MONDAY EDITION
ADDISON COUNTY
INDEPENDENT
Vol. 27 No. 41
Theatrical opera magic 7KH 0HWURSROLWDQ 2SHUD SURGXFWLRQ RI %L]HW·V ´7KH 3HDUO )LVKHUVµ ZLOO EH EURDGFDVW DW 7+7 6HH 3DJH
Middlebury, Vermont
X
Monday, January 11, 2016
X
32 Pages
75¢
Progress made on RR bridges 97UDQV RIIHUV VSHFL¿FV RQ SURMHFW By JOHN FLOWERS MIDDLEBURY — Vermont $JHQF\ RI 7UDQVSRUWDWLRQ RI¿FLDOV planning the replacement of Middle- bury’s two downtown rail bridges FRQ¿UP WKDW D UHODWHG SDUNLQJ JD- rage and the relocation of a public
transit bus stop will be covered un- der the estimated $40 million project budget, but no funds are being ear- marked for assisting local merchants who might lose business during con- struction. (See Middlebury, Page 14)
6WDWH WR FRQVLGHU VFDOHG EDFN SODQ By JOHN FLOWERS MIDDLEBURY — Vermont Transportation Secretary Chris Cole has asked the Vermont Rail Council to weigh in on the notion of lowering the minimum clearance requirement for Middlebury’s two downtown rail
bridges from 21 feet to 19 feet. It’s a move that — if approved by the Legislature — could substan- tially reduce the duration, cost and inconvenience of what is currently a $40 million plan to replace the (See Cole, Page 30)
Map sparks questions on surge of solar arrays By GAEN MURPHREE ADDISON COUNTY — Ellen Kurrelmeyer looked warily at a stack of applications for new solar power development in Addison County. The Addison County Regional Planning Commission member also considered a map produced by Green Mountain Power that shows power lines in the county are stretched thin by a number of solar arrays already here. “So are you trying to tell me that we shouldn’t be seeing more heaps of these” applications, Kurrelmeyer DVNHG WZR *03 RI¿FLDOV ZKR FDPH to a planning commission meeting last Thursday to explain the map. The commission’s Section 248 committee, which Kurrelmeyer chairs, met with GMP Vice President (See Solar, Page 14)
Comedians to URDVW ÀOP WXUNH\V 7KUHH 9HUPRQW FRPLFV ZLOO JLYH UXQQLQJ FRPPHQWDU\ GXULQJ D VFUHHQLQJ RI D EDG PRYLH 6HH 3DJH
3LSHOLQH FOHDUV DQRWKHU KXUGOH 7KH 3XEOLF 6HUYLFH %RDUG VDLG LW ZRQ·W UHFRQVLGHU WKH &HUWLÀFDWH RI 3XEOLF *RRG LW KDG LVVXHG WR 9W *DV 6HH 3DJH
6FKRROV LQ ANwSU eye ODWH YRWLQJ RQ EXGJHW SODQV Gish to serve as UDLO SURMHFW OLDLson $ 0LGGOHEXU\ PDQ ZLOO QHWZRUN ZLWK ORFDO PHUFKDQWV DQG UHVLGHQWV GXULQJ RXU ´ELJ GLJ µ 6HH 3DJH
Mooooooo
A COW BELLOWS out from the doorway of a New Haven barn last Thursday afternoon.
Independent photo/Trent Campbell
By ANDY KIRKALDY VERGENNES — As Addison Northwest Supervisory Union elemen- tary school boards wrestled with bud- get chal- lenges last Read about week, they budget proposalso be- als for Addison, gan con- s i d e r i n g Ferrisburgh whether to and Vergennes move vot- elementary ing on their schools inside. proposed spending plans from Town Meeting Day to a later date. (See ANwSU, Page 31)