April 14 A Section

Volunteers

This old barn

Lax battle

An astounding number of local people give their time to help neighbors. See Pages 11A-17A.

A preservation grant will help fund restoration of a 160-year-old structure in Bristol. See Page 2A.

The Mount Abe boys faced a challenge from Otter Valley on Monday. See Sports, Page 1B.

ADDISON COUNTY

INDEPENDENT Vol. 70 No. 15

Middlebury, Vermont

◆

Thursday, April 14, 2016 ◆ 44 Pages

75¢

New Haven board approves VGL deal Town gets promise of $1.4M per year By GAEN MURPHREE representatives was finalized Tuesday NEW HAVEN — After a three-hour before the selectboard meeting. The emergency meeting Tuesday night, the selectboard discussed, in executive New Haven selectboard ratified a set session, that proposal between 8 and of terms that could pave the way for 11 p.m. and voted in favor, with only building a big electric powminor changes. er converter station in town “Many Selectboard Chair Kathy and pour millions of dolsaid she, Dupoise people have Barrett lars into municipal coffers. and John Roleau voted in worked “We’re 99.5 percent favor of the proposal, Doug there, maybe 99.9 percent many hours Tolles voted against it, and there,” said Selectman and very Jim Walsh abstained. Steve Dupoise, a member hard at Directly after the lateof the team negotiating getting us to night meeting, Dupoise with developers of the Vercontacted VGL representawhere we mont Green Line (VGL), tive Joe Rossignoli and forwhich would bring wind are.” warded him the just-ratified — Selectman term sheet. and hydro power from Steve Dupoise upstate New York into the By 4 p.m. Wednesday, New England grid at the the official New HavenVELCO substation in New Haven. VGL Term Sheet had been ratified by “Many people have worked many both parties and the selectboard met hours and very hard at getting us to again and signed deal in hand. where we are,” he added. Next steps in the seven-month-long According to Dupoise, the term negotiation saga? “We have a vote and sheet between New Haven and VGL (See New Haven, Page 19A)

Rail bridges’ impact leads to talk of lawsuit

MELINDA ARABIS KNIGHTS, above, of the Philippines smiles as she is handed her documents at the end of Tuesday’s naturalization ceremony held at Beeman Elementary School in New Haven. The school’s chorus, right, sang “These Green Hills” as part of the ceremony. Independent photos/Trent Campbell

Downtown property owners set deadline

New citizens all smiles at Beeman

By JOHN FLOWERS MIDDLEBURY — A group of downtown Middlebury property owners has given municipal and state transportation officials until the end of this month to produce more environmental and safety-related information about the upcoming replacement of the Main Street and Merchants Row railroad bridges, or they will take legal action. That request is contained in an April 11 letter from local attorney Peter Langrock to the Middlebury selectboard. “I represent clients who are deeply

Five continents represented at ceremony By GAEN MURPHREE America, Europe, Asia and Africa. NEW HAVEN — Melinda Some had emigrated from as close Knights, a native of the Philip- as Canada, the United Kingdom, pines, first came to the United the Netherlands, and the Czech States in 2009. Republic; others from as far away “Since I was small I was dream- as Kenya, Bhutan, India, China, ing to come here to the South Korea, the PhilUnited States,” the St. “I really, ippines and Fiji. South Johnsbury resident told America was representreally love a questioner at the Beeed by new citizens from this country. man Elementary School Brazil, Colombia and gym on Tuesday after- And I am so Venezuela. noon. “Hosting the natuvery proud “I really, really love of myself ralization ceremony this country,” Knights that I am at Beeman is always a continued. “And I am so great honor,” said Beehere today.” very proud of myself that man teacher Annette — Melinda Carter. “Our students I am here today.” Knights learn about the path to She was one of 21 Vermont residents from citizenship and the sto14 countries who stood before a ries behind people who come to federal judge, swore to “bear true this country and dream for it to befaith and allegiance” to the United come their home.” States, and became U.S. citizens in Carter and Arnell Paquette, who a ceremony. both teach fifth- and sixth-graders The new citizens came from five at Beeman, integrated the naturalcontinents: North America, South (See Naturalization, Page 20A)

concerned with the bridge replacement project,” Langrock writes in his letter. “They are concerned about the safety of the project in construction and perpetuity. They are concerned about environmental matters in construction and perpetuity.” Downtown Middlebury merchants and property owners have long been concerned about the project, which has grown dramatically in scope, price and expected duration since it was first pitched in its current form around three years ago. It includes replacing the two rail underpasses (See Railroad, Page 19A)

Orwell vote stops unification in Addison-Rutland district By JOHN FLOWERS ORWELL — Orwell residents on Tuesday voted 211 to 121 against joining five Rutland County communities in forming a “Slate Valley Unified Union School District.” If it had been formed, a single board would have governed that district with a single education budget for all of its schools. “A pretty strong message was sent,” Orwell’s Alyson Eastman, chairwoman of the Addison-Rutland

Supervisory Union’s Act 46 Study Committee, said on Wednesday of her community’s vote on the issue. “We will see if any action is taken for a revote.” Orwell was the lone dissenting community from among the six ARSU towns that voted on both unification and the composition of an 18-member board that would have led the new school district. According to Eastman, Castleton endorsed (See Orwell, Page 19A)

By the way Governor candidates share their ideas at forum in Middlebury

If you’re cruising around the dial on your TV next Tuesday evening, keep your eyes peeled for Middlebury native Quincy Dunn Baker. The established New York actor will play the father of three young boys on an episode of the NBC show “Chicago Med.” The (See By the way, Page 19A)

Index Obituaries ................................ 6A Classifieds ....................... 7B-10B Service Directory .............. 8B-9B Entertainment .......................... 6B Community Calendar ...... 8A-10A Sports ................................ 1B-4B

By JOHN FLOWERS MIDDLEBURY — Four of the current five candidates for Vermont governor weighed in on some meaty issues — including the minimum wage, economic development and state taxes — in an April 9 forum in Middlebury sponsored by Rights & Democracy, a new grassroots organization focused on issues facing working families. The forum featured Matt Dunne, a Hartland Democrat, former Vermont lawmaker and recent Google executive; Townshend Democrat Peter Galbraith, former U.S. ambassador to Croatia and recent state senator from Windham County; Bruce Lisman, a Shelburne Republican and former Wall Street executive; and Waterbury Democrat Sue Minter, a former state lawmaker who most recently most

recently Vermont transportation secretary. The lone no-show at a forum hosted by the Champlain Valley Unitarian Universalist Society was Lt. Gov. Phil Scott, who also missed a Middlebury forum held at the EastView retirement community last November. Rights & Democracy officials said Scott bowed out after the organization announced it had endorsed U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., for president. “I’m not convinced my candidate would get fair and equal treatment at a forum hosted by a very liberal organization. Therefore, we would like to respectfully decline participation in your organization’s forums,” Scott Campaign Manager Brittney Wilson wrote in response to Rights (See Governor, Page 22A)

GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE SUE Minter speaks during Saturday’s forum in Middlebury sponsored by the grassroots group Rights & Democracy.

Independent photo/Trent Campbell

PAGE 2A — Addison Independent, Thursday, April 14, 2016

VGL: We’ll pay Ferrisburgh fees By ANDY KIRKALDY torney that we can pay the legal costs FERRISBURGH — In emails this of the Town to negotiate the road use week to the Independent, the compa- agreement,” Rossignoli answered. nies proposing the $650 million VerIn response to a follow-up question mont Green Line said they would pay about the town’s use of the $40,000, the town of Ferrisburgh’s legal fees on Wednesday Rossignoli wrote, “We to review a memorandum of under- expect that to be the all-inclusive standing (MOU) between the compa- amount.” nies and town for compensation for The town’s negotiating committee allowing work in town rights of way. had also requested, according to April The emails said compensation — 5 minutes, “approval to engage Civil pegged at $40,000 for these prelimi- Engineering Associates to provide nary costs alone — could technical review and sign also go toward the town’s a project cost estimate, other expenses research- “We’re not approval to engage Justus ing the project. Devries (or other appraisgoing to At its April 5 meeting, al/taxation consultant) spend the the Ferrisburgh selectto provide tax revenue board tabled discussion taxpayers’ analysis, and approval of Vermont Green Line money, an to engage an electrical (VGL) questions, both engineer, should one be unknown from the town’s VGL needed, to provide technegotiating committee amount, for a nical review of potential and residents, until the project we’re impacts from the elecVGL companies — Mas- not clear tromagnetic field caused sachusetts firms Anbaric by the proposed buried about.” Transmission and Nacable.” 1 — Selectboard tional Grid — put it in Lawrence confirmed Chairwoman writing that they would that town attorney James Loretta Lawrence Carroll is reviewing an fund the town’s costs. “We’re not clear on MOU with the larger what parts they’re willing to pay legal terms of the agreement between the expenses. We’re not clear on whether town and the VGL companies. That they’re paying any or all of it,” said MOU will cover not only compenSelectboard Chairwoman Loretta sation, but also such items as details Lawrence late last week. “We’re not of how VGL will handle restoring going to spend the taxpayers’ money, roadsides after burying its power line, an unknown amount, for a project how it will deal with culverts, where we’re not clear about.” lines will cross roads, easement lanOn Tuesday, National Grid U.S. guage and construction techniques. Business Development Director Jo“Obviously we’re going to have seph Rossignoli responded to an the legal counsel at this point pursue email inquiry from the Independent the MOU, which is in the works,” as to what the VGL firms’ plans were. Lawrence said. “We’ve authorized “We will pay up to $40k and have him to undertake the MOU.” received a ruling from our ethics atDetails remain confidential, how-

ever. “That’s not public right now,” Lawrence said. At a November meeting in Ferrisburgh VGL representatives said they would pay the town at least $350,000 a year for 20 years on top of the estimated $150,000 a year in local property taxes the project would generate. They also left the door open for further negotiations. At the April 5 meeting, the selectboard said they would talk about a town-wide vote on the project if there were enough public demand, although Lawrence said members have not had serious discussions on that question yet. “We haven’t, but we wanted to let the townspeople know that’s certainly a consideration,” she said. The developers of the 400-megawatt VGL hope to bring hydro and wind power from upstate New York by cable under Lake Champlain and into the New England power grid via a converter station in New Haven. (See related story on Page 1A.) VGL officials have said that if the project can obtain its Certificate of Public Good and all other needed permits, construction could begin in late 2017 or early 2018 and be completed in about two years. They plan to bring the power line on shore in Ferrisburgh and run it along several back roads to Route 7, and then from there down to New Haven. In Ferrisburgh, the line would be buried in a two-foot-by-four-foot concrete box along Kingsland Bay, Sand, Little Chicago and Botsford roads and Tuppers Crossing on the way to Route 7 from Kingsland Bay, (See VGL, Page 3A)

ED BURKE, OWNER of Rocky Dale Gardens, and his partner have received a $15,000 matching grant from a Vermont preservation agency to repair and refurbish the 1856 barn at their Bristol business.

Independent photos/Trent Campbell

Rocky Dale barn to be restored Historic preservation grant to help fund Bristol project By GAEN MURPHREE BRISTOL — A recently awarded historic preservation grant will help restore a 150-year-old barn on the Rocky Dale Gardens property in Bristol. “We’re elated,” said Rocky Dale owner and landscape designer Ed Burke, of the $15,000 matching grant from the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development’s Division for Historic Preservation. “It’s still a costly and uphill battle for us to do this, but we find it incredibly important to this homestead and to this business.” Joining Burke in planning the restoration project is spouse David Flaschenriem, an architect. Built in 1856, the barn is an example of an English-style, or three bay, barn, with a large threshing floor, animal stalls off to one side and a hayloft above. Photos that can be seen at Rocky Dale show an oxen team that once sheltered in the barn and worked the farm standing beside a long-destroyed covered wooden bridge over the adjacent New Haven River. The team’s massive double yoke — long disused — lies up in the loft. All are poignant reminders of Rocky Dale’s heritage as a working farm. “They’ve got a really fabulous barn here, and they clearly love it and want to take good care of it, and we’re just thrilled that this grant can help them do that,” said Vermont State Historic Preservation Officer Laura Trieschmann. Trieschmann explained that one of the most important aspects of the Rocky Dale main barn is that together with the adjacent farmhouse, other agricul(See Barn grant, Page 3A)

A SMALL SET of steps leads into the back of the 1856 barn in Bristol that will be renovated with the help of a matching grant from a Vermont preservation agency. Independent photo/Trent Campbell

Addison Independent, Thursday, April 14, 2016 — PAGE 3A

Solar siting debated at breakfast

Barn grant (Continued from Page 2A) tural structures and remaining nine acres, the barn tells a unique story about how the working landscape has evolved in Vermont. The barn that once housed the threshing floor, animals, hay, tools and machinery is still being used for an agricultural purpose, albeit a slightly different one. “The barn’s age has a great deal to do with it. It’s documented as being constructed in 1856. And architecturally it’s significant because it hasn’t been altered very much,” said Trieschmann. “It’s still a product of its time. Trieschmann continued, “We definitely expect that agricultural buildings will change over time. As farmers need them, they add on to them. And this does have some alterations. But I think for the most part, you can read those alterations. You can understand the history. It’s not hiding the story. And that’s something that’s important to be able to understand, so that anybody can look at it and see how it’s been put together, how it’s been used, the story it can tell.” The post and beam barn rests on a field stone foundation. And the structure still retains many of its original mortise and tenon joints with wooden pegs, Flaschenriem said. But patterns of uneven settling, rot and deterioration — the hand of time — have in places caused the foundation to begin crumbling; walls to sink; the sills, posts and beams to deteriorate; and joists to warp. Burke and Flaschenriem plan to raise the barn and pour a concrete foundation wall, replace hemlock sills on two walls, and repair or replace post bottoms, floor joists and floor boards as needed. Additional structural repairs include adding and replacing long sections of purlins on two sides of the roof to assist in the support of the roof load. Given that there’s no drain around the current foundation, they also plan

ED BURKE AND his dog Cocoa pose in front of the Rocky Dale Gardens barn that will soon be renovated. Independent photo/Trent Campbell

to install a new drain pipe around the building perimeter. Burke estimates that it will take around $75,000 to restore the barn. Getting the grant, one of 19 awarded by the state this spring, provides an important launching point, Burke said. He plans to assemble the rest

of the financing needed from several sources, including loans and a Save the Barn campaign through the nursery. “We’re just very fortunate to live in a state that understands the importance of structures like this and is willing to help,” Burke said.

ANeSU, teachers reach accord Contract requires final approvals By GAEN MURPHREE BRISTOL — Teachers in the Bristol-area school district and school officials have reached a tentative contract agreement. The contract between the Addison Northeast Education Association (teachers union) and the Addison Northeast Supervisory Union covers the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 school years, Interim Superintendent Armando Vilaseca said on Tuesday. Details of the contract won’t be made public until both the union and the ANeSU boards ratify it. ANEDA is holding a meeting Thursday, April 14, to vote on the agreement, said Justin Bouvier, ANEDA co-chief negotiator and a math teacher at Mount Abraham Union High School. The school boards are expected to vote on the agreement May 17, at the district’s next all-boards meeting. Negotiations on the teacher contract, which expired this past June 30, began in February 2015, with 22 proposed contract changes from ANEDA and 27 proposed contract changes from the ANeSU boards. At the Sept. 1 negotiation session, both parties agreed to mutually declare an impasse. Then, in early December, after a five-hour session facilitated by a professional mediator, both sides called for the contract negotiations to go to fact-finding. At a fact-finding hearing, both parties would select a mutually agreeable neutral third party to whom they would present their respective positions and the fact-finder would then make nonbinding recommendations. The limited availability of factfinder professionals in Vermont had meant that the fact-finding hearings

VGL (Continued from Page 2A) where it would surface after entering Lake Champlain near Beekmantown, N.Y. Junction boxes with a footprint of about 120 square feet will be needed along the road about every 2,500 feet to hold line splices. According to Ferrisburgh minutes, at a Feb. 25 meeting with town officials and project abutters, VGL pledged not to use eminent domain to take any property. CORRECTION: The photo of a church in the religious services listings in Monday’s edition erroneously identified it as the Monkton Friends United Methodist Church; it was actually the East Monkton Church. We regret the error.

were not to have taken place until led to the settlement. It was a good early May. opportunity for the board and the According to Vilaseca, initially teachers to meet each other directly both sides agreed to meet some two and work that way without attorneys or three weeks ago, in preparation present or without anybody from the for the scheduled May state association.” fact-finding hearing. “When you Vilaseca said that This meeting then led to speak face to he had advised that a series of discussions “they be in executive face with people, through which both session so that people sides were able to reach even things could have some frank an agreement. Vilaseca where you conversations. So as a credited the successful might disagree, result of that it opened negotiation to the will- you might be up the door for further ingness of both parties able to come discussions, and then to reach out and meet an offer that was acface to face, unmediated to some sort of cepted by both sides. by attorneys or repre- agreement.” Now we’re waiting — Interim for both sides to ratify. sentatives from the state Superintendent union office. He said he Both sides need to vote Armando Vilaseca on it.” was also present at the discussions. Vilaseca said that “I think one of the things that may both sides also wanted to reach an have changed is that both sides were agreement during the current school willing to sit down face to face and year and so were motivated to talk talk,” said Vilaseca. “When you now. If they had had to rely solely speak face to face with people, even on the May fact-finding hearing, said things where you might disagree, you Vilaseca, the contract would likely might be able to come to some sort not have been settled until June. of agreement. I think it was a gesture The current agreement, he added, by the board to reach out to the as- covers salary and benefits but leaves sociation one more time, and I think other questions unresolved. He exthe association wanted to do that as pects that these smaller issues will well — to have a meeting prior to the likely be picked up in the fall or winfact-finder.” ter of the 2016-2017 school year. The Vilaseca continued, “That meeting proposed contract now on the table we had a bargaining session and that would extend through June 30, 2017.

By JOHN FLOWERS bring towns into the planning pro- newable energy goals. MIDDLEBURY — A proposed cess, as opposed to the state making “We’re being used — mined — for new solar siting law continues to a plan for the entire state and not en- our very last, easy renewable energy be the top legislative talking point gaging regions and towns in figuring laws, and our very profitable renewamong Addison County residents, out that picture.” able energy laws,” Ralston said. many of whom have seen a substanIt is to the advantage of both the Instead, Ralston said, Vermont tial surge in the number of renewable state and the towns to collaborate on should keep its RECs in-state, so that energy projects in their solar siting, according Vermonters know that the aesthetic communities. and/or noise inconveniences of local “This is just one to Bray. That new law, S.230, “This is, to me, one green energy projects are at least benagain dominated dis- more instance, of those cases where efiting their state. in my opinion, cussion at the weekly ‘failing to plan is plan“This disconnect is what’s at the Legislative Breakfast, of government ning to fail,’” Bray said. root of the problem,” Ralston said. held this past Mon- agencies and Former Democratic “Siting, alone, is not the solution.” day at the Middlebury personnel State Rep. Paul Ralston Bridport resident Bob Zeliff disAmerican Legion hall. of Middlebury said at agreed with Ralston. Bill S.230 encourages sweeping the the breakfast that law“I believe the origins of Renewable concerns of the communities to develop makers must deal with Energy Credits were put into place to energy sections within voters under the what he believes are have ‘old’ energy help finance ‘new’ their respective town table and into some significant flaws energy,” Zeliff said. “Old energy plans that specify their the trash bin.” in Vermont’s renew- (utilities) would buy credits from solar siting priorities — Jon Christiano, able energy policy. It the new technology, so they would and specific locations New Haven is a policy, he said, that be subsidizing the new solar, or the within their borders exports too many Re- new wind, so that the old fossil fuels where renewable ennewable Energy Credits would become more expensive. So ergy projects could be sited. (RECs) out of state. it’s a process of de-incentivizing the Those municipal energy plans “This imbalance, I believe, is at the older fossil fuels and incentivizing would ultimately have to pass mus- root of the discontent of Vermont- the new, renewables. So it’s not ‘us ter with the Vermont Department of ers — in the (Northeast) Kingdom, versus them.’” Public Service and be deemed com- around wind, and in Addison County, Bray noted the Legislature last patible with the state’s green energy around solar,” he said. “In order to re- year passed Act 56, which creates a priorities. ally evaluate who is making the sac- “renewable portfolio standard” in As it stands, the state utilities regu- rifice, and for whom, you must look Vermont, so RECs will be retained in lator (the Public Service Board, or at the RECs portion of the energy Vermont beginning on Jan. 1, 2017. PSB) gives town plans “due consid- program.” And, on that same date, the state’s eration” when evaluating renewable Ralston called RECs an artificial Act 99 will bring changes in the manenergy project applications, accord- credit that is stripped away from the ner in which RECs are handled and ing to Sen. Chris Bray, D-New Hav- energy and sold sepapaid for, according to en. Under S.230, the PSB would give rately. Bray. “substantial deference” to towns’ cer“Right now, the vast “The path that Addison farmer Paul tified energy plans that dovetail with majority of Vermont this bill proposes Boivin noted solar arthe state’s renewable energy objec- renewable energy proj- is to bring towns rays have emerged as an tives. ects are selling their into the planning economic opportunity S.230 is currently in the House RECs, and they are sell- process, as for those in agriculture. Natural Resources & Energy Com- ing them out of state,” “Most of (the arrays) opposed to the mittee. Ralston said. “What get sited on farmland, “I am sure they are going to take this means, is that le- state making and farmers, interesta plan for the it up immediately,” said Rep. Amy gally, the energy being ingly, have an opportuSheldon, D-Middlebury. Sheldon produced no longer can entire state and nity to glean anywhere will be able to weigh in on the legis- be called renewable.” from $1,000 to $2,000 not engaging lation as a member of the House Fish, In essence, Ralston regions and per acre for most of Wildlife and Water Resources Com- said, the profit is these solar arrays,” mittee. stripped away from the towns in figuring Boivin said. That kind Praised by some as a good com- renewable energy elec- out that picture.” of revenue is too much promise, the bill continues to draw trons and sold to other — Sen. Chris Bray for some farmers to criticism from some town officials utilities — primarily refuse, given the low and residents who believe the mea- in Massachusetts and prices now being paid sure does not go far enough in pro- Connecticut — “so that they don’t for many crops, he said. tection towns’ and property owners’ have to build out renewables and so “The farmer pays his taxes, maininterests. that they can continue to burn natu- tains the land, takes care of it, and New Haven resident Jon Chris- ral gas for their electricity and so that everybody wants the view free of tiano said the Vermont Public Service they can continue to produce nuclear charge,” Boivin said. “The thing is Board has given his town little reason energy.” … if you like the view the way it is, to trust it in the solar siting process So Vermonters, according to you’ve either got to pay for it, or let going forward. He said officials rep- Ralston, are being asked to sacrifice (the farmer) do what he needs to do resenting the PSB met with New Ha- so that Massachusetts can meet its re- on his property.” ven officials at a local church last fall to talk about solar siting. “They said they would analyze all this information and our concerns and get back to us,” Christiano said. “That never happened, and I don’t expect it ever will happen. “This is just one more instance, in my opinion, of government agencies and personnel sweeping the concerns of the voters under the table and into the trash bin,” he added. Bray said he would ask PSB officials about the alleged lapse in communication with New Haven over solar siting. In the meantime, he said S.230 — if signed into law — should help give communities more of a say in the solar siting controversy. “The major point of S.230 is it gives Vermonters, towns and regional planning commissions a far greater voice in how we move from fossil fuels generation to clean, renewable fuels,” Bray said. “It’s a transformation that’s going to be going on for decades. Towns have said loudly that they’d like to have a greater voice. The path that this bill proposes is to

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PAGE 4A — Addison Independent, Thursday, April 14, 2016

A DDIS ON INDE PE NDEN T

Letters

Editorials

to the Editor

Public outrage puts primary system in the crosshairs That Americans are upset with the way delegates are counted in each party’s presidential primaries might be one of the understatements of the year. Voters are livid, and rightfully so. After all, when a candidate wins 55 percent of the vote in a state and splits the delegates equally, voters supporting the winner should be surprised, if not outraged. That is the case with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., when he took Wyoming by that margin last Saturday and yet basically split the delegate allocation with rival Hillary Clinton. On the Republican side, leading presidential candidate Donald Trump and his supporters are doing their best to undermine the primary system by debasing its validity. Today, Trump called the system “rigged,” and went on to label it “dirty” and “disgusting,” citing his win of the popular vote in Colorado, but a delegate count that did not reflect the extent of his victory. Equally alarming, however, is that the American voter seems to be confusing the way primaries work versus the way the general election works. The primary system was conceived by the Republican and Democratic parties to select their strongest candidates to run in the general election. Because the parties are each private institutions, they are not beholden to the voting laws of the country. It is not, in other words, a process in which one person equals one vote. That does happen in the General Election, but not in the primaries. The rules for the primaries have not been contentious in recent elections because the public has supported mainstream candidates. But this year, candidates running against the establishment have gained favor, putting the primary process in the crosshairs. On the Democratic side, Clinton currently leads Sanders 1,289-1,038 in pledged delegates, while garnering a lead among superdelegates of 469-31. To win the Democratic nomination, a candidate must have 2,383 delegates. There are 1,938 delegates remaining to be decided. Among the Republicans, Trump has 743 delegates, Ted Cruz has 545 and John Kasich has 143; there are a total of 2,340 delegates up for grabs. To win outright, a candidate must win the majority of that number. While Trump has won by large landslides in many state primaries, the delegate count has not necessarily matched the size of his victories — and if he doesn’t win a majority, delegates can be freed on the second round of voting and choose the candidate of their choice regardless of the vote at home — and that has Trump and his legions hopping mad. What’s to be done? First, it’s unrealistic to expect the rules of the game to change for this election. That’s a non-starter. If voters want to pressure the parties to reform the system, it needs to be understood that’s four years from now. Second, while we agree the public’s vote needs to be more fairly valued, the superdelegate system for the Democrats makes some sense, at least on a second-round selection. It certainly can be tweaked to represent the popular vote on the first round, but the Trump phenomenon is evidence enough to question whether the public makes the best choice. Third, there are viable options for this year. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., recently clarified his role as a superdelegate by saying he would cast his vote for the nominee who receives the most pledged delegates at the end of the Democratic primary. If that is Sanders, he’ll change his vote. Gov. Peter Shumlin, Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger and other superdelegates in Vermont should consider making that same pledge. That seems to be a reasonable compromise, though it won’t assuage many voters who are demanding that superdelegates follow the will of the people. To that point, we would remind voters that superdelegates can change their minds at any time. It is a fluid arrangement. Yet, the superdelegates’ support of a candidate who lost so overwhelming in the state sticks in your craw. Surely, since most cast their votes almost a year before Vermont’s primary (another egregious matter), they could be forgiven if they changed their support to Sanders now, while still maintaining to back whichever candidate ends up with the most pledged delegates at the convention. In Vermont, at least, that would lessen the perceived injustice. ********** All of this, however, is at best premature, while also suffering from 20-20 hindsight. It’s premature because both leading candidates could earn enough delegates on the first round to win the primary outright, or have such a commanding lead that the other delegates fall into place. Case closed. It’s 20-20 hindsight because the primary rules have been in place for decades, and all the ruckus is really about a set of rules that don’t favor the critics’ candidate. If you’re interested in a detailed explanation of the delegate process for both parties, go here for good explanation: http://www.bloomberg. com/politics/graphics/2016-delegate-tracker/, and if you’re still upset, get involved and help your party think of better ways to do it next time. In the meantime, if you’re a Bernie supporter and you’re upset, get involved in the race by volunteering to make phone calls in the New York primary. If he wins New York, he still has a chance to pull off an unlikely national upset. If he doesn’t win New York, he’ll still be competitive until the convention, which is almost certain to be brokered, and will remain a strong number two for the party. And having two strong candidates that have broad support among the party is an enviable place to be. Angelo S. Lynn

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Ignore ads for ‘Life Line’ firm

Weeping tears RAINDROPS CLING TO buds on a weeping Sally willow tree at Rocky Dale Gardens in Bristol Tuesday afternoon.

Independent photo/Trent Campbell

Gimmes & gotchas — and life lessons It was just a short putt, about a foot and a half. “Is that a ‘gimme?’” I asked. “I’ll give you a gimme,” Chick replied, “if you gimme a gotcha.” “What’s a gotcha?” “You don’t want to know,” he said. There were no gimmes when you played golf with Chick. No mulligans either. William J. “Chick” Leahey was the director of the Poland Spring Caddy Camp for seven of the eight summers I was there, 1958-65, from when I was 13, a kid, to when I was 20, a young man. Chick was the best. He was my first boss and he demonstrated to me how to be responsible — and have a good By Karl time in the process. Lindholm The Caddy Camp was a 10-week overnight camp for boys, begun in 1922 as a robust summer experience for underprivileged Boston kids from the South End Settlement House. It had lost that connection in my years but was still a rugged experience, hardly a “fun camp.” The Camp was organized like a military barracks, 52 boys in one building; we had inspections, details, duty rosters, uniform of the day, and so on. Athletic competition dominated our lives. Every night, after a day of caddying, we had an organized competitive athletic event for team points. Chick’s main job was as a coach at Bates College — he was the baseball coach there for 35 years. The baseball diamond at Bates is Chick Leahey Field. Chick was a Marine in World War II, serving in the South Pacific, and played professional baseball after that. Chick had an impeccable pedigree in our eyes and we

in turn admired him extravagantly. But that was not all: He was tough, yes, but warm and funny and very willing to collaborate with his young staff members. Caddy Phil Niddrie remembered him as “possessed of a quiet strength, much patience, an unfailing sense of humor, and a wonderful smile. He commanded the respect of us all.” Chick died two weeks ago, at 90. A charter member of what some call the “greatest generation,” he had a long and satisfying life. After his first wife died of cancer, he met Ruth, a student from Tufts, spending her summer as a waitress at the Poland Spring Hotel. They were married for 55 years and raised four highly accomplished children. My last three summers working at Poland Spring with Chick, I was a Caddy Master/Senior Counselor, the senior member of Chick’s small staff of high school and college boys. One of my tasks was to “rate” caddies, take them out on the course and grade their performance. This meant frequently playing golf with Chick, lucky for me. Chick was an exuberant player who showed us all how to be a good golf companion. No one else cares, really, how you are playing, he said, so be a good playing partner. Keep on an even keel. Be good-natured. Have fun, regardless of your score. Congratulate other players on good shots. This was a baseball player’s posture: neither get too high when things are going well nor too low when you can’t buy a hit. Eighteen holes ... and you have to play each one (like nine innings). Chick emphasized that you can often get away with (See Clippings, Page 5A)

Clippings

It makes sense to go slow on pot bill The Vermont House Judiciary Committee has amended the Senate-passed bill legalizing the sale of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use with a new proposal taking a very different approach. Instead of legalization, the House Judiciary proposal would expand marijuana education programs, set a standard for psychoactive substances in the blood for drivers, and establish a commission to do more research on marijuana policy issues. Whether the amended bill can pass both houses in the short time remaining in the legislative session is an open question. Even if it passes on the House floor, the Senate might not agree with the House changes. Some senators might try to reintroduce legalization through a conference committee, or by adding it as an amendment to an unrelated bill. Vermont is not the only New England state where marijuana is cur- By Eric L. Davis rently on the legislative agenda. Legalization is being considered by committees in the Massachusetts Legislature. Also, proponents of legalization in the Bay State are attempting to gather enough signatures to put the proposal on the November ballot as a referendum question. Unlike in Vermont, where Gov. Shumlin is a strong supporter of legalization, elected officials in Massachusetts want to go slow on legalization. Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, Attorney General Maura Healey, a Democrat, and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, also a Democrat, have all said that there are too many unsettled questions for Massachusetts to legalize marijuana at this time.

Politically Thinking

Many of these unsettled issues are among the reasons why the Vermont House Judiciary Committee took a goslow approach to legalization. First, evidence from Colorado shows that there has been an increase in marijuana use among people under 21, including high school students, after that state legalized, even though Colorado established a 21-year minimum purchasing age. Many experts on youth drug use believe that legalization should not be implemented until a comprehensive education program is in place for high school- and college-age youth pointing out the risks associated with marijuana use. The Judiciary Committee’s bill authorizes up to $350,000 for such a program. Second, scientists do not yet agree on a protocol for assessing whether a motorist is too impaired by marijuana to drive safely, but recommend erring on the side of caution. The Judiciary Committee’s bill adopts a strict standard, in order that police can be trained to administer the test in the field. Third, unless the status of marijuana is changed in federal law, federally insured banks and credit unions will not provide accounts for marijuana-related businesses, making it difficult for those businesses to conduct dayto-day activities. Also, states, not the federal Food and Drug Administration, will be responsible for assessing the quality and safety of marijuana products, a further administrative burden on state government. By not legalizing marijuana sales at this time, the Judiciary Committee avoids the complications associated with these (See Davis, Page 5A)

A recent issue of the Independent included an advertising supplement from Life Line Screening. The flier presents one logical fallacy after another, beginning with a brief quote from a person indicating that her scan found a carotid artery blockage that she did not know about. First, anecdotes do not constitute evidence. And if a patient has no symptoms, a carotid artery blockage is “probably not going to make a difference,” according to Harriet Hall, MD, a retired Air Force doctor (www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/ ultrasound-screening-misleadingthe-public). Next, in large type, is the claim that “9 out of 10 doctors support these screenings.” There is no reference for this claim. But the next sentence, “Doctors who specialize in cardiology and vascular disease believe in preventive health screenings for people at risk” (emphasis mine) does have a reference — to “Ebiquity, July 2014.” It turns out that Ebiquity is not a journal that can be checked, but rather a marketing firm. And Life Line does not screen people at risk, it screens the general public. The text is obviously meant to deceive. An Internet search will easily provide multiple sources critical of this company, such as NPR, the Washington Post, Science Based Medicine, the Minnesota Post, and many others. Medicare and insurance do not pay for Life Line screenings. Save your money. Talk to your doctor. Jerry Shedd Ripton

Moderation no answer to addicts Do teens need a social environment that tolerates use of alcohol, cigarettes and other addictive drugs? Angelo Lynn makes this argument in his editorial of April 7. Lynn goes on to say that this use should be “controlled and socially acceptable … with tolerance, understanding and moderation.” Moderation does not work for people with addiction. Once addicted, it is terribly difficult to quit. I speak from experience. I am a food addict. I am unable to decide on my own when any given meal is over. Sugar and flour are substances I need to avoid. It is only by following a dietitian-prescribed food plan to the letter and availing myself of the daily support of fellow food addicts that I am able to maintain a healthy weight, 85 pounds down from my top known weight. The best age for an addict to try a substance known to be addictive is never. John-Eric Colley Robinson Weybridge

Quality of Porter board questioned After all of the discord and dysfunction created by the Porter Hospital board through their choice of and support of a CEO and her management team, I am deeply disappointed at their lack of accountability as reported by the press and at the annual meeting on March 30. I am not well acquainted with many of the board members but their introduction at the beginning of the meeting made it clear that they represent the business community, college and people who “have been on lots of boards.” I didn’t see anyone from the mental health sector, our public schools, farming, clergy or really any significant contribution from the wide breadth and depth of people in our community. Ms. Boggs was asked to restructure our hospital and outpatient clinics. She was not from this area, didn’t understand the degree of caring and commitment of the people in the Middlebury area and had little or no respect for nurses, doctors, patients or community members. Rather than a careful plan to decrease primary care providers employed by Porter she just made everyone miserable and people left randomly. There was no plan for those patients left without a provider. Similar impulsive actions were noted with staffing within the hospital and a bizarre contract structure for physicians. She used ruthless, secretive and wholly unnecessary business techniques to squeeze out people (See Letter, Page 5A)

Addison Independent, Thursday, April 14, 2016 — PAGE 5A

Lucretius: Experience and reality

Clippings (Continued from Page 4A) a bad shot, but not two in a row, so don’t get mad, don’t start stringing bad shots together. Stay calm. Don’t throw clubs. One shot at a time. For me, golf was a good way to learn self-control, hard for a teenager. He also insisted we play fast. Slow players drove him crazy — and they still do me: “Hit the ball, dammit; this ain’t the Masters.” We took caddies out to be rated when the golf course was least likely to be crowded, either at 7:00 or so in the morning or in the mid-afternoon. In a twosome, it took us about two and a half hours to get in 18 holes. Practice swings are redundant: walk up to the ball, be loose, get serious, take a hack. On the green, line up your putt while the other guy is putting. Then, go up to your ball and hit it. How hard is that? That was our attitude. We counted every stroke — no “mulligans.” We knew the rules. We needed to model the best golf behavior for the caddies carrying our bags. We didn’t improve our lies. People who cheat at golf will take shortcuts elsewhere. Part of the fun was taking the game itself so seriously. For many golfers the worst lie they have all day is their scorecard. For us, an 83 was an 83, not an “83” and really an 88 or 89. We loved being out on the course, this manicured wilderness. We fastidiously replaced every divot. Golfers who don’t replace their divots cannot be trusted. They are careless people.

Editor’s note: This is the eighth unless the object be squeezed out. in a series of essays on Lucretius, That feeling, of an unconquerable an early philosopher who provides resistance, is what the word “solida link to “lost classics” through ity” means. He regarded this phenomenon his epic poem “On the Nature of as constant proof that all natural Things.” Some recent interpreters of Lu- things are corpuscular, that nature cretius have made much of what consists of solid bodies all the way they perceive to be a paradox in down to the ground of being, to athis poem. They believe that it un- oms, which, following Lucretius, dermines his theory and makes it, he supposed existed in a state of if not untrue, at least doubtful, for a solid singleness, eternally indivisparadox is a seeming contradiction. ible. From this evidence, he inferred some primary physiThey note that Lucrecal axioms, that no two tius claims that all our bodies could occupy the knowledge depends same place at the same upon sensory experitime, and no two bodies ence, yet the things he could have the same betakes to be ultimately ginning, for to have the real, atoms and infinite same beginning would space, are, they supmean to be in exactly pose, notoriously unthe same place. seen. Yet we have since This is the paradox: learned, by means not experience groundavailable to either Luing its theories upon or Locke, that the supposed reality Lucretius: the cretius atoms are divisible, not of things that one can never hope to experi- nature of things solid, and some subatomic particles, nameence, or to experience An essay by ly bosons, can be in the directly. The ultimate Victor Nuovo same place at the same things of his theory of nature are products of Middlebury College time and that they pass hypothesis and infer- professor emeritus through one another with ease. ence, and they could of philosophy Nonetheless, visible never have been more solid bodies are still to him than mere ideas, not the robust ideas of Plato, but solid to the touch, and they can’t be transient things occupying episodes in the same place at the same time. of thought, which are themselves What is needed is to find one’s way from what the senses observe to the transient. Besides, although only a fool or unseen processes that explain them. a philosopher, or a foolish philoso- It becomes necessary, if our knowlpher, would deny the existence of edge of the nature of things is to enbodies, because we are every wak- large, to comprehend the forces and ing moment of every day in touch the operations of things at levels of with them, most immediately our reality not immediately impercepown, as well as the floor or the earth tible to us. And Lucretius’ poem offers clues beneath, or table supporting our elbow, this imposing presence can about how to do this. In the fourth be misleading and cause us to draw book, he makes us aware the world false conclusions about the nature is not a statuary of gross unmoving bodies, but a dynamic collection of of things. The English philosopher John things in constant motion, not selfLocke, celebrated as the founder contained but sending out or casting of modern empiricism, believed off their substance. He observes that that all the content of thinking, and reality consists of bodies that are therefore of knowing, derives from constantly, sometimes impercepexperience; our ideas of physical tibly, throwing off bodies, “wood things, from sensory experience. throws off smoke, and fire heat,” Prominent among these was idea of cicadas and snakes shed their outsolidity, which he believed was an er skin, and calves their caul. And essential property of all bodies. He most physical things are constantly claimed that our idea of solidity was giving off films, sweet fragrances too simple, too fundamental to be or vile odors, effluvia that strike the defined verbally. It had to be expe- several senses in various ways. Lucretius was especially fasrienced in a way such as this: Take an object, hard or soft, a stone or cinated with visual images. If we a sponge or anything near at hand, sit in a large theater under a loose, and place it between your hands and richly colored canvas awning, the squeeze. No matter how hard you things beneath them are bathed and press, your hands will never meet, dyed in rich fluttering hues, yellow,

CHICK LEAHEY HITS grounders at Chick Leahey Field at Bates College, where he coached baseball for 35 years. Our columnist, like scores of boys and young men who were mentored by Chick, learned life lessons from the former Marine and professional baseball player.

Chick and I always had a little side bet, but we knew in golf our chief competition was the terrain. Standing on the fourth tee, we could see out over the lakes and ridges all the way to Mount Wash-

ington in the distance. We took nothing for granted. Chick’s gone, but for me and a generation of boys who caddied at Poland Spring, some time ago, the lessons live on.

a meaningful way for the pain they have inflicted and continue to inflict on their neighbors. There have been no offers to change their membership or make amends. Their actions and lack of response to the wreckage the rest of us will have to deal with make it abundantly clear that they are not equipped to follow through with this job. The expensive consultants cannot be held responsible. In spite of the obvious concern of medical staff, community members and nurses, as well as a promise for more transparency and honesty,

two new board members from the business community, nominated by the board, were added at the annual meeting. There was no time to question them on the part they played, no time for comments. There was only a yea vote, never even a chance to vote for change. Sadly, this is the same group, functioning in the same way, that is going to choose the next CEO and chart the future course of health care in Addison County. Lucy McKeon, M.D. Cornwall

Letter (Continued from Page 4A) who have spent their lives dedicated to caring for the people of Addison County. The Porter Hospital board hired her, defended her in spite of complaints from all sectors and supported her until the medical staff gave a vote of no confidence, nurses began to tell stories of safety issues and there was a public outcry. It was not the board that terminated her, it was all of us. I am profoundly disturbed by this board. They have yet to apologize in

Davis (Continued from Page 4A) inconsistencies between state and federal policies. Eventual legalization of marijuana is likely, but there appears to be a consensus in the House that there are too many questions to legalize now. Meanwhile, a recent review of criminal justice statistics in Massachusetts showed that almost no one in that state is now charged

l l

with possession of marijuana and no other offense. When possession is charged, it is always ancillary to other offenses, such as DUI, vehicle theft or burglary. I expect that a review of the Vermont records would reach a similar conclusion. Advocates of immediate marijuana legalization will be disappointed by the House Judiciary Committee’s approach. However,

that approach seems to be the most prudent course of action at this time, until more states in the Northeast decide on their marijuana policies, and federal policies impacting the business and commercial aspects of the sale of marijuana are clarified. Eric L. Davis is professor emeritus of political science at Middlebury College.

Letters to the Editor can be found on Pages 4A, 5A, 7A

Letters to the Editor: The Addison Independent encourages you to write letters to the editor. We print signed letters only. Include an address and telephone number, too, so we can clear up any questions. Send it to: Letters to the Editor, Addison Independent, 58 Maple St., Middlebury, VT 05753. Or email to news@addisonindependent.com.

red or purple, depending on the color of the awning, which is infused with light, translucent. Then there are the images of things seen in mirrors, or in water. He asked how it is that we can see an object reflected in a mirror in perfect detail, although reversed, and in the flat surface of a mirror we see not only the face of an object, and perspective? He marvels that “a puddle of water, no more than one finger deep, lying between the stones upon a paved street” can mirror the heavens, “so that you seem to look down upon the clouds of heaven as though it were buried deep within the earth.” And more, how is it that things reverse themselves in mirrors, and other curious effects follow, when a mirror is convex or concave? We cannot deny that we see these strange things, or that we really smell, taste and sometimes touch the dynamic flow of things or currents of energy running through the body. All sense perceptions are true, for they cannot be altered at will or refuted by argument. Take, for example, a common mirage. Almost everyone reading these lines will have experienced driving down a highway on a hot dry summer day, seeing what appears to be water on the road ahead. Or parallel lines of columns that seem to meet in the distance, or the sun rising out of the sea, or setting just behind a nearby mountain, or, as we approach a city from a distance, its square towers seem round, as though their sharp corners were smoothed out on a lathe. We go astray by rushing to the conclusion that the senses deceive us, and that, therefore, they are unreliable, that we must fly to some other source and standard of reality and truth, or take refuge in Platonism. Democritus is quoted as having said, “In reality, we know nothing, for truth is in the depths.” What he meant was that the paradoxes of everyday perception: Square towers appearing round, a shallow puddle revealing the vast expanse of the heavens as though it were in the earth’s deep, and suchlike, are evidences or signs of the operations of nature, which are not immediately evident to the senses, but, to the properly curious, they can be searched out, and by analogy, hypothesis, and experiment made known. For this, he has been hailed as the founder of natural philosophy, of the empirical search for explanations, which is also a search for reality, which holds the deepest truth of all.

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PAGE 6A — Addison Independent, Thursday, April 14, 2016

ADDISON COUNTY

Obituaries

Eleanor Pratt, 94, West Addison

Anita Benjamin, 95, Essex Junction

David Parkinson, 78, Ferrisburgh

ESSEX JUNCTION — Anita FERRISBURGH — David Garcia Benjamin, 95, of Essex Parkinson of Ferrisburgh, Vt., died Junction died peacefully on April 2, on April 5, 2016, at the age of 78 2016, at home. after a long illness. He was born in She was born in Barre. She was Staindrop, County Durham, England, a graduate of Montpelier High where he spent his early years at the School in 1936. On June 22, 1945, Church of England School in the she married Donald W. Benjamin village. He spent most of his time and they moved to Middlebury, outside and with his beloved racing established Benjamin Brothers Dry pigeons. He raced pigeons successCleaners, and raised their family. fully for 50 years winning many Anita worked for many years in races from France. the insurance industry, beginning After he left school he became with Cooperative Fire Insurance of a gamekeeper in northern England Middlebury. Anita was a passionate and was a sole keeper for over 20 collector of antiques, loved American years on Blanchland Moor. He was history and was able to satisfy that a founding member of the Moorland love by becoming a guide at the Gamekeepers Association in Great Shelburne Museum for the next 18 Britain. He began writing about ANITA BENJAMIN years, those years being some of the wildlife while there and began his happiest of her life. book on Moorland foxes that was She is survived by daughters Trudy Noble; ďŹ ve grandchildren; and three ďŹ nally completed and published in Martin, Nancy Shea and Robin great-grandchildren. â—Š 2011. He moved to Ferrisburgh in 1989 and attended the Otter Creek Poetry workshop in Middlebury. His poems were lyrical and very much in touch with nature. He had over 200 poems published as well as numerous chapbooks culminating in a book edited MIDDLEBURY — A celebration addition to her passion for music, and published by Bellowing Ark. of life for Sandra Jean Ruvera (Jan. her interests included travel, reading, He was a passionate man who 7, 1942-Nov. 23, 2015), daughter politics and Native American culture. worked tirelessly on understanding of Aldo and Josephine Ruvera, will She most recently became active with nature and everything that he did. be held on April 22 at the United the sea turtle rescue program at the He rose at 4 a.m. to write his poetry, Methodist Church Fellowship Hall on North Carolina Aquarium Society. greeting the day for many years as North Pleasant Street in Middlebury. She is survived by her aunt, he had as a gamekeeper to tend the All are welcome from 4:30 to 7:30 Olive Franzi of Montpelier; cousins moor and care for his pigeons. p.m. to share in remembrances and Burton Bell of Barre, Lester Bell He is survived by his wife, Julia music. Light refreshments will be of Sebastian, Fla., and Richard Bell Dempsey. He is also survived by served. Interment will be Saturday, of MarshďŹ eld, Mass.; and godchild his sons Thomas (Julie) and their April 23, at 2 p.m. in Hope Cemetery Deborah Gregoire of Barre. son Harry, and Roger (Aimee). He in Barre. In lieu of owers, donations is also survived by his stepsons, Sandra’s professional career can be made in Sandra’s name to: spanned many years with the Vermont Heather Wigley, NC Aquarium State Family Services Department, Society, 3125 Poplarwood Court, retiring as District 1 Director. Her Suite 160, Raleigh, NC 27604 (make active involvement in her community checks payable to “NC Aquarium and lifelong commitment to learning Societyâ€? and please include notation and education continued and evolved “Sandra Ruvera Memorial Fundâ€?); VERGENNES — Gale “Tweetâ€? throughout her retirement. or Treasurer, Friends of the Ilsley Thompson, 69, passed away on Sandra loved music and was enthu- Library, 75 Main St., Middlebury, Monday, April 11, 2016, at Living siastically involved with Festival VT 05753 (make checks payable to Well Care Home in Bristol. on-the-Green and the After Dark Friends of the Ilsley Library). â—Š He was born on July 1, 1946, Music Series in Middlebury. In in Kenton, Ohio, the son of Gale

Sandra Ruvera celebration of life

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DAVID PARKINSON Watson Webb (Renata) and children Melissa, Sam and Marianna; Edward Webb (Catherine) and their children Nathaniel, Elizabeth and Ford; and William Webb (Sarah) and their daughter Maggie. He was predeceased by his brother, John. A private service will be held at Staindrop at a later date, as it was his wish to return to his home there. We wish to thank the wonderful people at Hospice for the care and support they provided so that David was able to remain home as he wished. For those who want to remember David please consider making a contribution to Addison County Home Health and Hospice, PO Box 754, Middlebury, VT 05753, or to the Bixby Library in Vergennes, Vt., in his memory. â—Š

ELEANOR PRATT Tammy and Jeffrey (Tina) Tucker, Matthew (Becca) and Kimberly (Tom) Pratt, and Justin (Tiffany), Adam and Sara (Seth) Donnelly; 12 great-grandchildren, Jordan, Allyson, Jeffrey, Tucker, Derek, Brooke, Kamille, Logan, William, Nova, Kallen and Olivia; and an extended family of nieces, nephews and their children. She leaves many close and valued friends who were important to her in so many ways. A gathering to celebrate the life of Eleanor Pratt will be held May 14 at the Addison Community Baptist Church, Addison, at 11 a.m. Burial following the ceremony at the Lakeview Cemetery in West Addison. In lieu of owers, contributions in her memory may be made to Addison Community Baptist Church, 4970 Route 22A, Addison, VT, or Elderly Services, Inc., 112 Exchange St., Middlebury, VT. ◊

Gale ‘Tweet’ Thompson, 69, Vergennes Gordon Thompson and Kate Ward Clifford. He attended Vergennes Union High School and was a meat cutter by trade. Gale is survived by his mother,

Kate Clifford; two sons, Robert and Joshua; three sisters, Pamela Cross, Connie Gilbert and Patricia Neate; two brothers, Mike Thompson and Charles Clifford; ďŹ ve grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 23, at Victory Baptist Church in Vergennes. In lieu of owers contributions may be made to Vergennes Area Rescue Squad, PO Box 11, Vergennes, VT 05491. ◊

Amka Conference at college to raise awareness of African issues MIDDLEBURY — Umoja, Middlebury College’s African student organization, will host the 2016 Amka Conference on Saturday, April 23, on campus in Bicentennial Hall and Dana Auditorium. In Swahili, amka means to awaken, and similarly, organizers are hoping to awaken the Middlebury community’s attention regarding issues relevant to Africa. Every year for the past four years Umoja has hosted its Amka Conference to explore varying themes affecting the African continent. Last year, the theme was “Education in Africa.� The conference featured Fred Swaniker, founder of African Leadership Academy and African Leadership

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WEST ADDISON — Eleanor H. Pratt, 94, passed away following a brief illness on April 4, 2016, at Helen Porter Nursing Home in Middlebury. Eleanor was born Oct. 17, 1921, in Panton, daughter of Clarence and Florence (Sprague) Hawley. She attended schools in East Panton and Vergennes, graduating from high school in 1939. She went on to Mary Fletcher Nursing School, graduating as an RN in January 1943, and then worked as a nurse at Porter Hospital in Middlebury. Eleanor joined her life partner, Wilbur H. Pratt, in marriage on June 21, 1944. Together they raised four children and were proud dairy farmers on the Pratt family farm in West Addison. They were a dedicated team throughout their lives, supporting each other both on the farm and in their involvement with the West Addison Methodist Church, the children’s schools, and being available when assistance was needed in the community. After Wilbur’s death in 1984, her greatest joy was helping with grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and pursuing the disappearing art of letter writing. Many people, from peers to youngsters, were lucky enough to be the recipient of a handwritten card or letter. Family members will cherish her many beautiful embroidered items. Eleanor was a member of the Addison Community Baptist Church and a loyal and active member of DAR for 70 years. Eleanor was predeceased by her husband, Wilbur Pratt; brother, Spencer Hawley; son Wynne, and daughter-in-law, Frances. She is survived by her children Richard (Beth) Pratt, Nancy (Michael) Morgan and Ellen Pratt; nine grandchildren, Charlotte and Lee (Amanda) Pratt,

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University, who spoke about innovating ways of solving issues facing the continent through education. This year, the theme of the conference will be “Africa through Film.â€? Umoja believes that reclaiming African narratives and telling Africa’s stories from the perspective of Africans is vital. Film has been an important medium for reimagining Africa’s image, which has often been negatively portrayed by outsiders. Additionally, from Nollywood to African YouTube series, there are growing images of Africans in ďŹ lm. The keynote speaker will be Nadia Sasso, a Sierra Leonean-American ďŹ lmmaker and digital storyteller. Her documentary, “Am I: The Film,â€? explores identity politics and

gender in the diaspora. There will be a screening of the documentary along with a question-and-answer session with Sasso. The events will commence at 11 a.m. with a talk by Middlebury Professor Natasha Ngaiza, a Tanzanian-American ďŹ lmmaker, who teaches in the Film and Media Culture Department. The event will also include a talk with Sena (’17) and Pele (’19) Vanjouciv, brothers and Middlebury College students. They made a short documentary in the summer of 2015 titled “ReVodution,â€? which focuses on their traditional West African spiritual practices in the modern context. This event is free, and the community is invited.

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Addison Independent, Thursday, April 14, 2016 — PAGE 7A

Letters to the Editor Closing of Porter Internal Medicine raising questions The reporting on the situation at Porter Medical Center has raised a number of questions in my mind and I thought I might like to express them and see whether some answers might emerge. I am one of Dr. Hodde’s many patients who will be in search of a new primary care doctor. Upon my first meeting with her I asked, as a 71-year-old, if I might expect that she would be able to “see me out,” so to speak. She indicated that she had no intention of going anywhere. Did she change her mind, or did things change significantly enough that she felt she could no longer stay? She is competent, well

respected, lives locally and has a young family. Why would she decide to commute to Burlington and take on a job where she will be working seven 12-hour shifts followed by seven days off? Maybe she wants to be out of synch with the rest of her world. I’m surprised that the hospital no longer sees the need for an on-site internal medicine practice. I wonder whether there are too many elderly patients with numerous health problems that create too much expense for what Medicare is willing to pay. Does anyone know the answer to that? Is an ear, nose and throat practice

more lucrative? What exactly is meant by “quality and productivity incentives”? Do doctors get paid more if they can complete a patient visit every 15 minutes? Is that in the line of quality or productivity? I guess I’d like to understand better the new salary system. I’m sorry I missed the meeting. Maybe it was explained. I guess it’s clear that all this doesn’t feel very good to the customers. It feels a lot like “smoke and mirrors.” Fortunately for me, I am enjoying good health. I hope it lasts a long time. Winifred Thomas Middlebury

Many reasons to remember it’s important to recycle The other day I watched a seminar on emerging viruses, like AIDS and Ebola. Many of these viruses originate in places where people are in close contact with wild animals, often at the edges of forests in Africa. A researcher on the panel had visited one of these places: a logging camp deep in the rainforest. The people there were subsisting entirely on bush meat (wild game), including monkeys. Truckers carrying huge logs were also carrying sexually transmitted diseases along their routes. In addition to the dan-

ger of viruses, the destruction of the rainforest and its complex ecosystem was disheartening to see. The researcher asked what the wood was being used for. Were these beautiful hardwoods being used to make fine furniture or musical instruments? No, they were going to make matches and toilet paper. That made me think about a little study I did at Hannaford one day. I counted and found that only about 7 percent of the rolls of paper towels were recycled. It’s a similar story

with toilet paper. We are all well aware of how we recycle our waste, putting it in the right bins and making sure the haulers pick it up. But there’s a second half to the cycle, and that’s buying recycled products. Recycled toilet paper, napkins, paper towels and plastic trash bags are all available and the quality is just fine. In environmentally conscious Vermont, I would hope to see the percentage of use go way up. Chris Robbins Middlebury

Government supporting many corporate giveaways 2.2 billion is a number that everyone throughout North America should remember. 2.2 billion is the number of reasons why Vermont and land throughout the world is targeted for large-scale buildouts of wind, solar and gas. 2.2 billion symbolizes a primary and underappreciated reason why all forms of taxes and costs of living throughout North America are escalating out of control. 2.2 billion. Write down this number and tell it to everyone you know. According to the diligent work of an organization known as Good Jobs First, 2.2 billion is the number of dollars that the massive Spanish-owned conglomerate Iberdrola received from American tax subsidies between 2009-2014. Iberdrola is one of the world’s richest holding companies and it is a corporation that trades on the Madrid Stock Exchange. These facts merit repeating. By creating subsidiaries in America such as New England Wind, LLC, and New York State Electric and Gas Co., Iberdrola, a massive Spanish-owned corporation, has received more than $2.2 billion in free welfare money that was paid for by you, me, and millions of American taxpayers. Please take a minute to let that sink in. 2.2 billion dollars in free American money was given to a corporation that trades on the Madrid Stock Exchange. To put the number $2.2 billion in proper context, from 2013-2014, FEMA paid out $840 million in flood

claims. (Source: www.fema.gov.) Yet, inconceivably, the amount of money that the American government had spent to rebuild infrastructure for its own citizenry is less than 40 percent of the $2.2 billion in corporate welfare that was given to merely one Spanishowned corporation. Some so-called experts will argue that there are benefits to handing $2.2 billion in free money to developers of industrial energy. In fact, many politicians argue that giving $2.2 billion to corporations such as Iberdrola will create more jobs, render clean energy, and will result in fewer disasters such as flooding. But if we really pay attention to experts, we will finally see that the motivations for handing $2.2 billion to corporations like Iberdrola are not to create jobs or generate clean energy. The single motivation for giving $2.2 billion to corporations such as Iberdrola was clearly articulated by billionaire investor Warren Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway had collected the relatively paltry sum of $1.3 billion in corporate welfare since 2009. According to a Wall Street Journal article from May 2014, CEO Buffett told his shareholders: “I will do anything that is basically covered by the law to reduce Berkshire’s tax rate. For example, on wind energy, we get a tax credit if we build a lot of wind farms. That’s the only reason to build them. They don’t make sense without

the tax credit.” This is a wake-up call and blame is a fool’s game. Corporations are designed to exploit and profit from every possible source. That is what they do. Iberdrola and Berkshire Hathaway are NOT accountable to taxpayers. They are accountable to their shareholders. As Warren Buffett clearly said, they will do “anything” that is covered by the law to reduce their tax rate. Included within the word “anything” is to manipulate American lawmakers and the law itself. But where corporations have no accountability to taxpayers, American government has mechanisms to protect and serve its people and the land. It is time for us all to first stop the blame and instead take meaningful action. Go back to your communities. Get involved in local and state government. If you see the absurdity of giving away $2.2 billion of your personal income to foreign corporations, then seek out political leaders who recognize the extreme dysfunction of the status quo. There are more than 2.2 billion reasons why industrial energy subsidies are destroying our social and ecological landscape. At the very least, convey the number 2.2 billion to everyone you know. Mitch Frankenberg West Rutland

Health kit helpers NORTH FERRISBURGH UNITED Methodist Church members, pictured clockwise from front left, Betsy Brown, Barbara Whitney, Ann Biron, Carole Stoneking, George Whitney and Nancy McIntyre assemble health kits at the church on April 3 for United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). Church members of all ages joined in the effort to put together 100 of these kits, which are given out anywhere in the U.S. or the world where there is a natural disaster or refugee situation due to war. Each kit contains a hand towel, washcloth, toothbrush, toothpaste, bar of soap, nail clipper, six adhesive bandages and a comb.

Naturalization ceremony heartwarming Hosting the naturalization cerAt Beeman, we feel volunteerism, emony at Beeman is always a great community and giving is the way honor. It is a place where real life in which we impact our world. The intersects with classroom learning. MEGA team’s (grades 4-6) year-long It is a place where we experience theme has been “making a differwhat it means when we ence.” At the beginning say we are Americans, of the year the students and a time where we targeted needs within take great pride in celour school building ebrating this amazing and applied for jobs to This week’s country. Our students make Beeman a better writer is Annette learn about the path to place. Garden comcitizenship, and the sto- Carter, grades 4-6 mittee, food council, ries behind people who teacher at Beeman trash and recycling, Elementary School come to this country and several other comand dream for it to be- in New Haven. mittees have helped the come their home. students find a sense of This spring our students have tak- place and service in our building. en part in what we have called the Our school participated in the Big “Refugee Project.” They have stud- Change Roundup and raised over ied the global crisis, and have taken $3,000 for Vermont children and an in-depth look at one refugee’s their medical needs. With the Refujourney. The stories they read were gee Project we looked for a way to heartbreaking, all the more because think globally and respond to the they were true stories. great need of thousands of refugees Because of the sensitivity of the fleeing situations that are hard for hardships, we asked students to re- us to think about. Nevertheless, they flect on their learning by creating art. are happening while we speak. We asked them to step into the shoes I asked students how they thought of the storyteller, and feel the emo- we might help children and families tional aspects of a sometimes con- who have to make dangerous jourtroversial issue. The artwork you see neys over land and sea. After many in the room, these pieces tell stories. ideas were given, one student said, The result: empathy and compas- “Well, they must have a lot to carry, sion. Our ultimate goal of creating and there are babies and children engaged, empathetic students has walking long distances, could we been apparent throughout this unit. send them something to help carry

Community

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the babies.” I am always touched by their ability to find solutions to problems. As I explained the “Carry the Future” mission of providing baby carriers for refugees, I found myself swept up in emotion as I explained that a friend had seen a picture of the carrier they had donated being fitted on a mom on a news clip about the Syrian refugee crisis. I felt a bit overcome by the humanity of the moment, and found tears slipping down my face. Fearing I’d made the moment awkward for 9- and 10-year-olds, I looked down for a moment. Composing myself, I lifted my head, and looked out in our closely packed group of 50 students, and I knew why I love working in this school, why I love challenging students to think outside of their comfort zone, why I know these students have the power to make a difference. Half of my students were wiping away tears. Many were struggling with grasping why in the world a baby would not be in a safe place, and a toddler could not play safely in their own back yard. Students have been bringing in carriers for babies and we feel we have the ability to make a difference. The ceremony on Tuesday was a celebration of all things good, of the value of community, the place at our table, a slice of the American pie.

Senator allegedly bought for $1,163 Prior to the Thursday, March 31, vote in the Vermont Senate on amendments to S.230, an article appeared in Seven Days asking if Sen. Chris Bray (D-New Haven) could solve Vermont’s siting problems with large commercial wind and solar projects. We now know the answer is NO. On page 16 of this Seven Days article a photo shows Sen. Bray with his foxhounds wearing his 21stcentury “Downton Abbey” attire. The accuracy and credibility of the British elite portrayed in “Downton Abbey” have been “falsely portrayed as being class conscious,” according to Polly Toynbee of the Guardian. “None of Downton Abbey’s social liberalism is remotely credible of the era.” She also compares modern capitalism as promoting the same myth, the “myth that we are all masters of our fate, birth is not destiny.” “With the swelling of wealth at the top,” we are all aware of the influence this concentrated wealth has. This fundamental aspect in today’s society, the fact that the wealthy influence political policy, was evident at the Statehouse in Montpelier on March 31. Sen. Bray, during discussion of amendments to S.230, kept leaving the Senate chamber to consult with lobbyists from the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG). Vermont Public Interest is a misnomer as this organization represents their funding sources — one of which happens to be the wind industry. VPIRG Executive Director Paul Burns acts as a conductor directing the orchestra to play the requests of their contributors, and Sen. Bray was waltzing. Sens. Campion and Zuckerman were also in attendance, standing on the edge of the dance floor with preprinted dance cards. With towns crying out for more

local say in large commercial renewable energy projects, Sen. Bray voted his conscience. He was conscious of the $1,163 that the wind industry had given him towards his campaign and voted accordingly. The Vermont Senate voted to strengthen its control over localities by giving the Public Service commissioner, an appointed position, the power to certify regional plans, leaving communities at the political mercy of the governor. Sen. Bray, I hope you and Sen. Campion enjoy the quiet and serenity this summer as you work in your gardens while we, the proletariat, are forced to stay inside with our windows closed. You denied Vermonters the protection of noise monitoring at a cost of approximately $50,000, not the $250,000 cost that VPIRG, GMP, REV and Iberdrola scared you with. I leave you with a quote of my own: “When the herdsman has been herded the wolves have won.” Dustin Lang Swanton

Middlebury Family Health would like to welcome Dr Peter Wilhelm to our team! Dr. Wilhelm attended UVM Medical School and Family Medicine Residency. He brings extensive primary care experience from his years as a flight surgeon with the US Naval Air Service. Peter will be joining Middlebury Family Health this summer. We are now scheduling his appointments.

About Middlebury Family Health

Established over 20 years ago, Middlebury Family Health has grown into a diversified independent, ALL PHYSICIAN, MULTI-SPECIALTY practice which includes INTERNAL MEDICINE, FAMILY MEDICINE, and PEDIATRICS. We provide comprehensive quality health care to our patients from birth to elderly. We are a certified level 3 Medical Home and Meaningful Use Certified with our Electronic Health Record. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff will be there to guide you through your visit. Come join us today!

We are pleased to announce that all of our doctors are accepting new patients: Dr. Eileen Doherty-Fuller – Family Medicine, Pediatrics Dr Linn Larson – Family Medicine Dr Wendie Puls – Internal Medicine Dr Jean Andersson-Swayze – Family Medicine Dr Katie Miller – Internal Medicine Dr Peter Wilhelm – Family Medicine Please call the office to schedule

802-388-1500 44 Collins Drive, Suite 201 Middlebury, VT www.middleburyfamilyhealth.com

PAGE 8A — Addison Independent, Thursday, April 14, 2016

Come to the

Middlebury Farmers’ Market for our last indoor market – April 16th

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Produce • Meat • Cheese Bread • Maple Syrup • Crafts • Plants & More! Debit & EBT Accepted

Sat 9:30 am - 1 pm • Mary Hogan School www.middleburyfarmersmarket.org Residential & Commercial

COUNTRY HOMES CLEANING Maureen Tierney, owner

802-236-5415 Basic to Extensive Cleanings Insured • Years of experience Free quotes • Short-notice cleaning

maureentierney98@yahoo.com

email us:

Would you like to inform our community about an event? news@addisonindependent.com

Christian Science Society MIDDLEBURY, VERMONT

Church Services

COMMUNITY HOUSE • Main Street • Middlebury

/( 35 ,0# -65gf9ff5 8 855R55 /( 35 "))&65gf9ff5 8 8 Mid-week Services, 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, 7:30 P.M.

All are invited

Indoors Rain or Shine

Green Mountain Draft Horse Association

23rd Annual

Horse, Tack & Equipment Sale

Saturday, May 7th, 2016 9am Equipment • Horses at 1pm Horses that do not sell will be charged $50 or 7% of last bid, whichever is less. $50 paid up front by seller.

Addison County Field Days Grounds, Rt 17– New Haven, VT

New & Used Tack Horse Related Farm Equipment QUALITY CONSIGNMENTS WANTED! Food Available on Grounds • No Dogs Please Admission $1/person to benefit local youth organizations.

For more information: Rose Ann Lombard 802.425.2824 • rlombard@gmavt.net

www.greenmountaindraft.org

Uncovering the past IN 1962 POLAND, Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska) is an 18-year-old novitiate nun on the verge of taking her vows when she discovers a dark family secret dating back to the years of the Nazi occupation. The 2013 ďŹ lm “Idaâ€? will be screened at Middlebury College’s Dana Auditorium on Saturday, April 16, at 3 and 8 p.m. It’s free.

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April – September 21 Individuals: $249 Couples: $425 Students: $149 Seniors: $199 Family memberships also available!

Call 453-5205 for more information 14 School Street, Bristol VT • 453-5205

Met Opera’s “Roberto Devereuxâ€? on screen in Middlebury. Saturday, April 16, 1 p.m., Town Hall Theater. The Met Opera presents the third in Donizetti’s three-opera series about the Tudor queens. Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky plays Queen Elizabeth I. Tickets $24 adults, $10, students, available at the THT box ofďŹ ce, 382-9222 or www.townhalltheater.org. Info: ocmvermont.org. “Idaâ€? on screen at Middlebury College. Saturday, April 16, 3 and 8 p.m., Dana Auditorium. In 1962 Poland, an 18-year-old novitiate nun is on the

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Public listening session on new All-you-can-eat pancake breaktown park in Middlebury. Thursday, fast in New Haven. Sunday, April 17, April 14, 6 p.m., new town ofďŹ ces confer7-10:30 a.m., New Haven Town Hall. The ence room. The Public Park Advisory Group is New Haven Volunteer Fire Department offers hosting another public forum on the public park plain or blueberry pancakes, French toast, pure to be sited on the land where the old town ofďŹ ces Vermont maple syrup, scrambled eggs, bacon, and municipal gym currently stand. Preliminary sausage, home fries, coffee, tea and juice. concepts will be shared. All-you-can-eat pancake breakfast in Addison. Twist O’ Wool Spinning Guild meeting in Sunday, April 17, 7-11 a.m., Addison Fire Station. Middlebury. Thursday, April 14, Plain and blueberry pancakes, sausage, bacon, 7 p.m., 49 Wilson Road. General home fries, coffee, hot chocolate and orange meeting and show-and-tell, juice. Adults $6, kids under 12 $4. Funds raised followed by a program on offwill be used to purchase equiploom weaving by Strands, a Twist BRANDON ARTISTS GUILD — Soft Pastel Workshop, ment for the Addison Volunteer O’ Wool weaving study group. Info: Fire Department. Info: 759-2237. April 17 Adult class with Middlebury artist Norma Rollet. Volunteer Fire Department 453-5960. Enjoy a wonderful afternoon of pastel painting. Cost: $45. At breakfast in Monkton. Sunday, “The Writer and the Moviesâ€? talk by Jay Parini in Middlebury. the Granary, 29 Union St. Brandon from 1pm – 3:30pm. All April 17, 8-10 a.m., Monkton Thursday, April 14, 7 p.m., Department. Pancakes, supplies and materials included. Register at the Brandon Artists Fire Champlain Valley Unitarian sausage, bacon, scrambled Guild, 7 Center St. Brandon, or by phone, 247-4956. www. eggs, egg casserole, juices, milk, Universalist Society. Parini, a brandonartistsguild.org. widely published poet, novelist, coffee, tee and more. Prices to biographer and critic, will discuss be determined. Info: 877-2442. BRANDON ARTISTS GUILD — Insects Up Close, April 24, Antiques Appraisal Day in his experience with Hollywood. Grades 3 to 6 with Jennifer Hogan of Barstow School. We will be Middlebury. Sunday, April 17, 10 Free. “Endangered Alphabets, Cultural exploring color, line, contrast and pattern while designing beautiful a.m.-2 p.m., Courtyard Marriott. Erosion and the Future of the appraisers will be on insects and magical yers using liquid watercolors, chalk pastels, Expert Written Wordâ€? talk in Bristol. hand to give verbal appraisals and collage materials. Sign up early. This class will ďŹ ll fast. Cost: of antiques of all kinds. Bring in Thursday, April 14, 7 p.m., Lawrence Memorial Library. $20. At the Granary, 29 Union St. Brandon from 1pm – 3:30pm. your art, jewelry, military items, Writer/carver/painter Tim Brookes All supplies and materials included. Register at the Brandon Artists toys, ephemera, furniture and will share his carvings of endanCost: $7 per item or $25 Guild, 7 Center St. Brandon, or by phone, 247-4956. www. more. gered forms of writing from all over for four. Info: www.henrysheldonbrandonartistsguild.org. the world, while presenting how museum.org or 802-388-2117. the story of a culture can be seen rescue talk in TaeKwon Do K.I.C.K.S. is proud to announce our new Toddler Equine in its writing, even if it is beautiVergennes. Sunday, April 17, 11 (18m-3yrs), Preschool (3-5yr olds) and Day Classes (3-adults). a.m., Vergennes Area Rescue ful, utterly unfamiliar and disappearing. Info: 453-2366 or www. Vergennes Classes are Tuesdays. At Congregational Church: Squad building, Panton Road. oneworldlibraryproject.org. Toddlers 9:15–10:00 and Preschoolers from 10:15 – 11:00. At Susan Hauck of Champlain “She Sings to the Starsâ€? screenLarge Animal Technical Rescue Christian Reform Church: Family Style Day/Homeschooler classes talks about what the service ing in Middlebury. Thursday, April 11:30-12:30. Middlebury Day Classes at VT Sun in Middlebury. offers, and how they can help 14, 7 p.m., Marquis Theater. The award-winning Vermont-produced Toddlers from 10:00–10:45 and Preschoolers from 11:0011:45 equine owners in retrieval when ďŹ lm is back by popular demand on Wednesdays. Family Style Day/Homeschooler Classes from things go wrong. Limited seating. for one last screening. Advance RSVP to Pam Dunne, 453-2863. 11:30 - 12:30. Toddler/Preschool Classes are $5/class. Family Hosted by North Country Donkey tickets available at the box ofďŹ ce, Day/Homeschooler Classes are $10/class (family discounts) Call Friends. Suggested donations to evenings 5-9 p.m. “The Pitchfork Disneyâ€? on stage 802-377-0476, email tkdkicks101@yahoo.com or check out CLATR. at Middlebury College. Thursday, “Hansel and Gretelâ€? on stage www.tkdkicks.net. April 14, 7:30 p.m., Hepburn Zoo. in Vergennes. Sunday, April 17, Philip Ridley play in which twin WATERFALLS DAY SPA is hosting free pop-up meditations. 1 and 4 p.m., Vergennes Opera siblings, after the tragic death of House. Bald Mountain Theater De-stress and calm your mind with us on Wednesday, April 13 at their parents, spend a decade presents an original, fast, funny 12pm, Friday, April 22 at 4pm and Friday, April 27 at 4:30pm. and moving adaptation of the locked away in a fantasy world Waterfalls is also hosting a Paint and Sip Night Out on Friday, folk classic. Part of a regional until the door is opened and their worst nightmares invade. Tickets April 15 from 5:30 to 7:30. $35 per person. Let your creative tour. Tickets $12 adults, $8 chil$5. Info and tickets: www.middleunder 16. Suitable for ages juices ow and have a fun night out at the spa. Call 388-0311 dren bury.edu/arts or 802-443-3168. 6 and up. Tickets available at for more information. www.middleburyspa.com. Also on April 15 and 16. baldmountaintheater.org or at the door. Bingo in Vergennes. Sunday, April 17, 2-4:30 p.m., Vergennes verge of taking her vows when she discovers American Legion. The American Legion Auxiliary Addison County Right to Life annual a dark family secret dating back to the years hosts. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. Payouts dinner meeting in Vergennes. Friday, of the Nazi occupation. Free. Info: www.middlebased on number of people. Light snacks for April 15, 6:30 p.m., St. Peter’s Parish bury.edu/arts or 802-443-3168. sale. Proceeds beneďŹ t the Legion’s Veterans Hall. Roast pork with all the ďŹ xings or macaroni Exhibit opening reception in Middlebury. Recognition Program. and cheese. Adults $12, ages 6-12 $6, ages 5 Saturday, April 16, 4-6 p.m., Edgewater Gallery and younger free. Reservations requested: Lee at the Middlebury Falls. Celebrating the openand Sandi Comly, 2012 Carlstrom Road, Bristol, ing of “Jill Matthews: Full Bloom.â€? On exhibit VT 05443; 453-6302; or leesandi@gmavt.net. through April. Info: 802-989-7419. Legislative breakfast in Vergennes. Board game night in Middlebury. Friday, April 15, Chicken dinner in Brandon. Saturday, April 16, Monday, April 18, 7-8:45 a.m., St. 6:30-9 p.m., Ilsley Library. Info: chuck@burkins. 5-7 p.m., Brandon United Methodist Church. Peter’s Parish Hall. Breakfast at 7, net. Chicken with scalloped potatoes, green beans program at 7:30 a.m. “The Pitchfork Disneyâ€? on stage at Middlebury and coleslaw, plus beverage and dessert. Adults College. Friday, April 15, 7:30 and 10 p.m., $10, children under 12 $5, children under 6 free. Republican Town Committee Caucus in Bristol. Monday, April 18, 7 p.m., Howden Hall. Hepburn Zoo. Philip Ridley play in which twin King Pede party in Ferrisburgh. Saturday, April siblings, after the tragic death of their parents, 16, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Ferrisburgh Community spend a decade locked away in a fantasy world Center and Town Hall. Sandwich supper until the door is opened and their worst nightfollowed by an evening of fun and card games. mares invade. Tickets $5. Info and tickets: www. Come planning to play King Pede or bring your Free foot care/blood pressure clinic middlebury.edu/arts or 802-443-3168. Also on own favorite card game. Requested donation: in Middlebury. Tuesday, April 19, 10 April 16. $2.50. a.m.-noon, Middlebury Rec Center, 154 Classical music concert in Middlebury. Creek Road. Bring your own basin and towel. Saturday, April 16, 7-8:30 p.m., Residence at Offered by ACHHH. Otter Creek. Middlebury College students Gloria luncheon and presentation in Beck and Junya Iwata, piano students of Diana Senior Church breakfast in Shoreham. Middlebury. Tuesday, April 19, 11 a.m., Fanning, perform works by Bach, Beethoven, Saturday, April 16, 8-10 a.m., Middlebury Rec Center. At 11:15 a.m., Michael Chopin, Schumann and Tan Dun. Info: cleach@ Shoreham Congregational Church. The Bright will give a free introduction to physical residenceottercreek.com. Christian Ed youth group will host a Breakfast for Spring concert at Middlebury College. Saturday, mindfulness training. A CVAA-sponsored meal Missions, serving French toast, scrambled eggs, follows at noon, featuring roast pork with sauce April 16, 7-8 p.m., Mahaney Center for the Arts. home fries, sausages, juice, coffee, tea and milk. and stufďŹ ng, oven browns, broccoli slaw, dinner The Middlebury College Orchestra performs. Adults $5, children $3, families $16. roll, coconut cream pie and coffee. Suggested Free. Economics symposium at Middlebury College. “The Pitchfork Disneyâ€? on stage at Middlebury donation $4. Reservations required: 1-800-642Saturday, April 16, 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m., Robert A. 5119, ext. 1070. Free transportation with ACTR: College. Saturday, April 16, 7:30 p.m., Hepburn Jones ’59 House Conference Room. “Economics 802-388-1946. Zoo. Philip Ridley play in which twin siblings, of Skin Tone, Gender, Ethnicity and Diaspora.â€? after the tragic death of their parents, spend “Toy Hackingâ€? workshop in Orwell. Tuesday, Includes three sessions throughout the day plus April 19, 3 p.m., Orwell Free Library. Learn how a decade locked away in a fantasy world until keynote addresses by Solomon W. Polachek circuits work by taking apart used electronic toys. the door is opened and their worst nightmares and Klaus Zimmermann. More info and schedExperiment with circuit bending and reverse invade. Tickets $5. Info and tickets: www. ule: http://community.middlebury.edu/~wunnava/ engineering to reimagine and reinvent these toys middlebury.edu/arts or 802-443-3168. DKSmith_Events.htm/. with materials on hand. For kids ages 6 and up,

Apr

Summer Memberships on SALE Now!

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

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but interested adults are welcome to participate too. Info: 948-2041. Talk on Enigma machine at Middlebury College. Tuesday, April 19, 3:15 p.m., Warner Hall, Room 208. Tom Perera, one of the world’s leading experts on cipher devices, will talk about the German Enigma cipher machine as seen in the movie “The Imitation Game.” Free. Info: 443-5559 or molinick@middlebury.edu. “Build a MeArm Robot Arm” workshop in Middlebury. Tuesday, April 19, 3:30-5:30 p.m., Ilsley Library. Learn how to assemble an opensource robot arm. Open to kids and adults (kids younger than 13 must be accompanied by an adult). Register at the adult circulation desk. Info: 388-4095. “Kendo: The Way of the Sword” demonstration at Middlebury College. Tuesday, April 19, 4:30 p.m., Mahaney Center for the Arts. Kendo is the art of Japanese fencing. Demonstrated by members of Boston Kendo Kyokai and Boston Shufukai. Info: www.middlebury.edu/arts or 802-443-3168.

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Blood drive at Middlebury College. Wednesday, April 20, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., McCullough Hall. Appointments at redcrossblood.org or 1-800-733-2767. Gallery talk in Middlebury. Wednesday, April 20, noon, Sheldon Museum. Museum Executive Director Bill Brooks talks about the exhibit “The Curious Cousins of Vermont Outsider Artist Gayleen Aiken.” Exhibit runs through May 21. Talk is free with museum admission. Info: 802-388-2117 or www.henrysheldonmuseum. org. Blues jam in Middlebury. Wednesday, April 20, 8-10 p.m., 51 Main. Dennis Willmott from Left Eye Jump will provide lead guitar, bass and drums if you need backup, or take a break and let you play. Bring your instrument and get ready to jam. Info: www.go51main.com.

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Public forum on Vermont economic future at Middlebury College. Thursday, April 21, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Kirk Alumni Center. Part of a statewide discussion series regarding the future of Vermont with a goal of enhancing and sustaining a robust and growing economy. The Vermont Futures Project is about balancing three components: the economy, the environment and the social safety net. Free but RSVPs requested at http://addisoncountyedc.org/register/856. Poetry reading in Middlebury. Thursday, April 21, 1 p.m., Ilsley Library. As part of the library’s National Poetry Month Reading Series, Aneleisa Gladding-Hinton and Bianca Stone will read. Info: 388-4095. Gladding-Hinton is a Middlebury College senior and daughter of poet/translators Jody Gladding and David Hinton. Stone is the granddaughter of Ruth Stone. Art history lecture at Middlebury College. Thursday, April 21, 4:30 p.m., Mahaney Center for the Arts, Room 125. Amanda Bock of the Philadelphia Museum of Art presents “Paul Strand’s Problem of Likeness, or, Notes Toward a Theory of Portraiture.” Free. Info: www.middlebury.edu/arts or 802-443-3168. Hospice Volunteer Services annual meeting and program in Middlebury. Thursday, April 21, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Ilsley Library. Guest speaker Pamela McPherson will read poems from her new collection, “Vigil: The Poetry of Presence.” Info: 388-4111. “Seminar” on stage in Middlebury. Thursday, April 21, 7:30 p.m., Town Hall Theater. In this provocative comedy drama, recently a Broadway hit, four aspiring young novelists sign up for private writing classes with an unorthodox international literary figure and learn what it takes to be an artist in the literary landscape today. Not suitable for children. Tickets $22, available at the THT box office, 382-9222 or www.townhalltheater.org. Student rush at the door: $12. Also on April 22 and 23.

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23

SATURDAY

Ladies’ Union Spring Sale in New Haven. Saturday, April 23, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., New Haven Congregational Church. Food table, attic treasures, Rada ware, books, plants, kitchen items, toys, puzzles, furniture, linens, crafts materials and more. No clothing. “E-textiles” workshop in Orwell. Saturday, April 23, 10 a.m.-noon, Orwell Free Library. Explore the emerging field of e-textiles with Susan Breen. Sew LEDs into fabric and build simple circuits using conducive thread. Learn basic circuit design and explore the aesthetics of circuits in wearables. Info: 948-2041. Spring into Art festival in Bristol. Saturday, April 23, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., downtown Bristol. Participating businesses in Bristol will celebrate spring in creative and artful ways. Open studios, art activities and more. At Art Sight Studios and Galleries: “meet the artists” tea at 10 a.m., Celtic harp concert with Bo Price at noon, writers’ openmike poetry reading at 2 p.m. Rokeby Museum volunteer orientation in Ferrisburgh. Saturday, April 23, 11 a.m., Rokeby Museum. People interested in becoming volunteers at the historic Robinson homestead for the May-October season are invited to come take a brief training course. Info: rokeby@comcast.net. Amka Conference at Middlebury College. Saturday, April 23, 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Bicentennial Hall and Dana Auditorium. Umoja, Middlebury College’s African student organization, presents its annual conference. This year’s theme: “Africa Through Film.” Keynote speaker: Nadia Sasso, a Sierra Leonean-American filmmaker and digital storyteller. Blood drive in Middlebury. Saturday, April 23, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Champlain Valley Unitarian Universalist Society. Appointments at redcrossblood.org or 1-800-733-2767. “Hansel and Gretel” on stage in Middlebury. Saturday, April 23, 2 and 7 p.m., Middlebury Union High School auditorium. Bald Mountain Theater presents an original, fast, funny and moving adaptation of the folk classic. Part of a regional tour. Tickets $12 adults, $8 children under 16. Suitable for ages 6 and up. Tickets available at baldmountaintheater.org or at the door. “Seminar” on stage in Middlebury. Saturday, April 23, 2 p.m., Town Hall Theater. In this provocative comedy drama, recently a Broadway hit, four aspiring young novelists sign up for private writing classes with an unorthodox international literary figure and learn what it takes to be an artist in the literary landscape today. Not suitable for children. Tickets $22, available at the THT box office, 382-9222 or www.townhalltheater.org. Student rush at the door: $12. “The Lego Movie” in Middlebury. Saturday, April 23, 2-4 p.m., Counseling Service of Addison County. Free screening in honor of Autism Awareness Month. Free popcorn and juice boxes, as well as fine and gross motor toys to play with in the back of the room. Info: Info: 388-0302, ext. 404. “Closed Curtain” screening at Middlebury College. Saturday, April 23, 3 and 8 p.m., Dana Auditorium. An Iranian screenwriter hides from the world in a secluded beach house. His tranquility is shattered one night by a young woman running from the law. Come dawn, another unexpected presence will change everything. In Persian with English subtitles. Free. Info: www. middlebury.edu/arts or 802-443-3168. “Seminar” on stage in Middlebury. Saturday, April 23, 7:30 p.m., Town Hall Theater. In this provocative comedy drama, recently a Broadway hit, four aspiring young novelists sign up for private writing classes with an unorthodox international literary figure and learn what it takes to be an artist in the literary landscape today. Not suitable for children. Tickets $22, available at the THT box office, 382-9222 or www.townhalltheater.org. Student rush at the door: $12. Rupert Wates in concert in Brandon. Saturday, April 23, 7:30 p.m., Brandon Music. Wates performs his eclectic mix of acoustic, melodic art/ folk, with flavors of jazz, vaudeville and cabaret. Includes several songs from his upcoming album

“Colorado Mornings.” Tickets $20. Reservations recommended at 802-247-4295 or info@brandon. music.net. Miles Donahue in concert at Middlebury College. Saturday, April 23, 8 p.m., Mahaney Center for the Arts. Affiliate Artist Miles Donahue, playing saxophone and trumpet, leads an all-star lineup in a concert titled “A Vermont Jazz Experience.” With Sal Difusco, Tim Ray, John Lockwood and Larry Finn. Free.

Apr

24

SUNDAY

Spring wildflower walk in Orwell. Sunday, April 24, 1 p.m., Mount Independence State Historic Site. Amy Olmsted, a nursery professional for more than 20 years, will teach participants how and where to look for early wildflowers, will identify them by common and Latin names, and will discuss their habitat. Admission is $5 adults, free for children. Info: 802-759-2412. Ladies’ Night Out women’s chorus spring concert in Middlebury. Sunday, April 24, 3 p.m., Champlain Valley Unitarian Universalist Society. The chorus, made up of women from all over western central Vermont, presents its spring program, “Poetry in Motion.” Suggested donation $10, $5 seniors and students. Info: 802-342-8348 or lucytune@sover.net. Poetry readings in Middlebury. Sunday, April 24, 4:30 p.m., Middlebury Inn. Local poets Gary Margolis and Nancy Means Wright each read from their new collections. Info: 388-2061.

Apr

25

Addison County Rupublican Committee

MONDAY

Blood drive in Brandon. Monday, April 25, noon-5 p.m., Brandon American Legion. Appointments at redcrossblood. org or 1-800-733-2767.

Apr

26

TUESDAY

“Books for Lunch” discussion in Orwell. Tuesday, April 26, noon, Orwell Free Library. Bring a lunch and come to discuss “H Is for Hawk,” by Helen MacDonald. Drinks provided. Info: 948-2041. Movie night for adults in Lincoln. Tuesday, April 26, 6:30 p.m., Lincoln Library. Movie and popcorn. Call the library at 453-2665 for the movie title.

Apr

27

Fund Raising Dinner American Legion – Middlebury, VT Thursday, April 21, 2016

Gallery talk in Middlebury. Wednesday, April 27, noon, Sheldon Museum. Vermont wood historian, educator and self-taught artist Chuck Herrmann will talk about the Sheldon’s exhibit “Out of the Forest: Woodcarvings by Chuck Herrmann.” Free with museum admission. Also on May 18. Info: 802-388-2117 or www.henrysheldonmuseum.org. Homeschool group meeting in Lincoln. Wednesday, April 27, 1-2 p.m., Lincoln Library. The group will continue its study of weather and wind by making pinwheels. Info: 453-2665. StoryMatters meeting in Middlebury. Wednesday, April 27, 4-5:15 p.m., Ilsley Library. Come listen to and share stories on the prompt “Discover.” Info: lar17g@comcast.net. Curating Islamic art discussion at Middlebury College. Wednesday, April 27, 4:30 p.m., Mahaney Center for the Arts, Room 125.Islamic art historian and museum curator Leslee Michelsen discusses the changing role that contemporary museums play in curating and interpreting Islamic art amidst the socio-political realities of the 21st century. Free. Info: www.middlebury.edu/arts or 802-443-3168. Computer Help Hour in Lincoln. Wednesday, April 27, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Lincoln Library. Email or call to sign up for a time and to tell us the topic you need help with: lincolnlibraryvt@gmail.com or 453-2665. Poetry reading in Middlebury. Wednesday, April 27, 7:15-8:30 p.m., Champlain Valley Unitarian

6:00-9:00pm

Donation $35 Speaker: Gov. James H. Douglas For ticket information contact: 802-316-7815 jdchris1023@comcast.net

WEDNESDAY

FRIDAY

Green Mountain Club hike in Orwell. Friday, April 22, time TBA. The Bread Loaf Section will lead a hike at Mt. Independence. Up to 6 miles of easy trails with Lake Champlain views and, weather permitting, Revolutionary War ruins of barracks. Wear layered clothes, hiking poles, water, snack and/ or lunch. Dog-friendly hike. Contact leader Jill Vickers at jvickers@gmavt.net or 802-759-3227 for meeting time. More info: www.gmcbreadloaf. org. Fill-a-bag clothing giveaway in Middlebury. Friday, April 22, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Caring Hearts Pregnancy Center, 52 Merchants Row, Suite B. Caring Hearts Pregnancy Center offers free used boys’ and girls’ clothing in sizes infant5T and maternity clothes. Donations of gently used, freshly laundered, stain-free clothes welcome. Info: information@caringheartspc.org or 802-388-7272. “Off the Wall: Informal Discussions About Art” talk at Middlebury College. Friday, April 22, 12:15 p.m., Mahaney Center for the Arts, Room 125 and museum. Curatorial intern Madison Hampton presents “Look, Don’t Touch: How Aspen Defies What We’ve Come to Expect as the ‘Art Experience.’” Further conversation over light lunch in the lobby. Suggested lunch donation $5; free to college ID holders. Info: www. middlebury.edu/arts or 802-443-3168. Table of Grace free meal in Vergennes. Friday, April 22, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Vergennes Congregational Church. Meals are held the fourth Friday of the month. This month’s menu: roast pork, potatoes, applesauce, vegetable and dessert. Sister-to-Sister STEM event at Middlebury College. Friday, April 22, 7-9 p.m., Chellis House. All Addison County middle-school girls are invited to a science show with female Middlebury College students. Interactive chemistry demonstration, snacks and good company. RSVP to khanta@middlebury.edu or 802-443-5937. “Seminar” on stage in Middlebury. Friday, April 22, 7:30 p.m., Town Hall Theater. In this provocative comedy drama, recently a Broadway hit, four aspiring young novelists sign up for private writing classes with an unorthodox international literary figure and learn what it takes to be an artist in the literary landscape today. Not suitable for children. Tickets $22, available at the THT box office, 382-9222 or www.townhalltheater. org. Student rush at the door: $12. Also on April 23.

Addison Independent, Thursday, April 14, 2016 — PAGE 9A

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Board Member Spotlight Jane Sommers

The PCC has a great capacity for caring. They treat everyone as equals - from tiny babies & 3 year olds to teens, new workers and old - the same, with dignity, respect, and what you believe matters. They work on strengths, not problems. This kind of sanity in dealing with people works. It is proven by the PCC’s great statistics: lowest teen pregnancy rate in VT and, many years, in the whole USA, no low birth weight babies born to teens in Addison Co. most years, many PCC teen finding jobs, high % of nursing mothers, dads that are involved, and very low court involvement of teens in Addison Co.

acpcc@sover.net • addisoncountypcc.org • 388-3171

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The woodcutter’s children DONOVAN PICCICUTO AND Jillian Sherwin play the title characters in Bald Mountain Theater’s production of “Hansel and Gretel.” The Rochester-based troupe is taking the show on a nine-town Vermont tour, with stops at the Vergennes Opera House on Saturday, April 16; Middlebury Union High School on Saturday, April 23; and Holley Hall in Bristol on Sunday, May 1.

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PAGE 10A — Addison Independent, Thursday, April 14, 2016

community

calendar

Tudor tragedy SONDRA RADVANOVSKY PLAYS Queen Elizabeth I in the Met Opera’s premiere of “Roberto Devereux.” The third in a Donizetti trio of operas about the Tudor queens, it is screening in high definition at Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater on Saturday, April 16, at 1 p.m. Universalist Society. Local poet Charles Sabukewicz will read from and sign his new collection of poetry, “In Sleep’s Circumference.” Parking in the MUHS lot.

Apr

28

THURSDAY

Church rummage sale in North Ferrisburgh. Thursday, April 28, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., North Ferrisburgh United Methodist Church. Proceeds benefit children who will be going on mission trips and attending camps. Also on April 29 and 30. Poetry reading in Middlebury. Thursday, April 28, 1 p.m., Ilsley Library. As part of the library’s National Poetry Month Reading Series, Vermont poet and journalist Julia Shipley will read. Shipley is the author of “The Academy of Hay.” Info: 388-4095. SpeakUp! Addison County bingo fundraiser in Middlebury. Thursday, April 28, 4-6 p.m., Middlebury American Legion. Featuring prizes from local merchants. Concessions and raffle. Proceeds will help members attend conferences and workshops to advance their self-advocacy skills. “The Real Story of ‘The Imitation Game’ and the Enigma of Alan Turing” talk in Hancock. Thursday, April 28, 7 p.m., Hancock Town Hall. Tom Perera, a retired professor of neuroscience and Enigma machine collector, will talk about the movie “The Imitation Game” and share the more accurate history of the cracking of the German Navy’s Enigma code. Free. Info: www.enigmamuseum.com. “One for the Road” on stage at Middlebury College. Thursday, April 28, 8 p.m., Hepburn Zoo. An uncomfortable exploration of power and psychological torture: An interrogator uses nothing but language to break down a family’s psyche. Running time: 30 minutes. Tickets $5. Also on April 29 and 30.

Apr

29

FRIDAY

OM

AWOR K

S

Rummage sale in Salisbury. Friday, April 29, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Salisbury Congregational Church. Drop-off and pickup of donations available by calling 352-4375. Continues Saturday. Church rummage sale in North Ferrisburgh. Friday, April 29, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., North Ferrisburgh United Methodist Church. Proceeds benefit children who will be going on mission trips and attending camps. Also on April 30. Art history lecture at Middlebury College. Friday, April 29, 12:15 p.m., Mahaney Center for the Arts. Pieter Broucke presents “Orazio Samacchini’s Judith with the Head of Holofernes: An Art Historical Detective Story.” Broucke recounts the multi-year quest that resulted in the reattribution of one of the museum’s earliest acquisitions from 16th-century

WELLNESS CENTER

A Center for Independent Health Care Practitioners “Wellness is more than the absence of illness.” 50 Court St • Middlebury, Vt 05753 Jim Condon ................... 388-4880 or 475-2349 SomaWork

German artist Hans Von Aachen to Samacchini. Lunch provided; $5 suggested donation, free to college ID cardholders. Phil Henry & Gary Moon, and Richard Ruane & Beth Duquette in concert in Bristol. Friday, April 29, 7:30 p.m., Bristol Bakery, 16 Main St. A double billing of Vermont singer-songwriters. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. BYOB. Suggested donation $10. Info: 802-453-3280. Bach Festival opening concert at Middlebury College. Friday, April 29, 8 p.m., Mahaney Center for the Arts. Featuring vocal works of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, performed by the Middlebury Collegium. Free. Info: middlebury.edu/bachfest. “One for the Road” on stage at Middlebury College. Friday, April 29, 8 and 9:30 p.m., Hepburn Zoo. An uncomfortable exploration of power and psychological torture: An interrogator uses nothing but language to break down a family’s psyche. Running time: 30 minutes. Tickets $5. Also on April 30.

LIVEMUSIC Laurie Goldsmith Project in Middlebury. Friday, April 15, 8-10 p.m., 51 Main. Jester Jigs in Middlebury. Friday, April 15, 9 p.m., Two Brothers Tavern. Rehab Roadhouse in Vergennes. Saturday, April 16, 8:30-11:30 p.m., Bar Antidote. Eastern Mountain Time in Middlebury. Saturday, April 16, 9 p.m., Two Brothers Tavern Pantet in Middlebury. Thursday, April 21, 7:30-9:30 p.m., 51 Main. The Sound Investment Jazz Ensemble in Middlebury. Friday, April 22, 8-10 p.m., 51 Main. Tim Brick in Middlebury. Saturday, April 23, 8:3010:30 p.m., 51 Main. Isabel Rosenberg in Middlebury. Thursday, April 28, 7:30-8 p.m., 51 Main. The Paradiddles in Middlebury. Thursday, April 28, 8-9 p.m., 51 Main. Glenn Roth in Middlebury. Friday, April 29, 8-10, 51 Main. Eric Despard in Middlebury. Saturday, April 30, 6-7:30 p.m., 51 Main. Moose Crossing in Middlebury. Saturday, April 30, 8:30-10:30 p.m., 51 Main.

See an extended calendar and a full listing of

O NG O I NG NGEV E VEN EN T TS S

on the Web at

www.addisonindependent.com

Thoreau and Merton contemplate life It is Spring Break week at Thoreau, what they are were his exact words, Middlebury and I’m lucky enough to arguing for is decidas contemporary as be at a conference in Florida. Having edly counter-cultural. they may sound). done my due academic diligence for a Here is Merton writ“Let us spend one couple of days, I am now finally sitting ing in a student newsday as deliberately as by the pool. To my right is a woman paper in 1968: Nature,” he writes and about my age — and of similar pallor. Imagine … a group it is significant that he She is wearing a Twins baseball cap of people who ... uses the word as, not and is flipping through the pages of together in a quiet in. Thoreau wants us Elle magazine with a dreamy look place where no radio, to know that we don’t on her face. I reckon she is from no background music have to go live in the Minnesota. To my immediate left is a can be heard, simply woods to cultivate a teenage girl in a bikini who is tanning sit for an hour or deliberate, attentive, herself rotisserie-style, turning in a half an hour in intentional way of 20-minute intervals with nary a dab silence. They do not being. But we do have of sunscreen in sight. She is decidedly speak. … They do not to create moments that not-reading Vogue, but she’ll get to it. have books or papers are not “fretted by the And then there’s me. I have donned in their hands. They of a clock.” Ways of Seeing ticking shorts over my sensible Speedo and are not busy with Thoreau’s version am sporting my favorite “Tomato anything. They simply By Rebecca Kneale Gould of the contemplative Independence Project” T-shirt. enter into themselves, life is decidedly non“Ending the tyranny of the tasteless not in order to think Christian and his examtomato!” it proclaims on the reverse; in an analytical way, not in order to ples, unlike Merton’s, do not involve it’s part of a project to get people to examine, organize, plan, but simply a group of people praying in a room. resist the supermarket and “grow their to be. They want to get themselves But in so many other ways, his call own” (tomatoes). What am I read- together in silence, to rediscover for us to turn our backs on convening? Thoreau and the Trappist Monk themselves in a unity of thought, tion, to cultivate an inner life and to be Thomas Merton. Yes, I’m a Vermont, will, understanding and love that truly present to the worlds within and academic cliché. goes beyond words, beyond analysis, around us is quite similar. I’m reading Thoreau because, well, beyond conscious thought. Immediately following his exhorfor one reason or another I am always Simply reading this passage to tation to spend a day as deliberately reading Thoreau: I’m preparing to myself slows my mind down and as nature, Thoreau urges us to ignore teach, I’m writing an article or just opens up my heart a little more. For the everyday pressures that militate because I’m forever wondering just some of us who practice yoga, or against such deliberate living: “Let what makes him tick. Merton’s work meditate, or pray, or like to walk in the company come and company go, let is beside me, however, because I’ve woods in silence, it may not be hard to the bells ring and the children cry — decided to put him into conversation do the imagining that Merton invites determined to make a day of it. Why with Thoreau. us to do. At the same time, we know should we knock under and go with I’m giving a talk on Thoreau next that it requires a commitment, a certain the stream?” Let us not be upset and week at St. Michael’s College, a amount of discipline, a saying “no” to overwhelmed in that terrible rapid and college founded by the Society of the usual whirling pace of things both whirlpool called a dinner.” I love that Saint Edmund and therefore rooted around us and within us. sentence. in a liberal, Catholic tradition of For others of us, this act of imagiThoreau knows that we have to buck scholarship and service. I don’t like nation may be even harder. “What the status quo if we have any hope of it when lecturers give essentially the would it be like to really try something being attentive to our inner lives and same “canned” talk wherever they go, like that?” we wonder. “What does it to the beauty of the world around so even when I’m digging into some accomplish and who has the time?” us. Merton would agree here and he material I know well, I like to re-think Within any given week (or day), doing doesn’t hesitate to point out that part my central arguments in new ways, what Merton invites us to do seems so of the challenge of creating contemdepending on the context of where easy and attractive to me and — ack! plative moments in our lives is our I am speaking. It’s — so utterly impos- own resistance to doing so. In the same more work, but it’s sible to enact. This is essay to college students that I quoted also more fun — a humbling realiza- above Merton observes: “When we are erton and it is intriguing tion given that I think constantly in movement, always busy doesn’t to place these two and teach about these meeting the demands of our social thinkers side by side. things all of the time. role … we are perhaps able to escape hesitate Thoreau and Thoreau under- from our deeper self and the questions to point out Merton are quite stands such tensions it poses.” In other words, when you different from one that part of the and dilemmas. We get quiet enough to listen to the Big another, but each tend to think of Questions, some of those questions challenge of extolls the virtues of Thoreau as the “sense can be daunting, even scary. Hmmm. consistently paus- creating contemof place” writer par Time for a swim. ing to pay sustained plative moments excellence. After all, EPILOGUE attention to both he spent two years I’ve been back home and in the the outer, physical in our lives is living by his beloved classroom for over a week now. I’ve world and the inner, our own resisWalden Pond and given my talk at St. Michael’s and, spiritual world. Each rarely left the town as always, I have learned a great deal praises the value of tance to doing of Concord. He loved through what I have tried to teach. And listening: listening so. that town even while now it is one of those mornings. I am to what nature has to endlessly bemoaning rushing to feed my sheep and to put teach, listening to the the behavior of its the finishing touches on this contemgrowing pains of our country in times inhabitants (whom he used to symbol- plative (but overdue) column. I’m late of political and social upheaval (the ize everything that was wrong with to the office. And I just poured orange brink of the Civil War for Thoreau, conventional society). juice into my cereal bowl. I’ve still got in the midst of the 1960s for Merton). What I’ve been writing about some work to do. Each writer urges us to listen to the lately, however, is not Thoreau’s Rebecca Kneale Gould is a writer, prompting of our own souls — some- sense of place, but his sense of time. scholar of religion and senior lecturer thing that seems so easy and vital in Throughout Walden, Thoreau argues in the Environmental Studies Program some ways and so daunting to accom- that if we follow Nature’s lead we can at Middlebury College. She tends — plish in others! learn to live in the “present moment” and learns a great deal from— a small In the case of both Merton and and in the “now and here” (yes, those flock of sheep in Monkton.

M

wellness

directory

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Spotlight

Addison Independent, Thursday, April 14, 2016 — PAGE 11A

on Addison County

Volunteers

What is Volunteer Week? National Volunteer Week is about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging volunteerism in our communities. Its purpose is to demonstrate how working together in service allows communities to meet their challenges, address critical needs and accomplish valuable goals. National Volunteer Week has expanded its reach each year. RSVP and the Volunteer Center of the United Way are excited to be

a part of National Volunteer Week. We have collaborated with our partner agencies in Addison County to share some of the stories and contributions of our local volunteers. We have also compiled a list of more than 1,500 volunteers who offer their time, energy and skills to support our agencies and our community. It is an impressive list, and yet only a sampling of the volunteer s who serve this county. Prepare to be inspired!

These are the organizations that complete the volunteer network The United Way of Addison County and RSVP each have their own mission, support a number of community initiatives and lead some of their own. These programs are always in need of volunteer support. UNITED WAY OF ADDISON COUNTY The mission of the United Way of Addison County is to improve individual lives and strengthen our community for positive change by focusing on health, education and financial stability. They identify countywide community needs, develop strategies to meet those needs, raise funds to support or implement those strategies and measure the results of those investments. They have served the Addison County community for more than four decades. Most people know the United Way for their annual community fundraising campaign. The resources gained during the campaign support local health and human services programs and initiatives in Addison County, funding over 30 programs every year. FAST TAX/AARP Tax Preparation The Volunteer Center and RSVP also collaborate to offer a free tax program for community members. They partner with myfreetaxes.com, a self preparation website that allows filers who made less than $62,000 to file online anytime, anywhere for free. Around 70 percent of U.S. tax filers are eligible to file their state and federal taxes for free through this program. MyFreeTaxes is the most cost efficient way for community members to maximize returns and ensure that they receive all of the tax credits they are eligible for without a paying a tax preparer. Filers needing extra assistance may also make an appointment with a trained volunteers at the United Way of Addison County in Middlebury. This year, they have seven trained volunteers and will help at least 100 community members file through My Free Taxes. They also partner with AARP to schedule and prepare tax returns at sites in Vergennes, Bristol and Middlebury. This program is in conjunction with the IRS initiative known as Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE). Special attention is given to seniors, the disabled, and any low to moderate income filer who cannot take advantage of our My Free Taxes program. This program also has seven volunteer tax aides and expects to complete over 400 returns. Everybody Wins! The United Way of Addison County partners with Everybody Wins! Vermont to provide reading mentors to read with primary school students. The mission of Everybody Wins! is to create mentoring relationships that foster a love of reading and language. Through the Power Breakfast and Power Lunch programs, adult volunteers are paired with students at local elementary schools to promote reading for pleasure, to build the children’s self-confidence and enhance their self-esteem, and to serve as caring role models. The pairs meet weekly to share books and develop lasting relationships. Since opening the first two sites in Barre and Rutland in October of 2000, Everybody Wins! Vermont has grown to become Vermont’s largest mentoring organization. In 2013-2014, almost 700 children

read with mentors at 25 school sites in Vermont. Community Impact Funding Committee The Community Impact Funding (CIF) Process is a community-based grant program where members evaluate financial sustainability, governance, program design and outcomes of non-profit agencies seeking United Way funding. Non-profit agencies doing work in the county in the areas of Health, Education and Financial Stability are invited to apply for funding. The review process includes looking at and evaluating financial sustainability, governance, program design and outcomes. The Community Impact Funding committee is comprised of 30-50 community representatives who review and meet with agencies, review the applications and make funding recommendations to the Board of Directors. The committee is divided into three impact teams: Healthy & Independent Living, Education, and Financial Stability. Each team is assigned specific agencies or programs to review. Ultimately, the CIF committee determines how the funds United Way raises will be distributed throughout the community. RSVP In addition to serving as a volunteer management program for individuals who are 55 or older, RSVP also coordinates several programs that allow individuals to stay healthy, engaged, and financially stable. These include the Green Mountain Foster Grandparent Program, Bone Builders Classes and the aforementioned Tax Assistance Program. The programs strengthen the community through service and and allow Addison County residents to successfully age in place. RSVP’s Green Mountain Foster Grandparent Program 2016 marks the 50th year of the Green Mountain Foster Grandparent Program in Vermont! Funded through the Corporation for National & Community Service, Foster Grandparents are role models, mentors, and friends to children and youth in the community. The program provides a way for volunteers age 55 and over to stay active, earn supplemental income and provide social, emotional and academic support to many children in our community. Participants receive a tax-free stipend for serving between 15 and 40 hours per week. Foster Grandparents are a vital addition to schools, day care centers and after-school programs throughout Vermont. The volunteers are greatly appreciated by students, teachers and administrators alike, and develop a strong feeling of fulfillment. The Green Mountain Foster Grandparent Program has consistently earned high marks, and continues to grow in our county. The Bone Builders Program Bone Builders is free osteoporosis prevention exercise program taught by RSVP trained and certified volunteer instructors. Currently, more than 70 instructors work together to lead two classes per week at 24 donated sites in Addison County. Their newest location is the newly completed Middlebury Recreation Center on Creek Road, meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 5 p.m. Last year over 250 men and women attended the classes in Addison (See Bone Builders, Page 17A)

ROBBIE MILLER, LEFT, Ruth Penfield and Dorothy Douglas volunteer as servers during a recent community lunch at the Charter House in Middlebury. The Charter House Coalition is seeking more volunteers to spearhead its food and housing programs in the Middlebury area. Independent photo/Trent Campbelll

The Charter House needs more volunteers By JOHN FLOWERS MIDDLEBURY — The Charter House Coalition could use a few more cogs to power its formidable engine that delivers food, clothing and shelter to Middlebury-area folks in need of a boost. Established in 2005, the coalition is a nonprofit association of local religious groups and individuals who each year donate hundreds of volunteer hours and thousands of dollars to make sure the less fortunate in our midst have access to the basic necessities. Inspired by the Charter House Coalition’s tireless provision of shelter, free meals and other services, more than 950 people last year pitched in at least once to make sure all of the programs keep rolling. Included on that roster are many Middlebury College students who supply invaluable energy and commitment to the tasks at hand. Unfortunately, we are approaching that time of year when the college breaks for the summer, temporarily scattering the approximately 2,500 students to all corners of the globe. So the coalition needs to compensate for that loss with some new recruits, noted Doug Sinclair, executive director of the organization. “Middlebury College students make up around 30 percent of our help for the warming shelter,” Sinclair explained. The emergency warming shelter is based in the Congregational Church of Middlebury’s Charter House at 27 North Pleasant St. It provides a warm place for the homeless to stay overnight between Oct. 16 and April 15. The Charter House can accommodate around 15 individuals and up to four families during the cold season, Sinclair explained. While this past winter has been described as one of the mildest ever, demand for the warming shelter has remained consistently strong this year, according to Sinclair. “We have been over capacity every night since mid-January,” Sinclair said in mid-March, noting demand reached 28 on one particular evening. And the term “mild” is quite subjective when one has nowhere to stay, Sinclair added. “If it’s a wet night and 35 degrees, it’s not much fun to be outside,” he said. Once the warming center has taken in a total of 24, it must send any additional folks elsewhere — including to the John Graham Emergency Shelter in Vergennes. The state of Vermont provides motel vouchers to homeless people during the coldest nights, if those folks have no other housing options. Each volunteer at the warming shelter, which was due to stay open until April 15, is typically asked to serve a three-hour shift at the shelter, which is staffed 24/7. As the warming shelter winds down, Charter House Coalition is looking for volunteers with green thumbs.

The coalition manages two produce asked to spend a couple of hours each gardens that yield vegetables to week at one or both gardens. help feed the homeless and fill out Members of the Middlebury Rotary the plates at the hundreds of free Club are scheduled to help at the community lunches and suppers the Porter garden on April 16. Middlebury organization sponsors each year in College students have also been great Middlebury. The gardens are located about helping, Sinclair and Wideman at the Nash Farm off said. Last spring, the the River Road in “Last summer, college’s rugby team New Haven, and at spent upward of four the Porter Medical we had fewer hours spreading Center campus in community manure at the Porter Middlebury. Those volunteers than garden on a Sunday gardens yield more afternoon. But the than 25 different in past years. rugby team will crops, including We are hoping to soon be on summer potatoes, squash, break, so Sinclair is encourage more carrots, lettuce, hoping other folks members of this beans and beets. step in to fill in the “We have a big important group ranks. summer ahead,” said College students community garden to join us in the have also helped coordinator Vicky gardens this perpetuate a new Wideman, through summer.” tradition at the an email. “Last Charter House: — Vicky Wideman, Sunday afternoon summer, we had community garden cookouts from midfewer community coordinator May through midvolunteers than in past years. We are September, featurhoping to encourage more members ing grilled hotdogs and hamburgers. of this important group to join us in Prep starts at noon, with the meal the gardens this summer.” served between 2 and 3 p.m. As with Wideman and her helpers will soon all of the Charter House Coalition begin tilling the soil in both gardens. meals, the food is free and available Volunteers are needed to put up deer to everyone, regardless of income. and rodent fences, spread fertilizer, The coalition, college students and plant seeds, weed and then harvest and other folks have pitched in to buy the process the crops as they come in. food for cookouts, which have been “If we had 30 volunteers (for drawing 45 to 50 people, according to the gardens), that would be great,” Sinclair. Sinclair said, adding volunteers are “If we had a core group of around

20 volunteers (for the Sunday cookouts) that could do rotations, that would be great,” Sinclair said. And additional hands are always welcome to help the Charter House Coalition’s community lunch and supper programs. The free lunch program provides meals to about 55 people every Monday through Thursday, according to the Charter House website. Volunteers prepare and serve the lunches from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. From September through May, community lunches are served at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on Mondays, and at Charter House Tuesday through Thursday. During the summer, community lunches are served Monday through Thursday at Charter House. As always, the lunches are open to everyone, and provide a comfortable setting for people from many different parts of the community to get to know one another. Also offered through the Charter House Coalition: Friday night community suppers at the Congregational Church of Middlebury, served between 5 and 6:15 p.m.; and Saturday community breakfasts served from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m. at the Charter House. Anyone available to help with the aforementioned events should contact Doug Sinclair at jdsinclair@riptoncoop.net. Those particularly interested in helping with the gardens can also contact Vicky Wideman at (802) 425-7706, beginning in May. Reporter John Flowers is at johnf@ addisonindependent.com.

MEMBERS OF THE Middlebury College Rugby Club spread manure at the community garden behind Porter Medical Center last May. Middlebury students contribute tens of thousands of hours of volunteer labor to the community every year.

College students add to our community

Middlebury College students are deeply engaged our community. They contribute time, energy and special skills to enrich and strengthen the lives of our community members. Here are some of the ways the college and students offer support:

• Each year approximately 1,500 students do 65,000 hours of service, including 23,000 hours of service through community-connected courses. • 22 student leaders guide 9 MiddView Community Engagement

trips to introduce 100 first-year students to more than 40 community partners before classes begin. • Community Engagement awards over $100,000 for community service initiatives (in Addison County and globally).

PAGE 12A — Addison Independent, Thursday, April 14, 2016

A Josie Abbott, Lorraine Abramson, Devan Accurso, Louise Acker, Claire Adams, Lee Adkins, Gretchen Adsit, Pierre Akpo-Sani, Rob Alberts, Oliver Alden, Ashley Aldrich, Elizabeth Aldrich, Courtney Allenson, Betsy Almeter, Kathleen Altobell, Conrad Ambrette, Kim Ammons, David Anderson, Declan Anderson, James Anderson, Meredith Anderson, Pat Anderson, Barbara Andres, Rubi Andres, David Andrews, Jean Andrews, Jeanine Angier, Chuck Arel, Jackie Arel, Jeannette Armell, Susan Arnold, Maria Arranz Fernan, Sarah Ashe, Ginny Ashenfelter, Carrie Askren, Carleen Atkins, Shanon Atkins, David Aubin, Leon Aubin, Michelle Aubin, Nelson Audet, Jen Ayer.

B Mustafa Babak, Leslie Badore, Eli Bagley, Ike Bagley, Gretchen Bailey, Charlie Bain, Dinah Bain, Mary Baker, Priscilla Baker, Suzannah Baker, Anne Baldwin, John Ball, Christopher Bapp, Phoebe Barash, Ellen Barbera, Ruth Barenbaum, Simon Barenbaum, Mary Bargiel, Jan Bark, Margaret Barnes, Drew Barnicle, Kathleen “Kathy” Barrett, Bethany Barry, John Barstow, Tom Baskett, Julie Basol, Mark Basol, Patricia Bass, Sandi Bauer, Katherine Baughman, Jessica Baussmann, Akram Bavil, Elisa Beatty, Alyse Beauchemin, Jasmine Beayon, Hogan Beazley, Riley Becher, Susan Bechhoefer, Dorie Bechtel, Jane Beck, Melissa Beckwith, Sara Beckwith, Monique Bedard, Laura Begnoche, Eloise Beil, Margy Bekoff, Cindy Belanger, Afshin Belar, Margaret Bell, Monica Benjamin, David Bennett, Alex Benton, Kristin Benton, Liza Benton, Marlene Benway, Abigail Benz, Hannah Benz, Arthur Berenbaum, Celeste Berenbaum, Melody Berenbaum, Pam Berenbaum, Mark Berger, Lance Bergmans, Luke Bergmans, Sue Bergmans, Tyler Bergmans, Sue Berkenbush, Bowie Berloso, Lisa Bernardin, Alice Berninghausen, John Berninghausen, Marjorie Bernoudy, Libby Berry, Ellen Berstein, John Betz, Dorothea Beyer, Mindy Bickford, Sara Bicknell, Beverly Biello, Ed Biello, Lesley Bienvenue, Diana Bigelow, Pam Biggs, John Billard, Nathan Billings, Anita Bilodeau, Gertrude Bingham, Joan Bingham, Robert Bingham, Bill Bishop, Margaret Bishop, Catherine Bissonette, Leila Black, Hannah Blackburn, Brenda Blacklock, Crawford Blagden, Cathy Blaise, Judith Blake, Beverly Blakeney, Christine Blakeney, William Blanchard, Gail Blasius, Victoria Blewer, Barbara Blodgett, Kyler Blodgett, Pat Blodgett, Leslie Blow, Abigail Blum, Andrea Boe, Kathy Boe, Paulette Bogan, Janet Bogdan, Cassandra Boise, Renee Bolduc , Elizabeth Bolduc, Kristin Bolton, Tre Bonavita, Gramercy Bonilla, Joy Bora, Niles Bora, Dan Borden, Lindi Bortney, Lauren Bougioukas, Brenda Boule, Susan Bourdon-Laframboise, Clement Bourgon, Sarah Bourne, Phyllis Bowdish, Mary Boyer, Suzanne Boyle, Susan Brace, Richard Brach, Chris Bradford, Joe Bradley, Linda Braginton, Gayl Braisted, Megan O. Brakeley, Tor Brakeley, Angela Brande, David Breen, Carolyn Brewer, JoAnn Brewer, Larry Brewer, Mary Louise Bright, Betty Brileyea, Emily Brinkman, Lilly Brinkman, Cheryl Bristol Steady, Betty Bristol, Ian Brons, Isabelle Bronson, Thad Bronson, Catherine Brooks, Josh Brooks, Barbara Brosnan, Ann Brousseau, Diane Brown, Linda Brown, Mallory Brown, Melissa Brown, Steve Brown, Guinevere Brownell, Constance Bumbeck, Stan Bunal, Tricia Bunal, Frank Buonincontro, Susan Buonincontro, Leigah Burbo, Mary Burchard, Greg Burdick, Susan Burdick, Carly Burger, Tenley Burlingame, Cindy Burnett, Richard Burnett, Susan Burns, Sally Burrell, Juliet Burroughs, Joan Burt, Ralph Burt, Sally Bushey, Kay Bussiere, Barbara Butler, Crispin Butler, Payton Buxton, Bruce Byers, Sue Byers, Yasmeen Byrnes.

C Jean Cadoret, Peg Calder, Aurora Cao, Lise Capiarella, Sas Carey, Oliver Carling, Louise Carlotto, Shirley Carlson, Margaret Carothers, Nan Carpenter, Caitlin Carroll, Cymbre Casavant, Lea Cassidy, Mary Ann Castimore, Hailey Cauchon, Carol Causton, Nick Causton, Dan Celik, Daria Cenedella, Mathew Chabot, Summer Chabot, Mary Jo Champlin, Judy Charlebois, Maureen Charron, Charlotte Chase, Malcolm Chase, Patricia Chase, Bob Chatfield, Carol Chatfield, Karen Cheevers, Jean Cherouny, Christine Chesnutis, Donna Chicoine, Marilyn Chicoine, Sandy Chicoine, Peter Chiles, Ronnie Chirnoff, Teresa Churchill, Veronica Ciambra, Steve Ciampa, Derek Cimler, Maura Clancy, Ben Clark, Christine Clark, Ed Clark, Judith Clark, Ina Jo Clawson, Karen Clayman, Barbara “Shulamith Eagle” Clearbridge, Bo Cleveland, Liz Cleveland, Silas Cleveland, Janine Clookey, Fern Cloutier, Lionel Cloutier, Pauline Cloutier, Kathy Coakley, Lealoni Coathup, Tammy Coburn, Rachel Codding, Eleanor Coeby, Lynn Coeby, Bob Coffey, Roberta Coffin, Sylvia Coffin, Derek Cohen, Hal Cohen, Linda Cohen, Rachel Cohen, Chelsea Colby, Judy Cole, Ann Collier, James Collier, Anne Collins, Mary Lew Collins, Karen Colvin, Mary Conlon, Peter Conlon, Maureen Conrad, Ross Conrad, Robin Conway, Moira Cook, Rebecca M. Cooke, Alexis Coolidge, Elaine Coon, Mary Corbett, Tracy Corbett, Donna Corcoran, Charles “Charlie” Correll, J.P. & Katie Coseno, Diane Cota, Diana Cotter, Cooper Couch, Steve Coulman, Patricia Coursey, Joann Cousineau, Peggy Cox, Sarah Cox, Courtney Crane, Carolyn Craven, Mary Ruth Crawford, Mary-Ruth Crawford, Ashley Cray, Mary-Claire Crogan, Meg Crosby, Sandra Crossman, Nancy Crowell, Jon Crystal, Elizabeth Curran, Rose Curran, Tom Currell, Dan Currier, Nina Curtis, Karan Cutler.

D Linda Dague, Lorenc Dahri, Claudette Dale, Dan Dale, John Dale, Dawn Daly, Kim Daniel, Brennyn Daniels, Barbara Darling, Drew Darrow, Lisa Daudon, Martha Davis, Linda Daybell, Richard Daybell, Elana Dean, Audrey DeBaise, Ronald DeBaise, Xander DeBlois, Charlotte Deering, Leola Deering, Lyn DeGraf, Tae DeGray, Caroline DeLisle, Corie DeMatties, Sam DeMatties, Jane Demers, Hannah Demming, Ed DeMott, Cindy Denis, Irene Denis, Glenna M. Densman, Leslie Deppman, Ceci Desautels, Maylee Desautels, Shannon Desautels, Susan DeSimone, Pat Desjadon, Joe Devall, Mary Ann Deverell, Walt Deverell, Karlene Devine, Skyeler Devlin, Angelique Devost, Cody DeVries, Ian DeVries, Marty Dewees, Beth Diamond, DeBonis Dick, Deborah Dickerson, Manya Dickinson, Kyra Diehl, Martha Dier, Brittany Dion, Marie Dion, Sylvia Dixon, Jenny Do, David Dodge, Magna Dodge, Mary Dodge, Jackson Donahue, Lynn Donnelly, Michael Donnelly, Bob Donnis, Molly Dora, Connor Dorsey, Rachel Dorsey, Bucky Douglas, Dorothy Douglas, Mara Dowd, J. Douglas Dows, Eugenie Doyle, Jillian Dragon, Lydia Dragon, Melissa Dragon, Nora Draper, Sandy Driscoll, Naomi Drummond, Jay Dubberly, Anita Duclos, Kathleen Duclos, Cindi Duff, John Dugan, Sue Dula, Jim Dumont, Selena Dumont, Lyn DuMoulin, Aoife Duna, Dot Dunham, Anthony Duprey, Zora Duquette-Hoffman.

E Ciara Eagan, Jim Eagan, Margaret Eagan, Tom Eastman, Timothy Eaton, Marianne Eaton, Anne Eberlee, Alice Eckles, Ann Eddy, Jane Eddy, Marshall Eddy, Julie Ehrlich, Barbara Ekedahl, Rita Elder, Elaine Eldridge, Gebarowski-Shafer Ellie, Cecilia Elwert, Deb Emerson, Michael Emilio, Julia Emilo, Muriel Emmons, Tina Endicott, Judy English, Michelle Eriksen, Sydney Ericksen, Brook Escobedo, Betsy Etchells, Dwight Everest, Nancy Ewen.

F Alta Fageley, Lou Faivre, John Fallon, Jonathon Farnsworth, Carol Farnsworth, Pam Farnsworth, Adam Fasoli, Ellen Fenn, Samantha Fenner, Laura Ferguson, Yasmine Fernald, Miguel Fernandez, Joe Ferris, Maxine Fidler, Linda Field, Linda Fiess, Jean Fifield, Molly Fisher, Sylvia Fisk, Barbara Fitzpatrick, Barbara Fleming, Arthur Flemings, Sr., Gerald Flint, Elwyn Flynn, Stephanie Foley, Annie Folger, Michele Forman, Rhoda Forrest, Jonas Foster, Cecil Foster, Meredith Foster, Lee Francis, Linda Francis, Martin Frankie, Tom Frankovic, Hannah Freedner-Matesi, Beverley Freeguard, John Freidin, Pam Freilich, Marie Frietze, Andrew Fritz, Jeff Fritz.

G Michele Gadhue, Scott Gaines, Diego Galan Donlo, Anne Galante, Wyatt Galipeau, Holly Gamache, Kathy Gammon, Henry Ganey, Debra Gardner, Christopher Garner, Braisted Gayl, Nancy Geoghegan, Jane Marie Germain, Suzanne Germain, Ema Gernander, Kelly Giard, Denise Gibeault, Kate Gieges, Julia Gilbert, Ruth Gilbert, Rachel Gill, Ayla Gill, Florence Gill, Cindi Gillen, Shannon Gillett, Karl Ginalski, Susan Gingras, Adam Ginsburg, Tyler Giorgio, Louise Giovanella, Jodi Girard, Adin Girardi, Ariel Gizzi, Jeff Glassberg, Donald Glauber, Karen Glauber, Abby Gleason, Andrew Gleason, Rita Glidden, Kim Glynn, Tammi Goddard, Lorraine Goddette, Audrey Goettl, Emily Goins, Peg Goldman, Toby Goldsmith, Santiago Gomez, Silvia Gonzalez, Glenn Goodwin, Wendy Goodwin, Mary Gordon, Maureen Gour, Madeline Goyette, Bess Gramling, Ian Gramling, Hazel Grant, Peter Grant, Alice Grau, Ann Gray, Michael Gray, Steven Gray, Betsy Graziealei, Harvey Green, Stuart Green, Susan Greenberg, Barbara Greenewalt, Vickie Greenhouse, Fred Greenman, Janet Greenman, Barbara Greenwood, Mike Greenwood, Howard Greer, Dora Greven, Kate Gridley, Chelsea Griggs, Bruce Grove, Andie Guran , Burt Guran , Sue Guran, Martha Gurney, Jessica Gutierrez.

H Helen Haerle, Jake Haigh, Jacob Haigh, Cecelia Halavonich, Betty Hall, Blair Hall, Howard Hall, Matt Hall, David Hallam, Patty Hallam, Ron Hallman, Clarence

Hallock, Wilma Hallock, Jane Halpin, Ali Hamedani, Rosie Hamel, Mary Beth Hamilton, Kate Hamilton, Owen Hammel, Elaine Hanley, Ann Hanson, Marcelo Hanta-Davis, Anna Hardway, Linda Harmon, Kathleen Harriman, Sarah Harrison Lynn, Marlene Harrison, Ian Hart, Kathy Hart, Lindsay Hart, Deb Hartenstein, Lisa Hartman, Daryl Hatch, Audrey Hathaway, Doug Hawley, Kevin Hayes, Sue Hayes, Tai Hazard, Jessica Hazen, RosaLea Hearthstone, Joyce Heath, W. Thomas Heeter, Ginny Heidke, Lissy Heminway, David Henderson, Mary/Renee Hendricks, Sam Hermann, Marvel Herriman, Barbara Herrington, Karen Hescock, Calley Hewes, Lynn Hier, Paula Higbee, Lois Higbee, Suzy Higbee, Christian Higgins, Jody Higgs, Susan Highley, Bruce Hiland, Leslie Hills, Nancy R. Hilton, Lily Hinrichsen, Ginger Hiscock, Richard Hiscock, Barney Hodges, Dee Hodges, Kitty Hodgetts, Brian Hodnett, Mandy Hodson, Emily Hoff, Marsha Hoffman, Paul Hoffman, Janet Holden, Tim Hollander, Judy Holler, Jane Holmes, Lewis Holmes, Nick Holmes, Traceylynn Hommel, Samantha Horn, Arthur Howard, Brad Howe, Joan Hoxie, Sue Hoxie, Stan Huber, Martha Huber, Jennifer Hubert, Rebecca Huestis, Sheila Huestis, Brenda Hughes, Sophia Hughes, Arlene Hunt, Suzie Hunt, Gale Hurd, Carol Hysko.

I Jake Ingenthron, Amelia Ingersoll, Karri Ingerson, James Inglis, Maude Irwin, Gail Isenberg, Rich Isenberg, Elizabeth Isham, Jonathan Isham, Libby Isham, Nancy Iwanicki.

J Carolyn Jackson, Janice Jackson, Patty Jackson, Marie Jacobs, Agnes James, Karen James, Willie Jansen, Lin Jean, Peter Jensen, Matt Jerrehian, Bill Jesdale, Judy Jessup, Tom Jessup, Gail Jette, Jesse Jimenez, Kris Johannesson, Jessica Johnson, Julia Johnson, Kate Johnson, Kira Johnson, Lydia Johnson, Alan Jones, Hayley Jones, Lillianna Jones.

K Ron Kampner, Maureen Kane, Alexander Kao, Kate Kaster, Betty Kaszuba, Michael Katz, Marge Kayhart, Shane Kean, Patty Keane, Bonnie Keeler, Joanne Keesler, Peggy Keith, Rob Keith, Erin Keller, Ray Keller, Deb Kelley, Pat Kellogg, Howard Kelton, Linda Kelton, Cayce Kemp, Rosie Kemp, Connie Kenna, Hugh Kennedy, Josh Kennett, Lyndsie Kennett, Alice Kenney, Brynn Kent, Robert Keren, Zoe Keskey, Melanie Kessler, Judith Kessler, Christine Ketcham, Sheila Khalladeh, Charles Kilbourne, Kristi Kilpratrick, Josh Kimball, Maxine Kimball, Peggy Kimball, Wallace Kimball, Jane Kimble, Rachael King, Carol King, David King, Xaeph King, Betty Kipp, Deborah Kirby, Janet Kirby, Marie Kireker, Valerie Kittredge, Suzie Klemmer, Barbara Kling, Gary Kling, Barbara Knapp, Bryson Knight, Meredith Knight, Porter Knight, Walt Koenig, Sarah Koesigsberg, Sam Kollmorgen, Emily Kolodka, Ann Kowalski, Jakub Kraus, Lois Kraus, Max Kraus, Carol Kress, Kim Kurak, Gioia Kuss.

Thank You

Volunteers! The names and organizations printed here were provided by the Volunteer Center and RSVP. They represent almost 1600 people who volunteer their time and energy to organizations thoughout our county. We know there are hundreds more who volunteer at non-profits not represented in this list. That’s an impressive number of people giving of themselves to enrich lives in our community. Thank you, volunteers, for making Addison County a better place in which to live and work! For more information about volunteering in Addison County, contact Lynn at RSVP, 388-7044, rsvpvcadd@aol.com or the Volunteer Center at United Way of Addison County, 388-7189, volunteer@unitedwayaddisoncounty.org. You can also check the United Way website; www. UnitedWayAddisonCounty.org or United Way of Addison County on Facebook for volunteer opportunities.

L JoAnne LaBerge, Shirley LaBerge, Michelle Labombard, Norma Lacobucci, Mark Ladieu, Heather LaDuke, Ann Lafiandra, Mary Lafountain, Lois LaFountain, Elizabeth LaFoy, Barbara LaFramboise, Deborah Laframboise, Maurice Laframboise, Sarah Lake, Katia LaManna, Sami Lamont, George Lampe, Reinhold Lange, Judy Langeway, Ed Langlois, Joann Langrock, Meg Langworthy, Ally Larocque, Linda Larocque, Christine LaRose, Donna LaRose, Journey LaRose, Mary LaRose, Reginald LaRose, Linn Larson, Lise Lathrop, Marlene Latourelle, Norene Lattrell, Robert Lattrell, Megan Lausted, Ashley Laux, Dianne Lawson, Algy Layden, Connie Leach, Donna Leary, Ashley LeBlanc, Loretta Lee, Alice Leeds, Wendy Leeds, Marilyn Lefevre, Karen Lefkoe, Linda Legault, Jeanne Lemner, Beverly Lenk, Susan Leonard, Kaitlyn LeRoux, Marcia Lertola, James Lesley, Betsy Levesque, Betty Lewis, Patty Lewis, Sherri Lichtenfels, Jean Lin, Steven Lindemann, Katharine Linder, Anne Lindert, Karl Lindholm, Kathy Lindsey, Marcia Liotard, John Lisenby, Robin Little-Lebeau, Bart Litvin, Signi Livingstone-Peters, Joelle Logan, Marjorie London, Rachel Longaway, Mary Longey, Yuliana Lopez, Mary Lord, Peggy Ann Lorello, Melissa Loretan, Melissa Lourie, Abigail Loven, Wanda Loven, Deb Lowd, Erma Lowd, Margaret Lowe, Stephen Lowe, Faith Lowell, Daryl Lowry, Elizabeth Lowry, Liz Lowry, Grace Lozano, Nancy Luke, Lianne Lussier, Canary Ly, Nicole Lyford, JoAnn Lyles, Barbara Lynch.

M Theresa MacDougal, Hartley MacFadden, Ellyn Mack, Neil Mackey, Sue Mackey, Hannah Magoun, Valerie Maheu, Lejla Mahmuljin, Lee Mahony, Susan Mahony, Fiona Maloney-McCrystle, Sofia Maluf, Kathy Malzac, Dorothy Mammen, Tad Manila, Alexa Manley, Adam Mansfield, Amy Mansfield, David Manshel, May Mantell, Robert Many, Yvonne Many, Carol Mapel, Laura Marcelle, Robert Marchand, Liz Markowski, Peter Markowski, Ruby Markowski, John Marlin, Barbara Marlow, Hugh Marlow, Barbara Marquis, Nichole Marschke, Cindy Marshall, Joyce Marshall, Katie Marshall, Gail Martin, Judy M. Martin, Julien Martindale, Richard Martineit, Ammy Martinez, Francia Martinez, Tammie Mashteare, Amy Mason, Brian Mason, Sophie Mason, Alice Maurer, Nancy Maxwell, Tom & Nancy Maxwell, Chip Mayer, Erin and Irie Mazur, Shirley Mc Clay, Amy McAninch, Stuart McAninch, Caitlin McCarrick, James McClay, Shirley McClay, Patty McCormack, Jim McDaniel, Barbie McDonald, Barry McDonald, Emma McDonald, James McEvilla, Cheryl McEwan, Emily McFadden, Caitlin McFarland, Gillian McGarvey, Nancy McGill, Finn McGowan, Myles McGowan, Kate McGowan, Faye McGrory-Klyza, Sheila McGrory-Klyza, Michele McHugh, Alberta McIntyre, Bert McIntyre, Dain McKee, Lucy McKeon, Myrdith McKinley, Janet McKinnon, Sheila Mclaughlin Shaw, John McLaughlin, Marilyn Mclaughlin, Mhairi McMurray, Barry Meader, Paulette Meader, Bev Megyesi, Lou Megyesi, Ximena Mejia, Emily Mellen, Hillary Mendieta, Andrew Merluzzi, Nancy Merolle, Katie Merrick, Jim + Pat Merrigan, Christopher Merrill, Richard Merrill, Jr., Barbara Merz, Cindy Messenger, Christine Metcalf, Jessie Meyers Moore, Paola Meza, Daniela Michaels, Elsa Michaels, Sam Michaels, Wayne Michaud, Basha Miles, Stephanie Miller, Zoe Miller, Erin Miller, Jane Miller, Joe Miller, Ariana Mills, Craig Miner, Joy Minns, Charlie Mitchell, Cheryl Mitchell, Judy Mitchell, Cathy Mlcuch, Jeremy Molette, Jace Molinari, Cathy Molloy, Patrick Monette, Susan “Q” Montgomery, Jeanne Montross, Nancy Mooney, Paula Moore, Chip Morgan, Joyce Morgan, Nancy Morgan, Sherry Morin, Keith Morrill, Carol Morris, Sarah Morris, Terry Morris, Jessica Morrison, Judy Morrison, Lisa Morrison, Scott Morrison, Patricia Morrow, Thomas Morrow, Jim Morse, Lenore Morse, Eric & Roma Mortensen, Emmet Moseley, Tom Moser, Virginia Moser, Travis Moses, Renee Mosier, Margaret Mousseau, Pamela Mraz, Peter Mulgrew, Bradley Mullen, Lorrie Muller, Valerie Mullin, Melody Mundorf, Alice Munson, Christine Murphy, Kitty Murphy, Pamela Murphy, Kitty Muzzy, Peg Myhre, Duffy Mykenzie, Scott Myrick.

N Anita Nadeau, Ella Nagy-Benson, Hadley Evans Nash, Ann Naumann, Terrence Naumann, Karen Nawn-Fahey, Marilyn Needham, Scott Needham, Giulia Negretto, Mark Nelson, Barbara Nelson, Dottie Nelson, Fran Nelson, Geoffrey Nelson, Susan Nelson, Price Niles, Bob Nixon, Tom Noble, Paul Nocca, Irene Norian, Alyson Norris, Elaine North, Dona Norton, Tiffany Nourse, Ralph Noyes, Jennifer Nuceder, John Nuceder.

O Laura O’Brien, Pedie (Ramona ) O’Brien, Carroll O’Connor, Hunter O’Connor, Jean O’Connor, Walter O’Donoghue, Elizabeth Oettinger, Ruby Olinksy-Paul, Cathy Oliver, Jeffrey Olson, Joan Olson, June Olson, Margaret Olson, Tanis Olson, Michele O’Neill, K.O. Onufry, Pat O’Rourke, Patricia-Ann O’Rourke, Nancy Orvis, Breann Oswald, Betsy Ouellette, Kathleen Ouimet, Betsyte Oullette, Kitty Oxholm.

P Mary Pacifici, Rae (Marian R.) Paine, Joan Palin, Cathy Palmer, Kelly Palmer, Jean Panicucci, Lynn Paquette, Trent Paquette, Mike Paretti, Shirley Parfitt, Anna Park, Alison Parker, Faith Parkins, Julia Parkinson, Jaime Parmelee, Jennifer Parmelee, Georgia Peach Parmelee-Varkartas, Jana Parsons, Beatrice Parwatikar, Cheryl Patten, Brie Patterson, Marjorie Patterson, Lisa Patton, Mellissa Pawul, Stephen Payne, Jim Peabody, Emily Pearl, Caitlynn Pecor, Julie Peddie, Morgan Peer, Robert Peisch, Adrianne Pelton, Barbara Pelton, Jake Peluso, Sarah Peluso, Ruth Penfield, Dorothy Perkett, Michelle Perlee, Sydney Perlee, Donna Perrin, Lynne Perry, Renny Perry, Jeanne Peters, Jeanne E. Peters, Doreen Peterson, Jen Peterson, Pam Pezzulo, Bas Phair, Peggy Phelps, Priscilla Pierce, Paige PiersonFlagg, Stephen Pilcher, Marion Pilon, Tom Pinsonneault, Myrrh Pitkin, Kirsten Pitts, Michael Pixley, Ed Place, Angela Pohlen, Angela Polacsek, Delsie Polgar, Will Porter, Jeanne Posner, Richard Potter, Marti Powers-Keyes, Henry Prange, Barbara Pratt, Eleanor Pratt, Kimberly Pratt, David Preble, Brenda Preston, Bob Prigo, Marilyn (Mike) Prior, Sarah Pschernig, Jim Pugh, Dorothy Punderson, Ellen Punderson, Frank Punderson, Harlow Punderson, Linda Punderson, Will Pyle.

Q Sophie Quay-Delayvallee, Roxanne Quesnel, David Quesnel, Margey Quinn.

R Becca Raffel, George Ramsayer, Lawrence Randall, Lois Randall, Nanci Anne Randall, Ginna Rasmussen, Sue Rasmussen, Robin Rast, Sally Ratcliffe Foster, Ann Reames, Charles Reed, Lelah Reed, Jeffrey Rehbach, Meredith Rehbach, Jackie Reiss, Millie Renaud, Linda Revell, Rebecca Rey, Al Reynolds, Alice Reynolds, Anna Reynolds, Lisa Reynolds, Peter Reynolds, Sheila Rheaume, Judy Rice, Randy Rice, Sue Rice, Keith Rickerby, Irene Riddle, Warren Rinehart, Eileen Rinker, Sarah Rittgers, Joanie Roberge, Alice Roberts, Joseph Roberts, Aaron Robertson, Gary Rodes, Alicia Rodriguez, Laurene Rogers, Maureen Rogers, Mona Rogers, Amanda Romond, Josh Romond, Patrick Rooney, Gazena Roorda, Suzy Roorda, Elena Rosen, Isabel Rosenberg, Jean Rosenberg, Gabi Rosenfeld, Kim Ross, Cliff Ross, Emily Rossier, Kathy Rossier, Tyler Rossier, Persis Rowe, Nathan Rowell, Shari Rowinski, Rene Rubbins, Bob Ruggiero, Shirley (Ainaka Luna) Ruiz-Perez, Diana Rule, Laura Rumbough, Jim Runcie, Jerrod Rushton, Alex Russell, Amey Ryan, Lizbeth Ryan, Nancy Ryan, Rachel Ryan, Tim Ryan, Vera Ryersbach.

S Gisele Sabourin, Sandra Salgado, Monica Sanchez Webb, James Sanchez, Meilena Sanchez, Monica Sanchez, Douglas Sandler, Pat Santner, Santo Santoriello, Joyce Sargent, Rochelle Sargent, Sharon Saronson, Joanna Satterwhite, Barb Saunders, Tom Saunders, Bryan Sawyer, Suzanne Sawyer, Zoe Sawyer, Eliana Schaefer, Jared Schauer, Peter Schenck, Peter Schenk, Robin Scheu, Linda Schiffer, Marita Schine, Kathryn Schloff, Katie Schmidt, Len Schmidt, Julian Schmitt, Pat Schmitter, Bill Schneider, Devin Schrock, Mary Kay Schueneman, Lucy Schumer, Ann Schwab, Bonnie Scott, Lauren Scott, Paula Scott, Katharine Scribner, Janet Seaburg, Saundria Sears, Sonnie Sears, Jonathan Seeley, Simone Setta, Ann Sevee, Judy Severy, Kayvon Sharif, Cheryl Shea, Regina Shea, Jerome Shedd, Jerry Shedd, Mercedes Sheldrick, Nathan Shepard, Eldon Sherwin, Jeanette Sherwin, Doug Shivers, Carol Short, Lewis Short, Marie Shortsleeve, Molly Shutt, Sofia Silverglass, Larry Simino, Kristina Simmons, Jean Simmons, Melvin Simmons, Barb Simoes, Simone Skerritt, Nancy Skidmore, Lois Ann Skillings, Ron Slabaugh, Sue Small, Susan Smiley, April Smith , Justine Smith, Liz Smith, Megan Smith, Beth Smith, Dutton Smith, Earlene Smith, Gerry Smith, Jennifer Smith, Kathleen Smith, Kelsey Smith, Lisa Smith, Marley Smith, Rita Smith, Scott Smith, Spencer Smith, Tom Smith, Vicki Smith, Judy Smith-Jaubert, Trisha Smtih, David Snow, Susie Snow, Joyce Sohotra, J. Paul Sokal, Paul Sokal, Bonnie Solomon, Linda Sommers, Cindy Sonnenberg, Cathy Sontum, Anthony Spadaccini, Ginny Spadaccini, Tori Spear, Thomas Spencer, Judy Sperry, Lorrie Sperry, Marie Sperry, Reginald Spooner, Evelyn Sprague, Mollie Sprague, Holly Stabler, Gerald Stagg, Jennifer Stanley, Mary Stanley, Siena Stanley, Beth Stanway, Jim Stapleton, Kathleen Starr, Penelope Stattel, Robyn Stattel, Deanna Steadman, Elizabeth Steadman, Carol Steady, Jane Steele, Joyce Stephens, Rachel Steponaitis, “Cookie” Roberta Steponaitis, Bonnie Stevens, Kate Stewart, Sarah Stewart, Allen Stillman, Alicia Stone, Francis, Stone, Susan Stone, Sara Stowell, Becky Stratton, Don Stratton, Val Strong, Jim Stuart, Gina Styles, Ed Sullivan, Jon Sullivan, Mona Sullivan, Rachel Sullivan, Sean Sullivan, Jennifer Sumner, Samantha Sumner, Anna Sun, Richard Suprenant, Alison Surdoval, Riley Swain, Bonnie Swan, Ellie Sweatt, Chris Sylvestri, Steph-Marie Szenasi.

T Robert Taft, T Tall, Teja Tanner, Darcy Tarte, Charlotte Tate, Joanna Tatro, Mikaela Taylor, Anne Taylor, Karen Taylor, Sally Taylor, Sandra Tebbetts, Nancy Tellier, Kenneth Terrien, Stephanie Terry, Dawn Thibault, Martha Thilbourg-Chaplin, Laura Thomas, Jenna Thompson , Carolyn Thompson, Lisa Thompson, Lois Thompson, Kaela Thurber, Mary Beth Tichacek, MaryBeth Tichacek, Val Tilford, Gina Tindal, Gene Tougas, J. Silas Towler, Alex Traxler, Julia Trencher, Rena Trepanier, Gay Truax, Cathy Trudel, Jean Tufts, Sarah Tulley, Meredith Tulloch, Sarah Tully, Ashley Turner, Jessica Turner, Helen Turner, Jennifer Turner, Lauren Turner, Molly Turro, Tom Turro, Jeff Tweedy.

U-V Paul Urband, Vesta Urband, Cherie Vachon, Pat Vallaincourt, Zelia Van den Berg, Diana Van Develde, Marsdin Van Order, Camila VanOrder Gonzalez, Tom VanOrder, Marie Vasitas, Nancy Vaughn, Roberto Véguez, Susan Véguez, Julie Vest, Jill Vickers, Brett Viens, Paul Viko, Hector Vila, Jane Vincent, Tim Vincent, Meredith Visco, Louise Vojtisek, Peter Voorhees, Helen Vrooman.

W Kali Waag, David Waag, Ed Wageman, Connie Wagner, Conrad Waite, Dayton Wakefield, Linda Wakefield, Sarah Wakefield, Liz Walker, Sharon Walker, Anne Wallace, Forrest Wallace, Kate Wallace, Nancy Wallace, Kathleen Walls, Bill Walsh, Cathy Walsh, Drey Ward, Mali Ward, Donna Wark, Eugene Warner, Frances Warren, Frances Washington, Jennifer Wasiura, Joseph Watson, Christopher Watters, Sophia Webb, Stephen Webb, Joanne Weber, Ann Webster, Tom Weiner, Kathy Weiss, Peter Welch, Susan Werle, Judy Werner, Marion Werner, Margaret Wesley, Bernice Weston, Doris Wheelock, Rod Wheelock, Barbara White, Wendy White, Janice Whitman, Robert Whitman, Barbara Whitney, Michelle Whitney, Tegan Whitney, Janice Whittemore, Arlinda Wickland, Robbie Wiggington, Robby Wigginton, Cari Wilch, Beatrice Williams, David Williams, Kai Williams, Kassie Williams, Ken Williams, Maureen Williams, Ron Williamson, Heidi Willis, Martha Winant, Cedar Winslow, Debbie Wisell, Elizabeth Wisell, Shirley Wisell, William Wisell, Klaudia Wojciechowska, Virginia Wolf, Matt Wollam-Berens, Nancy Wollum, Rachel Wollum, Marnie Wood, Cap Woodruff, Spofford Cap Woodruff, Anthony Woods, Rebecca Woods, JacLynne R. Wootten, Helen Wright, Katarina Wright, Lauren Wright, Molly Wright, Pat Wright, Rosalie Wright-Lapin, Vijaya Wunnava, Anja Wurm, Isis Wyatt, Kathryn Wyckoff.

Y Michael Yang, Deborah Young, Helen Young, Jordan Young, Margy Young, Alex Yurista.

Z Helene “Renee” Zalubski, Nikki Zammuto, Helen Zamojski, Elizabeth Zhou, Terry Zimmer, Rob Zimmerman, Maja Zimmermann, Gwen Zwickel,

Spotlight

Addison Independent, Thursday, April 14, 2016 — PAGE 13A

on Addison County

Volunteers

Claire Adams Claire Adams, of Middlebury, has

been volunteering with Addison County Readers (ACR) for over 7 years and is currently serving as the Co-President. Addison County Readers sponsors Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program. The program provides books to preschoolers, encouraging early literacy while promoting it’s positive long-term effects on children. The group is entirely volunteer run! One of Claire’s big projects is managing the Books at Birth program, which gives a free board book to every baby born at Porter Birthing Center in Middlebury. She also designs the t-shirts and bags that are sold at summer festivals raising money for ACR. Claire’s

Sheila Huestis Sheila Huestis, of Bridport, is a

tremendous volunteer for Addison County. She has been dedicated to helping our community for the past 6 years on a variety of fronts. First, Sheila serves as a Guardian Ad Litem and Educational Surrogate. Guardians Ad Litem are trained, courtappointed volunteers who advocate for children who have been taken into State Custody. A Guardian Ad Litem’s responsibilities include compiling information from sources close to the child, advocating for co-volunteers at ACR say she is creative, services, communicating with the Departdedicated, and a lot of fun to work with! ment of Children and Families and the She also volunteers at St. Mary’s Church child’s attorney, and ensuring directly or and as a soccer coach. Thank you, Claire! through the child’s attorney, that the court is informed of all relevant information. Sheila also volunteers for Red Cross Blood Drives. Sheila organizes and purchases the

Stephanie Foley Stephanie Foley, of New Haven,

has been a Guardian Ad Litem for the past 7 years. Her responsibilities include protecting the best interests of children in juvenile and domestic court cases. She also has participated in the Vermont Educational Surrogate Parent Program as an Educational Surrogate, volunteers as an Acting Judge in Small Claims Court in Addison County, and is an instructor for the Pro Se Education Course. Stephanie also serves as an officer on the board of the Lake Dunmore Fern Lake Association. She was a co-chair of the committee created to the lakes. Thank you for all of the time you raise funds for combatting the milfoil on give, Stephanie!

Reinhold Lange Reinhold Lange, of Bristol, has

The leadership of MREMS would like to express their sincere appreciation for the selfless service of all their volunteers, past and present.

food with donations from local businesses. Additionally, Sheila volunteers with the Everybody Wins! Reading program. Sheila enjoys volunteering because, “It allows me to meet some wonderful people and gives me a purpose.” We appreciate all of your work, Sheila!

We value the time and effort that it takes in order to provide quality emergency care to the ten towns we serve.

Forty-six Years of Cheers and Thank Yous!

Patrick Rooney Patrick Rooney, of Monkton, is a

new board member at Homeward Bound. He has been instrumental in finding innovative solutions to aid in improving animal welfare. Michelle Shubert, of Homeward Bound, says they are extremely happy to have him “on board” and appreciate his passion for humane education. Patrick enjoys volunteering because of the incredible results he sees when the groups work together. He loves helping the animals become happy and healthy, and ultimately providing them with good homes. Jessica Danyow, of Homeward Bound, says, “Pat- lot to offer our organization.” Thank you for rick is an engaged board member with a your excellent work, Patrick!

Jay Dubberly

been a fantastic volunteer with Homeward Bound since 1999. Reinhold is the Senior Director and leads Business Intelligence. When Jay Dubberly first came to the He works to maintain a web presence and Bixby Library over a year ago he asked, plans their digital infrastructure for the “How can I help the library?” He’s been organization. Reinhold is passionate and volunteering ever since, and continues dedicated to supporting the animals. He to generously offer his time, experience, has adopted five dogs in total, three from knowledge, and passion to enrich the liHomeward Bound! He is a prime example brary’s programming and enliven the comof a dedicated volunteer. Reinhold has also munity. He has offered writing workshops (and animals!) of Addison County thank volunteered for two other shelters, one in and classes, nurturing and inspiring the Vermont and one out of state. The people you for all of the work you do! growth of the local writing community, organized a series of table-reads, led movie discussions, guided the library’s Movie Club, and is currently developing working with the librarian to develop a literary magazine for and by the residents of Addison County. Jay exemplifies the ideal library volunteer: an individual who is passionate, generous, and curious. He came to The Bixby Memorial Library would like to highlight two fabulous teen volunteers. Four years of symmetry and poetry; Guinnie Brownell and best friend Hannah Freedner-Matesi have been volunteering at Bixby. Their smiles outshine the sun. They hatch plans to atShirley Parfitt joined the Bixby Metack the tasks for the way with grins and morial Library “family” of volunteers in laughter. They are both smart and witty, a 2011. She brings strong computer, adrare combination. Both are avid readers ministrative, and interpersonal skills from with complementary palettes. Their superan extensive career with the U.S. Citizenvisor, Sara Howe, has enjoyed listening to ship and Immigration Services. She puts their reviews and cherished scouting out ers and great role models for the tween all her skills to work at the Bixby Memothe hottest Young Adult books at Barnes volunteers at Bixby. Thank you for the rial Library, doing data entry for the new and Noble with them. They are quiet lead- many ways you give, Guinnie and Hannah! automated system and at the circulation desk. She has become the “go-to” training person for all of the new circulation desk volunteers and continues to be willing to fill in for volunteers when they are unable to come in for planned shifts. Shirley is an avid reader and always has a good book Carol Mapel has been a mainstay suggestion for someone who is looking for volunteer in the Bixby Library Museum an interesting, enlightening, or entertainRoom cataloging project, carefully meaing read. She also volunteers for Hospice suring, weighing and documenting Native American artifacts. She says she has learned a lot about different types of stone and how seemingly similar artifacts can actually be worlds and centuries apart. Carol possesses strong attention to detail, Ashley Aldrich, of Monkton, has which is necessary for this project. She been volunteering at Homeward Bound also volunteers regularly at the circulasince last summer. Her responsibilities tion desk. What you’ll probably remember include walking dogs and socializing with about her, though, is how pleasant it is to interact with her and how your day is Club. She lives in Vergennes near her fam- the cats. Her favorite part of volunteering brightened by doing so! Carol also vol- ily, substitute teaches at local schools and is getting to know the dogs. Jessica Danunteers at the Vergennes Congregational is an active, committed grandmother. The yow, of Homeward Bound says, “Ashley is a Church, where she is a deacon, and serves Bixby Library is incredibly grateful for her cheerful and kind girl who is generous with her time.” Thank you for all of your hard as the secretary of the Vergennes Lions volunteer efforts. Thank you, Carol! work, Ashley!

Guinnie Brownell & Hannah Freedner-Matesi

The Volunteer Center

the library hoping to share his passion and knowledge of writing and movies. His gifts have improved the library and community in ways that deserve recognition. All of us can aspire to follow Jay’s example of sharing one’s talents.

Shirley Parfitt

Carol Mapel

TA M V O LU N T E E R S M A K E I T H A P P E N !

Volunteer Services and for the North Ferrisburgh Methodist Church. Shirley is an outstanding, self-motivated volunteer and the Bixby Memorial Library feels lucky to have her.

Ashley Aldrich

Peter Chiles Peter Chiles, of Orwell and Addi-

son, has been volunteering at Homeward Bound for the past few months. Between being a student at the Aurora school and studying Tae Kwon Do, Peter serves as a dog walker and cat socializer. Peter enjoys playing with the animals and his enthusiasm is contagious. He loves getting to know the animals and develops a great connection with them. While he is passionate about caring for the animals at the shelter, he also has a lizard, a fish, and a to more community involvement. Peter is dog at home. Homeward Bound is his first a great example of the impressive work a volunteer experience and he looks forward young volunteer can do! Thank you, Peter!

The Middlebury Area Land Trust thanks their many volunteers! To find out more about MALT’s volunteer opportunities, call 802-388-1007 or visit www.maltvt.org

Penelope Stattel Penelope Stattel, of Middlebury,

is one of Addison County’s youngest volunteers. She has been volunteering at Homeward Bound for the past six months. Penelope started volunteering as soon as she was allowed, at the ripe old age of 5. Penelope’s favorite part about volunteering at Homeward Bound is “loving and playing with the kitties.” Penelope and her family are incredibly grateful that Homeward Bound opened up volunteering to younger children! Homeward Bound is welcomes more volunteers like her. Many so impressed with Penelope’s drive and thanks, Penelope!

Recognizing and thanking every volunteer • Repairs, renovations and new construction • Heating systems installed, cleaned and serviced • Water heaters and filtration systems installed & serviced • Kitchen, bath fixtures and faucets installed

John Fuller, Master Plumber • 388-2019 Serving Addison County since 1989

PAGE 14A — Addison Independent, Thursday, April 14, 2016

Spotlight

on Addison County

Volunteers

Thank You Volunteers! We

our volunteers, donors & shoppers for making it possible! Looking for more volunteers to love! Call for more information.

Because of YOU we have been able to generously donate to Hospice Volunteer Service & Women of Wisdom (a charitable local giving circle)

AN INTERESTING RESALE SHOP

Proceeds help support Hospice Volunteer Services and Women of Wisdom

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Bryson Knight Bryson Knight, of Bristol, has been

volunteering with Homeward Bound since he was 9 years old. Now, a sophomore at Mt. Abraham Union High School, Bryson volunteers once a week as a dog walker. In addition to walking the dogs, he also teaches them basic obedience skills. He says, “I love animals, especially dogs. Even our dog is from the shelter! Walking dogs is fun and it makes me happy when a shy dog gains confidence. Also, obedience makes the dogs more adoptable and I love helping them find new homes!” Bryson has also been volunteering at the Have a Heart Food Shelf in Bristol since he was 6 years old. Bryson recommends volunteering

Sue Hoxie, of Brandon, has been

volunteering at Homeward Bound for the past five years and currently serves as the secretary of the board. As a member of the board she helps guide strategy and governance of the organization. One of her favorite parts about volunteering with Homeward Bound is gaining a better understanding of how the shelter benefits both the animals and the Addison County community. “Sue has volunteered with Homeward Bound for years and we are deto other people his age because it’s fun, lighted to have her talent on our board,” feels good, helps you meet new people, says Jessica Danyow, of Homeward Bound. ter Hospital Auxiliary Board. Thank you for and learn new skills! Bryson is clearly an Sue is also a dedicated member of the Por- your work, Sue! incredible volunteer! Thank you, Bryson!

Camila Van Order Gonzalez Camila Van Order Gonzalez,

of Middlebury, is a volunteer at Homeward Bound. For the past eight months, Camila has regularly walked the dogs and helped prepare the cats to play with visitors. Camila’s favorite part about volunteering at the humane society is introducing the cats to families visiting the shelter. She loves seeing the absolute happiness of both the families and the animals when an adoption occurs. In her free time Camila buys felt and makes animal beds and toys for the animals at the shelter. Camila, we animals and your community. Keep up the appreciate your eagerness to help the good work!

Bristol Rescue Board of Officers wish to send out our

“Special Thanks”

to all of our members for their long hours and their dedication!

THANK YOU!

WomenSafe would like to thank our dedicated volunteers who support WomenSafe by donating countless hours to: • staff the 24-hour hotline • assist people at court • provide childcare • monitor visits between children and their non-residential parents • assist with tabling and outreach efforts • perform in-office tasks • serve on our board Every day, WomenSafe depends on our amazing volunteers to provide the vital services to respond to domestic, dating, and sexual violence in our community. WomenSafe thanks volunteers for their outstanding service. We are so appreciative of their hard work.

Thank You Volunteers! Elderly Services thanks all of our wonderful volunteers for a job well done – we love you!

Ariana Mills Ariana Mills, a student at Middlebury

College and aspiring doctor, is a volunteer at Porter Medical Center. Her duties range greatly, demonstrating her aptitude for wearing many hats effectively. On any given day, Ariana is greeting patients and families, stocking rooms with supplies, and serving as a smiling face for postoperative patients. Ariana has found that while she volunteers with the goal of improving the lives of others, the patients and staff continually make her days brighter as well. Her supervisor says, “Ariana has an incredible gift of bringing compassion and positivity when she enters a room. The staff adores her and appreciates the wonderful help she provides. She is a gem!”

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volunteering at Homeward Bound for the past 20 years! He serves as the President of the Board of Directors and helps with technology support. Jim enjoys his volunteering immensely at the animal shelter and he appreciates making a positive difference for a worthwhile cause. His longstanding commitment is a testament to his enthusiasm. Jim encourages others to volunteer saying, “Volunteering is good for you and for others! What could be bet- He is widely respected in the Homeward ter? Make a difference!” We cannot speak Bound community and we commend him highly enough of Jim’s volunteer work. for his tremendous dedication.

Bob and Janice Whitman

Middlebury, are two of Porter Hospital’s wonderful volunteers. Bob and Janice serve as mail sorters and couriers, distributing mail throughout the hospital. Their supervisor, Karen says, “It is great to watch Bob and Janice work as a team. They both bring wonderful, positive and enthusiastic energy to their role at Porter.” Thank you so much for your contributions Ariana also is a MiddSafe advocate at and congratulations on your 67th wedding the college, helping run a 24/7 confiden- anniversary! tial hotline for anyone impacted by sexual violence. Ariana, we applaud your work to make the world around you a better place.

Kim Ammons

Sharon Saronson has been volunteering for Porter Hospital for the past 12 years. She works at the registration desk, where she answers questions, gives directions, and makes sure patients are seen in a timely fashion. In addition, Sharon sings in Maiden Vermont and is in multiple quilt groups and is starting to volunteer at the Charter House. Porter Hospital appreciates Sharon’s dependability and is extremely happy to have her on their volunteer team. Thanks for everything you do Sharon!

Pat Blodgett Pat Blodgett, of Middlebury, is now

a volunteer at Porter Hospital after working in the Radiology Department for 40 years. Her responsibilities include greeting patients and triaging them to the admitting clerks. She loves being able to see her former co-workers and they appreciate her wealth of knowledge about the hospital. Her rapport with the patients and the staff is an invaluable asset. In addition to volunteering at Porter Hospital, Pat also volunteers at Mary Hogan School as a reading mentor with the Everybody Wins! Program. better place, Pat! Thank you for making our community a

Lindsay Hart & Agnes James

Elderly Services, Inc.

Jim Stuart Jim Stuart, of Hinesburg, has been

Bob and Janice Whitman, of

Sharon Saronson, of Middlebury,

If you stop by Round Robin, you’ll be warmly greeted by volunteers Lindsay Hart and Agnes James. Lindsay has been volunteering at Round Robin for the past five years. She runs the store, pricing and arranging merchandise, helping customers and taking care of day to day needs. She says her volunteer work has been meaningful in many ways: “Round Robin is a rewarding a fun place to work. I came to Middlebury five years ago, knowing no one. Now I feel like a part of the community and have met so many wonderful people!” Agnes volunteers weekly at Round Robin. She also helps out with pricing and arranging merchandise and assisting customers. She enjoys many aspects of her volunteer work, from meeting new people, to spending time with the other staff. “It is a great and fun place to work. It’s very satisfying to help

Sue Hoxie

Kim Ammons, of East Middlebury, is

a volunteer for Homeward Bound, Addison County’s Humane Society. She helps greatly with administrative tasks and data entry but also “can’t help spending time with the cats too!” On volunteering at Homeward Bound Kim says, “There’s almost always a kitty keeping me company while I’m working, and it’s the best feeling in the world! Also, I can’t get over how warm and welcoming the staff are.” Administrative Assistant at Homeward Bound, Michelle Shubert says “Kim is amazing! She is dedicated, focused, and diligent. Thanks might not get to otherwise. I can always to her help with administrative tasks I am count on her to be here when I need her!” able to focus my energies on tasks that I Kim, thank you for all of your help!

Scott Smith Scott Smith MD, of Middlebury, has

been volunteering at the Open Door Clinic for the past 9 years. He has been a core volunteer for the organization, providing patient care, acting as the Medical Director, and serving on the Board of Directors for many years. The Clinic staff speaks highly of Scott saying, “He has always been very supportive of our efforts at the Open Door Clinic and we appreciate the time and energy he has given our patients for many years. Without physicians like Scott, volunteering his time so generously, grateful for your invaluable dedication to the Open Door Clinic would not be able to the Open Door Clinic. Thank you! offer the services we do.” Scott, we are

Eleanor Coeby Eleanor Coeby, of Ripton, is one of

people find what they need at low prices.” “These are amazing ladies!” says Director Robin Huestis. “Lindsay is a gifted seamstress and is always willing to do any needed repairs or alterations. Agnes makes the atmosphere at Round Robin so inviting. She has been a volunteer for over 35 years. Now that’s dedication!” Thank you Lindsay and Agnes!

the welcoming faces of Porter Hospital. She has volunteered at the registration desk for the past six years. Eleanor warmly greets and directs patients and visitors, logs in patients and offers assistance. She truly enjoys helping people and providing support to the hospital. Karen Herrman, Director of Volunteers at Porter enthuses: “Eleanor shows great compassion to our patients and visitors. She has a wonderful, calm presence and kind demeanor. She is a great organizer, and assists us with coordinating the use and availability of wheelchairs for our patients.” Eleanor also contributes time by sewing hot/cold

packs for community members. Over the past several months, Eleanor has sewn over 100 hot packs for RSVP and Addison County Home Health and Hospice. Many thanks, Eleanor!

Spotlight

Addison Independent, Thursday, April 14, 2016 — PAGE 15A

on Addison County

Volunteers

Susan Stone Susan Stone, of Brandon, has been

volunteering as a Medical Interpreter with the Open Door Clinic since 2013. Each week she dedicates many hours to interpret for the LEP (Limited English Proficient) patients at locations throughout Middlebury. Currently, 60% of the ODC’s patients are LEP, so Susan serves as the language barrier broker for them and their health care providers. What she most enjoys about volunteering is having the great opportunity to keep up with her Spanish language skills now that she is retired: “I worked for 20 years with campesinos (farmers) in Honduras, so I thought it made sense to continue working with them here in Vermont.� The clinic staff greatly appreciate what Susan brings to the organization saying, “Susan is very friendly, flexible,

professional and has amazing language skills. Because she worked for so long in a rural village in Honduras, she is deeply knowledgeable of culture differences as well. She is a great asset to the Open Door Clinic!� Many thanks, Susan!

Roberto Veguez Roberto Veguez, of Cornwall, has

been a Medical Interpreter for the Open Door Clinic since 2001. Besides interpreting for LEP (Limited English Proficient) patients, he has greeted patients, helped at the office with special projects and given rides. He also assesses potential volunteer medical interpreters’ Spanish language skills and proof-reads translations to insure that the Open Door Clinic and other partner health care providers have the most accurate and well translated materials. The Open Door Clinic is grateful to Roberto for his support: “He has helped the ODC in so many capacities. Roberto is a retired Spanish Professor from Middlebury College and has been a wonderful volun-

Steve Brown, of Bristol, has been a Volunteer Registered Nurse with the Open Door Clinic for the past 7 years. Steve’s work helps to further the mission of the clinic, which provides access to quality healthcare services, free of charge, to those who are uninsured or under-insured and who meet financial eligibility guidelines. Steve provides care at the daytime and evening clinics, helps to administer hundreds of flu vaccines in the fall, and assists with ongoing patient outreach. The staff greatly values his work expressing, “Steve is one of the most knowledgeable RN’s we’ve met. He provides our patients with exemplary nursing care, supporting and advocating for patients during their

Vergennes Area Rescue medical visits. These qualities, coupled with his dedication, help us to maintain a consistently high level of care for our patients.� Thank you, Steve.

ter and will always value the relationships I’ve developed with both the residents and the incredible staff members at John Graham.� Thank you Mallory for your time and commitment!

Erin Miller

Greer Howard bury College and has been a mentor and program coordinator with the Community Friends program for all four years of her time in Middlebury. This is her first year as the Lead Student Coordinator. Her responsibilities now include recruiting new mentors and mentees, keeping track of our existing matches and following up with any issues or students that need help, planning program wide events and trainings, running coordinator meetings, and putting together the matches. This is Greer’s fourth year with her mentee, and over the past few years they have explored Middlebury, read My Fathers Dragon and Warriors, raced fiercely in the natatorium and on the fields around campus, created half-edible dining hall creations, and spent hours drawing and painting in the various craft spaces. “I have watched her grow (now taller than me) and develop into a thriving middle school student, and she has provided me with an escape from schoolwork and a reminder of childhood. I

love seeing other matches around campus,� says Greer. She believes mentees encourage Middlebury students to break out of their college bubbles, and mentors serve as additional adult role models. One notable aspect of Community Friends is its history with Addison County. The program celebrated its 55th anniversary this year, and it is amazing to hear stories both from members of the community and Middlebury alumni about their experiences with the program- even years later! Thank you, Greer!

Forrest Wallace

Emma McDonald Emma McDonald, a senior at

Middlebury College, has worked with Language in Motion for two years. Language in Motion is a program that connects Middlebury College students with international, intercultural, and upper-level language experience with secondary school students in Vermont. Emma and other Middlebury students do presentations and activities in school classrooms on language, culture, and travel in order to promote global awareness, cultural understanding, and language acquisition. Emma has held study abroad fairs and coordinated secondary school student and teacher visits to the College. She values the opportunity to engage in the wider community and learn more about the surrounding area saying: “Middlebury College has so many opportu-

A big THANK

YOU to all the

volunteers who contribute so much to the quality of our lives.

Rt. 7 South • Middlebury • 388-6297

Greer Howard is a senior at Middle-

Forrest Wallace is a junior at Mid-

and energy, we were able to grow into an enthusiastic group with ambitious goals, expanding from a one-event team raising $3,000 to a multi-event student organization hitting the $18,000 fundraising mark this year.� Erin has also volunteered with Special Olympics, the Helen Porter Rehabilitation Center as well as summer camps for kids with special needs. Thank you for all you do, Erin!

Your commitment and support are the heartbeat of the organization!

Cindy Marshall Cindy Marshall, of Middlebury, has

Erin Miller, of Nashville TN, is a Se-

nior Feb at Middlebury College. For the past three years, she has served as the President of For The Kids, a student organization that raises funds for the UVM Children’s Hospital and spreads awareness about childhood illness. Throughout the year, For The Kids hosts community events at the college as well as the hospital. Some of the largest annual events include the Fall Family Carnival and the Miracle Network Dance Marathon. This year, Dance Marathon raised over $18,500, a 50% increase in fundraising relative to last year. All the funds raised go directly to impacting the lives of patients and their families by providing advanced equipment, the best child-life care, and toys to make the children’s experiences as positive as possible. Erin most enjoys seeing the great positive impact a group of determined college students can make: “In giving of our time

Wishes to thank our Volunteers for many hours of dedicated service to our communities of Vergennes, Ferrisburgh, Addison, Panton, Waltham, New Haven & Monkton.

Thank You!

been a wonderfully dedicated volunteer with the Open Door Clinic. She served as a long term Board of Directors member for over 17 years and as a Volunteer Physical Therapist for 20 years. As a physical therapist, Cindy volunteers 2-3 times per month to see patients. She has been a gift to the organization says the ODC staff: “Cindy is one of our most dedicated and cheerful volunteers! She has been supporting the Open Door Clinic since moving to Vermont, generously sharing her treatment to our patients if it had not been knowledge and skills. We would not have for Cindy giving her time and expertise.� teer for almost 15 years! The Open Door been able to offer regular physical therapy Thank you for your generosity, Cindy! Clinic staff and patients are very lucky to have him!� Thank you for your expertise and dedication, Roberto.

Mallory Brown Mallory Brown has volunteered with John Graham Housing & Services in Vergennes for almost three years. As a senior at Middlebury College, Mallory is the co-President of the student organization, Friends of John Graham. The program leads weekly trips to the shelter to cook dinner and spend time with the residents. Mallory is also responsible for organizing a Thanksgiving Meal and a Spring Lunch for the residents of the shelter, which are both held at the college. Mallory enjoys the opportunities to step out of the college “bubble� and give back to the Addison County community. She believes it adds an important element of balance to her Middlebury experience. Mallory says, “I have learned so much from my work at the Shel-

Steve Brown

dlebury College and has been volunteering at the Charter House Coalition for about five months. At the Charter House, Forrest prepares and serves a meal every Sunday afternoon with his fellow Men’s Rugby team players. This fall, the team initiated the Sunday afternoon grilled lunch and have continued to serve it ever since. Community members rave about the meal! Forrest’s responsibilities include organizing volunteers, preparing food and visiting with guests. Forrest really enjoys interacting with community members, working important to give back to the community alongside other volunteers, and getting to in order to strengthen it, and so enjoys doknow Middlebury better. He believes it is ing what he can. Thank you, Forrest!

Homeward Bound

"EEJTPO $PVOUZ T )VNBOF 4PDJFUZ Homeward Bound, Addison County’s Humane Society, wants all our volunteers – our board members, our dedicated dog walkers and cat socializers, our dynamic special events committee, our tireless foster care families, our clerical and customer service folks, and everyone in the community who steps up when asked for help – to know how very grateful we are for your support and commitment! Please visit our website www.homewardboundanimals.org for information on our volunteer program.

Submit an application and join our team!

#PBSENBO 4U s .JEEMFCVSZ s

Lissy Heminway Lissy Heminway and Wiley, of

nities to expand, grow, and challenge one’s world view. I have really enjoyed being able to share what I’ve learned at Middlebury and abroad with students and teachers in the community, and in turn learn a lot from them as well!� Thanks for your awesome service, Emma!

Shoreham, have been a Pet Therapy Team with Helen Porter Health Care & Rehabilitation for the past year. Lissy and her certified therapy dog, Wiley, love to visit folks throughout Helen Porter who enjoy animals, often staying to chat for a while. What Lissy most enjoys about volunteering is connecting with the patients and seeing how they respond to Wiley: “I love listening to people’s stories, especially those of their own pets, while they pet Wiley. I have found this to be the most wonderful community. I feel truly blessed to be a part of it!� Activities Director Nancy Durham so appreciates the ‘team’: “Lissy is a very easy going individual who readily connects with others, drawing them out. Wiley is a

The Better Middlebury Partnership thanks all of the volunteers who contribute their time every year to helping make Middlebury a better place to live, work and play. Our community is what it is because of you...

Thank you! brand new therapy dog and it has been a pleasure to watch him blossom. Wiley brings a smile to all, like only someone with four legs and a tail can!� Thank you, Lissy and Wiley!

www.experiencemiddlebury.com

PAGE 16A — Addison Independent, Thursday, April 14, 2016

Spotlight

on Addison County

Volunteers Sarah Koenigsberg

Thank you to all our volunteers who share their time and hearts with us every day.

YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Peer Addiction Recovery Support Call (802) 388-4249 • www.turningpointaddisonvt.org

Sarah Koenigsberg, a student at Middlebury College, recently completed a winter term internship and now serves as a volunteer at the Charter House. As a Warming Shelter Volunteer, her responsibilities include helping cook, serve, and coordinate meals as well as staff the shelter at all hours of the day. She has also worked to expand Charter House’s volunteer base by promoting the organization on the Middlebury College Campus and leading volunteer trainings for students. Staff member Samantha Kachmar is thankful for Sarah help, “She is always excited to share her skill of creating wonderful meals with her fellow volunteers as well as our guests!� What Sarah most enjoys about her experience is her immersion in the community. She describes: “It’s really

nice to get off of the Middlebury College Campus and into the community. I’ve met a lot of wonderful people of all ages and backgrounds, guests and volunteers alike, who have engaged me in fun, interesting, and thought-evoking conversation.� Thank you so much, Sarah!

Jeff Rehbach Thank you volunteers for keeping our community running. Let us help you drive safe. Stop in today!

4FZNPVS 4USFFU r .JEEMFCVSZ r

Holly Stabler Holly Stabler, of Middlebury, has those in need of help in our community.

The Charter House staff greatly appreciates Holly’s energy, diligence and knowhow. “Holly is very knowledgeable in vegetable processing and her willingness to share this knowledge has allowed Charter to preserve an amazing amount of food for use during the winter months.� Holly also shares her time and companionship with the residents at Eastview retirement community; she is been an active volunteer with them for the past four years. Thank you, Holly!

past January, Jeff also raised funds for the Charter House by organizing a Carpenters Tribute Concert featuring Sally Olson & Tim Guiles at CVUUS. Thank you for all your Bob Ruggiero, of Middlebury, hard work, Jeff! has been a volunteer with St. Stephen’s Church under the auspices of the Charter House for the past 6 years. His weekly volunteer responsibilities include both food preparation and delivery. “I participate in preparation of Monday community lunches and bag lunches for HOPE and CVOEO. I also deliver bag lunches to HOPE and CVOEO and at times, deliver soup prepared by Hannaford Career Center to Charter House for commu-

nity lunch. I really enjoy responding to people in need in our community,� says Bob. Everyone at the Charter House appreciates Bob’s willingness to help out: “His reliability of delivering sandwiches to HOPE and CVOEO on a regular basis ensures that members of our community have access to a lunch even when they are unable to come to Charter House or St Stephen’s during the lunch.� Thank you for supporting the needs of the community, Bob!

Bob Ruggiero

Hayley Jones Hayley Jones, a student at Middlebury College, has been a winter intern and a volunteer with the Charter House shelter in Middlebury. As a winter term intern, she helped to inventory frozen vegetables, created a Facebook page, compiled recipes for the Charter House cookbook, and cooked supper for the student volunteer community. During January, Hayley and her fellow interns improvised a chili recipe for fifty people using frozen zucchini and cabbage (more fun than it sounds). Last week, she worked with the college organization, EatReal, and had the opportunity to cook a community supper, making pizza, roasted root vegetables, and zucchini bread! Haley finds that she is always awed by the power that food has to bring people together: “I’ve met so many wonderful individuals and heard so many powerful stories, all

Community-Minded‌ It’s just our way! EastView residents, staff, board members & family are continually involved in making meaningful contributions as volunteers. We also extend thanks to those warm-hearted and wonderful volunteers who come to EastView and enrich our community.

100 Eastview Terrace, Middlebury, Vermont 802-989-7501 • EastViewMiddlebury.com

T HEATER

OWN HALL

Merchants Row Middlebury, VT Tickets: 802-382-9222 www.townhalltheater.org

TOWN HALL THEATER Middlebury, Vermont seeks a

Technical director/

225 facilities Volunteers Make 1 Amazing Theater! manager We could not do it without you.

Applicants for this full-time, year round position should have the ability to maintain and operate all theatrical systems (lighting, sound, projection), and have experience with set construction. Other responsibilities include: facilitate load-ins, runs,

With Sincere Gratitude, The Sta at Town Hall Theater.

Charlie Mitchell Charlie Mitchell, a sophomore at because we eat dinner as a community.� Charter House Volunteer and Programs Director, Samantha Kachmar says Haley has made many special contributions to the organization: “She is very positive and creates a feeling of acceptance with her presence.� Thank you for your commitment to the community, Hayley!

Elizabeth Zhou Elizabeth Zhou, a sophomore at

Middlebury College, is the Volunteer Program Coordinator of the Page 1 Literacy Project. Elizabeth enjoys spreading a love of reading describing, “Children’s book stories, as simplistic as they may seem, help us to understand and appreciate the world from new perspectives. I find the enthusiasm of the students I work with is contagious. Each one-hour reading session leaves me feeling nostalgic and inspired!� Elizabeth coordinates 10-12 reading programs per semester between college volunteers and local elementary schools. Along with the rest of the Page 1 Literacy Project board, she creates program themes, organizes volunteer trainings, and designs and implements itineraries. In addition, she volunteers as

Middlebury College, has been serving as the Co-Coordinator for Middlebury Foods for the past one and a half years. He also volunteers with Migrant Justice, a community organizing group for human rights and food justice. As Co-Coordinator of Middlebury Foods, Charlie is responsible for managing the development and daily operations of the organization. He leads a team of 15-20 volunteers in coordinating community outreach and ordering and distributing thousands of pounds of fresh, often local produce and meat at discount prices. Charlie enjoys the chance to make friends and acquaintances with so many people in Addison County that he never would have met otherwise: “Our communi-

ty is full of kind, creative and hardworking people whose company I truly enjoy—not to mention our amazing team of students who exhaust themselves month in and in month out supporting this organization.� Thank you for your dedicated service, Charlie!

AnnaClare Smith AnnaClare Smith has volunteered

a Program Leader alongside three other students at Shoreham Elementary School. Elizabeth has also volunteered with Mary Johnson Children’s Center and Bridport Elementary School. Thank you for your time and commitment, Elizabeth!

Deborah Young Deborah Young, of New Haven, has

been a volunteer with the Charter House Winter Shelter for Families and Individuals for the past four years. Each week, she visits with the residents, keeps the house running smoothly and helps with any unexpected challenges that may arise. Deborah finds the work to be very meaningful: “I feel like I am helping someone else and hopefully making the world a better place. I enjoy the opportunity to meet new people - clients or co-volunteers - and really feel that I am a part of the community.� Charter House staff member Samantha Kashmar greatly appreciates Deborah’s warmth and support: “Deborah genuinely enjoys meeting our volunteers and residents and that comes across in all her interactions at Charter House.� Deborah has also served

feel that whatever bit I contribute adds to the overall betterment of this community. I believe we are all responsible for the welfare of each other in a community as far as we are able.� Thank you for strengthening our community, Maureen.

been coordinating the weekly community lunches at the Charter House Coalition for the past eight years. Her responsibilities include organizing and participating in preparation of weekly Monday community lunches, providing 48 bag lunches weekly to HOPE and CVOEO, as well as assisting with weekly processing sessions in August-September of fresh vegetables from Charter House community gardens. What Holly most enjoys about volunteering is working with others to respond to

Jeff Rehbach, of Middlebury, has

been volunteering with the Charter House since 2010. Initially, Jeff helped staff the winter housing shelter once a week, providing a supportive home to many individual and families in transition. Presently, he helps coordinate the community lunches which serve approximately 275 meals each week. “Volunteering with the Charter House has given me the opportunity to meet a cross-section of our community and enjoy serving and sharing meals together,� says Jeff. Charter House Volunteer and Programs Director, Samantha Kachmar greatly appreciates Jeff’s support and his culinary creativity: “Jeff is able to create a delicious meal out of any ingredients that we have available!� This

Maureen Williams Maureen Williams, of East Middlebury, has been a volunteer with the Charter House Coalition for the past three years. The Charter House Coalition is a volunteerbased organization dedicated to providing basic food and housing in and around Middlebury. As a CH volunteer, she provides consistent support to the families and individuals at the shelter, offering assistance as needed. She possesses a calm and welcoming presence and is always willing to share her life experiences with volunteers and residents alike. Maureen has also served as a Living Strong Leader with the Champlain Valley Agency on Aging for thirteen years. “I enjoy both situations for the opportunities to become acquainted with more local people. More importantly, I

with John Graham Housing & Services for the past three years. Each Thursday, AnnaClare and other Middlebury students travel to Vergennes to cook dinner for residents, building relationship with the residents during their stay. AnnaClare also helps plan several additional events throughout the year with the extended Addison County community. She helps to provide a Thanksgiving Dinner and Easter Brunch for current and past residents. AnnaClare most enjoys the relationships she has built with residents, particularly as they develop over the years. She describes: “There have been several residents we

have seen in many different settings, and we have been able to grow deeper and more meaningful relationships.� Thank you for your many contributions, AnnaClare!

Susie Snow & Cecelia Halavonich Susie Snow and Cecelia Halavonich, a mother-daughter

on the board of the Shard Villa for the past two years. She describes, “I enjoy thinking creatively and working with the Director and other Board Members to make sure it is the best elder care facility possible.� Thank you for your valuable contributions, Deborah!

pair from Fayston, volunteer together at Homeward Bound. They take pleasure in walking and playing with the dogs, but also love “snuggling with the cats!� The pairs’ bright smiles and enthusiasm are appreciated by the staff and the animals alike. Cecelia is a fifth grade homeschooler who took the initiative of incorporating volunteering into her curriculum this year. As a result, the duo has also volunteered at Robinson Elementary School and the Lawrence Memorial Children’s Library. When asked what their favorite part of volunteering was, they collectively stated,

“We like the sense of pride we feel when we are helping people and communities. We also enjoy meeting new people.� Thank you for all your work, Susie and Cecelia!

Spotlight

Addison Independent, Thursday, April 14, 2016 — PAGE 17A

on Addison County

Volunteers

What’s it take to be a volunteer? The Volunteer Center of the United Way and RSVP work in partnership to connect community members of all different ages, backgrounds, interests and skill sets with local non-proďŹ t organizations. This effort increases the capacity of the community to effectively meet local needs. Using channels such as local newspapers, volunteer websites, social media, printed materials and outreach, The Volunteer Center & RSVP invite community members to learn about these local needs and become involved. Together, they manage hundreds of different types of opportunities and continuously provide new offerings. Community members connect with the Volunteer Center & RSVP in many ways. They inquire via host websites, email, calls, one-on-one appointments and drop-in visits. Sometimes individuals and groups are responding to a particular request, such as helping prepare food for a community meal, or becoming a reading mentor for a student, and they are eager to get started. Other times, they are looking to learn about and explore different options, in hopes of ďŹ nding just the right ďŹ t. Once placed, volunteers play a vital role. The time, effort, skills and expertise they bring to an organization (cooking,

THE UNITED WAY Volunteer Center and RSVP are located at 48 Court St. in Middlebury.

teaching, bookkeeping, writing, painting, etc.), helps increase the capacity of an organization to achieve their mission. Volunteers beneďŹ t in numerous ways, including providing a sense of purpose and accomplishment, building relationships, learning new skills, staying active, reducing stress-related

On the go MIDDLEBURY UNION HIGH School student Hadley Evans-Nash packages up to-go dinners during Community Supper service at the Congregational Church of Middlebury on a recent Friday night.

Independent photo/Trent Campbell

Thank you volunteers for all that you do to enrich our communties. Telecommunications Sales & Service Data Cabling & Fiber Optics +PIO BOE +JN 'JU[HFSBME t

illness, and just plain having fun! Depending on their goals, people may be looking for a short-term or long-term volunteer opportunity. For those looking for an inspiring, shortterm experience, the Volunteer Center and RSVP encourages participation in the Days of Caring. Days of Caring, is a two-day volunteer event every September that mobilizes hundreds of students, sports teams, service groups, community members, non-proďŹ t and business groups to complete projects at organizations throughout the county. If you’re interested in joining our team and volunteering for any type of opportunity, follow the steps below. Steps to becoming a volunteer: 1. Call 388-7189, email volunteer@unitedwayaddisoncounty.org or rsvpvcadd@aol.com or visit our ofďŹ ce at 48 Court St. in Middlebury to have a conversation with a volunteer coordinator about your interests, skills, and availability. 2. Visit unitedwayaddisoncounty. galaxydigital.com or www.volunteermatch.com to browse volunteer opportunities and brainstorm about what you might like to do. 3. Be matched with a volunteer opportunity. 4. Try it out!

BOYS AND GIRLS Club of Greater Vergennes youth Patrick and Alexis hold up a sign to thank the Addison County Board of Realtors (ACBOR) for its recent donation of $750. Also pictured are, from left to right, Courtney Houston, president of ACBOR; Kira, the club’s Youth of the Year; Jessica Francese, the club’s new program director; and Jeff Fritz, the club’s chairman of the board.

Artist fundraiser boosts Boys & Girls Club VERGENNES — The winter blues didn’t get the Addison County Board of Realtors down in March. Instead, a group of these real estate professionals came together at Lincoln Peak Vineyard in New Haven and enjoyed a fun afternoon with a purpose: They

hosted a “Paint ’n Sip� fundraiser with local artist Bethany Farrell. The whimsical paint session raised over $750 for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Vergennes. National Association of Realtors CEO Dale A. Stinton is a product of

his local Boys and Girls Club; therefore, this local chapter of Realtors (ACBOR) was inspired by his success to give their annual contribution to a local nonproďŹ t that invests in future leaders who ďŹ nd the Boys and Girls Club a home away from home today.

Bone Builders (Continued from Page 11A) County. The Bone Builders Program was developed 15 years ago by the RSVP Program in Rutland. Since that time, the program has become a model throughout the United States. It was designed to help improve strength, balance and exibility and prevent and reverse osteoporosis, reducing the incidence of bone fractures.

In Vermont, health care costs for osteoporosis related hip fractures are estimated at $90,000 per fracture, not to mention lack of independence and fatality rate that often accompanies these fractures. Vermont has a growing number of men and women over the age of 50 who are retired or nearing retirement and living on a ďŹ xed income. By Participating in the free Bone

Builders classes twice weekly, participants gain bone density, muscle strength, balance, exibility, energy, and wellbeing. Participants also greatly enjoy the companionship, support, social connection (and fun!) that comes with attending class regularly. The program continues to grow with new participants, volunteer leaders and classes starting all the time!

PAGE 18A — Addison Independent, Thursday, April 14, 2016

State OKs ‘biogas’ pipeline in Salisbury

ADDISON COUNTY

Business News

Key employees buy Middlebury bike shop Tier scaling back after four decades

ries of restaurants. Tier said he did his best to diversify the offerings of the store, especially in winter. The store stocked By EVAN JOHNSON camping equipment and sold crossMIDDLEBURY — New own- country skis for 25 years and even ers who officially took the helm of tried table tennis and darts. Middlebury’s only bike shop, The “We tried all these different Bike Center, say Addison County things, but eventually what it meant cyclists will continue to be able to was we had to go out and get second choose from a full menu of bike ser- jobs,” Tier said. vices and get advice on riding in the The store also saw some of the area this season. biggest names in outdoor sports The one new thing cyclists will when they were just getting started. encounter is a new sign: They are Joe Montgomery, founder of bike changing the shop’s name to Frog manufacturer Cannondale, brought Hollow Bikes. his first courier bags and racks in Local cyclists and Bike Center 1973 for a demonstration. employees Chas Lyons and Carl Jake Carpenter, founder of BurRobinson just recently bought the ton Snowboards, brought his first shop on Main Street from prototype into the shop longtime owner David in 1982 and he and Tier “It’s the town’s took the new equipment Tier. “It’s the town’s bike bike shop. for a test ride on the shop,” Robinson said. Our plan is slope across the street. “Our plan is to continue The shop sold snowto continue to to have bikes for everyboards for about a year have bikes for one.” before most of the ski The Bike Center has everyone.” areas in the state banned existed under several — Carl Robinson them. Both Burton and names since April 1972, Cannondale now base when it was founded as a much of their production retail outlet for the Student Hostel- overseas. ling Program, which operated bike Tier operated the business with trips for high school students, and Justin Crocker from 1998 until once was headquartered in Roches- 2014. Crocker, a licensed cycling ter. coach and category II racer, brought Tier, a Middlebury resident, first 20 years of experience to The Bike encountered the shop while he was Center. working at Planned Parenthood in After Crocker died in 2014, Tier 1973 in the same building, then the began a gradual transition of ownerBeckwith Block. Tier soon found ship to two longtime shop employhimself spending more time down- ees, Robinson and Lyons. stairs in the shop than in his office. “This is not a sudden move,” Tier “I’ve been riding bikes since I said. “This has been in the works for was six years old, so it was natural several years.” for me to gravitate down there,” he Tier will continue to own the said. building and work as the chief bike In 1973, he started working at assembler in the downstairs workthe shop, “rather than being a nui- shop. Robinson, Lyons and two othsance,” Tier recalled. er employees will work on the main In the spring of 1974, the shop floor. Tier said he’s looking forward was incorporated as its own busi- to spending more time working on ness, and Tier and his nephew bikes than running a business. bought it in 1975. Tier moved the “It’s time for me to stick to what shop to its present Main Street lo- I like to do, which is build the bikes cation in January 1984. The build- and go out riding more,” he said. ing, which dates back to 1810, had “There’s a reason why people retire served as an antique shop and a se- at 65.”

AFTER OPERATING THE Bike Center in Middlebury for 40 years, David Tier, center, is passing the business on to two employees, Chas Lyons, left, and Carl Robinson. The shop has been in operation in downtown Middlebury since 1972. Independent photo/Trent Campbell

A NEW ENERGY Other than a new coat of paint and some reorganizing, Robinson and Lyons said the most notable change will be the new name. Robinson said the shop would continue to support local events including the Vermont Gran Fondo gap-to-gap bike ride, scheduled for June 4, and the Vermont Safe Routes to School Program. Working with local riders, he also hopes to rejuvenate a local mountain bike chapter and expand the amount of mountain bike trails in the area with the help of the Vermont Mountain Bike Association and the Middlebury Area Land Trust, of which Robinson serves as executive director. The new owners also plan to launch a new website and host a

grand opening party in the coming weeks. “We’re going to let the community know what we’re doing and that we’re still here,” Robinson said. “We also want to thank David for everything he’s done in his over 40 years.” The new shop owners are also planning a bike and gear swap and flea market on April 30. The shop is the starting point for Thursday morning road bike rides and Saturday morning mountain bike rides. While Middlebury’s shop enters a new chapter, David Tier said cyclists will always appreciate it when their bikes run smoothly. “It’s one of those ironic jobs where if you do a really good job, no one says anything about it because it’s well done,” he said.

SALISBURY — The Vermont Public Service Board on Friday authorized the construction and operation of a pipeline to send methane gas, derived from organic waste, from the Goodrich family farm on Shard Villa Road in Salisbury to Middlebury College. The project is being spearheaded by a company called Lincoln Renewable Natural Gas, or Lincoln RNG. LincolnRNG plans sell most of the RNG produced by the Salisbury plant to Middlebury College, to replace some of the No. 6 heating oil that the college currently uses. According to PSB filings, the college has a contract to buy 75 percent of the gas that LincolnRNG produces in Salisbury. Middlebury College will have a minority stake of less than 20 percent in the operation. LincolnRNG also has a contract to sell the rest to Vermont Gas Systems, which will market the fuel. Vermont Gas announced on Wednesday announced plans to sell (RNG) to customers beginning this fall. Initially, Vermont Gas can sell the LincolnRNG via its “gas island,” where it trucks gas from a central distribution point to an end user; but eventually it will be able to send it distances using the Addison Natural Gas Project pipeline, which is now under construction. On the Goodrich farm, RNG, sometimes marketed as “biogas,” will be derived primarily from manure and corn silage from the home farm and neighboring farms, as well as from brewery waste from a local brewery. The LincolnRNG facility will include an anaerobic digester tank system to produce biogas, and gas upgrade and purification equipment to refine the biogas into the finished product. The

PSB said the gas in the pipeline will be 97 percent methane. The Public Service Board trumpeted the environmental and economic benefits that this Salisbury pipeline will provide, including the: • Replacement of a substantial volume of foreign-sourced fossil fuel currently used by Middlebury College with a local, renewable fuel source. • Creation of a secondary revenue stream for local farms through the utilization of farm wastes. • Production of soil-enrichment byproducts and animal bedding for use on area farms. • Use of brewery waste as a source of inputs for the RNG, • Reduction of raw methane greenhouse gas emissions from manure lagoons on participating dairy farms. • Reduction of odors associated with manure storage and spreading on local farms. The PSB said LincolnRNG is also exploring the potential for using the biogas as an alternative vehicle fuel. Middlebury College and town officials in Salisbury and Middlebury had filed letters of support for the project. Vermont Gas boasted that its customers will be able to reduce their carbon footprint by using RNG. It said it had endorsements from companies such as “Seventh Generation,” the Burlington-based maker of environmentally sensitive home products. Press materials included a quote from Seventh Generation CEO John Replogle, who said that using renewable natural gas would put Vermont on the road to “protecting the health of our communities, and of our planet, for future generations.”

JACKIE DEERING

Deering earns national teacher award MIDDLEBURY — The Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation (TLLCCF) has announced that Jackie Deering of Otter Creek Child Center in Middlebury has been selected to receive the 2016 Terri Lynne Lokoff/Children’s Tylenol National Child Care Teacher Award. Deering was selected from a pool of applicants nationwide. She will receive an award of $1,000 on Saturday, April 16, in Philadelphia. There are a total of 49 National Child Care Teacher Award recipients for 2016. The recipients of the Terri Lynne Lokoff National Child Care Teacher Awards each designed an enhancement project that illus-

trates the educational, social and emotional benefits for the children in their care. Deering’s award-winning project that she will implement with a grant from the awards program is the “Sensory Table Project.” A new sensory table that will be added to Otter Creek’s preschool classroom will provide new ways for the children to explore and experiment with many different types of materials. A committee of national early childhood educators and experts reviewed and scored the applications. Each recipient receives a $1,000 award: $500 to implement their proposed project and $500 to acknowledge their dedication.

Sustainability Expo slated for May 14 MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury Energy Committee presents the 2016 Sustainability Expo on Saturday, May 14, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Middlebury Union Middle School The Sustainability Expo builds on the success of the previous 2015 Sustainable Living Expo, which was attended by over 500 residents and local businesspeople. “The purpose of the Sustainability Expo is to explore the myriad of ways that we can create a more vibrant, self-sustaining future, by adopting innovative technology, becoming more self sufficient, and working together with others in our community,” said

Elizabeth Golden-Pidgeon, expo executive director. “We expect over 600 people to participate in this year’s expo, which offers a unique opportunity to learn from each other, explore new opportunities, and access the tools and materials needed to create a more sustainable future for everyone in Addison County.” The expo will feature informationpacked exhibits and workshops, as well as interactive children’s activities and delicious local foods. The attendance fee is $5 for adults, students and children 16 and older, and free for children younger than 16. This year, the Sustainability Expo is adding Community Transportation to its mix of exhibitors and workshops, including off-site events in the Addison County area, presented by the Middlebury Energy Committee and Go! Vermont. WORKSHOPS The expo will offer innovative and interactive workshops that deepen our understanding of sustainable living, covering the following areas: Community Transportation, Local Food, Renewable Energy, Green Housing, Integrative Health and Healthy Ecosystems. EXHIBITS The variety of exhibitors has been increased to offer a greater diversity of products and services that support sustainable living. Exhibit rates are $135 for an 8-by-6-foot booth and $185 for a 10-by-10-foot booth in the main exhibit hall. For more information on sponsoring, exhibiting, workshops and volunteering, contact Golden-Pidgeon at elizabethgolden@shoreham.net.

Addison Independent, Thursday, April 14, 2016 — PAGE 19A

New Haven (Continued from Page 1A) the outcome of the vote is up to the taxpayers,” said Dupoise. At its Wednesday afternoon meeting, the selectboard set the date for the townwide Australian ballot vote on the project for Tuesday, May 24. Barrett said the board will need to meet again to approve the official warning. Additionally the selectboard scheduled three informational meetings at the town hall: Saturday, April 23, at 1 p.m.; Tuesday, May 10, at 6:30 p.m.; and Monday, May 23, at 6:30 p.m. Highlights of the eight-page agreement include: • Payments of $1.4 million per year to the town for 40 years, with yearly 1 percent adjustments for inflation. • $4 million to build a new fire station and a new town garage. • Acceptable sound levels for the project set at “World Health Organization guidelines of 40 dBa broadband/35 dBa tonal at the exterior of any residence.” • A VGL Compensation Fund for designated abutters, with an initial amount of $1 million (see attachment four of the term sheet to see which specific properties are included). “I think our negotiation team has done a fantastic job,” Barrett said. “There’s been give and take on both sides, and I think we have a very good outline of what we want.” CONCERNS RAISED

Orwell Residents at New Haven’s annual town meeting on Feb. 29 spoke forcefully through a nonbinding vote that they wanted the decision on the VGL converter to go to Australian ballot. Concerns have been raised about how the converter satiation will affect the New Haven landscape visually, and how much noise it will produce. Rossignoli pledged that VGL would abide by the outcome of the town vote, that the VGL partnership would only approach the Public Service Board for its approval of the plan if New Haven supported the converter station. But he also indicated that as far as VGL was concerned the clock was ticking and if New Haven delayed too long, the VGL partnership would look elsewhere. Soon thereafter, Middlebury made a bid to host the converter station, and the Middlebury-VGL negotiations have continued in parallel to the ones in New Haven. Middlebury Director of Business Development Jamie Gaucher on Wednesday morning had not given up on the idea of his town hosting the converter station. “I remain convinced that the Middlebury Industrial Park would be a great location for an industrial project like the suggested VGL converter station, and Middlebury remains very interested in working with the VGL team around options,” he said. New Haven and representatives for

the Vermont Green Line have been in negotiation since August 2015. The VGL is a project of energy developer Anbaric Transmission and international energy company National Grid. The partnership wants to run 60 miles of underground high-voltage direct-current cable from upstate New York, under Lake Champlain, and then convert it back to AC power and plug into the electrical grid at the VELCO substation in New Haven. The power would be sold to Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The converter station requires a site of roughly four to five acres and would be roughly the size of a football field and five stories high. Developers have estimated the value of the converter station at between $100 million to $150 million. The entire VGL project itself is estimated to cost roughly $650 million. “I think we negotiated a very good deal, certainly the best thing that will ever probably happen to New Haven in my lifetime and maybe beyond,” said Dupoise. “That being said, as in any negotiations, there is give and take. Joe has people he has to answer to, including stockholders and whatever else, to negotiate the best possible deal that they can get. We have an obligation to the town to make the best possible deal we could get for the town.” To read the 13-page term sheet, go to addisonindependent.com.

provided by April 29, 2016,” Langrock concludes. “In that case, my clients welcome the town’s joining of a legal action to compel VTrans to provide the information requested.” Langrock added his clients are also prepared to take legal action independent of the town. Contacted on Wednesday morning, Langrock declined to share the names or number of clients he is representing. He said the nature of the legal action would depend on the amount of information that VTrans does, or doesn’t, present by the deadline. “Our intention is to work with the town and make sure that if the project goes forward, it complies with all environmental and safety regulations, and we need that information to determine if that’s going to happen,” Langrock said. ‘CONSTRUCTIVE HELP’ Bruce Hiland, principal owner of Middlebury’s historic Battell Block that fronts both Main Street and Merchants Row, is among Langrock’s clients. “The letter clearly spells out the next step in our continuing effort to provide constructive help to the selectboard,” Hiland said. “We believe we share with them a common objective: specifically, to assure maximum protection to our community during a long and risk-laden construction project in the historic center of our town. To support their efforts our letter identifies a number of items that urgently need clarification and we offer assistance in gathering and analyzing that information.” Jim Gish is Middlebury’s community liaison for the rail bridges project. He expressed concerns that the letter might be perceived as an unnecessary, heavy handed approach. “As the town’s community liaison for the downtown bridge replacement project, I’m attending VTrans planning meetings and reviewing planning documents,” he said. “I haven’t seen any indication that we need to compel VTrans to provide information to the town under the threat of legal action. VTrans and (engineers) VHB are willingly sharing planning documents

with me, with our local project management team, with the selectboard, and with other interested parties.” He believes that two weeks might not be enough time for VTrans to provide answers to all the property owners’ questions. “Demanding that VTrans provide an answer to all the complex questions posed in Peter’s letter in less than three weeks or face legal action when major construction downtown is still 12 months off runs counter to the careful and deliberate steps now taking place to deliver a sound and well-considered plan and to keep Middlebury safe during construction and in the years ahead,” Gish said. Langrock, through his letter, indicated his clients’ request should not be perceived as a threat, but rather as an “effort to assure the town of Middlebury and my clients that the steps being taken during the planning and design review are sound and wellconsidered.” Gish contends the information being sought through the Langrock letter is, and will be, supplied through the ongoing refinement of the project plans. As the Addison Independent went to press on Wednesday afternoon, the Middlebury selectboard was scheduled to discuss the Langrock letter at a meeting that evening. “The in-depth planning and discussion now taking place between the town, VTrans, and the design engineering firm VHB are focused on addressing many of the same concerns expressed in Peter’s letter regarding public safety, environmental protection, and the vitality of our downtown business community,” Gish said. “From what I’ve observed, solutions to the challenges posed by this complex project are being developed in a collaborative and transparent partnership. In the past this project has been plagued by misunderstandings, miscommunication and rumor. Now we are dealing with facts and figures and making real progress.” Read Langrock’s complete letter to the town and see a list of toxic spills in Middlebury with this story online at addisonindependent.com.

Railroad (Continued from Page 1A) with a concrete tunnel at a cost of around $40 million. Work is expected to kick off this fall and conclude by the end of 2018, with periods of 20hour work days. Affected property owners have expressed concerns about how their respective buildings — many of them historic in nature — could be affected by project noise, dust, blasting and traffic detours. Moreover, they have criticized the notion of maintaining freight train traffic through a Middlebury downtown that has already seen one train derailment in recent memory. Langrock’s clients are offering to shoulder the cost of a “third party railroad expert” to review what Langrock referred to as “key documents,” including emergency response plans for any train derailment that might involve spills of gasoline, diesel, chlorine, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and ammonia. The letter includes a total of 18 questions/information requests that the downtown property owners want addressed, including: • What are the dates and durations of street closures? • What insurance does each of the contractors carry? • Plans showing any project drainage discharge point and associated discharge permit from the state. • Project design document for professional review by a qualified third party in cooperation and collaboration with the town. • A contaminated materials disposal plan. • Evidence of funding commitments and conditions in an amount exceeding the contractually guaranteed total included in the cost of the project. The property owners also expressed some misgivings about Vermont Rail’s plans to remove and replace tracks at the project location in order to maintain daily freight traffic along the western corridor of the state. “The replacement of tracks on a daily basis is a real risk without a demonstrated mitigation,” the letter reads. It requests that town and VTrans officials refer to existing emergency response, isolation and protection standards prescribed by the state and federal governments. “My clients are urgently concerned and have instructed us to proceed to legal action in the event that the requisite documents and anticipated cooperation from VTrans have not been

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(Continued from Page 1A) unification by a 263-127 tally, West Haven by 32-13, Benson by 115-47, Hubbardton by 66-13, and Fair Haven by 158-129. The new district would have had one education budget for its five elementary schools and Fair Haven Union High School. The ARSU was seeking to join three other area supervisory unions that took the school governance unification leap earlier this year through an “accelerated merger” referendum: Addison Central, Addison Northwest and Rutland Northeast. But Vermont’s Act 46 requires all participating communities to endorse the accelerated merger proposal for it to take effect and thereby net the associated communities the requisite financial incentives. Those incentives included: • Decreases of 10 cents on the education property tax rate during the first year of the governance merger, followed by 8 cents in year two; 6 cents in year three; 4 cents in year four; and finally, 2 cents in year five. • A “transition facilitation grant” of $130,000 to assist in the creation of the new district. • The ability to retain a combined total of $200,000 in Small Schools Grants now being received by the ARSU. That amounts to around $100,000 annually for Orwell. So now proponents of a Slate Valley Unified Union School District will wait to see if an Orwell resident files a citizens’ petition within the requisite 30 days that would trigger a revote in the town on the unification proposal. Barring a petition and a successful revote, the district could seek to move forward with a “conventional” model of unification that would offer participating communities fewer tax incentives. Eastman said that absent a successful revote, the ARSU will need to form a brand new Act 46 Study Committee to plan for a new unification effort. Orwell would again be invited to participate on that panel.

The committee, among other things, would need to determine whether Orwell’s membership in the unified district would be necessary or merely “advisable” in making the new Slate Valley Unified Union School District a reality. If the panel determines Orwell’s participation is not absolutely necessary, this could allow a unified district to form with just the five Rutland County towns if Orwell voters again take a pass, officials said. Act 46 requires the new unified school districts to have at least 900 students. The proposed six-community Slate Valley Unified Union School District would have had an estimated 1,350 students, according to Eastman. A new district without Orwell in the mix would still contain more than 900 students, Eastman noted. The Orwell Village School currently has an enrollment of 122 students and is not at risk of being closed or consolidated in the foreseeable future, according to ARSU officials. But Eastman and ARSU Superintendent Ron Ryan noted some residents at the pre-vote informational meetings in Orwell expressed fears that school governance consolidation might become a precursor to closing of some of the rural schools in the new Slate Valley Unified Union School District. LOCAL CONTROL Other Orwell residents said they feared a loss of local control that consolidation might bring. But supporters of Act 46 note that communities that have not joined a unified school district by 2018 will be required to do so anyway — and the Vermont Agency of Education can direct them to join a district that might be less palatable than the one they rejected. Orwell would have seen an estimated 10-cent reduction in its education property tax rate (from $1.41 to $1.31) in fiscal year 2017, had residents opted for the accelerated merger, according to the ARSU business

office. Lawmakers have touted Act 46 as primarily a vehicle for containing future education cost increases in this era of declining enrollment in most regions of the Green Mountain State. “It’s somewhat disappointing,” Ryan said of the Orwell vote. “The Act 46 Committee did a lot of hard work. We will wait now to see what happens.” Eastman was among those who put in the long hours studying the unification issue. She also serves as Orwell’s Republican representative in the Vermont House, and was among those legislators who voted against Act 46 last year. But she gradually changed her mind on the new law, believing a unified district would, among other things, make school operations and budgeting more transparent. With Tuesday’s vote now in the rearview mirror, Eastman does not want Orwell’s public education interests to get lost in the shuffle. She is concerned, for example, that Orwell could be confined to only one unified school board representative if the community is forced to join a district in the future. Eastman noted that the ARSU Act 46 Study Committee expanded its proposed unified school board to 18 members in part to assure Orwell two seats. That representation could now drop to one on a future unified board, she said. “I understand we love our school, and we have a great community that supports our school, but if the law stands as-is and we are told where to go, it could be not as positive an outcome,” Eastman said. In other voting in Orwell on Tuesday, residents picked Eastman (unopposed), and Glen Cousineau over Amy Roy, 211 to 74, in a contest for what would have been Orwell’s two seats in the Slate Valley Unified Union School District board. Those elections are, of course, a moot point given failure of the unification referendum.

Unitarian Universalist Society, 2 Duane Court, on Thursday, April 14, at 7 p.m. Then on Sunday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. is the Sheldon Museum Antiques Appraisal Day at Middlebury’s Courtyard Marriott where six antiques experts are on hand to offer appraisals for a nominal fee.

Despite an unusually warm winter in the Northeast, Vermont sugarmakers are saying that 2016 has been a successful year for producing maple syrup. They have cited ideal weather conditions once the taps started running as a primary reason for the successful spring. Matt Gordon, head of the Vermont Sugar Makers’ Association, said in a recent release that all signs are pointing to a very productive 2016 season for Vermont sugarmakers. “While it’s all anecdotal at this point, everybody I’ve talked to has been really enthusiastic about this season,” Gordon said. A final tally of gallons produced will be announced later this spring.

By the way (Continued from Page 1A) show airs at 9 p.m. On March 26, the Leicester Democratic Committee held a caucus to select a resident to represent Leicester at the 2016 State Democratic Convention to be held on May 22. Hilary Hatch was unanimously selected for the position. The Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History in Middlebury is a hopping place lately. Among the many activities this month, the museum will host a presentation by author, biographer and Middlebury College Professor Jay Parini on the “The Writer and the Movies” at the Champlain Valley

We see that the CVUUS will certainly be busy in coming days. After the Parini talk on Thursday, the Duane Court society will host area musicians Patrick Fitzsimmons, Tim Guiles, Catherine Walsh and Stephen Rainville for a free concert to celebrate Bernie Sanders’ candidacy for president. Organizers said there would be opportunities to donate to the Sanders campaign.

PAGE 20A — Addison Independent, Thursday, April 14, 2016

OSCAR ALEJANDRO SANCHEZ Guillen of Venezuela collects his citizenship documents at the conclusion of a naturalization ceremony held at Beeman Elementary School in New Haven Tuesday afternoon. Independent photos/Trent Campbell

THE BRISTOL AMERICAN Legion color guard enters the Beeman Elementary School gymnasium at the start of Tuesday’s naturalization ceremony hosted by the New Haven school.

Naturalization

BEEMAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL kindergartner Benjamin Napolean holds his hand over his heart as the color guard passes him in the school gymnasium at the start of the citizen naturalization ceremony hosted by the New Haven school Tuesday afternoon.

(Continued from Page 1A) ization ceremony into their curriculum in a number of ways, including learning about refugees. The Beeman and other ANeSU students’ contributions were an integral part of the heartfelt ceremony. Girl Scouts from Troop 30335 welcomed attendees into the building. Boy Scout Andrew Nolan led the Pledge of Allegiance. After the color guard from Bristol’s American Legion Post 19 brought in the colors, the Mount Abe Sweet Transitions a cappella group sang the national anthem. Five Beeman students shared poems they had written for the new citizens on the theme of “Our Wish.� The poems detailed the students’ hopes and dreams for the new Americans and also spoke eloquently of what home meant to them, including “the sound of peepers� and “the sweet smell of freedom.� One poem advised, “Kindness and love is the key to fun.� Poems from all Beeman fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders who’d been part of the “Refugee Project� unit were included in packets given to all 21 new citizens. The Beeman Chorus performed the state song, Diane Martin’s “These Green Hills.� And the New Haven Town Hall/Beeman gym was transformed by the students’ art and decorations. At the front of the hall, colorful,

BEEMAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL students Jennifer Hamel, left, and Allison Bull sing along to “This Land Is Your Land� during a naturalization ceremony for 21 new citizens at the New Haven school Tuesday afternoon.

Reader Comments at one reader has to say about e’s wh us! H er One reader writes, “We love the Addy Indy! We can count on well informed & balanced reporting on all things local; thoughtful editorials and letters; great photography!�

larger-than-life flowers flanked a giant American flag, with a border beneath of red, white and blue bunting. Along the walls hung student artwork (created for the refugee unit) that showed how deeply these young Americans had contemplated what it might mean to leave or lose one’s home. One painting, captioned “Stuck Between,� showed a man with a jagged line down the middle of his face, breaking him in two. Another, captioned “I Will Be Back,� showed a lone figure against a sky with tears that hung like rain drops. Several were simply captioned “Hope.� Carter said that as students’ learned about the challenges many refugees confront, they wanted to help. The students brainstormed different ways to help and eventually started thinking about how to help families with babies and young toddlers to carry. Kids wondered if they could send little red wagons overseas. But Carter said she finally steered their big ideas toward a more doable contribution — soft baby carriers. Part of one wall carried displays of the baby carriers that Beeman students and families had contributed thus far. Beeman’s baby carrier drive is part of the larger “Carry the Future� campaign and is still ongoing. Rounding out the ANeSU contribution to the naturalization ceremony, the welcome address was given

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U.S. BANKRUPTCY JUDGE Colleen A. Brown presided over the citizen naturalization ceremony held at Beeman Elementary School.

NEWLY NATURALIZED U.S. citizen Melinda Arabis Knights poses for photos after completing a naturalization ceremony in New Haven Tuesday afternoon. Twenty-one candidates were naturalized at the ceremony hosted by Beeman Elementary School.

Quotes are taken from reader comments submitted with subscription renewals.

Middlebury, VT 05753 • (802) 388-4944 • www.AddisonIndependent.com

by ANeSU Interim Superintendent Armando Vilaseca, who emigrated from Cuba with his family at the age of eight. In what was clearly an emotional moment for the former immigrant, Vilaseca welcomed the candidates for citizenship. “There’s no better country in the world than the United States,â€? he told them. “I myself became a U.S. citizen about 25 years ago. I was born in Cuba and came to this country, so it is particularly special for me to be here with all of you ‌ This is to me a very emotional and also a very proud moment, and I’m proud of all of you. I know it hasn’t been easy to get where you are and to be here and become U.S. citizens.â€? Officiating the ceremony was the Honorable Colleen A. Brown, chief U.S. bankruptcy judge for Vermont. In her remarks Judge Brown described America as a “collage, not a melting potâ€? and spoke to how each of the new citizens’ stories and contributions would enrich their new country. Brown then administered the Oath of Allegiance and called all the candidates forward to get a handshake and receive their new certificates of U.S. citizenship. The offices of Sens. Leahy and Sanders and U.S. Rep. Welch all sent representatives, as did the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. To become a citizen, a person must

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Addison Independent, Thursday, April 14, 2016 — PAGE 21A

‘Seminar’ portrays dark underbelly of writers’ lives Troupe to stage play in Middlebury next week Doctors come from medical dismissal of the story she first subschool, lawyers from law school. mits. But where do writers and other creDoug (Jack DesBois) uses his ative artists come from? Increas- considerable intellect to fight back, ingly, we study our craft at colleges, while Martin (Sam Finn Cutler) graduate schools, and a vast network protects himself by refusing to of workshops and conferences. show Leonard his work at all. Of course, no schooling is a guarAll four of the students try to proantee of artistic success. Those who tect and help each other out, with can afford it sometimes seek out a series of comical encounters and master classes like the one imagshifting alliances. Eventually afined in Theresa Rebeck’s ter weeks of Leonard’s toughcomedy “Seminar,” a 2011 love scoldings, all four stuBroadway hit. Middlebury dents get their money’s Actors Workshop’s producworth when Leonard finds tion of the play will open at a different way to launch Town Hall Theater in Mideach of them into their cadlebury on April 21. reers. The seminar, more Playwright Theresa like a boot camp, is led Rebeck, also a screenby Leonard (Roy Cutwriter and novelist, ler), a renowned novelknows the world of ist and ruthlessly cruel writing workshops Theater teacher. Leonard’s main well. She taught for teaching method is to many years at BenPreview ridicule every student’s by David Weinstock nington College and is work, character and moa regular at the Dorset tives. His students, who Theater Festival. have paid $5,000 each for the priviBecause the play calls for four lege of having their hearts torn out 20-something characters, direcand stomped upon, have different tor Melissa Lourie reached beyond responses. Izzy (Aryana Sedarati) MAW’s mainstay group of veteran sets out to seduce Leonard. performers. She held out-of-town Kate (Lida Benson), who hosts auditions by Skype video hookups, the seminar in her family’s palatial which she found surprisingly good Upper West Side apartment, finds a for evaluating remote acting talent. way to both prove herself and get Lida Benson is based in the Washback at Leonard, after his crushing ington, D.C., area, Aryana Sederati in New York. Sam Finn Cutler, a Vermonter, is also pursuing his ca-

IN A REHEARSAL of “Seminar,” a play about aspiring writers seeking help from a master novelist, Martin (Sam Finn Cutler) and Kate (Lida Benson) discuss their challenging mentor. Photos courtesy of Aryana Sedarati

reer in New York. He is the real-life son of fellow cast member, Roy Cutler. Middlebury Actors Workshop will present Theresa Rebeck’s comedy “Seminar” at Town Hall Theater in Middlebury, April 21, 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m., and April 23 at 2 p.m.

SEMINAR By Theresa Rebeck • Izzy Martin Kate Douglas Leonard

JACK DESBOIS AS DOUG

Stage Manager Set Design Light Design Costume Design Properties Sound Technician Tech Assistance Board Op Graphic Design Program

Directed by Melissa Lourie

Cast

Crew

Aryana Sedarati Sam Finn Cutler Lida Benson Jack DesBois Roy Cutler Gwen Zwickel Joel Wollum Jess Krol Tia Anechiarico Elsie Sutton Josh Cote Charles Barstow Skyler Franklin Donovan Andrews Jeff Olson

ASPIRING WRITERS IZZY (Aryana Sedarati), left, and Martin (Sam Finn Cutler) anxiously await feedback from renowned novelist Leonard (Roy Cutler) in a rehearsal of the Middlebury Actors Workshop production of “Seminar,” which will play at Town Hall Theater next week.

PAGE 22A — Addison Independent, Thursday, April 14, 2016

Governor (Continued from Page 1A) & Democracy’s invitation. Officials said Scott had expressed a willingness to attend prior to the Sanders endorsement. Speaking before more than 200 people, the candidates gave opening and closing statements, and took questions from a panel of Rights & Democracy representatives. Here is a summary of their declared positions on some of the big issues facing the state: MATT DUNNE This is Dunne’s second run for governor; he also ran for the job back in 2010. Dunne is a former Vermont representative and senator. He is the former director of AmeriCorps VISTA and most recently headed up community affairs for Google from an office in White River Junction. “I’m running for governor, because we love this state, but I am worried about it,” Dunne said. “We are seeing poverty rise at an unprecedented level. We are seeing communities hit by the ravages of a heroin epidemic. We have individuals facing a housing crisis that is turning into a homeless crisis.” Dunne added he’s also concerned about the state’s aging infrastructure and ongoing pollution of Lake Champlain. “We have an opportunity to move our state forward, but we have to focus on creating an economy that works for all Vermonters and all of Vermont,” he said. Creating more affordable housing will be key in Vermont’s efforts to strengthen its economy, according to Dunne. “A livable wage is not just about the wage; it’s about making sure we have affordable housing,” Dunne said. “And it’s making sure that we are able to not let a broken website keep us from moving forward with universal health care for all Vermonters, starting with universal primary care,” Dunne said, alluding to the Vermont Health Connect (VHC) insurance exchange that has been plagued with technical glitches since its inception. He said the state must fix the VHC website, rebuild trust among consumers, and then implement universal primary care. Dunne touted his experience as a recent member of the DartmouthHitchcock Medical Center board of directors, experience that he said could help with Vermont’s health care reform efforts. “We can make (health reforms) happen … because the providers know that what we are doing is not working,” Dunne said. He is not a big fan of the Addison Natural Gas Project (ANGP). That controversial project will soon bring Canadian natural gas from Colchester to Middlebury and Vergennes. It has been praised as an economic development tool, but criticized for environmental reasons and for perpetuating reliance on fossil fuel. “I am very skeptical about the pipeline on the western part of the state for a variety of reasons for the ratepayers,” Dunne said, “and I continue to be concerned about safety.” While he does not support an outright ban on new fossil fuel-related infrastructure in the state, he believes Vermont should intensify its development of renewable energy alternatives. Dunne believes school taxes should be based on a person’s ability to pay, rather than through property taxes. He added Vermont should not tax Social Security benefits, and is one of the few states that do so. Speaking on the drug addiction problem in the state, Dunne advocated for a greater investment in treat-

PETER GALBRAITH, WATCHED closely by Bruce Lisman, speaks during Saturday’s gubernatorial forum hosted by the Champlain Valley Unitarian Universalist Society in Middlebury. Four candidates participated in the forum.

ment and prevention programs. He added the state should work with the health care community to minimize the number of opioid painkillers prescribed to patients. “We need to take (drug addiction) on for the epidemic that it is,” Dunne said. PETER GALBRAITH Galbraith is the most recent addition to the field of gubernatorial candidates. It was in 1993 that former President Bill Clinton appointed him as the first U.S. Ambassador to Croatia. A former teacher, he served as chairman of Vermont’s Democratic Party from 1977-1979. The two-term state senator served with the United Nations in East Timor and Afghanistan and most recently has been working with a British charity on ways to end the war in Syria. “I am running (for governor) to promote economic justice and policies to end inequality,” he said. Galbraith proposed to accomplish those goal through, among other things, immediately raising the state’s minimum wage to $12.50 per hour, with the ultimate goal of $15 per hour by 2020. All four of the candidates expressed support for boosting Vermont’s minimum wage. “We have an affordability crisis here in the state of Vermont,” Galbraith said, adding the crisis is being felt by low-income residents. A raise in the minimum wage, he argues, would make Vermont more affordable. “There is only one way to guarantee a raise in low wages, and that’s a higher minimum wage,” Galbraith said, a move he called “a great antipoverty program” that would take pressure off of taxpayers now paying for various low-income program subsidies. Galbraith also vowed to revise the state’s tax code, which he said is “larded with special interest deduc-

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tions.” He said he would seek repeal of those deductions. He also pledged to “end corporate subsidies” and to resurrect Vermont’s currently tabled effort to enact single-payer, universal health care. Such a program, he said, should be funded through a payroll tax. “With an additional subsidy, you reduce co-pays, you could reduce deductibles, and make the premiums more affordable,” Galbraith said. Also among Galbraith’s priorities: reforming the state’s campaign finance laws. “It is a disgrace that the state of Vermont permits corporations to contribute directly to political campaigns, something banned under federal law since 1907,” Galbraith said. While in the Senate, Galbraith initiated bills to ban natural gas fracking in Vermont. With that in mind, Galbraith — like Dunne — said he’s skeptical of the ANGP. Vermont should focus on renewables and the conservation of energy, according to Galbraith. “Let’s focus on what’s going to work,” he said. “Let’s focus not on profit, but the environment.” If elected governor, Galbraith said, he would push for revisions of current state tax code policies that he said reward special interests. He cited, as examples, the state’s recent decision to exempt cloud products from the sales tax, and the ability of people to deduct from their state income tax the mortgage payments on second homes. Plugging loopholes in the tax code would raise more revenues for essential services, according to Galbraith, who added he is “not afraid to raise rates” on Vermont’s top earners. “We need to have a fair tax code, and we do not have it,” Galbraith said. “What Montpelier does over and over again is carve out special interest exceptions that are pushed by lobbyists.” Galbraith also supports the concept of funding public education through the income tax. BRUCE LISMAN Lisman recounted his humble beginnings growing up in Burlington, working as a dishwasher and learning the value of a dollar. He would later work as a high-level administrator at Bear Stearns, earning a personal fortune that is helping to propel his campaign. “I was lucky, because I was born into a family that had values that mattered — community service, the dignity of work, being involved,” he said. Lisman said he’s running for governor because he believes that Vermont is headed in the wrong direction. “It’s got a fragile, dangerously thin economy, outside of Chittenden County,” Lisman said. “I’m running because I think this crisis of affordability affects us all.” If elected, he vowed to support property tax reform and changes to Act 46, Vermont’s school governance unification law. It’s a law that he said reduces school choice. Lisman promised to bring leadership that “gives us a government that works for you, for policies that matter and to measure outcomes.” A raise in the minimum wage is in order, Lisman said, though he is more focused on increasing the earned income tax credit program. “It’s the second biggest anti-poverty program, and probably the most efficient,” he said. “It is (currently) heavily biased against single adults who are working. We ought to expand it.” Lisman was the only candidate who expressed unabashed support

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THE CHAMPLAIN VALLEY Unitarian Universalist Society hosted nearly a full house for Saturday’s gubernatorial candidates forum.

Independent photos/Trent Campbell

for the ANGP. On health care, Lisman called for ditching Vermont Health Connect in favor of the federal health care exchange. He said Vermont must somehow gain control of a Medicaid program that is covering one third of the state’s population. Since the Medicaid program is not paying the true costs of medical procedures, the difference is being absorbed by those on private insurance plans. Consequently, private insurance rates have been surging by 4 percent to 7 percent each year, according to Lisman. He also called for an audit of the Medicaid program to determine exactly how the money is being spent. And Lisman believes the state should invest more of its health care dollars in mental health counseling, recovery and prevention efforts to take on the opioid crisis in Vermont. “It’s expensive, but we need to do it,” Lisman said. SUE MINTER Minter’s résumé includes stints as Vermont’s secretary of transportation, deputy secretary of transportation, Irene recovery officer, and eight years in the House representing Waterbury, Duxbury, Huntington and Buel’s Gore. She joked that growing up as the only girl in a household with three older brothers, “I had to learn as a young girl how to stand up for my-

self and fight back. I had to prove to myself that anything those boys could do, I could do better.” Her fighting spirit, she said, helped her coordinate rebuilding efforts following the devastation of Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, which damaged numerous roads and bridges and also doomed the Vermont State Hospital in Waterbury. She noted that under her leadership, the state rebuilt 500 miles of damaged roads and bridges in around four months. While in the Legislature, Minter supported marriage equality and raising the minimum wage. She pledged to advocate for additional measures to improve quality of life for working families and low-income residents in need of help. “I’m now running for governor because I see too many Vermonters struggling with an economy that is stacked against them,” Minter said. She promised to support efforts to further raise the minimum wage, improve access to education, add more jobs and strengthen Vermont’s environmental standards. “I’m a leader who knows how to bring people together and get things done,” Minter said. Minter said she is not a fan of further major investments in fossil fuel infrastructure. Like Galbraith, she touted renewables and conservation when it comes to future energy policy.

“The cheapest, cleanest energy is the energy we don’t use,” Minter said. On the issue of health care, Minter called for fixing the Vermont Health Connect website, while containing costs by enhancing primary and preventative care. She advocated for improving the integration of health care and social services, transitioning to a system through which providers are compensated based on health outcomes rather than based on patient visits, procedures and prescriptions. “It is the rising cost of health care and the rate of that increase that is breaking our family budgets and our school budgets,” Minter said. “It is affecting property tax growth and the state budget. If we do not reduce the cost of health care, we will not be reforming the system going forward.” Minter said she would support “comprehensive tax reform” if she is elected, and pledged to continue a priority that she brought to her job as transportation secretary: investing in the state infrastructure. As secretary, she successfully lobbied for bonding of new road and bridge projects. Minter said Vermont should treat homelessness as “an emergency.” She proposed the formation of a task force to study ways of addressing the problem, and then inviting the private sector to partner with communities in building more affordable housing.