SUMMER CAMPS
ECRWSS PRSRT STD US Postage
Pages 16-17
PAID
Permit #15 Williston,VT 05495 POSTAL CUSTOMER
APRIL 11, 2019
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
Moving minds
Residents lobby selectboard to help stop Northridge Seeking ‘a pause button’ on development By Jason Starr Observer staff
Observer photo by Jason Starr
Charlene Caiano practices dance/movement therapy in her office at Cornerstone Drive in Williston. She also travels the state as the Vermont National Guard’s mental health counselor.
A former fitness trainer breaks down barriers with dance therapy By Jason Starr Observer staff
What happens when a child or teenager is stuck searching for a way to explain their emotions? In Charlene Caiano’s therapy studio, that’s when it’s time to get up and move. Caiano is a dance and movement therapy practitioner with a focus on young clients from her office on Cornerstone Drive in Williston. In one area of her studio sits the classic chair-and-couch setup one would expect in a mental health counselor’s office. But the majority of the space is dedicated to expressive physical movement, with unique props, percussive instruments and colorful pillows filling out the office. It’s the perfect setting to break down mental barriers when a therapeutic conversation has stalled. “People who have a hard time talking about their issue can express it through movement, especially kids and teen-
agers,” Caiano said. Caiano earned a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling in 2006, after a career as a fitness instructor and trainer. She met her husband, Nick Caiano, a guitar teacher who shares office space with her, during a stint as a fitness professional at a Lake George-area hotel. Caiano advanced through stretches in New York and Burlington to become a fitness educator, creating and presenting workshops for professional certifications. After moving to Vermont in 1997, she started searching for a deeper understanding of the mental side of fitness: “Why do people quit?” “There is a mental health component to it,” she said. While earning a master’s degree in mental health counseling, her fitness background led her to the field of dance/ movement therapy, and she studied that alongside the traditional counseling curriculum. Caiano believes expressive therapies, which incorporate not only movement, but also see MINDS page 2
Residents living near an approved 40-home subdivision in the center of Williston are urging the selectboard to join them in opposition to the project. BlackRock Construction of South Burlington received town and state permits over the winter to build the first of two phases of “Northridge” — a mix of single-family, duplex and triplex homes, a pool, a common building and two new streets. The project sits on 44 undeveloped acres off Metcalf Drive. Neighbors to the south and west spoke against the project during its review in front of the Williston Development Review Board and the state’s Act 250 commission. They requested a more thorough review of the neighborhood’s impact on wildlife, traffic and water quality. On April 3, Lori Marino and Brian Biunno, residents of the nearby Southridge neighborhood, submitted an appeal in Chittenden County Environmental Court of Northridge’s Act 250 permit. Last week, Marino asked the selectboard to throw its weight behind the appeal, arguing, among other things, that preventing the project would complement the town’s ongoing work to clean the Allen Brook, a state-designated “impaired” waterway. The board put off ruling on the request until its April 16 meeting. “We’ve never been asked this before,” board chairman Terry Macaig said. Marino was joined in front of the selectboard by Pete Watson, a resident of Coyote Lane, which borders the Northridge site to the west. A stream that feeds the Allen Brook runs alongside Coyote Lane. “The Allen Brook feeds into Lake Champlain, which is our drinking water,” Watson said. “We’ve got to improve it, and yet, we are putting in additional projects like this. Something is out of alignment. “Let’s mitigate some of the problems we have before we create new ones,” he added. “We are asking for a pause button.” Ma r i no not e d t h at t he proje ct wa s or ig i n alsee NORTHRIDGE page 3
OPENING SOON! LUNCH, DINNER & TAKE OUT BURGERS, BOWLS, SALADS, SHAKES
www.getblissbee.com ~ #getblissbee
MAPLE TREE PLACE • WILLISTON