Thursday, July 6, 2017

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ADDISONINDEPEN

JULY 6, 2017

in co

2017 Issue

say that it’s not WHAT is a Wise people sometimes you know. Our community you know, but WHO intelligent and often place filled with interesting,in this special “Profiles in pages likeable WHOs. The to know a little will help you get Community” section County and people in Addison bit more about those

Brandon. makes Vermont the core of what Community is at place to live. such an extraordinary shopkeeper, hairdresser, Knowing your neighbor, name is what helps us by banker, or car mechanic

stick together. conversaengaging in public make a Volunteering and your voice can actually tions, knowing that keeps us engaged. or difference, is what each business, institution Each individual and unique. And a role to play that’s organization has a vibrant efforts, we create through each of our

......18 ...................................... ..31 ................... Service ................... Mr. Mike’s Cleaning......................................................... ..................16 ........29 ................... ....42 OMYA ................... ...................................... ...................................... ..............40 Repair ...................................... ...................................... Open Air Pet ...................................... ...42 Deppman Law ...................................... .................................40 & Dry Cleaning ....38 ...................................... Open Door Clinic ...................................... Desabrais Laundry ...................................... ......6 ............................9 ...................................... Optics, Ltd ................... Dever Accounting Interiors ...................................... .......................25 tions............................... ...................................... & OTT Communica Distinctive Paint Framing ................... ...................................... ..............................438 ................23 s ................... Otter Creek Custom .................1 ...................................... ...................................... ...............5 Dr. Perchemlide 5 Inc. ................... ................... Creek Used Books School ...................................... King, Otter ..................3 and ................... .....16 ........................16 Dubois ................... Hooking ................... 6 The Oxford Rug Insurance...................................... ...................................... ...................................... ..................................36 EastView at Middlebury .....................................1 5 ...................................... ................................41 # 1 Auto ................... ...................................... Paige & Campbell ...................................... .............................43 The Eddy Farm ....................................3 ...................................... PC Medic.......... A Johnson................... ...................................... ..........................3 ...................................27 ................... ................... ..........4 The Farm ................... Elmer ...........3 ................... Care ................... ................... ................... ...............................................28 ....43 Accent Travel Peak View Eye ...................................... 9 Chamber of Commerce ...................................... Fire & Ice Restaurant ............................................................................ Addison County ......................................l Realty ....................................3 .........24 & Hospice Pike Industries ...........29 ................... Home Health Foster Motors t District................... Images ................... ...................................... ........3 Sotheby’s Internationa Addison County ...................................36 Managemen Care Poole ................36 Waste Seasons ..30 Express ................... Solid Four Center ................... ...................................... ...................................... ......2 Addison County Porter Medical ...................................... ..........16 Community Trust Freedom Publications .........16 ...................................... ...................................... ...................................... ...................................... .13 Addison County ..........18 Quilter’s Corner ...................................... Independent ................... Frog Hollow Bikes ...................................... ...................................... ...................................... Agency ................... ..................................40 Addison County R&L Rubbish .......................27 Gaines Insurance ...................................... Title, LLC ................... .........19 ...................................6 ...................................... ..33 American Land ........42 ...................................... Rainbow Pediatrics ...................................... ......24 ...................................... Gary Baker Insurance of Hinesburg ...................................... 20 ..................................................6 Repair ................... ...................................... Animal Hospital Raymond Renovations .......35 Gill’s Place Engine Otter Creek ................... ...................................... 5 Orthodontics ......................................................... .....41 ............................................................................ Residence at Associates in ................... The ................... Lumber ..................2 ................... ................... Goodro ................... ..................6 ................... ................... .....8 Restaurant ................... Autumn Gold ........9 rk Miles ................... ...................................... .....7 ...................................... ...................................... ...................................... Green Peppers Ph.D. ...................................... Better Off Bread Gardens ................... Roger Marum ...................................... 9 .....................25 Funeral Services .........................................23 Partnership ................... Greenhaven ...................................... ....................................2 Better Middlebury ......................................................... ................42 Sanderson Ducharme ........25 .......39 Holden Insurance ...................................... ...................................... ...............................................41 ...................................... ....41 Betsy Spannbauer Sargent Concrete ...................................... .......17 IPJ Real Estate......... Estate ................... ............................................................................ ...................................... ...4 ...................................... ...................................... BL Valley Real .....5 Sole Solutions ................... ...................................... Jackman Fuels e Farm ................... ...........42 ...................................... ...................................... Blue Ledge Farm ......................................................... ....................26 South Hardscrabbl ...........13 ...................................... .........35 Jackman’s, Inc. ...................................... ...................................... .........10 Company ................... ...................................... Bourdeau Brothers ...............................................................................14 Sunrise Orchards Keeping Good ................... ...................................... ...................................... Bourdon Insurance ...................................... ...................................30 Sweet Cecily ..............15 ......................9 .....13 ...................................... Kiss the Cook ...................................... ...................................... ...................................... Brandon Reporter Sweet Charity ...................................... ....................30 ...................................... Farm ................... ..................................................25 Lanpher Construction Addison County ................... ............................23 ...32 ...................................... Bread Loaf View United Way of ................... Services ................... ..........................18 LaRose Surveys Pell P.C. ................... ............30 ...................................... 1 ......36 Carroll Boe & Brian Slavin ................... Valleywide Veterinary ...................................... ...................................... ...................................... Law Offices of .....................................1 3 ....................18 ...................................... Animal Hospital Geology ................... Bristol Electronics .........27 ................... ................... ................... Vergennes Applied .................2 .....30 Lincoln ................... Shop ................... ...................................... .........26 ...................................... Bristol Financial ...................................... Vermont Book ............................................13 MacIntyre Services .............................12 Hospital......................... ...................................... ....21 Sports ................... ............................................................................ .35 ..4 Bristol Animal Vermont Field ...................................... Apiaries ................... ...................................... Maple Landmark ................... ...................................... ................... Gas ................... .24 Farm........... Champlain Valley ................... ................... ................... Vermont ................... l Surgery Equipment ........................40 Maple Meadow Architecture .......................40 and Maxillofacia .....22 Champlain Valley ...................................... Vermont Integrated ...................................... ........................43 Motor Sports Maple View Oral ...................................... .......................8 Management ...................................... 9 ................... Champlain Valley Consulting LLC Vermont Move ................... .........26 Properties ................... Mary Conlon Education Association ....................................3 ..........................26 ...................................... ...................................... Mobile Clinic Champlain Valley ............34 Vermont National .3 ......................23 Small Animal Midd State Towing Hospital ...................................... and Blind ................... ...................................... ...........8 Champlain Valley ...................................... Vermont Shade ...................................... ...........23 Middlebury Animal ...................................... Insurance ................... ...................................... Ride Magazine ...................................... ...............................28 19 Estate Co-Operative ..........3 Vermont Ski + ......41 Bill Beck Real Middlebury Antiques Deli ...................................... Magzine ................... ...................................... ...................................... Sports ................... & (CCV) Coldwell Banker .....19 ................... .............30 Bagel Vermont ................... of Vermont ................... ................... Middlebury ........39 Children’s Center Market ................... ....28 Community College Vermont Sun ...................................... .............27 Counselors ................... ...................................... Middlebury Farmers’ ................3 Fitness Center ...................................... 14 ...................................... Community Investment ...................................... .....25 Vermont Sun ................... .14 ...................................... ...................................... Middlebury Inn Therapy ................... ...................................... N Vac ................... Costello’s Market .............................................................................15 Wells Physical ...................................... Middlebury Sew ...................................... ................................22 ...................................... ...............................14 Countryside Carpet ......................................................... ..........22 Wendy Goodwin .........................................................................4 Middlebury Sweets ...................................... ...............................26 ...................................... County Tire Center Whistle Pig ......................................................... ...19 Milne Travel ................... ...................................... ....................................8 Marriott.......................... Courtyard by Woodware ................... ...................................... ...................................... ..................................6 Misasi & Co ................... ............27 ...................................... Cyclewise ................... ...................................... ...................................... ................................28 Monument Farms 44 Center ................... Daly Dental ................... ...................................... Mountain Health ...................................... ................... DeBisschop Excavating ................... Denecker Chevrolet

Index of Adverti

sers

Vol. 71 No. 27

Summer tunes

Roll to glory

Check out our huge special section and put names with faces that you see around the county.

about this

thick community. some time with this Why don’t you spend some of the and put names to special supplement the importown. Reflect on faces you see around our towns and together to make tance of working while also recogto live and work, state a great place in small towns is the joys of living that we nizing that one of another and the sense getting to know one whole. are all part of a greater we have published this speFor the past 30 years, a little bit more know readers our cial section to help role in our who play such a vital about the people visited around year’s section, we introduce communities. In this to snap their photos, While the 150 area businesses their unique stories. their teams and tell the general story varies widely, each of particulars as a tribute — each story serves who theme is the same employees and employers to the hard-working it is. the success that make each business that you take these pages and We hope you enjoy businessyourself with these the time to reacquaint You’ll find employees. of their products es — and the names is filled not only with that our community of those who also with the smiles and services, but offer in return. and the thanks we greet us each day — The Editors

Profiles

Festival on-the-Green, powered by volunteers, returns to Middlebury next week. See Arts + Leisure.

On July 4 the best outhouse racers in the world (OK, Bristol) dueled. Read about the drama on Page 1B.

ADDISON COUNTY

INDEPENDENT Middlebury, Vermont

Thursday, July 6, 2017

82 Pages

$1.00

Mount Abe settles teacher and support staff contracts

Civil War soldier given his due

By GAEN MURPHREE BRISTOL — School boards and unions representing teachers and support staff in the Bristolarea schools late last month ratified new teacher and support staff contracts that cover the next

By JOHN FLOWERS SALISBURY — For 138 years now, the solitary, lustrous marble marker off Salisbury’s Lower Plains Road has been a source of curiosity for generations of passersby. Who chose eternal sleep at this unlikely spot?

two school years. On the whole, employees will see pay increases in each of the two years and their contribution to health insurance will rise after Jan. 1, 2018. (See Contracts, Page 7A)

Solitary Salisbury grave finally put on map by two local veterans Those intrigued enough to stop for a closer look have been rewarded with a glimpse of the final resting place of Phineas “Riley” Rice, whose patriotism prompted him to drop his shovel on a Vermont farm and pick up a rifle that he would carry onto the blood-soaked fields of Gettysburg, Pa.,

Flood slams Brandon, and county roads washed out

in July of 1863. One could say that Riley Rice has been hidden in plain sight, for it was only due to the recent efforts of fellow local veteran Tom Scanlon that the grave site of the late farmhand-turnedsoldier was accurately recorded in (See Civil War veteran, Page 12A)

Vergennes overall tax rate rising 1.8 percent

By LEE J. KAHRS and JOHN S. McCRIGHT BRANDON/ADDISON COUNTY — No one standing on Center Street in Brandon Saturday evening could believe their eyes. Forty days after Brandon celebrated the completion of a $2.3 million flood overflow culvert under Route 7, there it was, doing its job, diverting millions of gallons of muddy water from the raging Neshobe River and saving the downtown from a flood just like the one in 2011. Suddenly, $2.3 million was a small price to pay. “It makes me sick to my stomach to think about what if it wasn’t completed,” said Brandon Town Manager Dave Atherton on Sunday. “It’s good to see a multi-milliondollar project work the way it’s supposed to. The way the water came up was just crazy.” After a rain-soaked month capped by several consecutive days of rain, including a long afternoon of occasional downpours on Saturday, residents in Brandon, Addison County and in many other parts of the Green Mountain State saw streams, creeks and rivers overflow their banks, prompting the closure of many roads and concerns about other infrastructure. While downtown Brandon was spared a repeat of the flooding that came with Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011, it was déjà vu for residents of Newton Road in Forest Dale. The Neshobe River did not back up onto Furnace Road this time, but it swept large boulders down the river, creating a dam effect and forcing the flood water across and down Newton Road. The water came halfway up the side of the High Pond Woodworking building by 4 p.m. Friday afternoon before slowly receding. Farther down the road, Nick (See Flooding, Page 11A)

Happy 241!

BRISTOL CELEBRATED AMERICA’S 241st birthday Tuesday with its annual parade through downtown. The color guard, above, led off the parade, and among those that followed were Starksboro Little Leaguers armed with refreshing squirt guns, left, and balloon vendors, below, selling to the large crowd. For more photos from the parade see Page 10A. Independent photos/Trent Campbell

By ANDY KIRKALDY VERGENNES — With the Vermont Department of Taxes release late on Friday, June 30, Vergennes officials said the overall city residential tax rate will rise by about 4.25 cents, or about 1.8 percent. For fiscal year 2017-2018, owners of city homes will be taxed at a rate of $2.4375 per $1,000 of assessed value. That figure State includes the 81cent municipal officials tax rate the pegged the Vergennes City Vergennes Council adopted on June 27 in homestead, order to pay for or city services. residential, The council tax rate at chose to use about $73,000 of $1.6237 a projected year- for those end fund balance who pay of at least solely on $140,000 to help fund services the value from July 2017 of their to June 2018, property. while retaining the rest of the fund balance as a safety net. Added to the overall rate is an amount paid to the state that accounts for school tax revenue lost because of property-tax exemptions for disabled veterans and the Masonic building on School Street; it amounts to 0.38 cent on the tax rate, according to City Manager Mel Hawley. The overall residential tax rate also includes the homestead school tax rate. State officials pegged the Vergennes homestead, or residential, tax rate at $1.6237 for those who pay solely on the value of their property. (See School tax, Page 12A)

Former Greg’s market sold; new owner keen By the way to re-establish grocery

LONGTIME MIDDLEBURY BUSINESSMAN Tony Neri has acquired the former Greg’s Meat Market property at 3 Elm St. and the Pool World building at 30 MacIntyre Lane. Neri hopes to reintroduce a grocery store in the Greg’s building and tear down or move Pool World.

Independent photo/John S. McCright

By JOHN FLOWERS MacIntyre Lane. He wants to move MIDDLEBURY — Longtime or tear down the Pool World building Middlebury businessman Tony Neri and replace it with additional parking has purchased the former Greg’s for his supermarket re-boot. Meat Market property at But Neri acknowledged 3 Elm St. and hopes to “It could his plan faces some return it to its former life potential challenges. as a neighborhood grocery happen in The Pool World 60 days, store. building, erected in 1912, “It could happen in 60 it could has been featured on the days, it could take six take six state Register of Historic months, but it’s going Places since 1992, in spite to happen,” Neri said on months, of what some might call Monday of his effort to but it’s a dubious architectural rekindle a supermarket going to pedigree. The structure is operation that has been in “pretty rugged” shape, happen.” dormant since April 2015, Neri said. The building, — Tony Neri once much larger, was when former Greg’s owner Bart Litvin filed for mainly used for feed and bankruptcy protection and closed grain storage, according to state the much-loved store after having records. owned it for six years. Neri has requested that the Pool Neri said he paid $380,000 to TD World building be delisted from the Bank for the Greg’s building and state register. And it looks like state (See Neri, Page 7A) adjacent Pool World structure at 30

What does the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) pay for? In our neck of the woods it recently announced $45,000 in funding for two arts organizations. This year’s local recipients are the Vermont Folklife Center in (See By the way, Page 7A)

Index Obituaries................................. 6A Classifieds.......................... 4B-8B Service Directory............... 5B-6B Entertainment.........Arts + Leisure Community Calendar......... 8A-9A Arts Calendar.........Arts + Leisure Sports................................. 1B-3B


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