Pine protection
Notes from a flight
Pine-needle disease spreads around the state of Vermont.
‘I, on the other hand, stuck out like a sore thumb, hunched over in the aisle.’
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By Lou Varricchio
newmarketpress@denpubs.com M I D D L E B U RY — F o r residents living along the Otter Creek in Rutland and Addison counties, as well as those along the Middlebury River and several of its interconnected fresh-water systems, there has been a growing concern about the slow decline in water quality in the region related to increased bacteria. Now the State of Vermont is about to take action thanks to a comprehensive known as the Otter Creek Basin (Basin 3) Water Quality Management Plan. Last week, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources announced the approval of the Otter Creek Basin (Basin 3) water quality management plan. The plan provides an overview of the health of the basin and a description of the priority future and ongoing steps to restore and protect the quality of its surface waters, according to a news release about the effort. The management plan is indeed comprehensive, according to several citizen observers involved in public hearings that led up to the plan’s announcement. It also reflects nearly a decade of work in the Otter Creek Basin to evaluate the health of the surface waters. During a news announcement last week, Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Deb Markowitz singled out the work of planner Ethan Swift in completeing the action plan. See OTTER CREEK, page 10
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Serving Addison and Chittenden Counties
June 16, 2012
Vt. approves Otter Creek Basin water plan
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Vermont airports to receive $1.2 million From Staff & News Reports
MIDDLEBURY — Five Vermont airports are in line for $1.2 million in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funds to conduct repairs and enhancements, the state’s congressional delegation — Sen. Patrick Leahy, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Peter Welch — announced June 8. The funds will be shared among Burlington International Airport, Middlebury State Airport, Rutland/Southern Vermont Regional Airport, Caledonia County Airport (Lyndonville) and William H. Morse State Airport (Bennington). In a joint statement, Leahy, Sanders and Welch said, “In a rural state like Vermont, regional airports help connect Vermont businesses and individuals to the world. Ensuring the reliability and safety of these regional hubs is incredibly important to Vermont’s economy.” Specific funding details are below: Burlington International Airport – $272,070: This project will rehabilitate the existing taxiway pavement. The taxiway connects the terminal to the runway. Middlebury State Airport – $180,000: This project will extend the runway safety area, the surface surrounding the runway that reduces the risk of damage to airplanes in the event of an undershoot, overshoot or excursion from the runway. Rutland/Southern Vermont Regional Airport - $400,000: This grant will fund the replacement of obstruction lights, which help visually identify obstructions or hazards to air navigation. Caledonia County Airport/Rutland Southern Vermont Regional Airport – $200,000: This grant will fund runway rehabilitation projects. William H. Morse State Airport (Bennington) – $150,000: This grant will fund a runway rehabilitation project.
Addison County private pilot Pete Laframboise makes an approach to the Middlebury State Airport in August 2011. Now a grant of $180,000 in taxpayer funds will extend the airport’s runway to improve aircraft safety margins for pilots like Laframboise. Photo by Lou Varricchio
Addison Co. Transit Resources awarded $100,000 Funds to help build new bus center
From Staff & News Reports
newmarketpress@denpubs.com
Architect’s rendering of the proposed ACTR center on Creek Road in Middlebury. Image by ACTR
Suburban Propane
MIDDLEBURY — Addison County Transit Resources (ACTR) was recently awarded a $100,000 grant by Jane’s Trust of Boston, Mass. The funds contribute towards the 20 percent local match requirements of a $2.85 million federal taxpayer grant previously awarded to ACTR for the construction of the Community Transportation Center on Creek Road in Middlebury. “We are honored to receive this gift recognizing our contribution to the economic, social and environmental health of the Addison County region,” said Jim Moulton, Executive Director of ACTR. “We have now raised nearly 97 percent of the funds needed to create this center, which will enable us to continue meeting the growing community transportation needs in the region.” The county’s “transit-dependent” population, those who are most likely to be unable to transport themselves due to economic, physical or cognitive barriers, is growing more quickly than ACTR’s current resources can accommodate. ACTR plans to be operating out of the new Community Transportation Center by March 2013, shortly after reaching its 20th anniversary of service to the community.
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