Feb 15 2016

Page 1

MONDAY EDITION

ADDISON COUNTY

INDEPENDENT

Vol. 27 No. 45

Middlebury, Vermont

Monday, February 15, 2016

32 Pages

75¢

Property debated as ANwSU vote nears

This quintet is smokin’

• Bria Skonberg will lead her ensemble in a performance of hot jazz. See Arts Beat on Page 10.

Mountain town sets election slate

By ANDY KIRKALDY VERGENNES — Towns’ ownership of their schools and surrounding land has concerned residents each time Addison Northwest Supervisory Union has voted on unification, most recently in 2010, and the upcoming decision on March 1 is no exception. In the past decade, a central question in some residents’ minds has been reluctance to allow control and ownership of their schools to be transferred to a single board with representatives from all five ANwSU towns, as will be the case in if ANwSU member towns vote yes next month.

“That’s the bottom line on this,” said Ferrisburgh selectboard Chairman Steve Gutowski. “The townspeople want to make sure property that they’ve been paying taxes into for forever remains for the use of the town.” And this time around new wrinkles in Ferrisburgh, Vergennes and Addison have complicated the land situations. (See related articles on the details in each community. In the future, the Independent will also explore other issues related to ANwSU unification, including potential financial benefits, educational equity, and collective debt assumption of (See ANwSU, Page 22)

AN ALL-­ VOLUNTEER effort created this ice rink near Ferrisburgh Central School last year, and now some town residents want to ensure that they will be able to use the rink and other land around the school if Ferrisburgh OK’s unification with other ANwSU schools on March 1. Independent file photo/Trent Campbell

• Lincoln voters will see a full list of candidates on March 1, including one contested election. See Page 3.

Men shoot deer from car at night

• Two Brandon men pleaded guilty after game wardens watched them take a deer after sunset. See Page 2.

County rivalry, and a key game

• The VUHS boys’ hoop team hosted MUHS, and Tiger girls’ hockey was looking to secure a top seed. See Sports, Page 16.

Making friends Education firm adds to its ranks

• SchoolHack Solutions of Bristol hires two former Vt. Agency of Education officials. See Page 6.

A SHEEP AND a horse get to know each other across a gate in an East Middlebury barn last week.

Vermont Gas getting ready to install pipe in Vergennes By ANDY KIRKALDY VERGENNES — Vermont Gas Systems intends to bring natural gas service to all Vergennes through its new Addison County

pipeline by the end of 2016, company representatives told the city council last week. Vermont Gas Vice President for (See Vt. Gas, Page 23)

Courtesy photo by Steve James

Middlebury broadband initiative could help area By JOHN FLOWERS MIDDLEBURY — The town of Middlebury has hired a consultant to devise a state-of-the-art broadband telecommunications system that

would serve the seven towns within the Addison Central Supervisory Union and — organizers hope — serve as a powerful catalyst for eco(See Middlebury, Page 15)


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