MONDAY Â Â EDITION
ADDISON COUNTY
INDEPENDENT
Vol. 28 No. 22
Middlebury, Vermont
X
Monday, September 5, 2016
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28 Pages
$1.00
Rep. Jewett honored for efforts on new DUI law
Violinist has big repertoire • Peter Sheppard SkÌrved, who performs more than 400 works, is coming to Brandon. See Arts Beat on Page 10.
By  JOHN  FLOWERS RIPTON  —  The  national  organiza- tion  Mothers  Against  Drunk  Driving,  known  as  MADD,  is  honoring  Rep.  Willem  Jewett  of  Ripton  as  its  “2016  Vermont  Legislator  of  the  Yearâ€?  for  his  support  of  a  new  state  law  that  ex- pands  the  required  use  of  ignition  in- terlock  devices  for  people  convicted  RI GULYLQJ XQGHU WKH LQĂ€XHQFH Jewett,  a  Democrat,  was  the  lead  sponsor  of  bill  H.560,  which  was  ul- timately  passed  as  part  of  Vermont’s  2016-Â2017  transportation  bill  (see  story  on  new  road  rules  on  Page  15).  Jewett,  during  a  phone  interview  last  week,  said  his  intense  lobbying  for  the  bill  was  in  large  part  inspired  by  the  tragic  deaths  of  some  local  cyclists  struck  by  motorists  whom  authorities  have  alleged  were  drunk. It  was  on  April  14,  2015,  that  Kel- ly  Boe,  55,  of  Middlebury  lost  his  life  after  being  struck  by  a  vehicle  while  riding  his  bike  with  his  wife  Kathy  on  Hamilton  Road  in  Wey- bridge.  The  driver  —  28-Âyear-Âold  Nathan  Dearing  —  pleaded  innocent  in  Addison  County  Superior  Court,  (See  Jewett,  Page  27)
State is mulling ANeSU XQLÀFDWLRQ • The district’s proposal for a single board and budget is in the hands of the Vt. Board of Education. See Page 2.
9HUPRQW OHDGV LQ YDFFLQDWLRQ UDWH • A new study shows that 96 percent of Vermont teens are fully vaccinated against chicken pox, but what about HPV? See Page 21.
Vermont  Gas:  Vergennes  lines  in  place  by  2017
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PAINTER  JIM  MOTT  of  Rochester,  N.Y.,  has  been  working  for  16  years  on  “The  Itinerant  Artist  Project,�  where  he  spends  one  month  out  of  every  year  traveling  to  different  places  in  the  United  States  and  painting  local  scenes.  Mott  stayed  in  Ripton  recently  with  hosts  Rebecca  Purdum  and  Thomas  Moran.
• Kelly Brush Davisson stays active after a skiing accident and her foundation helps others do the same. See Page 14.
Traveling artist makes connections
Independent  photo/Trent  Campbell
Mott loves challenge of creating rapport with new people, places By  ELLIE  REINHARDT ADDISON  COUNTY  —  He  only  needs  a  room,  a  few  decent  meals,  a  table  to  work  on  and  access  to  the  outdoors.  In  exchange,  Jim  Mott Â
promises  a  painting  and  pleasant  mission  to  spread  the  gift  of  art  to  company. strangers  across  the  country. “It’s  just  art  for  hospitality  around  Since  2000,  Mott  has  spent  one  the  USA,â€?  he  says  of  the  Itiner- month  each  year  touring  different  (See  Mott,  Page  26) ant  Artist  Project,  his  16-Âyear-Âold Â
By  ANDY  KIRKALDY VERGENNES  —  Vermont  Gas  Systems  now  plans  to  complete  installing  gas  lines  throughout  the  city  of  Vergennes  by  the  end  of  D FRPSDQ\ RIÂżFLDO WROG WKH Vergennes  City  Council  at  its  Aug.  30  meeting.  Vermont  Gas  Director  of  Sales  and  Marketing  Thomas  Murray  told  the  council  that  the  company  expects  to  begin  work  in  earnest  in  Vergennes  next  spring. “Our  goal  is  to  hit  the  ground  running  next  year,â€?  Murray  said. Murray  joked  the  council  “might  have  heardâ€?  about  the  cost  over- runs  and  delays  of  the  Addison  Natural  Gas  Project  pipeline,  which  was  originally  projected  to  extend  into  Vergennes  this  year.  He  said  the  last  hitch,  an  eminent  domain  dispute  over  a  Hinesburg  park,  should  be  resolved  sometime  (See  Vergennes,  Page  21)