Seven Days, September 23, 2020

OCTOBER 2020

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Grafton Getaway An iconic inn with a storied porch

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Autumn Is for Apples Five ways to enjoy a fruitfall fall

23

High Spirits Halloween sites and frights

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INSIDE! V ER MON T’S INDE P ENDE NT V OIC E SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020 VOL.25 NO.52 SEVENDAYSVT.COM

Vermonters’ guide to exploring Vermont

How Black Lives Matter protesters occupied a park, captivated a city — and got some of what they wanted

BY CHELSEA EDGAR, PAGE 26

CLIMATE CHANGES

PAGE 12

Scott’s erratic record on warming

CLASS ACTION

PAGE 38

Teachers, staff on return to school

MEATING DEMAND

PAGE 40

Can Vermont producers keep up?

HR Consulting IT Consulting Business Advisory Accounting Services R&D Credits Mergers & Acquisitions Busine Business Valuation Litigation Support Succession Planning

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SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

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WEEK IN REVIEW SEPTEMBER 16-23, 2020 COMPILED BY SASHA GOLDSTEIN, MATTHEW ROY & ANDREA SUOZZO FILE: LUKE EASTMAN

LAWMAKERS PASS RETAIL

POT BILL

$10.5 emoji million that MAX CAPACITY

Ahead of the fall foliage season, Gov. Phil Scott announced that lodging establishments can book 100 percent of their rooms.

Here come the leaf peepers.

BURNING UP

Amid a drought, a small forest fire is smoldering underground in the woods near Killington. Such problems aren’t just out west, folks.

After years of debate, lawmakers on Tuesday gave final approval to a bill that would create a legal retail market for marijuana in Vermont.

The Senate voted 23-6 to accept the report of a legislative committee that hammered out long-standing differences between the House and Senate over the best way to tax and regulate cannabis in the state.

“This has been a long, winding road to get to this point,” Sen. Dick Sears (D-Bennington) told his colleagues before the vote. Sears said he would be the first to admit “this bill is not perfect,” but he felt it was a good compromise that he hoped Gov. Phil Scott would sign into law.

“I would be surprised if he didn’t, quite frankly,” Sears said. “In many cases, the conference committee kept his positions in mind.”

Scott has consistently raised concerns about legal marijuana’s effect on Vermont’s youth and traffic safety, as well as towns’ ability to control cannabis businesses. But last week, Scott signaled possible support when he noted the bill had “come a long ways” from where it started.

Asked about the bill at his Tuesday press conference, Scott said he would “reflect on all the areas of disagreement” before making a decision.

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802nice COURTESY OF MIA OUELLETTE

Chris Ouellette

The governor had wanted police officers to be able to use saliva tests to check for impaired drivers, something the Senate had long opposed. The compromise would allow such tests but require a warrant.

The bill would also dedicate some of the tax revenue to youth and drug-abuse prevention programs. Cannabis production and products would be taxed at 20 percent: a 14 percent excise tax and a 6 percent sales tax. Of the excise tax, 30 percent would go toward substance-abuse programs. All of the sales tax would go to afterschool and youth programs.

Scott also supported a measure in the compromise bill that would require towns to “opt in” before marijuana businesses could locate there, as opposed to an opt-out model that would have required towns to proactively block the businesses.

The Senate passed a related bill, S.234, that calls for the automatic expungement of convictions for possession of up to two ounces of marijuana, as well as possession of up to four mature plants and eight immature plants prior to January 2021.

Read Kevin McCallum’s full story and follow updates at sevendaysvt.com.

MESSAGE DELIVERED

Ballots for the November election are in the mail for all registered voters in Vermont. Do your civic duty!

TRACK DOWN

A suspicious blaze tore through the old Pownal racetrack that once hosted greyhound and horse racing. No word on how the suspect fled the scene.

That’s how much extra money the State of Vermont will bring in this year from a decades-old tobacco settlement.

TOPFIVE

MOST POPULAR ITEMS ON SEVENDAYSVT.COM

1. “Hazardous Air Forces Burlington High School to Close for Entire Semester” by Courtney Lamdin. The school district is investigating the presence of carcinogenic airborne chemicals inside the building.

2. “Vermont Lawmakers Strike a Deal on Retail Pot Bill” by Colin Flanders. The compromise brings the state closer than ever to setting up a regulated retail market.

3. “Burlington City Councilors Admit to Violating Open Meeting Law” by Courtney Lamdin.

Councilors acknowledged that they violated state law by inviting protest organizers into an executive session to discuss police personnel.

4. “State’s Attorney Sarah George to End Cash Bail in Chittenden County” by Paul Heintz. The top prosecutor in Vermont’s most populous county will no longer require bail for those awaiting trial for criminal offenses.

5. “UVM Sex Educator Jenna Emerson Releases New Comedy Music Video” by Jordan Adams.

Emerson’s video, shot at Oakledge Park in Burlington, parodies the classic Disney animated feature The Little Mermaid.

tweet of the week @AnnieMackin I should probably not be allowed to facilitate or participate in meetings on Monday morning. My agenda: - Did you get frost last night - What are you doing with your green tomatoes - How is everyone’s dog FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @SEVENDAYSVT OUR TWEEPLE: SEVENDAYSVT.COM/TWITTER

WHAT’S KIND IN VERMONT

RIDE ON

Earlier this month, Chris Ouellette set out from his Shelburne home for a bike ride around Vermont.

His goal: three days and 300 miles in honor of 3 million people worldwide battling Charcot-MarieTooth disease.

One of them is Ouellette’s nephew, Yohan Bouchard, who was diagnosed with the degenerative nerve condition at age 7. Seeing his onceactive nephew sidelined by the disease prompted Ouellette to get involved in finding a cure. In 2014, he joined the board of the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association, a national nonprofit that raises awareness and funds research.

That same year, Ouellette founded Cycle 4 CMT, an annual fundraiser and Vermont bike ride.

What started with about 70 participants has morphed into a 200-person event that now also includes a walk. In normal years, the riders start and finish at the Old Lantern in Charlotte, where they wrap up with food, beer, live music, a silent auction, and presentations from CMT researchers and doctors.

This year, though, was anything but normal.

Ouellette and about a dozen people completed a local ride earlier this month. Others from around the country participated virtually, including Yohan, who is now 27 and has undergone surgeries to help stabilize his weakened legs and feet. He’s recently begun using an electric bike and was able to ride 20 miles near his home in California’s Bay Area.

“Never would we have thought that the child who could not ride a bike due to lack of balance, sensation, and confidence would one day ride

over the Golden Gate Bridge, maneuvering around pedestrians, cyclists, kids, dogs, etc.,” Yohan’s mom, Elizabeth, wrote in a blog post.

On September 11, Ouellette set out on his own (with his wife, Mia, in a support car) on a 100-mile ride from Shelburne to Woodstock. The next day, he covered the same distance to Manchester, and he finished on the third day back in Shelburne.

The ride was hard, Ouellette said, but worth it.

Through this year’s event, he helped raise nearly $250,000 for the association. He has raised about $1.35 million total since he started the ride in 2014.

“At times, you do these things so easily, you can take it for granted,” Ouellette said of staying active.

“I felt like I had to do something here to help find a cure so people with CMT can hopefully enjoy all the beautiful things I can enjoy right here in Vermont.”

SASHA GOLDSTEIN SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

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FULL COURT PRESS. / Pamela Polston, Paula Routly  Paula Routly   Cathy Resmer  

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NEWS & POLITICS  Matthew Roy   Sasha Goldstein   Candace Page   Derek Brouwer, Colin Flanders,

Paul Heintz, Courtney Lamdin, Kevin McCallum

ARTS & LIFE  Pamela Polston   Margot Harrison   Dan Bolles, Elizabeth M. Seyler   Jordan Adams   Kristen Ravin    Carolyn Fox   Jordan Barry, Chelsea Edgar,

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FEEDback READER REACTION TO RECENT ARTICLES

HAPPY TRANSPLANTS

I read with delight “The New Vermonters” [September 9]. My husband, Paul, and I moved to Vermont in 2013 after many years as residents of Massachusetts.

We fell in love with Vermont after one of our kids attended and graduated from the University of Vermont and stayed in Vermont. We had been spending lots of time here on visits from her college days, now almost 20 years ago. It’s a perfect fit for us. The pace, compared to Massachusetts, is incredibly slow, which we love.

We have never looked back. And now, with the pandemic, we are so glad to live in a state that gets it.

Thanks for an uplifting article.

Casmera Tagliamonte

COLCHESTER

CROSS EXAMINATION

I’d love to address Maureen Cross’ story in “The New Vermonters” [September 9].

While I’m thrilled that Cross is finding celebrity for conveying her utterly tragic misadventure in Vermont, it sounds to me like she moved here for all of the wrong reasons.

Her depiction of Lake Champlain as feeling “sterile” sounds a lot like one of those over-the-top one-star Yelp reviews for national parks that went viral. Being somebody from the New York City area who has also traveled across the country and through 21 national parks, I can firmly state that Lake Champlain is one of the prettiest lakes in the country.

Like Cross, I also own a huskymalamute mix, but I always have him leashed on walks. In fact, I get frustrated with owners who walk their dogs unleashed.

Additionally, perhaps her old friends didn’t want to socialize a ton because of the deadly pandemic? Everyone’s social life has been impacted across the country — not just Vermonters’. Cross strikes me as the type of person who moved up here to recapture some nostalgia but was disappointed to learn that the city had changed from 16 years earlier.

Here’s what it boils down to: Everyone has his or her own tastes, and Vermont isn’t for everyone. My experience moving here from New York 11 years ago, however, couldn’t have been any more different from Cross’.

Oliver Kranichfeld

©2020 Da Capo Publishing Inc. All rights reserved.

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SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

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BURLINGTON

WEEK IN REVIEW

sector in the context of our state, including care for the energy burdens of workingclass and senior Vermonters. In fact, this is why he is running for governor.

TIM NEWCOMB

Caitlin Waddick

SHELBURNE

MARIJUANA MYSTERIES

RULES MATTER

[Re Off Message: “Seven Days Files Open Meeting Complaint Against Burlington City Council,” September 11; “Burlington City Councilors Admit to Violating Open Meeting Law,” September 15]: Thank you for speaking out about open meeting laws on our behalf. I have been alarmed that there has been no action for illegal use of Battery Park by protesters camping overnight.

I have been alarmed that protesters have blocked a major street.

I have been alarmed seeing a video with angry yelling and banging against the entrance of the police department.

I feel that we are being held hostage by individuals who are breaking laws others would be arrested for.

Of course Black lives matter. Yes, there needs to be increased awareness about judicial handling of inappropriate behavior when it occurs. But the behavior I am witnessing feels like jumping aboard the national freight train of protest for legitimate grievances that are quite different from local identified abuse.

Go ahead and protest, but do not block access for families wanting to socialize in the park and city streets that need to be open to all of us. Respect for all, please.

Mary Ann Ficociello

BURLINGTON

‘DIRTY TACTICS’

[Re Off Message: “Republicans Sue to Block Condos’ Mail-In Voting Plan,” September 9; “Judge Dismisses GOP Challenge to Vermont’s Mail-In Voting Plan,” September 16]: The Vermont Republicans’ federal lawsuit over universal mail-in ballots in

Vermont is sickening. Former representative Robert Frenier is quoted in your article as saying, “The vote is very sacred.” If he believed that, he wouldn’t be party to this suit, which attempts to interfere with Vermonters’ ability to vote — and attempts to cast doubt on the results. “[David A.] Warrington and [Deborah] Bucknam assure that their motivations for the lawsuit are not partisan,” states your article. They are lying. Their motivation is absolutely partisan, and these bad actors who are trying to destroy our democratic process are examples of unethical people using the same dirty tactics being used all over the country by the “Republican” Party.

Ann Watson NEW HAVEN

VETO SPEAKS VOLUMES

The article headlined “Vermont House Votes to Override Scott’s Veto of Climate Bill” [Off Message, September 17] says that it is the second time this session the House has voted to override a gubernatorial veto. What I remember clearly is that Gov. Phil Scott has a history of being divisive, not working across the aisle and keeping council with his funders — out-of-state Republicans, as reported, for example, in [“Backseat Driver?

In Gov. Phil Scott’s Administration, Chief of Staff Jason Gibbs Takes the Wheel,” October 10, 2018]: Scott’s veto was unpredictable, just like when he vetoed past state budgets.

The Global Warming Solutions Act is not a perfect bill, but it is supported by our legislature. The urgency of the climate crisis is one reason of many I am supporting Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman for governor. He has policy proposals that grow the green-energy

[Re Off Message: “Vermont Lawmakers Strike a Deal on Retail Pot Bill,” September 16]: Vermont continues to negotiate S.54 based on the assumption that overall THC content is indicative of potency. Yes, we have thought this for a while, but it’s totally wrong. Don’t take it from me; please go do your homework. There is a mountain of recent scientific data that confirms long-established anecdotal trends that say potency is an overall function of the entourage effect, with THC playing only one role.

Breeders have been saying this for years.

There are some 7 percent THC strains that will “intoxicate” far more than some 22 percent THC strains. Sorry to be the one to tell you! The link between the anecdotal and the clinical should catch the eye of anyone using, selling, buying or making laws about cannabis. Yes, it flies in the face of every single cannabis law, platitude, data point, scare tactic and assumption, but get over it, because they’re incorrect. As for the roadside tests, a 2019 University of Sydney study found that roadside THC saliva tests are “wildly inaccurate,” with an average of roughly 16 percent false negatives. Happy legalization.

Al Teodosio

FERRISBURGH

CORRECTIONS

Last week’s Soundbites column incorrectly named the studio at which Chazzy Lake’s album Sup, Circumstance was recorded. It’s Leilani Sound. The write-up also mischaracterized Kevin Bloom’s role. Bloom coproduced it, and Sam Schneider mastered it.

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contents SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020 VOL.25 NO.52

COLUMNS + REVIEWS 36 45 48 50 77

Bottom Line Side Dishes Album Reviews Movie Review Ask the Reverend

SECTIONS 21 40 46 50 52 55

Life Lines Food + Drink Music + Nightlife Movies Classes Classifieds + Puzzles 72 Fun Stuff 76 Personals

Bringing Home the Bacon Food: Vermont farmers are riding a pandemic-era wave of demand for local meat

PAGE 40

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TOC

STUCK IN VERMONT

How Black Lives Matter protesters occupied a park, captivated a city — and got some of what they wanted

Online Thursday

BY CHELSEA EDGAR, PAGE 26 COVER IMAGE JAMES BUCK • COVER DESIGN REV. DIANE SULLIVAN

12

22

34

NEWS & POLITICS 11

ARTS NEWS 22

FEATURES 34

From the Publisher

Palindrome Pro

It’s Soil Good

Telling the Secret

Show and Tell

Hot Air?

Gov. Phil Scott’s critics question his climate record

Back to School?

Burlington High scrambles after air tests detect cancer-causing chemicals

Gap Year

New childcare hubs offer structure and support on students’ remotelearning days

A champion wordsmith moves to Vermont

Sound Investment

Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s new head plans expansive, inclusive performances with more visual elements

Full Circle Microbes converts hemp waste into a high-yield hemp fertilizer Parents, teachers and staff share stories of their first week back at school

For the past two decades, Lucy Cooney — mother of 10 and grandmother of 15 — has been a bus driver at the Shelburne Community School. COVID-19 forced some changes, but one thing has stayed the same: The kids are always happy to see her.

We have

SUPPORTED BY:

Find a new job in the classifieds section on page 62 and online at sevendaysvt.com/jobs.

Office Space

Jim Lockridge talks Big Heavy World, the pandemic and a Music Cities Award nomination

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FROM THE PUBLISHER

Inconvenient Truth

To report her 2019 cover story about milking cows on a Vermont dairy farm, Seven BERNIE’S Days writer Chelsea Edgar immersed herself in the experience. She spent a week in BACK muck boots and coveralls avoiding projectile poop, actually doing the job. There was no other way to fully understand, and explain, the daily labor of the state’s migrant farmhands.

With similar motivations, Edgar spent dozens of hours over the past three weeks talking with Black Lives Matter protesters on the streets of Burlington and at Battery Park for this week’s cover story. Her presence was not always well received by the participants occupying public property, despite her goal to share their aims with our readers — and the fact that Seven Days broke many of the stories about police misconduct that informed their demands.

Edgar endured insults and overcame resistance to report on the meaning and methods of the movement that claimed a partial victory on Monday night.

During the same time period, Burlington reporter Courtney Lamdin was up late BUZZ KILL? GROWTH INDUSTRY GETTING CREATIVE covering the city council. Almost every week, she sits through hours of public comment, council bickering and the solitude of waiting out executive sessions to make sure she doesn’t miss anything. Deputy news editor Sasha Goldstein stays up as long as it takes Lamdin to process and write up what happened. The time stamps on those wee-hour blog posts say it all. On Wednesday, September 9, Lamdin’s story published at 1:53 a.m.

On Tuesday, September 15, it was 1:21 a.m.

Three days later, at 7:45 p.m., Seven Days and the rest of the world heard about the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Paul Heintz immediately called Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) for comment. Within three hours, Heintz had spoken to the senator and reported his reaction to Republicans’ rush to replace Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. Time: 11:06 p.m.

Journalists at Seven Days regularly go out of their way — and occasionally stay up all night — to report the news, whether it’s a breaking story about Burlington buying out a problem police officer to end a protest, or a complex account of how COVID-19 swept through a Vermont nursing home.

Last Friday, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia recognized some of those efforts. Competing with newspapers across the country for work published in 2019, Seven Days took first place in health care reporting for “Hooked,” last year’s series of stories in which writer Kate O’Neill explored Vermont’s opioid crisis following the death of her sister. The judges wrote: “Passionate, intrepid reporting. The personal story of loss blends with the big opioid crisis picture in exactly the right ways.”

They also liked “Worse for Care,” a Seven Days collaboration with Vermont Public Radio that exposed the poor reporting of safety violations in state-regulated eldercare facilities. In addition to a series of articles, Seven Days created a user-friendly database that offers access to inspection reports and details their findings. The project, which “Hooked,” December 11, 2019; “Worse for Care” logo; earlier this year won a regional Edward R. Murrow Award, took first place in AAN’s What’s Good, 2019 innovation category.

Eva Sollberger’s video series “Stuck Want to help Seven Days through in Vermont” and our guide for Burlington the pandemic? Become a Super Reader. newcomers, What’s Good, also took top honors in the competition. Seven Days placed second Look for the “Give Now” buttons at the top of in investigative reporting, LGBT coverage sevendaysvt.com. Or send a check with your and cartoon categories, for work by Heintz, address and contact info to: Edgar and Tim Newcomb, respectively; Margot SEVEN DAYS, C/O SUPER READERS Harrison’s “Quick Lit” book reviews took third in P.O. BOX 1164 arts criticism.

BURLINGTON, VT 05402-1164 It was a fitting way to wrap up our first For more information on making a financial quarter century in this crazy business that rarely contribution to Seven Days, please contact affords a moment to look back.

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news

MORE INSIDE

POLL: GOV. SCOTT ROLLING, LG RACE TIGHT

ELECTION 2020

CHILDCARE HUBS KEY THIS SCHOOL YEAR

PAGE 14

PAGE 16

TIM NEWCOMB

Hot Air?

Gov. Phil Scott’s critics question his climate record

G

ov. Phil Scott has earned praise for following the guidance of public health experts as he leads Vermont’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Nearly every opportunity he gets, he notes his reliance on data and science.

But when it comes to the peril posed by a rapidly warming planet, environmental advocates argue, Scott has failed to take seriously what experts have made clear for years.

“The science says that we have an urgent crisis on our hands — that we have to reduce pollution dramatically,” said Johanna Miller, energy and climate program director at the Vermont Natural Resources Council. “We’re not doing our part in Vermont. We’re not following the science when it comes to climate.”

Criticism of Scott’s environmental record mounted last week when he vetoed 12

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

BY PAU L H E I N T Z

the Global Warming Solutions Act, which would require the state to reduce its carbon emissions and allow residents to sue if it fails. The House quickly overrode his veto, and the Senate did so on Tuesday.

“It was pretty appalling to see this veto come when significant chunks of the West Coast are on fire and the Gulf Coast is underwater,” said Ben Walsh, climate and energy program director for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group. “There couldn’t be a more stark reminder of why action is necessary — and immediately necessary.”

Even Rep. Laura Sibilia (I-Dover), a close ally of Scott’s, spoke out against the veto during last week’s House override vote. “I am a big fan of our governor,” she said on the virtual floor. “He is wrong.”

Scott, a Republican who is seeking his third two-year term this November,

remains immensely popular with the electorate. According to a new poll released this week by Vermont Public Radio and Vermont PBS, he leads his Progressive/ Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, 55 to 24 percent. But the governor’s environmental record — or lack thereof, as some see it — stands out as a potential vulnerability. That could explain why his campaign has taken out advertisements on Facebook to burnish his climate bona fides.

“Governor Phil Scott: Leading on combating climate change and preserving our environment,” the ad reads, highlighting his work to invest “millions to lower emissions and increase energy efficiency.”

According to Zuckerman, a longtime environmental advocate, “That ad screams

ENVIRONMENT

HOT AIR?

» P.18

Bucking Democratic Party, Ingram Endorses Milne for LG B Y C OLIN F L A N DER S

In a surprising rebuke of her own party’s nominee, state Sen. Debbie Ingram (D-Chittenden) has endorsed Republican Scott Milne to be Vermont’s next lieutenant governor.

Ingram, who ran unsuccessfully in the August primary for the Democratic LG nomination, announced her decision on Monday morning to a group of reporters gathered outside of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington. She argued that Milne, a Pomfret businessman best known for nearly defeating then-governor Peter Shumlin in 2014, has the necessary experience to help the state withstand the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Although I have been a lifelong Democrat and I’m still a Democrat, I believe that Mr. Milne is the best person for this important position at this time,” Ingram said, urging “all Vermonters” to vote for the Republican nominee.

Ingram’s endorsement follows a bruising Democratic primary in which she and two other candidates — Sen. Tim Ashe (D/P-Chittenden) and activist Brenda Siegel — lost to Molly Gray, an assistant attorney general.

Gray, a political newcomer, received 44 percent of the vote; Ingram finished last with 9 percent.

Ingram asserted that her support for Milne was “not so much about” Gray, against whom she holds “no grudges.”

“Although I am committed to supporting the advancement of women in our political system, the position of lieutenant governor is too important to decide solely on the basis of sex rather than the many other characteristics necessary for the job,” Ingram said. “In my opinion, Mr. Milne’s qualities in other respects matter more than electing a woman.”

In a statement emailed to Seven Days, Gray’s campaign manager, Samantha Sheehan, did not address Ingram’s endorsement directly.

Instead, Sheehan wrote that her candidate’s legal training and work in public policy “uniquely qualify her” for the primary responsibility of the LG position: presiding over the Senate.

“Molly is happy to discuss job qualifications directly with Scott Milne,” Sheehan wrote. “That’s why she invited him to attend 8 nonpartisan community conversations she’s hosting across Vermont, which he has chosen not to attend.”

Contact: colin@sevendaysvt.com

Back to School?

Burlington High scrambles after air tests detect cancer-causing chemicals

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Signs warning about PCBs at Burlington High School

LLOCAL MATTERS inden Bronz-Russo was ready to return to Burlington High School’s aging buildings this month, even though she’d only be there part time. The school on Institute Road had planned a hybrid teaching model in which groups of students would alternate between in-person and virtual classes. The 17-year-old senior was excited to see her friends after months of isolation during the coronavirus pandemic.

On September 9, the day before students were to return, Bronz-Russo and her classmates got disappointing news: The school would remain closed for days. Tests had detected high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the air of one school building.

The tests were done in preparation for a $70 million renovation of the high school campus, and the results were concerning. Readings in the F Building — which houses the Burlington Technical Center and classrooms for students with intensive special needs — detected the cancer-causing chemicals at levels 10 times higher than the safety standard set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The news got even worse last week, when tests showed PCBs in the air of every building on campus. Superintendent Tom Flanagan announced that

EDUCATION

school won’t reopen until at least January.

All classes will be taught online while the district investigates the air quality issue.

Bronz-Russo was crushed.

“It’s very demoralizing and exhausting to do day after day of online school,” she said. “At some point, it feels like we’re not learning; we’re just turning in assignments.”

The discovery of PCBs has thrown an already chaotic school year into complete disarray. School officials are fielding health questions from anxious parents and teachers while scrambling to find space off-campus where they could resume in-person classes. Meantime, between COVID-19 and the chemicals, the plan to break ground on the renovations by summer 2021 is quickly slipping away.

Flanagan, who’s been on the job just three months, has a decision to make: Does he spend the school’s limited funds on testing and remediation, or does he fast-track construction, knowing that could displace students even longer?

Either choice will likely require the school board’s approval. Flanagan hopes to have a better answer when the body next meets on September 29.

“This is just a big decision,” he said. “I can’t say where we’re headed.”

Burlington High School was built in 1964 as a maze of six buildings. Since BACK TO SCHOOL?

» P.14

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news ELECTION 2020

Scott Dominates Reelection Race, Poll Finds; LG Race Tied

BY PAUL H E I N TZ

Vermont’s Republican governor, Phil Scott, is cruising toward a third twoyear term, according to a poll released on Tuesday by Vermont Public Radio and Vermont PBS. Scott is leading Progressive/ Democratic Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman 55 to 24 percent, the poll found, and the incumbent governor has the highest favorability rating of the state’s top officeholders. Sixty-eight percent of respondents approve of his job performance, while only 17 percent disapprove.

Scott, 62, is so popular that he could topple eight-term Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) in a hypothetical Senate matchup in 2022, the poll found in one of its more provocative questions. The governor has expressed no interest in challenging Leahy, and the 80-year-old senator has not said whether he will run for a ninth term.

Still, according to the survey, 41 percent of voters would prefer Scott, while 38 percent would back Leahy.

That lead is within the poll’s overall 4 percent margin of error. New Jerseybased Braun Research conducted the survey under the supervision of Castleton University professor Rich Clark. The pollsters reached 604 Vermonters via landline and cellphone during the first two weeks of September.

Though the local public media organizations surveyed Vermonters about the impact of COVID-19 in July, no major public polls of the election have come out since February.

The race to replace Zuckerman as lieutenant governor appears far more competitive than the gubernatorial contest. The poll found that Democrat Molly Gray, an assistant attorney general, is leading Republican Scott Milne, a travel agency executive, 35 to 31 percent — also within the poll’s margin of error. Twenty-four percent of those surveyed said they hadn’t made up their mind yet or had no opinion on the LG race.

Republican President Donald Trump remains tremendously unpopular in Vermont. Only 30 percent said they approve of his job performance, while 64 percent disapprove.

Former vice president Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, leads Trump 56 to 32 percent. Of those who plan to vote for Biden, 63 percent said they would do so largely because they oppose Trump.

Contact: paul@sevendaysvt.com

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SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

Back to School? « P.13 then, the buildings have deteriorated.

The enclosed ramps that link them are too steep to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and not every building has an elevator. The heating and ventilation systems need upgrading, too.

City voters approved a $70 million renovation bond in November 2018.

Known as the ReEnvisioning Project, plans call for C Building to be demolished and a new three-story structure to connect the existing A and B buildings.

Every school building will get a new roof and sprinkler system and improved stormwater control. Inside, students will enjoy many larger classrooms, and teachers will have access to more conference rooms.

The EPA requires testing for hazardous materials before any major school construction project. School leaders are familiar with asbestos, the fibrous material once used in insulation and flooring, but are less used to encountering PCBs. The term is a catchall for more than 200 man-made chemicals frequently found in window caulking and light fixtures in buildings constructed between 1950 and 1979, after which time they were banned by the EPA. The chemicals have been shown to cause cancer in animals and can wreak havoc on the reproductive, endocrine and nervous systems. Materials containing PCBs can be removed and disposed of, but often at a high cost.

Burlington High School first discovered PCBs in June 2019. The chemicals were widespread in window caulking, exterior walls and soils.

“That got our attention,” project manager Tom Peterson told school commissioners last week. “That first finding led to more testing, and that further testing led to more questions. There were some anomalies in the data that ... even our environmental consultants were scratching their heads.”

The district brought in a Connecticutbased firm to sort out the wonky data, but not until this spring. The project team was more focused on designing the renovations, which had come in $20 million over the $70 million budget and in turn had prompted a monthslong discussion on how to cut costs. The redesign was finally approved in March 2020 but no longer included F Building, which would later show the highest levels of PCB contamination.

Then the coronavirus hit, delaying the Connecticut consultants’ arrival in Vermont. Their final report wasn’t complete until mid-August, at which point regulators allowed the school to perform air quality tests. Those were conducted

on September 2 and 3, just days before the start of school.

Some of the numbers were staggering.

One room in the F Building registered 6,300 nanograms per cubic meter, while the EPA standard is between 500 and 600 for high-school-age students. Other readings ranged from an infinitesimal 1.1 nanograms per cubic meter in the A Building’s gymnasium to 300 in the D Building’s home economics classroom. While none of those measurements exceeded EPA standards, many were above the Vermont Department of Health’s limit of 15 nanograms per cubic meter. Regulators suggested Flanagan close the school.

“I don’t think there was a lot that we

week,” said Josepha Austin, a special education and science teacher who has worked in F Building for five years. A classroom near her office measured 1,300 nanograms per cubic meter, more than twice the EPA’s limit. While she’s concerned for her own health — and may schedule a blood test — Austin worries more for her special education students, whom she described as the most vulnerable in the school.

Austin’s colleagues have raised concerns about air quality for years. In 2004, the Burlington Education Association filed a grievance on behalf of three high school teachers who were hospitalized with health conditions they blamed on poor air circulation. The district denied

Burlington Technical Center

could have done to affect the timing of this,” Flanagan said, adding, “I know our community’s disappointed … but I think it’s the right decision.”

Megan Munson-Warnken, who is the mother of two Burlington high schoolers, is skeptical. She’s read Flanagan’s memos and a list of frequently asked questions about testing on the school website. The timeline doesn’t add up, Munson-Warnken said. She thinks school leaders could have pushed harder to complete sampling this spring when the school was empty.

“COVID as an excuse feels convenient,” she said.

Adam Bluestein, also the parent of two high school students, wonders why the district didn’t investigate PCBs’ health effects when they were first found in June 2019. “Where was the urgency?” he asked.

School faculty are worried, too. “Every single teacher was googling [PCBs] this

their request for additional sick days, the Associated Press reported then. Tests the high school performed in 2004 and 2005 “concluded the building had no significant air-quality problem,” according to the Burlington Free Press.

PCBs are present in at least one other Burlington school. Champlain Elementary was one of four schools that participated in a state testing program in 2013, after several New England schools reported high concentrations of PCBs. Four of 20 samples came out higher than health department standards, with a high reading of 65 nanograms per cubic meter in a teacher workroom. Officials at Champlain replaced old light fixtures and adopted new cleaning protocols based on state recommendations.

State toxicologist Sarah Vose said there’s no way to know how long the chemicals have lurked in the air at Burlington High School. Some PCBs are volatile,

meaning they tend to migrate from a solid state into the air, while others stay put.

Contamination levels can change over time.

“It’s impossible to go back in time and try to predict what the indoor air levels were a month ago, six months ago, one year, five years,” Vose said.

“Since we know there is a source inside the building, it’s likely that people who spent time there were exposed to some level of PCB, but it’s impossible to say how much.”

Andrew Styles, president of the Burlington Education Association, is concerned about any exposure to the chemicals. Last week, the teachers’ union issued a joint statement with the union representing maintenance workers, calling on Flanagan to conduct air quality tests in all nine schools.

“We have a lot of older buildings in the district,” Styles said, adding, “People are concerned that they may have been breathing those elevated levels in for years at this point.”

The proposition is an expensive one. Burlington High School has spent more than $100,000 on testing to date. If the other AN DRE W schools were found to have high levels of PCBs, the cost to remove them could run into the millions of dollars. As it stands, the high school project budgeted just $1.3 million to abate hazardous materials, including asbestos. That was before officials knew the extent of the PCB contamination; asbestos was also found in some buildings.

“I don’t think that [amount of money] will hold up under these circumstances,” Peterson, the project manager, said, “but I really have no way of knowing until the investigation continues.”

Despite regulating PCBs, neither the state nor the federal EPA offers grants to test for the chemicals or to clean them up.

Flanagan worries that spending school funds on costly tests and a lengthy abatement process would eat into the renovation budget and further delay the project.

And the longer a project is put off, the more inflation drives up the cost.

That’s why Flanagan is considering another option: relocating all 990 high schoolers and 240 tech center students to other indoor spaces around Burlington.

If traditional teaching could resume elsewhere, construction could possibly begin on time and the school system could avoid costs associated with delay, he said.

The district has already found a temporary solution for the 27 students who attend OnTOP, a program for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities. The Rock Point Center, a conference center and wedding venue owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont, agreed to host the program until the beginning of October. The district is paying $1,750 per week to rent the facility, which is less than a mile from the high school, Flanagan said.

“I think we can probably find them a place long-term, too, pretty easily,” he said. “It’s the high school that’s going to be a challenge.”

Some students and parents are already rising to it. The day after Flanagan’s announcement, MunsonWarnken started circulating a Google Sheet titled “BHS Alternate Sites Brainstorm.” In just 48 hours, she and other contributors listed dozens of possible makeshift classrooms.

The suggestions range from the practical, such as unused college classrooms and churches, to the cheeky: “Build a new downtown high school in the big hole?” one person wrote, referring to the STY LES infamous CityPlace Burlington pit.

“We could be thinking outside the box,” Munson-Warnken said. “Sort of like COVID, there’s incredible potential here to actually create something better than what there was.”

Munson-Warnken didn’t know that Flanagan was also crowdsourcing classrooms until she told a school board member about her own project. It was welcome news, but Munson-Warnken thinks school administrators need to reassure parents that they’re trying to get kids back into school. “Communication would do a lot to bolster morale,” she said.

Mariposa Davis, a 16-year-old Burlington senior, also wants to put the pressure on. Last week, she started a petition on change.org demanding that school leaders find another option for in-person learning. Her friend, Bronz-Russo, was among the first to sign.

“This is a solvable problem,” BronzRusso said. “We totally understand that this is not going to be an instantaneous change that happens overnight, but if we rally together, I think that this can happen relatively soon.”

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news

Gap Year

New childcare hubs offer structure and support on students’ remote-learning days S T O RY & PHO TO B Y ALISON NOVAK

B

y mid-September, camp is usually a distant memory for kids. But last week at Common Ground Center in Starksboro, school-age children played in Lewis Creek with summertime abandon, despite the unmistakable chill in the air.

A young girl, wearing rainbow-hued sneakers and a Dr. Seuss-themed mask, lugged a flat rock from the water to the creek’s sandy bank, where her classmates were busy making a fairy house. “Guys, I got a big rock for the roof,” she said, before handing it off with the efficiency of a construction site manager.

In normal years, the Common Ground Center — 700 acres of fields and forests, dotted with a handful of rustic outbuildings, situated between the Hogback and Green mountains — is an idyllic setting for summer camps and weddings. But this fall, the site is hosting two “learning hubs” — the state’s way to provide childcare for students when they can’t be at school.

It’s been a little more than a month since Gov. Phil Scott announced the creation of such programs, which are intended to relieve the pressure that school districts’ hybrid fall schedules are putting on working parents. Using $6.9 million from the state, officials have gotten 31 hubs up and running at 83 sites, able to serve 4,800 children in grades kindergarten through six.

“We know we need more childcare capacity, and we need it quickly,” Scott said in August, noting the challenge that inconsistent school schedules would pose to families.

The hurried effort to set up the sites with enough staff, programming and space has been a challenge, said Miranda Gray, who is overseeing the initiative for the state as its school-age hub project manager. But aside from a few hiccups, the programs have gotten off to a good start and have been an important addition during an unprecedented school year, officials and parents say.

“This is a huge undertaking, and the teamwork to establish the hub sites has been just amazing,” Gray said.

After Scott proposed the hubs on August 18, the state contacted Vermont Afterschool, a nonprofit with a mission to help youth benefit from learning experiences during out-of-school hours. The organization has served as “an intake point” — reaching out to already established afterschool programs, parks and 16

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

EDUCATION

Students playing by Lewis Creek at the Common Ground Center in Starksboro

recreation departments, day camps, and businesses to identify possible providers and spaces for the hubs, explained executive director Holly Morehouse. Vermont Afterschool has also helped to recruit and train staff, an ongoing effort.

Meanwhile, the state’s Department for Children and Families worked to vet providers, coordinate with the Division of Fire Safety and the Agency of Natural Resources to ensure that hubs had the necessary permits, and administer grants to each hub. DCF has also committed to periodic safety monitoring of each site.

The cost for attending varies by hub, from free to $60 a day. Families can apply for subsidies to defray the costs through the DCF Child Care Financial Assistance Program, which the state padded with an extra $5 million. Some school systems, including Champlain Valley School District and Mount Abraham Unified School District, are covering the cost for children of their teachers and school staff to attend.

Mount Abe’s Expanded Learning Program is running a hub with six sites and 30 staffers that serves about 150 students in its school district, which is operating on

a hybrid schedule that includes just two days of in-person learning each week.

Each day at the various sites, which run from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., staff take students’ temperature and ask COVID-19 screening questions. The kids must wear masks, except when they’re outside and six feet apart. They spend the day in pods of around 10 to 12 students, divided by age, with two staff members per pod. Breakfast and lunch are provided by the school district.

Mandy Chesley-Park, who has worked for seven years as the director of afterschool and summer programming in the district, is running Mount Abe’s hub. At five school-based locations, she said, the first three hours of the day are for remote learning. The schools have made paraprofessionals available during those hours to assist kids with their work. On Wednesdays, the students head to Common Ground, where they spend most of the day in nature. “What we try to do is play and move and let the kids explore,” she said.

Chesley-Park has also been able to attract a new crop of staffers, mostly college students who are living at home,

learning remotely themselves. “We’ve been fairly successful finding an eclectic group of individuals who really want to do something important during this time,” she said.

Flexibility is key. Chesley-Park tells the staffers — she calls them “academic enrichment educators” — to “follow the fancy” of the kids. Educators “come with this quiver full of ideas,” she said, “and we caution them … at any point, just toss it. So we’re not mandating what happens; we’re actually facilitating what happens.”

Chesley-Park has been learning what works since March, when she ran an essential childcare program for 12 weeks at Bristol Elementary School, serving 45 Addison County students whose parents and caregivers worked in health care or at grocery stores and gas stations.

“We were so isolated during that time, and we were the forerunners of what [childcare during the pandemic] looked like,” she said. “I think we’re getting pretty good at navigating systems and regulations — and we’ve been in so many different spaces. We’re like one of those hermit crabs who keeps going in different shells.”

Gov. Scott allowed childcare programs and summer camps to reopen to all kids in June, as long as they followed the state’s strict health and safety protocols. This summer, he pointed to their success when he declared it was safe to reopen schools.

Since the school year began on September 8, there have been several confirmed cases of COVID-19 in three Vermont schools, but none led to an outbreak — evidence, officials say, that the state’s reopening protocols are working.

Erin LaRose’s fourth grader, Ella, attended the spring program at Bristol Elementary School and now attends the hub there two days a week, plus Wednesdays at Common Ground Center. LaRose coleads the contact-tracing program for COVID-19 at the Vermont Department of

WE’RE LIKE ONE OF THOSE HERMIT CRABS WHO KEEPS GOING

IN DIFFERENT SHELLS. MAND Y CHESLE Y-PARK

Health; her husband is the mission and resource support section chief for the state’s Emergency Operations Center.

LaRose said that her family “would be lost” without the Expanded Learning Program.

“Ella comes home from her days … happy and exhausted,” LaRose wrote in an email. “We are so fortunate to have Mandy and her team providing this vital resource to our kids.”

For some hubs, finding qualified workers has been difficult. Heather Moore, who is running eight school-based sites on Wednesdays in Franklin County as part of the LEAPS Afterschool hub, said she’s had to cap enrollment at some locations because of staffing shortages. Moore said she is trying to find creative ways to hire more workers so that she can offer the program to additional students.

Maureen Gillard, school-age childcare director for Essex Junction Recreation & Parks, is overseeing 14 sites, five days a week, for around 800 students from the Essex Westford School District on their remote learning days. She said she is still looking for staff, though she has managed to hire some education majors from the University of Vermont and Saint Michael’s College.

At least one of her hires didn’t work out. Niamh O’Connor, a 2017 college grad who had worked previously in a children’s theater program, said she was brought on the week before school began

to serve as an assistant site director at the Westford Elementary School hub site.

But the gig was not what she expected.

O’Connor said she arrived at the school to find a box that included just pipe cleaners, printer paper and the board game Apples to Apples. There were no pencils for kids, she said, and she found it difficult to keep them engaged.

O’Connor said she worked from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. without a break, with just one college student assisting her for part of the day. She felt that the program was “shaky and undercooked.” She called Gillard that night to voice her concerns and ultimately decided to quit rather than return the next day.

“We are learning and growing with each day of service,” Gillard said, noting that some of the hub’s leadership team worked close to 80 hours during the first week of school to make sure things were running smoothly. She said coordinating the program has been “a massive undertaking, in a short amount of time.”

The state is still looking to set up additional hubs in areas where they’re needed, including in Randolph and Manchester, where school is fully remote five days a week, Gray said. The Greater Burlington YMCA will launch a new hub site in October at St. Mark Catholic Church in Burlington and is working to open sites with full-day care in Barre and Jericho, said Doug Bishop, the Y’s senior director of marketing and community relations.

Gray said that, in identifying new hubs, the state has been careful to make sure they are adding capacity, rather than drawing employees who already work in childcare away from their jobs.

Because most of the learning hubs are run by existing childcare providers, Gray said, they can potentially strengthen the state’s childcare system — even after they’re no longer needed to address students’ hybrid schedules.

For now, the hubs will operate until school winter break, around December 18. After that, their future will depend on whether schools are able to shift to five days of in-person learning.

Chesley-Park said the pandemic has highlighted the importance of providers who care for kids outside of school, an often “marginalized group.”

The pandemic has proved that, as long as students aren’t attending school five days a week, working parents will need a place for their kids to go on remote learning days.

Said Chesley-Park: “Childcare is essential for this entire machine to work.”

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“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home, so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world...such are the places where every man, woman and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere.”

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of 1984 Orwellian doublespeak.” The way he sees it, Scott’s record has never matched his rhetoric. “He’s talked about the climate many times, but the scale of many of his proposals [is] paltry compared to the urgency of the moment,” Zuckerman said.

Scott’s critics fault him for opposing wind power generation, proposing cuts to clean energy and efficiency programs, and vetoing two bills that would allow Vermonters to sue polluting companies for medical monitoring costs. They also worry he’ll refuse to sign off on the Transportation and Climate Initiative, a regional compact that would effectively raise the wholesale price of gasoline and diesel fuel and invest the proceeds in clean energy.

“Despite the fact that he says he believes climate change is real and Vermont has to do its part, he just hasn’t shown a lot of leadership or willingness to do much beyond the status quo,” said Rep. Sarah Copeland Hanzas (D-Bradford), who cochairs the legislature’s Climate Solutions Caucus. “It’s perplexing and disappointing.”

Scott drew headlines in June 2017 when he committed to meeting the carbon emissions goals of the Paris climate accord after President Donald Trump began the process of withdrawing the United States from the international agreement. The governor quickly joined the U.S. Climate Alliance, a coalition of states and territories that pledged to meet the pollution targets, and he convened his own Climate Action Commission to come up with a plan to do so.

In July 2018, the commission sent Scott its final report, which included 53 recommendations ranging from doubling state funding for weatherization of low-income housing to encouraging carbon sequestration on Vermont’s farms. According to Environmental Conservation Commissioner Peter Walke, who cochaired the commission, the administration has been working to implement those recommendations ever since — focusing particularly on increasing the use of electric vehicles.

“There’s all sorts of things happening,” he said. “All of these things are going to build together to create the scale we need.”

Miller, who also served on the commission, credits the governor for making “incremental progress” but argues that “any of the recommendations that require a significant scale are not being implemented.” In her view, the commission was hobbled from the start because the governor made clear he would not accept any proposals that would require new taxes.

“There was never any opportunity to think bigger and bolder or to talk about

how we might shift investments or raise Department of Motor Vehicles, only new revenue,” Miller said. “This transi- 1,600 all-electric vehicles and 2,116 plugtion is going to require us to do things in hybrids were registered in Vermont. differently.”

Experts say the state needs 50,000 to It’s too soon to know whether the 90,000 EVs on the road by 2025 to meet Scott administration has had any success its carbon reduction targets. in reducing Vermont’s carbon emissions, In his January budget address, the because accurate data take years to collect. governor proposed investing $3 million But at the time he took office four years more in electric vehicle incentives, educaago, the state was nowhere close to achiev- tion and infrastructure build-out. But last ing the Paris goals: the most immediate month, during an unusual midyear budget target being a 26 to 28 percent reduction rewrite, his Agency of Transportation below 2005 emission levels by 2025. recommended cutting $700,000 of that.

According to a report issued in January Speaking last week to the Senate Transby Walke’s Department of Environmental portation Committee, VTrans director of Conservation, Vermont had notched just a policy, planning and intermodal development Michele Boomhower 5 percent reduction by 2016 — the least progress of any state in B explained that the program M the region. Moreover, the WCO was “just not wellreport found, Vermont timed” due to financial had higher per capita constraints caused by the pandemic. emissions than any The money, she other state in New England. argued, should go Asked last week to paving projects whether he believed instead. “Although his administration’s we are very much actions would ensure in support of [EV that Vermont met incentives], we feel the goals of the Paris as though those could accord, Scott said, “We’ll wait another year,” she see … I know that’s not a said. great answer, [but] I do think Asked about the apparent the technology needs to catch contradiction between his up.” Later in the interview, he words and actions, Scott said, conceded that the state “may “We’re in a once-in-a-century miss” its 2025 targets. “I don’t crisis right now — economic know,” he continued. “Obviand health crisis — and we have ously we’ll keep the focus on to be realistic.”

According to Lauren Hierl, that and try to maintain and hit our targets, but I think the executive director of Vermont trajectory isn’t linear. It’s going Conservation Voters, it’s a to be somewhat level until mistake to think that the state technology catches up.”

J O H ANNA MIL L E R must choose between addressWalke voiced an even more ing the coronavirus crisis and pessimistic view. The debate the climate crisis. “I think over the Global Warming Solutions Act, Vermonters can walk and chew gum at he said, “was a clear recognition that we the same time,” she said. “We can’t pick are not on the path that we need to be on. and choose when we listen to science and We wouldn’t need a planning effort right when we prioritize issues. We don’t have now if we were going to get there.” time to lose.”

While Vermont has successfully Hierl’s organization has endorsed reduced carbon emissions generated by Zuckerman, as has 350.org, the Vermont its electricity sector, it continues to see Sierra Club, VPIRG Votes and the environincreases in transportation and build- mentalist Bill McKibben. The lieutenant ing thermal emissions. According to the governor has pledged to raise taxes on the DEC’s January report, transportation highest-earning Vermonters and invest alone accounts for 56 percent of the rural tens of millions of dollars in weatherizastate’s emissions. tion, renewable energy generation and For that reason, Scott speaks frequently other priorities. about his desire to replace gas-guzzling In recent months, Scott has made his automobiles with electric vehicles. “I’m respect for science a theme of his reelecreally excited about EVs,” he said in the tion campaign. Ahead of this summer’s interview. “I think that’s where we make primary elections, he criticized Zuckersignificant gains.” man for expressing skepticism about The state certainly has a long way vaccination research during a 2015 legislato go. As of January, according to the tive debate. But the governor’s acceptance TI

Hot Air? « P.12

WE’RE NOT FOLLOWING THE SCIENCE

WHEN IT COMES TO CLIMATE.

of long-established climate science is even more newfound than that.

When he first ran for governor in 2016, Scott repeatedly suggested that humans might not be entirely to blame for the warming of the planet, echoing discredited industry talking points. “Climate change is happening,” he wrote in an online forum that July hosted by Reddit and Vermont Public Radio. “And I believe as well it is a combination of man-made contributions as well as a natural phenomenon.”

In an interview with Seven Days the next month, Scott walked back his assertion, saying his views had evolved and he had come to understand that climate change is, in fact, due largely to the actions of humans.

In last week’s interview, he attributed that evolution to the research becoming “more conclusive,” though it has been the scientific consensus for decades. “I do listen to the science and the data, and it’s become clear that it’s man-made,” the governor said.

Scott has also argued that Vermont could benefit from the ravages of a changing climate. During a December 2017 press conference, he said that the spate of wildfires threatening California at the time “makes Vermont look pretty good” and could bolster his own state’s economy. The remarks prompted U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), whose Los Angeles district was scorched by the fires, to issue a press release calling Scott’s words “insensitive and stupid.”

In last week’s interview, Scott acknowledged that his 2017 remarks were “fairly callous” — and even more so now, given the death and destruction of this year’s wildfire season. “I regret the way I portrayed that,” he said. “But at the end of the day, I think people are going to make decisions on how they can be more safe and healthy.”

Scott also defended his recent veto of the Global Warming Solutions Act, drawing an unexpected comparison to a statement he issued arguing that the late U.S. Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg should not be replaced until the next president takes office. “I think what people have to understand is that I believe in process,” he said. “It’s not about the bill itself or climate change. It’s about process.”

In Scott’s view, the Global Warming Solutions Act is unconstitutional because it empowers an unelected board to determine how the state should meet its carbon emissions goals.

“I think this sets a dangerous precedent,” he said at a press conference last week, calling it “suspect” that such a bill would reach his desk at the height of election season. “I do think it has political overtones.”

Scott’s critics hope it will also have political consequences.

Contact: paul@sevendaysvt.com

L

“

We chose

Mascoma.

Sean Flynn

OWNER, SILVER MAPLE CONSTRUCTION, NEW HAVEN

888.627.2662 mascomabank.com

ike just about everyone in Vermont, we started with two people in a pickup truck,” Sean Flynn said of Silver Maple Construction in New Haven.

“Then it was three people in a pickup truck doing residential construction. And now, almost 15 years later, we are 50 people, in a number of pickup trucks.”

Those vehicles advertise “fine home building and expert renovations” below the company’s leafy logo.

“What it should say is: ‘Fine home building, expert renovations and the impossible,’” said 42-year-old Flynn, a New York native who came to Vermont by way of a job in the Adirondacks. “We get asked to do a number of very out-of-the-ordinary projects — unique and challenging things.”

Case in point: Silver Maple is currently building a massive, off-the-grid custom residence in a hardto-reach mountain location. Faced with the almost insurmountable challenges associated with the project and a short summer building season, Flynn pivoted to prebuilding everything in Silver Maple’s newly acquired vast fabrication facility in Middlebury’s industrial park, even pulling in a local concrete company to precast the massive foundation panels. Bent over giant saws, planers and jointers, a team of skilled carpenters is also handcrafting components for a dozen jobs closer to home, including a new interior for Stowe’s soon-to-berenovated Harvest Market. There’s plenty of room, too, for the shipping containers that will become recharging stations for the battery-powered aircraft of Burlington’s Beta Technologies.

Back in New Haven, next to the company’s home office on the corner of Route 7 and River Road, another 10 skilled woodworkers toil in the custom cabinetry workshop. They produce the millwork, built-ins, staircases and other unique pieces for everything Silver Maple builds in the field with their talented carpentry core: bespoke, craft-driven dwellings, church renovations and restaurant and art gallery interiors from Middlebury to Montana. The “Woodworks” also supplies other local contractors.

Like Silver Maple, those Vermont builders are busy.

Although Flynn fully expected the coronavirus to hurt his business, just the opposite occurred. “There’s a construction boom in Vermont right now and we’re doing everything we can to keep up,” he said. The company is advertising for talented carpenters, cabinetmakers and project managers.

Silver Maple also needed a larger line of credit.

“We were struggling. We’re an eight-figure-a-year business now and it was hard to get $300,000 from any local bank,” Flynn explained. “For a company like ours, that cash flows remarkably quick” — on materials, subcontractors, labor, logistics.

A month or two into the pandemic, Flynn approached Mascoma Bank. “They were, like, ‘Oh, yeah we can help you out,’” and agreed to let Silver Maple draw on a much larger and appropriate amount per month to meet its expenses. Flynn was so pleased, he let Mascoma refinance the company’s mortgage. “They came through at a much better rate, made it easier.

We’ve moved just about everything over except for one local account for general stuff. Mascoma was businessfriendly,” he said. “That’s what it came down to.”

Now he can focus on solving design problems — his favorite part of Silver Maple’s work. “They’re always different,” Flynn said with genuine excitement.

“We don’t really ever make the same thing twice.”

* All credit requests subject to commercial underwriting standards established by Mascoma Bank.

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OBITUARIES, VOWS, CELEBRATIONS

Zachary Harder

OBITUARIES Earl Whitmore Jr.

They recently celebrated their 25th anniversary together.

Earl was a well-known member of the snow sports community, being part of the PSIA-E division for Professional Ski Instructors of America for 30 years, as well as a member of the PSIA-E Advanced Children’s Educator Team. He loved art, shooting, cycling and baseball umpiring,

and he was an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox. Earl is survived by his wife, Jennifer AlexanderWhitmore, and his son, Benjamin Whitmore, of St. Johnsbury, Vt. He is also survived by his stepmother, Beverly Whitmore; his in-laws: John and Anne Alexander, John and Cheryl Alexander, Steve Alexander and Devon MacLeod, Sarah Janes Alexander, and Eben Alexander; and several nieces and nephews.

Condolences may be sent to 37 Spring St., St. Johnsbury, VT 05819. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the PSIA-E “Terry Fund” in Earl’s memory. Checks may be sent to PSIA-AASI: Eastern Division, S. Columbia Circle, Albany, NY 12203.

While no formal service will occur at this time, a celebration of life will be held at a later date due to COVID-19.

and learner. He taught for many years at the Orange Central School before joining the Learning Support staff at Norwich University, where he spent the rest of his career.

As a learning support specialist and later as a readmit coordinator, Neil helped hundreds of young people overcome their learning barriers and achieve success in their academic and work lives. The stubbornness which friends recall as both an endearing and exasperating trait no doubt helped him in his work, since he never would

have given up on a struggling student.

Neil’s great joys in life, besides his friendships and a series of cats with whom he shared his life, included travel, music, gourmet cooking and theater. For many years, in cahoots with the likes of Russell Smith, Lois Jackson and Dick Shadroui, he was a leader of the Barre Players, where he usually played community theater’s most valuable role of stage manager. He also served as the Players’ president in 1973. With companions from that group, he was instrumental in the successful fight to save the Barre Opera House in 1982.

Known for his beautiful counter-tenor voice, Neil sang with Baroque Court and Simple Gifts for many years and with the Barre Choraleers.

He was a member of the Christ Church choir under director Brian Webb, and he sang at Camp Ogontz in Lyman, N.H.,

SEPTEMBER 11, 1966SEPTEMBER 5, 2020 ST. JOHNSBURY, VT.

Earl Whitmore Jr., age 53, of St. Johnsbury, Vt., passed away at the Jack Byrne Center for Palliative & Hospice Care early in the morning on Saturday, September 5, 2020, with his wife, Jennifer, by his side.

Earl was born in Oakland, Calif., on September 11, 1966.

He grew up primarily in San Mateo County, Calif., with his parents, Earl B. Whitmore Sr. and Mary O’Connor. Earl moved to Massachusetts with his mother and finished high school at North Hampton High School. He attended Saint Michael’s College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in fine arts in 1991. He was married to Jennifer Alexander in 1995.

Neil H. Shannon Jr. MAY 20, 1948SEPTEMBER 15, 2020 SOUTH BARRE, VT.

Neil H. Shannon Jr., 72, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, September 15, 2020, from complications of Parkinson’s disease and diabetes.

An only child, he was born on May 20, 1948, to Neil H. and Anna L. (Pierson) Shannon Sr. Neil spent his childhood in the South Barre family home, to which he returned as its owner in the last years of his life.

Neil was educated in the Barre schools and graduated from Spaulding High School in 1966. He obtained a bachelor of arts degree from Lyndon State College in 1971 and later obtained a certificate in mediation from Woodbury College.

He was a lifelong educator

a little imagination). He shared many special hours with his mother, looking at nature, having good coffee and mercilessly beating her in Catan. His father will always remember laughing at “Monty Python” with Zach and snowshoeing across frozen lakes in Maine.

Zachary was always active. He loved great food, good music, hiking, biking, camping and rooting for the Celtics. He had a wild sense of humor. On top of all this, he was a talented

photographer. Some of his most stunning photos were taken just weeks ago, while hiking Mount Katahdin with Kirsten, his partner in love and adventure. Zachary was driven; he was not content to stagnate. Whether studying graphic design, practicing photography or working for a good cause, he was obsessive in his desire to improve. This energy must now be passed on and multiplied by those he loved.

Zachary leaves behind his partner, Kirsten Brewer; his parents, Leigh and Gary Harder; his sisters, Allison Disant and Caitlin Harder; his brother, Matthew Harder; his uncles, aunt, cousins, niece and nephew, and brotherin-law; a rambunctious pup called Emmie and a fat cat called Amazon; and many dear friends, including James Hurteau, who was a loyal friend by his side at the end.

Zachary is loved infinitely; he will be missed finitely: “A brief parting from those dear is the worst one has to fear.”

welcome guest at potluck dinners with friends. At an annual Twelfth Night celebration dinner featuring medieval or Renaissance costumes, Neil dazzled his friends as Cardinal Wolsey or sometimes Henry VIII himself, whom he resembled, though happily not in personality.

He leaves a large group of loving friends, including the latest of his beloved Maine coon cats, Artemis; his godson Adam Schersten and Adam’s brothers Ben and Taylor; friends Susette Bollard and her husband, Jon Noyes; Marjorie Strong; Robbie Harold and Wayne Fawbush; and the Usual Suspects (who know who they are); as well as Norwich University friends and colleagues Paula Gills, Gina Logan and others.

Neil was predeceased by his father, Neil H. Shannon Sr., in December 1977 and by his mother, Anna Shannon, in November 2019.

Neil’s cremated remains will be laid to rest beside the graves of his parents in Hope Cemetery in Barre, at a date later in the fall.

Special thanks for their loving care of Neil to Chelsee Hallstrom and Martha Dezotell, and to the dedicated team of nurses and care providers at Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice.

Memorial contributions may be made to support the community performance group of your choice; or to Central Vermont Humane Society, P.O. Box 687, Montpelier, VT 05601; or to North Branch Nature Center, 713 Elm St., Montpelier, VT 05602; or to Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice, 600 Granger Rd., Barre, VT 05641.

Arrangements are by Hooker Whitcomb Funeral Home, 7 Academy St., Barre.

For a memorial guestbook, visit hookerwhitcomb.com.

JANUARY 28, 1989SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 AUGUSTA, MAINE Zachary Harder passed away unexpectedly on September 18, 2020, while biking on an autumn day in Maine. He lived every day to its fullest, doing what he loved, and thus he died doing what he loved. He left us too soon but was spared the heartache that we all now face in his absence. He lived a truly happy life.

Born on January 28, 1989, Zachary grew up and went to school in Middlebury, Vt. He spent his last years in Augusta, Maine. As a child, he spent many summer days fishing with his brother for “lunkers” in the Otter Creek, exploring in the woods, hunting for old bottles with his sister Caitlin and setting sail on a pirate ship with his sister Allison (a fallen pine tree can easily become a pirate ship with

with world-renowned conductor Sir David Willcocks. He was also a Phishhead, a devotee of Vermont’s own supergroup, who with friend Jon Noyes finagled their press credentials into a private concert: the group’s sound check and rehearsal for the “Lemonwheel” concert in Limestone, Maine, a peak life experience for both.

In his travels, he had a particular affinity for Britain and Europe, where he would meet up with friends from Vermont and explore stately homes and medieval castles.

He filled his house with photo albums from those journeys and in later years enjoyed perusing them, along with his massive collection of books ranging from literary classics to gourmet magazines.

Neil’s cooking skills, which ran from spring rolls to fresh pea soup, among many other delights, and his quick wit and sardonic, Oscar Wildegrade humor made him a

Mark your family’s milestones in lifelines.

sevendaysvt.com/lifelines SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

21

arts news

Palindrome Pro A champion wordsmith moves to Vermont B Y S A LLY PO LL A K

WORDS

Mark Saltveit

CALEB KENNA

A

fter 2,000 years on the linguistic sidelines, palindromes could be making their move into mainstream culture.

Huh? A palindrome is a word, phrase, sentence or number that reads the same forward and backward. A familiar example is “Madam, I’m Adam.” Fast-forward a few thousand years, and palindromes have moved from fig leaf to big screen.

A documentary called The Palindromists is in limited film festival release. The Hollywood thriller Tenet has a palindromic title and is sprinkled with subtle references to a five-word Latin palindrome known as the Sator Square.

Maybe no one knows more about the ascent of palindromes — and has helped the cause along — than MARK SALTVEIT. A recent transplant to Vermont, he is the 2012 world palindrome champion.

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SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

In a phone conversation with Seven were delighted when they invented “Tea Days, Saltveit noted that he doesn’t like Poop Eat.” to brag, but: “I think I’ve made myself the Then they recognized its flaw and world’s expert on palindromes. It’s not like became discouraged, Saltveit said. He lost anybody else is trying.” interest in palindromes.

Saltveit, 58, is a stand-up Some two decades later, comedian and freelance Saltveit, by then a Harvard writer. (Another area of University graduate, expertise: the National Footreturned to palindromes ball League; he’s the author during a night of insomnia. of The Tao of Chip Kelly: “I picked up the dictionary and [realized], ‘Wow, Lessons from America’s it’s a whole lot easier than Most Innovative Coach).

In August, he moved to it used to be,’” he said.

MAR K S ALTVE IT Middlebury from Portland, In the mid-1990s, SaltOre., with his wife, OLGA veit started a magazine, SANCHEZ SALTVEIT, who’s now The Palindromist, and has an assistant professor of theater at Middle- been researching the form ever since. bury College.

“The history is surprisingly lurid and Growing up in a family that enjoyed deep and mystical, with religion and witchword games, Saltveit said he discovered craft and superstition all tied up in it,” he palindromes as a kid. He and his brothers explained. “That kind of fascinated me.”

THE HISTORY IS SURPRISINGLY

LURID AND DEEP AND MYSTICAL.

Saltveit is currently researching and writing two papers. One is about palindromes that were written in Latin before 1600, a set of roughly 50 that he’s cataloguing. The other paper concerns a 58-line poem, also written in Latin, in which each line is an original palindrome. Published in 1608, it was a “political screed” that attacked the ruler of Sweden, according to Saltveit.

“It’s an astonishing achievement, if you like that kind of thing,” he said. “It fits into a genre I didn’t know existed: Latin propaganda poetry.”

Palindromes are fascinating to study because they typically appear as a footnote in research, not as the central subject, he added.

“You can’t just look it up in the normal, rational, linear, boring way,” Saltveit said.

“You have to use some kind of guesses and intuition and make random connections between unrelated things.”

In addition to researching palindromes, Saltveit writes them. The first requirement of a palindrome, of course, is symmetry.

Making sense is a plus; easy to understand helps.

“Whatever sense you can derive from it, that’s what makes it great or average,” Saltveit said. He cited the famous palindrome “A man, a plan, a canal: Panama,” created

by British wordplay and recreational mathematics expert Leigh Mercer. It is superior because it’s direct and “it makes so much sense,” Saltveit said. “You might not even know it’s a palindrome.”

He also singled out for praise a palindrome written by Peter Hilton, a British mathematician known for code-breaking in World War II. Saltveit likes the work for its humor, and because it offers sound dietary advice: “Doc, note: I dissent. A fast never prevents a fatness. I diet on cod.”

Saltveit emailed a sampling of his own palindromes.

“Yoda’s sad. Oy!” “No panic. I nap on.”

“Snub dumbo Bob — ‘mud buns.’”

“Oh, ocelots impugn. I tan. A meek Alaska yak kayaks a lake, emanating up mist, Ole. Coho!”

PALINDROME PRO

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BOOKS

Telling the Secret One of the most insidious things about childhood abuse is that it doesn’t end with childhood. Williston author DOMINIC BUCCA portrays the aftermath with considerable power in Faculty Brat: A Memoir of Abuse.

The book offers two brief, graphic descriptions of Bucca’s sexual abuse at the hands of his stepfather, both before page 40. That particular type of abuse stopped with puberty, he writes. Yet, as Bucca details how those experiences reverberated through his adolescence and adulthood, reinforced by a pattern of intimidation and shaming, he makes it crystal clear why many victims take decades to seek redress.

At one point, the author notes the absurdity of Connecticut’s seven-year statute of limitations for criminal prosecution of child sexual abuse (lengthened in 2003, but still applicable to his case): “You try to imagine bringing charges against your stepfather at eighteen years old, still practically a faculty brat. It is unimaginable.”

Like the recent best-selling novel My Dark Vanessa, Faculty Brat explores how abuse can flourish within the ivied walls of private schools, with powerful financial interests keeping prosecution at bay. In this case, however, the victim is not a student but a “faculty brat,” his mother and stepfather both teachers at an unnamed school near Litchfield, Conn.

Bucca uses the title phrase to encapsulate the paradox of living in close proximity to wealth and privilege without enjoying their typical protections. When 12-year-old Dominic runs away to spend a day in the woods, the whole prep school turns out to find him, but no one seems to inquire what he was running from.

In Faculty Brat, which won the 2019 Iowa Prize for Literary Nonfiction, Bucca makes dexterous use of stylistic and storytelling devices to pull us into his factual narrative. His chapters are succinct and essayistic, each focused on a particular moment that serves as a turning point or encapsulates a period in the protagonist’s life. Bucca always ties his themes to vivid physical sensations: wetting the bed, the stink of his stepfather’s Jack Daniels, “[t] he funky smells of pot, sex, and hazelnut coffee” at his teenage girlfriend’s house.

But who is the person having all of these sensations? To foreground the theme of identity, Bucca heads each of the book’s three parts with one of the surnames he has used successively in his life: his stepfather’s, his father’s and his maternal grandfather’s. Present tense dominates throughout, but part I is told in third person (with the author referring to his past self as “the boy”); part II, in second person (“You’re twenty-three years old, newly married and working a new job”); and part III, at last, in the first person we expect from a memoir.

Thus Bucca weaves the link between abuse and the psychological phenomenon

of dissociation into his narrative. Recalling his first experience of dissociating, he describes it as “a backhanded, unpleasant sort of meditation, [the boy’s] mind oddly blank, the fear so unimaginable that, all at once, it becomes unimagined.” In conditions of terror or stress, this blankness is “oddly welcome.”

If distanced third person is appropriate to the story of a frightened child who wants nothing more than to escape his life, the memoir’s second-person section forces readers to ask what they might have done in Bucca’s place. After noting that every family has its secrets, Bucca asks the reader pointedly: “What would happen if you exposed the secret? Would your family forgive your betrayal?”

At the age of 32, after a tough divorce, the author decided it was time to confront his stepfather about the abuse and tell his mother and half-sisters the full truth about his childhood. Local readers will cringe in empathy at a scene in which Bucca has that impossible conversation with one sister at a table in Winooski’s alwaysjam-packed Tiny Thai.

Less focused than the childhood narrative, the book’s second and third parts are somewhat less compelling. Rather than narrate the aftermath of his decision in chronological order, Bucca intersperses these developments with earlier tales of his life with his father’s large Irish Italian American family.

These anecdotes lighten up the otherwise grim second half of the memoir — Bucca’s Grandmother Josephine, in particular, is a sly delight — even as they leave it a little scattered.

But perhaps that’s the point. For all the literary devices he uses, Bucca makes no attempt to force novelistic closure on his experiences, or even to imagine that possibility. His relationship with his mother, in particular, remains painfully fraught; toward the end, he asks, “How can I separate the pain of what happened to me from what happened to her?”

Such questions, the reader understands, may never be answered. The aftermath of abuse has no natural endpoint. Unlike the narrator of My Dark Vanessa, however, Bucca finds a route past the shame that his stepfather imposed on him, and he gains the perspective to put his experience in a broader societal context.

At one point, he pauses to consider the “unrecognized, devalued, practically discarded Americans” who have even less recourse to justice than he does, asking: “How many of them endured something similar, something worse, even, than what you’d lived through? How many did you pass by without a thought?”

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Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s new head plans expansive, inclusive performances with more visual elements B Y AMY LI LLY

W

24

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

CLASSICAL MUSIC

OLIVER PARINI

hen ELISE BRUNELLE accepted the job of executive director of the VERMONT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA in May, three months into the pandemic, she knew she wouldn’t immediately be leading the organization in its core mission — bringing live performances of symphonic works to audiences. The VSO draws half its members from outside Vermont, which affords the orchestra a wider talent pool but currently makes it impossible to unite them under one roof.

Instead, the Minnesota native and new resident of South Burlington will bring her talents to bear on two simple imperatives: finding money to do interesting things and doing them.

“My role is running a functioning business,” the energetic, shorthaired director said through a mask in the VSO’s Burlington office. She replaces Ben Cadwallader, who left in December after four years to head the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. “We’ll embark on artistic programs we can afford to do.”

Brunelle has proven experience in this arena. Her previous job was at Cape Town Opera in South Africa, where she began in 2007 in financial development and became managing director in 2018. Over her 15-year tenure there, the company commissioned and produced 16 new operas and toured 400 performances in 19 countries.

“You find the money and you do it,” she said.

Brunelle grew up around music — her father led the Minneapolis Opera, among other jobs — and studied violin from age 5 to 17. But her early love was theater. Planning to be a set designer after college, she spent three months backstage at WESTON PLAYHOUSE — her only Vermont experience before joining the VSO. She went on to learn carpentry as a fellow at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in California and worked as production manager at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and other stages, and as financial manager of the University of Minnesota School of Music, before moving to South Africa.

Brunelle will bring her visual orientation to bear on the essentially auditory experience of a concert.

“I really want to expand upon what you can do visually,” she said, referring to the eventual return of live concerts to the FLYNN. Instead of a static ensemble onstage, she envisions ballet incorporated with Maurice

Elise Brunelle

Ravel’s Boléro, for example, or projections paired with works by Dmitri Shostakovich.

“Let’s get dance [and] visual art involved to make the overall experience more exciting,” Brunelle declared, then conceded, “It doesn’t always work. I don’t see how it can work with Brahms.”

More immediately, she will build on existing projects and launch others.

Already in place was a commission plan initiated by VSO creative-projects chair MATT LAROCCA. Instead of commissioning orchestral works from one or two composers a year, as the VSO typically does, LaRocca has tasked 10 composers from Vermont and beyond, of various ages, genders, ethnicities and styles, with composing pieces for small chamber ensembles.

Brunelle wants to continue that trend.

“There’s no reason we can’t be doing new composers on a regular basis,” she said.

“This is an evolving, living art form — if you make a point of making it that way.”

She also plans to launch a series of four livestreamed chamber concerts, two purely classical and two in the vein of Jukebox. That successful VSO series, begun by Cadwallader, brought intimate chamber playing and nontraditional programming to audiences at

unconventional venues, including ARTSRIOT and HIGHER GROUND. At new unexpected venues — she won’t reveal her choices yet — Brunelle plans to film ensembles of four to eight musicians playing six feet apart. She’ll hire professional videographers to make the concerts interesting to watch.

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“If we’re going to be joining the world of streaming like everyone else, then [audiences] have to enjoy what they’re seeing, not just hear incredible music,” Brunelle said.

Northfield Savings Bank, whose Innovation Fund supported Jukebox, will continue its support for the streamed chamber concerts. The bank’s vice president of marketing, MARK MAST, served on the search committee for executive director. He said he was pleased with Brunelle’s interest in reaching new audiences through unconventional means.

During Zoom interviews with the search committee, Mast recalled, Brunelle

“was full-bore on board with that type of programming. It was very apparent to me that she understood how important it was to do things a little out of the norm.”

LaRocca, who also sat on the search committee, was equally impressed. “She’s AWESOME,” he wrote in an email. “From my end, it was clearly Elise. She is, in my estimation, a total badass.”

Brunelle, who has a 13-year-old daughter, also plans a series of online after-school programs to replace the VSO’s normal school outreach. (“Teachers are overwhelmed right now,” she pointed out.) Starting in November, five sessions for elementary students will showcase individual musicians and their instruments. Beginning in January, Middlebury College assistant professor and composer MATTHEW EVAN TAYLOR will hold five online classes for middle and high school kids on composers of color.

As for the VSO’s efforts toward diversity, equity and inclusion, Brunelle said, “I’m aware that it needs to be addressed completely across the board — staff, musicians, audiences, composers — but I’m just taking baby steps. If we don’t look at it wholesale, [our solutions] could be construed as tokenism.”

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Such issues will affect the selection of a new music director to replace JAIME LAREDO, who is currently serving his 20th and last year. Seven finalists were identified before the pandemic, but the process is on hold until the finalists can guest-conduct the full orchestra.

At Cape Town Opera, a predominantly Black organization, Brunelle added, she never had to think about issues of diversity and inclusion. She only recently heard of the Detroit-based Sphinx Organization and its effort to fund nonwhite musicians’ audition travel — an effort the VSO began supporting with membership under Cadwallader.

One of Brunelle’s planned “baby steps” at the VSO is nevertheless significant: to engage with New Americans, a population traditionally left out of the orchestral experience.

“I want us to look into the music of refugee communities in Vermont, incorporate their music in our programming, showcase their composers and get them to attend,” she said.

Meanwhile, Brunelle is phoning each member of the orchestra individually to find out “where they’re at.” And she’s expanding the VSO’s social media presence to reach younger audiences.

Brunelle is also focused on securing funding: She’s currently working on an application for the organization’s fourth pandemic-related grant. (“I came in wonderfully surprised at how the Vermont government is supporting the arts,” she commented.)

“With financial development, my personal mantra is: I’m not an artist, but I’m fortunate to work in the arts,” Brunelle continued. “I love running an organization that allows artists to pursue what they do best. [Funding] allows us to do more programming and hire more musicians to do more music. That’s what we’re here for.”

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“I think it’s interesting to see people who are literally following their bliss,” Saltveit said. “There’s no money in this.

It’s purely for joy. All of us have this weird little passion that some people think is cool, some people think is impressive and some people think is weird.”

Viewers will also learn whether Saltveit defended his 2012 title.

In the documentary, Weird Al Yankovic proclaims, “I think if anything can save our civilization, palindromes can.”

If you can find the plot line in Tenet, it seems to have something to do with saving civilization. But if you’re looking for a palindrome, watch the documentary.

“I think the average viewer could watch [Tenet] and not get anything about palindromes,” Saltveit observed.

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Saltveit appears in the The Palindromists, which can be viewed online on October 2 as part of the New Jersey Film Festival. He’s one of a half dozen or so competitors the documentary follows in advance of and during the 2017 Palindrome World Championships.

The event, held in Stamford, Conn., was organized and emceed by Will Shortz, crossword puzzle editor for the New York Times.

At the championship showdown, competitors wrote palindromes within a time limit and adhering to constraints that Shortz imposed. Audience members judged the palindromes, casting their votes with “Wow” or “Huh.” The documentary, Saltveit said, “operates on two levels.” For palindromists and fans of palindromes, “it’s a must-see and there’s no need for discussion.” For the non-palindromist set, the movie offers a

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How Black Lives Matter protesters occupied a park, captivated a city — and got some of what they wanted STORY BY CHELSEA EDGAR • PHOTOS BY JAMES BUCK

O

n a Thursday evening in early September, hundreds of white girls carrying cardboard signs milled around in Burlington’s Battery Park, waiting to be told what to do.

There were other kinds of people, too — an older man in Tevas, a guy with a long ponytail and a handmade cardboard sign that read: “It’s time for all of us to arm ourselves because #facism and white supremacy won’t simply be voted out.” But the vast majority were females of the TikTok demographic, dressed in black, sporting some combination of Blundstones, ironic tube socks and leg hair.

It was the 11th consecutive night of protests against the Burlington Police Department, which had begun with a march on August 25 for Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man who was shot in the back seven times by a police officer in Kenosha, Wis. Every night since, the organizers of the march, a racial justice group called the Black Perspective, had been camping out in Battery Park, across from the police station, to demand the firing of Burlington officers Jason Bellavance, Cory Campbell and Joseph Corrow, all of whom had been at the center of high-profile incidents of violence in recent years. On that Thursday morning, 26

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

more than a dozen tents were scattered around the park; a Black Lives Matter flag rippled in the warm breeze.

In the first week and a half, the protests seemed to be reaching a crescendo; each nightly march from Battery Park to Burlington City Hall was bigger than the one before. On that evening, September 3, easily 1,000 people had shown up. One of the organizers, a skinny, bespectacled 22-year-old

tell anyone you see engaging with the media to stop.”

Near the front of the formation, one of the organizers, a University of Vermont senior named Harmony Edosomwan, was in the process of telling off a WCAXTV cameraman, who wore a pink polo shirt and had the kind of square-jawed, action-figure good looks that had probably lubricated every social situation in which

For an unorganized thing, it’s pretty organized.

MO H AME D ABD I

named Maday Maday, was attempting to herd them into formation by shouting into a megaphone. “Look at your signs! If it’s black and white, move to the side!” he yelled over and over again. The black-and-white signs bore the names of the Burlington officers; red-and-white signs carried the names of victims of police violence across the country.

Meanwhile, two women in reflective vests walked up and down the line of marchers, instructing everyone not to talk to the press: “Do not speak to the media. Please

he’d found himself up to that moment. A couple of Edosomwan’s fellow organizers stood by, eyes widening in holy-shit glee as she ripped into him. “You are perpetuating white supremacy,” she admonished him. “You are causing us harm by being here.” The cameraman did his best to look untroubled as he folded up his tripod.

The protesters’ antipathy toward the media has become the subplot of almost every story about the Battery Park demonstrations. That resistance isn’t peripheral

to the movement’s goals, but a key part of achieving them: If the organizers refuse to deviate from their talking points, the media can only reiterate those talking points, multiplying their message. The spectacle of hundreds of marchers descending upon Church Street during the dinner hour, stopping traffic at every intersection between Battery Park and city hall, is catnip for any journalist; night after night, reporters show up and lurk around the action, cobbling together event-recap-style pieces with sound bites from speeches and rough guesses at attendance and bland recapitulations of the protesters’ demands, punctuated by some variation on the line: “The protesters have repeatedly declined to speak to the press.”

When, for a short time, the organizers of the Battery Park protests agreed to talk to me, I thought I was going to write about them — to tell, through their eyes, the story of Vermont’s largest public manifestation of the national reckoning with racism, white supremacy and the systems designed to uphold the status quo. Instead, the story became about not getting the story, even as the story was happening in full public view, proclaiming a clear, singular message.

‘IN’ CROWD

Battery Park happens to be about 100 yards from my house. Through my bedroom window, I could hear the protesters chanting deep into the night, and the dueling honks of solidarity and aggravation from passing cars. A few days after the encampment appeared, I walked over to the park and found Edosomwan, whom I recognized from the cover of a June issue of Seven Days, which featured a story about a 2,000-person march on the Burlington Police Department that she’d organized in honor of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed, in May, by Minneapolis police.

Edosomwan was sitting on the sidewalk near the Beansie’s hot dog bus, holding a megaphone in her lap. I introduced myself as a journalist. “Actually, we don’t talk to the press,” she said. I asked why. “Because they twist our words; they misrepresent us.” She told me that there would be press releases, though she wasn’t exactly sure who would be sending them or how one might sign up to receive them.

If it weren’t for Anthony Marques, that probably would have been my last reporting interaction with the organizers. Since late spring, Marques, a former semiprofessional basketball player turned videographer, had been filming Black Lives Matter rallies across Vermont and turning them into short documentaries. I had contacted him earlier in the summer to interview him, but we never connected. I knew he was one of the leaders of the Battery Park protest; after my exchange with Edosomwan, I called him.

At first, he repeated Edosomwan’s line.

But when I asked him how the media could do a better job of covering this particular moment if the people at the center of it weren’t willing to speak to the media, he softened. “By asking good fucking questions like that,” he said. He invited me to meet him in Battery Park the next day.

Marques, 30, was born in Baton Rouge, La., and adopted by white parents in Brownington, a small town in Orleans County. “Say you were walking around this park and stepped in the one pile of dog shit,” he said as we sat on a bench looking out over Lake Champlain, a few dozen yards from the huddle of tents. “That’s what it’s like to end up in Brownington.”

He told me that if he gave me his seal of approval, the other BIPOC leaders would get on board. Later that afternoon, he introduced me to the other organizers.

“She’s going to tell the right story,” Marques assured them.

ORGANIZING PRINCIPLES

The right story about the encampment, according to 20-year-old Mohamed Abdi, one of the organizers I met

See more photos at sevendaysvt.com.

Mohamed Abdi

The maintenance man

through Marques, is that it’s a pretty smooth enterprise. “For an unorganized thing, it’s pretty organized. I myself am surprised by how organized this whole situation is,” Abdi told me on September 8, day 15 of their occupation. Abdi had spent all but one night in the park since the protest began. While we talked, he sipped from a can of energy drink; in his right hand, he held a fistful of Mellowcreme Pumpkins.

In June, Abdi and Maday cofounded the Black Perspective, the racial justice collective that led the August 25 march for

Jacob Blake, which eventually turned into the Battery Park encampment. Both Abdi and Maday graduated from Burlington High School; neither had been serious activists before this summer.

“If you asked me six months ago if I wanted to be an activist, I would have said, ‘Eh, not really,’” Abdi said. “I was just a regular college student with a regular life. I wasn’t very focused until now.” This fall, he would have been a junior business major at Champlain College, but he took the semester off to concentrate on organizing. “People don’t realize that this isn’t

fun,” he said. “This is more than a full-time job. If you’re here, you have to be here 100 percent. Something is always happening.”

By that point, the encampment had already morphed into a sort of autonomous zone, led by a group of maybe a dozen BIPOC activists, most of whom are around Abdi’s age. An invisible line of demarcation, which extends roughly from the round pavilion in the middle of the park to the entrance farthest from the police station, separates the protesters from the area occupied by the homeless.

“At first, our neighbors did not like us being here, in their living room,” said Abdi. “Once we gave them their space, they started to see that we’re trying to build a relationship with them and that we have resources that are beneficial to them. See, this whole thing is not just for protesters.” He nodded in the direction of the awning-covered food station, where volunteers serve free hot meals and hand out bottled water and snacks throughout the day. “Literally, anybody walking by can just go right up there and get something to eat.”

Medics staff the encampment 24 hours a day; Planned Parenthood occasionally drops by to distribute condoms and pregnancy tests. At one point, I noticed that an entrepreneurial Christian proselytizer had taken up residence among the protesters, BATTERY POWER SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

» P.28 27

Battery Power « P.27 peaceably hawking slim green New Testaments from his one-man tent.

“I feel like a huge portion of the community is here — maybe not physically here, but they’re behind the scenes, supporting us in other ways, just dropping off food and supplies,” said Abdi. “Every single morning, we have coffee. I’ve never woken up and not seen fresh coffee.”

A solar panel, donated by a local hacker nonprofit, generates enough electricity to power a Wi-Fi hot spot; at various hours of the day, people post up at folding tables or sit in circles on the grass, reading and attending virtual classes on their laptops.

The day I met Abdi was overcast, and the backup generator needed gas. A man in a yellow baseball hat and glasses walked up to Abdi and asked him for the debit card so he could buy fuel.

“That guy was a traveler, passing through Burlington,” Abdi said after he had left. “He parked his car here and asked me if he could set up his tent, and I said ‘Sure, why not.’” He’s been camping in the park ever since, doing odd maintenance jobs. When I asked where the generator came from, Abdi replied tersely, “The generator belongs to the Black Perspective.” The group, which sustains itself through donations, displays its Venmo and Cash App information on signs throughout the encampment and on its social media platforms.

Abdi takes a slightly less hostile view of the press than some of the other organizers. In July, he and Zanevia Wilcox, another member of the Black Perspective and a leader of the Battery Park protests, appeared on an NBC5 segment about a pro-law-enforcement rally at the Statehouse in Montpelier, where the Black Perspective had staged a counter-event.

The station misspelled both of their names, which Abdi cited as a prime example of the media’s bad faith. “It’s complete disrespect. They lost our trust because of stuff like that. And on top of that, when we tell them a story, they make it more…”

— he paused — “interesting. They add things; they take away things; they twist our words. They just make us look like something that we’re not. And that’s just something we cannot have around.”

And then he said, “I personally think any coverage is good coverage, even negative coverage, because you need the public to know something about what’s going on.

You can’t have them create their own idea of what’s going on here, and that’s why I agreed to this” — meaning this conversation with me — “because we should definitely have somebody telling something about this, somebody that actually lives 28

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

Protesters gathering around the tents in anticipation of potential police presence

here. Obviously, not everybody feels that way, but I personally could care less.”

It is entirely possible that Abdi sees no contradiction here. But as a journalist whose job is to find the story, to arrange other people’s words in a way that reveals some larger meaning, I’ve chosen to point out the contradiction — to make things, as Abdi put it, more “interesting.”

BAD COPS?

The encampment in Battery Park is the latest push in a yearslong effort to hold Burlington police accountable to the public, which has been mostly focused on three high-profile incidents involving Corrow, Bellavance and Campbell. All three officers have been named in pending civil lawsuits against the city; last year, Black Lives Matter of Greater Burlington created a change.org petition seeking their termination, which has received more than 84,000 signatures.

In March 2019, Campbell punched a white man named Douglas Kilburn outside the University of Vermont Medical Center after the two got into a verbal altercation. Several days later, Kilburn died. The state medical examiner ruled his death a homicide; state Attorney General T.J. Donovan concluded that Campbell’s use of force was justified, since Kilburn had punched him first, and reprimanded him only for swearing.

Demonstrators viewing a Zoom city council meeting during a sit-in in front of city hall

The previous September, Bellavance, a sergeant, responded to a call about a fight at a Main Street bar in the early hours of a Saturday morning. Seconds after he arrived, and without announcing himself, Bellavance shoved 24-yearold Jérémie Meli, a Black Congolese man, into a wall. Meli struck his head and collapsed onto the sidewalk. Meli’s brother, Albin, placed his hand on the shoulder of Campbell, who had arrived for backup, and asked him to stop; Campbell and Bellavance tackled Albin to the ground. Bellavance was suspended

without pay for an undisclosed number of days and placed on administrative duty.

The night before the incident with the Meli brothers, Officer Corrow approached what appeared to be a heated argument outside another bar on Main Street.

Seconds later, he walked up to 34-yearold Mabior Jok, a Black Sudanese immigrant, and slammed him to the ground.

According to Corrow’s affidavit, Jok lost consciousness. An internal investigation cleared Corrow of wrongdoing on the grounds that he had “intervened in a fight,”

even though witnesses said Jok never threw a punch.

In recent months, the topic of police reform in Vermont has taken on new urgency, fueled by fury over more incidents of police violence against Black people elsewhere in the country. In late June, the Burlington City Council approved a 30 percent reduction in the city’s police force amid growing pressure from activists, who have called in to Zoom meetings by the hundreds to voice support for the proposals of the state’s Black leaders and racial justice groups. This summer, the Black Perspective held several rallies in Battery Park; in Vergennes and Bethel and Craftsbury, people have turned out by the hundreds to hold Black Lives Matter signs on their town greens.

The Battery Park protesters reissued the call to fire Bellavance, Campbell and Corrow; they have also demanded the public release of all police body camera footage and the reallocation of the Burlington Police Department’s funding to support housing and health care reform.

On Monday, after nearly a month of demonstrations, their pressure yielded a partial victory: The Burlington City Council approved a severance agreement with Bellavance for $300,000, or three years’ pay at his salary.

council greater authority in matters of police discipline.

“I think there’s no doubt that what is on the books has created this moment of extraordinary conflict,” Weinberger said in an interview. “I think people are deeply uncomfortable with the idea of the police policing themselves, and I think there needs to be a change to that system.”

That system includes the Burlington Police Officers’ Association, whose lawyer, Richard Cassidy, issued a public statement in early September defending the process by which Corrow, Bellavance and Campbell had been disciplined.

“The rule of law,” he noted ominously in his press release, “has been under attack by some forces in America for some time.” Because of his position as a sergeant, Bellavance is the only one of the three officers who doesn’t belong to the police union.

ON TENTERHOOKS

PROTEST MOVEMENT You are here for Black lives and Black liberation.

Z A N E VI A W IL COX

Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger supported the deal with Bellavance, who had a supervisory role and should, in his view, be held to a higher standard of conduct. But Weinberger indicated that he wouldn’t pursue buyouts for Campbell or Corrow because their uses of force were deemed consistent with departmental policy. In a public statement, he warned that it would set “an unmanageable precedent” if employment decisions were “subject to retroactive reopening by passions of public opinion.”

Weinberger agreed, however, that there are intractable problems with the existing disciplinary process; in Burlington, only the chief of police has the power to dismiss officers. The city is considering an amendment to its charter that would give the mayor and the city

The encampment in Battery Park is mere feet away from the Burlington police headquarters on North Avenue. The dynamic between the two entities has generally been one of mutual avoidance, but on the night of September 7, that vibe seemed like it was about to change.

One of the protesters with a line of communication to the department had heard that the police could begin issuing tickets for illegally camping in the park, starting September 8, and the organizers wanted to be prepared at the stroke of midnight. The crowd in the park that night was smaller than usual, and everyone seemed a little on edge, with the possible exception of the enterprising Christian, who had distributed an entire box of pocket Bibles that day.

“The mayor is really cracking down on legal action,” Wilcox told the assembled group, which had just marched back to the park from city hall. “They’re planning on coming in here tomorrow and giving citations. If there was ever a time for you to be present, it’s now. We need bodies. We need more than allyship — we need people to show up.”

The plan, she explained, was to move all the tents into a single area, farther away from the Beansie’s bus and the entrance to the police station. She urged everyone who planned to stay the night to attend a de-escalation training. If the police entered the encampment, she said, the protesters should all link arms; if asked to name the owner of any tent, the collective response would be, “That’s our tent.”

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Battery Power « P.29

People’s Kitchen serving dinner at the encampment

citation, be mindful that many of us here are not,” Wilcox continued. “Remember, now is not the time to be the hero of the narrative. You are here for Black lives and Black liberation.”

The group adjourned for dinner.

People’s Kitchen, an anarchist-adjacent food pop-up, was serving free brisket and vegetable curry. A few people made cardboard signs that read “Link Arms” and “Don’t Tell Cops Anything Not On Your I.D.” The freelance evangelical laid out more pocket New Testaments; James Brown pulsed through the night from a pair of loudspeakers. Someone announced through a megaphone: “I need all the cis men to come to Beansie’s!”

Around 11:45 p.m., everyone who was spending the night dragged the tents into a cluster and sat in a row along the perimeter, like sentries guarding a fortress.

Midnight came and went, and nobody showed up to ticket them. Three weeks later, the police still haven’t made an appearance.

SCENE AND HEARD

Compared to the chaotic scenes that have played out in other cities, Burlington’s month of protest has felt comparatively choreographed, and city officials have treated the Battery Park encampment with something like benign neglect. Mayor Weinberger has issued desultory warnings of citations for camping in the park and other ordinance violations; meanwhile, the protesters have claimed the streets almost every night.

Volunteers in reflective vests block traffic at the intersections along the march route from Battery Park to city hall, where the organizers take turns leading chants through a megaphone. “Oink! Oink! That’s the sound of the police!” and “Take it to the streets and fuck the police! No justice, no peace!” are two especially popular ones. At a rally one night, Suzie McCoy, a 60-yearold white woman, confided that, at first, she was uncomfortable with the profanity in some of the chants. “But now, I realize that’s my white fragility speaking,” she told me. “It’s tone policing.”

The protests have occasionally been met with annoyance and hostility from passersby, typically in the form of outbursts of “All lives matter!” and the testosterone-fueled revving of trucks at blocked traffic lights. During a march one evening, I watched someone drive a green Ford pickup onto the sidewalk at the intersection of North Avenue and North Street, where marchers were crossing, and nearly collide with a car in the oncoming 30

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

lane. Another night, I heard a man yell a racist slur out the window as he drove by the protesters in front of the Burlington Police Department. Several people told me that happened pretty regularly.

The most dramatic of these incidents happened in the first few days of the encampment, when a man openly carrying an assault rifle across his chest began loitering on the sidewalk opposite Battery Park. He stood there for hours over the course of several days; someone who

happened to be standing near him during one of his creepy vigils said that he had pointed at one of the protesters’ signs, which read “Revolution Now,” and said, “That’s why I’m here, too.”

For obvious ideological reasons, the protesters didn’t immediately go to the police, who informed other concerned callers that Vermont is an open-carry state and that the man with a gun also had the constitutional right to protest. Three days later, when Burlington police finally

questioned the armed man, a 26-year-old Winooski resident named Jordan Atwood, they discovered that his right to carry had been suspended because of a previous criminal charge, and they arrested him for violating his terms of release.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, a small delegation of pro-law-enforcement demonstrators, all of whom were white, showed up in front of the police station.

A few held up signs that read “Thank you BPD!”; one man carried a banner displaying the words “Take Back Our City.”

The Battery Park protesters flanked them, chanting loudly. One of the Battery Park organizers, Cole Gilder, shared a video of the encounter on Instagram.

“How’s life in Loserville?” he asked the man with the “Take Back Our City Sign.”

The man didn’t respond. At one point, Gilder stood next to a woman holding a Thin Blue Line flag, a symbol of support for police that, in the right-wing context of the Blue Lives Matter movement, has become associated with white nationalist ideology. The woman placed her hand in front of Gilder’s camera.

“Don’t you dare touch me!” Gilder said.

He moved away slowly. “Get your crusty hands out of my face.”

A few yards away, at the end of Front Street, Jenni Johnson, a jazz vocalist who has lived in the neighborhood for 25 years, watched in frustration. “This is

VERY ACTIVELY PURCHASING nothing but trouble,” said Johnson, who is Black. “To be disrespectful to another group that’s protesting silently? That just elevates the level of ignorance. The city might cut a deal with the cops — so what?

That doesn’t make a real difference in this country. That’s not where the power is.”

She shook her head. “Go to city council, with a document, with a proposal, and take it to Montpelier. Go to where the power is.”

LEADERSHIP CHANGE

About a week and a half into my reporting, Marques announced, via Instagram, that he was leaving the Battery Park protest to work on a project with JAG Productions, a Black theater company in White River Junction. In the post, he also wrote that he was “focused on the truth about what’s really going on at these protests that are invisible to the eye” and that “the sound bites are real and going to make people very VERY uncomfortable and I’m not just talking about ‘White Allies’ never judge a book by its cover because words of hypocrisy fill up the streets.”

This seemed interesting, so I asked him if we could meet. He told me he’d prefer to go somewhere other than the encampment, which is how I ended up drinking Coronas with him on a sidewalk bench on Battery Street, a few blocks south of the park.

Marques decided to leave Battery Park, he said, because of his frustration with the leadership. “You take individuals that have never had leadership roles, and then they have this following — or people that are just listening, but are just showing up for the bigger purpose. They mix that up with, ‘They’re showing up for me,’” he said. “And that goes to their heads.”

As we talked, a pair of white teenagers appeared. They seemed to want something from Marques. “You’re not supposed to be drinking on the job!” one of them said to him. He was short, with untied sneakers. “No job,” Marques said flatly, taking a swig of his Corona. “Guys, we’re speaking, like, business, unfortunately, right now, so I’m gonna have to ask you to—” he made a gentle shooing motion. “Are you gonna be out here for a little bit?”

Untied sneakers said they’d be hanging out at Simon’s for a while. “Let me give you guys some money to get a drink,” said Marques, taking a wad of crumpled fives and singles from his wallet. “Sorry, I know I told you to come down here.”

As they left to go to Simon’s, another white person showed up, a young woman with short curly hair who introduced herself as Maggie. She was delivering a

piece of art she had made for Marques, a digital illustration of a photo she’d taken of him holding a Black Lives Matter flag during a rally in Battery Park. Marques invited her to stay and have a beer, so she did.

“Those two,” Marques said, referring to the teenagers, “were up at the police station a few nights ago, screaming their heads off.” According to Marques, they hadn’t liked the fact that the protesters had taped a sign to the police station, which they saw as vandalism of government property, and they decided to make a scene about it around 1:30 a.m. Marques went over and talked to them for nearly two hours about why he and so many others were protesting, why they wanted Corrow, Campbell and Bellavance fired; by 3:30 a.m., he said, he had convinced them that the cops should lose their jobs. The next day, they showed up and marched.

“If you want to talk about ‘the real work,’ that’s what it’s all about,” he said.

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I think people are deeply uncomfortable with the idea of the police policing themselves.

PROTEST MOVEMENT B U RLIN GTO N MAYO R MIRO WE INBE R GE R

In Marques’ view, the female leadership didn’t want to do that kind of work or to engage with anyone whose views didn’t align with theirs. The whole movement, he said, had become “a triggerfest,” a zero-sum power game. “A lot of it has to do with never having a voice. And when you get to have a voice, you take complete advantage of that, and you feel like if anyone else is speaking, they’re speaking over you,” he told me. “That’s not what I’m here for.”

I asked if the female leadership had been responsible for the decision to freeze out the press. “No, that was all me,” he said. “Would I have shut out the media this long? Probably not, but the best way I can describe it is this: The protest is like holding somebody hostage. If anyone BATTERY POWER

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Battery Power « P.31 starts talking, it’s not a hostage situation anymore.”

I asked why, then, they had made an exception for me.

“First of all, because you approached me. If you’re not going to start with trust, you have to be willing to start somewhere, and nobody else would have started somewhere.”

According to Marques, some of the Black female leaders had tried to freeze out some of the Black male leaders, including him, and distrust among the organizers was so rampant that the whole thing would implode sooner rather than later. “There’s gonna be a big fat L ticket here. We’re gonna lose this,” he said. He told me he didn’t think the encampment would last two more weeks. I suggested that, if nothing else, the massive turnout each night for the marches to city hall, the rush of commanding a crowd, might be enough to keep the organizers going for a while, even if the city refused to meet their demands.

“See, what’s happening is a cult,” he said. “They think it’s OK to exploit white people, is what’s happening. It’s an exploitation of white people that show up on Tuesdays and Thursdays, wearing black, because those are the big days to show up and pretend that you’re not racist. It’s just a shit show. It’s sickening.”

After at least an hour, Maggie said she had to go home. She’d barely spoken the entire time; as she left, she thanked Marques for allowing her to be there.

Protesters blocking traffic at Pearl and Battery streets

Organizers celebrating the news of Bellavance’s buyout

STILL, WAITING

ACCESS DENIED

During a September 8 meeting, the Burlington City Council voted to allow several of the protest organizers into an executive session to discuss the city’s legal options for firing the three officers.

Some members of the council pushed back, arguing that there were no statutory grounds for allowing certain members of the public to attend closed-door sessions.

Others, including Councilor Zoraya Hightower (P-Ward 1), argued that those very grounds were perpetuating a racist status quo. “We don’t live in a fair society,” she said during the meeting. “Just maintaining the status quo, rather than doing what we’re actually calling ‘special treatment,’ is the very way that racial equity, able equity, gender equity has been postponed over and over again.”

Seven Days filed a complaint against the council for the move; the following week, the council voted that it had, in fact, violated open meeting law. In anticipation of this discussion and another public 32

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

several weeks earlier, but Maday said he didn’t remember me.

“Wait,” he said warily, “so are you writing a story about Anthony, or are you writing about the movement?” I explained that I was trying to write about the movement, but Marques would probably be part of the story, since he was the reason I’d had any access to it in the first place. Maday didn’t seem too thrilled with the idea that one story could be about two things.

“Are you sure we talked? Because I don’t remember you at all,” he said. I took out my phone to show him my notes from our previous conversation; possibly, he’d forgotten. But I had chosen the exact wrong moment to introduce a device. “Are you recording?” he demanded. I wasn’t, and I told him so. “Then let me see your phone,” he said. I told him no, and then he informed me that any trust he might have had in me had been broken. He left to tell his fellow organizers what he thought I was up to.

Edosomwan, Wilcox and a third female organizer followed me as I walked away from the sit-in. At the bottom of Church Street, they confronted me about recording Maday. Edosomwan said I should never come back to a protest.

Her companion shook her head, looking at me but addressing Edosomwan.

“She’s probably an All Lives Matter bitch.”

comment session, throngs of protesters gathered in front of city hall, with snacks and folding chairs and blankets, to watch a screening of the meeting on an inflatable projector. When I arrived to observe, a white guy with thick eyebrows, whom I’d seen around the encampment, walked up to me. He knew I was a journalist. “Do you know what BIPOC stands for?” It was a test, not a real question.

“Black, Indigenous or people of color,” I replied, fully aware that getting it right made no difference. I was already untrustworthy.

Since my conversation on the sidewalk bench with Marques, I’d grown skeptical of his assessment of “the female leadership,” the nonchalance with which he’d

dissed them, and I wanted to ask the women organizers about his departure.

At the same time, I dreaded bringing it up; the whole thing felt like a sideshow, beside the point, and yet, it was now part of the story. A few days before the sit-in, I had texted Wilcox and asked if she’d be willing to speak with me. “As many of us organizers have communicated before, we are not speaking to press/media throughout the duration of this protest,” she wrote back. I asked if there was some reason for the change of heart about my access. She gave none.

While the council was attending to business about a crane permit, I found Maday and asked if I could talk to him about Marques. We had spoken once,

On Tuesday morning, hours after the city announced the deal with Bellavance, the Battery Park organizers issued a statement on social media, their first message directed specifically at the press since the protests began. “We deserve leaders who are willing to go forward in unprecedented ways to set new standards that will prevent acts of police brutality in the future, and who will create opportunities for BIPOC and other traditionally marginalized groups to thrive,” the statement read.

“The removal of one violent officer is an important first step, but it is not nearly enough.”

That afternoon, day 30 of the encampment, was sunny and mild. Overnight, the leaves of the maple tree near the center of the park seemed to have turned flaming scarlet and orange. A few of the protesters hung around in folding chairs near the food tent; an older woman wearing a red, white and blue sweater shouted something at them as she walked by. In a few hours, hundreds of protesters would shut down Main Street with a sit-in at the Black Lives Matter mural, but for the moment, things were mostly still, save for one squirrel darting across a pile of cardboard protest signs, holding an empty Cheetos bag in its mouth.

Contact: chelsea@sevendaysvt.com

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OLIVER PARINI

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eptember marks the start of hemp harvest season in New England, but this year Vermont’s landscape has far fewer skunkysmelling fields. Many growers passed on planting the crop in the spring due to a combination of factors, including an oversupply of hemp from 2019, record low wholesale prices earlier this year, higher state registration fees and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets reported just 1,540 acres registered for hemp production in 2020, down from more than 9,000 acres last year.

Facing tough market conditions, Vermont hemp farmers who stayed in the game are doing whatever they can to gain a competitive edge. But some have discovered an advantage that’s been right under their noses all along: converting their discarded hemp waste into fertilizer.

In June 2019, Justin Decatur of Wintermute Cannabis Collective planted 10 acres of hemp on fields in Ryegate and South Hero. He treated some of his plants with a conventional, off-the-shelf fertilizer — the control group — while others were fed an experimental fertilizer made of hemp waste that had been inoculated, or seeded, with a laboratory-formulated blend of bacteria and fungi. A third set of plants was fed a combination of the two fertilizers.

“I wasn’t expecting much,” Decatur said, “but every plant we inoculated outperformed the control group. It was definitely surprising.”

And lucrative. The hemp plants treated with the experimental microbial blend generated a 9 percent higher yield than the plants treated with only conventional fertilizer. And the plants that received both fertilizers had a 16 percent higher yield than the control group.

“We were very excited by that result,” said Charles Smith, cofounder and CEO of Full Circle Microbes, a Hinesburg-based startup that developed the proprietary mix of microorganisms. Last year’s pilot project at Wintermute confirmed what Smith and his team had long suspected: that discarded hemp by-products, which normally are a burden for farmers to get rid of, can be turned into a low-cost, high-yield fertilizer that’s healthy for the farmer’s wallet, the soil and the planet.

The 2019 pilot project also yielded Full Circle Microbes a different burst of

Charles Smith

green. In May, the company was awarded a $225,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop its next generation of microbial inoculant.

Smith, 30, began working on this technology almost three years ago. In October 2019 he founded Full Circle Microbes with his college friend Sam Ross, who has a background in environmental economics. As Smith explained, they set out to solve a problem associated with Vermont’s burgeoning cannabis industry: How can farmers utilize their abundant piles of hemp waste in a fast, cheap and eco-friendly way?

On a typical Vermont hemp farm that raises the crop for the retail cannabidiol (CBD) market, 40 to 60 percent of the plant gets cast aside as an unused by-product, despite the fact that it is rich in nitrogen and other nutrients. In other

types of hemp farming, such as hemp grain and seed production, as much as 90 percent of the plant is discarded.

Hemp waste can be composted like other agricultural waste. However, the plant’s tough, fibrous nature — a characteristic that makes it desirable for manufacturing durable products such as paper, rope and cloth — also make it more difficult and time-consuming to compost.

Hemp stalks contain lignin, a polymer that doesn’t break down quickly on its own. As a consequence, hemp farmers often burn their waste piles or leave them to decompose naturally. That decomposition, which can take a year or more, releases methane and carbon dioxide, which contribute to global heating.

Smith and Ross worked with Dr. Victoria Holden, a microbiologist and Full Circle Microbe’s vice president of research

and development, to produce a blend of naturally occurring bacteria and fungi that digest the lignin molecules. When this microbial soup is applied to hemp residue, the material decomposes into a nutrient-rich fertilizer in as little as two to four weeks, depending upon weather conditions.

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Deborah Neher, a soil ecologist and professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Science at the University of Vermont, described this novel use of hemp waste as “a win-win for the farmer and the environment.”

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Neher, who is collaborating with Full Circle Microbes for research purposes only and has no financial stake in the company, explained via email that the microbial inoculant doesn’t just speed decomposition. It also has diseasesuppressive qualities that kill hemp pathogens while colonizing the soil with beneficial microbes. And, because the hemp residue can be used during the following year’s planting season as plant food, Full Circle Microbes also can reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers by as much as 50 percent.

Though Full Circle Microbe’s inoculant was formulated in a lab, all of its microorganisms are found naturally in Vermont soil, making the product safe and acceptable for use on certified organic hemp farms. As Neher put it, “I cannot think of any risks or downsides to the process.”

The size of Full Circle Microbes’ potential market in Vermont is difficult to measure, given that neither the Agency of Agriculture nor the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources tracks how much hemp waste is generated annually. Unless the cannabis plants are grown for Vermont’s medical marijuana

dispensaries or are processed using hazardous materials — some CBD production involves the use of ethanol, which must be removed afterward with a high-tech centrifuge — the state has no mandates on hemp waste disposal.

But Smith sees huge growth potential for Full Circle Microbes, due in part to the company’s deliberate focus on the cannabis plant itself. While some of his competitors produce microbial inoculants used in general composting, he said, “We think there’s a lot of value to be gained by focusing on one individual plant [species] at a time.”

Based on Smith’s own numbers, the potential return on investment to growers could be huge. Full Circle Microbes’ inoculant, which is sold by the gallon, costs the farmer about $250 per acre, Smith noted, which in the pilot project yielded an additional 63 pounds of salable hemp per acre.

“Based on the current wholesale price for CBD flower,” he said, “that translates to an additional $10,000 per acre for the growers.”

Currently, Full Circle Microbes is working mostly with Vermont growers, but Smith has also been in discussions with hemp farmers in Maine, Colorado and California. The company’s patentpending technology also has potential uses in the adult-use and medicinal marijuana industries, where the return on investment would be even better than hemp because it sells for a higher price.

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“We want this to be a huge benefit to farmers,” Smith said, “and by presenting a really compelling business proposition, it makes it a lot easier for them to adopt these environmentally friendly practices.”

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FILE: JAMES BUCK

M

ichael “Mikey” van Gulden, founder and owner of Chocolate Thunder Security in Burlington, was on his way to see his accountant in the first week of March when he heard the news on the radio. Austin, Texas, had just canceled South by Southwest, the annual music, film and interactive media festival that normally brings tens of thousands of visitors and hundreds of millions of dollars into the city.

“I was like, ‘Oh, my God! This is the largest event that I know of for event planning in the country … and it’s closed because of the pandemic,’” van Gulden recalled. “‘There’s no reason it’s not going to shut down every event that’s smaller.’”

Indeed, within two weeks, at least 20 jobs on van Gulden’s calendar were canceled, including five sorority parties, three weddings and the annual Vermont Brewers Festival at Killington Resort. On March 17, he informed his staff that, for the foreseeable future, they would not be working security at Fletcher Free Library, which the City of Burlington closed due to COVID-19.

On Saint Patrick’s Day, normally a time for reveling in the green of abundant employment, Chocolate Thunder instead found itself in the red.

“My staff said, ‘What are we supposed to do now?’” van Gulden recalled. “And I said, ‘I don’t know, because we’re all out of work.’”

The 52-year-old Williston native founded his security company on April 1, 2010. As fans of professional basketball might guess, van Gulden named the company after the late Darryl Dawkins, who was given the nickname “Chocolate Thunder” by musician Stevie Wonder.

Since then, Chocolate Thunder has found employment at venues all over the state, handling operations such as ID checks, crowd control, parking detail and monitoring of event attendees for alcohol overconsumption. Van Gulden’s licensed, yellow-shirted staffers have worked fraternity and sorority parties, concerts, beer festivals, and the Seven Days annual Daysies award ceremony at ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, which was also nixed this summer.

By late March, with no jobs on the horizon and 15 employees sitting idle, van Gulden asked himself, “How do I find work in the pandemic? There’s got to be something else out there,” he recalled.

IT TURNS OUT THAT WE’RE DOING MORE BUSINESS THIS QUARTER THAN WE WERE AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR. MIKEY VAN GUL D E N

Mikey van Gulden working an outdoor event, pre-pandemic

Then he walked into a supermarket in Burlington’s New North End, and an answer appeared: Faced with the prospect of a monthslong quarantine, people were panic shopping. Van Gulden watched as they stripped the store’s shelves bare, filling their carts with pasta, meat, canned goods and toilet paper. Having worked security at large festivals, he knew how quickly crowds can get out of control.

Van Gulden approached the store manager and made a pitch for his company’s services. Even before he heard back from that store, though, he got a call from City Market, Onion River Co-op, asking if his security staff was available to help maintain a healthy and safe environment at its two Burlington groceries.

Within days, van Gulden’s staff was stationed at the stores’ entrances, enforcing the mask mandate and capacity limits, handing out gloves, and pointing out handsanitizer stations. The initial three-month gig was soon extended.

Other jobs followed. In place of the Fletcher Free Library gig, the City of Burlington requested Chocolate Thunder’s services at Burlington City Hall,

which remained open; the new work netted the company more hours than the library job would have. Bolton Valley Resort hired Chocolate Thunder to work its hillside concert series. Summervale, the Intervale Center’s annual summer music series, went virtual this year but employed Chocolate Thunder to safeguard the musicians and video crews.

A college campus was another source of work. In August, as students began returning for the fall semester, Middlebury College asked Chocolate Thunder to control access to the campus and enforce a visitor quarantine and COVID-19 safety protocols.

In the spring, Chocolate Thunder had qualified for a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan to retain its employees.

In September, van Gulden crunched the company’s revenue numbers and was surprised by the results.

“It’s strange,” he said. “It turns out that we’re doing more business this quarter than we were at this time last year.”

The nature of the work has changed, too. These days, Van Gulden and his staff deal with far fewer drunk and belligerent

patrons; they’re more likely to encounter pandemic naysayers and shoppers who bristle at wearing masks. On two occasions, he said, he was told that wearing a mask is “un-American.”

“Maybe breathing through a respirator is more American?” he quipped.

Van Gulden remains uncertain how his company will fare through the winter. But the business named after an NBA star famous for backboardshattering slam dunks has pulled off its own nifty pivot.

“I’m thankful for every opportunity that I ever have, because a lot of what I’ve been able to earn is based on people’s faith in me,” van Gulden said. “I’m an optimist to a fault that something good will come out of all of it.”

Contact: ken@sevendaysvt.com

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Sebastian and Aviana homeschooling

SOMEHOW,I WOKE UP EXCITED TO BE REUNITED WITH STUDENTS AND

DETERMINED TO BE A FORCE OF POSITIVITY.

S AY B R A VA R I S A N O

Crista Yagjian Yagjian is a literacy coach living in Guilford and working in Wilmington. Her husband, Eric Feindel, homeschools their son, Nate. Watch a video diary of Nate’s first week of sixth grade in the online version of this story.

Parents, teachers and staff share stories of their first week back at school B Y MA RG A RET G RAYSON & ALISON N OVAK

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SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

is bound to be one of the strangest back-toschool seasons Vermonters have ever seen.

We wanted to document it, but because of health and safety guidelines prohibiting outside visitors, reporters couldn’t be there in person. So we asked parents, teachers and school staff to share videos, photos and written accounts of their first week of the school year.

Here are some of their stories, edited for clarity and length.

Nate at equine therapy

Contact: alison@kidsvt.com, margaret@sevendaysvt.com

INFO For another perspective on the return to school, watch Eva Sollberger’s “Stuck in Vermont” video about Shelburne Community School bus driver and paraeducator Lucy Cooney at sevendaysvt.com.

COURTESY OF CRISTA YAGJIAN

n September 8, students across classrooms, socially distanced desks and Vermont returned to school, online learning platforms. Their COVIDwhether that meant a tradi- 19 strategies vary by district — sometimes tional classroom, a home setup within districts — and include fully or a virtual one. The fall semester of this in-person learning, fully remote learning, pandemic year was months and hybrid models that REA D , H EA R A N D in the making, with hard have students in school S EE M ORE AT choices along the way. for a few days a week S EVEN D AY S VT. C OM .

Doubts and uncertainty and remote for others. remained as schools opened their doors for The Vermont Department of Health is the first time in almost six months. expected to assess in the coming weeks In July, Seven Days reported on the whether Vermont schools can be moved record numbers of parents turning to to “Step III” of reopening, with more homeschooling. Other parents told us they relaxed protocols. felt that sending their kids back to school So far, three schools have reported was their only choice. Vermont’s education COVID-19 cases, Crossett Brook Middle leaders publicly expressed concern about School in Duxbury, Hartford High School staffing shortages, given that many teachers in White River Junction, and Williamand other school personnel face their own stown Middle & High School. None has health concerns or childcare issues. led to larger outbreaks as of press time.

Meanwhile, schools prepped outdoor Even if everything goes smoothly, this

COURTESY OF RANDI BECKER

Show and Tell

Last year we decided to homeschool while our son, Nate, was healing from hip surgery. Nate is 12 and has Down syndrome. Having developed a full homeschool schedule and routine last year made it much easier for us to decide to continue to homeschool this year. My husband stopped working as a surveyor and was Nate’s primary instructor.

Nate is an absolute pro at wearing a mask. I think wearing a mask and washing hands have just become routine for him, and he doesn’t think much of it at this point.

Our work will still be focused on keeping Nate healthy and giving him social connections. Right now, we are spending a lot of time outside with him and connecting with others outside when we can. We are not sure what this will look [like] for him once winter is here, but for now Nate is happy and healthy.

Varisano is the elementary school counselor at Bellows Free Academy Fairfax. Read her full diary from the first week of school in the online version of this story.

I think all of my colleagues agreed we couldn’t imagine having been ready to have students on our original start date. I was grateful to have the extra time to prepare and meet with teams and connect with families. As a Guidance Department, we had to determine what our role could look like while adhering to the COVID guidelines. On the other hand, the more time we had to prepare, the more time there was to anticipate all the things that could go wrong and perseverate on all the uncertainty ahead.

The beginning of the school year is usually an exciting time filled with hope SEPTEMBER 8:

and potential; this year had a very different vibe. The weeks leading up to today required an intentional mindset shift from fear and dread to optimism — or something close to that. I honestly doubted my ability to do it, but somehow, I woke up excited to be reunited with students and determined to be a force of positivity for staff and students.

On my commute to work, I passed a young child waiting for his school bus, and the sight of him standing there, masked, somehow caught me off guard and was enough to provoke tears. I allowed myself a little cry before regaining my composure and getting into “counselor” mode. After my mandatory temp check at the door by our new digital security guard, and a few moments to settle into my office, it was time to greet students as they arrived.

Harple is an English teacher at Hazen Union High School in Hardwick. Watch her video diary in the online version of this story.

We have to wipe down whatever chairs and desks that students were at as soon as they leave, before other kids can use them.

Even the ones outside. Sometimes when there are back-to-back classes, kids are backlogged in the halls waiting for me to finish up wiping everything down. That’s something that we need to figure out still.

There’s a lot that we need to figure out still. Little details keep popping up that we Leanne Harple didn’t think of. The first day, I came into my classroom and brewed a pot of coffee; then, by the time it was ready, students were coming in and I suddenly realized that I couldn’t drink it because now I had to have my mask on. But since then, we’ve decided that we can drink coffee or water and just pull our masks aside when we need to take sips.

COURTESY OF LEANNE HARPLE

Leanne Harple

The choice to homeschool for us was a difficult one and also a privileged one. It is not lost on me that I am lucky that I can make this choice to provide a different education from what is being presented, both in the public setting and private, during the time of COVID. It is not without my own sacrifices as a professional and a deep belief that this is the right path for our family at this time.

Ultimately, [my husband and I] chose this path because we felt the negative impact of the COVID restrictions, for in-person schooling, far outweighed the benefits. Another huge consideration was, if the schools do have to shut down, I did not want to manage three different grades of virtual programs.

Homeschooling was a way we could all know what to expect in a time of so much uncertainty.

I think to make this year a success, both my children and myself will have to remain open and honest in our communication on what is working and what isn’t. I will have to face my fears as a “good enough” parent and surrender. I think facing challenges is our greatest strength as humans, and if we can do that together, we will be better for it.

I asked my 8-year-old daughter, “What are the best and worst things about homeschooling so far?”

She said, “The best thing about homeschooling is the freedom. I love being able to choose what to do. Let’s say I want to do my needlepoint, and then I want to do a little math. I can.

Every day I am not forced to do the same thing over and over again. You get to choose what you want to do, not what you have to do. The worst thing is that I don’t get to see my friends every day, but I get to be with you and Seb and Finn, which is really nice.”

COURTESY OF RANDI BECKER

Saybra Varisano

Becker is an art therapist and a first-time homeschooling parent in Williston. Her kids are Sebastian, 11; Aviana, 8; and Finn, 5.

The Becker kids homeschooling

Michelle Steele Steele teaches French and Spanish at Middlebury Union High School and has three kids, ages 4, 6 and 9. Read her full diary of the first week of school and the days leading up to it in the online version of this story.

SEPTEMBER 4: Got face masks, face shields, disinfectant and gloves, desks spaced out, 12

different seating charts done, four sets of weekly plans for three different cohorts … Am I ready? Everything is screencasted and hyperlinked, posted and planned … Am I ready?

SEPTEMBER 7: Tomorrow is the big day! My kids are starting fourth grade, first grade, and my youngest is starting her second week of preschool. There is a little separation anxiety going on in our house (and I’m not sure who is worse, the parents or the kids). To ease the separation, we made ourselves matching friendship bracelets for the first day.

We’ve been home together since March, and this first Outdoor learning tents at day back marks a big transiMiddlebury Union High School tion for all of us.

SEPTEMBER 8: The day went great, on all fronts. The kids loved school. My day with my classes went well.

Perhaps the hardest day of my teaching career yet but also one of the most exciting (and most memorable). We are all too exhausted to do much of anything. Early to bed!

COURTESY OF MICHELLE STEELE

COURTESY OF SAYBRA VARISANO

Sign at Bellows Free Academy Fairfax

Randi Becker

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

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food+drink

Bringing Home the Bacon Vermont farmers are riding a pandemic-era wave of demand for local meat

T

he old dairy barn at Champlain Valley Farm in Addison looks like many others along Route 22A, but the pickup truck with “HOGFRMR” on its license plate indicated it was the right place. Confirmation came from the words “Hog Wild” emblazoned on several demolition derby cars scattered about.

“Me and my wife do demolition derby,” Ethan Gevry explained after he zoomed over in his Gator. “I won the Vermont state championship two years ago.”

The championship takes place at the Vermont State Fair in Rutland; like most such events, it was canceled this year due to the coronavirus. The farmer has kept busy, though, managing his hog business through the ups and downs of a year like no other.

Gevry has been farming pigs since he was 18. Now 24, he’s raising about 2,000 animals a year in five large, airy hoop barns bedded with straw.

So far, 2020 has brought a rush of what Gevry calls “COVID cowboys” buying their first piglets to raise for themselves, as well as more people looking to do their own pig roasts. “I think people are a little antsy to get outside and do something,” he hypothesized.

The young farmer also spent weeks trying to find slaughter slots and a market for more than 100 pigs he had been raising for Jasper Hill Farm, whose salami business was torpedoed by the pandemic.

Gevry thinks he could have found someone to buy the pork, but all the slaughterhouses in the area were booked solid.

He ended up selling the animals at a live auction in Pennsylvania for a $40,000 loss.

The pandemic has brought new challenges and opportunities to Vermont meat farmers. Wholesale customers such as restaurants and schools closed with little warning, then consumer demand leapt when several large national meat processors shut down due to COVID-19 outbreaks among employees. Wendy’s

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fast-food chain took burgers off the menu at more than 1,000 locations, and people hoarded ground beef and bacon like toilet paper. Vermonters stocked up, too, and many turned to local farmers to buy direct; some bought piglets and even beef cows for self-sufficiency.

While many of the state’s farmers have been able to take advantage of the increased demand, the pandemic has underscored and exacerbated what is evident every fall at peak slaughter season: Vermont’s processing infrastructure lacks the elasticity to fully respond to sudden spikes in demand.

This hurts farmers, but whose problem is it to solve?

CALEB KENNA

B Y M E L I SSA PASANEN

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

Endless Fall

The state’s 39 inspected slaughterhouses and meat processors have chugged steadily and safely through the pandemic, but they are running full throttle and stretched to capacity.

“It’s kind of like fall’s been eight months long,” said Julie Boisvert, the meat program section chief at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets.

The meat program is part of the system that ensures the safety of red meat and poultry processed or sold in the state.

Its responsibilities include licensing and inspecting facilities in Vermont that slaughter animals and process meat, as well as licensing retail establishments that sell meat.

Data show that both supply and demand are up. The number of animals slaughtered under inspection is up 33 percent so far in 2020, Boisvert said.

Requests for licenses to sell prepackaged meat have also increased, from 930 in 2019 to 1,290 this year; she attributes this largely to farmstands newly offering local meat.

Her department has also received its share of phone calls from farmers

Pig farmer Ethan Gevry in Addison

and homesteaders desperately seeking processing options.

“A bunch of farmers are poised to grow but don’t dare because of processing,” said Jenn Colby, who raises sheep and pigs at Howling Wolf Farm in Randolph. She also

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works with about 400 livestock producers each year as the pasture program coordinator at University of Vermont Extension’s Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

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Cutline

to Plate initiative, a group of beef farmers concluded that the potential existed to grow sales by about 70 percent — to close to $30 million over the next decade.

“But they quickly realized they can’t get there with existing infrastructure,” said Ellen Kahler, executive director of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, which administers Farm to Plate.

Boom and Bust

Slaughter and processing limitations are sometimes treated as a single issue, but Kahler and Boisvert believe the more significant bottleneck is the timeconsuming process of butchering slaughtered animals into retail cuts. However, not everyone agrees with that conclusion.

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Mateo Kehler, cofounder of and head cheesemaker at Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, said the nationally known cheese company was about to dive deeply into the salami business when sales plummeted in March due to COVID-19.

Jasper Hill hit the brakes, shipping off all 55 cows in its dairy herd, scaling back at the creamery and pausing production at its new $350,000 salami plant. And the company told Gevry, Jasper Hill’s pork supplier, that it would have to put a hold on buying pigs.

“The twisted part of it all is that our mail-order business boomed in late April and May,” Kehler said, “and we had no meat and no way of filling the pipeline.”

Jasper Hill had lost its kill slots. “All we needed was slaughter capacity,” he said emphatically.

Kehler is unsure about the future of the salami line. What he does know is that a projected $1 million annual business requires processing that he can count on.

“If we’re going to get back into the meat business,” Kehler said, “we’re going to have to build a slaughterhouse.”

business at the Hannaford Career Center in Middlebury.

One day the program director came to him and said, “I’ve got a guy who wants a young guy to start raising pigs for him,” Gevry recalled.

Mark Curran of Black River Produce in North Springfield was working with business partners to build a regional meat brand, Black River Meats. A primary goal was to get young people involved in farming and take over old dairy farms.

Curran, a local foods distribution pioneer, cofounded Black River Produce in 1978. He had come to believe that livestock was a solid, year-round business opportunity that takes advantage of Vermont’s strength in growing grass for grazing and hay.

When Curran, 66, first met Gevry, “I said, ‘Let’s go grab a beer,’ and he said, ‘I’m

in converting the former Ben & Jerry’s Peace Pops plant in North Springfield into a meat-processing plant and continually upgrading it.

Curran still owns the building, but Minnesota-based Lorentz Meats took over the operation in 2014 and named it Vermont Packinghouse. It has grown to provide services to many Vermont livestock farmers, which eased capacity issues for several years.

In early 2020, Walden Local Meat Co. in Billerica, Mass. — which aggregates sustainably raised northeastern meat to sell direct to consumers — became a minority owner of the plant, Curran said.

He believes Walden did so to help ensure that its farmers have processing access.

Similarly, Curran’s team handles all processing and sales for Gevry, which has enabled Gevry to focus on farming. “I

MEAT PRODUCTION MAKES PERFECT SENSE FOR VERMONT. MAR K C UR R AN

PHOTOS: CALEB KENNA

Ethan Gevry’s pig farm in Addison

Gevry, a fourth-generation farmer, knew he wanted to farm but didn’t know how to make a living at it. One thing was certain: It wouldn’t be in dairy.

The family sold its herd in 2002. “I watched my grandparents and uncle struggle, and that was nothing I wanted a part of,” Gevry said.

During high school, he milked for neighbors, raised a few pigs for friends and family, and studied agricultural 42

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

Demand for local meat had been growing steadily, even at mainstream supermarkets, Curran said: “Eight years ago, they’d say, ‘No, we don’t buy local meat.’”

Then the pandemic kicked off what he described as a disorienting “three-month seesaw pattern.”

“First, colleges shut down; that was 30 percent of our business. The next week, restaurants shut down; that was another 50 percent,” Curran said. “Then, when Tyson and Conagra [processing plants] started closing, the phone began to ring off the hook, and demand for local [meat] took off. Now, food service is coming back, and retail is still growing. We’re maxed out, and the [processing] bottleneck is back.”

Curran believes another facility the size of Vermont Packinghouse would help

IF WE WANT TO KEEP OUR WORKING LANDS VIABLE,

Ethan Gevry

Farming Futures

Tricky Business

not old enough,’” Curran recalled with a chuckle.

Ninety percent of Gevry’s 2,000 pigs go to Black River Meats and a newer brand, Vermont Family Farms, launched by Curran and Bill Kuhnert in 2019. All Black River operations were sold to Reinhart Foodservice in 2016, but Curran’s team continues to source and process meat for both brands.

Control of animal processing was critical to Black River Meats’ original success, which is why Curran invested $10 million

couldn’t market that many pigs myself,” Gevry acknowledged.

The business, along with his haying operation, enabled the young farmer to buy the 380-acre family farm in 2018. It had been conserved by his grandparents through the Vermont Land Trust and has an agricultural value of more than $1 million, he said.

“Pigs are what I got the opportunity to do, and it stuck,” he said. “I’m really good at finishing hogs.”

grow the opportunity for Vermont agriculture. “The demand is there. Farmers have capacity to raise more,” he said. “The roadblock is in the processing.”

But he won’t be leading the charge this time. “It’s a really difficult business,” Curran said, listing skilled labor, waste management, permitting and community relations among the challenges.

Bruce Hennessey of Maple Wind Farm in Richmond concurred. The diversified, pasture-based livestock operation

food+drink processes its own poultry, as well as birds for more than a dozen other farmers.

During the early months of the pandemic, when sales tripled, “controlling our own processing for poultry made all the difference,” Hennessey said. But the continued relentless pace on top of pandemic-induced stress has put a lot of pressure on his team. Absenteeism and payroll costs rose.

“If there was somebody who was doing quality [poultry] processing, I would close our shop and take it to them in a heartbeat,” Hennessey said.

“If you’re strictly interested in return on investment, it’s probably not the best business,” Curran conceded. “But if you want to keep our working lands viable, meat production makes perfect sense for Vermont.”

Doing It for Themselves

During April and May, the phone rang so incessantly at the Royal Butcher in Braintree that the slaughter and processing facility’s new owner, Justin Sauerwein, put a message on the voicemail and turned the ringer off.

“It was probably 50 calls a day, up to maybe a peak of 75,” Sauerwein said. “I had to say no a lot.”

The 36-year-old farmer understands

STINA BOOTH

Cole Ward breaking down a hindquarter of beef raised by local families for their own use

the anxiety of having animals ready for market but no way to process them under inspection so that the meat can be sold to customers.

At Almanack Farm in Chelsea, Sauerwein grew his own herd of Wagyu-Angus crosses to 150. He sells them in partnership with another local beef farmer to accounts such as the Worthy Vermont restaurant group and regional co-op grocers.

Sauerwein, who grew up in Kansas, moved to Vermont because of its

reputation for supporting small farms.

His uncle back home farmed 4,000 acres, mostly of wheat. “That was not enough to make a living,” Sauerwein observed dryly.

Ensuring that he and other livestock farmers have processing access motivated Sauerwein to purchase Royal Butcher in January for less than $1 million. The relatively small operation processes 10 animals, mostly beef, per day. Throughout the year, the facility works with about 200 farms, but the bulk of its business comes from a dozen of them.

Sauerwein said it’s been stressful to be so busy, but he feels lucky that the rush started during what is normally a slow season.

The business bump enabled Sauerwein to grow from five to 13 employees with better starting wages. The spring hires now average $18 an hour. He’s pleased that the group is diverse. “We’ve got one just out of high school, a 50-year-old ex-military guy, and two African Americans,” Sauerwein said. “Two guys applied because they heard me on [Vermont Public Radio],” he said.

Referring to the national meat shortages, Sauerwein added, “I do think it’s driven more awareness of the importance of meat processors.”

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Everyone agrees that a couple more goodsize slaughter and processing facilities would help Vermont farmers, but creating them is going to take some time. Meanwhile, the state hopes to increase access by working with some of the 30 custom processing facilities that are not currently inspected.

Many custom processors are skilled meat cutters, or butchers, who could help alleviate the bottleneck during that portion of animal processing.

According to federal regulations, any meat sold to the public must be slaughtered and processed under direct supervision of a state or U.S. Department of Agriculture meat inspector. Custom operations can only process meat for use by the person who raised the animal (or their employees, family or nonpaying guests) or by someone who bought it or a share of the live animal directly from a farmer. Generally, these animals have been slaughtered on-farm by an itinerant slaughterer and an inspector need not be present.

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We Were There

be inspected, though she still plans to work toward inspection.

“My focus has been on butchery and bringing local meat to local people,” Roma said. “I want to use my skills to help the community and small farmers.”

From left: Cole Ward, Travis Ryan and Matt Ryan at the Enosburg Meat Market

No one can predict whether the pandemic-prompted shift to local meat will stick, but processing capacity issues persist regardless.

Earlier this month, Maple Wind Farm had to take 20 pigs on a four-hour journey to a slaughterhouse in New York. Yet Hennessey said the farm’s August sales have settled down from pandemic highs to only slightly above last year’s. “I hope people will remember we were the ones that were there when the big supply chains were disrupted,” he said.

Colby of Howling Wolf Farm said she continues to see strong demand and has already taken several deposits for her next batch of pigs. Ideally, those would have been slaughtered this fall, but she couldn’t book slots until January. By then, “Those are going to be big pigs,” she said ruefully.

But Colby is optimistic that the pandemic disruption of the national meat supply has shone a spotlight on local processing needs. “As a farmer and extension agent,” she said, “I see an amazing opportunity to grow a bigger, better system that is more stable.”

Contact: pasanen@sevendaysvt.com

ON-FARM SLAUGHTER Since 2014, Vermont has had an on-farm slaughter regulation, which essentially allows farmers to sell a limited number of whole live cows, pigs, sheep and goats direct to consumers, who are then responsible for the slaughter and processing of the animal. It was later amended to allow farmers to sell a whole live animal to multiple people, effectively permitting consumers to buy portions. (Poultry is covered in a different regulation.)

Advocates for the regulation have argued that it should help relieve the bottleneck at inspected slaughter and processing facilities by providing an alternative for direct sale between small-scale farmers and local customers.

However, the program appears to be currently underutilized: Only 10 farmers have filed the required paperwork to perform on-farm slaughter this year, down from 13 last year. In the face of increased demand for local meat, this baffles Julie Boisvert, meat program section chief at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets.

Caroline Gordon, legislative director for Rural Vermont, believes that the regulation is confusing for farmers and consumers; she has requested more active guidance and education from the agriculture agency.

A key sticking point is how people interpret the requirement that farmers not “assist” with the slaughter. The regulation specifies that farmers can provide a site, implements of slaughter and wastedisposal services. Rural Vermont believes that the farmer can also help customers organize the slaughter, as long as “the farmer keeps hands off” of the actual slaughter, Gordon said.

This detail is important because itinerant slaughterers can be difficult to find: There is no public listing, and they are not regulated.

The on-farm slaughter regulation is due to sunset in 2023. At a recent House Agriculture and Forestry Committee meeting, Gordon made a case, unsuccessfully, for increasing the number of animals farmers are allowed to sell under the regulation in an effort to respond to pandemic demand and improve farm viability.

MELISSA PASANEN

44

“will help get us all through the hump, get through fall,” she said, by enabling her to cut the meat of animals sold to customers under Vermont’s on-farm slaughter regulation (see sidebar on page 42). For that, she does not need to

STINA BOOTH

supervision of an inspector. As long as the animals have been slaughtered under inspection, that meat can then be sold.

“If we could get some of these people to do one or two days under inspection,” Boisvert said, “I think it would make a huge difference.”

The question is, how many are interested in jumping through additional hoops when they are already experiencing high demand for uninspected services?

Travis Ryan, 43, and his brother, Matt, 44, co-own the Enosburg Meat Market, which opened in 2019. Travis told Seven Days that the shop’s pre-pandemic plan was to do some inspected meat cutting during the slower season. But this year hasn’t had a slow season.

Longtime Vermont butcher Cole Ward, 70, is in charge of the meat market’s meat counter and custom cutting operation.

He likes to share that he’s missing a lung and has 14 stents in his heart. But he deftly demonstrated that he can still catch a 30-pound loin while expertly breaking down a locally raised beef hindquarter hung from the ceiling.

The market’s retail case doesn’t usually contain Vermont meat, but the walk-in is hung with quarters of beef raised by area families for their own use, all slaughtered on-farm.

“It’s been wild this year. The cooler’s been full every month,” Ward said.

Travis said that the custom business was up probably fourfold this year.

“COVID’s been very good for us,” his brother added.

In South Royalton, Elizabeth Roma, 36, is about to launch her own custom cutting business in the unused kitchen at the Fox & Harrow Restaurant, a pandemic casualty. She has worked at the Royal Butcher, as well as at another local slaughterhouse and a Maine butcher shop. From the kill floor to sausage making, “I can do the full process,” she said.

Roma’s husband co-owns Putting Down Roots Farm, which raises chickens for eggs, as well as meat birds and pigs, so she is well aware of the challenges facing small farms. This spring Putting Down Roots lost a major restaurant account and scrambled to source piglets when a prearranged deal vanished due to heightened market demand.

Prior to the pandemic, Roma was renovating a different space to open a butcher shop in South Royalton. Her plan was to take animals slaughtered at the Royal Butcher and bring them to her shop to cut under inspection. The coronavirus postponed that project.

For now, the custom cutting operation

Slaughterer Mary Lake working on a farm in Lincoln in 2018

The committee cited the lack of required paperwork that Boisvert had previously noted and discussed possible roadblocks to registering and reporting. Without documentation from farmers demonstrating utilization of the current limits, several committee members said it was hard to justify increasing them.

“Until we can get these people reporting, I’m kind of unsympathetic,” said Rep. John Bartholomew (D-Hartland).

Committee chair Rep. Carolyn Partridge (D-Windham) asked the agency and Rural Vermont to work together to educate farmers and increase registrations. She concluded by saying the committee would revisit the issue in January after the fall slaughter season.

food+drink SALLY POLLAK

FILE: JAMES BUCK

Stone’s Throw Pizza in Fairfax

Williston site where the Farmhouse Tap & Grill had planned to open

SIDEdishes SERVING UP FOOD NEWS

BY SAL LY POL L AK

Stone’s Throw Grows THE PIZZERIA’S THIRD BRANCH WILL BE IN CHARLOTTE STONE’S THROW PIZZA will

open its third pizzeria — this one at 86 Ferry Road in Charlotte — in late fall or early winter, according to co-owner SILAS POLLITT. The Charlotte branch of Stone’s Throw will be takeout only, serving pizzas, salads and desserts to-go, with a retail component selling beer and wine, housemade pickles,

kimchi, and pizza dough, according to Pollitt.

“There’s lots of brainstorming going on,” he said. “The concept allows us to exercise the imagination a little bit.”

A pizza place in Charlotte is itself a stretch of the imagination.

Stone’s Throw’s is the first restaurant permit issued in Charlotte “in living memory,” according to 24-year-old zoning administrator Daniel Morgan. (Charlotte bakery Pizza on Earth is takeout only.)

Pollitt and co-owner

TYLER STRATTON, childhood

friends from Fairfax, opened the original Stone’s Throw in their hometown in November 2018. They expanded to Richmond in January.

“We love that whole area, and Charlotte seems like a beautiful community to be part of,” Pollitt told Seven Days. “We’ve put a lot of effort into the garden and outdoor seating [in Richmond]. And we’ve been able to prosper there with the help of the community.”

Renovation began last week on the red clapboard building in Charlotte, which previously housed the Little Garden Market and Flying Pig Bookstore.

Pollitt anticipates a 10week build-out but can’t be certain when construction will wind up. “We’ll keep the public updated,” he said.

Fine for Dining WITH FARMHOUSE OUT, WILLISTON’S FINNEY CROSSING SEEKS A RESTAURANT TENANT

For a while, it looked like two well-known food businesses would anchor the building currently under construction at Finney Crossing in Williston. But, while

HEALTHY LIVING MARKET &

is still scheduled to move in, a new branch of the FARMHOUSE TAP & GRILL “is currently out of the picture,” according to SCOTT RIELEY, codeveloper of the project. “We are actively marketing [that part of the building] out in the public domain and have [had] discussions with people who are interested in taking the space,” he said.

Farmhouse owner JED DAVIS told Seven Days in November 2019 that he planned to expand Farmhouse to Williston, CAFÉ

adding the new branch to the original one that launched in downtown Burlington in May 2010.

The restaurant would have occupied the west side of the building, while Healthy Living anchored the opposite end.

The roughly 5,000-square-foot space is suited for a restaurant, Rieley said, with its patio and big garage-style windows. “It’s unfinished on the inside,” he said.

“Pending us finding an operator, we’ll fit it out to their specs.”

Four or five retail businesses will occupy the 12,000-square-foot space connecting the restaurant side of the building with Healthy Living, Rieley said.

ELI LESSER-GOLDSMITH, co-owner of Healthy Living, told Seven Days that he can’t specify the date when the Williston store will open.

“Healthy Living is working furiously to finish construction on our new store,” he said. “And we’re super excited to open and serve the community of Williston and surrounding towns very soon.”

Attempts to reach Davis were unsuccessful.

CONNECT Follow us for the latest food gossip! On Twitter: Sally Pollak: @vtpollak. On Instagram: Seven Days: @7deatsvt; Jordan Barry: @jordankbarry.

Online Ordering & Walk-up Orders Outdoor Seating Gluten Free, Vegetarian & Vegan Friendly

373 Blair Park Rd, Williston Open daily 11am-8pm Essex Junction location opening in September!

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8/21/20 10:18 AM

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BIG HEAVY WORLD

music+nightlife

Office Space Jim Lockridge talks Big Heavy World, the pandemic and a Music Cities Awards nomination

DJ Craig Mitchell

B Y JORD A N AD AMS

F

or nearly 25 years, Burlington music nonprofit Big Heavy World has endeavored to strengthen the ties that bind Vermont’s music community together. It’s hosted countless shows in teen centers, public parks, and even the basement of founder and executive director Jim Lockridge.

It’s provided musicians with practical resources, from industry connections and advice to a tour van used by dozens of local bands. It’s spearheaded the Vermont Music Archive, a massive collection of local music, much of which can be heard via 105.9 FM the Radiator, BHW’s eclectic low-power community radio station.

While long appreciated locally, those efforts and others recently caught the attention Music Cities Events, a multifaceted international organization focused on the development of “music cities” — that is, municipalities with vibrant music scenes, such as Burlington. The group does so through a variety of projects and programming, including online and in-person conferences and its new Music Cities Awards.

Alongside Tennessee’s Memphis Tourism Music Hub and Australia’s Music Victoria, BHW is nominated for a Music Cities Award for best global music office. According to MCE’s website, that honor will go to “the music office that can showcase unrivaled support for music, 46

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

From left: Big Heavy World crew member Mollie Allen, author Shawna Potter and crew member Cadence Gentley

musicians and music businesses in their city as well as globally.”

The award comes with some small prizes, but the real boon for BHW and its ongoing missions would be international recognition.

The Music Cities Awards announcement is early on Wednesday, September 23 — just before this issue hits newsstands — so you can visit sevendaysvt.com to find out how BHW fared.

Seven Days recently caught up with Lockridge to discuss the nomination and the state of BHW during the pandemic.

SEVEN DAYS: First of all, what’s new with you and Big Heavy World?

JIM LOCKRIDGE: The COVID -19 experience has been a catalyst for a lot of activity at Big Heavy World. We’re chugging through. It’s given us the opportunity to pay real close attention to the guts of some of the bigger projects we’ve had on burners but not necessarily as hot as they are now. And although the scenery is different in the world, it’s also an opportunity to be critical and experience a little expansion and evolution.

SD: What kind of expansion and critical thinking?

JL: There have been a number of smaller projects that were responses to COVID. Then another set of programming and responsiveness to George Floyd and Black Lives Matter becoming central to our thoughts as a society.

We’ve always broadcast Vermont-made music randomly and equitably on the radio station between DJs. So everybody making music in Vermont has the same chance of being heard. We load up everybody who wants to be there. We’ve begun broadcasting music by Vermont’s BIPOC artists at nine minutes past every single hour.

We’re taking on the role of amplifying the message and cultural presence of our BIPOC musicians.

SD: Is this the first time Big Heavy World has been nominated for the Music Cities Awards?

JL: Yeah, it’s the first time I think the awards have happened. Our application was pretty succinct. It was just, “Here we are. We do what we do.” I think the key points that come from our direction here in Vermont are that we operate a music office that’s been around for 25 years at this point, run by volunteers, which is a model that’s unique.

But also, we’re a music office that’s had a close relationship to emerging technology and accomplishes programming that you wouldn’t expect from traditional music offices, such as the archive, which has about 5,000 recordings in it now, and a licensed radio station that plays Vermont music when there’s not a DJ on air. We’ve pushed through a lot of the typical boundaries, and we’ve done so with a model that’s, as far as I know, unique.

I deeply respect the Music Cities Events people because they’ve been champions of the role of music, socially and economically, all over the world. And I’ve been to their conferences and conventions in Washington, D.C., and Memphis. They’re serving music offices, but not every city or state legislates one into existence. There are a lot of nonprofits with music-related roles that are standing in where music offices haven’t been created formally by government. Obviously, Big Heavy World is in that category.

We’ve had a lot of interaction with the city council over the years, seeking designation as a music office for the city because the city doesn’t have one. Both the city council and the state legislature have offered very kind, supportive resolutions identifying the value of the work

GOT MUSIC NEWS? JORDAN@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

DJ Flame (Anthony Glosson)

we’re doing, but it’s challenging to put a handle on what a designation means. If the agency of commerce were to invent a music office, it would be a cubicle in a building in Montpelier. It wouldn’t be what we do at Big Heavy World.

offer is recognized in a milieu like that. If the perspective of what a music office is was limited to what might be legislated into existence, then it would have a much smaller circle around it. I think that what we have to offer goes above and beyond.

And it’s nice to have that valued.

SD: Does Big Heavy World fit into any of the other award categories, such SD: I can imagine, especially as best use of music to drive tourbecause, locally speaking, there’s not ism, or best use of music to support much to bestow that honor upon you. sustainability?

JL: Last year, the Vermont Arts Council JL: In my mind, those match up to recognized me with an award for arts programs, and we may or may not advocacy. And that filled my heart, you pursue programming or a project know? I was like, “Oh, damn. I’m not that accomplishes those goals. I think an asshole.” Everything that I try to put with our research, with into the world is meant to our music videos, the be standing on some value directories, we’re covering or purpose, and for that many of the bases you’d intention to be recognized expect from a music office is pretty nice. or music development If we were to experience office, and then we have an equivalent, it would be fun on top of that with the some kind of memoranother things we do. We’re dum with the agency of holding the fort for music commerce, for us to do the in Vermont in a number of work we do in support of J IM LOCKRIDGE ways, and I think that, all their objectives for marketthings considered, and in ing and economic developthe context of the state of Vermont, we’re ment. And maybe finding support from what we’ve got for a music office. the state. That would be the ultimate validation for our statewide inclusive SD: Would winning the award bring mission.

Big Heavy World anything other than prestige?

This interview has been edited and JL: [Laughing] I don’t think so. It’s just condensed for clarity and length. nice to feel validated. The nomination accomplished that. We’re up against Contact: jordan@sevendaysvt.com organizations that have inconceivably more capacity than we do. It’s not like INFO I’m holding my breath about how we’re Learn more about Big Heavy World, the gonna come out of the final competition. Vermont Music Archive and the Radiator at I’m just delighted that what we have to bigheavyworld.com.

I THINK THAT WHAT WE HAVE TO OFFER

GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND.

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9/18/20 8:50 AM

Get up to speed on Vermont news in under 15 minutes.

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SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

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9/14/20 1:12 PM

GOT MUSIC NEWS? JORDAN@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

REVIEW this Pons, Intellect

CHANNEL 1074

(SELF-RELEASED, DIGITAL)

CONVERSATIONS WITH KAY

Pons are pure anarchy. The young trio of Sam Cameron, Jack Parker and newish member Sebastien Carnot, all juniors at the University of Vermont, creates music that truly resists, in many senses of the word. It has no need for order. It thinks order sucks. Furthermore, the group and its manic tunes consistently 5:04 PM defy comparison, a noteworthy feat in an oversaturated world.

Pons’ debut full-length album, Intellect, is a deluge of froth-mouthed mayhem.

It’s volatile, bewildering, aggressive, thorny, playful, impenetrable, jagged, exhilarating — I could keep rattling off adjectives until I’ve exhausted my word count. The songs sound as if they once contained some semblance of convention. But they’ve been shredded into tiny pieces, liquefied in a Vitamix, locked in a subzero freezer overnight, chipped apart with an icepick and left out on the counter to melt, dripping all over the floor and collecting in puddles.

SATURDAYS > 5:30 P.M. GET MORE INFO OR WATCH ONLINE AT VERMONTCAM.ORG

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Encourage social distancing

Abby Sherman and the Way North, Abby Sherman and the Way North (SELF-RELEASED, DIGITAL)

Just about every record that lands on the

All sales support the Vermont Foodbank.

onecowvt.com Say you saw it in...

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9/21/20

Seven Days desk these days comes with an addendum about making music during the pandemic.

That isn’t a gripe. The inventiveness and determination of Vermont’s musicians to keep creating has been a real source of pride and joy. Still, I can’t deny that I felt a sense of relief when I realized that the new self-titled Abby Sherman and the Way North album is a live record. Hence, no tales of sending tracks across the country or grappling with anxiety while alone in a bedroom. Abby Sherman and the Way North is just a red-hot blues-rock band backing up one of the scene’s most 10:29 AM consistently quality singer-songwriters.

The Morrisville-based Sherman has

sevendaysvt.com

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SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

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Pons’ music is raw and primal, yet it’s also cerebral. They frequently write about thought, perception and consciousness.

By naming the LP Intellect — and by brandishing its front cover with a figure clutching its face as its cranium expands to monstrous proportions — they emphasize a fixation on metacognition. The words “head,” “thought,” “think,” “mind” and “brain” repeatedly appear on Intellect.

They can’t get out of their own heads. (Even their band name refers to a part of the brain.)

“NO SQUID,” one of the album’s early singles, neatly encapsulates Pons’ modus operandi. Lyrics are yelped in hot, anguished flashes, punctuated by herky-jerky riffs and clashing dance beats. The tempo changes — and changes again — as the song lurches forward. Lyrically, the seafaring tune is full of existential dread (“Pulling me down under the sea / Choking on water and I’m trying to breathe”), a recurring theme throughout Pons’ canon.

Back-to-back tracks “Jimmy Two-Time” and “Dick Dastardly,” two particularly wild inclusions, reference a pair of fictional

ne’er-do-wells — Goodfellas gangster Jimmy Two Times and the Hanna-Barbera cartoon villain, respectively. But in Pons’ world, are these profiles of real people, pure fantasy or portraits of band members’ dark sides? The former cut transforms from loose, ambling slop-rock into firstwave punk. The latter’s central feature is a two-and-a-half-minute noise operetta, a grinding cyclone of shrapnel obliterating everything in its path.

“Subliminal Messages” turns an unstable inner monologue into dancepunk perfection. Its lyrics are riddled with societal angst (“You’re in my space / I feel uncomfortable,” “Subliminal messages enter my head,” “Always pressured to consume”), but the track’s mechanized disco beats and armada of spiked synths provide stability. It’s a four-minute exercise in conflict and contradiction.

Pons continue to be one of the most fascinating local rock groups. Intellect extends the cohesion initiated in their earlier releases. In seemingly setting parameters for what Pons’ music can be, the group shows that those parameters are only there to be broken.

Intellect is available at ponsbandofficial. bandcamp.com.

been steadily releasing music for the last few years, making a name for herself as a soulful vocalist with a touch of blues-rock to her compositions. Her previous efforts, Finding Hope in 2018 and 2019’s So It Goes, hewed close to folk and country, and showcased Sherman’s roots pedigree and talent for down-on-your-luck troubadour songwriting. Backed by the Way North, Sherman reveals a grittier edge.

“Black Crow” kicks off the album as a laidback blues number whose shuffling beat and languid slide guitar disguise its true “get the fuck out of this town” vibe. “You said you’d be a better man without me around,” Sherman seethes as she paints the picture of a relationship flaming out.

Throughout the album, Sherman burns with the fiery indignation of a jilted lover. In lesser hands, this could easily become a trope, but Sherman’s powerhouse voice elevates her music above cliché. The raw emotion and hints of grit and darkness that suffuse her melodies belie banality. Sherman’s fervent belting is believable.

The Way North, which features keyboardist Dave Langevin, bassist Phil Rosenblum, Zack Alario on drums and lead guitarist Christopher Brown, bring out the best in Sherman’s songs.

Interestingly — pandemic angle alert! — they had only just started gigging when the quarantine struck. You’d never know it based on this live album, recorded July 1 with Ryan Cohen at Robot Dog Studio as part of Higher Ground’s livestream concert series. The expertly produced set showcases a band in fine form. Tracks such as “Calling for Rain” — a tune Sherman wrote during the shutdown — highlight the interplay and growing chemistry between the singer and a band that’s starting to stretch out.

In an email, Sherman explained that the band has been trying to find different outdoor venues to keep gigging, but with winter approaching, no one is sure what will happen next. Maybe make that quarantine studio album? In the meantime, we’re lucky to have acts like Abby Sherman and the Way North recording killer live sets to get us through.

Check out Abby Sherman and the Way North at abbyshermanband.bandcamp.com.

GET YOUR MUSIC REVIEWED:

JORDAN ADAMS

CHRIS FARNSWORTH

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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ur streaming entertainment options are overwhelming — and not always easy to sort through. Lately, I’ve been hearing major buzz about the paranoid thriller She Dies Tomorrow, the second film from writer-director Amy Seimetz, who’s also a familiar face from her acting roles in Upstream Color, “Stranger Things” and more. While waiting for Seimetz’s latest to land on one of my streaming platforms, I decided to see what was up with her 2012 debut feature, which shares two of its lead actors with She Dies Tomorrow.

Sun Don’t Shine is currently available on Amazon Prime Video and Kanopy.

The latter is a free streaming service you can access with your public library card — check it out!

COURTESY OF FACTORY 25

WE HAVE A

Sun Don’t Shine ★★★★

REVIEWS

The deal

Crystal (Kate Lyn Sheil) and Leo (Kentucker Audley) are a young couple on a road trip through rural Florida. But this is no vacation. When we meet them, they’re in the midst of a vicious physical struggle, which ends with the destruction of Crystal’s phone. “You choked me,” Crystal whispers, but she gets back in the car.

As the pair continues down the highway, we gradually piece together the context. Let’s just say something in the car trunk is starting to stink in the steamy heat of the Everglades.

Leo is well-meaning but not terribly bright; Crystal is tempestuous, possessive and shell-shocked. When it comes to trouble, these two are no pros, and it soon becomes clear they’re in way over their heads.

Will you like it?

Sun Don’t Shine is a particular breed of noir: light on plot and heavy on mood, with desperate characters who repeatedly make the worst possible choices. For most of its run time, it’s essentially a road movie about two sad, inarticulate people, and it only works because the atmosphere and the acting are superlatively done.

But it does work. From that first, context-free scene, Seimetz pulls us into the hothouse setting and the twisted

DAYS OF BLUNDER Sheil and Audley play a couple making a clumsy getaway in Seimetz’s absorbing Florida noir.

symbiosis of the couple, using handheld camera work and extreme close-ups.

The keening of insects, the hazy green foliage, the sun’s glare — it all adds up to a powerful, almost hypnotic evocation of place, seductive and oppressive at once.

Weeki Wachee Springs, the tourist attraction where the couple eventually ends up, has a special seductive quality for Crystal. When she was young, her mom took her to see the famous underwater mermaid show there. Now she dreams of being a mermaid herself, able to escape to a subterranean refuge where the consequences of her actions can’t touch her.

Some viewers may decry Crystal as a damsel in distress, given that she suffers from dissociation and whimsy and neediness and general irrationality — the antithesis of a “strong” female protagonist. But to reduce her to a misogynist caricature would be to discount Sheil’s mesmerizing performance as someone who combines the qualities of victim and victimizer, loving mother and murderer, dreamer and impulse junkie.

While Leo is a fairly familiar noir patsy — given tremulous, realistic life by Audley — Crystal feels like an original creation. She’s one sad piece of work, but it’s hard not to feel terror and pity as the inevitable denouement rolls around.

This is a movie that resolutely limits

its focus to one small, grubby, all-toomundane tragedy, but it sticks with you.

And it certainly makes me excited to see Seimetz’s sophomore effort.

If you like this, try...

• Morvern Callar (2002; Amazon Prime Video, Kanopy): Sun Don’t Shine is less a story of crime or violence than of the traumatized mental haze that follows.

The acclaimed second feature from Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here) plumbs a similarly dissociated state, also from a female perspective: Samantha Morton plays a young Scottish woman who comes home one day to find her boyfriend has died by suicide.

• Blue Ruin (2013; Netflix, rentable): This thriller from Jeremy Saulnier, about a vagrant on a desperate revenge quest, is one of my favorite kitchensink noirs. Like Sun Don’t Shine, it takes place in a vividly depicted hardscrabble Southern setting.

• Queen & Slim (2019; HBO Max): Romance on the road always makes for a steamy atmosphere, especially when the couple didn’t set out to be partners in crime. A traffic stop on a first date leads to a cop’s death and a bond of desperation for Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith in this debut drama from music-video director Melina Matsoukas.

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HAVE YOU

KAJILLIONAIRE: Miranda July (The Future) wrote and directed this unusual heist comedy about a con-artist couple (Debra Winger and Richard Jenkins) who have trained their daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) to follow in their footsteps. With Gina Rodriguez. (106 min, R; Savoy Theater)

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BECKYHHH A 13-year-old (Lulu Wilson) defends her home from neo-Nazi escaped convicts in this horror thriller from directors Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion. With Kevin James and Joel McHale.

(100 min, R; ends Thu 24 at Sunset Drive-In) BILL & TED FACE THE MUSICHHH1/2 The awesome dudes (Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter) from those ’80s/’90s comedies are older, but perhaps not wiser, in this belated sequel from Dean Parisot (Red 2). With Kristen Schaal. (88 min, PG-13; Capitol Showplace, Sat & Sun only) THE BROKEN HEARTS GALLERYHHH A young woman recovers from a romantic split by starting a gallery devoted to memorabilia from broken relationships in this rom-com written and directed

by Natalie Krinsky. Geraldine Viswanathan and Dacre Montgomery star. (Essex Cinemas; ends Thu 24 at Sunset-Drive-In) INFIDELHHH Jim Caviezel plays an American journalist kidnapped and jailed by the Iranian government in this action thriller from director Cyrus Nowrasteh (The Young Messiah). (107 min, R; Capitol Showplace, Essex Cinemas) ITH1/2 Half of Stephen King’s horror novel, about a gang of misfit kids fighting a monster that takes on the likeness of a creepy clown, comes to the big screen. Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor and Bill Skarsgård star. Andy Muschietti (Mama) directed. (135 min, R; reviewed by Rick Kisonak 9/13/17. Sunset Drive-In) THE NESTHHHH Sean Durkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene) wrote and directed this drama about a couple (Jude Law and Carrie Coon) who run into financial and personal trouble after relocating to an English manor house. (107 min, R; Capitol Showplace, Sat & Sun only) THE NEW MUTANTSHH In the last entry in the current X-Men film series, young mutants must use their abilities to escape from a secret facility.

With Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy and Charlie Heaton. Josh Boone directed. (98 min, PG-13; Essex Cinemas) RBGHHH1/2 This documentary from directors Julie Cohen (American Veteran) and Betsy West explores the life and work of late U.S. Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. (98 min, PG; Essex Cinemas, Savoy Theater) THE SECRETS WE KEEPHH1/2 In post-World War II suburbia, a woman takes drastic action against a neighbor she believes is a war criminal in this thriller from director Yuval Adler. Noomi Rapace and Joel Kinnaman star. (97 min, R; Capitol Showplace, Essex Cinemas) TENETHH1/2 Christopher Nolan (Interstellar) brings us a new high-concept spectacular in which John David Washington plays a mysterious agent who appears to be fighting for the very nature of time and reality. With Elizabeth Debicki, Robert Pattinson and Kenneth Branagh. (150 min, PG-13; Capitol Showplace, Essex Cinemas, Sunset Drive-In) UNHINGEDHH Caren Pistorius plays a woman unlucky enough to become the target of an unstable man (Russell Crowe) after a traffic encounter in this thriller from director Derrick Borte (American Dreamer). (90 min, R; Capitol Showplace, Essex Cinemas) THE WAY I SEE ITHHH1/2 Former official White House photographer Pete Souza talks about the eras of presidents Obama, Reagan and Trump and his own political journey in this documentary from director Dawn Porter (John Lewis: Good Trouble). (100 min, NR; Essex Cinemas, Savoy Theater)

RBG

OLDER FILMS

• Act 250 Permit applications • Foreclosures • Notices to creditors

• Storage auctions • Planning and zoning changes

Contact Katie Hodges for a quote at legals@sevendaysvt.com; 865-1020 x10.

APOLLO 13 (Paramount Theatre Drive-In, Sat only) BACK TO THE FUTURE (Bijou Drive-In, Fri only) BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (Jack McKernon Drive-In, Sat only) DAZED AND CONFUSED (Sunset Drive-In) THE GOONIES (Bijou Drive-In, Sat only) GREMLINS (Sunset Drive-In) GROUNDHOG DAY (Paramount Theatre Drive-In, Fri only) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA (Sunset Drive-In) ICE AGE (Jack McKernon Drive-In, Fri only) MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (Essex Experience Drive-In, Sat only) PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (Sunset Drive-In) THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (Sunset Drive-In)

6H-legals.indd 1

8/27/20 8:01 AM

Classic Cash Giveaway Thousands of Dollars in CASH PRIZES!

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (Bethel Drive-In, Fri-Sun only) SELMA (Paramount Theatre Drive-In, Thu 24 only) SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT (Essex Cinemas Drive-In at the Mansfield Barn, Sat only)

$101.70 Winner Every Weekday Through Oct 30th

STAR WARS: EPISODE V — THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (Capitol Showplace, Essex Cinemas, Fairlee Drive-In [Fri & Sun only]) WAYNE’S WORLD (Sunset Drive-In)

$1,017

THE WOMAN WHO LOVES GIRAFFES (Savoy Theater, Sat only)

GRAND PRIZE

OPEN THEATERS AND POP-UPS BETHEL DRIVE-IN: 36 Bethel Dr., Bethel, betheldrivein.com BIJOU DRIVE-IN: 157 Route 15, Morrisville; and Stafford Ave., Morrisville, 888-3293, bijou4.com

LISTEN DAILY FOR DETAILS

CAPITOL SHOWPLACE: 93 State St., Montpelier, 229-0343, fgbtheaters.com

or visit

ESSEX CINEMAS & T-REX THEATER: 21 Essex Way, Suite 300, Essex, 879-6543, essexcinemas.com

ClassicHitsVermont.com

ESSEX CINEMAS DRIVE-IN AT THE MANSFIELD BARN: 3 Irish Farm Rd., Jericho, 879-6543, essexcinemas.com ESSEX EXPERIENCE DRIVE-IN: 21 Essex Way, Suite 300, Essex, 879-6543, essexcinemas.com

CENTRAL VERMONT

FAIRLEE DRIVE-IN: 1809 Route 5, Fairlee, 333-9192, fairleedrivein.com

NORTHERN VERMONT

THE JACK MCKERNON DRIVE-IN, Estabrook Field, Brandon, 775-0903, paramountvt.org

CHAMPLAIN VALLEY

PARAMOUNT THEATRE DRIVE-IN, Vermont State Fair, Rutland, 775-0903, paramountvt.org

& STREAMING

THE SAVOY THEATER: 26 Main St., Montpelier, 229-0598, savoytheater.com

C l a s s ic Hit sV e r mont .c om

SUNSET DRIVE-IN: 155 Porters Point Rd., Colchester, 862-1800, sunsetdrivein.com 3V-RadioVTGroup092320 1

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

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classes

CLASS PLANS MAY CHANGE DUE TO THE PANDEMIC. PLEASE CHECK WITH ORGANIZERS IN ADVANCE.

Kickboxing! Low cost, excellent instructors, guaranteed. Full descriptions online. Location: online and at ACCESS CVU, 369 CVU Rd., Hinesburg. Info: Access CVU, Laura Howard, 482-7194, access@ cvsdvt.org, cvsdvt.ce.eleyo.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.

ACCESS

150+ classes offered online or outside at CVUHS! Classes run Sep. 21-Jan 31.

Full descriptions at cvsdvt.ce.eleyo.com.

GARDENING, HOMESTEADING: Recreation, animals and nature; online and outside for all ages.

Birding, Canine Manners, Dog and Cat Body Language, Primitive Fire Building, Build a Custom Snowboard, Ski/Snowboard Tuning, Chainsaw Maintenance, Cars 101, Seasonal Gardens, Forest Management, Fabulous Foliage, Medicinal Plants, Beekeeping With Bill Mares! Full descriptions online. Location: online and at ACCESS CVU, 369 CVU Rd., Hinesburg. Info: Access CVU, Laura Howard, 482-7194, access@ cvsdvt.org, cvsdvt.ce.eleyo.com.

ARTS & CRAFTS: Online and outside classes for all ages.

Watercolor With Ginny Joyner (three levels), Drawing, Sketching, Portraits, Mixed Media, Beginner Calligraphy, Flower Arranging, Embroidery, Macrame, Crochet, Jewelry, Wood Carving, Batik and Silk Painting, Wreaths, and more! Full descriptions online.

Location: online and at ACCESS CVU, Hinesburg. Info: Access CVU, Laura Howard, 482-7194, access@ cvsdvt.org, cvsdvt.ce.eleyo.com.

Sell!, Getting Into the Writing Habit, Memoir Workshop, SAT Bootcamp. Full descriptions online. Location: online with ACCESS CVU. Info: Access CVU, Laura Howard, 482-7194, access@ cvsdvt.org, cvsdvt.ce.eleyo.com.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND COMPUTERS: Online photography classes for all ages with Sean Beckett: Digital Photography 101, Mastering Photographic Composition, Digital Darkroom, and Photographic Critique. Online classes for all ages in computers and technology: Cybersecurity, Low-Cost CVU Computer Tech Help, Create a Webpage Using Simple Code, Database Programming and Design. Full descriptions online.

Location: online with ACCESS CVU. Info: Access CVU, Laura Howard, 482-7194, access@ cvsdvt.org, cvsdvt.ce.eleyo.com.

CUISINE & DINNER SERIES: All ages; online and outside.

Ethiopian/Eritrean With Alganesh, Vietnamese With Kim Dinh, Pierogi With Luiza, Fermentation, Five Italian Specialties With Adele, Middle Eastern Mezze With Richard, Knife Skills and more.

New Dinner Series outside! Buy a table and safely join us under a tent for dinner or take out.

Location: online and at ACCESS CVU, 369 CVU Rd., Hinesburg.

Info: Access CVU, Laura Howard, 482-7194, access@cvsdvt.org, cvsdvt.ce.eleyo.com.

HEALTH, WELLNESS, HOLISTIC LIVING: Online and outside classes for all ages. Mindful Meditation, Self-Hypnosis, Massage, Reflexology, Feldenkrais, Rethinking Sugar, Chinese Medicine, Tarot Card Adventure, Chakra Workshop, Gem and Crystals, and more affordable classes to boost your health and well-being! Full descriptions online. Location: online and at ACCESS CVU, 369 CVU Rd., Hinesburg. Info: Access CVU, Laura Howard, 482-7194, access@cvsdvt.org, cvsdvt. ce.eleyo.com.

LANGUAGE, WRITING AND MUSIC: Online classes for all ages. Intro to ASL, French, Spanish, and German! Ukulele, Guitar, Harmonica, Mandolin, Singing. Flash Fiction, Write and Pitch Your Book So It Will

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dance

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

SPEAKER SERIES ONLINE: Intro to Voice-Overs, Lincoln Hill’s 19th Century Black Farming Community, Shaken & Stirred: History of Cocktails, Antiracist by Ibram Kendi, Baseball Scouting 101, Royal Gardens of Spain, Vermont Architecture, the Thanksgiving Plate, Working Through Wishes, Temperance and Prohibition in the Champlain Valley, Gardens of Paris, Home Exchange, Author: Jack Mayer, and more interesting presentations from Access! Location: online through ACCESS CVU. Info: Access CVU, Laura Howard, 482-7194, access@cvsdvt.org, cvsdvt.ce.eleyo.com.

YOGA, FITNESS, MINDFUL MOVEMENT: Online and outside classes for all ages. Women’s Monday Yoga Hour, Thursday Yoga With Ellen, Beginners Tai Chi Chuan, Tai Chi Chuan Continued, Woman’s Self-Defense Workshop with Master Kellie, and Intro to

language EXPERIENCED NATIVE PROFESSOR OFFERING ONLINE SPANISH CLASSES: Premier native-speaking Spanish professor Maigualida Rak is giving fun, interactive online lessons to improve comprehension and pronunciation and to achieve

RESILIENT DANCING ONLINE FALL DANCE CLASS SERIES: Join the Vermont Dance Alliance for 33 unique dance classes, ranging in style from E-Tango to Hip Hop & House, from Composition for Teens to Families Dancing! All classes are open level and drop-in friendly, approachable, and accessible to all. Scholarships and group rates available.

Apply via info@vermontdance.org. Sep.-Dec. Cost: $10/person to drop in; $200/person for unlimited class card. Location: Zoom, online. Info: VT Dance Alliance, Hanna Satterlee, 410-458-3672, info@vermontdance.org, vermontdance.org/event/ resilient-dancing-online-classseries.

drumming DJEMBE & TAIKO: JOIN US!: Digital classes! (No classes on-site for now.) Taiko: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Djembe: Wednesday. Kids and Parents: Tuesday and Wednesday. Private digital conga lessons by appointment. Let’s prepare for a future drum gathering outdoors! Schedule/register online.

Location: Taiko Space, 208 Flynn Ave., Suite 3G, Burlington. Info: 999-4255, burlingtontaiko.org.

throughout life. IBJJF and CBJJ certified black belt sixth-degree instructor under Carlson Gracie Sr.: teaching in Vermont, born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

A five-time Brazilian National Champion; International World Masters Champion and IBJJF World Masters Champion. Accept no Iimitations! Location: Vermont Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, 55 Leroy Rd., Williston. Info: 598-2839, julio@ bjjusa.com, vermontbjj.com.

yoga

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: online. Info: Maigualida Rak, spanishtutor. vtfla@gmail.com, facebook.com/ spanishonlinevt.

JAPANESE LANGUAGE CLASSES (FALL): The Japan America Society of Vermont (JASV) is offering a beginning Japanese language course online via Zoom.

Main textbook: Japanese for Busy People I. Level 1 covers the first half of the book. Starting Mon., Oct. 5, 6:30-8 p.m. Cost: $160/ person for 10 90-minute weekly classes. Location: Zoom, online.

Info: jasvlanguage@gmail.com, jasv.org/v2/language.

martial arts VERMONT BRAZILIAN JIUJITSU: Brazilian jiujitsu is a martial arts combat style based entirely on leverage and technique. Brazilian jiujitsu self-defense curriculum is taught to Navy SEALs, CIA, FBI, military police and special forces. No training experience required. Easyto-learn techniques that could save your life! Classes for men, women and children. Students will learn realistic bully-proofing and self-defense life skills to avoid becoming victims and help them feel safe and secure. Our sole purpose is to help empower people by giving them realistic martial arts training practices they can carry with them

EVOLUTION YOGA: Come as you are and open your heart!

Whether you are new to yoga or have been at it for years, you’ll find the support you need to awaken your practice. Livestream, recorded and outdoor classes. Practice with us in the park or on the Sailing Center dock, overlooking Lake Champlain and the scenic mountains. Enrich your practice with our Yoga for Life program or 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training for Health and Wellness Professionals. Single class: $015. 10-class pass: $120. $5 new student special. Flexible pricing, scholarships avail. Location: Evolution Yoga, 20 Kilburn St., Burlington. Info: 864-9642, evolutionvt.com.

o w n WHAT?

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 drive-in movies to delicious recipes to day trips, there is something for everyone asking, “NOW what?”

SUBSCRIBE AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM 2V-Now0920.indd 1

9/22/20 3:42 PM

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SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

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9/22/20 2:17 PM

Our readers are

noteworthy.

Seven Days depends almost entirely on advertising and event revenue to pay the bills.

When that income was reduced by half because of the pandemic, we asked our readers for help, and you responded generously.

Thank you!

Haven’t donated yet?

If you like what we do and can afford to make a onetime or monthly recurring donation, please become a Seven Days Super Reader.

Your support will help to keep our journalism thriving, our communities connected and you, our valued readers, in the know.

Local Journalism Needs You. Donate Today!

Join the Super Readers at sevendaysvt.com/super-readers.

Or, send a note (and a check) to: Seven Days c/o Super Readers, PO Box 1164, Burlington, VT 05402.

Need info? Contact Corey Grenier at 865-1020, ext. 36 or superreaders@sevendaysvt.com.

54

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

1t-SRlovenotes-090220.indd 1

9/1/20 8:19 PM

COURTESY OF KELLY SCHULZE/MOUNTAIN DOG PHOTOGRAPHY

Humane

Society of Chittenden County

Ryder AGE/SEX: 4-year-old neutered male ARRIVAL DATE: September 8, 2020 REASON HERE: Didn’t do well with other dogs in his previous home.

SUMMARY: Ryder is a playful, loving guy looking for a new best friend! He’s happy to hang out with you no matter what you’re doing, whether that’s going for a nice long hike, relaxing outside or busily working in the office. He’s eager to learn and already knows “sit,” “lie down” and “roll over” but would love for you to teach him even more tricks. He promises to be an A+ student if there are treats involved! Ryder needs a home without other dogs around, but he’s got plenty of love to give all by himself. He typically greets new people with a tail wag and gentle sniff but shows off his goofy once you spend a little time with him. If you’re looking for a canine companion who can keep up on adventures but is also content to kick back and relax, make an appointment to meet Ryder!

housing »

APARTMENTS, CONDOS & HOMES

on the road »

DID YOU KNOW? The Humane Society of Chittenden County also serves the people and pets of Grand Isle County! If you or someone you know is a resident of Grand Isle County and is in need of help caring for or keeping pets in the home, please visit hsccvt.org for information on all of our available programs and services.

CARS, TRUCKS, MOTORCYCLES

pro services »

CHILDCARE, HEALTH/ WELLNESS, PAINTING

buy this stuff »

APPLIANCES, KID STUFF, ELECTRONICS, FURNITURE Sponsored by:

DOGS/CATS/KIDS: Ryder needs a home without other dogs. He has no experience living with cats. He has lived with children.

NEW STUFF ONLINE EVERY DAY! PLACE YOUR ADS 24-7 AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM.

music »

INSTRUCTION, CASTING, INSTRUMENTS FOR SALE

jobs »

NO SCAMS, ALL LOCAL, POSTINGS DAILY

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

55

CLASSIFIEDS

housing ads: $25 (25 words) legals: 52¢/word buy this stuff: free online services: $12 (25 words)

CARS/TRUCKS

Route 15, Hardwick

802-472-5100

3842 Dorset Ln., Williston

802-793-9133

housing

FOR RENT

BIZ OPPS

TAROT ~ Virtual Readings ~ Divine guidance in uncertain times ErikaFarmerTarot.com

services

BECOME A PUBLISHED AUTHOR! We edit, print & distribute your work internationally. We do the work; you reap the rewards! Call for a free Author’s Submission Kit: 844-511-1836. (AAN CAN)

ADOPTION

COUPLE HOPING TO AFFORDABLE CASH FOR CARS! ADOPT 2-BR APT. AVAIL. age. cintry@fullcirclevt.

We buy all cars! Junk, Kind & fun-loving VT original miles. $18,800!

At Keen’s Crossing. com, 802-879-3333. high-end, totaled: It sm-allmetals060811.indd 7/20/15 1 5:02 PM Untitled-2 1 8/21/20 5:46 PM couple can provide a Call 743-777-9645.

2-BR: $1,266/mo., heat & doesn’t matter. Get free safe & loving home HW incl. Open floor plan, TAFT FARM SENIOR towing & same-day for your baby. If fully applianced kitchen, LIVING COMMUNITY cash. Newer models, you are pregnant & 10 Tyler Way, Williston, fi tness center, pet too. Call 1-866-535considering adoption, independent senior friendly, garage parking.

9689. (AAN CAN) we would welcome 2012 HONDA CBR250R living. Newly remodeled Income restrictions MOTORCYCLE hearing from you. www.

1-BR unit on the main apply. 802-655-1810, 2-cylinder, black. jonandtessa.weebly. floor avail., $1,185/ keenscrossing.com.

8,851 miles. Great com, 802-272-7759. mo. incl. utils. & cable. condition. 1 women’s BASEMENT APT. NS/pets. Must be 55+ small JHC helmet, 1 DOWNTOWN years of age. cintry@ medium women’s fly $1,000/mo., $1,000 fullcirclevt.com or racing helmet, women’s sec. dep. Avail. now.

802-879-3333.

2004 MONACO padded jacket, riding Artsy furnished apt., HOLIDAY DONATE YOUR CAR TO CHARITY gloves incl. $2,500. coin laundry, paid utils., Rambler Imperial Receive maximum value squintal26@gmail.com.

Wi-Fi/TV, shared outside Roadmaster 400 hp of write-off for your decks, green area. Call 24 valve, Allison 3000 taxes. Running or not!

Don at 802-233-1334.

MH transmission, 105K NEED A ROOMMATE?

MOTORCYCLES

RECREATIONAL VEHICLES

EDUCATION TRAIN ONLINE TO DO MEDICAL BILLING! Become a medical office professional online at CTI! Get trained, certified & ready to work in months. Call 866-243-5931. Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-6 p.m. (AAN CAN)

AUTO

HOUSEMATES

BURLINGTON Single room, Hill Section, on bus line.

No cooking. Linens furnished. 862-2389.

No pets.

Say you saw it in... sevendaysvt.com

KEEN’S CROSSING IS NOW LEASING! 1-BR, $1,054/mo.; 2-BR, $1,266/mo.; 3-BR, 11/24/09 1:32:18 PM $1,397/mo. Spacious interiors, fully applianced kitchen, fi tness center, heat & HW incl.

Income restrictions apply. 802-655-1810, keenscrossing.com.

CLASSIFIEDS KEY

mini-sawit-white.indd 1

appt. appointment apt. apartment 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

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PINECREST AT ESSEX 9 Joshua Way, Essex Jct. Independent senior living for those 55+ years. 1-BR avail. now, $1,240/mo. incl. utils. & parking garage. NS/ pets. 802-872-9197 or rae@fullcirclevt.com.

TAFT FARM SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY 10 Tyler Way, Williston, independent senior living. Newly remodeled 1-BR unit on the ground floor, w/ restricted view avail., $1,095/mo. incl. utils. & cable. NS/pets.

Must be 55+ years of

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 SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

print deadline: Mondays at 4:30 p.m. post ads online 24/7 at: sevendaysvt.com/classifieds questions? classifieds@sevendaysvt.com 865-1020 x10

All conditions accepted.

Free pickup. Call for details. 855-978-0215.

(AAN CAN)

We Pick Up & Pay For Junk Automobiles!

on the road

display service ads: $25/$45 homeworks: $45 (40 words, photos, logo) fsbos: $45 (2 weeks, 30 words, photo) jobs: michelle@sevendaysvt.com, 865-1020 x21

Roommates.com will help you find your perfect match today!

(AAN CAN)

ROOMMATE NEEDED Artist seeking roommate in beautiful, spacious 2nd-floor apt. near lake. $900/ mo. gives you 2 rooms.

W/D on-site. Must respect cats. No dogs.

NS in house. Avail Oct. 1. Email ellis.pk@ yahoo.com, subject line: “Apartment.” Leave name & phone number.

I will get back to you same day.

TRAVELING COMPANION WANTED I would like to see the U.S. using an RV or motor home w/ the possibility of relocating. For more info, call Gerhard: 802-503-7922.

SEEKING SHORT-TERM RENTAL Elderly couple looking for a sublet apartment or condo in Burlington from around Nov.1-Apr. 1.

Preferably in a building w/ an elevator & a swimming pool. Prefer 2 BRs. Call 508-636-8017.

OFFICE/ COMMERCIAL OFFICE/RETAIL SPACE AT MAIN STREET LANDING on Burlington’s waterfront. Beautiful, healthy, affordable spaces for your business. Visit mainstreetlanding.com & click on space avail.

Melinda, 864-7999.

AUTO INSURANCE Starting at $49/mo.!

Call for your fee rate comparison to see how much you can save. Call 855-569-1909. (AAN CAN) BOY SCOUT COMPENSATION FUND Anyone who was inappropriately touched by a Scout leader deserves justice & financial compensation!

Victims may be eligible for a significant cash settlement. Time to file is limited. Call now.

844-896-8216. (AAN CAN) NEED IRS RELIEF? $10K-125K+. Get fresh start or forgiveness.

Call 1-877-258-2890 Mon.-Fri., 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

PST. (AAN CAN)

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(AAN CAN) SAVE BIG ON HOME INSURANCE! Compare 20 A-rated insurances companies.

Get a quote within mins. Average savings of $444/year! Call 844-712-6153! Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Central.

(AAN CAN) SERIOUSLY INJURED in an auto accident?

Let us fight for you! Our network has recovered millions for clients.

Call today for a free consultation. 1-866-9912581. (AAN CAN)

SERVICES »

AUTO AUCTIONS EVERY FRIDAY! Open to the Public Friday, September 25 @ 9AM 298 J Brown Dr., Williston, VT PREVIEW Mon.-Thur. from 8AM-4PM

THCAuction.com  800-474-6132

Buyer or Selling?

Let’s make it happen.

Robbi Handy Holmes • 802-951-2128 robbihandyholmes@vtregroup.com Client focused Making it happen for you!

Homeshares 1 9/17/20 16t-robbihandyholmes082620.indd 12:28 PM

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HOUSING WANTED

FINANCIAL/LEGAL

8/20/20 10:21 AM

BURLINGTON

Share lovely home w/ lively woman in her 80s who enjoys walking her dog & following politics. Share some meals, walks & provide help around the house. No add’l pets. Private BA. $300/mo. Familiarity w/ memory loss preferred.

FLETCHER Delightful, travelled senior gentleman sharing his rural home in exchange for help w/ meals, laundry, errands, & property maintenance. Private BA. $200/mo.

NORTHFIELD Enjoy 2-bedroom, private BA in lovely home supporting woman in her 60s w/ morning check-in, evening meal & reminders. No rent. Experience w/memory loss a plus. Shared kitchen.

Finding you just the right housemate for over 35 years!

Call 863-5625 or visit HomeShareVermont.org for an application. Interview, refs, bg check req. EHO Homeshare-temp2.indd 1

9/14/20 12:00 PM

Calcoku SEVENDAYSVT.COM/CLASSIFIEDS »

Using the enclosed math operations as a guide, fill the grid using the numbers 1 - 6 only once in each row and column.

3÷

24x 2-

4-

12÷

10+

7 4

7 8 5 9 2 4

1 6 2

2÷

5

1

9 6 8

13+ Difficulty - Medium

BY JOSH REYNOLDS

8

2

No. 655

SUDOKU

Difficulty: Hard

BY JOSH REYNOLDS

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: HH

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: HHH

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.

6

4

3

5

1

2

3

6

1

2

4

5

1

2

6

4

5

3

2

5

4

1

3

6

5

1

2

3

6

4

2 5 7 1 4 8 6 3 9

ANSWERS ON P. 61 9 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 H = MODERATE HH = CHALLENGING HHH = HOO, BOY!

6 3 LIVING A LIFE OF E’S 8 ANSWERS ON P. 61 » 1 7 4 5

crossword 4 3 5 6 2 1

8 4 7 6 2 9 1

1 5 9 2 3 6 8

3 2 6 7 4 8 9

Extra! Extra!

There’s no limit to ad length online.

3 9

3

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CALCOKU

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7+

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View and post up to

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SEVENDAYSVT.COM/DAILY7 8v-daily7-coffee.indd 1

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

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GUITAR INSTRUCTION Berklee graduate w/ 30 years’ teaching experience offers lessons in guitar, music theory, music technology, ear training. Individualized, step-by-step approach.

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PETS CORGI PUPPIES FOR SALE AKC registered & almost ready to go to their new home. Contact Cate for more information.

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SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

(http://nrb.vermont. gov) by clicking on “Act 250 Database” and entering the project number “4C0335-7.”

ACT 250 NOTICE MINOR APPLICATION #4C0335-7 10 V.S.A. §§ 6001 - 6093 On July 30, 2020, Charlotte Ferry Properties, LLC, filed application number 4C0335-7 for the construction of a 7,074 sf building, the construction of four open top concrete bunkers for the storage of compost, mulch and stone, the construction of one covered concrete bunker for the storage of salt and the construction of parking, utility and site improvements.

The project is located at 735 Ferry Road in Charlotte, Vermont.

The application was deemed complete on September 15, 2020 after the receipt of additional evidence.

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

No hearing will be held and a permit may be issued unless, on or before October 9, 2020, 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 October 9, 2020.

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

17th day of September, 2020.

of Burlington is hereby amended as follows:

By: /s/Rachel Lomonaco Rachel Lomonaco, District Coordinator 111 West Street Essex Junction, VT 05452 802-879-5658 rachel.lomonaco@ vermont.gov

Section 5. One-way streets designated.

CITY OF BURLINGTON IN THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND TWENTY A REGULATION IN RELATION TO RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE TRAFFIC COMMISSION — SECTION 5. ONE-WAY STREETS DESIGNATED. SECTION 7. NOPARKING AREAS Sponsor: Department of Public Works

(1)-(29) As written.

(30) South Winooski Avenue, southerly from Maple King Street to St. Paul Street, with the exception of bicycles traveling northbound in the designated contra-flow lane.

(31)-(42) As written.

That Appendix C, Rule and Regulations of the Traffic Commission, Section 7, No-Parking Areas, of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Burlington is hereby amended as follows: Section 7. No-parking areas.

Action: Approved

(1)-(148) As written.

Date: 9/15/2020

(149) On the east side of South Winooski Avenue between King Main Street and Howard Street.

Attestation of Adoption: _ Philip Peterson, Associate Engineer, Technical Services Published: 9/23/20 Effective: 10/14/20 It is hereby Ordained by the Public Works Commission of the City of Burlington as follows: That Appendix C, Rule and Regulations of the Traffic Commission, Section 5, One-Way Streets Designated, of the Code of Ordinances of the City

(150) - (151) As written.

(152) On the east side of South Winooski Avenue between King Street and Howard Street. Reserved.

(153)-(563) As written. ** Material stricken out deleted. *** Material underlined added

List your properties here and online for only $45/week.

Submit your listings

by Mondays at noon.

Call or email Katie Hodges today to get started: 865-1020 x10, homeworks@sevendaysvt.com Untitled-25 1

6/6/16 4:30 PM

CITY OF BURLINGTON IN THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND TWENTY A REGULATION IN RELATION TO RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE TRAFFIC COMMISSION— SECTION 19 PARKING RATES, UPDATES FOR HOLIDAYS & OPERATIONAL POLICIES Sponsor, Department of Public Works, Action: Approved, Date: 7/15/20, Attestation of Adoption: Phillip Peterson, Associate Engineer, Technical Services, Published: 09/23/20; Effective: 10/14/20 It is hereby Ordained by the Public Works Commission of the City of Burlington as follows: That Appendix C, Rules and Regulations of the Traffic Commission, Section 19, Parking Rates, of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Burlington is hereby amended as follows: Section 19. Parking Rates. (a) As written. (b) As written. (c) As written. (d) Reserved.

Special Rates for City-owned or managed garages.

(1) Holidays.

Hourly transient parking rates shall be suspended on City-recognized holidays, including: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Town Meeting Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Bennington Battle Day, Labor Day, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. a. The Director of the Department of Public Works may adjust the garage rates for parking on July 3rd to a flat rate(s) for the purpose of supporting the safe and efficient ingress and egress of vehicles from the garages.

(2) Special Events.

The Director of the Department of Public Works may set temporary rates for special events or promotions for periods of up to one month after providing

the Public Works Commission two weeks’ notice, but then will bring the rate change to the next Public Works Commission meeting.

(3) Bulk-rate Parking Product Packages.

The Director of the Department of Public Works may create special bulk-rate parking product packages, subject to approval of the Public Works Commission.

(4) Lost Ticket Rate.

The “Lost Ticket” rate is $20. Garage staff may apply this fee on a case-by-case basis.

(5) Parking Garage Fee Refunds, Rebates, and Waivers. Garage staff may refund, rebate, or otherwise waive parking fees on a case-by-case basis for purposes of public safety and/ or good customer service. Garage Staff shall provide adequate documentation of any refund, rebate, or waiver of parking fee, and the justification for doing so.

(6) City-wide Parking Restrictions, Fees.

Overnight parking in City Garages during declared City-wide parking restrictions (such as parking bans for snow removal and “Operation Clean Sweep”), as declared by the Director of Department of Public Works or their designee, will be free. (e) As written. (f) As written. ** Material stricken out deleted. *** Material underlined added.

NOTICE OF SELF STORAGE LIEN SALE BURLINGTON SELF STORAGE, LLC 1825 SHELBURNE ROAD SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT 05403 Notice is hereby given that the contents of the self storage unit listed below will be sold at public auction by sealed bid.

Name of Occupant Storage Unit: Waggoner, Unit #313 Said sales will take place on 10/9/20, beginning at 11:00am at Burlington Self Storage (BSS), 1825 Shelburne Road, South Burlington, VT 05403.

Units will be opened for viewing immediately prior to auction. Sale shall be by sealed bid to the highest bidder.

Contents of entire storage unit will be sold as one lot. The winning bid must remove all contents from the facility at no cost to BSS, on the day of auction.

BSS, reserves the right to reject any bid lower that the amount owed by the occupant or that is not commercially reasonable as defined by statute.

OPENINGS: BURLINGTON CITY COMMISSIONS/ BOARDS Chittenden Solid Waste District Board – alternate Term Expires 5/31/22 One Opening Design Advisory Board – alternate Term Expires 6/30/23 Two Openings Fence Viewer Term Expires 6/30/21 One Opening Police Commission Term Expires 6/30/22 One Opening

the following proposed amendments to the City of Burlington’s Comprehensive Development Ordinance (CDO). Per Act 92, Secs. 5 and 6, the public hearing will take place during the Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday, October 13, 2020 beginning at 6:45pm.

You may access the hearing/meeting as follows: To join from a Computer, please click this URL to join, and enter the password if prompted:

(And yes, it’s still free.)

To join by phone, dial this number and enter the Webinar ID when prompted: Number: +13126266799 Webinar ID: 87057586208 Pursuant to the requirements of 24 V.S.A. §4444(b): Statement of purpose: The purpose of the proposed amendments are as follows:

Board for Registration of Voters Term Expires 6/30/21 One Opening Applications may be submitted to the Clerk/ Treasurer’s Office, 149 Church Street, Burlington, VT 05401 Attn: Lori NO later than Wednesday, October 14, 2020, by 4:30 pm.

ZA-21-02: To allow for placement of structural tents for non-residential purposes without review or zoning permit required for up to 180 days with Fire Marshal permit.

If you have any questions, please contact Lori at (802)865-7136 or via email lolberg@ burlingtonvt.gov.

Geographic areas affected: These amendments apply to the following areas of the city:

City Council President Tracy will plan for appointments to take place at the October 19, 2020 City Council Meeting/City Council With Mayor Presiding Meeting.

ZA-21-01: Eliminating the distinction between small and large facilities applies to all zoning districts, but changes what is presently allowed in RCO and E-AE zoning districts. Change to footnote 8 impacts only RCO zoned areas.

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE BURLINGTON COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE ZA21-01 DAYCARES & PRESCHOOLS IN RCO ZA-21-02 TEMPORARY TENTS Pursuant to 24 V.S.A. §4441 and §4444, notice is hereby given of a public hearing by the Burlington Planning Commission to hear comments on

Flip through your favorite local newspaper on your favorite mobile device.

https://us02web.zoom. us/j/87057586208

ZA-21-01: To eliminate the distinction between small and large Day Care Centers and small and large Preschools, and to eliminate the GFA limit on these facilities in RCO districts.

Board of Tax Appeals Term Expires 6/30/23 Three Openings

Refresh your reading ritual.

ZA-21-02: Applies to all parts of the city.

List of section headings affected: The proposed amendments modify the following sections of the Burlington Comprehensive Development Ordinance:

Download the Seven Days app for free today at

sevendaysvt.com/apps.

LEGALS » 2v-7dapp-cider.indd 1

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

59

10/20/15 4:32 PM

Road, Marshfield, Vermont, at 10:00 a.m. on the 30th day of September, 2020, all and singular the premises described in said Mortgage.

[CONTINUED]

thinking.

for all.

ZA-21-01: Modifies Sec. 5.4.1, Table 8.1.8-1, some definitions in Article 13, and Appendix-A Use Table ZA-21-02: Modifies Sec. 5.1.2 (f) Temporary Structures.

The full text of the Burlington Comprehensive Development Ordinance is available online at www. burlingtonvt.gov/DPI/ CDO. The proposed amendment can be reviewed in hard copy posted on the first floor of City Hall, 149 Church Street, Burlington or on the department’s website at https://www. burlingtonvt.gov/ DPI/CDO/ProposedAmendmentsBefore-the-PlanningCommission

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT CIVIL DIVISION WASHINGTON UNIT DOCKET NO. 181-3-16 NORTHCOUNTRY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, Plaintiff, v.

JOHN NICHOLAS LECOUNTE ANDERSON and OCCUPANTS residing at 108 Folsom Hill Road, Marshfield, Vermont, Defendant.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE By virtue of the Judgment Order, Decree of Foreclosure and Order for Public Sale entered on July 19, 2019, and in execution of the Power of Sale contained in a certain Mortgage given by John Nicholas LeCounte Anderson, dated July 10, 2015, and recorded in Book 94 at Pages 402-415 of the Town of Marshfield Land Records, which Mortgage NorthCountry Federal Credit Union is the present holder, for breach of the conditions of said Mortgage and for the purpose of foreclosing the same, the undersigned will cause to be sold to the highest bidder at Public Auction at 108 Folsom Hill

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SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

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6/18/12 6:54 PM

The property is known as 108 Folsom Hill Road, Marshfield, Vermont. The real estate is described in the aforesaid Mortgage is as follows: Being all and the same land and premises conveyed to John Nicholas LeCounte Anderson by Warranty Deed of Greg A. Breer dated July 10, 2015 and recorded in Volume 94 at Pages 399-401 of the Town of Marshfield Land Records.

Being a part of the same land and premises conveyed to Greg A. Breer by Quitclaim Deed of Irene L. Breer f/k/a Irene Rogers dated May 15, 2009 and recorded in Book 83, Page 126 of the Town of Marshfield Land Records.

Being further described as a parcel said to contain 2.01 acres together with improvements thereon and rights appurtenant thereto designated and commonly known as 108 Folsom Hill Road, Marshfield, Vermont and depicted as Parcel Lot #2 on a survey entitled “Subdivision of Land of Greg Breer Folsom Hill Road, Marshfield, Vermont” dated April 2015, prepared by Richard W. Bell, L.S. and recorded in the Town of Marshfield Records.

Reference is hereby made to the aforementioned instruments, the records thereof and the references therein contained, all in further aid of this description.

The description of the property contained in the Mortgage shall control in the event of a typographical error in this Notice.

TERMS OF SALE: The sale will be held at 108 Folsom Hill Road, Marshfield, Vermont.

The property shall be sold AS IS, WITH ALL FAULTS, WITH NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, subject to all easements, rightsof-way, covenants, permits, reservations and restrictions of record, title defects, unforeclosed liens, environmental

hazards, unpaid real estate taxes (delinquent and current), current and delinquent assessments in favor of homeowners associations, if any, and municipal liens, to the highest bidder for cash. At the sale, the successful bidder, other than the Mortgagee, shall pay $10,000 down (nonrefundable) in cash or bank treasurer check (or a combination thereof). The deposit must be increased to at least 10% of the successful bid within five (5) calendar days of the public sale by an additional payment in cash or by bank treasurer’s check. The successful bidder shall execute a Purchase and Sale Agreement requiring payment of the balance of the purchase price within ten (10) days of entry of the court order confirming the sale.

Before being permitted to bid at the sale, bidder shall display to the auctioneer proof of the ability to comply with these requirements. The successful bidder, other than the Mortgagee, must sign a NO CONTINGENCY Purchase and Sale Agreement satisfactory to Mortgagee at the sale. Title will be transferred by the Order Confirming Sale.

The person holding the sale may, for good cause, postpone the sale for a period of up to thirty (30) days, from time to time, until it is completed, giving notice of such adjournment and specifying the new date by public proclamation at the time and place appointed for the sale, or by posting notice of the adjournment in a conspicuous place at the location of the sale. Notice of the new sale date shall also be sent by first class mail, postage prepaid, to the Mortgagor at the Mortgagor’s last known address, at least five (5) days before the new sale date. The public sale may be adjourned for a period of time in excess of thirty (30) days by agreement of the Mortgagor and Mortgagee or by order of the court. Other terms to be announced at the sale or contact Ward Law, P.C., 3069 Williston Road, South Burlington, Vermont 05403; (802)863-0307.

The record owner is

entitled to redeem the premises at any time prior to the sale by paying the full amount due under the Judgment Order, Decree of Foreclosure and Order of Public Sale dated July 18, 2019, and entered on July 19, 2019, including the costs and expenses of sale.

Dated at Bridport, Vermont this 20 th day of August, 2020.

WARD LAW, PC, Attorneys for Plaintiff, By: /s/ Cynthia R. Amrhein Cynthia R. Amrhein, Esq. 3069 Williston Road South Burlington, VT 05403 (802) 863-0307

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT PROBATE DIVISION CHITTENDEN UNIT DOCKET NO.: 739-720 CNPR In re ESTATE of: Joyce P. Blair NOTICE TO CREDITORS To the creditors of: Joyce P. Blair, late of Essex Junction. I have been appointed executor of 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: 9/17/20 Signature of Fiduciary: /s/ Janice B. Mejia Executor/ Administrator: Janice B. Mejia, c/o Unsworth LaPlante, PLLC, 26 Railroad Ave, Essex Jct., VT 05452 802-879-7133 carisa@ unsworthlaplante.com Name of Publication: Seven Days Publication Date: 9/23/20 Probate Court: Vermont Superior Court, Probate Court, PO Box 511, Burlington, VT 05402

TOWN OF ESSEX PLANNING COMMISSION AGENDA/ PUBLIC HEARING OCTOBER 8, 2020 -6:30 P.M. COVID-19 UPDATE: Due to the COVID-19 / coronavirus pandemic, this meeting will be held remotely and recorded via Microsoft Stream. Available options to watch or join the meeting:

Note: Please visit our website at www.essex. org to view agendas, application materials, and minutes.

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FOR SALE BY OWNER

No. 655

List your property here for 2 weeks for only $45! Contact Katie, 865-1020, ext. 10, fsbo@sevendaysvt.com.

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SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

61

1 6 2 2 4

fsb

4. Other Business.

Join via Microsoft Teams at https:// tinyurl.com/ESSEXPC. Depending on your browser, you may need to call in for audio (below).

270 Farmington Ave., Ste. 151 Farmington, CT 06032

TOWN OF DUXBURY NOTICE OF EXAMINATION OF PREMISES AND PUBLIC HEARING FOR DISCONTINUANCE OF A +/-600-FOOT PORTION OF THE RIGHT-OF-WAY FOR CROSSETT HILL ROAD (TOWN HIGHWAY #4) Pursuant to the requirements of Title 19, Chapter 7 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated, the Town of Duxbury Selectboard will conduct an examination of the premises on Monday, October 12, 2020, at

3. Minutes: September 10, 2020

1

October 13th – 6:00 p.m.

2. Consent Agenda: Minor Site Plan Amendment: WMD Property Holdings, LLC: Proposal to change Phase 2 from an addition to the existing building to a 5,050 SF detached building located at 20 Corporate Dr in the RPD-I Zone. Tax Map 72, Parcel 3-20.

3

PUZZLE ANSWERS

TOWN OF DUXBURY WARNING Development Review Board

1. Public Comments

4

By: /S/Rachel K. Ljunggren, Esq. Rachel K. Ljunggren, Esq. Bendett and McHugh, PC

/s/ Mari Pratt, Selectboard Vice-Chair

Adam Brooks – Ward Hill Road – Nonconforming small lot requiring conditional use approval

6

Reference may be had to the abovementioned deeds and to their records and to all prior deeds and their records in the City of Bane, Vermont Land Records for a more complete and particular description of the herein conveyed land and premises.

DATED : September 11, 2020

Dated at Duxbury, Vermont, this 4th day of September, 2020.

Public wifi is available at the Essex municipal offi ces, libraries, and hotspots listed here: https://publicservice. vermont.gov/content/ public-wifi -hotspotsvermont

Brad & Gayla Welch – Welch Rd – Subdivision

3

This conveyance is subject to and with the benefi t of any utility easements, springs rights, easements for ingress and egress, and rights incidental to each of the same as may appear on the aforesaid map and as may appear more particularly of record, provided that this paragraph shall not reinstate any such encumbrances previously extinguished by the Marketable Record Title Act, Chapter 5, Subchapter 7, Title 27, Vermont Statutes Annotated.

Other terms to be announced at the sale.

Randy & Joann Berno – Ryan Road - Boundary line Adj

Please wear mask and observe distance recommendations

1

Charlotte O’Hara is the same person as Charlotte R. O’Hara.

Th e mortgagor is entitled to redeem the premises at any time prior to the sale by paying the full amount due under the mortgage, including the costs and expenses of the sale.

If, after examining the premises and hearing from any and all interested persons, the Selectboard judges that the public good, necessity and convenience of the inhabitants of the Town of Duxbury warrants discontinuing the +/-600-foot portion of the right-of-way for Crossett Hill Road (Town Highway #4), it will be so ordered.

Join via conference call (audio only): (802) 377-3784 | Conference ID: 590879654#

4

Charlotte Pickett is now known as Charlotte O’Hara as noted in a name change affi davit dated September 7, 2006 and recorded in the Barre City Land Records in Book 234 Page 130.

Persons wishing to comment, provide testimony or give evidence regarding the proposal may do so in person during the hearing, or by filing their comments, in writing, prior to the hearing. For those who wish to attend the public hearing electronically, a Zoom meeting link will be provided on the Selectboard’s Agenda

Hearing will be held at town offi ce

5

To wit:

It being lands and premises commonly known as 217 Merchant Street, Barre, VT

2. A public hearing following the inspection of the premises at 6:00 PM on October 13, 2020, at the Municipal Meeting Room, 5421 Route 100, Duxbury, Vermont, to receive testimony from all persons abutting, owning or interested in the matter of discontinuing this +/-600-foot portion of the right-of-way for Crossett Hill Road (Town Highway #4).

for the October 13th Selectboard meeting, on or about October 9th. If you have questions regarding this matter, please contact Selectboard Vice-Chair Mari Pratt at 802-279-6470.

2

In accordance with the Judgment Order and Decree of Foreclosure entered December 10, 2019 , in the above captioned action brought to foreclose that certain mortgage given by Charlotte R. O’Hara f/k/a Charlotte Pickett to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as nominee for People’s United Bank, National Association, dated June 15, 2015 and recorded in Book 288 Page 156 of the land records of the City of Barre, of which mortgage the Plaintiff is the present holder, by virtue of the following Assignments of Mortgage: (1) Assignment of Mortgage from Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as nominee for People’s United Bank, National Association to U.S. Bank National Association dated June 15, 2017 and recorded in Book 321 Page 69 and (2) Assignment of Mortgage from U.S. Bank National Association to Selene Finance, LP dated March 27, 2019 and recorded in Book 347 Page 107, both of the land records of the City of Barre for breach of the conditions of said mortgage and for the purpose of foreclosing the same will be sold at Public Auction at 217 Merchant Street, Barre, Vermont on October 13, 2020 at 10:00 AM all and singular the premises described in said mortgage,

TEN THOUSAND ($10,000.00) Dollars of the purchase price must be paid by a certifi ed check, bank treasurer’s or cashier’s check at the time and place of the sale by the purchaser. Th e balance of the purchase price shall be paid by a certifi ed check, bank treasurer’s or cashier’s check within sixty (60) days after the date of sale.

1. An inspection of the premises at 9:00 AM on October 12, 2020, at 417 Crossett Hill Road, Duxbury, Vermont, at the property of the Sharon H. Wilson Living Trust.

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MORTGAGEE’S NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE OF REAL PROPERTY UNDER 12 V.S.A. sec 4952 et seq.

are hereby notifi ed to meet for the following:

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OCCUPANTS OF: 217 Merchant Street, Barre VT

Being all of the same lands and premises conveyed to Charlotte Pickett (n/k/a Charlotte R. O’Hara)

by Quit Claim Deed from Frank W. Bailey, individually and Craig A. Gable and Debra A. Gable, Trustees of the James W. Gable Revocable Trust U/A July 12, 1982 which Quit Claim deed is dated September 6, 2005 and recorded on September 30, 2005 in Book 225 at Page 988 of the City of Barre, VT Land Records.

Terms of sale: Said premises will be sold and conveyed subject to all liens, encumbrances, unpaid taxes, tax titles, municipal liens and assessments, if any, which take precedence over the said mortgage above described.

9:00 A.M., and a public hearing on Tuesday, October 13, 2020, at 6:00 P.M. to consider the discontinuance of a +/-600-foot portion of the right-of-way for Crossett Hill Road (Town Highay # 4), which is a Class 3 town highway. In September 1999, the Crossett Hill Road right-of-way was relocated to the south, and shortly thereafter, it was opened for travel in its current location; however, the Town never discontinued the former town highway right-of-way from the property at 417 Crossett Hill Road. Th e portion of the right-ofway to be discontinued is U-shaped and three rods (49.5 feet) wide. It is shown as “Existing Easement Across Wilsons’ To Be Abandoned (3 Rod R.O.W.)” on a survey entitled, “Survey of Relocated Highway Easement – Town of Duxbury – Crossett Hill Road ‘Wilson Corner Improvements,’” dated August 1999, prepared

by Charles Grenier, Consulting Engineer, P.C., and recorded in Map Book 4, Page 36 of the Town of Duxbury Land Records. All interested parties

Open 24/7/365.

3

CHARLOTTE R. O’HARA

Attachment to Mortgage Deed to People’s United Bank from Charlotte R. O’Hara (f/k/a Charlotte Pickett) dated June 15, 2015

Reference is hereby made to the above instruments and to the records and references contained therein in further aid of this description.

View and post up to 6 photos per ad online.

2

v.

SCHEDULE A

Show and tell.

1

STATE OF VERMONT VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT WASHINGTON UNIT, CIVIL DIVISION DOCKET NO: 617-11-18 WNCV SELENE FINANCE LP

»

5

SEVENDAYSVT.COM/CLASSIFIEDS

62 SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

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

DRIVE FOR

Commercial Roofers

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9/21/20 7:09 PM

Maintenance Technician

• Public Works Engineer

• Full Time Police Officer • Also always recruiting for Fire & Rescue volunteers

Please visit www.miltonvt.gov/ employment for additional details & to apply.

Hiring Now!

1 8/4/202h-TownofMilton092320.indd 2:59 PM

2h-ACHathorne080520.indd 1

Job security. Driving experience preferred but not essential. Must be 21 and have good driving record. Now hiring non-drivers/ helpers for the holiday season.

THE TOWN OF MILTON IS CURRENTLY HIRING FOR A NUMBER OF POSITIONS • Per-Diem Advanced EMT

Apply in person at: A.C. Hathorne Co. 252 Avenue C Williston, VT 802-862-6473

FULL- AND PART-TIME OPPORTUNITIES Online shopping continues to grow!

Also, now hiring for Saturday/Sunday shifts.

Full-time, year-round employment. Good benefits.

Experience in installing Epdm, Tpo, Pvc roofing.

EOE/M/F/VET/Disability employer.

Pay negotiable with experience.

9/21/20 11:51 AM

Immediate openings Full-time and flexible part-time schedules Days, early evenings, & weekend shifts

Manufacturing Call Center Warehouse

Apply in person 210 East Main Street, Richmond, VT

Winooski Housing Authority, a progressive owner, manager and developer of affordable housing, seeks a highly 9/18/20 motivated Maintenance 4t-Harringtons092320.indd 1 Technician to join our team.

Experience in general facilities maintenance a plus. Must possess a valid driver’s license, an acceptable literacy level and be willing to be a part of the on-call rotation. Competitive starting salary with a generous The Clinical Patient Safety Attendant benefits package. Please (CPSA) is responsible for specific aspects send your resume to of direct patient care and monitoring Debbie at dhergenrother@ focused on safety, under the direct winooskihousing.org, or mail supervision of a Registered Nurse. in (stop in for an application) to WHA, 83 Barlow Street, LEARN MORE & APPLY: Winooski, VT 05404. Attn: uvmmed.hn/sevendays Debbie. E.O.E.

CLINICAL PATIENT SAFETY ATTENDANT

1 3v-WinooskiHousingAuthority092320.indd 1 9/22/204t-UVMMedicalCenter092320.indd 1:15 PM

3:34 PM

EARN RESPECT AND A DEGREE You can serve part-time in the Vermont Army National Guard while pursuing your education with our programs that help pay for tuition and other expenses.

Visit NATIONALGUARD.com/VT

Programs and Benefits Subject to Change

9/18/20 6t-VTArmyNationalGuard071520 11:54 AM 1

7/14/20 9:09 AM

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

63 SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

Volunteer Board Members Needed!!!

GIVE THE GIFT OF TIME AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Officer of Community Engagement

DO YOU… • Have 1 hour every 3 months to volunteer?

• Want to support young women?

• Want to share your time and talents?

• Want to help youth be successful?

• Provide budgetary oversight?

• Participate in strategic planning?

Here at “ORC”, our mission is to inspire and empower young women ages 12-18. No matter what circumstances brought you here, our hope is to provide a supportive and safe environment where individuals can learn new skills and develop healthy and productive lives at their own pace.

Onion River Crossroads is a private, non-profit agency that serves Vermont families and their children who struggle with emotional and behavioral challenges. We are a community based residential treatment facility that provides a safe, stable, home environment where our residents can learn new skills, build confidence, and develop higher levels of selfcontrol and personal responsibility. **Please contact/send resume to Suzanne Smith, Executive Director at Onion River Crossroads, 111 Bliss Rd., Montpelier, Vt. 05602. 802-249-1078, suzannesmith.orc@gmail.com, or onionrivercrossroads.org. Due to Covid19, we are currently conducting out meetings via skype.

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WORDPRESS

VYCC is excited to meet dynamic and experienced candidates for an open position on our leadership team. The Officer of Community Engagement leads VYCC’s Engagement Department, amplifies VYCC’s story and strengthens our connection to Vermont’s communities.

Now Hiring for several FULL & PART time positions across total store, including our Center Store/Grocery department. Several supervisory positions available!

Apply online at Hannaford.com/Careers or contact your local Hannaford Supermarket today!

If you have a tool cache bursting with strategies for sharing impact on individuals 4t-Hannaford092320.indd and communities at a local and statewide level, we want to hear from you. Join us to leverage resources that support the young people who are essential to Vermont’s future.

1

9/21/20 10:19 AM

www.vycc.org/about/careers

9/21/20 3v-VYCC092320.indd 11:37 AM 1

9/21/20 3:41 PM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

WEB DEVELOPER/ DESIGNER The IT Department at VCFA is a small team that is dedicated to offering the best media and information experiences to students, faculty, and staff. The systems and tools that our team manages play a critical role in the operation of every MFA program at the College with their unique events and media needs. We are looking for an experienced WordPress Developer/Designer to join our IT team. The right candidate will be responsible for both back- • end and front-end development and design of Program, Staff, Alumnx, and Student sites as well as VCFA.edu main • site. Common tasks include:

Help expand the personal growth & career horizons of young Vermonters! If you enjoy working with multiple teams, wearing different management hats, and have a passion for learning, YOU might be GIV’s next leader.

The Executive Director will build on a 38-year history of immersing 4t-Topnotch092320.indd 1 9/18/20 3:23 PM young Vermonters from all income Full benefits package levels & regions in high-impact learning opportunities Generous vacation policythat stimulate their personal growth and expand career aspirations.

• Competitive pay Our manufacturing facility in gardening Georgia, VT is growing!

We’re America’s leading web-based company based in • Establishing and guiding a website’s architecture We’re looking for exceptional We are looking for full-time, seasonal and year-round Burlington, Vermont!

We are a 100% employee-owned company and an • Hugecollaboration discount on product • Managing all technical aspects of the WordPress & communication award-winning and nationally recognized socially responsible business.

PRODUCTION/WAREHOUSE WORKERS skills, sixof years experience theofcompany • Good understanding of front-end technologies, including• Own shares to manufacture our high-quality garden-related products.

Find out more at our Hire Up Session: or equivalent leading people HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, jQuery and workplace culture, proven • Ability to understand CSS changes and their ramifications fundraising, and financial to ensure consistent style across platforms and browsers management skills. Job We offer: description at giv.org/jobs.

Approximately one-quarter of your time will also be • Full benefits package Send cover letter & resume to dedicated to audio/video support for the week-long, • Generous vacation policy th EDsearch@giv.org by Oct. 9th. intensive MFA program residencies that are the backbone Saturday, September 19 from 9 am - 11 am • Competitive pay NO PHONE CALLS, PLEASE. of VCFA’s innovative delivery model for higher education in the arts. You will support student & faculty lectures, gallery • Huge discount on product installations, musical performances, film screenings & more.

Arrowhead • Own shares104A of the companyIndustrial Park

Wednesday, September 30, 1:30 p.m.

Come to our on-site job fair!

Building 110, Georgia, VT Register today: http://bit.ly/HireUpGardeners

Email resume and cover letter to Peter Timpone, Director of IT, at peter.timpone@vcfa.edu.

Please go to our careers page at gardeners.com/careers and apply online!

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9/21/20 6:49 PM

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

64

POST YOUR JOBS AT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM FOR FAST RESULTS, OR CONTACT MICHELLE BROWN: MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

MASTER ELECTRICIAN, LICENSED GAS TECH/ PLUMBER, & CARPENTER

Smugglers' Notch Resort is ERVATIONIST seeking a master electrician,

Resort is seeking a sales-minded licensed gas technician/ who possesses the skills to sell vacation plumber, & carpenter to join ges via inbound and outbound phone our Award-Winning team. nline web chats in a positive and office environment.

The successful For the right candidate be courteous,these self-motivated and can be year-round, ull-time position with a mix of day, full-time positions. e weekend shifts. Sales commissions wages earned.

Typing skills and friendly To apply: smuggs.com/jobs t. Great resort benefits!

or call 1-888-754-7684 for more information. t www.smuggs.com/jobs 54-7684

Resort

te 108S 5464

CONTROLLER Responsible for all financial reports and records for a local non-profit in So. Burlington.

Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in business related field. Minimum of two years’ experience in related position. Supervisory experience and knowledge of computer systems and databases needed. Send resume, references and salary requirements to: Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 60 Kimball Avenue, So. Burlington, VT 05403 E.O.E.

eoe

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AFTERSCHOOL AND SCHOOL-AGE HUBS

9/14/20 11:50 AM

WEB MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST ESSEX WESTFORD SCHOOL DISTRICT

Is currently seeking:

Do you have experience managing websites with a background in communication?

The Essex Westford School District is seeking a full-time, 12-month Web Management Specialist to design, develop, and maintain state of the art web communications package for our District that is web friendly, user friendly, and ADA compliant that can be used as an effective and efficient communication tool with parents, students, employees, and community members. Also be able to bring sight and sound together in order to tell a cohesive story through the creation of video projects for the District.

EWSD is committed to building a culturally diverse and inclusive environment. Successful candidates must be committed to working effectively with diverse community populations and expected to strengthen such capacity if hired.

Position pays $19.50 to $21.60/hour depending on experience. Excellent benefits available including family medical and dental insurance; life insurance; a retirement plan with up to 6% employer contribution; tuition reimbursement; and paid leaves.

For consideration, please apply electronically through schoolspring.com (Job ID 3359889).

Supported Housing Staff Evening Shift

https://bit.ly/3lKmXWZ

Warming Shelter Support Temporary Positions

https://bit.ly/2ZLD25g 2v-Spectrum092320.indd 1

9/18/20 11:46 AM

Medical Assistant

Seeking full time experienced medical assistant to join our busy OB/GYN practice Champlain Community Services 5v-EssexWestfordSchoolDist091620.indd 1 is a 9/14/20 5:00 PM clinical team. Experience in distinguished developmental services women’s health is preferred Statewide, dozens of Vermont’s new hubs provider agency with a strong emphasis but not required. Looking that will serve school-age children on remote on self-determination values and for someone that can work employee and consumer satisfaction. learning days need qualified staff to supervise accurately and efficiently in K-6 students while they learn remotely and play. a fast paced environment.

At CCS you will find a comprehensive benefits package, including Positions are short-term, full-time or part-time, paid time off, retirement match and affordable health insurance, and a The position requires and you can begin immediately. Jobs are insupportive team of professionals.

In addition to these benefits, CCS has competency in taking vitals, person, and employers carefully follow COVID-19 been voted as one of the Best Places to Work for the second year in a row phlebotomy, immunization health and safety protocols. in 2020. Join us! We would love to have you as part of our team. administration, assisting These positions are perfect for those who with medical procedures and INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONAL are interested in making a difference in their medical intake. Candidate community. Afterschool and school-age hubs Combine your joy of computer systems and your desire to should also be comfortable staff will be a critical part of Vermont’s COVID-19 improve the lives of others in this exciting new position. In this with EMR systems, medical position you will provide I.T. support, oversee the electronic relief response, giving elementary school terminology, and general health records system and ensure all systems are up to date students support while they learn virtually and computer skills. and working smoothly. Experience and/or certifications in a parents support so they can work. variety of information technology systems required. Send your Looking for an individual There are available jobs for anyone who has resume and cover letter to Brent Hewey, bhewey@ccs-vt.org. with good interpersonal and experience working with youth, and are a great communication skills, who opportunity for those who are currently in high VIRTUAL ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR understands the importance school or college, as well as high school and This temporary position acts as a facilitator of virtual of providing quality college graduates who are taking a gap year activities for individuals to ensure they have a variety customer service and has or looking for flexible employment. Applicants of options to stay connected to services and staff. The a willingness to be flexible should like working with kids. You should be scope of the Virtual Activities Coordinator encompasses with duties in order to meet energetic and responsible, have diverse skills, the values of the agency to promote the ability for the needs of the patients and able to pass a background check. everyone to participate and belong in our community. and the clinic. Interested Send resume and cover letter to Karen Ciechanowicz, candidates should send a Visit VermontAfterschool.org/Recruit to easily staff@ccs-vt.org. cover letter and resume to indicate your interest in applying for an open jobs@maitriobgyn.com. position near you.

CCS-VT.ORG E.O.E.

ARE HIRING!

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1 9/15/204v-Maitri091620.indd 9:02 AM

9/15/20 12:32 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

MULTIPLE POSITIONS OPEN Operations Support We are seeking a full-time, yearround Operations Support person for our therapeutic program for adolescents and young adults located in Waitsfield. The ideal candidate is an adaptable team player with a positive attitude who is willing to work both indoors and outdoors performing a variety of tasks associated with the logistics of running our program.

Tasks including food packing and rationing, gear outfitting, transportation and facilities maintenance. Candidates must be willing to work weekends and occasional evenings. A clean and valid driver’s license is required.

Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) has a variety of openings available, including RNs, LNAs, Ultrasound Technologist, Echocardiographer and Sr. Multi-Modality Technologist.

NVRH also has Administrative Positions, Information Services, Food Service and Environmental Services openings.

Full-time, part-time and per diem positions available.

For more information or to apply, please visit nvrh.org/careers.

Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits offered.

Benefits include health, dental, vision and accident insurance, an employee assistance program and a SIMPLE IRA.

Untitled-15

POST YOUR JOBS AT: sevendaysvt.com/ postmyjob

Bread Loaf Corporation is seeking a Construction Project Manager. This position is a key member of our integrated project management teams, providing support through design and taking the lead through construction.

Ideal candidates will have  A firm knowledge of construction scheduling;  The ability to balance multiple projects;  Be a collaborative team player;  A customer service focus is a must Preferred education and experience include  Bachelor’s Degree in engineering or construction related field;  At least ten years of construction management experience;  Experience managing projects ranging from $1-$15 million.

Bread Loaf offers a comprehensive benefits package including health/dental/vision insurances, flexible benefit plan, 401(k) with company match, disability and life insurance, paid vacation and a friendly work environment.

We thrive on innovative ideas and excellent work.

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3v-TrueNorthWildernessProgram070820.indd 17/7/20 2:12 PM

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

Come work for Vermont’s Integrated Company of Architects, Planners and Builders.

Visit our Website, breadloaf.com, for a full description Submit your resume to resumes@breadloaf.com EOE

To apply please visit truenorthwilderness.com/careers

65 SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

9/21/20 3:38 PM

DISTRICT-WIDE EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY ADMINISTRATOR HARWOOD UNIFIED UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a District-wide Education Technology Administrator for our school district in central Vermont, serving approximately 1 9/17/20 11:39 AM 1,920 PK-12 students. The successful candidate will be a licensed administrator with solid experience with technology hardware, software, and learning applications. This position will provide leadership in achieving and maintaining high technology integration into teaching and learning throughout all educational settings to support teachers in instruction. The Education Technology Administrator is also responsible for overseeing all of the district’s computer infrastructure and must have some experience with networking, hardware and devices.

This position will supervise the technology staff throughout This position is responsible for retrieving, the district. This role will create and coordinate procedures for processing, and sterilizing incoming and operating integrating technology with curriculum and instruction. This room equipment, as well as restocking materials job requires excellent communication, organizational, and and responding to operating room requests. May managerial skills. be required to obtain supplies from the warehouse or CSR on either campus.

Interested candidates must submit a letter of interest, resume, copy of transcripts, and 3 letters of reference via SchoolSpring.com.

CENTRAL STERILE REPROCESSING TECH

PRINT DEADLINE: Noon on Mondays (including holidays) FOR RATES & INFO: Michelle Brown, 802-865-1020 x21

michelle@ sevendaysvt.com

LEARN MORE & APPLY: uvmmed.hn/sevendays

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For more information, please contact Shannon Lessley at slessley@huusd.org. E.O.E.

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9/14/20 3:14 PM

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

66

POST YOUR JOBS AT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM FOR FAST RESULTS, OR CONTACT MICHELLE BROWN: MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

GRANT WRITER Craft Beer Delivery Driver Customer service oriented team player to deliver Lawson’s Finest beer to retail accounts throughout Vermont.

CDL required.

Apply here: lawsonsfinest.com/about-us/join-our-team.

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9/22/20

CVOEO has 52 years of working for a more just society and is committed to developing best practices in the field of community action.

Working under the direction of the Executive Director and closely with CVOEO’s development team, the Grant Writer is responsible for grant writing and reporting with public agencies, private foundations and corporations -- writing proposals for both unrestricted operating revenue and restricted projects and for submitting timely and accurate 1:00 PM reports for grant funded projects. The Grant Writer will work with CVOEO’s program directors to assist them in funding and growing CVOEO programs through grant fund development.

If you have a Bachelor’s degree in business or human services plus 2-4 years’ related experience with grant writing and funding; experience with non-profit grant writing; excellent verbal and written communication skills - bilingual abilities are a plus; we’d like to hear from you! This is a 40 hours/week position. To learn more about this position, please visit www.cvoeo.org/careers.

100% EMPLOYEEOWNED

We offer an excellent benefit package including medical, dental and vision insurance, generous vacation and sick leave, a retirement plan and discounted gym membership.

To apply, please submit a cover letter and resume by e-mail to: GrantWriter2020@cvoeo.org. The review of applications begins immediately and will continue until suitable candidates are found. CVOEO is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Applications from women, veterans and people from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Join the team at Gardener’s Supply Company We’re America’s leading web-based gardening company based in Burlington, Vermont! We are a 100% employee-owned company and an award winning and nationally recognized socially responsible business.

We work hard AND offer a fun place to work including BBQs, staff parties, employee garden plots and much more! We also offer strong cultural values, competitive wages and outstanding benefits!

Commercial Account Manager: This person is responsible for generating demand and driving the growth of our commercial enterprise to meet year over year increases in sales goals and customer acquisition targets. This individual does this through prospect or customer initiated contacts as well as self-developed and directed outbound campaigns. Our ideal candidate will have a min of 3 yrs sales experience; 5 yrs of experience with contact center software; and must have demonstrated success meeting forecasts by personally handling hundreds of customer accounts.

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Executive Assistant and Facilities Manager: This person provides primary administrative and project support for our key managers. This individual anticipates, organizes, and handles all details and tasks. In addition, this position plans for and controls the efficient and daily operations of our facility in Burlington. Our ideal candidate will have an associates degree or 2-3 yrs of experience as an Executive/Administrative Assistant; 3-5 yrs experience with office environments and facility maintenance; min of 2 yrs of supervisory experience; be proficient in Microsoft Office Systems including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams; and have strong org skills with close attention to detail, accuracy, multi-tasking, speed, and confidentiality.

Interested? Please go to our careers page at www.gardeners.com/careers and apply online!

Seeking positive individual to help customers with sales and to answer any questions about an artist's work and process.

Duties include using the register and point of sale, keeping track of inventory, hanging and displaying art and keeping the gallery a clean and pleasant space. Good interpersonal skills a must as associates deal with both customers and artists.

Part time position. Employee must be able to work part of the weekend and some holidays. This is a unique opportunity to work with talented artisans from all over Vermont.

Please send resume to: info.northwoodgallery@ gmail.com

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9/18/20 1:42 PM

SEASONAL DRIVERS IN STOWE AND SUGARBUSH GMT provides transportation services every ski season for the Stowe and Sugarbush ski resorts. The service begins in November and runs through early April, with up to 40 hours a week available. A Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) with Passenger and Air Brake endorsements are preferred, but GMT is willing to train the right candidate to receive their permit (over $3000 value). A clean driving record, a DOT medical physical and a pre-employment drug screen are required.

Benefits of this position are: All Seasonal drivers receive a free season ski pass to either Stowe Mountain or Sugarbush resort, so when you’re not trucking up the mountain you can be carving down it. With the legendary front four in Stowe, or Sugarbush’s three mountains, there is something for all levels.

Did we mention the back country skiing? It’s some of the best around!

• Competitive Hourly Rate • Free CDL License Training (over $3,000 value) • Free Season Ski Pass, End of Season Bonus - based on hours worked To apply for this position: greenmountaintransit.applicantstack.com/x/openings For information call, 802-540-2536, or visit our website: ridegmt.com/careers GMT encourages job applications from all qualified people, regardless of a person’s criminal record; providing qualified applicants the opportunity to explain a criminal record when applying. There are specific positions within the organization designated as safety sensitive, where a criminal conviction may cause the candidate to be deemed ineligible for hire in that position, regardless of the circumstances.

GMT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER AND COMMITTED TO A DIVERSE WORKFORCE. 7t-GreenMtnTransitSEASONAL092320.indd 1

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Gallery Sales Associate

9/21/20 12:46 PM

9/21/20 9:44 AM

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

Full Time Mechanics

Legal Secretary

DR Power Equipment now hiring Call Center Representatives

Attention auto mechanics, Auto Creek in Vergennes, VT is in need of your talents. We have 2 full time mechanic positions available.

to join our South Burlington team!

Legal Secretary sought for busy law practice in Burlington, No weekends, and benefits included.

Vermont for McCormick, Fitzpatrick, Kasper & Please call 802-877-3858 to set up an interview.

Burchard PC. Seeking someone who can multi-task, but still have an attention for detail.

2h-AutoCreek092320.indd 1 9/22/20 Must also have good people skills in order to deal with multiple clientele, attorneys, SNOW PLOW OPERATORS/SNOW SHOVELERS & paralegals and staff.

LANDSCAPE TEAM MEMBERS Competitive salary and great benefits available.

Please send resume to

kjk@mc-fitz.com.

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Team Oriented Environment & Great Compensation Full Time/Year Round Positions Available 802-879-1548 deslaurierlandscapeservice@gmail.com

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Our mobile-friendly job board is buzzing with excitement.

Job seekers can: • Browse hundreds of current, local positions from Vermont companies.

• Search for jobs by keyword, location, category and job type.

• Set up job alerts.

• Apply for jobs directly through the site.

Start applying at jobs.sevendaysvt.com

4/14/20 2:06 PM

APPLY TODAY FOR ONE OF OUR OPPORTUNITIES: 1:08 PM

• Customer Service Representative • Product & Customer Service Representative • Call Center Sales Representative PERKS: Paid Training * Paid Time Off * Product Discounts * And More!

9/22/204t-DRPower091620.indd 1:10 PM 1

Northeast Employment and Training Organization, Inc.(NETO) is seeking an Executive Director to lead an established non-profit organization. The Executive Director manages and oversees the functions, operations and programs of the Agency with an emphasis on delivery of weatherization and comprehensive energy services to qualified households in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Qualified applicants possess the ability to lead an agency consisting of 20 – 30 employees; direct, plan, implement and evaluate organization systems and procedures related to weatherization program; responsible for financial management and data processing systems; coordinates all components of the organization; chief liaison between the Office of Economic Opportunity and other program-related organizations.

Qualified applicants should have a minimum of three years’ supervisory experience with multiple employees.

Applicant must have demonstrated knowledge in the fields of construction, energy efficiency and/or weatherization.

Experience in Non-Profit business practices and applications beneficial, but not mandatory. The Executive Director reports directly to the Board of Directors and shares responsibilities with the Assistant Executive Director.

NETO is an Equal Opportunity Employer offering competitive benefits that include Medical, Dental and Supplemental Insurance Products, 403B, Vacation, Sick Leave and Paid Holidays. Starting Salary range is $58,000 to $65,000.To apply, please submit a Cover Letter, Resume and three Letters of Professional/Business References to: NETO Board of Directors, PO Box 584, Newport, VT 05855. Deadline to submit resume is October 15, 2020.

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Looking to take your customer service and sales experience to the next level? Searching for a new opportunity at a fun and dynamic company? We have the job for you!

To apply and for details visit: drpower. com/careers Questions? Email: jobs@drpower.com

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Looking for a Sweet Job?

67 SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

9/14/20 10:58 AM

100% EMPLOYEE-OWNED 100% EMPLOYEE-OWNED 100% EMPLOYEE-OWNED

Join Join the the team team at at Gardener’s Gardener’s Supply!

Supply!

We have immediate openings in Call team at Gardener’s WeJoin havethe immediate openings in our our Supply!

Call Center!

Center!

We have immediate openings in our Call Center!

We We are are looking looking for for part-time part-time and and full-time, full-time, We are looking for part-time and full-time, seasonal seasonal SALES SALES & & SERVICE SERVICE SPECIALISTS SPECIALISTS to to seasonalexceptional SALES & SERVICE SPECIALISTS to provide customer service to provide exceptional customer service to our our provide exceptional customer service to our customers over the phone at our Call Center customers over the phone at our Call Center customersBurlington, over the phone at our Call Center located located in in Burlington, VT. VT. located in Burlington, VT. We We offer: offer: We offer: •• Very Very flexible flexible scheduling scheduling •• Very flexible scheduling Competitive • Competitive pay pay •• Competitive pay Huge discount • Huge discount on on product product •• Huge discount on product Amazing culture and • Amazing culture and the the best best co-workers co-workers •• Amazing culture and the best co-workers Positions thru the month of December • Positions thru the month of December • Positions thru the month of December We are are 100% 100% employee-owned employee-owned and and aa We We are B100% employee-owned and a Certified Corporation.

Please go to our our Certified B Corporation. Please go to Certified B Corporation.

Please go to our careers page at www.gardeners.com/careers www.gardeners.com/careers careers page at careers page at www.gardeners.com/careers and apply online! online! and apply and apply online!

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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

SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

WHERE YOU AND YOUR WORK MATTER...

Executive Director The Executive Director for the Cornell Cooperative Extension Association of Essex County represents and is accountable to the Association Board of Directors and the Director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension System.

The Executive Director is expected to be an effective leader, helping to develop and project a compelling and contemporary vision for extension programming to stakeholders, both internal and external. The Executive Director must be engaged with decision makers both locally and at Cornell in order to be effective. This position is a full-time exempt position - 100% FTE. The minimum starting salary for this position is $73,000.00 annually commensurate with experience. This position, based on eligibility, offers a comprehensive benefit package, to include: health and dental insurance, retirement, vacation, sick and personal leave.

Visit the application link to read the full job description and for more application information. Individuals who bring a diverse perspective and are supportive of diversity are strongly encouraged to apply. http://bit.ly/CornellExecDir

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.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION AND CONTRACT TECHNICIAN – MONTPELIER Seeking a self-starter to provide technical and contractual support to the Design and Construction Division. Duties include generating architectural, engineering, and services contracts and change orders. Position creates and assembles specifications and other related project documents for bidding. Ideal candidate will be able to correctly interpret and process large amounts of data, have an understanding of the nomenclature and trade terminology, and be familiar with contracting procedures. For more information, contact Joe Aja at joe.aja@vermont.gov or 802-828-5694. Department: Buildings and General Services.

Status: Full Time. Job ID #8442. Application Deadline: October 4, 2020.

Learn more at: careers.vermont.gov

The State of Vermont is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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SECOND SHIFT MECHANIC

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9/18/20 3:31 PM

Vermont’s premier continuing Care Retirement Community seeks members to join our Environmental Services Team!

Green Mountain Transit is seeking to hire careerfocused Mechanics. Our mission is rooted in ensuring a safe, stable, and comfortable work environment for employees and providing safe, convenient, accessible, innovative, and sustainable public transportation for the community. We have an exciting opportunity for individuals who would like to be part of an expert team.

HOUSEKEEPER - Full-Time

GMT's team of mechanics maintains a fleet of approximately 100 buses, and perform preventative and corrective maintenance on all GMT systems, equipment and shop facilities.

Housekeepers support residents who live independently by providing contactless housekeeping services in their homes while they are away.

Housekeepers are critical to the wellbeing of residents in a setting that utilizes best practices to maintain our Covid Free environment.

Candidates must have housekeeping and/or industrial cleaning or industrial laundry experience.

We are seeking experienced Mechanics (diesel preferred), who are eager to learn and own their own tools. A CDL-B with passenger endorsement is required, and GMT is to train the right candidate to receive their CDL with proper endorsements at no charge (over $3000 value) Compensation is based on experience: hourly rate ranges from $15.25 - $24.61. Other compensation includes a generous benefits package, $1,100.00 annual tool allowance & GMT provided uniforms and safety shoes. GMT Mechanics are members of Teamsters Local 597.

Interested candidates please send resume and cover letter to HR@wakerobin.com or visit our website, wakerobin.com, to complete an application.

Wake Robin is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Benefits: GMT offers all full-time employees a competitive salary and exceptional benefits, paid premiums for health, dental, and vision: for both the employee and his/her family members and generous time off.

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• GMT offers 100% paid premium for health, dental, vision and prescription plans.

• GMT offers short-term disability. 100% of the premium is paid by GMT. • GMT pays 100% of the premium for a $50,000 life insurance/accidental death and disability insurance.

SHARED LIVING PROVIDER

• GMT offers great time off. Each new employee receives 8.67 hours every two weeks.

• Free CDL License Training (over $3,000 value) To apply for this position: greenmountaintransit.applicantstack.com/x/openings For information call, 802-540-2536, or visit our website: ridegmt.com/careers GMT encourages job applications from all qualified people, regardless of a person’s criminal record; providing qualified applicants the opportunity to explain a criminal record when applying. There are specific positions within the organization designated as safety sensitive, where a criminal conviction may cause the candidate to be deemed ineligible for hire in that position, regardless of the circumstances.

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Howard Center is seeking a Shared Living Provider for a man in his 30s who enjoys super hero movies, puzzles, boating, and pizza. The ideal provider(s) will have a male in the household and no children living in the home full-time – this individual must be supervised when interacting with children. Pets are okay. The provider needs to be comfortable supporting this individual with personal care, hygiene, managing emotions, and working to include the individual as a roommate in the household.

Twenty-four hour support in the home is required.

Compensation includes a tax-free annual stipend of $26,000, room and board payments, and a generous respite budget. For more information or to request an application, please contact Patrick Fraser at patfraser@howardcenter.org or 802-871-2902.

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9/11/20 1:26 PM

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @SEVENDAYSJOBS, SUBSCRIBE TO RSS, OR BROWSE POSTS ON YOUR PHONE AT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

FACILITIES SPECIALIST CBSI is looking for a Facilities Specialist in South Burlington, VT. As a facilities Specialist you will work with licensed vendors to perform routine and preventative maintenance tasks for plumbing, electrical, lighting, and HVAC systems. This position requires a valid driver’s license, HSD or GED, 1+ year exp. in facilities maintenance or construction. General knowledge of HVAC, plumbing, masonry, painting, electrical and carpentry and ability to use necessary tools that coincide.

Certification and Licensing are NOT required in these fields. We offer competitive compensation and benefits.

We are committed to professional development and offer opportunities for advancement!

To learn more or apply: cbna.com/careers/work-happy An Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY! JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

69 SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

Looking for career minded individuals to grow along with the company. Positions available in production and service departments. Positions are full time, Monday - Friday, 7:00 am - 3:30 pm, 40hours. Some O/T may be required.

MIG –WELDER

As a manufacturer of custom truck bodies we have openings for experienced Mig Welders to join our production team. Lay out, position, align, and secure parts prior to assembly, math skills needed. Aluminum welding experience a plus.

SNOWPLOW/TRUCK BODY INSTALLER/MECHANIC

Perform set up and installation of snowplows, truck bodies & miscellaneous equipment on new/used trucks/vehicles. Mechanical experience required; hydraulic experience desirable.

Company Benefits Include: • Health Insurance w/company contribution • 401K w/company match to 5% • Paid Vacation, Paid Holidays

• Paid Sick • Paid Life Insurance/AD&D, Short Term & Long Term Disability

Forward Resume & Cover letter to: joannef@iroquoismfg.com Apply in Person: Iroquois Mfg. Co., 695 Richmond Rd., Hinesburg, VT Face Mask required and social distancing rules apply to enter our facility.

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ACCOUNTING MANAGER

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Appletree Bay Property Management is looking for a fulltime Accounting Manager to join its Organization to make a meaningful impact to the Organization’s long-term success and continued growth. The Accounting Manager will be responsible for maintaining the books for multiple rental properties, homeowners associations, and the Organization’s books.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE: • Processing payments (ACH and check) from renters and home owner association members.

• Prepare payables and bank reconciliations

REGISTRAR:

Full Time; Benefits eligible; $61,600 annually Goddard College seeks a resourceful, systems-savvy academic leader to direct and manage student records, registration, academic records systems, data management functions, and ensure appropriate reporting to state and federal agencies. The Registrar shall support the College’s mission, strategic planning, and social justice and inclusion commitments. This position partners with other leaders, on strategies to evolve the College understanding of student learning outcomes, student progress, and related data systems. Data management skills are essential, particularly in complex data analysis, data software use, data systems planning and evaluation. Qualified candidates will hold an earned graduate degree; have cultural competence, and relevant higher education, supervisory, and budget management experience, computer literacy and technical aptitudes.

HUMAN RESOURCES ADMINISTRATOR:

• Prepare weekly reports for management review and approval

Full Time; Benefits eligible; $38,000-$43,000 per year.

• Prepare monthly financial statements • Respond to client inquires in a timely manner.

• Prepare and file annual Forms 1099.

• Ability to work in an environment with changing priorities on a daily basis • Assist management to close the books at year-end and integrate with the Organization’s external accounting firm for year-end tax preparation PREFERRED EXPERIENCE: • Several years of bookkeeping experience working in a fast-paced organization, managing the expectations of multiple constituents where priorities can change frequently.

• Prior working experience of Peachtree and cloud-based accounting software, or the ability to learn accounting software/systems quickly.

• Committed to continuing education and process improvement.

If these attributes appeal to you, please submit your resume to Bradd@appletreebay.com.

We offer a competitive salary and benefits based on experience and skill.

Oversees employee benefits, payroll, recruitment, compliance administration, and ensures that the general activities of the department function smoothly. Additional responsibilities include new & returning employee paperwork and orientations, drafting letters of appointment, intranet site maintenance, and serving on related committees. Qualified candidates will have a minimum of an AA/AS/BA in human resources management, or a closely related field and a minimum of 3 years of administrative experience (preferably in Human Resources), possess professionalism and the ability to maintain confidentiality, excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills, advanced skills in the Microsoft Office Suite, Google Suite, and ADP WorkforceNow. Familiarity with general Human Resources laws and principles, an ability to research, interpret, and ensure compliance with all applicable state and federal employment laws.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT SPECIALIST: Full Time, Temporary, $17/hour.

Provides support and instruction for the use of intranet and technology resources, works with the IT staff to ensure the optimal functioning of the College’s 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. Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree, or a combination of education and experience from which comparable skills are acquired. Able to effectively manage time and work independently with minimal supervision, strong working knowledge of desktop applications and learning technologies, strong working knowledge of computer systems, networking, and software.

This position is a swing shift position requiring the IT Support Specialist to work irregular hours including evenings and weekends during student residencies.

For further information, please visit: goddard.edu/about-goddard/employment-opportunities 9t-GoddardCollege092320.indd 1

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70

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

POST YOUR JOBS AT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM FOR FAST RESULTS, OR CONTACT MICHELLE BROWN: MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

Home Repair Director

Experienced Carpenters

COVER Home Repair seeks an experienced Home Repair Director to lead this team. COVER’s mission is to foster hope and build community by doing urgent home repairs for low income homeowners in the Upper Valley of VT and NH. COVER is a volunteer-powered, professionally-led non-profit that helps make homes safe, warm and dry by building accessibility ramps, installing new roofs, preforming urgent home repairs, and air-sealing homes via its weatherization program.

SHARED LIVING PROVIDER Howard Center is seeking a Shared Living Provider for a female client in her 30s. The client is actively involved in Special Olympics and community self-advocacy, and has two part-time jobs. The ideal provider will: be able to provide clear boundaries and clinical support; help the client develop independent living skills; be a single female or couple; and have no children and no other clients in the home (pets are okay). A home on or near a bus line is preferred.

Essential skills required: construction project management; staff and volunteer management; outreach and communications oral and written; 5 years’ construction management; 3 years’ supervising employees or volunteers and/or teaching.

Compensation includes a generous tax-free annual stipend, monthly room and board payments, and a respite budget. For more information or to request an application, please contact Patrick Fraser at patfraser@howardcenter.org or 802-871-2902.

By Sept. 30th, send cover letter and resume to: bill@coverhomerepair.org

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

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Restorative Formulations, a natural high-value nutritional supplement company located in Montpelier, is looking for a self-motivated and results-driven Director of Operations to manage all operational aspects of the Restorative Formulations (RF) and the Restorative Medicine Conference (RM). The Director of Operations assists the CEO in the successful growth of RF and RM. This position provides the operational leadership, management and vision necessary to ensure that RF and RM have the proper controls, administrative and reporting procedures, and systems in place to effectively ensure optimal teamwork and operating efficiency.

RESPONSIBILITIES: • Assists the Owner/CEO in setting strategic priorities for RF and RM • Embodies the mission and core values of RF and RM • Leads planning and implementation of current and new projects • Measures the effectiveness of all internal and external processes; and provides timely, accurate and complete performance and statistical reports on the operating condition of the company • Collaborates with the CEO to develop and implement plans for the operational infrastructure of systems, processes, and relevant personnel

QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

SUCCESS CRACK OPEN YOUR FUTURE...

birdseyevt.com Insta: @birdseyebuilds

Zoning Administrator

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with our new, mobile-friendly job board.

Job seekers can: • Browse hundreds of current, local positions from Vermont companies.

• Search for jobs by keyword, location, category and job type.

• Set up job alerts.

• Apply for jobs directly through the site.

Send resumes to: paula@restorativeformulations.com.

START APPLYING AT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ANALYST

9/22/20 1:33 PM

9/22/20 1:17 PM

The Town 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, which includes attending evening meetings.

A detailed job description can be found on our website at stalbanstown.com.

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9/15/20 8:46 AM

The Vermont Legislative Joint Fiscal Office is accepting applications for a Legislative Fiscal Analyst. The person will provide support and research to legislators on a variety of fiscal issues, including transportation revenue and spending, related environmental issues, and other relevant matters.

Job description be found at ljfo.vermont.gov/misc/jfo-job-2020.pdf.

Resumes will be reviewed starting on October 16, with the position open until filled.

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Birdseye is an award-winning architectural design and building company. We are committed to the creation of beautiful architecture and its realization through masterful building.

9/22/20 1:18 PM

YOU WILL FIND

• Minimum 5 years of experience in a management role • Proven track record of facilitating organizational change and development within a growing organization • Strong analytical, project management, and problem-solving skills • Management of supply chain, third-party vendors, and fulfillment centers • Ability to work within a quickly evolving organization and manage multiple complex priorities • Exceptional interpersonal skills, including written and verbal communication • Knowledge of how workplace cultures change and thrive • Basic IT competencies, including MS Office

Birdseye is growing and currently seeking experienced carpenters for full-time positions with wages based on experience. We are employee owned and offer competitive pay and benefits.

Our teams are highly skilled, knowledgeable and collaborative and our projects are unique. Ideal candidates are motivated, dependable, and detail oriented. Please contact Nathan, Senior Project Coordinator, at 802-434-3153 or jobs@Birdseyevt.com to schedule an interview.

9/18/20 1:51 PM

PHOTO: JEB WALLACE-BRODEUR

When Spruce Peak Arts’ finance manager decided to retire, we definitely entered the search with some trepidation. It’s such a strange time for individuals and businesses that I just didn’t know what to expect. I wasn’t sure what the landscape would be for job hunters right now.

We started advertising just with Seven Days, where we’d had success before, and never expanded the search beyond that. Previously, we’ve used a ton of sites, including Indeed.com. With those big, national sites, I just haven’t found the quality of candidates we were hoping for.

We were just hopeful that, even in this strange time, we’d be able to find the right person.

And luckily we did. We had an immediate flood of inquiries from some very, very qualified candidates. Within two weeks I was able to make an offer to someone whom I think will be an amazing addition to the team.

Seven Days and Michelle made it super easy, super efficient.

I was so pleasantly surprised by the caliber of people who responded — and the quantity, as well. It was really terrific for us.

HOPE SULLIVAN Executive Director Spruce Peak Arts, Stowe

…it works.

CALL MICHELLE: 865-1020, EXT.21 OR VISIT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM 1T-JobsTesti-Spruce Peak Arts0601020.indd 1

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

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fun stuff

RACHEL LINDSAY

72

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

CALCOKU & SUDOKU (P.57) CROSSWORD (P.57)

HARRY BLISS & STEVE MARTIN

EV E N T S O N SA L E N OW BUY ONLINE AT SEVENDAYSTICKETS.COM Hemp Farm Tour & CBD Class SAT., SEP. 26; SUN., SEP. 27 OFF PISTE FARM, LYNDON

Exploring Spirituality THU., SEP. 24; THU., OCT. 22 VIRTUAL EVENT

Ethiopian / Eritrean Takeout SAT., SEP. 26 O’BRIEN COMMUNITY CENTER, WINOOSKI

LUNAFEST at the Drive-In WED., SEP. 30 SUNSET DRIVE-IN THEATER, COLCHESTER

JEN SORENSEN

Grief Gathering: Community, Connection, and Ritual THU., OCT. 1; THU., NOV. 5 VIRTUAL EVENT

Spanish Basque Takeout SAT., OCT. 3 O’BRIEN COMMUNITY CENTER, WINOOSKI

Facing Change: Life’s Transitions and Transformations THU., OCT. 8 VIRTUAL EVENT

Bosnian Takeout

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SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

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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.

74SR-Comics-filler071520.indd SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020 1

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 SEPTEMBER 24-30

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “People who deny the existence of dragons are often eaten by dragons. From within.” Fantasy author Ursula K. Le Guin made that observation, and now I’m conveying it to you just in time for the season when you’ll need it most. Please note that I am not predicting you’ll be devoured by dragons from within. In offering you this oracle, my hope is that you will: 1. acknowledge the existence of metaphorical dragons; 2. locate where they hang out in your inner realms; 3. study them and get to know them better; 4. devise a strategy for dealing with them safely.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22):

Seventy-nine-year-old Libran poet Robert Pinsky has had a triumphant life. He has published 19 books, including his own poems and essays, as well as translations of Italian and Polish poetry. For four years he served as the United States poet laureate. To what factors does he attribute his success? Here’s one: “Whatever makes a child want to glue macaroni on a paper has always been strong in me,” he testifies. He’s referring to the primitive arts-and-crafts projects he enjoyed while growing up. In accordance with astrological omens, I encourage you, too, to get in touch and commune with the primal roots of the things you love to do.

Reconnect with the original expressions of your passion for life.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): “It takes a lot of courage to be the same person on the outside that you are on the inside.” Author Barbara De Angelis made that observation.

I offer it up to you as a fun challenge. During the coming weeks, you may be strongly tempted to be different on the outside than you are on the inside. On the other hand, you’ll have the necessary insight and valor to remain unified. In fact, you may ultimately create more congruence between your inside and outside than you have in a long time.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “Don’t let them

tame you,” advised flamboyant Gemini dancer Isadora Duncan. Who did she mean by “them”? The mainstream critics, who might have wished she cultivated a less maverick style? Her managers and handlers, who may have wanted her to tone herself down so she could earn maximum amounts of money? Her friends, who cringed when she did things like dancing on a table wearing an evening dress at a party? In accordance with astrological omens, Gemini, I invite you to take a survey of what influences might wish you were more docile, mild or manageable. And then meditate on how you could consistently express the healthiest kind of wildness.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): In the Yoruba religion of Ifà, the English word “heart” has two different meanings and words. So says Yoruba priest Awó Falokun Fatunmbi. The first heart is the organ that pumps blood through our bodies. It’s called okàn. Within the okàn is the second heart: a power center that regulates the flow of emotions. It’s called ègbè. I believe your ègbè will be exceptionally strong and clear and generous in the coming weeks, Cancerian. Your capacity to feel deeply and truly will be a gift to all those with whom you share it. It will also have the potential to enhance your appreciation for your own mysterious life. Wield your ègbè with glee and panache!

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Ancient Greek philosopher Plato observed, “Do not train children to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to what amuses their minds, so that you may

be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.” The same principle applies to all of us adults who are committed to the goal of lifelong learning. And according to my astrological analysis, it will be especially useful for you Leos to keep in mind during the coming weeks. It’s time to energize your education! And here’s the best way to gather the new teachings that are important for you to know: Follow what amuses your mind.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Christian author Frederick Buechner writes, “We are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves, and I believe that to love ourselves means to extend to those various selves that we have been along the way the same degree of compassion and concern that we would extend to anyone else.”

Let’s make his thought your keynote for the next two weeks. Now is an excellent time to take a journey through your past to visit all the other people you have been. As you do attend to this poignant work, be generous with each of your old selves. Forgive them for their errors and praise their beauty. Tell them how much you love them. Thank them for how they have made possible the life you’re living now.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “A single ego is an absurdly narrow vantage point from which to view the world,” wrote occultist Aleister Crowley. Author Gore Vidal agreed, saying, “Since no one can ever know for certain whether or not his own view of life is the correct one, it is absolutely impossible for him to know if someone else’s is the wrong one.” All of us can perpetually benefit from this counsel. And it will be especially healthy for you to heed during the next four weeks. Humility will be a superpower.

Blessings will flow your way if you don’t need to be right all the time. As you refrain from regarding your own opinions as God’s holy decrees, you will generate good fortune for yourself.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “It’s a rare

gift, to know where you need to be, before you’ve been to all the places you don’t need to be.” Author Ursula K. Le Guin wrote that. I’m passing it on to you because I suspect you now possess the power to claim this rare gift. In the coming days, you don’t have to engage in endless eval-

uations of the numerous possibilities. You don’t have to risk falling victim to overthinking. Your clear, strong gut hunches will tell you exactly where you need to be and how to get there.

CAPRICORN

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Novelist Henry Miller was in many ways a quintessential Capricorn. He described himself as “in love with love, always in search of the absolute, always seeking the unattainable.” Feelings like those are why your astrological symbol is the mountain goat that’s always climbing higher, questing toward the next pinnacle.

At your best, you’re determined to keep striving for the brightest, the strongest, the truest.

Sometimes you overdo this admirable imperative, but mostly it’s a beautiful quality. You are hereby authorized to express it with maximum wisdom and eagerness in the coming weeks.

AQUARIUS

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “Go catch a falling star,” wrote poet John Donne (15721631) in his poem “Song.” “Tell me who cleft the Devil’s foot,” he went on to say. “Teach me to hear the mermaids singing.” He wasn’t being literal but rather was indulging in poetic fancy to stretch his readers’ imaginations. I’m offering you the spirit of Donne’s poem, Aquarius, because you’re ripe to transcend your limited notions about what’s plausible and implausible. If you allow yourself to get extravagant and unruly in your fantasies, you may crack through shrunken expectations and break into a spacious realm of novel possibilities.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I don’t suggest you indulge daringly in sensual pleasures, cathartic exchanges of energy, and intoxicating pursuits of relief and release. The pandemic mandates that we be cautious about engaging in unmitigated bliss — even though the astrological omens suggest that if now were a normal time, such activities would be well worth focusing on. How can you resolve this dilemma? Possibilities: 1. Experiment zestfully with your live-in steady or spouse. 2. Get a COVID-19 test with a potential playmate, and if you both test negative, celebrate boisterously. 3. Round up a dazzler with whom you can generate rapture via Zoom. 4. Fantasize about delightfully gracious debauchery. 5. Go solo.

CHECK OUT ROB BREZSNY’S EXPANDED WEEKLY AUDIO HOROSCOPES & DAILY TEXT MESSAGE HOROSCOPES: REALASTROLOGY.COM OR 1-877-873-4888

N E W VI D E O !

Eva Sollberger’s

Watch at sevendaysvt.com 4H-Stuck092320.indd 1

supported by: two For the past Cooney cy decades, Lu f 10 and — mother o as er of 15 — h th grandmo e th t a driver been a bus y it n u omm Shelburne C ID-19 forced V O C l.

Schoo ges, but some chan as stayed one thing h e kids are the same: Th to see her. y p always hap

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

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9/22/20 11:47 AM

Respond to these people online: dating.sevendaysvt.com WOMEN seeking...

NEW IN TOWN, REACHING OUT First off, you’re probably wondering why I only posted the back of my head in the photograph. It is just because I want to be careful in a public forum. I’m outrageously fun but can also be very reserved. If we talk and I trust you, I will send you photos.

You won’t be disappointed. Seeking friendship or serious relationship.

NewHere, 43, seeking: M, l FUNNY, ACTIVE ACTIVIST AND ADVENTURIST Recently moved to Vermont from D.C. Would like to meet people for social/ political activism, hiking, hanging out and socializing. Always up for new adventures, like discussing world events. Am compassionate, enjoy outdoor activities. I’m nonjudgmental and appreciate the same in others.

I’ve been involved in activism around racial equity, health care and disability rights ... but don’t take myself too seriously! AnnieCA, 67, seeking: M, l INTUITIVE, CREATIVE, A GOOD LISTENER! I’m a good person who enjoys good food to eat, good wine to drink, good books to read, good stories to share and good friends to spend time with.

I have been called the “Quick of Wit.” My friends say that I am funny, caring, creative, sometimes edgy, and that I not only tell good stories, I write them! Sentient, 66, seeking: M, l

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W = Women M = Men TW = Trans women TM = Trans men Q = Genderqueer people NBP = Nonbinary people NC = Gender nonconformists Cp = Couples Gp = Groups

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WALKING PARTNER WANTED Hi, I’m Nogah. I live in downtown Montpelier. I’m looking for a friend and walking partner for the fall/winter. We’ll see where things go. I have a kind and big heart. Truth be told, I am also a bit neurotic. Pescatarians, vegetarians and vegans only. You should also be environmentally conservative and humble. NogahB, 39, seeking: M, l KIND HEART Loyal, kind, shy initially, love a good conversation, funny. Decided it’s time to explore all options that could lead to a loving, supportive relationship.

Romantic but don’t need over-thetop gestures of love. Love my family, family gatherings, cooking/baking, traveling, a car ride to nowhere and a trip to Ireland! Love rugby, and favorite place is Lake Willoughby!

Slaintesusan9, 58, seeking: M SUNNY, HAPPY AND FUN I love sharing fun things with a partner.

I love sailing and the beach in the summer and skiing and skating in the winter. I love playing almost all sports except hunting. I also love theater, dance and music. Looking for someone who enjoys the same and is laid-back and not too serious. snowflake12 , 49, seeking: M, l VIVACIOUS IN VERMONT Looking to meet a guy who is active and fit, likes good food and con ersation, and is up to date with 21st-century technology. I have lived in many different places — overseas, upstate New York, and Austin, Texas — and I am here in Vermont to stay. I am quintessentially feminine, although with limits: not all pink all the time.

VinVermont, 54, seeking: M, l OUTDOORSY AND ACTIVE I enjoy being active in all of Vermont’s seasons, adventurous and spontaneous travel, gardening, home projects, outdoor recreation, good food, and small concerts. Am also content with museums or the New Yorker and a front porch. Raise animals for my freezer.

Am a loyal friend. NEK. I am looking for a close companion and am open to all that entails. NEK026, 58, seeking: M, l AUTUMN LIGHT Conversation starter: “There i something wonderfully bold and liberating about saying yes to our entire imperfect and messy life.” (Tara Brach) Walk and talk? Hope, 63, seeking: M, l TRYING SOMETHING NEW I love kinky play. Enjoy MMF and MFF threesomes. Looking for a woman for some discreet play. Newly bi-curious.

Looking for a fun friend to explore kinks with. vtkinkygirl, 44, seeking: W CUCKOO ABOUT ADVENTURES I’m just looking for a new friend. I’m somewhat new to the area and would like to find someone who likes to talk hike, or do anything that doesn’t involve going to the bar or lots of drinking!

NDrootsNYbuds, 37, seeking: M, l

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

AFFECTIONATE, ENTHUSIASTIC, DYNAMIC SINGLE MOM I make friends like the rest of Vermont is buying Subarus. I’ll make you laugh, solve problems together and be forever loyal. I’m a sucker for muscular thighs, thoughtfulness and looking good in a T-shirt. Sex is an important part of a relationship with me. I’m intelligent, self-employed, ambitious and highly moral. I’m fat by American standards and active. Elastic_Heart, 45, seeking: M, TM HERE’S TO SECOND CHANCES Widowed, fit, fun, financi ly secure WF with serious BDSM/kinky fantasies that I want/ need to explore. Looking to find 50- t 60-y/o male with experience in the much less vanilla side of sex for dating and/or LTR. bestisyettobe, 53, seeking: M, l CREATIVE, EMPATHIC, KIND I am a curious, sensitive and intuitive woman who is creative and smart. I love excellent conversation, the outdoors, travel and good food! I’m a spiritual seeker and writer; mostly night owl. Looking for deep connection, independence and laughter in someone who values doing their inner work. SoulTraveler, 50, seeking: M, l GOOD MORNING! Female, vegan, 420-friendly, central Vermont. Seeking similar companion for summer (and beyond) activities: easy/ moderate hiking, nature walks, swimming, biking, long drives on back roads and other warm weather adventures. In the midst of the pandemic, I take “social smartness” seriously. For the time being, I am only open to outdoor, safely distanced meetings. Thanks for reading VtVegan2020, 57, seeking: M, l FEMININE, FIT, FUN-LOVING FOREST WOMAN If the sun is shining, you’ll find m outdoors. If I’m indoors pursuing my artwork or piano, it must be raining.

Silent sports, camping and canoeing.

Swimming every day. Looking for a fit an active outdoorsman. I’d like to see if we can become best friends and then take it from there. Charley, 68, seeking: M, l

MEN seeking...

EMOTIONALLY AVAILABLE Funny, open-minded guy with lots of love (and I’m not necessarily talking about sex) seeking liberal, open-minded, somewhat kinky woman with any body type. I’m interested in your mind, mainly.

Intelligence, as long as it’s not pretentious, is a huge turn-on. Communication is of paramount importance to me, so please be a good communicator.

Ilovemyview, 68, seeking: W, l KINKY OUTDOORSMAN EASY TO PLEASE I’m looking for a woman to rock my socks off — and I like to wear ‘em tall!

Do you like to wear jeans? Hey, me too! I love watching the sunrise, going camping and hiking, and eating ass on the reg. What are you into? Hit me up. I might not be worth it, but I promise to pay. Swingdaddychaddy, 26, seeking: W, Cp, Gp, l

COUNTRY BOY I like being outdoors. Like hiking and mountain bikes.

ARTIC878, 50, seeking: W

GOOD-LOOKING BI Just looking for a friend-with-benefit situation. Must be discreet. OK-looking and fun-loving. Mright, 44, seeking: M, Cp

ALAN ALDA CLONE LIKES BUTT Looking for a regular friend to be with me and my partner. Age is a number; I am looking for an old soul in a healthy body. I have been told (recently) that I am a good teacher for helping guys get pleasure from the ass. But I can cook, too, and love to feed my friends. Besame mucho. pierofrancesca, 62, seeking: M

COUPLES seeking...

UNORDINARY, AVERAGE GUY I’m all the things you want in a man, plus some. ;) More count y than city for sure. I’m a hardworking, selfsupported individual who doesn’t fit into any classification tota ly. I’d love to meet an intelligent, honest, loyal, attractive and sexy woman with a great sense of humor to spend my life with. Itshim, 46, seeking: W, l COUNTRY, WORKER, ADVENTURER My life sure has been an adventure!

Vermont-born and -raised. Looking for a woman who might enjoy a day on the kayaks, a night out dancing or a good old-fashioned movie night. timberjack240, 59, seeking: W, l DOWN-TO-EARTH COUNTRY SOUL I’m down-to-earth with a good sense of humor/wit. Hands-on dad. I enjoy everything outdoors — hiking, gardening, animals, barbecuing, summer at the lake.

I enjoy cooking and projects around the home. I’m open-minded, open to trying new things and adventures. Enjoy a good balance between an evening out and a nice meal home with a movie.

Countrysoul, 45, seeking: W, l HANDSOME, HAPPY AND LOYAL I like honesty and righteousness. I am fair and understanding and love to converse. raznik, 58, seeking: W, Cp CAREGIVER Most of what I would have to say is in the questionnaire.

Grampie, 73, seeking: W, l HORNY BI-CURIOUS MAN Now is the time. I’ve been thinking about this too long, and it’s time for something new. I’ve dabbled and greatly enjoyed MMF threesomes.

It’s time to explore this new side of my sexuality. Looking for a gay or bi male to navigate my exploration.

Time4somethingNew, 44, seeking: M HARDWORKING, NIGHT LIFE, HONEST I’m 55, looking for adventure with a friend with benefits. orking for the future for financial independence.

Woodbury55vt, 53, seeking: M, W

HELP US BRANCH OUT We are a couple of over 30 years. We love to spend time together, enjoying good food, good beer/wine and good company.

We enjoy the outdoors, camping, hiking, skiing. Looking for other couples to become friends with that can help us explore and branch out. We love each other very deeply and want to share that love with others. CentralVTCpl, 54, seeking: Cp, Gp LOOKING FOR SOMEONE AMAZING We are a couple in an open relationship seeking a bi male, gay male or couple to join us in kinky play. Cuckholds, DP, etc. Are you a playmate (or playmates) who are open to safe, sane and crazy experiences.

Lets fulfi l each others fantasies. We’ll try anything twice! We are two clean, professional adults. Discretion given and expected. vtfuncouple, 44, seeking: M, Cp EXPERIENCE SOMETHING NEW We are a loving couple of over fi e years.

Love to play and try new things. Spend free time at the ledges. Looking for people to play with. Perhaps dinner, night out and maybe breakfast in the morning. Looking for open-minded men, women or couples who enjoy fun times and new experiences.

2newAdventurers, 52, seeking: M, W, Cp, Gp OPEN-MINDED ROLE-PLAY We are an open-minded couple looking for others. Must be discreet. Please let us know your interests. If you are a male replying, you must be bi or bi-curious.

VTroleplaying, 47, seeking: W ATTRACTIVE MARRIED COUPLE Attractive, caring and honest married couple looking to meet a female for fun times both in and out of the bedroom.

She is bi-curious; he is straight. We are very easygoing and fun to be around. Will share a photo once we communicate. Let’s see what happens.

VTcouple4fun, 49, seeking: W SEASONED, REASONED, FRIENDSHIP AND CONVERSATION Older couple seeks new friends to enjoy honest conversation. Couples, women, or men. We are not seeking benefits thoug we are open to discussion if all are inspired.

We’d love to meet and converse over a nice meal. We love warmth and open people. Our place has a hot tub for cold winters, and we have a massage table.

Seasoned, 70, seeking: M, W, Cp, Gp, l

TRANS WOMEN seeking...

SPOIL MY PARTNER I am a very fit lifelong passable closeted cross-dressing cougar, non op trans woman seeking a discreet, fit, kind partner to spoil rotten. I have much to give and love to please my mate first and foremost. Ha e very private home and love to entertain. Looking for trustworthy partner for fun to start, maybe more. Susan123, 55, seeking: M, W

BE MY CUDDLE BUDDY? Cute 50-y/o vegan straight-edge polyam ace enby trans girl. Love my parallel polyam primary nesting partner, so I’m looking for a part-time snuggle buddy for walks and talks and handholding and kissing and romance!

I fall in love really easily! I’m half in love with you already just because you’re reading this! Anyone but cis guys. EnbyTransgirl, 51, seeking: W, TM, TW, Q, NBP, l

TIME FLIES Newly retired, not so newly single. Used to be OK with the patient method of meeting people spontaneously, but during these unusual times that has become almost impossible. I would really like to meet someone who enjoys traveling or just hanging out. A good conversationalist is a must. Someone informed and open-minded. Spontaneous nature and adventurous are wonderful qualities. Strangetimes, 57, seeking: W

GENEROUS, OPEN, EASYGOING Warm, giving trans female with an abundance of yum to share (and already sharing it with lovers) seeks ecstatic connection for playtimes, connections, copulations, exploration and generally wonderful occasional times together. Clear communication, a willingness to venture into the whole self of you is wanted.

Possibilities are wide-ranging: three, four, explorations, dreaming up an adventure are on the list! DoubleUp, 63, seeking: M, Cp, l

i SPY

If you’ve been spied, go online to contact your admirer!

dating.sevendaysvt.com

BLUE HAIR I saw you with your blue hair and thought you’d match my purple hair nicely. When: Friday, September 18, 2020. Where: the co-op. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915146 MONTPELIER DOMINO’S You were picking up pizza while I was waiting for mine. You had red hair and a fun personality. Your name may have been Margo. How about a pizza with me sometime? When: Friday, September 11, 2020. Where: Montpelier.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915145 PA TEACHER ON STEPS Sorry to stare as I went by on the motorcycle; you seemed so familiar. ˜ anks for the friendly wave. When: ˜ ursday, September 3, 2020. Where: PA. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915144 TIMBER JACK 240 Liked your smile. Love to dance.

Interested. When: Saturday, September 5, 2020. Where: on Seven Days.

You: Man. Me: Woman. #915143 SHAVED HEAD CO-OP CUTIE You caught my eye with your sick outsider style at the co-op. You said you liked my outfit. Wanna chat about weird feminist art and music over coffee sometime?

Signed, ˜ e Freak With the Yellow Crocs.

When: Wednesday, September 2, 2020.

Where: Middlebury co-op. You: Nonbinary person. Me: Woman. #915141 GREAT NORTHERN I saw you wearing a partially unbuttoned cut-off flannel, fuzzy trapper hat and sandals with dirty socks. You were drinking a matcha latte and playing Pictionary. We locked eyes. It felt like we were suddenly on a train car, flying down the tracks. I would like to sit across from you and join your Pictionary game. When: Wednesday, January 3, 2018. Where: Great Northern.

You: Woman. Me: Woman. #915140

LOCKING EYES AT DUNKS You had a black shirt with blue writing on the front, black leggings. Your eyes found mine pulling into the gas station; you were going to your car. ˜ en you came back as I was holding the door.

Again, those eyes. Again in line while I was waiting for coffee. Let’s connect again? Maybe at the gas station for coffee. When: Tuesday, September 1, 2020. Where: Dunkin’ in Williston.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915139 COCHRAN’S PARKING LOT You were enthusiastically supportive of your buddy after mountain biking.

I liked your bright blue biking shorts and infectious pep and passion. I smiled as I walked by in my blue flowered tank and white sunglasses.

As I drove away in my Crosstrek, we smiled again. Want to smile together over a beer or coffee? When: Saturday, August 15, 2020. Where: Cochran’s.

You: Man. Me: Woman. #915138 DUNKIN’ DRIVE-THRU I didn’t see you, but you were a car ahead and paid for my drink because, said the cashier, “She thinks you’re cute,” which totally made my day (not least because my order was not cheap)! ˜ anks so much — I was so happy! When: Saturday, August 22, 2020. Where: Colchester.

You: Woman. Me: Woman. #915137 FLYNN HARLEM DANCE COMPANY ˜ ere was a man at the Flynn’s Harlem Dance, November/December. After the performance, I waited in the outer lobby for friends. When they appeared, he noticed me. When leaving, his eyes watched mine. I liked that. If you are that man, please get in touch. You wore a light gray tweed coat and a distinctive cap. Describe the cap. I’ll know it’s you. When: Sunday, December 1, 2019. Where: Flynn ˜ eater.

You: Man. Me: Woman. #915133

JAKE AT TJ’S We talked about swimming holes and the unbearable lightness of being 32. You make the mask mandate look good! I know it’s part of the gig to connect with shoppers, but I enjoyed our convo, and if you did, too, I’d love to meet up for more. When: Friday, August 21, 2020. Where: Trader Joe’s.

You: Man. Me: Woman. #915135

CANADA EX Chatted briefly as you were walking your Portuguese/spaniel mix pup. I was eating lunch with my neighbor, a bit sweaty from working. Would love to join you for a dog walk and chat more. Haven’t seen you walk by again. When: Sunday, July 12, 2020. Where: near North St. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915115

SAXON HILL You: orange shirt. Me: orange bike.

We crossed paths at Saxon Saturday morning. Would enjoy hearing from you. When: Saturday, August 22, 2020. Where: Saxon Hill. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915134

TELL ME SOMETHING Anne, I know you didn’t pick me all those months ago. I know why you didn’t, but all I want is another shot. You make me feel like no one has before. ˜ is is me asking you to pick me, pick us, because you’re the closest thing to magic I’ve ever found. When: Sunday, July 28, 2019. Where: Switchback brewery.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915112

FOUR_SEASONS Well, Miss Four_Seasons, you have been spied today on here. Your profile has caught my attention, and I am interested in knowing more about you.

I am open to any ideas or thoughts that you have. When: Monday, August 17, 2020. Where: Seven Days.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915132 NORTH BURLINGTON DREADED BRANDY In late February we sat next to each other and chatted on an early morning flight to D.C. You were headed to KC for work. You: dreads, beautiful, smart, computer person. I would love to continue our talk over coffee or a drink or a walk by the lake. When: Saturday, February 22, 2020. Where: Burlington flight to D.C. You: Man. Me: Man. #915128 TRACTOR SUPPLY IN MONTPELIER We were both looking for mower belts.

Tried to help you figure out which one. You knew it was a Craftsman but didn’t know the model number. And the book didn’t even list part numbers for Craftsman! I tried to help, had to let you head off to customer service. Should have asked for your number. Kicking myself now. When: Wednesday, August 5, 2020. Where: Montpelier Tractor Supply. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915120 RT.7 DELI REDHEAD It was around 4. You were wearing an Army green tank top. You headed south on 7 toward Shelburne.

When: Wednesday, July 29, 2020.

Where: Rt.7 Deli, Shelburne Rd. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915119

Ask REVEREND Dear Purely Impatient,

A BRIDGE TOO FAR? Bike path bridge between Burlington and Colchester. You: on bike. Me: walking with a M/F couple. You appeared interested. I was. ˜ ere were geese. When: Saturday, July 25, 2020. Where: Burlington-Colchester bridge. You: Man. Me: Man. #915106

WHEN WE WERE FOXES...

Love, I wonder why are we in this quagmire? I wish I had remained wild like you; free. Every day I wait for you to come home to me, me alone; to stay. Please find me again in our next lives. I’ll still be your vixen in moonlight awaiting your kisses sweet. Pull my hair and bite my neck so I know. When: Tuesday, July 28, 2020. Where: Plattsburgh.

You: Man. Me: Woman. #915110

WALK BY ME DAILY ALMOST You: female, and name starts with a C. You always say hi with a smile. You live up the street from me, and we know each other through my work (North Ave. area). I feel like you have that cartoon bubble over your head that is saying more, lol. I’m down if you are. Just ask, and I will play. When: Wednesday, July 22, 2020. Where: North Ave. area. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915103 DANIELLE Before COVID I came in to drink coffee and read. It was always special when our eyes met. Once, as you rode up on the escalator, you turned, and I, on the first floor, smiled and said hi to you.

What fuels that extraordinary smile of yours that lights up the world around you? Let’s meet. When: Wednesday, March 11, 2020. Where: Barnes & Noble.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915100 ATTRACTIVE BLONDE, MIDDLE ROAD MARKET You were wearing an orange-and-pink top with black shorts. I had a black T-shirt and tan shorts. We smiled at each other as I walked in. As you were buying your Nantucket Nectars, I was being too shy to say hi. Which I now regret! Hoping you see this, and hoping to hear back from you. When: Saturday, July 18, 2020.

Where: Milton, Middle Road Market.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915098

ITALIAN RACE BIKE, BURLINGTON-COLCHESTER BRIDGE Wow, talking to you made my day!

Wouldn’t mind meeting you again.

When: Monday, July 27, 2020.

Where: Burlington bike path. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915109 RAIL TRAIL ˜ ank you to the good-looking guy from CACR who flashed me a handsome smile while saying hello and also for petting my dog. It made my day! When: Wednesday, July 22, 2020. Where: LVRT, Jeffersonville.

You: Man. Me: Woman. #915108 LAKE CARMI I saw a blond woman in a rowing boat in rough waters in a black-and-white bathing suit keeping in great physical shape. I was fishing. Too bad we couldn’t have been closer. Certainly would like to get to know her. I wonder if she has a camp on the lake. I have been renting at Sunnybank Lodge this month. When: Sunday, July 26, 2020. Where: Lake Carmi. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915107

WILLISTON STARBUCKS - H Hi H: ˜ anks for the brief chat and not laughing at my attire (button-down shirt, long underwear for skiing and flip flops for the beach); such is life in a busy remote Zoom world. In the event you find this and there’s appetite and availability to lengthen the conversation, I’m in. Wishing you a fantastic day! D. When: ˜ ursday, July 9, 2020. Where: Maple Tree Place Starbucks.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915091 YOU AND LUCY Just checking if you and Lucy feel like hiking company with the toasted marshmallow dog and me. When: Saturday, June 27, 2020. Where: hiking.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915085

°˛˝

Irreverent counsel on life’s conundrums

Dear Reverend,

I am an almost 20-year-old virgin girl who has never had a boyfriend. All my crushes wanted nothing more than sex. I’m feeling sad and depressed because I want to know what it feels like to actually date someone. I want to have no fear and be free and able to get out of my comfort zone, but I’m scared. What should I do?

Purely Impatient (FEMALE, 19)

I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but you’re still very young. At your age (or any age, really), there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being a virgin who hasn’t dated much. What’s more important — and what you should be very proud of — is that you know yourself and your body well enough not to have given in to pressures from these so-called˝“crushes.”

Being a virgin at 19 is way more common than you might think, and plenty of women wait even longer to take the plunge.

According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, 4.8 percent of American women ages

25 to 29 have never had sex. For women ages 30 to 34, it’s 2.4 percent; for women ages 35 to 39, it’s 1.5 percent.

Meeting potential romantic partners isn’t easy, especially these days, but you shouldn’t be scared. In order to get out of your comfort zone, you need to be truly comfortable with yourself. So don’t rush things. Don’t think about it too hard. Be yourself and do things you enjoy with people who share your interests, and I’m sure you’ll run into “the one” when the time is right.

Good luck and God bless,

The Reverend

What’s your problem?

Send it to asktherev@sevendaysvt.com.

SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

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I’m a GM, 62, seeking a GM 45 to 65. Bright, bearish build with bookish interests. Still growing spiritually. Love to walk, hike, write — always learning.

Looking for pen pals. Please write and share your passions in life. #L1439 I’m a man, 30, seeking a woman.

Math-brained, tall, working.

Seeking long-term relationship and date for Thanksgiving. #L1437

Staff researcher at UVM on biostatistics. 29-y/o Chinese male. INFJ personality. Seeking a female of similar age for longterm relationship. Love is kind.

Love is patient. May we all stay healthy and be happy. #L1444 SWF, 37, seeking M for some casual fun, no strings attached.

I just got out of an LTR, and I’ve forgotten how it feels to be physically and sexually alive.

Can you remind me? Creative meetups and play a must. #L1443 I’m a GM looking for guys seeking fun and adventure in mid-Vermont. No text/email.

Hope to hear from you. #L1441

Very unique lady in early 70s seeks male. I’m a people person and very active. Love to cook, garden, read and watch good movies. Very friendly with a lot of empathy. I love to walk and the outdoors. Looking for someone who enjoys the same. #L1442 I’m 42-y/o looking for someone who can start and show me the way to a new life sexually.

Looking to start with someone experienced. #L1440 I’m a petite blonde. Healthy, active SWF seeking a kind, honest SWM for conversation, walks, dinners and short trips.

70 to 80. #L1438

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SEVEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 23-30, 2020

54-y/o educated SWF seeks SM for friendship, possible LTR. Enjoy walks, hiking, camping, good food, art, movies, travel, occasional concerts and gardening. I lean politically left and am environmentally conscious. Seeking M to have fun with, enjoy activities and conversation. Ideally you’re compassionate, emotionally intelligent, capable of healthy communication, responsible, and have a good sense of humor and adventure. #L1436 Artistic/intellectual SWM, 68, possessing a wide range of metaphysical interests, seeks female companion for conversations, viewing good cinema, listening to classical music and taking walks in scenic places. A passion for literature, cats and/or the sea is a plus. I’m genuine, curious, creative and considerate. You are unique. I appreciate your response. #L1433

Internet-Free Dating!

Reply to these messages with real, honest-to-goodness letters. DETAILS BELOW. I’m a 58-y/o SWF seeking a 55- to 63-y/o SM. I enjoy all seasons outside, hiking, biking, skiing, riding, kayaking, gardening. Looking for someone to share good food and good books and travel.

NEK. #L1435 I’m a bi-curious male seeking Bobby. I see your ad in the Personals, and I would love to hear from you. I can only text or call. I’m shy but a good listener. Open-minded and nonjudgmental. Contact me. #L1432 I’m a 61-y/o female seeking a male 58 to 62. I have had vivid dreams of someone named Mark. 58 to 62 y/o, tall, gray hair, kindhearted, active, honest. NEK. #L1431 I’m a 59-y/o GWM seeking out new guys for friendship and camaraderie! Outgoing, fun-loving and gregarious.

Varied interests. Open to new social ventures. Value intimate conversations and close friendships. Let’s get together! #L1430

Petite, attractive WF, 39, seeks bright, fit WM, 30 to 50, for friendship and lasting love.

Politically liberal, personally conservative, homebody and globe-trotter. Loves cats, books, laughter and vegetarian food.

Observing social distancing, so any friendship will evolve slowly. #L1429 Me: man — successful, innovative, liberal — just finalizing several years of R&D; preparing to introduce my findings internationally; ISO long-term companion/ helpmate/lover. You: woman — friendly, intelligent, empathetic, adventurous; enjoy challenges, travel, sex. Driver’s license, passport required. All replies answered — USPS only. #L1428 37 M seeks F. I’m a do-ityourselfer, sushi taco eater, nutrition enthusiast, Tuesday night bowler-ist, amateur thespian, butting libertarian, Bob Ross watcher, Emannuel Levinas talker, not much of a clubber, beer-drinking, poolplaying bocce ball thrower.

Seeking same. #L1424

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THIS FORM IS FOR LOVE LETTERS ONLY. Messages for the Personals and I-Spy sections must be submitted online at dating.sevendaysvt.com.

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9/14/20 2:31 PM

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