Chili Festival Preparations for the Vermont Chili Festival in Middlebury on March 8 are brewing. See Page 11A.
Home cookin’
Saturday clinic
The VUHS boys will host a playoff game for sure after winnng on Tuesday. See Sports, Page 1B.
A Saturday morning clinic at Porter Hospital is being led by Dr. Maya Zimmermann. See Page 3A.
ADDISON COUNTY
INDEPENDENT Vol. 68 No. 8
Middlebury, Vermont
◆
Thursday, February 20, 2014
◆
32 Pages
75¢
UD-3 voters to consider recreation facility lease Feb. 25 By JOHN FLOWERS 0,''/(%85< ² 0LGGOHEXU\¶V SODQ WR EXLOG D QHZ UHFUHDWLRQ IDFLO- LW\ RII &UHHN 5RDG ZLOO IDFH LWV ¿UVW PDMRU KXUGOH DW WKH DQQXDO 8' PHHWLQJ RQ 7XHVGD\ )HE ZKHQ GLVWULFW YRWHUV ZLOO EH DVNHG WR DX- WKRUL]H WKH QHJRWLDWLRQ RI D OHDVH IRU WKH ODQG RQ ZKLFK WKH VTXDUH IRRW IDFLOLW\ ZRXOG EH EXLOW 7KH URXJKO\ DFUHV RI ODQG LV
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By JOHN FLOWERS UHQWO\ FKDLUV WKH 9HUPRQW 3DUROH 0,''/(%85< ² :LWK DOPRVW %RDUG \HDUV ORJJHG ZLWK 0LGGOHEXU\¶V *HRUJH ZDVQ¶W NHHQ RQ PDNLQJ WRS HOHFWHG ERDUG DQG KLV ODWHVW WHUP another three-year commitment to VHW WR H[SLUH WKLV 0DUFK 0LGGOHEXU\ WKH VHOHFWERDUG %XW ZKHQ IRUPHU VHOHFWERDUG &KDLUPDQ 'HDQ *HRUJH 6HOHFWPDQ 9LFWRU 1XRYR UHVLJQHG KDG VHULRXVO\ FRQVLG- ODVW PRQWK LW FUHDWHG HUHG ULGLQJ LQWR WKH VXQ- WKH QHHG WR DGG D RQH VHW %XW KH GHFLGHG WR \HDU WHUP LQWR WKH place his name on the PXQLFLSDO HOHFWLRQ PL[ EDOORW DJDLQ WKLV \HDU *HRUJH EHOLHYHV DQRWK- LQ DQ HIIRUW WR WDNH FDUH HU RQH \HDU WHUP ZRXOG of what he believes is JLYH KLP D EULHI HQFRUH VRPH XQ¿QLVKHG EXVL- WR KHOS WKH ERDUG VHH ness. WKURXJK DQ DPELWLRXV *HRUJH LV D UH- DJHQGD WLUHG 9HUPRQW 6WDWH 7KDW DJHQGD KH VDLG 3ROLFH FDSWDLQ ZKR ZLOO LQFOXGH UHSODF- ZDV ¿UVW HOHFWHG WR WKH LQJ WKH GHWHULRUDWLQJ 0LGGOHEXU\ VHOHFWERDUG UDLOURDG RYHUSDVVHV RQ LQ DQG KDV VHUYHG 0HUFKDQWV 5RZ DQG DEAN GEORGE the past two years as Main Street with a sin- FKDLUPDQ +LV FLYLF UpVXPp LQFOXGHV JOH WXQQHO DQ HVWLPDWHG PLO- D WZR \HDU WHUP UHSUH- OLRQ SURMHFW IRU ZKLFK 0LGGOHEXU\ VHQWLQJ 0LGGOHEXU\ LQ WKH 9HUPRQW ZLOO FRPPLW XS WR House. ³:H ZDQW WR PDNH VXUH WKDW SURM- +H LV D ORQJWLPH PHPEHU RI WKH HFW LV GRQH ULJKW ´ VDLG *HRUJH 0LGGOHEXU\¶V 3XEOLF :RUNV 6XE- The town is also set this year to FRPPLWWHH DQG WKH $GGLVRQ &RXQW\ EX\ ZLWK 0LGGOHEXU\ &ROOHJH¶V SDU- (See George, Page 17A) 7UDQVLW 5HVRXUFHV ERDUG DQG FXU-
Years later, Dollar General gets OK By ANDY KIRKALDY )(55,6%85*+ ² 7KH 9HUPRQW 6XSUHPH &RXUW RQ )HE XSKHOG D (QYLURQPHQWDO &RXUW UXOLQJ IDYRULQJ D 'ROODU *HQHUDO VWRUH SURSRVHG IRU WKH )HUULVEXUJK LQWHUVHFWLRQ RI 5RXWH DQG 0RQNWRQ 5RDG 7KH )HUULVEXUJK =RQLQJ %RDUG RI $GMXVWPHQW LQ )HEUXDU\ ¿UVW JUDQWHG ODQGRZQHUV *URXS )LYH //& D SHUPLW IRU WKH GLVFRXQW UHWDLO VWRUH ,W LV SURSRVHG IRU D DFUH ¿HOG WKDW OLHV DFURVV 0RQNWRQ 5RDG IURP 'HQHFNHU &KHYUROHW DQG DFURVV Route 7 from a solar farm. $ JURXS RI QHLJKERUV DSSHDOHG that approval to Environmental &RXUW ZKLFK EDFNHG WKH )HUULVEXUJK ERDUG LQ 2FWREHU 7KH QHLJK- (See Dollar General, Page 14A)
ID-4 budget calls for new teaching post
Picking up speed
By JOHN FLOWERS 0,''/(%85< ² 0LGGOHEXU\ YRWHUV WKLV $SULO ZLOO EH DVNHG WR VXSSRUW D 0DU\ +RJDQ (OHPHQWDU\ 6FKRRO EXGJHW RI IRU WKH DFDGHPLF \HDU D VSHQGLQJ SODQ WKDW UHÀHFWV D SHUFHQW LQ- crease. 7KDW VSHQGLQJ KLNH LV SULPDULO\ EH- LQJ GULYHQ E\ LQFUHDVHV LQ HPSOR\HH VDODULHV DQG KHDOWK FDUH EHQH¿WV DQG by a proposal to establish a fourth ¿UVW JUDGH FODVV DW WKH JURZLQJ school. 7KH ,' ERDUG UHFHQWO\ VLJQHG RII RQ WKH EXGJHW ZKLFK ZLOO EH FRQVLG- HUHG DW WKH GLVWULFW¶V DQQXDO PHHWLQJ RQ :HGQHVGD\ $SULO DW S P (See ID-4, Page 17A)
STUDENT JACK- SON COFFEY, above, competes in the Vergennes Union Elemen- tary School winter Olympic games that the school organized to coin- cide with the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. Left, Jacob Aunch- man, back, Keaton St. Martin, Jackson Bennett and Gavin Grady race in the four-man bobsled competition last week. Independent photos/ Trent Campbell
By the way
Index Obituaries ................................ 6A &ODVVL¿HGV ....................... 7B-11B Service Directory .............. 8B-9B Entertainment ........................ 15A &RPPXQLW\ &DOHQGDU ...... 8A-10A Sports ................................ 1B-6B
6XSSRUWHUV FRQWHQG WKH QHZ EXLOG- LQJ ZRXOG EH D ZHOFRPH XSJUDGH IURP WKH FXUUHQW WRZQ J\P ZKLFK ZKLOH VWUXFWXUDOO\ VRXQG KDV D QXP- EHU RI GH¿FLHQFLHV UHODWHG WR DFFHVV ZHDWKHUL]DWLRQ DQG RXWGDWHG SOXPE- LQJ HOHFWULFDO DQG KHDWLQJ V\VWHPV They believe the town has a prime opportunity to replace the munici- SDO EXLOGLQJ DQG J\P ZLWK WZR QHZ (See UD-3, Page 18A)
George seeks encore on Middlebury board to cap 2014 agenda
Top court backs Rt. 7 store in Ferrisburgh
Vergennes resident Marion Sul- livan spent a recent weekend in New York City at The Fresh Air Fund’s annual Volunteer Leader- ship Conference. Sullivan, who is a Fresh Air Fund coordinator (See By the way, Page 17A)
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Monkton landowners decry Vt. Gas tactics Company threatens eminent domain By ZACH DESPART 021.721 ²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
as a last resort. (PLQHQW GRPDLQ LV WKH SURFHVV E\ ZKLFK D JRYHUQPHQW VHL]HV SULYDWH SURSHUW\ IRU SXEOLF XVH 9HUPRQW *DV 6\VWHPV KDV QHYHU DFTXLUHG ODQG WKURXJK WKLV SURFHVV DQG KDV VDLG LW GRHV QRW ZDQW WR XVH WKLV DSSURDFK ³:H¶G OLNH WR UHYLVLW RXU SURSRVDO ZLWK \RX RQH PRUH WLPH EHIRUH 9HU- PRQW *DV PXVW EHJLQ WKH OHJDO SUR- FHVV RI HPLQHQW GRPDLQ WR DFTXLUH WKH HDVHPHQW ULJKWV QHFHVVDU\ WR FRQVWUXFW WKH SURMHFW ´ VWDWHG D OHWWHU ZULWWHQ WR UHVLGHQW 0DUHQ 9DVDWND 9DVDWND VDLG VKH ZDV WDNHQ DEDFN ³7KH WKUHDW RI HPLQHQW GRPDLQ LV H[WUHPHO\ VHULRXV WR PH WKH ORQ- JHU , WKLQN DERXW LW WKH VFDULHU LW LV ´ 9DVDWND VDLG 5HVLGHQWV VDLG WKH\ ZHUH VKRFNHG WR UHFHLYH WKH OHWWHUV DQG VDLG WKDW 9HUPRQW *DV KDV QRW DGHTXDWHO\ DQVZHUHG WKHLU TXHVWLRQV DERXW WKH SURMHFW (See Monkton, Page 16A)
Two Perlees face each other in Bristol selectboard race By ZACH DESPART BRISTOL — Two in-laws with the same surname will face off for the same open three-year seat on the %ULVWRO VHOHFWERDUG .ULV 3HUOHH DQG 0LFKHOOH 3HUOHH 0LFKHOOH 3HUOHH LV WKH ZLIH RI .ULV 3HUOHH¶V FRXVLQ &KDG 3HUOHH %RWK 3HUOHHV DUH VHHNLQJ WKH VHDW EHLQJ YDFDWHG E\ LQFXPEHQW VHOHFWERDUG PHPEHU $ODQ +XL]HQJD ZKR GHFLG- HG QRW WR UXQ IRU HOHFWLRQ .ULV 3HUOHH ZKR ZRUNV IRU 9HU- PRQW &RIIHH LQ 0LGGOHEXU\ LV D %ULVWRO QDWLYH DQG JUDGXDWH RI 0RXQW $EUDKDP 8QLRQ +LJK 6FKRRO KH KDV OLYHG LQ WRZQ IRU WKUHH GHFDGHV 3HU- OHH VLWV RQ WKH %ULVWRO 3ODQQLQJ &RP- PLVVLRQ DQG IRU WKH SDVW ¿YH \HDUV KDV PDQDJHG WKH WRZQ ODQG¿OO
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%RG\ 6HQVH D PDVVDJH EXVLQHVV LQ %ULVWRO 2XWVLGH RI ZRUN 3HUOHH VDLG VKH YROXQWHHUV FLWLQJ KHU ZRUN ZLWK WKH 7KUHH 'D\ 6WDPSHGH DQG KHU OHDGHUVKLS LQ WKH %ULVWRO + FOXE 3HUOHH VDLG VKH LV UXQQLQJ IRU WKH VHOHFWERDUG EHFDXVH VKH ZDQWV WR SOD\ D ODUJHU UROH LQ KHOSLQJ WR LP- SURYH KHU WRZQ DQG WR LQFUHDVH WKH QXPEHU RI ZRPHQ KROGLQJ WRZQ RI- ¿FHV ³, GHFLGHG , ZDQWHG WR EHFRPH PRUH LQYROYHG LQ WKH FRPPXQLW\ ´ 3HUOHH VDLG ³,¶P KRSLQJ WR JHW DQ- RWKHU IHPDOH YRLFH EDFN RQ WKH ERDUG ´ &XUUHQWO\ 6KDURQ &RPSDJQD LV the lone female member of the se- OHFWERDUG 6KH LV UXQQLQJ XQFRQWHVW- (See Bristol, Page 18A)