PAGE  18A  —  Addison  Independent,  Thursday,  June  6,  2013
Bristol Elementary principal search continues By  XIAN  CHIANG-ÂWAREN BRISTOL  —  Though  the  Bristol  Elementary  School  board  had  ini- tially  hoped  to  announce  a  candidate  for  interim  principal  by  May  20,  that  deadline  has  been  extended  by  sev- eral  weeks,  according  to  Addison  Northeast  Supervisory  Union  Super- intendent  David  Adams. Current  BES  Principal  Catrina  DiNapoli  announced  last  month  that  she  would  take  on  the  role  of  direc- tor  of  curriculum  and  professional Â
development  at  the  ANeSU  district  RIÂżFH GXULQJ WKH DFD- GHPLF \HDU ÂżOOLQJ LQ IRU 1DQF\ &RU- nell  who  is  taking  a  one-Âyear  leave  of  absence.  The  search  for  an  interim  princi- pal  for  Bristol  Elementary  has  been  extended  until  June  14.  Adams  said  19  applicants  have  already  expressed  interest  in  the  position,  many  of  ZKRP DUH KLJKO\ TXDOLÂżHG HGXFD- tors  and  administrators.  Though  board  members  have  narrowed  the Â
ÂżHOG WR VRPH GHJUHH DQG DUH SOHDVHG with  the  caliber  of  applicants,  Adams  said  they  were  hoping  to  attract  ad- ditional  candidates  in  order  to  have  the  best  possible  pool  to  select  from. Âł,WÂśV ÂżQGLQJ D PDWFK IRU DQ LQWHULP SHULRG WKDWÂśV GLIÂżFXOW ´ $GDPV H[- plained.  “We  only  have  a  one-Âyear  position  to  offer.â€? DiNapoli,  who  has  been  the  prin- cipal  at  BES  for  four  years,  has  the  option  of  returning  to  her  job  after  the  2013-Â2014  academic  year.
“We  realized  when  we  built  the  (Continued  from  Page  1A) cial  challenges,  Edson  noted  the  or- building  that  it  was  going  to  give  us  ganization  is  getting  reimbursed  20  the  facility  we  needed  to  expand,â€?  cents  for  every  dollar  it  charges  for  Edson  said.  Medicaid  patients  and  62  cents  on  One  of  the  most  logical  areas  of  ex- the  dollar  for  Medicare  patients.  And  pansion,  Edson  reasoned,  was  in  the  he  said  15  percent  of  the  MVAA  cli- area  of  dispatching.  The  MVAA  has  ents  in  a  typical  year  either  can’t  or  been  providing  its  own  dispatching,  don’t  pay.  These  are  stranded  costs  but  is  now  ready  to  do  so  for  other  that,  as  with  hospitals,  DUHD ÂżUH DQG UHVFXH are  passed  along  in  organizations.  Some  “We are getting rates  to  customers  that  of  those  prospective  have  private  insurance,  more and more clients  were  once  dis- Edson  noted. calls and putting patched  for  free  (at  “Ultimately,  what  on more staff night)  through  the  Ad- has  to  happen  at  some  dison  County  Sheriff’s  point  is  that  barriers  and it is costing Department  (ACSD).  will  have  to  be  broken  more for techBut  the  sheriff’s  de- down  and  services  will  nology ‌ So we partment  was  forced  have  to  work  closely  have to be more to  drop  that  dispatch- together  in  a  more  ing  service  last  year  trustworthy,  dependent  entrepreneurial when  it  closed  its  system  that  helps  re- and innovative jailhouse.  The  volun- duce  costs  and  shares  to allow us to WHHU ÂżUH GHSDUWPHQWV resources,â€?  Edson  Cornwall,  Whiting,  UHVSRQVLEO\ Ă€QG in  said.  “That’s  the  part  Bridport,  Salisbury  of  health  care  reform  other streams of and  Ripton  suddenly  no  one  is  really  talking  revenue to help had  to  transfer  their  about.â€? us maintain the dispatching  to  the  Edson  said  the  or- town  of  Shelburne.  ganization  is  ready  to  organization.â€? The  switch  meant  de- launch  ResQ  Revenue,  — MVAA’s Bill Edson partments  suddenly  a  new  billing  service  faced  a  $30  charge  ev- it  will  sell  to  emer- ery  time  they  are  toned  gency  response  operations  not  only  out  by  Shelburne  dispatch. in  Vermont,  but  also  throughout  the  Other  departments  provide  their  country.  It’s  a  service  that  Edson  own  dispatching  services,  or  are  said  will  present  a  cheaper  option  for  toned  out  either  by  Vermont  State  Po- emergency,  medical,  and  health  care  lice  or  Porter  Hospital  or  through  an  organizations  that  currently  farm  that  increasingly  antiquated  “10-Âphone  accounting  function  out  to  third-Âpar- systemâ€?  through  which  an  E-Â911  op- ty  billing  agencies. erator  activates  a  phone  list  of  mem- “We  are  all  tucked  into  the  same  bers  within  a  department  until  a  local  network  of  reimbursement,â€?  Edson  dispatcher  answers. said  of  Medicaid,  Medicare  and  pri- So  the  MVAA  will  be  approaching  vate  insurance  carriers  with  which  DUHD ÂżUH DQG UHVFXH RUJDQL]DWLRQV all  the  services  deal.  “It  doesn’t  have  to  see  if  they’d  like  to  consolidate  to  be  just  local  agencies  that  would  their  dispatching  or  paging  within  gain  us  customers.â€? the  MVAA  at  what  Edson  called  “af- ResQ  Revenue  is  now  open  for  fordable  and  less-Âthan-Âmarket  rates.â€? business  and  searching  for  custom- “We  weren’t  prepared  at  the  time  ers.  And  this  fall,  the  organization  to  do  it,â€?  Edson  said  of  the  addi- will  offer  its  expanded  dispatching  tional  dispatching  opportunities  that  service. surfaced  last  year  with  the  local  sher-Â
iff’s  department  changes.  “Now  we  are  much  more  prepared  to  engage  in  that  role,  if  it  should  happen.  We  are  looking  at  a  comprehensive  commu- nications  center.â€? Edson  anticipates  having  to  hire  around  six  part-Âtime  dispatchers  for  the  new  communications  center,  which  would  be  open  24  hours  a  GD\ GD\V D ZHHN 2IÂżFLDOV GR QRW anticipate  having  to  hire  new  staff  —  at  least  at  this  point  —  for  the  ResQ  Revenue  billing  service. FIRST  AID  CLASSES $OVR RQ WKH 05(06 GRFNHW 2I- fering  classes  for  laypeople  and  health  care  workers  covering  a  wide  range  of  subjects  ranging  from  CPR  to  advanced  life  saving  techniques.  For  a  nominal  fee,  community  mem- EHUV ZLOO EH DEOH WR OHDUQ VSRUWV ÂżUVW aid,  babysitting  safety  tips  and  even  SHW ÂżUVW DLG WR QDPH D IHZ (GVRQ anticipates  current  MVAA  staff  will  be  able  to  teach  most  of  the  courses.  The  staff  currently  includes  14  full- time  paid  workers,  around  a  half- dozen  per  diem  workers,  and  a  dozen  volunteers. The  MVAA  responded  to  almost  2,100  calls  in  2012  and  is  currently  on  pace  for  more  than  2,200  calls  this  year,  according  to  Edson.  The  organization  provides  services  to  10  Middlebury-Âarea  towns  representing  18,000  citizens  and  covering  almost  400  square  miles.  Seven  of  the  10  PHPEHU WRZQV KDYH ÂżUVW UHVSRQVH crews.  The  MVAA  also  provides  mu- tual  aid  support  and  paramedic  inter- cept  services  for  the  Bristol  Rescue,  Vergennes  Area  Rescue  and  Brandon  Area  Rescue  squads. “It  is  critical  that  the  heritage  and  spirit  of  the  original  MVAA  organi- zation  remains  vibrant  as  a  recog- nized  brand  within  the  new  system  of  management,â€?  said  Kevin  Parizo,  president  of  the  MVAA  board  of  di- rectors.  “In  this  way,  it  is  a  tribute  and  recognition  to  all  of  the  won- derful  volunteers  that  have  done  so  much  to  bring  the  organization  where  it  is  today.â€?
MVAA
ADDISON  CENTRAL  SUPERVISORY  Union  Superintendent  Gail  Conley  is  retiring  at  the  end  of  the  month  after  an  eventful  two  years. Independent  photo/Trent  Campbell
Conley (Continued  from  Page  1A) next  month. “Gail  came  in  during  a  time  of  tur- moil,â€?  ACSU  board  Chairman  Mark  Perrin  said.  “He  calmed  our  waters  and  helped  us  get  out  of  the  twister  and  lay  a  nice  foundation  for  (Bur- rows)  to  come  in. “He  helped  us  put  out  a  lot  of  ¿UHV ´ 3HUULQ DGGHG Conley  is  now  closing  out  his  brief-Âbut-Âeventful  tenure  as  the  AC- SU’s  top  executive  and  is  ready  to  UHWLUH IRU D WKLUG DQG KH LQVLVWV ÂżQDO time.  Prior  to  his  arrival  in  Vermont  in  1994,  Conley  served  in  various  top  administrative  posts  in  schools  in  Rantoul  and  Macomb,  Ill.  He  served  as  Chittenden  East  Supervisory  Union  superintendent  from  1994  to  2005.  He  came  out  of  retirement  in  2007  to  serve  as  interim  superinten- dent  of  Barre  schools  for  one  year,  then  did  so  again  in  2011  after  the  board  elected  not  to  renew  Sease’s  contract. “It  has  been  challenging  and  re- warding,â€?  Conley  said  on  Tuesday  as  he  continued  to  lay  the  foundation  for  a  smooth  transition  for  Burrows.  “I  like  challenges,  and  I  think  we’ve  had  success  in  dealing  with  nearly  every  challenge.â€? Some  of  the  challenges  were  in- deed  extraordinary  and  unanticipat- ed. For  example,  neither  he  nor  school  directors  imagined  it  would  take  four  searches  to  hire  a  new  superinten- dent.  Conley  agreed  to  stay  on  a  sec- ond  year  when  the  previous  searches  failed  to  yield  the  right  match  for  the  ACSU,  whose  nine  school  boards Â
and  requisite  evening  meeting  com- mitments  were  off-Âputting  to  some  prospective  applicants. It  also  took  three  tries  for  Conley  to  land  an  ACSU  business  manager  after  an  initial  hire  died  tragically  and  the  second  stopped  showing  up  to  work.  Laura  Nassau  has  been  serving  as  business  manager  since  February  of  2012. Conley  said  assembling  a  full  staff  and  seeing  it  work  well  together  is  perhaps  his  favorite  accomplishment  of  his  two-Âyear  tenure. “The  easiest  part  of  my  job  was  helping  these  very  talented  folks  work  together,â€?  Conley  said,  refer- ring  to  all  levels  of  administration  functioning  in  the  ACSU’s  seven  el- ementary  schools,  high  school,  mid- GOH VFKRRO DQG FHQWUDO RIÂżFH Âł7KDW translates  into  support  for  teachers,  which  helps  students  do  their  best  work.â€? Asked  what  advice  he  would  give  in  passing  the  torch  to  Burrows,  Con- ley  said,  “You  need  an  appreciation  for  small  communities  and  multiple  boards.  Each  of  the  communities  has  a  unique  personality  and  each  of  the  schools  has  a  unique  personality.â€? And  Conley  said  that  uniqueness  among  schools  should  be  respected  and  nurtured. At  the  same  time,  he  acknowl- edged  the  work  of  the  ACSU  Study  Committee  in  considering  some  po- tential  governance  consolidations  to  lessen  district  bureaucracy  and  create  more  collaboration  among  schools  to  save  money.  Some  com- munity  members  are  concerned  that  governance  consolidations  could Â
become  a  precursor  to  some  school  closings,  considering  student  enroll- ment  in  most  regions  of  Vermont  is  declining. Conley  anticipates  a  majority  of  Middlebury-Âarea  parents  won’t  en- dorse  closing  and  consolidating  lo- cal  schools.  And  he  agrees  with  that  position,  believing  less  dramatic  changes  could  be  implemented  to  produce  cost  savings  short  of  closing  schools. “The  complicated  supervisory  union  in  Middlebury  recognizes  the  value  of  smalls  towns  and  school  boards,â€?  Conley  said.  “I  think  that’s  a  value  that  people  like  and  don’t  want  to  give  up.â€? He’s  intrigued  by  the  notion  of  creating  one  school  board  to  gov- ern  the  seven  elementary  schools  in  ACSU  member  towns  of  Middle- bury,  Bridport,  Cornwall,  Ripton,  Salisbury,  Shoreham  and  Weybridge.  This  would  reduce  bureaucracy  and  lead  to  a  more  universal  supervision  of  programs  in  all  of  the  elementary  schools,  according  to  Conley. As  a  resident  of  nearby  Hunting- ton,  Conley  will  continue  to  watch  ACSU  activities  with  interest  —  but  he’ll  do  it  without  having  to  attend  three  or  four  evening  meetings  per  week.  At  70,  Conley  still  looks  for- ward  to  harvesting  wood  from  his  property  to  stoke  his  outdoor  boiler.  He  and  his  family  have  no  big  travel  plans. “We  love  it  in  Huntington,â€?  he  said.  “I  like  being  at  home;Íž  I  don’t  need  to  go  anyplace.â€? Reporter  John  Flowers  is  at  johnf@addisonindependent.com.
for  dealing  with  the  two  bridges.  He  released  the  six  options  on  Tuesday,  along  with  their  potential  price  tags,  DV ZHOO DV WKHLU SURV DQG FRQV 1.  Doing  nothing.  This  option  will  be  quickly  eliminated  because  it  does  not  satisfy  local,  state  and  fed- eral  requirements  for  the  bridges. 2.  Repairing  the  bridges,  at  a  cost  RI DURXQG PLOOLRQ 9+% RIÂżFLDOV see  no  advantages  to  this  scenario,  which  they  don’t  believe  could  meet  state  and  federal  standards. 3.  Replacing  the  two  spans  with  a  concrete  tunnel,  providing  a  vertical  clearance  of  20  feet,  9  inches  (requir- ing  special  permission),  at  a  cost  of  around  $14.6  million.  The  tunnel,  Colgan  said,  would  give  the  down- WRZQ VRPH H[WUD VXUIDFH DUHD E\ ÂżOO- ing  in  the  space  between  Triangle  Park  and  the  town  green.  The  disad- vantage  is  that  it  would  not  provide  the  full  23  feet  of  vertical  clearance  requested  by  federal  authorities. 4.  Replacing  the  two  bridges  with  new  spans,  at  a  cost  of  around  $13.1  million  in  a  manner  that  would  pro- vide  20  feet,  9  inches  of  vertical  clearance.  This  would  accommodate  double-Âstack  rail  cars,  but  not  meet  the  23-Âfoot  clearance  threshold. 5.  Replacing  the  bridges  with  a  tunnel,  at  a  cost  of  $17.4  million,  which  would  meet  the  23-Âfoot  ver- tical  clearance  mandate.  But  this  is  a  project  that  Colgan  said  would  require  a  water  (drainage)  pumping  system  and  could  require  some  mod- LÂżFDWLRQV WR WKH (OP 6WUHHW UDLOURDG overpass  located  up  the  track. 6.  Replacing  both  bridges  in  a  manner  that  would  allow  23  feet  of  vertical  clearance,  at  a  cost  of  ap- proximately  $15.9  million.  This  project,  too,  would  require  a  pump- ing  system  and  possibly  some  Elm  6WUHHW RYHUSDVV PRGLÂżFDWLRQV DF- cording  to  Colgan. Whatever  project  is  picked  and  ap- proved  will  receive  100  percent  state  and  federal  funding. It’s  already  becoming  clear  that  the  selected  project  —  whether  tun- nel  or  new  bridges  —  will  involve  a Â
lot  of  concrete. Colgan  outlined  a  construction  method  that  will  involve  dropping  6-Âfoot-Âlong,  pre-Âfabricated  concrete  sections  into  the  project  corridor.  If  it’s  a  tunnel,  they  would  be  concrete  boxes;Íž  if  it’s  a  bridge,  they  would  be  U-Âshaped  sections.  Colgan  said  the  concrete  would  be  reinforced  and  2  feet  thick. Tuesday’s  meeting  drew  more  than  60  people,  many  of  whom  weighed  in  on  the  project  options  through  an  electronic  survey.  Those  results  indicated  majority  support  for  a  tunnel  solution.  Most  respondents  said  they  were  especially  concerned  about  how  construction  might  tem- porarily  impede  access  to  downtown  businesses. Residents  listened  with  inter- est  to  the  VHB  presentation  and  voiced  some  trepidations,  includ- ing  whether  a  tunnel  might  provide  an  hangout  for  drug  users,  whether  the  heavy  construction  work  might  damage  nearby  St.  Stephen’s  Epis- copal  Church,  and  whether  the  tun- nel  surface  would  be  strong  enough  to  withstand  an  earthquake  and/or  a  permanent  stop  for  the  ACTR  bus. Colgan  acknowledged  the  poten- tial  for  a  tunnel  to  provide  cover  for  illegal  activities,  something  the  town  would  have  to  police.  He  said  he  was  FRQÂżGHQW D WXQQHO ZRXOG VWDQG XS WR WUXFN WUDIÂżF EXVHV DQG 0RWKHU 1D- ture. He  laid  out  a  schedule  calling  for  selection  of  a  preferred  project  op- tion  by  the  end  of  this  month,  which  will  be  the  subject  of  another  pub- lic  meeting  next  month.  If  endorsed  E\ WRZQ RIÂżFLDOV WKH SURMHFW ZRXOG move  on  to  design  while  the  neces- sary  permits  are  secured  for  work  to  begin  next  April. People  should  send  their  bridge- related  questions  and  comments  to  info@MiddleburyBridges.org.  The  town  is  also  maintaining  related  information  at  www.Middlebury- Bridges.org. Reporter  John  Flowers  is  at  johnf@addisonindependent.com.
Railroad
JAN  LIEGMANN,  AN  exchange  student  from  Aadorf,  Switzerland,  will  be  graduating  with  fellow  seniors  at  Mount  Abraham  Union  High  School  this  Saturday.  Liegmann  has  spent  10  months  in  Vermont  with  the  Sweeney  family  of  New  Haven. Independent  photo/Trent  Campbell
Exchange  student (Continued  from  Page  1A) ground  as  “pretty  typicalâ€?  for  Eu- rope.  His  father  is  a  businessman,  his  mother  a  hairdresser.  He  has  two  younger  brothers  in  school  in  Switzerland.  Liegmann  has  lived  with  the  Sweeney  family  in  New  Haven.  Michael  and  Linda  Sweeney  have  two  older  daughters  who  have  moved  out  of  the  house,  and  son  Matt  is  a  senior  at  Mount  Abe.  The  Sweeneys  have  taken  Liegmann  on  trips  throughout  the  Northeast. “We  went  to  Boston,â€?  Lieg- mann  recalled.  “And  we  went  to  New  Hampshire,  and  Maine  to  the  ocean.  We  also  just  traveled  around  Vermont,  and  had  some  (Sweeney)  family  reunions  that  were  really  fun.â€? Attending  high  school  at  Mount  Abe  also  proved  to  be  a  pleasant  surprise.  “The  teachers  are  a  lot  nicer Â
here,â€?  he  said.  “The  teachers  in  Switzerland  are  pretty  strict.  It’s  more  fun  (here).  We  can  choose  our  classes,  so  you  can  actually  do  what  is  fun  for  you.â€? His  spring  semester  curriculum  included  an  English  class,  history,  gym,  math,  French  and  Spanish.  /LHJPDQQ VSHDNV ÂżYH ODQJXDJHV Swiss  German,  German,  English,  French  and  Spanish. He  played  soccer  for  Mount  Abe  in  the  fall  and  is  continuing  with  a  club  in  Middlebury  this  spring.  “I  didn’t  try  any  other  sports,â€?  he  said.  “For  me,  there’s  just  soccer  and  that’s  how  it  is  in  Europe,  you  play  one  sport.â€?  He  said  the  soccer  season  was  one  of  the  highlights  of  his  ex- change  year. “I  really  liked  soccer  season  here.  It  was  totally  different.  Soc- cer  is  very  different  here  than  it  is  in  Europe.  I  enjoyed  it  a  lot,  and Â
it  helped  me  a  lot  in  meeting  other  people.â€? He  has  no  special  plans  for  his  remaining  weeks  in  Vermont,  but  is  looking  forward  to  enjoying  the  beginning  of  summer  with  his  friends  and  host  family.  He  will  re- turn  to  Switzerland  on  June  25  and  plans  to  attend  a  three-Âyear  busi- ness  education  program  in  Zurich,  complete  his  year  of  mandatory  military  service,  and  then  enter  the  business  world,  following  in  his  father’s  footsteps. Though  he  will  soon  be  far  DZD\ /LHJPDQQ VD\V KH ZLOO GHÂż- nitely  stay  close  to  his  friends  and  host  family. He  says  his  exchange  year  was  positive  on  many  levels. “I  grew  up  mentally,  a  lot,â€?  he  said.  “Because  you  have  to  speak  a  different  language  and  communi- cate  in  a  different  way.  That  helped  me  a  lot  for  the  future.â€?
(Continued  from  Page  1A) at  least  another  three  to  four  feet  of  clearance  beneath  the  overpasses.  This  has  to  be  done  gradually,  Col- gan  explained,  in  order  to  not  dra- matically  increase  the  grade  of  the  WUDFNV IRU WUDLQV 2IÂżFLDOV DQWLFLSDWH realigning  the  track  slightly  in  some  locations,  allowing  it  to  achieve  a  speed-Âbearing  capacity  of  up  to  30  miles  per  hour,  though  Colgan  does  not  anticipate  trains  will  be  going  that  fast. ‡ 'HDOLQJ ZLWK GUDLQDJH LVVXHV Colgan  presented  photos  at  Tues- day’s  meeting  showing  water  pool- ing  on  the  tracks  at  their  current  depth,  never  mind  what  might  occur  when  the  rail  bed  is  excavated.  This  could  set  up  the  need  for  a  pumping  system  to  keep  water  off  the  tracks  and  discharge  it  safely  somewhere  else,  though  engineers  will  try  to  use  gravity  to  their  advantage.  It  should  be  noted  that  the  track  runs  very  close  to  the  Otter  Creek. ‡ 3UHVHUYLQJ WR WKH JUHDWHVW H[WHQW possible,  the  historic  stone  retaining  walls  that  border  the  bridges.  The  preferred  project  might  require  re- moving  portions  of  the  walls,  which  Colgan  said  could  be  re-Âpurposed  within  the  construction. ‡ 5HPRYLQJ VRPH RI WKH GHQVH stone  and  ledge  that  is  suspected  to  be  in  the  project  area. ‡ 'RLQJ FRQVWUXFWLRQ LQ D ZD\ that  will  provide  minimal  disruption  to  neighbors,  local  businesses,  com- PXWHUV DQG WUDLQ WUDIÂżF &ROJDQ DF- knowledged  the  work  would  at  least  temporarily  remove  some  parking  spaces  in  downtown  Middlebury,  as  well  as  require  the  relocation  of  the  Addison  County  Transit  Resources  bus  stop  on  Merchants  Row.  He  said  the  contractor  will  conduct  work  in  a  manner  that  will  allow  Vermont  Rail  to  maintain  its  two  daily  train  trips  through  Middlebury. THE  SIX  OPTIONS Colgan  and  his  colleagues  have  spent  the  past  few  months  analyz- ing  the  project  area  and  using  public  feedback  to  prepare  a  list  of  options Â