GM_12-24-2011_Edition

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Community News, Sports, Arts, Entertainment and Food for Rutland and Southern Vermont

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Vol. 3 No. 50 • December 21, 2011

MSJ students execute Project Help

The century old Watkins Avenue building in Rutland , a f ormer school and a school district maintenance and bus facilit y, will become a senior citizen residence if approved by city officials. Photo by Lou Varricchio

Housing trust to buy Watkins Ave. building By Lou Varricchio

newmarketpress@denpubs.com

RUTLAND—The Housing Trust of Rutland County will pay the City of Rutland $100,000 to convert the former W atkins Avenue School into a senior citizens residence. The Edwar dian-era structure, over a century old and in need of extensive renovation, was most r ecently home to the school district’s maintenance and school bus operation. The municipal operation has since moved to a facility at the Rutland fairgrounds. Original plans included demolishing the W atkins structure and selling the land but neighbors appealed to the city to save the classic building. According to W ayne Cooke, chairman of the Rutland School Boar d Building Committee, told the Rutland School Boar d Dec. 13 that a r ecent pr oposal submitted by Elizabeth Kulas, executive director of the Housing Trust, includes a detailed plan for the venerable W atkins Avenue building. The boar d needs to approve the plans befor e work can begin. The boar d pr omised to vote on the plan Jan. 10. It was also re vealed at the Dec. 13 meeting that the city will put the former Dana School building up for sale. This building was, for more than 15 years, the headquarters of city r ecreation. The nearly 2-acr e property is on the market for $247,000.

Christie Ojala, Ashley Bathalon and Olivia Tisdale brave the cold during MSJ's most cherished event, Project Help.

RUTLAND—For over 40 years, Mount St. Joseph Academy students, faculty/staf f, par ents, alumni and friends have planned and executed Pr oject Help, a program that provides Christmas baskets for some of the neediest families in the Rutland region. Project Help is slated for Dec. 21-22. MSJ students and volunteers collect food and monetary donations fr om area residents and businesses on the first day of Project Help, Wednesday, Dec. 21. They will be joined in this ef fort by eighth grade students from Christ the King School. Students will wear MSJ logo clothing and an MSJ sticker so that they are easily identifiable to community members. The students will then deliver the gift baskets to local families on Thursday, Dec. 22. In addition to food items, each basket contains gifts for the children of the family. The gifts are donated by the parishioners of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Rutland, as well as by other volunteers. The Vermont Country Store also provides specialty foods to make the baskets memorable. If you would like to volunteer , make a food or monetary donation or if you have any questions, please contact Mrs.Fortier at sfortier@ msjvermont.org. Students knock on most Rutland City doors, but if you live in a remote area or outside the city and wish to contribute, you may drop off your offerings at the MSJ gym on Wednesday during school hours. For more information, call 802-775-0151.

Ludlow Rotary exceeds flood-relief goal By Lou Varricchio

newmarketpress@denpubs.com LUDLOW—The Ludlow Rotary Club r ecently raised nearly $2,800 for V ermont flood r elief, which exceeded the locally-established goal of

$1,000 by a wide margin. The funds wer e raised thr ough Rotary Club contributions, donations from its members and in response to a public appeal, and thr ough donation boxes located thr ough October at the Berkshire Bank, Heritage Family Cr edit Union and

Java Baba’s and at the Ludlow Rotary Club’s Annual Chili Cook-off event held on October 8th. In addition, the Ludlow Rotary Club’s sister club in Ludlow, England, donated $1,000 toward this effort. See LUDLOW ROTARY, page 6

PHS students receive You Matter Caring Coins By Catherine M. Oliverio

newmarketpress@denpubs.com POULTNEY — On Dec. 15, Salley Gibney of theYou Are Never Alone Foundation visited Poultney High School er garding I Matter, You Matter Caring Coins, which are tangible reminders of a caring connection. The Caring Coins started with a dr eam over 12 years ago. Gibney said, “I felt the dr eam was a good message to share, because we can all feel alone at one time or another.” Since Gibney’s dream, over 65,000 Caring Coins, which are made in Vermont have been shared around the world making connections with over 130 thousand. “Each one of you matters. There is no one else like you. The world is a better place because you ar e her e,” said Gibney. “You owe it to yourself to take car e of yourself, and your coin could be a reminder to be a good friend to yourself.” “As you matter, so does the person next to you, across See CARING COINS, page 11

PHS students Dan Hein, Ben Seamans, Donovan Thacker, Amanda Dunlap, Salley Gibney, Emily DeBonis, Breanna Lizotte, Marissa Constantine, and Brockton Corbett at the “I Matter You Matter” assembly. Photo by C.M. Oliverio

THIS WEEK Adopt-A-Pet ..................2 Opinion ........................4 Sports ..........................10 Seeing Stars ................12 Classifieds....................13 Auto Zone ....................15

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