Adrenalin junkie
Fun in the sun
A local filmmaker explains why he swims with sharks & loves dangerous adventures. See Arts + Leisure.
Swimmers finally enjoyed warm weather when Midd hosted — and bested — the Champs. See Page 1B.
Under water A New Haven farm struggles after a flood destroys 80 percent of its crops. See Page 12A.
ADDISON COUNTY
Vol. 71 No. 29
INDEPENDENT Middlebury, Vermont
Thursday, July 20, 2017
42 Pages
$1.00
Porter blazes new trail in health care payment reform Gets lump sum for Medicaid expenses By JOHN FLOWERS MIDDLEBURY — Porter Medical Center is proposing a fiscal year 2018 budget that falls well under the state’s spending parameters and does not require any increases in rates or fees. Perhaps most importantly, the budget places Addison County’s hospital at the forefront of a national movement toward payment reform in health care by making a major shift in the way PMC accounts for
Medicaid expenses. In this budget, the government makes a lump sum payment to cover Medicaid costs for a set number of patients rather than reimbursing the hospital for costs based on procedures. Since February, Porter has been piloting this “next generation” payment model for its Medicaid patients. The Middlebury-based medical center is believed to be (See Porter, Page 11A)
Whiting neighbors are up in arms over rifle range Hangin’ out
TWO GUYS ENJOY the hot summer sunshine and the cool New Haven River as they relax on a riverside rock below Bartlett Falls in Bristol on a recent hot afternoon.
Independent photo/Trent Campbell
New plan pitched for attracting businesses
Middlebury group offers growth ideas By JOHN FLOWERS MIDDLEBURY — A task force charged with re-booting Middlebury’s economic development strategy is proposing, among other things, that the town create a new revolving loan fund to support business start-ups, and use some of its surplus local option tax revenue to improve town infrastructure to help attract entrepreneurs. The 11-member Middlebury Economic Health Task Force
earlier this month drafted seven specific economic development recommendations that the town selectboard will consider at its meeting next Tuesday, July 25. The selectboard will then decide if it should endorse any or all of the ideas the advisory panel has offered to enhance the town’s ability to attract and retain businesses. Local leaders formed the task force this past spring following the community’s decision to pull the plug (See Economy, Page 15A)
Lower tax rates are By the way made final in Ferrisburgh
CORRECTION: An item in last week’s By the Way column gave the wrong location for the final drop off for the Three Day Stampede in Bristol. The place to drop off goods for the huge yard sale to fight cystic fibrosis next Wednesday, July 26, from 4-7 p.m. is at the Bristol Recreation Field. Our apologies for the confusion. The Children’s Literacy Foundation, better known as CLiF, will host storytelling presentations and book giveaways for children in Middlebury, Vergennes and Bristol on next Monday, July 24. Each event will include a book talk and inspiring presentation, and all children present will be invited to (See By the way, Page 11A)
Index Obituaries................................. 6A Classifieds.......................... 4B-8B Service Directory............... 5B-6B Entertainment.........Arts + Leisure Community Calendar......... 8A-9A Arts Calendar.........Arts + Leisure Sports................................. 1B-3B
By ANDY KIRKALDY FERRISBURGH — Ferrisburgh residents and non-residential property owners next week will receive 2017-2018 tax bills that include decreases — and in the case of homeowners those will mean a drop in their rates approaching 15 cents from the 2016-2017 levels. The decrease for owners of commercial property and second homes will near a penny. Most of the drop for homeowners is due to the decrease in the (See Ferrisburgh, Page 15A)
Streets closing for bridge work in Middlebury MIDDLEBURY — The demolition of the bridge over the railroad on Middlebury’s Main Street was scheduled to begin this Thursday, marking the resumption of work to install temporary bridges where the rails pass under Main Street and Merchants Row. This phase will result in the closing Thursday of Main Street between the crosswalk connecting Triangle Park (See Middlebury, Page 11A)
By WILL DIGRAVIO WHITING — Some residents of the Stickney Road neighborhood in Whiting are fed up with the sound of gunfire coming from one resident’s shooting range, which they and a town official say is being operated illegally as a business.
“There haver been occasions where target shooting starts at 6:45 a.m. and other times he shoots until 8:30 p.m. The constant gunfire all day is stressful for many animals in the neighborhood. Our golden retriever Bella shakes uncontrollably (See Gun range, Page 16A)
Trail will reveal Bristol’s hidden history Groups are creating path on one-time coffin factory site By GAEN MURPHREE BRISTOL — You can walk two minutes from downtown Bristol and step into another world. Three local organizations are partnering to create an interpretive trail alongside the New Haven River on the site of what was once the hugely successful Bristol Manufacturing Company. The project is a collaboration of the Bristol Historical Society, the Bristol Conservation Commission and the group newly created to build a series of trails around Bristol. “Just two steps off the street and into the woods, and you are in a phenomenal natural and scenic environment,” said Porter Knight, who’s spearheading the Bristol Recreation Club’s new efforts to create a townwide trail system, similar to the Trail Around Middlebury. Kristen Underwood, a member of the Bristol Conservation Commission, said this is an opportunity to provide recreational space close to the village. “We have a lot of parks in the town of Bristol, we have a lot of federal lands for recreating, but nothing really close to the village,” she said. “So this is an opportunity that within a two-minute walk from downtown Bristol, you can access nature and the river and history.” BACK IN THE DAY At the foot of what was once known as “Mill Hill,” at the spot just before South Street crosses the New Haven River at a bend in the stream, a 60-year-old forest springs up around old stone foundations. An old trail — used these days mostly by kids, possible miscreants and anglers, too — threads its way through young trees soaring up toward the light, past makeshift rope swings, discarded couches and abandoned campfires. The river rushes by — loud, omnipresent. The site is a ghostly reminder of the horse- and water-powered industries that once put Bristol (and any number of Vermont towns) on the map. It is also a reminder of a time when logging
THE BRISTOL HISTORICAL Society, Bristol Recreation Club and Bristol Conservation Commission are teaming up to create an interpretive trail on the site of the old Bristol Manufacturing Company. Lead organizers include Reg Dearborn (historical society), left, Porter Knight (rec club), center, and Kristen Underwood (conservation commission). The team expects to begin trail work this month. Independent photo/Trent Campbell
was king in this town. Much of what’s currently known about the site is thanks to the diligent research of Bristol Historical Society member Reg Dearborn. Dearborn began digging into the
history of the Bristol Manufacturing Company in 2013, after leading some Mount Abraham Union High School students on a historic walk through the woods. He’s compiled a thick packet, complete with
news clippings, timelines, personal reminiscences and photographs. In its heyday, the Bristol Manufacturing Company was one of the largest establishments of its kind (See Bristol history, Page 16A)
THIS CIRCA 1905 photo provides a view of the Bristol Manufacturing Company in its heyday. The business ran from 1869 to 1939, manufacturing such wooden goods as windows, doors and coffins. Twelve factory buildings sprawled across the site, and the factory employed as many as 150 “hands,” doing all kinds of work.