlington, VT 05402-0511

ARTICLE 7. To elect Village officers required by law including: Moderator (one-year term); two Village Trustees (2 three-year terms); one Library Trustee (five-year term)?

VILLAGE OF ESSEX JUNCTION WARNING INFORMATIONAL HEARING APRIL 7, 2021 AND ANNUAL MEETING APRIL 13, 2021 Informational Hearing Wednesday, April 7 [7:00 PM]

Dated at Essex Junction, Vermont, this 9th day of March, 2021 by the Village Board of Trustees

4. SITE PLAN: HECO RENTALS, LLC: Proposal to construct three 6,000SF warehouses located at 10 Corporate Drive in the RPD-I Zone. Tax Map 72, Parcel 3-10.

COVID-19 UPDATE: Due to the Covid-19, this meeting will be held remotely. Available options to watch or join the meeting:

VOTER INFORMATION NOTICE: VILLAGE OF ESSEX JUNCTION - 2021 ANNUAL MEETING: TOWN OF ESSEX - SPECIAL MEETING APRIL 13, 2021 Australian Ballot - Polling place and hours:

5. Minutes: March 25, 2021

- WATCH: The meeting will be live-streamed on Town Meeting TV.

2. CONTINUED SITE PLAN AMENDMENT: A&C Realty, LLC: Proposal to add two 20,000SF facilities, and other site improvements at 123 Old Colchester Rd. I1&AR zones. Tax Map 95, Parcel 1-1.

3. SIMPLE PARCEL SUBDIVISION: VIP 44 CENTER RD, LLC: Proposal to subdivide a 1.16 acre parcel into a 2 residential lots located at 44 Center Rd in the R2 Zone. Tax Map 56 Parcel 112.

6. Other Business BURLINGTON DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD TUESDAY, APRIL 6TH, 2021, 5:00 PM PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE REMOTE MEETING Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84866592744 ?pwd=MkpMOUx2OEU2bTZ3T3Q4a3AvaVh6QT09 Webinar ID: 848 6659 2744 Password: 502671 Telephone: +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 929 205 6099 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 6833 1. 21-0358CA/CU; 40 Kingsland Terrace (RL, Ward 6S) Kellen Brumsted Demolish existing garage (listed on the National Register); construct new 660 sf. garage with Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU).

2. 21-0723CU; 195 Archibald (RL, Ward 1E) Deborah Lyons Establish short-term rental (bed & breakfast) with associated parking waiver.

3. 21-0629DT; 92 Farrington Parkway (RL, Ward 7N) Raymond K. Ingram Jr. Appeal of 15-year determination as to parking on the yard next to the driveway.

Plans may be viewed upon request by contacting the Department of Permitting & Inspections between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Participation in the DRB proceeding is a prerequisite to the right to take any subsequent appeal.

Please note that ANYTHING submitted to the Zoning office is considered public and cannot be kept confidential. This may not be the final order in which items will be heard. Please view final Agenda, at www.burlingtonvt.gov/dpi/drb/agendas or the office notice board, one week before the hearing for the order in which items will be heard.

ESSEX TOWN PLANNING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING AGENDA APRIL 8, 2021-6:30 P.M. This meeting will be held remotely.

- Join via Microsoft Teams - Join via conference call (audio only): (802) 377-3784 | Conference ID: 590 879 654 # - Public wifi is available at the Essex municipal offices, libraries, and hotspots listed here: https:// publicservice.vermont.gov/content/ public-wifi-hotspots-vermont - Visit our website at www.essexvt.org.

Say you saw it in... sevendaysvt.com

NOTICE OF LEGAL SALE View Date: 04/01/2021 Sale Date: 04/02/2021 Austin Sherburne: Unit #425 Easy Self Storage 46 Swift St South Burlington VT 05403 (802) 863-8300 STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT PROBATE DIVISION CHITTENDEN UNIT, DOCKET NO.: 20-PR-01125 In re ESTATE of WILLIAM E. DAVISON NOTICE TO CREDITORS To the Creditors of William E. Davison, late of Burlington, Vermont: I have been appointed to administer this estate.

All creditors having claims against the decedent or the estate must present their claims in writing within four (4) months of the first publication of this notice. The claim must be presented to me at the address listed below with a copy sent to the Court. The claim may be barred forever if it is not presented within the four (4) month period.

Dated: March 9, 2021 Signed: /s/ Kathleen M. Schneider Executor/Administrator: Kathleen M. Schneider 55 Claire Pointe Road Burlington, VT 05403 Name of Publication: Seven Days Publication Date: March 17, 2021 Chittenden Unit, Probate Court 175 Main Street P.O. Box 511 Burlington, VT 05402 STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT PROBATE DIVISION CHITTENDEN UNIT, DOCKET NO.: 21-PR-00263 In re ESTATE of Susan Moegenburg NOTICE TO CREDITORS To the Creditors of Susan Moegenburg, late of Shelburne, Vermont: I have been appointed to administer this estate.

All creditors having claims against the decedent or the estate must present their claims in writing within four (4) months of the first publication of this notice. The claim must be presented to me at the address listed below with a copy sent to the Court. The claim may be barred forever if it is not presented within the four (4) month period.

Dated: March 15, 2021 Signed: /s/ Launa L. Slater Executor/Administrator: Julie O’Halloran c/o Launa L. Slater, Jarrett & Luitjens, PLC 1795 Williston Rd., Suite 125 South Burlington, VT 05403 (802) 864-5951 launa@vtelaw.com

- JOIN ONLINE: Join via Zoom Meeting https:// zoom.us/j/95576633602?pwd=VFN4YWhYSUhvb3 dNQ0NxT3lNeU5tZz09 - JOIN CALLING: (646) 558-8656 US (New York) , Meeting ID: 955 7663 3602, Passcode: 538553 - MODERATOR: All instructions for conduct of the hearing will be guided by the Moderator.

If you have difficulty accessing the hearing, please call (802) 878-1341 or email manager@essex.org.

The 2021 Village Annual Meeting will be held entirely by Australian ballot. A public informational hearing on the Articles to be voted on at Village Annual Meeting will be held according to 17 V.S.A. § 2680. No voting will take place during this hearing.

If you wish to make a public comment but do not have the ability to comment remotely during the meeting, please email your comment(s) to the Unified Manager at manager@essex.org by 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 6. Agenda will include discussion of articles and public to be heard.

Annual Meeting- Tuesday, April 13 The legal voters of the Village of Essex Junction are hereby notified and warned to meet at the Essex Community Educational Center on Educational Drive in the Village of Essex Junction on Tuesday, April 13, 2021 to transact the following business by Australian ballot. Said voting by Australian ballot to begin at 7:00 AM and close at 7:00 PM. ARTICLE 1. Shall the voters approve an annual General Fund Budget in the amount of $5,641,278 for fiscal year July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022, $3,745,866 of which is to be levied in taxes against the Village Grand List?

ARTICLE 2. Shall the Village authorize the transfer of the remaining balance in the Land Acquisition Fund, estimated balance to be approximately $82,700, to the Economic Development Fund to be used for downtown development.

ARTICLE 3. Shall the voters approve extending the one cent Capital Improvement tax (also known as Economic Development tax), as established in 2016, to be reconsidered at annual meeting in 2024.

ARTICLE 4. Shall the annual stipend for the position of a Trustee of the Village Board of Trustees be raised from $500 to $1,000?

ARTICLE 5. Shall the voters approve holding the 2022 Annual Meeting on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 to act upon any articles not involving voting by Australian ballot and to reconvene on Tuesday, April 12, 2022 to vote for the Village officers and transact any business involving voting by Australian ballot?

ARTICLE 6. By a non-binding resolution, shall the Essex Junction Board of Trustees be advised to draft a charter to create the independent City of Essex Junction, for consideration by the Village of Essex Junction voters no later than November 2021, should efforts seeking a vote for reconsideration on the issue of merger fail. We advise that the charter shall not include any union municipal districts, interlocal contracts, special tax districts or other relationships within the Town of Essex for the provision of Village Government services.

- Residents of the Village of Essex Junction vote at Essex High School, 2 Educational Drive, Tuesday, April 13, 2021, 7 AM to 7 PM. - Residents of the Town outside of the Village of Essex Junction vote at Essex Middle School, 58 Founders Drive, Essex Junction, Tuesday, April 13, 2021, 7 AM to 7 PM If you are voting in person and are unsure of your polling place, please call the town clerk’s office at 879-0413, option 6.

A ballot box will be located outside the town clerk’s office at 81 Main Street to deposit your mailed ballot.

Early/Absentee Ballots Requests and Deadline: ALL VOTERS ARE ENCOURAGEDTO VERIFY THEIR MAILING ADDRESS BY GOING TO https://mvp. vermont.gov/ or email clerk@essex.org. Ballots will be mailed to all “active” voters. If you do not receive a ballot by March 29th call 879-0413, option 6, or email clerk@essex.org. Because the town office is closed to the public there will be no in-office early voting. Ballots must be returned by the close of polls (7:00 p.m. April 13th) in order to be counted.

Ballots returned by April 7th will be processed on April 8th, 9th and 12th at the Town Clerk’s office in accordance with 17 VSA, Chapter 51, §2546(a).

BE SURE TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS AND SIGN THE CERTIFICATE ON THE VOTED BALLOT ENVELOPE. BALLOT MUST BE RETURNED IN THE VOTED BALLOT ENVELOPE IN ORDER TO BE COUNTED. DO NOT IDENTIFY YOUR SELF ON THE BALLOT – THIS WILL INVALIDATE YOUR BALLOT AND YOUR VOTE WILL NOT BE COUNTED. Voter Registration: Residents may register online at https://olvr.vermont.gov/, or at the polling place for same registration. All that is required for voter registration is your VT driver’s license number, or if you do not have a VT driver’s license, the last four digits of your social security number. For questions concerning voter registration, call the town clerk’s office at 879-0413, option 6.

Voting instructions at the polls: Enter polls to check-in table, state name and street address, receive ballot, proceed and enter voting booth, mark your ballot in the voting booth (if you tear, deface of wrongly mark your ballot, return it to the election worker to receive another ballot), proceed to the ballot tabulator, cast ballot, exit polling area.

Problems at the Polls: Anyone needing assistance with voting or help with a problem at the polls should seek the assistance of the Presiding Officer.

Campaigning During Polling Hours: No candidate or other person may physically interfere with the progress of a voter to and from the polling place.

No campaign advertisement may be displayed, placed, handed out or allowed to remain within the building containing a polling place. An election official or other person may not campaign, solicit voter or distribute campaign materials in the building containing a polling place.

For questions concerning this election, call Susan McNamara-Hill, Clerk, Village of Essex Junction and Town of Essex at 879-0413 option 6.

SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

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64 MARCH 17-24, 2021

ATTENTION RECRUITERS: POST YOUR JOBS AT: PRINT DEADLINE: FOR RATES & INFO:

JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POST-A-JOB NOON ON MONDAYS (INCLUDING HOLIDAYS) MICHELLE BROWN, 802-865-1020 X21, MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

YOUR TRUSTED LOCAL SOURCE. JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM Now hiring!

PROGRAM DIRECTOR

PRESS DIRECTOR AND PRINTSHOP ARTISAN

New World Tortilla has positions open at our location on Pine Street in Burlington. This is a fast-paced counter service restaurant. Tired of working Sundays and Holidays? You get them all off. We also offer paid time off for full-time employees.

Bread and Puppet Theater is seeking a new Press Director and Printshop Artisan.

Visit BREADANDPUPPET.ORG for full job listing.

CALL & FULFILLMENT CENTER OPERATOR

Find all of the details online at: Individual wanted to promote www.goodbeginningscentralvt.org/blog Vermont receiving incoming calls and emails (no sales) for contracted small Burlington firm.

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1

Please send your resume to newworldvt@gmail.com, or drop it off at 696 Pine Street.

1 3/12/21 2h-NewWorldTortilla031021.indd 12:05 PM

Full time permanent position with some remote work possible.

Need quality phone and computer skills, detail orientated and independent a must.

SECURITY OFFICER

Contact Bill@ppdbrochure.com for more information.

Variable Shifts, Per Diem

Are you recently retired, self-employed, or someone who has free time on their hands and is willing to 2v-PP&D031721.indd 1 3/15/21 10:36 AM work any shift? If so, the UVM Medical Center is seeking qualified individuals to join the Security team on a per diem basis. This position prefers EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR but does not require security experience. We Community craft school seeking an experienced and will look at your work history skillset to see if creative leader. you might be the right fit.

For more details or to apply: craftstudies.org Deadline: March 19, 2021

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TODDLER ASSISTANT TEACHER

Vermont Compost Company is looking for a Food Residuals Program Manager and has multiple openings in the Fulfillment and Operations Team. This is a growing organization looking for people that are motivated and eager to learn.

For more information, visit: vermontcompost.com/careers

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Seeking an experienced Finance Manager to plan, direct, and coordinate all accounting functions of our thriving Co-op. The ideal candidate has leadership experience and has been in the finance field for at least 5 years. Visit our website today to learn more about the position and the dynamic, supportive community that awaits.

Full-time position with benefits; Great company culture.

Learn more and apply: uvmmed.hn/sevendays

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Food Residuals Manager & Operations/Fulfillment Team Members

Finance Manager

3/5/21 12:21 PM

Sara Holbrook Community Center is in search of an experienced child care professional for the Early Headstart Toddler program. This person will work closely with the classroom teachers to develop and implement a program of activities that promote the social, emotional, physical, and academic development of each child.

This position requires an associate degree from an accredited college with a major or concentration in Early Childhood, child or Human Development, Elementary Education, or Child and Family Services or a current Child Development Associate Certification (CDA). Candidates with solid experience will be considered if they are working toward an applicable degree or certification.

This is a full-time, benefited position. Please go to saraholbrookcc.org/employment-opportunities to view the full job description.

3/15/21 12:20 PM

MULTIPLE POSITIONS OPEN

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3/8/21 9:45 AM

Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital has a variety of positions available, including: RNs, LNAs, Radiologic Technologists, MT or MLT, Administrative, Information Services and more!

Full-time, part-time and per diem schedules available.

Shift differentials and per diem rates offered.

FT and PT employees are eligible for excellent benefits including student loan repayment, generous paid time off, wellness reimbursement, low cost health insurance and 401k with company match!

APPLY TODAY AT NVRH.ORG/CAREERS.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @SEVENDAYSJOBS, SUBSCRIBE TO RSS, OR BROWSE POSTS ON YOUR PHONE AT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY! JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

65 MARCH 17-24, 2021

OPEN POSITIONS - ALL SHIFTS Marketing & Sales Coordinator HR Coordinator

PROGRAM COORDINATOR Local Motion is Vermont’s statewide advocate for active transportation, vibrant communities, and safe streets.

At Vermont Creamery, our employees are our greatest resource. We are a community that empowers our team to engage and live our mission every day. We know that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and here, the whole is powered by a spirit of collaboration & transparency.

Benefits matter; that’s why we offer a competitive package.

Our benefits program includes medical, vision & dental insurance, retirement plans & a total well-being approach.

Perks to keep you healthy & happy include a wellness program, time off & tuition assistance. A certified B Corp since 2014, we’re using our business as a force for good.

Vermont Tent Company is currently accepting applications for immediate employment as well as future summer/fall employment starting in May. We have full time, part time, after school and weekend hours available for each position. Pay rates vary by position with minimum starting wage ranging from $15$20/hour depending on job skills and experience.

Opportunities include: • Tent Installation/Delivery Team • Driver/Warehouse Team – Event Division • Drivers/Delivery • Linen Team • Inventory Maintenance Team – Wash Bay & Warehouse • Load Crew Team Members

We are seeking an energetic, detail-oriented, and organized individual with a passion for biking and walking to be our To apply, please call 802-479-9371 or apply online at: Program Coordinator. This careers.landolakesinc.com/vermontcreamery.

For job descriptions and application. vttent.com/employment full-time coordinator will support and carry out our outreach, education, and 3/5/214v-VTTentCo031721.indd 2:08 PM 1 3/15/21 encouragement initiatives,4t-VTCreamery031021.indd 1 including our e-bike lending library and our everyday OPERATORS bicycling workshops.

4:30 PM

$2,250.00 Sign-on Bonus!

Join our team today! More details on our website at www.localmotion.org/ join_our_team

Night Shift: 7pm to 7am Pay Rate: $17.44 (includes shift differential) Schedules: Includes long, 4-day weekends off every other week!

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3/12/21 3:24 PM

Eligible for Benefits on Day 1: • Medical, Dental & Vision plus 401K. • Paid Vacation Time: Approximately 3 weeks per year (accrued).

• Paid Sick Time: 80 hours per year Education Assistance: Eligible after 6 months.

• Up to $5,250 per year in a degree related field.

HEALTH & WELLNESS PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Apply online at globalfoundries.com/about-us/careers.

The position would lead USCRI For more information email jobs@globalfoundries.com.

Vermont’s COVID-19 response, GlobalFoundries continues to fully operate and hire during COVID-19. including outreach and education activities and the rollout of the vaccine, coordinate USCRI’s 4t-RabbleRouser031721.indd 9:09 AM 1 3/2/21 1:37 PM T O1 W N O F U N D E R H I L L 3/15/214t-GlobalFoundries030321.indd Community Health Worker team, and collaborate with the State of Vermont Health Operations Center and other community The Town of Underhill seeks a Town partners to reach English LanAdministrator, who is the principal liaison AA FEW OPENINGS: FEWOF OFOUR OUR OPENINGS: guage Learners in the state. At and support for the Selectboard. He or MACHINE OPERATORS such time when the COVID-19 MACHINE OPERATORS she works closely with the Selectboard to (1st, 2nd, 3rd Shifts) pandemic is a lesser concern, the (1st, 2nd, 3rd Shifts) help them with the general administration MACHINE TECHNICIANS Health and Wellness Program MACHINE TECHNICIANS of the Town by providing administrative (2nd & 3rd Shifts) Coordinator would focus on (2nd & 3rd Shifts) support, policy and decision-making advice, and presenting the PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE providing important health and Selectboard’s decisions to external audiences when necessary. The (2nd Shift) TECHNICIAN PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE wellness support to refugees (2nd Shift) TECHNICIAN Town Administrator works closely with other elected and appointed QUALITY CONTROL OPERATOR and immigrants. officials to ensure the efficient and functional operation of the Town (2ndCONTROL & 3rd Shifts)OPERATOR QUALITY and effective communications between departments, with residents, This is a grant funded position (2nd 3rd Shifts) AND&MORE and with other interested parties. The position includes with opportunity for renewal deAND MORE BENEFITS: a competitive salary and excellent benefit package. pending on availability of funding.

TOWN ADMINISTRATOR

Bilingual and multilingual candidates encouraged to apply.

USCRI is an EOE. Submit applications online: refugees.org.

WE’RE WE’REGROWING GROWING

EXCELLENT WAGES, DISCOUNT ON SOCKS, BENEFITS: 17 PAID PERSONAL & HOLIDAYS PLUS EXCELLENT WAGES, DISCOUNT ON SOCKS, VACATION, FULL MEDICAL, DENTAL, 17 PAIDVISION, PERSONAL & 401K HOLIDAYS PLUS LIFE &

Please mail your cover letter and resume to: The Town of Underhill, P.O. Box 120, Underhill, VT 05489.

The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2021.

VACATION, FULL MEDICAL, DENTAL, darntough.com/careers or&(802) VISION, LIFE 401K221-4246

http://bit.ly/TownUnderhillJob EOE

darntough.com/careers or (802) 221-4246 3v-USCRI031721.indd 1

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3/12/21 8:43 AM

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

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POST YOUR JOBS AT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM FOR FAST RESULTS, OR CONTACT MICHELLE BROWN: MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

MARCH 17-24, 2021

SHARED LIVING PROVIDER

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT SPECIALIST II Full Time; Benefits Eligible; $17/hour

Goddard College seeks a resourceful IT Specialist with IT help desk experience to provide support and instruction for the use of the intranet and technology resources and to work collaboratively with the IT team to ensure the optimal functioning of the Goddard College IT services. This positon also acts as the focal point for managing end-user devices (laptops and PCs) and has primary responsibility for updating and maintaining the IT Asset Tracking system.

Please visit our website to review the complete position description and apply by submitting a cover letter and resume to: goddard.edu/about-goddard/employment-opportunities Goddard College is committed to creating a college representative of a diverse global community and capable of creating change. To that end, we are actively seeking applications from qualified candidates from groups currently underrepresented in our institution for this position. This institution is an E.O.E. 5h-GoddardCollege031021.indd 1

Howard Center is seeking a Shared Living provider for an active teenage boy. The ideal provider will have experience working with people with developmental needs, be able to provide 24-hour supervision, provide assistance with all personal care needs, be willing to be trained in ABA supports, and not have any dogs or young children in the home. A household with multiple adults providing support is preferred. The ideal provider should also be comfortable making modifications to their home necessary to support the client. The client uses an assistive device to communicate and has significant behavioral needs. The provider will be supported by a team of clinical and day staff and a large respite package.

Compensation includes a very generous tax-free stipend plus room and board payments.

For more information or to request an application, please contact Patrick Fraser at patfraser@howardcenter.org or 802-871-2902.

3/8/21 6:18 PM 4t-HowardCenterSLPTeenBoy031021.indd 1

PH International (Project Harmony, Inc.) is an international non-profit with 35 years of experience focusing on civic engagement, cross cultural learning, and increased opportunities in the digital age. The U.S. headquarter office is located in Waitsfield, Vermont with field offices in Armenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Republic of Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine with projects also implemented in other countries.

Staff Attorney Intake and Outreach Advocate/Paralegal

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION

Temporary Positions

Immediate full-time opening in the Waitsfield office for a highly qualified professional to be a key member of PH’s Senior Management Team and oversee all accounting and financial functions.

Demonstrated experience in non-profit accounting, business management, organizational leadership, and be highly adaptable to new online management systems. Knowledge of U.S. federal grant management and compliance is a must. Oversee all financial and accounting systems and reporting; supervise accounting staff; develop and manage the annual budget process, annual audit, 990, and NICRA proposal; manage cash management and cash-flow; monitor investments and line of credit; approve reports, invoices, journal entries, and transactions; prepare monthly account reconciliations; ensure internal procedures are followed for new awards, cost share, sub recipients, and procurement; and lead financial report preparation and reporting for Senior Management and the Finance Committee of the Board of Directors. Experience working with international field offices and with multi-company accounting and consolidated financial statements is a plus; demonstrated experience with federal and state regulations related to payroll; effective problem solving, critical thinking, and systems evaluation skills; experience in organizational leadership and supervising staff.

Vermont Legal Aid seeks to hire several temporary, full-time contract positions for both Staff Attorneys and Intake and Outreach Advocates/Paralegals. We are adding to our staff to meet Vermonters’ needs for help with keeping or obtaining housing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We encourage applicants from a broad range of backgrounds, and welcome information about how your experience can contribute to serving our diverse client communities. Applicants are encouraged to share in their cover letter how they can further our goals of social justice and housing for all. We are an equal opportunity employer committed to a discrimination- and harassment-free workplace.

WE ARE SEEKING STAFF TO FILL POSITIONS IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS: • Staff Attorney Positions: Eviction Defense and Homelessness Prevention • Intake and Outreach Advocate/Paralegal Positions: Outreach, callbacks, information, referral, and legal assistance to help people stay and get housed.

All positions will be temporary contract positions through at least December 2021. We are looking for candidates with the ability to communicate in a diverse range of professional, cultural, and community contexts, strong writing skills, the ability to handle a large caseload, a demonstrated commitment to community engagement and social justice advocacy, and a collaborative work style.

Staff will work remotely until the state of emergency is lifted; however, the positions will be based out of one of our offices, which are in Burlington, Montpelier, Rutland, St. Johnsbury, and Springfield. Some in-state travel may be required.

Starting (annualized) salary is $52,411 for an attorney, $38,281 for a community advocate/paralegal, with salary credit given for relevant prior work experience. Four weeks paid vacation and retirement (prorated for length of contract), as well as excellent health benefits. Attorney applicants must be licensed to practice law in Vermont.

FULL JOB DESCRIPTION & APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS AT: ph-int.org/vacancies.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Your application should include a cover letter and resume, writing sample, and at least three professional references with contact information, sent as a single PDF. Send your application by e-mail to Betsy Whyte at bwhyte@vtlegalaid.org with the subject line “Housing Position.” Please let us know how you heard about this position.

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3/5/21 11:25 AM

Application deadline: March 29, 2021. EOE.

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2/26/21 12:22 PM

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @SEVENDAYSJOBS, SUBSCRIBE TO RSS, OR BROWSE POSTS ON YOUR PHONE AT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY! JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

67 MARCH 17-24, 2021

Development Officer https://bit.ly/3eyC5FE

Youth Development Coordinator https://bit.ly/30DYglS

Is currently seeking:

Supported Housing Program Staff https://bit.ly/3uFzQWN

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

3/12/21 4:08 PM

Milton Family Community Center (MFCC), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization providing early childhood and family support programs in northern Chittenden County since 1985, has reopened the search for the position of Executive Director. We are looking for someone who has the skills and knowledge to provide the visionary leadership and guidance that will assure for increased fiscal capacity to provide for the continued delivery of high quality programs, expansion and stabilization of our professional workforce, improve the physical work space, and promote ongoing advocacy and empowerment for families with young children.

Executive Leadership Position

Front Porch Forum is seeking a full-time Director of Product to lead our Community Division. The successful candidate will oversee daily operations of the Division, and will serve on our executive team.

FPF’s growth has accelerated over the past year, and we now employ more than 20 Vermonters.

This new Division Director role will enhance our ability to help Vermonters connect with neighbors and build more resilient communities.

KEY DUTIES THIS POSITION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR INCLUDE: • • • • • • • • •

Visionary leadership Day-to-day operations Program development, management, & improvement Program performance assessments and outcomes reporting Fiscal management Community partnerships Fund development and grant writing Personnel management Strategic planning

Learn more and apply: https://frontporchforum.com/about-us/careers-at-fpf

PUBLIC WORKS EMPLOYEE

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• Board development

BRISTOL, VERMONT

Candidates must demonstrate an ability to work with and promote collaborations with diverse populations to achieve shared community goals and outcomes. More information on MFCC is available at miltonfamilycenter.org.

The Town of Bristol is seeking qualified candidates to join the 5-member Public Works Department.

Bristol (pop. 3,894) is a steadily growing, vibrant community located in the Champlain Valley in Addison County, Vermont.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POSITION:

The Public Works Department supports the community in many ways beyond maintaining roads, sidewalks, and equipment. This position involves a variety of tasks relating to maintaining Bristol’s transportation system, public infrastructure, and municipal facilities. The Public Works Employee is responsible for routine maintenance, repair work, plowing, and following the direction of the Foreman. The position is full-time, requiring a flexible schedule which may include nights, weekends, and holidays.

• Bachelor’s degree in human services, psychology, non-profit management, or other equivalent field.

• 5+ years’ leadership experience in human services, early childhood, or non-profit organization management • Fiscal management experience to include budget development, expense management, and financial reporting • Fund development experience in grant writing, donor solicitation, and fund raising event planning • Personnel management and supervision experience • Program development, assessment, and performance management experience

A detailed job description is available at www.bristolvt.org. Wage: $17.00 to $20.00 per hour commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits package.

To apply, please e-mail a confidential cover letter, resume, and three references by the end of the day Wednesday, March 31, 2021 to townadmin@bristolvt.org with Bristol Public Works Employee in the subject line or send to:

Interested candidates are to submit a cover letter, resume, and list of references to:

Bristol Public Works Employee Search P.O. Box 249, Bristol, VT 05443

Attn: Executive Director Search Committee Milton Family Community Center P.O. Box 619, Milton, VT 05468

The Town of Bristol is an equal opportunity provider and employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, religion, gender, or familial status.

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3/15/21 12:56 PM

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3/16/21 10:31 AM

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

68

POST YOUR JOBS AT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM FOR FAST RESULTS, OR CONTACT MICHELLE BROWN: MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

MARCH 17-24, 2021

PERSONAL ASSISTANT

FRONT OF THE HOUSE ASSISTANT MANAGER

Calling all Health Lovers, Wellness Students, Artists, Athletes!

Theatre Artist with severe neuromuscular disability. Involves intensive bodywork/ customized physical therapy (training provided), activation of neuropathways/vital chi, bathing, dressing, activities of daily living and wheelchair transfers (90lbs).

Tourterelle, a Farm to Table restaurant (est. 2009) and events venue near Middlebury, is offering a unique opportunity to join our team as a Front of The House Assistant Manager. We are looking for an Strong upper body and wrist strength required. $20/hr. 12:00pm—3:30pm individual with a minimum of 2 years’ experience in the hospitality with some evening shifts. Must wear provided PPE. industry, someone who is confident yet willing to learn and grow Apply: EcstasyofaCripple@gmail.com. professionally. The Assistant Manager portrays excellent social skills, integrity & a big work ethic. This position would be starting May 1st.

We offer a friendly & professional work environment. Base salary and compensation will be based on experience and skills.

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BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR

GARDE-MANGER/PASTRY Tourterelle, a farm-to-table restaurant and events venue, is looking for a garde-manger with baking experience. Responsible for aiding the executive chef in all kitchen activities, including but not limited to prep and cooking, inventories and cost tracking, managing and maintaining a clean and friendly workplace in the kitchen, working with other team members and service staff to ensure guest expectations are exceeded at every meal. Pastry/dessert experience preferred. This position is ideal for someone who brings maturity and experience to the table and offers ample room to grow, learn & teach.

Wednesday through Sunday. 40 hours week. We offer a friendly & professional work environment. Base salary and compensation will be based on experience and skills.

Please, email your resume Christinethomassnell@gmail.com Candidates should send the following via email: · Cover letter explaining their interest in this job, related experience, and available start date · Resume, 3 references and their contact information

5v-Tourterelle031721.indd 1

Seeking a Mission Investing

Apply via Schoolspring.com, Job ID #3467466.

Further inquiries, please email HRMail@u32.org.

Finish Carpenters, Carpenters and Carpenters Helpers. Good Pay, Full Time and Long Term!

Chittenden County.

Call Mike at 802-343-0089 or Morton at 802-862-7602.

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8/6/18 10:42 AM

Medical Receptionist

Join us in this exciting opportunity to serve the community in our new 3/16/21 4t-WashingtonCentralUUSD031721.indd 12:38 PM 1 3/16/21 11:08 AM practice. We are a small, energetic, friendly and inclusive group hoping to find a medical receptionist Engaging minds that change the world with experience in Seeking a position with a quality employer? Consider The the medical field.

University of Vermont, a stimulating and diverse workplace. We Email for details.

Manager offer a comprehensive benefit package including tuition remission Esther@spinevt.com for on-going, full-time positions.

If you have expertise in social impact investing and want to make a difference in VT – join us!

We are looking for an experienced and creative social impact and mission investing manager to develop, build, and evaluate our Vermont investments. The goals of our work are to build economic strength and social impact and to close the opportunity gap in Vermont. This position will be responsible for a portfolio of partners and companies, managing product expansion for funders, as well as evaluation and impact tracking.

If this sounds like a good fit for you, visit vermontcf.org/careers for a complete job description and instructions for applying by Friday, April 9th.

Treasury Management Professional - Treasury Services #S2701PO - University Financial Services is seeking a Treasury Management Professional to perform the University’s daily cash 2v-InterventionalSpineofVT031021.indd management functions, debt management functions, and related compliance requirements. Coordinate cash flow projection/actual information, perform payments of premiums for life insurance policies received as gifts to the University, identify abandoned property, and balance daily cash deposit activity to the ledger.

Minimum qualifications include: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting or related field and two to four years of treasury, cash management, and debt management experience required. Working knowledge of the banking system, the bond market, interest rates, investment vehicles, cash equivalent instruments, fund accounting, bond indentures and financial statements required. Strong excel skills required.

For further information on this position and others currently available, or to apply online, please visit www.uvmjobs.com.

Applicants must apply for positions electronically. Paper resumes are not accepted. Open positions are updated daily.

Please call 802-656-3150 or email employment@uvm.edu for technical support with the online application.

1

3/5/21 4:27 PM

YOUR TRUSTED LOCAL SOURCE.

The University of Vermont is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

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11:06 AM

Washington Central UUSD has re-opened their search for a Business Administrator to oversee the management of financial affairs for District schools consisting of Berlin, Calais, East Montpelier, Rumney, Doty and U-32. The Business Administrator is responsible for the organization’s accounting practices, maintenance of its fiscal records and the preparation of financial reporting. Responsible to plan and manage the overall finance and accounting services (cash management, accounting, payroll, contracts) and administration of the district insurance programs.

A Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, or Administration. Minimum of five (5) years’ experience in financial management with supervisory experience in school administration and/or school business management.

Knowledge of municipal or fund balance accounting, cash flow management, investments, budget information, payroll and educational funding laws. VASBO or ASBO certification preferred.

Carpenters Wanted!

Needed Immediately!

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JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

3/15/211x212:23 JobsPM Filler.indd 1

1/14/20 12:30 PM

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DIRECTOR -

WE ARE ARE HIRING HIRING WE

RED ROCKS PARK RANGER

SEASONAL LABORERS: This position is responsible for assisting in the maintenance of all City parks and open space land, bike paths, hiking trails, cemeteries and greenways.

bit.ly/CitySoBurlParkJobs

CHITTENDEN CLINIC OPIOID TREATMENT PROGRAM

Dining Room Service Positions Dining Room Service Servers, Bussers, FoodPositions Runners Servers, Bussers, Food Runners

The Park Ranger provides customer service to park visitors via verbal communication as well as maintains the trails and beach.

69 MARCH 17-24, 2021

Kitchen Positions Kitchen Positions Production, Pastry, Line Cooks Production, Pastry, Line Cooks

Seeking dynamic, strategic and engaging leader who is ready to join Howard Center to lead award winning treatment clinic.

Market Positions Market Barista,Positions Cashier Barista, Cashier

· Provide daily and strategic oversight of the Chittenden Clinic, the first Hub in Vermont’s innovative Hub and Spoke Model · Work alongside a nationally recognized Medical Director · Promote values of respect, inclusion and diversity, and the de-stigmatization of mental health and substance use disorders The Chittenden Clinic holds national accreditation through both CARF and NCQHC and was recognized by the National Council for Behavior Health in 2019 for Excellence in Addictions Treatment.

Philo Ridge Farm is a regenerative agriculture farm, market and restaurant PhiloinRidge Farm Visit is a regenerative agriculture farm, restaurant Charlotte. our website to learn more and market see openand positions: in Charlotte.

Visit our website to learn more and see open positions: https://www.philoridgefarm.com/join-our-team https://www.philoridgefarm.com/join-our-team

Consider Applying If You Have: 2v-CityofSouthBurlington031721.indd 1

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3/15/21 12:42 PM

· Master’s degree in a related discipline · Five years of substance use treatment work · Five years of supervisory and management experience · Clinical License or Vermont license eligible

Apply at www.howardcentercareers.org Howard Center is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. The agency’s culture and service delivery is strengthened by the diversity of its workforce. Minorities, people of color and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. EOE/TTY. Visit “About Us” to review our EOE policy.

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3/8/21 9:34 AM

The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts has an immediate opening for a talented part-time Graphic Designer to join our creative marketing team.

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3/8/21 6:04 PM

The Yellow House Community, LLC LLC is is looking looking for aa Househould Household Head for Headtotojoin joinour ourteam! team!

The The Yellow Yellow House House Community Community (YHC) (YHC) is is aa State State of of Vermont Vermont licensed licensed TheraTherapeutic Community Residence for adults with intellectual and peutic Community Residence for adults with intellectual and developmental developmental disabilities disabilities located located in in downtown downtown Middlebury.

Middlebury. YHC YHC is is looking looking for for that that special special individual individual (or (or couple) couple) who who welcomes a leadership position and could commit to living on-site at YHC. The Household welcomes a leadership position and could commit to living on-site at YHC. The Household Head Head (HH) (HH) is is responsible responsible for for the the health health and and happiness happiness of of the the household household and and is, is, in in many many ways, ways, the the surrogate surrogate parent parent in in the the house. house. Our Our ideal ideal candidate candidate is is compassionate, compassionate, patient, patient, flexible, flexible, resourceful, resourceful, comfortable comfortable in in aa supervisory supervisory role, role, passionate passionate about about working working with with individuals individuals with with intellectual intellectual and and developmental developmental disabilities, disabilities, and and aa team team player. player. As As part part of of the the YHC YHC leadership leadership team, team, the the HH HH will will collaborate collaborate with with staff staff to to care care for for the the physical, physical, emotional, emotional, medical, medical, and and programming programming needs needs of of YHC YHC residents. residents. The The Household Household Head Head is is aa full-time full-time position. position. The The generous generous compensation compensation package package includes includes free free room room and and board board and and ample time off. ample time off.

For For aa full full job job description description and and how how to to apply, apply, please please visit visit the the “Contact” “Contact” page page of of our our website: website: www.yellowhousecommunity.com.

Please email questions to: Elise Haydon, www.yellowhousecommunity.com. Please email questions to: Elise Haydon, Executive Executive Director, Director, at at elise@yellowhousecommunity.com elise@yellowhousecommunity.com 5h-YellowHouse031721.indd 5h-YellowHouse031721.indd 1 1

3/16/21 3/12/21 3:16 3/12/21 12:32 3:16 PM PM

GRAPHIC DESIGNER – PART-TIME

The part-time designer will create and implement inspiring print and digital media. 3-5 years’ experience with a compelling portfolio to show for it, proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, a collaborative work style, and enthusiasm for the Flynn’s mission could make you the candidate for us! The Flynn is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Flexible hours and remote work available.

Detailed job description and more information: flynnvt.org/About-Us/Employment-andInternship-Opportunities Submit application materials and access to your digital portfolio: HResources@flynnvt.org Flynn Center for the Performing Arts Human Resources Department 153 Main Street, Burlington, Vermont 05401 No phone calls, please. EOE

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

70

POST YOUR JOBS AT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM FOR FAST RESULTS, OR CONTACT MICHELLE BROWN: MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

MARCH 17-24, 2021

MECHANICAL ENGINEER

FULL TIME

ESTATE HOUSEKEEPING MANAGEMENT POSITION

Jacobs Engineering, a multinational Engineering firm, is hiring a Mechanical Engineer (ELE00003K) in Essex Junction, VT! In this role, you will be responsible for production of mechanical and HVAC construction design packages.

You will also perform field activities such as surveying existing facilities and witnessing construction activities.

The right candidate has a degree in mechanical engineering or engineering technology, and 10 years of experience in related fields. They will also have extensive knowledge of mechanical and HVAC building codes and be proficient with AutoCAD. Knowledge of sprinkler codes, standards, and design practices is a plus.

Please go to jacobs.com/careers to apply for this exciting opportunity.

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Join Our Early Childhood Education Team!

3/15/21 3:30 PM

Milton Family Community Center (MFCC) is accepting employment applications for our licensed early childhood education child care program. Our program is open year-round, Monday-Friday, from 7:30am to 5:30pm, serving children ages 6 weeks to 6 years. Qualified candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of Assistant Teacher, and have a passion for supporting the healthy growth and development of young children in a highquality, center-based program. Compensation based on experience.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: • 1+ years’ classroom experience working directly with groups of children ages 5 years or younger • Professional knowledge of early childhood development as gained from the successful completion of the Fundamentals for Early Childhood Professionals, or three (3) verified college credit courses in child development.

• Able to pass a state and federal background check as required by State of VT for licensed childcare centers.

More information on MFCC programs available at miltonfamilycenter.org.

Applications accepted until position filled. Please send resume, cover letter, and 3 references to: tmartin@miltonfamilycenter.org or via mail to: Milton Family Community Center Attn: Child Care Director, Teresa Martin P.O. Box 619, Milton, VT 05468 E.O.E.

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Located in the heart of the Green Mountains, a peaceful and inspiring, sprawling estate with the community spirit of “all for one and one for all” seeks an honest and professional individual with excellent communication skills to join our team.

The open position is seeking a full time, year round, self motivated and reliable individual for estate level housekeeping. This includes a main house and several guest houses, as well as large garages. Duties include but not limited to maintaining a high level of attention to detail, a high regard for cleanliness and organization. Experience with dust removal, polishing, steam cleaning, laundry service, light kitchen duties, regular ironing, sweeping, glass cleaning, vacuuming, and maintaining the house plants with a regular watering schedule. Candidate must possess the physical ability to lift 50lbs., and be able to stock wood.

COMPENSATION: • Yearly salary of 50,000.00 • 15 days of Paid vacation time yearly • 12 days of Personal time/Sick leave • All US Holidays are paid days off.

Please send resume and cover letter to mioemployment@gmail.com.

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DO WHAT MATTERS!

3/16/21 11:16 AM

Join the senior leadership team of passionate innovators at the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS), a Vermont nonprofit nationally recognized as a model for our successful program outcomes. COTS provides prevention resources, emergency shelter, support services, and housing for those without homes or at risk of becoming homeless.

DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR COTS seeks a Development and Communications Director to lead a dynamic team with primary responsibility for major gifts and public relations efforts at COTS. The Development Director oversees current development programs, envisions the future, and identifies funding opportunities to meet emerging needs. Reporting to the Executive Director, this position is a critical and integral part of the leadership team.

Looking for a Sweet Job? Our mobile-friendly job board is buzzing with excitement.

Start applying at jobs.sevendaysvt.com

Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Communications or related field required, Master’s preferred, as well as a minimum of 5 to 7 years of relevant fundraising and/or public relations work experience. Demonstrated leadership in project development and managing a talented team also required.

This is a full time position with benefits. Creative thinkers, resourceful problem solvers, and results-focused leaders are encouraged to apply. Please submit your resume, cover letter, and salary requirements to jobs@cotsonline.org to receive best consideration. Equal Opportunity Employer.

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1/28/20 3:38 PM

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NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY! JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

SHARED LIVING PROVIDER

Silver Maple Construction is hiring!

• Experienced Carpenters • Project Managers • Assistant Finisher

(Woodworks - training provided)

• Experienced Cabinet-makers For details please visit silvermapleconstruction.com.

Or email us at drey@silvermapleconstruction.com (802) 989-7677 2v-SilverMapleConstruction031021.indd 1

3/8/21 11:30 AM

Sana at Stowe is a new premier addiction treatment facility opening this Spring in Stowe, VT. Our mission is to help individuals with substance use and co-occurring conditions begin the journey of recovery in a beautiful, private setting with evidence-based treatments and outstanding service.

We are seeking the following highly qualified and experienced professionals to join our team:

71 MARCH 17-24, 2021

Howard Center is seeking Shared Living Providers with accessible homes, or homes that could be made accessible with modification. The Shared Living Program creates opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities to live in the community. Experienced caregivers provide a home, day-to-day assistance, and support tailored to the needs of individuals seeking caregivers. This is a rewarding employment opportunity for individuals who are interested in working from home while making a meaningful difference in someone’s life. We use a careful matching process to ensure that each placement is mutually compatible.

A generous tax-free stipend, room & board payments, respite budget, training, and team support are provided.

• Administrative Coordinator (full-time) • Counselor (full-time)

Contact Patrick Fraser at patfraser@howardcenter.org to learn more.

• Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) – Multiple Positions (full-time) • Psychologist (full-time)

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3/9/21 2:50 PM

• Registered Nurses – Multiple Positions (full-time)

We’re Growing & Hiring!

2 Full-time positions: • Inventory & Purchasing Specialist

Benefits include competitive salary, paid time off, health, dental and vision insurance, 401k plan, life and disability insurance. See our website, sanastowe.health and send your resume or questions to careers@sanastowe.health.

• Warehouse Associate • Benefits Available

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If you have what it takes to be successful, apply today!!

Vasa is the worldwide leader in dryland swim training exercise equipment.

To learn more about either position: vasatrainer.com/jobs/

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3/16/21 11:48 AM

Zoning Administrator The Town of Georgia is accepting applications for a full time Zoning Administrator. This position is responsible for administering the Town’s Zoning Bylaws, assisting the public with permit applications, and supporting the Development Review Board and Planning Commission which includes attending evening meetings.

A detailed job description can be found on our website at townofgeorgia.com.

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CLERICAL ASSISTANTS

3/9/21 9:45 AM

JOIN THE TEAM AT GARDENER’S SUPPLY!

(Job code 21001)

JOIN THE TEAM GARDENER’S SUPPLY! Through gardening, ourAT customers control their access to safe and affordable food, and grow food to share with their Through gardening, our customers their access neighbors.

At Gardener’s Supply, wecontrol are committed to to safe and affordable grow to sharekeep with their doing everything wefood, can and to help ourfood customers neighbors.

Supply, we are committed to gardening, At butGardener’s we need your help. doing everything we can to help our customers keep gardening, need your help.

We’re hiringbut for we SEASONAL POSITIONS AT ALL LOCATIONS:

Recruiting for temporary Docket Clerk positions lasting up to but not exceeding June 2022. 40 hours a week. The position will specialize in data entry, filing and clerical office work involving one or more docket areas.

Locations – Burlington, Barre, St. Johnsbury, Brattleboro, Bennington & Newport.

High School graduate and two years of clerical, or data entry experience required. Starting at $17.11 per hour.

Go to vermontjudiciary.org/employmentopportunities/staff-openings for more details and to complete application.These positions is open until filled.

The Vermont Judiciary is an equal opportunity employer.

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3/5/21 4:04 PM

We’re hiring for SEASONAL AT ALL LOCATIONS: • Pick/Pack customer orders • Pick/Pack customer ordersPOSITIONS at our at our DISTRIBUTION CENTER IN MILTON DISTRIBUTION CENTER IN MILTON • Pick/Pack customer orders at our • Provide exceptional customer service our • Provide exceptional customer to our to customers DISTRIBUTION CENTER service IN MILTON customers the phone at our over the phone atover our CALL CENTER • Provide exceptional customer service to our CALL CENTER • Help customers with their gardening needs at our customers over the phone at our • Help customers with their needs at our WILLISTON & BURLINGTON, VT gardening GARDEN CENTERS CALL CENTER WILLISTON & BURLINGTON, VT GARDEN CENTERS • Manufacture high-quality products at our • Help customers with their gardening needs at our PRODUCTION FACILITY IN GEORGIA, VT & BURLINGTON, VT CENTERS WeWILLISTON are 100% employee-owned andGARDEN a Certified B Corporation. We offer strong cultural values, competitive Weand areoutstanding 100% employee-owned and a Certifi ed B wages benefits (including a tremendous Corporation.

We off er strong values, competitive discount!).

Please go tocultural our careers page at wageswww.gardeners.com/careers and outstanding benefits (including and applya tremendous online! discount!). Please go to our careers page at www.gardeners.com/careers and apply online!

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

72

POST YOUR JOBS AT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM FOR FAST RESULTS, OR CONTACT MICHELLE BROWN: MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

MARCH 17-24, 2021

Environmental Technicians Working Bridges Bridges Resource Resource Coordinator Coordinator Working

Join one one of of the the best best places places to to work work in in Vermont!

Vermont! United United Way Way of of Northwest Northwest Vermont Vermont is is committed committed to to building building an an Join

inclusive culture—in culture—in our our workplace workplace and and the the community community at at large—that large—that celebrates celebrates the the diverse diverse voices voices of of our our inclusive employees, volunteers, volunteers, donors, donors, community community partners partners and and the the individuals individuals and and families families we we serve. serve. employees,

We invite invite you you to to bring bring your your unique unique experience experience to to our our work work as as our our newest newest Working Working Bridges Bridges Resource Resource Coordinator.

Coordinator.

We As part part of of the the Working Working Bridges Bridges Team, Team, you you will: will: As Provide on-site on-site resource resource coordination coordination for for employees employees at at their their place place of of work. work.

•• Provide • Deliver information and referrals to community resources.

• Deliver information and referrals to community resources.

Provide listening listening support, support, problem problem solving solving and and financial financial coaching. coaching.

•• Provide Develop trusted trusted relationships relationships with with employees employees and and partners. partners.

•• Develop United Way Way of of Northwest Northwest Vermont Vermont employees employees enjoy enjoy aa range range of of excellent excellent benefits benefits including including health, health, dental dental and and United vision insurance, insurance, aa generous generous paid paid vacation vacation policy, policy, 403(b) 403(b) contributions, contributions, aa robust robust wellness wellness program program and and more! more! vision

IMMEDIATE OPENINGS • (4) 10-hour day work week • Health care, 401K, Paid Leave • Profit Sharing • Commissions • And GREAT PAY

Environmental Hazards Management, Inc. 378 Boyer Circle, Williston, Vermont 30 Years in Business!

3/12/21 4:36 PM

MEDICAL COORDINATOR

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CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER VERMONT LEAGUE OF CITIES AND TOWNS

The Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT) is hiring!

This is a unique opportunity to become the Chief Financial Officer of a highly respected municipal association located in the Green Mountains of Vermont. The CFO will be an accomplished financial professional with a demonstrated track record of managing complex nonprofit organizations. The successful candidate will lead the organization’s financial operations of VLCT and its two insurance trusts, working with three boards and an experienced leadership team, as well as supervising a four-member finance team.

3/16/21 2:41 PM

True North Wilderness Program seeks a full-time, year-round Medical Coordinator to work closely with our team to coordinate medical needs and medication management for our students. True North is a licensed residential treatment center and wilderness therapy program based in Waitsfield, Vermont. True North is a small, independently owned program, providing personalized therapeutic interventions and transition support for 14-17 year old adolescents and 18-25 year old young adults with an emphasis on assessment and family participation. This is an excellent opportunity to work for a nationally recognized therapeutic wilderness program, be part of a dynamic supportive team and live and work in a fantastic community.

This position is responsible for managing all financial operations necessary to support program staff in delivering services to member municipalities. This includes highly technical and administrative work in managing the finances of VLCT as well as the two non-profit insurance and risk management trust funds.

One of the trusts is regulated by the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation and all entities are required to comply with GASB guidelines. All Finance Department staff report to the CFO; the CFO reports to the Executive Director.

The Medical Coordinator’s primary responsibility is to coordinate the management and dispensation of medications for all students at True North. This includes close communication with parents, doctors, pharmacies, and other members of the True North team to ensure that medications are received at the facility and dispensed properly. The Medical Coordinator works closely with True North’s Medical Director, Clinicians, Admissions team, and Office staff to coordinate these efforts. They also coordinate support of medical needs that may come up for students in the field. The job is generally 9-5, Monday through Friday, but there may be room for some flexibility of hours within the parameters of the job requirements.

A bachelor’s degree in accounting, business, or public administration or comparable area is required. Master’s degree in one of these areas or CPA preferred. Eight to ten years of financial management or other professional fiscal operations experience including budgeting, auditing, and financial analysis required. Experience and training with Windows-based computer software, preferably Microsoft Office products. Advanced Excel knowledge and experience required.

The ideal candidate is highly organized, very comfortable with medical information, and has superior interpersonal communication skills. Nursing or other medical training is preferred but not required.

Competitive salary and benefits offered including medical insurance, dental, vision and accident insurance, a retirement savings plan, paid time off and a flexible schedule.

A detailed job description is available at www.vlct.org/classifieds. VLCT offers a quality work environment and an excellent total compensation package.

Salary range, $106,251 to $159,376, commensurate with experience. VLCT is working remotely now due to COVID-19 restrictions, though we are considering a hybrid of on-site and remote work in the future.

True North is committed to enriching the experience of our students, families, and team by celebrating an inclusive work environment. We seek to recruit a broadly diverse staff who will contribute a variety of viewpoints and experiences to ongoing program development and superior support of our clients. We encourage applications from individuals from underrepresented groups including professionals of color and diverse gender identities.

Please email a cover letter, resume, and three professional references to jobsearch@vlct.org with CFO as the subject. Resume review begins immediately. Applications accepted until position filled. Anticipated start date is May 15 for training overlap with retiring CFO expected on July 30.

VLCT is an Equal Opportunity Employer 9t-VTLeagueCities&Towns031721.indd 1

We are hiring Environmental Technicians.

Full-time Asbestos, HAZWOPER TECHNICIANS needed.

Experience preferred, but will train.

If you are interested in having Fridays off and in a job with great benefits, Call 862-4537 or stop in Monday through Thursday at

United Way Way of of Northwest Northwest Vermont Vermont is is an an Equal Equal Opportunity Opportunity Employer.

Employer. We We are are looking looking for for candidates candidates to to join join our our United team who who will will contribute contribute to to the the diversity diversity and and excellence excellence of of the the organization. organization. Interested Interested candidates candidates may may visit visit team www.unitedwaynwvt.org for for the the full full job job description. description. To To apply apply candidates candidates should should send send via via e-mail e-mail aa resume resume and and www.unitedwaynwvt.org cover letter by 03/29/2021: Hiring@unitedwaynwvt.org.

No phone calls please. cover letter by 03/29/2021: Hiring@unitedwaynwvt.org. No phone calls please.

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It’s a Thursday night...And we’re off for the weekend!

How about you?

Apply: truenorthwilderness.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=12 3/15/21 9:37 AM 6t-TrueNorthWilderness031021.indd 1

3/9/21 3:03 PM

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @SEVENDAYSJOBS, SUBSCRIBE TO RSS, OR BROWSE POSTS ON YOUR PHONE AT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

Navigate New Possiblities TM 1981 - 2021

NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY!

NAVIGATE NEW CAREER POSSIBILITIES AT NORTHERN DIGITAL INC. – NDI SHELBURNE

We’re proud of our talented, hardworking and diverse team, whose ingenuity is driving exciting new innovations. Our team is growing – won’t you join us? The successful candidates will be joining our team of professionals at the Northern Digital Incorporated (NDI) office located in Shelburne, Vermont.

MANUFACTURING ENGINEER We are looking for an innovative Manufacturing Engineer to join our R&D team in the development and production of embedded systems for use in consumer electronics, medical devices and simulations. As a member of a dynamic team of engineers, you will have responsibilities to support Manufacturing by leveraging your skills and experience to institute controlled processes and modernize the manufacture of delicate sensors used in medical devices; and by designing and developing manufacturing tools/fixtures and products. Full description & apply: http://bit.ly/NDIManufacturingEngineer

JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

73 MARCH 17-24, 2021

PROJECT ENGINEER - We would like to invite a hands-on, experienced Project Manager to join the R&D team developing our next generation of NDI advanced measurement systems for medical device markets. As the Project Manager, you will work as part of a cross-functional team, driving projects from conception to implementation and release. Full description & apply: http://bit.ly/NDIProjectMgr EMBEDDED HARDWARE ENGINEER - We would like to invite an experienced Embedded Hardware Engineer to join our R&D team in the development of embedded systems for use in medical devices and simulations. We are an essential business that enables diagnostic imaging as well as other non and minimally invasive surgical procedures. You will be responsible for detailed design and development of DSP and CPU based systems, along with FPGA and low-level interfaces, including USB and Bluetooth from conception to implementation, and will work as part of a cross-functional R&D team, building solutions for our OEM partners. Full description & apply: http://bit.ly/NDIEmbeddedHE ELECTRONICS ASSEMBLER - The Electronics Assembler helps bring important sensors cables used in measurement sciences industries.The Electronics Assembler assembles microelectronic cable assemblies and sub-assemblies, some of which are made only visible under a microscope. Full description & apply: http://bit.ly/DNIElecAssemb Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

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3/9/21 3:11 PM

WEB APPLICATION DEVELOPER PCC, a private, Winooski-based healthcare IT Benefit Corporation, seeks web developers to join our team. Bring your problem-solving skills and creativity to the table building web applications in an Agile development framework, assisting in not only extending current products, but also creating new product lines. Our ideal candidate is fast and flexible, great at finding and squashing bugs, and ready to work well with team members in a cross-functional development environment.

Our work culture is casual and our employees are clever and dedicated. We strive for client satisfaction and our customer reviews are among the very best in our industry.

While our preferred candidate will have hands on experience with either Ruby on Rails or PHP, we’d love to hear from you if you have any full stack experience utilizing other web-based technologies such as Python or Java.

Don’t have full stack experience, but have built a career creating responsive front-end web applications using HTML, CSS, Javascript, or any front-end framework such as React, Angular or Vue? We’d also love to hear from you!

In order to keep our employees and families safe while we continue to develop our software and support our clients, PCC’s employees have been working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. We expect this policy to continue a little longer so there will be virtual interviews for this position. Once our office is fully open, we will be looking for employees to be onsite at our Winooski office.

As a Benefit Corporation, we place high value on client, employee and community relationships. Our company offers a friendly, informal, and professional work environment. PCC offers competitive benefits as well as some uncommon perks.

To learn more about PCC, this role and how to apply, please visit our website at pcc.com/careers. Position open until filled.

No phone calls lease. AA/EOE.

Senior Accountant Vermont Legal Aid is reopening its search for a full-time Senior Accountant in our Burlington office. The Senior Accountant works with the CFO and Accounting Assistant to handle all aspects of VLA’s accounting and financial management.

We are committed to building a diverse, social justice-oriented staff, and encourage applicants from a broad range of backgrounds. We welcome information about how your experience can contribute to serving our diverse client communities. We are an equal opportunity employer committed to a discrimination- and harassment-free workplace.

Responsibilities include maintaining accounts receivable and cash receipts, processing quarterly billing, preparing monthly bank reconciliations, maintaining trust accounts and fixed asset depreciation, and processing quarterly revenue transactions. The Senior Accountant works with the CFO on budget preparation.

A Bachelor’s degree in Accounting is preferred. A minimum of four years’ relevant work experience is required.

Salary is $58,218 to $84,459 depending on salary credit given for relevant prior work experience. Four weeks paid vacation, retirement, and excellent health benefits.

Application deadline is Friday, March 26th, and should include a cover letter, resume, and 3 references combined into one pdf, sent by e-mail to Betsy Whyte at bwhyte@vtlegalaid.org with “Senior Accountant” in the subject line. Full job description can be found at vtlegalaid. org/current-openings. Please let us know how you heard about this position.

Visit our website for more information and complete application instructions: vtlegalaid.org.

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3/12/21 10:24 AM

3/5/21 12:29 PM

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

74

POST YOUR JOBS AT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM FOR FAST RESULTS, OR CONTACT MICHELLE BROWN: MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

MARCH 17-24, 2021

Front End Position

LPN or LNA Shift Supervisor Full Time

The Converse Home is an Assisted Living Community located in downtown Burlington. If you are looking for a rewarding position, working with wonderful residents and staff, please consider applying. We are looking for the right person to supervise our night team and offer a $2,000 Sign On Bonus!

We're looking for someone to work at the front end of our busy medical practice.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to: checking in patients as they arrive, collecting demographic and insurance information, scheduling appointments and assisting with medical records.

Competitive salary, paid time off and company sponsored health insurance are offered for this full time position.

Fountains Land Seeking

Office Manager

Please send cover letter and resume to jobs@maitriobgyn.com.

Full-time Overnight Charge of Shift LPN ($30-$36 per hour including differential) or Experienced LNA ($23-$27 including 2h-MaitriOBGYN031721.indd 3/16/21 Summer1 Program Positions differential) 40 hours 10:30pm-7am including every other Are you looking for a weekend. Prefer history with supervisory experience. Expectation rewarding summer job? to be trained to administer medication. Must have an active Vermont State License. This is a benefited position with medical, We're hiring energetic, fun loving, dental, CTO time accrued and more. and creative people to ensure our summer programs are amazing experiences for all Fairfax kids!

Also looking for per diem nurses for all shifts. Please apply online at conversehome.com under “Career Opportunities” or email To learn more and apply, please visit us at your resume to Kellie@conversehome.com. fairfaxrecreation.com/join-our-team/

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3/15/21 2h-FairfaxRecDept031721.indd 12:14 PM 1

Hayward Tyler, a leading manufacturer of industrial pumps and motors in Colchester, is seeking candidates to fill the roles of Inside Sales Representative, Assembly Technician and Quality Control Inspector.

Inside Sales Representative

This candidate provides daily customer communication and is the main point of contact for activities such as preparing and maintaining accurate and complete quotes, lead times and pricing.

Reviews customer requests, technical specifications, terms and conditions and works with stakeholders in collaboration to identify any exceptions or deviations. Close attention to detail and excellent communication skills are essential.

Assembly Technician

Contact Michael Tragner at michael.tragner@ fountainsland.com.

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3/12/21 11:51 AM

CITY OF BURLINGTON DEPARTMENTS ARE NOW HIRING We are currently recruiting for seasonal and temporary positions across the City. Qualifications and job requirements vary depending on position. Pay range: $10:50 - $16.00 per hour.

Water Construction/Maintenance worker Street Laborer Traffic Maintenance Worker Camp Counselors Lifeguards

Campground/Beach staff Bike Path positions Grounds Maintenance Events Assistant and more

To learn more & apply for City positions, please visit: governmentjobs.com/careers/burlingtonvt.

WOMEN, MINORITIES AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES ARE HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY. EOE.

This is an entry level assembly team member who should possess the ability to follow work instructions from his/her supervisor and experienced team members. The candidate must be able to work in all areas of assembly (DCI, Build and Wind) with the ability to understand drawings and work instructions.

Quality Control Inspector

The candidate will be responsible to perform receiving and final inspection of parts and units, verification that all operations are signed off and closed prior to releasing to Manufacturing, responsibility for correct materials and batch numbers being issued to Manufacturing.

For complete job descriptions, please visit: haywardtyler.com.

We offer a competitive salary and excellent benefits package.

If you meet our requirements and are interested in an exciting opportunity, please forward your resume & salary requirements to: Hayward Tyler, Inc - Attn: HR Department 480 Roosevelt Highway - PO Box 680, Colchester, VT 05446 Email: Careers@haywardtyler.com Equal Opportunity Employer.

WHERE YOU AND YOUR WORK MATTER...

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When you work for the State of Vermont, you and your work matter. A career with the State puts you on a rich and rewarding professional path. You’ll find jobs in dozens of fields – not to mention an outstanding total compensation package.

I N S U R A N C E R A T E A N D F O R M A N A LY S T I V – M O N T P E L I E R Would you like to join a team of professionals whose mission is to protect Vermont consumers?

This is a great opportunity for a detail-oriented individual who has a comprehensive knowledge of property and casualty insurance. Most review work will be done independently with some collaboration with teammates to discuss issues and policy decisions as they arise. Organizational skills as well as the ability to clearly communicate compliance issues are integral to the position.

Although the position is office based, telework arrangements may be available. For more information, contact Rosemary Raszka at Rosemary.Raszka@vermont.gov or 802-828-1686. Department: Financial Regulations: Status: Full Time: Job ID #12703. Application Deadline: March 24, 2021.

Learn more at: careers.vermont.gov 5h-VTDeptHumanResources031721.indd 1

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Part time office manager position with a real estate company located in Montpelier, VT (some remote working possible).

10:23 AMProficient with computers and office software. Salary $20/hr or commensurate with experience – benefits; paid vacation, sick time & holidays.

The State of Vermont is an Equal Opportunity Employer 3/12/21 4:48 PM

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @SEVENDAYSJOBS, SUBSCRIBE TO RSS, OR BROWSE POSTS ON YOUR PHONE AT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

Retail Associate Optician Advanced Vision Care has a position available.

Approximately 35-40 hours per week. The right person will have a great personality, computer skills, and enjoy a busy work environment. Job duties will include, but not limited to: frame styling, eyeglass sales, eyeglass dispensing, greeting patients, scheduling appointments, contact lens training and diagnostic testing. Retail and/ or office experience is required.

Optical experience is not needed, but prefer those that enjoy wearing eyeglasses. Pay is competitive with experience and certification.

COVID-19 considerations: Following Vermont and CDC guidelines.

Send resumes to: advancedvisionjob@gmail.com

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NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY! JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

WANT TO BE A PART OF OUR WANT PART OFTEAM? OUR WANT TO BE OF TEAM? WANTTO TO BE BE AAAPART PART OF OUR OUR TEAM? Apply Now! TEAM?

Our Ourexciting excitingnew newDtBHS DtBHSlocation locationnow nowopen! open!

Our exciting new DtBHS location now open!

We Weoffer offerexcellent excellentMedical, Medical,Dental Dentaland andCity CityRetirement Retirement Package Plans.

We offer Dentaland and City We offerexcellent excellent Medical, Medical, Dental City Retirement Package Plans.

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BSDApply Property Services Division Now! BSD Property Services Division + Vacation&&Sick Sick Time!

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BSDVT.ORG/CAREERS/ BSDVT.ORG/CAREERS/ 1ST 1STSHIFT SHIFT 1ST SHIFT

SHIFT Head 1ST1ST SHIFT HeadCustodian Custodian

(802) 864-8453

(802) 864-8453 (802) 864-8453 Pay Range Pay Range Range Pay Pay Range Pay Range

$17.00 - $19.00/hr $17.00 $17.00 -- $19.00/hr $19.00/hr $17.00- -$18.00/hr $19.00/hr $16.50 Head Custodian Daytime Custodian $18.00/hr $16.50 $17.00 - $19.00/hr Daytime Custodian Head Custodian $16.50 $18.00/hr Daytime Custodian Grounds/Utility Worker $16.50 --$18.00/hr $16.50 $18.00/hr Grounds/UtilityWorker Worker $16.50 - $18.00/hr Grounds/Utility $16.50 - $18.00/hr Grounds/Utility WorkerUtility $16.50 Custodial/Maintenance $16.50---$18.00/hr $18.00/hr $16.50 $18.00/hr Custodial/Maintenance Utility $16.50 - $18.00/hr Custodial/Maintenance Utility $16.50- -$18.18 $18.00/hr Custodial/Maintenance Utility School $16.79 /hr $16.79 SchoolBus BusDriver Driver $16.79 -- $18.18/hr $18.18 /hr $16.79 - $18.18 School Bus Driver School Bus Driver School Bus Aide $16.79 $18.18 /hr /hr $14.52 - -$16.69 /hr School Bus Aide $14.52 $14.52 -- $16.69/hr $16.69 /hr School Bus Aide $14.52 $16.69 School Bus Aide School Bus Aide / Backup Driver $14.52- -$18.00/hr $16.69 /hr /hr School Bus Aide / Backup Driver $16.00 $16.00 - $18.00/hr School Bus Aide/ /Backup Backup Driver - $18.00/hr School Bus Aide Driver $16.00 $16.00 - $18.00/hr

2ND SHIFT

+Shift +ShiftDifferential Differential$1.30/hr $1.30/hr

2ND SHIFT 2ND SHIFT+Shift Differential $1.30/hr 2ND SHIFT $17.00 - $25.00 /hr HVAC Technician

HVAC Technician +Shift Differential $1.30/hr $17.00 - $25.00/hr HVAC Technician 2ND Custodial/Maintenance SHIFT Utility Custodial/Maintenance Utility Custodial/Maintenance Utility Custodians

Custodians HVAC Technician Custodians Substitute SubstituteCustodians Custodians Custodial/Maintenance Substitute Custodians Utility Custodians Substitute Custodians

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$17.00 - $25.00 /hr $17.00 $18.00 - $25.00/hr /hr $16.50$16.50- $18.00 /hr $16.50 $18.00/hr $16.50 $16.50---$18.00/hr $18.00 /hr $16.50 - $18.00/hr $17.00 - $25.00 /hr $16.50 -- $18.00/hr $15.00 $16.50/hr $18.00/hr $15.00 /hr $16.50$15.00 /hr$18.00 /hr $15.00/hr

$16.50 - $18.00/hr

Equal Opportunity Employer — CHT is committed to a diverse workplace and highly encourages women, persons with disabilities, Section 3 low income residents, and people from diverse racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds to apply.

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Town Administrator The Town of Waitsfield is seeking a highly-motivated, organized, and engaging individual for the position of Town Administrator.

The Town Administrator assists the five-member Selectboard with developing and administering the Town’s operating budget, supervising six employees, and overseeing all other aspects of municipal operations, personnel, finances, and public works.

Waitsfield (pop. 1,719) is a vibrant community located in the heart of the Mad River Valley, surrounded by spectacular natural beauty and host to a wide variety of year-round outdoor amenities and activities.

Requirements include a Bachelor’s degree in public administration, business management, or a relevant field (Master’s degree preferred); excellent written and interpersonal communication skills; a working knowledge of municipal finance and budgeting; and good computer skills. Three years of experience in municipal government or equivalent experience in business administration is desired.

Salary is dependent upon qualifications; the Town also offers a competitive benefits package. A full job description is available on the Town’s website: waitsfieldvt.us.

Please apply in confidence with a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references via email to csullivan@ gmavt.net with “Waitsfield Administrator” as the subject.

The job is open until filled. Applications may be reviewed as they are received. E.O.E.

$15.00 /hr

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Maintenance Technician

Champlain Housing Trust is growing and we need great people to join our team. One of Vermont’s Best Places to Work in 2020, CHT is a socially responsible employer offering an inclusive, friendly work environment and competitive pay commensurate with experience. Our excellent benefit package includes a generous health insurance plan, three weeks of paid vacation, 14 paid holidays, sick leave, 403(b) retirement plan with employer contribution after one year, disability and life insurance and more.

75 MARCH 17-24, 2021

Property Accounting Manager

Join our property management team in Burlington and use your building maintenance and customer service skills to serve the affordable housing needs of people from numerous countries, cultures, and walks of life.

• Tasks include painting, cleaning, light maintenance, grounds maintenance and snow removal.

• Experience in customer service, light carpentry, plumbing, electrical, and grounds maintenance are preferred, but will train the right person. Ability to speak multiple languages is a strong plus.

• The ideal candidate will be a selfmotivated team player with a positive attitude, strong work ethic and willingness to learn.

• Reliable transportation and a valid driver’s license required.

We are seeking a highly skilled professional to lead our property accounting team. This individual will use a balance of strong technical knowledge and supervisory and interpersonal skills to manage, support and oversee daily accounting functions for CHT’s growing portfolio of multi-family rental properties.

• The ideal candidate will have experience with team cultivation and supervision, creating internal and GAAP compliant financial statements, overseeing and participating in audit and budget processes, and performing accounting tasks in a public or nonprofit sector.

• A minimum of 5 years of accounting management experience, and a Bachelor’s or graduate degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field are strongly preferred. A combination of education and experience may be considered.

3/15/21 1:58 PM

Home Repair Coordinator The lending team is growing, and is currently seeking a special person with building or construction knowledge and strong administrative skills to support the home repair program.

• Responsibilities include coordinating home repair projects from initial site visits through completion.

• Assist with creating the scope of work, written project specifications, bidding, and progress site visits as well as performing grant and lending compliance tasks.

• The ideal candidate will have excellent interpersonal, conflict resolution, time management and problem solving skills.

• A degree in business, management, construction or trades, architecture, or a related field and a minimum of 3 years related experience preferred. A combination of education and experience may be considered.

For additional details regarding these positions or to apply, please visit our career page:

www.getahome.org/about/careers

Seven Days | 1/2 page horizontal | 9.625” x 5.56” | MARCH 2021

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ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

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POST YOUR JOBS AT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM FOR FAST RESULTS, OR CONTACT MICHELLE BROWN: MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

MARCH 17-24, 2021

MAJOR GIFT OFFICER The Vermont Foodbank seeks an experienced fundraiser and relationship-builder to join the Vermont Foodbank as our Major Gift Officer (MGO). The successful candidate will have three to five years of relevant work history demonstrating fundraising acumen and effective relationship management, with a proven record of successfully engaging prospective donors and soliciting, closing, and stewarding major gifts.

This person will secure funds for the Vermont Foodbank by developing and sustaining authentic relationships with prospective and current major donors and regularly soliciting significant support from them. They will create donor pipeline strategies, define portfolio goals, track progress and adjust their approach as needed. They will balance competing funding priorities, communicate complex needs, and inspire support for the Foodbank’s mission and vision.

The successful candidate will be positive, self-motivated, detail-oriented, highly ethical and reliable. They will take joy in building authentic and trusting relationships with both philanthropic individuals and VF colleagues, working with others to build momentum and share success.

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Providing Innovative Mental Health and Educational Services to Vermont’s Children & Families.

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Burlington Partnership for a Healthy Community

Do you get excited about supporting healthy community development? Is it important to you to work for an organization that you know is having a positive impact? We are looking for an organized, collaborative individual to develop and coordinate interactive marketing campaigns focused on reducing substance misuse and increasing health and wellness in Burlington.

This position is responsible for designing materials and coordinating the marketing plan for educational and behavior change campaigns for targeted audiences in Burlington. We are looking for individuals with experience in graphic design, PR, social media promotion, and campaign management and design. The job requires creativity, attention to detail, and demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and partners.

We need someone who can work autonomously and take initiative.

Are you skilled with technology and social media? We need someone who easily adapts to changes in software and technology and can communicate effectively regardless of the platform. Minimum of one year experience working on a marketing campaign. Prior experience working in the health promotion and prevention field is beneficial.

This is a full-time position with a flexible schedule and a comprehensive benefits package, including health and dental insurance, tuition reimbursement, excellent training, a generous time off plan, and a supportive work environment. A full job description is available on our website at burlingtonpartnership.org. If interested please apply online, including a cover letter and resume, at nfivermont.org/careers.

Burlington Partnership for a Healthy Community is a coalition of people and partners that recognize that the misuse of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco affect us all and who work together to create a healthier environment in Burlington. Learn more at: burlingtonpartnership.org.

The selected candidate will join a collaborative, values-driven, dynamic Philanthropy team that derives joy from the work and is passionate about resourcing the work to end hunger and its root causes. We hold the core belief that philanthropy should be accessible to all facets of our community and define our work as the art of facilitating love of community.

This position’s workload can be handled remotely, however applicants should be able to commute to one of the Foodbank’s three facilities, in Barre, Brattleboro, or Rutland, or our shared office space in Chittenden County, for in-person activities. Candidates based outside of Chittenden and Washington counties, particularly those based in Southern Vermont, are especially encouraged to apply.

The Vermont Foodbank’s work culture is progressive, forward thinking, and equity minded. Staff have the opportunity to fully develop their potential in a variety of ways: as organizational leaders, in shaping programs and advocacy efforts, and in working towards a future where everyone in Vermont has enough food every day.

To apply for this position, please visit www.vtfoodbank.org/employment and submit an employment application with a resume and cover letter attached. Anticipated salary range starting at $65-70K. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and seek to bring our values of diversity and inclusion to our hiring process. Beyond our commitment to non-discrimination, we encourage applications from candidates who can contribute to the diversity of our organization and who have lived experience of inequity.

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New, local, scam-free jobs posted every day! jobs@sevendaysvt.com

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and celebrate the diversity of our clients and staff.

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2/11/20 1:14 PM

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @SEVENDAYSJOBS, SUBSCRIBE TO RSS, OR BROWSE POSTS ON YOUR PHONE AT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

EXPERIENCED CARPENTER

NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY! JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

77 MARCH 17-24, 2021

SEEKING PRODUCTION TEAM MEMBERS

Seeking an experienced carpenter to join our team. We are custom home builders with a passion for our trade. Come be a part of an enjoyable and professional building team.

Check out our work at cultivationdesign.com. Must have own tools and reliable transportation. Send resume and cover sheet to adam@cultivationdesign.com.

Birnn Chocolates of Vermont is seeking team members that are ready to work hard in a fun environment. We manufacture chocolate truffles for our customers across the country. This job requires working quickly without compromising quality.

Repetitive movement such as lifting, picking, shaking, & rotating must come easily and feel enjoyable. We have a remarkable group of individuals that work at Birnn and we treat all of our employees as members of our extended family. Send us your resume, we can’t wait to meet you. Position: M-F 8-4pm with benefits! Email resumes to: truffles@birnn.com.

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DIRECT BANKING CALL CENTER REPRESENTATIVES COMMUNITY BANKER – TAFT CORNERS There is no better time to join NSB’s team!

Northfield Savings Bank, founded in 1867, is the largest banking institution headquartered in Vermont. We are adding to our teams! We are looking for professionals to join our Direct Banking department as Call Center Representatives. Additionally, we are looking for a Community Banker professional to join our team in our Williston, Taft Corners branch.

Each position will require a high school diploma or equivalent, excellent customer service skills, and strong written and verbal communication.

CALL CENTER REPRESENTATIVE

The successful candidate will be comfortable with digital and online banking systems and will be eager to provide prompt, accurate, and confidential information to our customers.

COMMUNITY BANKER

The Community Banker will be responsible for receiving and processing customers’ financial transactions, matching customers’ needs with appropriate products and services, protecting customer information, and maintaining customer confidentiality.

OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH NSB encourages career development and has a variety of training platforms available. The average years of service for a NSB employee is 9! If you’re looking for a career in the banking industry, this is a great place to start!

WHAT NSB CAN OFFER YOU Competitive compensation based on experience. Well-rounded benefits package. Profit-Sharing opportunity. 401(k) matching retirement program. Professional development. Weekends off!

Please send an NSB Application + your resume in confidence to: Careers@nsbvt.com, or mail to:

Human Resources Administrator

Full Time; benefits eligible $43,000 per year Goddard College seeks a resourceful and efficient Human Resources Administrator to perform a variety of Human Resources functions, related to benefits, payroll, recruitment, and compliance administration, and to ensure that the general activities of the Human Resources Department function smoothly. Qualified candidates will hold a BA in human resources management, organizational management, education administration or a closely related field and a minimum of 3 years of Human Resources experience or a BA in any field and 5 years of combined administrative experience in Human Resources and higher education, advanced skills in the Microsoft Office Suite and Google applications; competence in HRIS data management, ADP WorkforceNow preferred; willingness and ability to learn additional applications and programs, a familiarity with general Human Resources laws and principles, an ability to research, interpret, and ensure compliance with all applicable state and federal employment laws; and a familiarity with Collective Bargaining Agreement compliance.

Associate Registrar Full Time; Benefits eligible; $22/ hour

Goddard College seeks an Associate Registrar to coordinate and oversee student record functions and provide enrollment related services and support the Office of the Registrar’s efforts concerning the College’s mission, strategic planning, and social justice and inclusion commitment. Qualified candidates will hold an undergraduate degree and 3 - 5 years of experience in admissions and/or student records or an equivalent combination of education and experience, demonstrated experience and facility with Student Information Systems and Learning Management Systems and databases, Parchment, Google suite, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Microsoft Office. Candidates should also possess good administrative skills, exceptional organizational skills, and attention to detail. Must be able to multitask and work on timesensitive projects with competing deadlines and have the ability to deal effectively with a wide range of individuals and groups inside and outside of the College.

To for either of these roles please visit our website to review the complete position description and submit a cover letter and resume: goddard.edu/about-goddard/ employment-opportunities.

Northfield Savings Bank Human Resources P.O. Box 7180, Barre, VT 05641-7180 E.O.E./Member FDIC

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Goddard College is committed to creating a college representative of a diverse global community and capable of creating change. To that end, we are actively seeking applications from qualified candidates from groups currently underrepresented in our institution for this position. This institution is an equal opportunity provider, and employer.

3/15/21 1:08 PM

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

78

POST YOUR JOBS AT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM FOR FAST RESULTS, OR CONTACT MICHELLE BROWN: MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

MARCH 17-24, 2021

Director of Behavioral Health Programs

Job Requisition #21-0004 Hours per Week: 40 Location: Riverside Health Center Status: Full Time Director of Behavioral Health Programs Application Deadline: Until Filled Benefitper Eligible: Director of of Behavioral Behavioral Health Health Programs Programs Job Requisition #21-0004 Hours Week:Yes 40 Director Job Requisition Requisition #21-0004 Location: Riverside Health Center Status:per Full Time40 Job #21-0004 Hours Week: Job Requisition #21-0004 Hours per Week: 40 Location: Riverside Health Center Location: Riverside Health Center Status: Full Time Application Deadline: Until Filled Benefit Full Eligible: The Community Health Centers of Burlington (CHCB) is seeking a Director of Behavioral Health Programs, which Location: Riverside Health Center Status: TimeYes Application Deadline: Until Filled Benefit Eligible: Yes Application Deadline: Until Filled reports to the Chief Executive Officer. This position is a key leadership position in the organization and will be able to Application Deadline: Until Filled Benefit Eligible: Yes identify, implement, and monitor existing new clinical programs that further the organization’s mission, vision, and The Community Health Centers of Burlington (CHCB) is seeking a Director of Behavioral Health Programs, which values.

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This position reports to the Officer.

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This is an for an experienced leader with a desire to improve programming and evidence medical, dental, and behavioral health services to patients in Chittenden and Grand Isle County. We strive based treatments treatments to integrated benefit CHCB CHCB patients. based to benefit patients. based treatments to benefit CHCBthe patients. to improve the health of all within communities we serve in an environment that conveys respect,primary offers support, The Community Health Centers of Burlington is headquartered in Burlington, Vermont and provides care and encourages patients to be actively involved in their own health care.

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Staff and Program Essential Duties Management  Responsible Essential Duties for behavioral health programming; identifies program gaps and opportunities Essential Duties Essential Duties with community leaders and other agencies to coordinate services  Networks Staff and Program Management Staff and ProgramofManagement Management and Oversight Behavioral Health Clinicians Staff Program Responsible for behavioral health programming; identifies program gaps and opportunities Staffand Program Management  Responsible for behavioral health programming;  Responsible for behavioral health programming; identifies program gaps and opportunities  Provides oversight, clinical training, andother consultation for health and substance abuse services within  withfor community and agencies to mental coordinate services  Networks Responsible behavioralleaders health programming; identifies program gaps and opportunities  Networks with community leaders and other agencies to coordinate services  the Networks community leaders and other agencies primarywith setting Health  ofcare Behavioral Clinicians  Oversight Networks with community leaders and other agencies to coordinate services  Oversight of Behavioral Health Clinicians  Oversight of Behavioral Health Clinicians  Develops innovative approaches to recognize exemplary employees  Provides oversight, clinical training, and consultation for mental health and substance abuse services within  Oversight of Behavioral Health Clinicians  Provides oversight, clinical training, and consultation for mental health and substance abuse services within  the Provides oversight, clinical training, and consultation primary care setting  Provides oversight, clinical training, and consultation for mental health and substance abuse services within Resource Management Development the primary careand setting the primary care setting  Develops innovative approaches to recognize exemplary employees the primary care setting  management of programto budgets  Prudent Develops innovative approaches approaches to recognize exemplary employees  Develops innovative recognize  Develops innovative approaches to recognize exemplary employees  Enforce, develop, and implement systemic procedures that will ensure clarity of output expectation by clinical Resource Management and Development Resource Management and Development Resource Management and Development team members  Prudent management of program budgets Resource Management and Development  Participate Prudent management management of program program budgets  Prudent of budgets  in annual budget preparation to procedures ensure resources are allocated appropriately to meet the of  Enforce, develop, and implement systemic that will ensure clarity of output expectation byneeds clinical  Prudent management of program budgets  clients Enforce, develop, and implement systemic procedures  Enforce, develop, and implement systemic procedures that will ensure clarity of output expectation by clinical and contractual obligations members  team Enforce, develop, and implement systemic procedures that will ensure clarity of output expectation by clinical team members team members  Identifies and grant and otherpreparation financial supports that can positively enhanceappropriately service delivery  Participate in annual budget to ensure resources are allocated to meet the needs of team members  Participate Participate in in annual annual budget budget preparation preparation to to ensure ensure resources are allocated appropriately to meet the needs of  clients and contractual obligations  Participate in annual budget preparation to ensure resources are allocated appropriately to meet the needs of clients and and contractual obligations clients contractual  Identifies and grant andobligations other financial supports that can positively enhance service delivery clients and contractual obligations  Qualifications Identifies and and grant grant and and other other financial financial supports supports that that can positively enhance service delivery Basic  Identifies  Identifies and grant and other financial supports that can positively enhance service delivery  Qualifications Requires a minimum of a Master’s in Behavioral Science or related field; clinical experience and licensure Basic Basic Qualifications Qualifications Basic (LICSW, Psy.D) required Basic Qualifications  least 5 ayears of experience managing personnel  At Requires minimum of a Master’s in Behavioral Science or related field; clinical experience and licensure  At Requires a minimum minimum of aa Master’s Master’s in in Behavioral Behavioral  Requires a of Science or related field; clinical experience and licensure  least 5 years of overall experience in managing and administering Behavioral Health program development required  (LICSW, RequiresPsy.D) a minimum of a Master’s in Behavioral Science or related field; clinical experience and licensure (LICSW, Psy.D) Psy.D) required required (LICSW,  At least 5Psy.D) years of experience managing personnel (LICSW, required  At At least least 55 years years of of experience experience managing managing personnel personnel   experience in managing  At least 5 years of overall experience managing personneland administering Behavioral Health program development  At least 5 years of overall experience in managing  At least 5 years of overall experience in managing and administering Behavioral Health program development  At least 5 years of overall experience in managing and administering Behavioral Health program development To apply for this position, please send a resume and cover letter to: HR@CHCB.org The Human Department willa contact been chosen to continue through the applicant To apply for Resources this position, please send resumeapplicants and cover who letterhave to: HR@CHCB.org To apply apply process. for this this position, position, please please send send aa resume resume and and cover letter to: HR@CHCB.org To for selection To apply for this position, please send a resume and cover letter to: HR@CHCB.org Learn More! Seewill our Website at www.chcb.org/careers/positions-available The Human Resources Department contact applicants who have been chosen to continue through the applicant The Human Human Resources Resources Department Department will will contact contact applicants applicants who have been chosen to continue through the applicant The selection process.

The Human Resources Department will contact applicants who have been chosen to continue through the applicant selection process. selection process.

Learn More! See our Website at www.chcb.org/careers/positions-available selection process.

15t-CHCB082620.indd 1 Learn More!

More! See See our our Website Website at www.chcb.org/careers/positions-available Learn Learn More! See our Website at www.chcb.org/careers/positions-available

3/5/21 2:12 PM

DREAMING OF A NEW HOME? Take the first step at the next...

Wednesday, March 24, 6-8 p.m.

A free online workshop for first-time home buyers.

Talk with experts and ask questions from home!

ATTORNEY Jonathan M. Stebbins, Esq.

party!

REAL ESTATE AGENT Erin Dupuis

MORTGAGE LOAN ORIGINATOR Kelly Deforge

Bauer Gravel Farnham, LLP Attorneys at Law

REGISTER TODAY: 1T-HouseParty022421.indd 1

sevendaysvt.com/houseparty SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

79

2/23/21 4:57 PM

fun stuff

RACHEL LINDSAY

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SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

CALCOKU & SUDOKU (P.61) CROSSWORD (P.61)

EV E N T S O N SA L E N OW

HARRY BLISS

BUY ONLINE AT SEVENDAYSTICKETS.COM

Seasons of Life: A Supportive Community for Women THU., MAR. 18 VIRTUAL EVENT

VCET Lunch & Learn: Positive Effects of Disruption with Ethan Bechtel THU., MAR. 18 VIRTUAL EVENT

Spring Equinox Meditation FRI., MAR. 19 VIRTUAL EVENT

German Takeout

SAT., MAR. 20 NORTH END STUDIOS AT THE O’BRIEN COMMUNITY CENTER, WINOOSKI

Online Scene Study Class with Joanne Greenberg TUE., MAR. 23 VIRTUAL EVENT

Exploring Spirituality THU., MAR. 25 VIRTUAL EVENT

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fun stuff RYAN RIDDLE

is

Making it is not :( Keep this newspaper free for all.

Join the Seven Days Super Readers at sevendaysvt.com/super-readers or call us at 802-864-5684.

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7/14/20 3:32 PM

Have a deep, dark fear of your own? Submit it to cartoonist Fran Krause at deep-dark-fears.tumblr.com, and you may see your neurosis illustrated in these pages.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY BY ROB BREZSNY REAL MARCH 18 -24

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Extraordinary things are always hiding in places people never think to look,” writes Taurus author Jodi Picoult. Luckily for you, Taurus, in the near future you’ll be prone to look in exactly those places — where no one else has thought to look. That means you’ll be extra likely to find useful, interesting, even extraordinary things that have mostly been hidden and unused. You may also discover some boring and worthless things, but the trade-off will be worth your effort. Congratulations in advance on summoning such brave curiosity.

PISCES

(FEB. 19-MARCH 20):

No one had ever proven that there was such a thing as electromagnetic waves until Piscean physicist Heinrich Hertz (1857-1894) did so in 1886. He was the innovator who first transmitted and received controlled radio waves. Alas, he didn’t think his breakthrough was useful. In 1890, he confessed, “I do not think that the wireless waves I have discovered will have any practical application.” But other scientists were soon capitalizing on his work to communicate long distances.

Radio broadcasts were born. I will encourage you not to make a Hertziantype mistake in the coming months.

Always follow through on your initial labors. Have faith that the novelties you dream up will eventually have practical value.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Poet Ocean Vuong speaks of the Hawaiian word kipuka. It refers to a patch of earth that doesn’t get covered with lava when an active volcano exudes its molten material. “Before the lava descended,” Vuong writes, “that piece of land was insignificant, just another scrap in an endless mass of green.”

But now that piece of land is special, having endured. I encourage you to identify your metaphorical equivalent of kipuka, Aries. It’s an excellent time to celebrate the power and luck and resilience that have enabled you to persevere.

GEMINI

(May 21-June 20): “When we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice,” said Gemini author Saul Bellow. So if you have come here today to read my horoscopes, it’s possible that you’re seeking an accomplice to approve of you making a decision or a move that you have already decided to do. OK. I’ll be your accomplice. But as your accomplice, the first thing I’ll do is try to influence you to make sure your upcoming actions serve not only your own selfish interests (although there’s nothing wrong with that), but also serve the interests of people you care for. The weeks ahead will be a favorable time to blend self-interest and noble idealism.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): A character in

Barbara Kingsolver’s novel The Lacuna is told to “go rub his soul against life.” Now I’ll advise you to do the same. Why? While it’s true that you have a beautiful soul, you sometimes get in the habit of hiding it away or keeping it secret. You feed it a wealth of dreams and emotions and longings but may not go far enough in providing it with raw experience out in the messy, chaotic world. In my judgment, now is one of those times when you would benefit from rubbing your soul against life. Please note: I don’t mean you should go in search of rough, tough downers. Not at all.

In fact, there are plenty of pleasurable, safe, educational ways to rub your soul against life.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): If you love the work

of self-help author Paulo Coelho, you might be inclined to adopt his motto as your own: “Being vulnerable is the best way to allow my

heart to feel true pleasure.” But maybe you wouldn’t want to adopt his motto. After all, what he’s suggesting requires a great deal of courage and daring. Who among us finds it easy and natural to be soft and receptive and inviting? And yet according to my analysis of the astrological omens, this is exactly what your assignment should be for the next two weeks. To help motivate yourself, remember the payoff described by Coelho: the possibility that your heart will feel true pleasure.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo author Michael Ondaatje celebrates “the hidden presence of others in us — even those we have known briefly. We contain them for the rest of our lives, at every border we cross.” As you approach your own upcoming border-crossing, dear Virgo, I encourage you to tune into memories about seven specific people who, over the course of your life, have provided you with the most joy and the most interesting lessons.

Close your eyes for 20 minutes and imagine they are all gathered together with you in your favorite sanctuary. Remember in detail the blessings they bestowed on you. Give thanks for their influences, for the gifts they gave that have helped you become your beautiful self.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “A balance that does not tremble cannot weigh. A person who does not oscillate cannot live.” So wrote biochemist Erwin Chargaff, who did crucial research leading to the discovery of DNA’s double helix structure. Since you’re the zodiac’s expert on balance and oscillation, and because these themes will be especially meaningful for you in the coming days, I’ll ask you to meditate on them with extra focus. Here’s my advice: To be healthy and resilient, you need to be aware of other possibilities besides those that seem obvious and simple and absolutely true. You need to consider the likelihood that the most correct answers are almost certainly those that are paradoxical and complicated and full of nuance.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In her poem “Sandra,” Scorpio poet Ariana Reines testifies that she has too many feelings — and that’s not a problem. On the contrary. They are her wealth, she says, her “invisible splendor.” I

invite you to regard your own “too many feelings” in the same way, especially in the coming weeks. You will have opportunities to harness your flood of feelings on behalf of transformative insights and holistic decision making. Your motto: Feelings are healing.

SAGITTARIUS

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Historian and author Thomas Berry described “wildness” as the source of our “authentic spontaneities.” He said it’s “the wellspring of creativity” at the root of our lust for life. That’s a different definition from the idea that wildness is about being unruly, rough and primitive. And Berry’s definition happens to be the one that should be central to your work and play in the coming weeks. Your assignment is to be wild: that is, to cultivate your authentic spontaneities, to home in on and nourish the creative wellspring of your lust for life.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Some of the great discoveries in the history of physics have been made while the trailblazing physicists were lolling in bed or in the bathtub. They have done the research and carried out the rigorous thinking — and are rewarded with breakthroughs while relaxing. I think that will be your best formula for success in the coming weeks.

Important discoveries are looming. Interesting innovations are about to hatch. You’re most likely to gather them in if you work intensely on preparing the way for them, and then go off and do something fun and rejuvenating.

AQUARIUS

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): My typical horoscope is an average of 108 words long. In that limited space, I can’t possibly tell you all the themes and threads that will be active for you during the upcoming phase of your cycle. I have to make choices about what to include and what not to include. This time I’ll focus on the fact that you now have an opportunity to deepen your relationship with your sense of smell — and to purposefully nourish your sense of smell. Your homework: Decide on at least five scents with which you will cultivate an intimate, playful, delightful connection in the coming days. (PS: You may be surprised at how this practice will deepen your emotional connection with the world.)

CHECK OUT ROB BREZSNY’S EXPANDED WEEKLY AUDIO HOROSCOPES & DAILY TEXT MESSAGE HOROSCOPES: REALASTROLOGY.COM OR 1-877-873-4888

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3/16/21 3:36 PM

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SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

LOVELY NATURE ENTHUSIAST Homemade music, stews, animals, color, light and anything handcrafted make me happy. Active, independent, long-haired, short-bodied, outdoorsy, retired. Good at spontaneous poems and watercolor landscapes. I love the old, odd, rare and recycled. I avoid smoke, cities, pretense, arrogance. Prefer Maine coast and back-road, cold-climate travel.

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Please contact me by sending me a message — and I hope we can meet in person sooner rather than later, as companionship comes down to chemistry. openmindheart, 62, seeking: M, l

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Are you into conscious living?

Spirituality? Nature? Honesty?

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Good with his hands. Must love cuddles.

I don’t mind if you prioritize your alone time as long as you don’t mind that I can be an endearing space case. Be warned: I will ask for your natal chart and when your most recent STI test was. starsaligned, 25, seeking: M

MEN seeking...

GENUINE FRIEND AND LOVER Are you female with emotional, independent maturity who wants to share friendship, romance, conversation, curiosity, outdoor activity (no motorcycles, skydiving, MAGA)? I’m friends with my ex-wife of 10-plus years and my ex-romances, and they regard me as having modest brilliance, being an incredible pleaser in bed and a fantastic cook. (My favorite ingredient is not vanilla.). YourHappyJack, 50, seeking: W GUY SEEKS LAST FIRST KISS Homeowner, financially secure seeking woman. I’ll love her without end. There is nothing wrong with loving a woman regardless of the age differences. I want to again experience the joys of being a father to new life. Mostly retired, living a relaxed lifestyle.

Currently own two businesses. The most important attribute in a relationship is loyalty. SoCal, 57, seeking: W, l LONELY. COVID SUCKS. SUNBATHING NAKED. Looking for fun in the sun. Enjoy being nude. Fires outside. Cut, trimmed and shaving. Woman or a couple.

Good times and laughter and sex.

Toohorny11, 52, seeking: W, Cp AMAZING, CRAZY, EXCITING, VERY OPEN Just exploring and finding new ways to have fun as a group with others for numerous activities.

Bretforfun, 31, seeking: M, W, Cp

ROMANTIC, DOMINANT, KINKY GENTLEMAN Looking for the right person to share my life with, enjoying each other’s company with the goal of finding happiness and having fun and adventures together.

Will consider marrying the right person.

Kids are a possibility but not a deal breaker. I’m pretty flexible and openminded but definitely seeking a longterm relationship. Value good morals.

MASTERBLUEKNIGHT, 58, seeking: W, l I LOVE THE FULL MOON Well, I’m 65, a widower (14 years) and live rurally. Interests are music, working on a serialized novel up on Wattpad, and in the summer growing lots of veggies. I’m also a fanatic reader of just about anything, but William Gibson and Joan Didion are favorites of mine. It may sound odd, but I’m into meeting someone Goth or Emo. DrummingMoon, 65, seeking: W, l TRYING TO PAY ATTENTION Moved to Vermont on a whim many years ago. Appreciate nature and animals.

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Looking for SWF, 30 to 50. I’m a SWM, 42.

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TRANS WOMEN seeking...

FOREVER SEARCHING Still looking for love. Would love to run into a beautiful dominatrix who will, through her grace, help me find the inspiration I need to flourish as a woman. I love to cook, I design board games and Lego sets, and give the best foot and back massages in the world! If this is heaven for you, come claim me! Neneveh, 24, seeking: W, l GENEROUS, OPEN, EASYGOING Active, healthy trans woman w/ partner seeks ecstatic connection for playtimes, connections, copulations, exploration and generally wonderful occasional times together. You should be fit, in good health, and available (not down low).

Ideal is another couple for a foursome.

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TRANS MEN seeking...

COUNTRY BOY SEEKS FRIENDS Not looking for a sexual relationship. I am very happily taken by a wonderful woman for over 20 years. I am just looking for people to go hunting and fishing with. Kayaking in the summer or hitting the trails. My wife has friends she does her hobbies with. Just looking for someone who shares mine! Islander68, 52, seeking: TM, TW, Q, NC, NBP, l

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Newboytoyvt, 51, seeking: W, l ACTIVE AND INTERESTING COUPLE! Hi, we’re a professional couple in our early 50s living a healthier life. We’re in love but have limited friends, and that’s why we’re here! trekkingcouple, 52, seeking: M, l

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HEARTTHROB AT HANDY’S Peter — was that your name, or the name I dreamt for you? A gray sweatshirt, dark hair and a jawline that won’t quit. Bellied up to the breakfast bar at Handy’s Lunch. You ordered French toast, or was it eggs? Anyways, let’s French sometime. When: Friday, March 12, 2021. Where: Handy’s Lunch.

You: Man. Me: Woman. #915242 FIREWORKS ON THE BIKE PATH It was dusk on the bike path. My dog was freaking out about fireworks at the skate park. You stopped briefly to spare a comforting comment about how your dog does the same thing. Fireworkfree dog walk? When: Thursday, March 4, 2021 (date is approximate).

Where: bike path by the skate park.

You: Man. Me: Woman. #915241 BEST BUY BABE We locked eyes from across the customer service desk at Best Buy on March 11. Was it the Canadian tuxedo you were wearing that had me interested? I’m not sure, but I’d love to get to know you and your man bun better. Coffee? When: Thursday, March 11, 2021. Where: Best Buy. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915240 CARAMN 52 Dating site you said you wanted to meet. I wanted to meet you, too. I sent you a message and checked the next day. It wasn’t there anymore, and I couldn’t find your profile anywhere.

Even after asking them specifically, they consistently screwed things up. But I’d still like to meet. Contact me here. I’ll show a picture of me.

When: Wednesday, November 4, 2020. Where: on Zoosk dating site.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915237

ALWAYS ALWAYS LAND You’re still in my thoughts ... every day.

When: Saturday, March 6, 2021. Where: my dreams. You: Man. Me: Man. #915239 HOT COP AT CUMBIES UVM officer by St. Mike’s. I don’t know what goes on on campus, but you are definitely prepared for it — from gear to physical fitness. Would be interested in chatting more. Please include the reason you let me go ahead of you in line. When: Saturday, February 27, 2021. Where: Cumbies. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915236 KAREN AT HOME DEPOT I think you know I’m crushing on you. Would enjoy coffee or a walk with you. Actually, anything more than a one-minute conversation on the checkout line. When: Sunday, February 21, 2021. Where: Home Depot.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915235 KNOCKOUT WAITRESS AT ROZZI’S Your name is Devan. We’ve made great eye contact a few times in the restaurant, but you were never my waitress. Wondering if you are single. When: Thursday, January 21, 2021. Where: Rozzi’s Lakeshore Tavern. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915234 SUNSHINE SD Just would like to say I’m sorry, and I miss you terribly. When: Wednesday, February 17, 2021. Where: Montpelier.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915233 HEY JUNE LETTERPRESS IN RICHMOND I was shopping for some stationery.

You were talking to a friend about bullet journals. Wanna meet at Sweet Simone’s for a coffee to-go sometime?

When: Saturday, February 13, 2021.

Where: Hey June Letterpress Studio.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915232

GREASY BABE RADICALIZING KIDS Hey, coach. I saw you at the climbing gym explaining to some kids how to undermine the ruling class. You were wearing a sexy yellow tank top, looked like you could kick my ass, and I can tell you don’t wash your hair, but it still looks hot. How about we eat a quesadilla and talk about late capitalism sometime? When: Wednesday, February 3, 2021. Where: climbing gym. You: Woman. Me: Woman. #915229 MAPLEFIELDS I saw you around 3:30. You got a 12-pack of Bud, Slim Jim and Doritos. I would like to meet you. I had a black and gray North Face coat. I said hello to you at the beer cooler. When: Thursday, February 4, 2021. Where: Maplefields, Woodstock.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915227 BROWN-EYED SNOW SLIDER Saw you cruising through the hardwoods at Adam’s Solitude. Easy riding with the tan bibs and that fresh purple split, family tree? Popping over that boulder all smooth. Caught your gaze for just a moment, and all I could see were those chocolate brown eyes. Swoon!

Catch me at the hill someday, and we can split a hazy. When: Wednesday, February 3, 2021. Where: Bolton.

You: Man. Me: Woman. #915226 NEFCU ESSEX Around 2:20. Exchanged a few glances inside NEFCU. You got into your Highlander and headed toward the center, and then you pulled into Maplefields not too long after you were pulling out of Price Chopper. You smiled and waved. Just wanted to let you know you made my day. Hope to see you around again. When: Friday, January 29, 2021. Where: Essex.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915225 SHOPPING AT TJ MAXX ON 1/28 The most beautiful woman I have ever seen, with blond hair past your shoulders and wearing black low-top Converse and black leggings. You were shopping, and I was scrubbing the floor with a machine. We made severe eye contact with each other. Would you like to get a drink or coffee? When: Thursday, January 28, 2021. Where: TJ Maxx.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915224

Dear Ready,

Ask REVEREND 

Irreverent counsel on life’s conundrums

Dear Reverend,

I’ve been around the block a few times and was married once for many years. But I’m still baffled by my inability to find a woman with the characteristics and personality that I appreciate over time. I read a book that describes an analytical method of training yourself to identify traits that are wrong for you and quickly end those relationships. I’ve tried doing that but found that using logic and reason to determine compatibility zaps the magnetism that is so important. Conversely, relying on attraction hasn’t worked well, either.

I’m a single dad, so I don’t have time to meet the number of women it would take to combine the two theories. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Ready to Throw in the Towel (MALE, 52)

STARBUCKS ON WILLISTON ROAD 1 p.m. You: a lovely blond woman.

We exchanged glances. Care to chat? I’ll buy the next round. When: Thursday, February 11, 2021. Where: Starbucks, Williston Road. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915230

SHAMWOW My dreams are always of you. My thoughts and hopes are of you. My door is always open to you. You know where I am.

Come home! —Scoots. When: Thursday, January 21, 2021. Where: in my dreams.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915222

HIGHLIGHTER HAT CUTIE I’ve spied you bouncing around Red Rocks (probably to a historical podcast), picking up berries (on sale, of course) at City Market and tapping the hell out of Tapper at the Archives. I’ve loved you ever since you helped me get on the scoreboard. Happy birthday, you golden boy! When: Thursday, January 28, 2021. Where: McDonald’s parking lot. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915223

DOG CONNECTION IN BOMBARDIER PARK Met two days in a row last weekend. First time, I helped return you and your friend’s dog in the field. The second time, on the way into the trails. We talked briefly about our dogs and guarding toys before going separate trails. I should have asked if you wanted company on your walk. Meet up for a walk sometime? When: Sunday, January 17, 2021. Where: Bombardier Park. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915218

BBQ GIRL Stunningly beautiful Asian working at Mark BBQ. You were wearing a mask, but somehow your smile lit up the room. I nervously stammered through the transaction, and you were so sweet.

The food was the best barbecue I’ve ever had, but I can’t stop thinking about you. When: Saturday, January 16, 2021. Where: Mark BBQ, Essex.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915221

NORTH AVE. STORE I opened the door leaving a store, and we made eye contact as you were coming in. I was thinking WOW, SWEET! And instead of thinking it, LOL, it came right out of my mouth as I walked by you holding the door open. You stopped in the doorway, looked at me and said, “Thank you!” Interested? When: Sunday, January 17, 2021. Where: North Ave. store. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915217

UVMMC NIGHT NURSE AMANDA I was recovering from having fluid drained from around my heart, and you were extra nice, getting me those Tessalon Perles to help with my cough so I could sleep better.

I enjoyed chatting with you about TV and your dog and such. On the off chance that you’re single, would you like to chat outside of work sometime? When: Wednesday, January 20, 2021. Where: Miller 4.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915220

SUNSHINE IN MONTPELIER Sunshine, I haven’t been able to reach you and tell you that you’re the one.

Missing my Montpelier girl. When: Friday, September 25, 2020. Where: Montpelier.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915214

EARLY SKI AT SMUGGS I greeted you as you cruised past me while skinning up Smuggs. At the bottom, we had a convo about being able to make the WFH and early morning laps happen, mountain biking, and our excitement about Cochrans.

Looking to reconnect. It’s not every day you connect so immediately.

Even if it means just finding another friend who loves the mountains.

When: Tuesday, January 19, 2021.

Where: Smugglers’ Notch parking lot 3. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915219

If I had a surefire solution to your problem, I’d be raking in the cash as a matchmaker with book deals and a TV show. Since that’s not the case, I’m going to go with my gut here: I think you think too much. As the old saying goes, “Too much analysis leads to paralysis.”

You need to turn down your analytical mind and put more trust in your intuition.

When you meet any new person, do you perform mental gymnastics to figure out whether you’ll be compatible as platonic friends? I doubt it. So why do it when you meet a potential romantic partner?

That’s setting yourself up for failure.

As we get older and have more responsibilities, it’s harder to meet new people — especially during a pandemic. It’s not impossible, but it takes more time and

XC SKIING SHELBURNE FARMS 2 p.m. You and your two pals were wrapping up your ski while my gang was heading out. I asked if beer was in your future; your friend said, “No, naps.” Want to ski together after you’re rested? When: Sunday, January 10, 2021. Where: Shelburne Farms.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915213 LIKE-MINDED IN BARNES & NOBLE We briefly met in Barnes & Noble. You overheard the book I was looking for and came to check the version. I have never posted one of these before, but how often do you meet people in Barnes over books like that?! If you are the guy I met and felt the same, I would love to meet you! When: Tuesday, December 29, 2020. Where: Barnes & Noble.

You: Man. Me: Woman. #915212

effort. Being a single parent, you might need a reminder of how important it is to focus on yourself once in a while. (And don’t go thinking that’s selfish, because if Dad isn’t happy, the kids won’t be happy, either.)

Online dating can be done anytime, anywhere. So if you haven’t already, try out a couple of sites. Throw caution to the wind and say hello to a bunch of ladies who interest you. Don’t think about it too hard.

Remember that you’re not looking for someone to marry next week; you’re looking for someone to maybe have a fun chat with. If something clicks, keep following the clicks.

You may wind up finding a really good friend whom you just happen to make out with.

Good luck and God bless,

The Reverend

What’s your problem?

Send it to asktherev@sevendaysvt.com.

SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

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Wanted: Black women, young or old. Love Black feet and butts.

Nice guy. #L1484 Seeking pen pervs and phone freaks who will share their closet kinks. I’m open-minded, nonjudgmental and eager to hear all of your sexy stories. #L1483 66-y/o bi male, 5’4, 150 pounds, brown eyes, salt-and-pepper hair. Very handsome, warm, kind person. Looking for goodlooking bi or gay male. Must be DD-free, 420-friendly. Prefer little body hair, must shave and be circumcised. Would like to meet good-looking gay couple for ongoing thing. Very oral. #L1482 Woman with no commitments interested in dating younger to older men. Please answer to talk about music or whatever your passion, work experience or education. Namaste. #L1489 I’m a 39-y/o male seeking a female 18 to 45. Looking for a friend and pen pal first. I’m an honest, loyal, loving and determined person. I’m a Pagan (Asatru). I’m also a dork. I look forward to writing you. #L1488 60-y/o male seeking 40to 80-y/o male or female.

Seeking other nudists for companionship in northern Vermont. #L1487

56-y/o SW. Humbled, thoughtful. Hoping for a safe, kind, honest relationship with a man. Calm in nature, love for nature. Morning coffees, long walks, talks, sunsets, art, music, dance, friends, family, laughs!

Willing to see and resolve suffering. Unconditional love and support find me at home.

Phone number, please. #L1486 SWM, late 50s, seeking W, M, Couples roughly 30 miles from capital. Love getting off on phone fantasies. Send number and best times. Meeting or photos possible. No text. Let’s get off safe and hot! Hope to have hot fun. #L1485

HOW TO REPLY TO THESE LOVE LETTERS: Seal your reply — including your preferred contact info — inside an envelope. Write your penpal’s box number on the outside of that envelope and place it inside another envelope with payment. Responses for Love Letters must begin with the #L box number.

MAIL TO: Seven Days Love Letters

P.O. Box 1164, Burlington, VT 05402

PAYMENT: $5/response. Include cash or check

(made out to “Seven Days”) in the outer envelope. To send unlimited replies for only $15/month, call us at 802-865-1020, ext. 10 for a membership (credit accepted).

PUBLISH YOUR MESSAGE ON THIS PAGE!

1

Submit your FREE message at sevendaysvt.com/loveletters or use the handy form at right.

2

We’ll publish as many messages as we can in the Love Letters section above.

3

Interested readers will send you letters in the mail. No internet required!

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SEVEN DAYS MARCH 17-24, 2021

Do you seek a soul mate who loves music, travel and lively conversation? I’m an active retired woman in Addison County (5’5, slender, nonsmoker) who enjoys the outdoors. Friends consider me smart, funny and caring. My hope: to make a warm, healthy connection, sharing interests and chemistry, with a good man. #L1481 Seeking SWM, 58 to 68, greater Burlington area. Clean-cut, neat appearance, no facial hair, impotent, a bad back a plus. No smoking/drugs. Me: average build, tall, athletic. 38 years with NASA, financially secure. I love beer and burgers.

My teepee leans right. Phone number, please. #L1479

Internet-Free Dating!

Reply to these messages with real, honest-to-goodness letters. DETAILS BELOW. 54-y/o SWM seeking 45- to 60y/o SWF. I’m a good man looking for a sweet, fit and attractive lady. A man who will love you for yourself. Central Vermont area. #L1480

I’m a GWM, early 60s, seeking adult males of any age or race for friendship. I enjoy dinners out, movies, taking day trips, etc. Let’s connect virtually now and in person later. #L1475

Artistic, educated, fit, attractive woman, 68, looking for a kind, single man to share adventures.

I feel grateful for my life and love skiing, hiking, sailing/boating, biking, long walks in nature and travel. Do you enjoy music, cooking, conversation?! #L1478

Early 50s female seeking a good, honest man for friendship and possibly more.

I’m a very good person and looking for the same in you.

I’m fit and attractive, and you should be the same. Any good men left? #L1473

I’m a man seeking new friends for adventure. I hike Mount Philo almost every day and love to cross-country ski. #L1478

SWM, 60s, seeking a SWF, 30s to 60s. Outlaw, pirate, bandit!

Cool cat, overactive libido, reader/writer, RV, ski and sail, fires and wines, films and fun, chef, outdoor bear, music, hopeful romantic, off the grid. #L1472

Person looking to hook up with a new friend. Someone on the slim side. Big, small, everything in between. I return calls. Phone number, please. #L1477 Bi-guy, 70s, happy, healthy. 420 OK. DDF. ISO bi couple, MF or FF, wishing to become mates. Sailing this summer, cruising, racing, picnicking, swimming. Searching now for summer fun coming.

Open to all! #L1476

GM, mid-50s, in Rutland County tired of being cooped up for winter and COVID. Looking for like-minded individuals for some NSA fun.

If something more develops, that works, too! No text/email.

Phone only. #L1471

Describe yourself and who you’re looking for in 40 words below:

Required confidential info:

(OR, ATTACH A SEPARATE PIECE OF PAPER.)

__________________________________________

I’m a _________________________________________________ __ ____

NAME

AGE + GENDER (OPTIONAL)

seeking a____________________________________________ ___________ AGE + GENDER (OPTIONAL)

_______________________________________________________

__________________________________________ ADDRESS

__________________________________________ ADDRESS (MORE)

_______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

__________________________________________ CITY/STATE

__________________________________________ ZIP

__________________________________________ PHONE

_______________________________________________________ MAIL TO: SEVEN DAYS LOVE LETTERS • PO BOX 1164, BURLINGTON, VT 05402 OPTIONAL WEB FORM: SEVENDAYSVT.COM/LOVELETTERS HELP: 802-865-1020, EXT. 10, LOVELETTERS@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

THIS FORM IS FOR LOVE LETTERS ONLY. Messages for the Personals and I-Spy sections must be submitted online at dating.sevendaysvt.com.

PAULA ROUTLY

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