The Mountain Times • April 25-May 1, 2018
• 1A
M ou nta i n T i m e s
Volume 47, Number 17
The best things in life are FREE! I flatter myself.
April 25-May 1, 2018
Gun clubs, businesses sue state over magazine limit By Anne Galloway, VTDigger
Courtesy of KMS
NOR’BEASTER ENDS MAY 1 Killington Resort’s spring party, the Nor’Beaster boasts its last two events this week: the Killington Triathlon, April 28 and the May Day Slalom, May 1. Pages 17A
By Jason Mikula
Over 200 people turned out for the reopening of the Fox Room at the Rutland Free Library.
Library’s Fox Room reopens with champagne gala
By Julia Purdy
RUTLAND—After months of closure for repairs and upgrades, the Nella Grimm Fox Room at the Rutland Free Library reopened Thursday, April 19, with speeches, door prizes and a 50/50 raffle, canapés, a champagne toast, and over 200 patrons, staff and well-wishers in attendance. The reopening is another come-back story for Rutland, one more step toward what Rutland wants to be. The space, an elegant venue for free lectures and events, had suffered ceiling failure in Sep-
tember 2017, forcing a winter’s worth of events to be rescheduled or relocated. Joan Gamble, a library trustee, remembered when parts of the ceiling first fell down: “When it first happened it was horrifying,” she told the Mountain Times, because traces of asbestos were discovered in the old tile adhesive, requiring immediate remediation. Total removal, entailing a potential environmental hazard, would have cost $35,000. “We don’t have that kind of money,” she said. “It’s also tricky be-
The Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs and four other plaintiffs are suing the state over a ban on large capacity gun magazines. The federation, a gun association, several sporting goods stores and a woman from Bethel allege that a new law putting a cap on magazines violates the rights of gun owners under the Vermont Constitution. The new state statute, signed into law by Republican Gov. Phil Scott March 30, bans the sale, possession or transfer of long-gun magazines with a capacity greater than 10 rounds and handgun magazines with a capacity greater than 15 rounds. The cap does not apply to law enforcement. The ban on possession exempts magazines purchased or otherwise obtained before October 1, 2018, when the ban comes into effect. Last month at a State House rally, gun rights activists threatened to sue the state over the provision before lawmakers finalized passage and Scott agreed to the measure. On April 18, they made good on that threat. The lawsuit asks the Washington County Superior Court to halt the enforcement of the new law. Chris Bradley, the president of the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, which has 16,000 members, said in a statement that popular rifles and pistols on the market come
Fox Room, page 7A
Gun clubs, page 12A
By Robin Alberti
KIDS PAINT AND SIP OVER BREAK Kids enjoyed April vacation programs at Sherburne Memorial Library last week, like this Paint and Sip, held Tuesday, April 17, when they enjoyed hot cocoa while creating. Visit mountaintimes.info.
Living
a de LIVING ADE
What’s happening? Find local Arts, Dining & Entertainment Pages 13A-18A
Mounta in Times is a community newspaper covering Central Vermont that aims to engage and inform as well as empower community members to have a voice.
mountaintimes.info
Spring skiing has arrived!
By Polly Lynn Mikula
With temperatures reaching into the 60s for the first time this spring, skiers and riders flocked to the slopes and Madaila was happy to entertain them. The Burlington band rocked the stage at the base of Superstar April 21, as part of Killington’s Dazed and Defrosted Nor’Beaster event.
Hagenbarth named interim town manager of Killington Town signs contract for golf course management, lends $250,000 to golf pro shop By Julia Purdy
On Tuesday, April 17, the Killington Select Board and 18 members of the public in addition to town employees, gathered for the regularly scheduled meeting. After adjourning for a brief executive session at the beginning of the meeting, the board returned and McGrath moved to appoint Chet Hagenbarth as interim town manager for a maximum term of six months. The motion was approved unanimously and Hagenbarth took his seat at the table with the Select Board members. Hagenbarth was immediately given two contracts to sign: permission to use town roads for the Killington Stage Race and the contract with Brown Golf to manage Green Mountain Interim manager, page 11A
GMNGC readies to open By Polly Lynn Mikula
Despite new management, Green Mountain National Golf Course is preparing to open nine holes for residents and season pass holders as early as April 27 (if the weather cooperates). Opening for the general public is slated for mid-May. GMNGC, the town-owned course in Killington, will be managed by an outside company for the first time this season. An agreement was reached and a contract signed with Brown Golf Management on April 17 with it officially starting on May 1. All employees will be hired as BGM employees after that point, except for Peter Bissell, golf course superintendent, and John MacAulay, mechanic, who will remain town employees, according to the contract. Other employees have been sent a letter outlining the hiring process, according to a BGM proposed schedule sent to the Select Board. The town will remain the owner of the course with major decisions such as rates and fees requiring town approval. The contract duration is three years with automatic extensions for successive one-year periods if not terminated in accordance with set terms. The contract can be read in full at mountaintimes.info.