ECRWSS PRSRT STD US Postage
PAID
Permit #15 Williston,VT 05495 POSTAL CUSTOMER
JUNE 6, 2019
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
Are you ‘Blue?’
WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
Like night and day
Program targets stormwater management for homeowners By Jason Starr Observer staff
How does water flow around your property, and what are the ways you can minimize and mitigate its impact on local streams? Expert advice and retrofit rebates that will help Williston homeowners answer those questions are in the works in the form of a public-nonprofit partnership the Williston Selectboard endorsed in May. The board is considering a $10,000 contribution to launch a “Blue Stormwater Certification Program.” The program comes recommended by Williston Stormwater Coordinator James Sherrard and has been implemented in Burlington and Colchester. It’s an offshoot of Lake Champlain International, the Colchester-based water quality advocacy group best known for its annual fishing derby in June. Program Director Juliana Dixon describes Blue certification for homeowners as similar to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for builders — a set of voluntary guidelines that certify adherence to environmental best practices. When it comes to residential stormwater management, there are a variety of things homeowners can do to reduce their impact and receive the Blue badge. Examples include building rain barrels that funnel water back to a garden and installing permeable driveways. The program also educates homeowners on how to keep inhome chemicals and pharmaceuticals out of local waters. “This is a mechanism for residents to reach out through the town and have someone come to their doorstep and walk through their property and say ‘this is how you can help stormwater,’” Dixon said. “I am really excited to start the program here.” After the walkthrough, homeowners are given a written evaluation with stormwater mitigation recommendations. Any mitigation measures implemented would qualify for partial reimbursement through the $10,000 town contribution. Sherrard noted that the program will affect water quality in the Allen Brook — the stream that runs through Williston and is designated as impaired by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources — but perhaps imperceptibly. “Each one is probably not quantifiable, but once you start making sufficient marginal gains, you actually get somewhere,” selectboard member Jeff Fehrs said. “I think we will have success, but it’s always going to be hard to measure that success.”
Observer photo by Al Frey
Paving work has shifted to daytime hours on Route 2 through Williston Village, causing lane closures and alternating one-lane traffic.
Village paving ahead of schedule; work shifts to daytime hours By Jason Starr Observer staff
Paving on Route 2 through Williston Village this summer was originally planned to be done only at night. But in the early days of the project, the 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. work hours that the Vermont Agency of Transportation committed to were irritating some village residents. Objections to nighttime noise and lighting prompted an allowance for daytime work hours, Vtrans engineer Chris Lavalette said. Whitcomb Construction of Colchester is Vtrans’ contractor on the project. Whitcomb crews have been working between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
this week. The daytime work has required lane closures with alternating one-lane traffic. The 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. timeframe is considered after the morning rush hour peak and before the afternoon peak. “We decided to do low-impact, incidental work during the day,” Lavalette said. Daytime work will continue for another two weeks, he estimated, including preparing driveways and sidewalks for the road’s final coat of pavement. The project is ahead of schedule and likely to finish before its original Sept. 20 end date, according to Lavalette. The scope of work includes paving from Boxwood Street (near Shaw’s supermar-
ket) through Williston Village, ending just past the North Williston Road/Oak Hill Road four-way intersection. The stretch is already markedly smoother, thanks to a first coat of new asphalt put down in May. Vtrans is awaiting more asphalt to become available from Whitcomb, Lavalette said. When it does, nighttime paving will continue, to lay a final coat. The first coat of asphalt has already removed what was a passing lane on the uphill side of the hill near Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. Vtrans deemed the passing lane to be unnecessary, and instead will paint in bike lanes with the extra road width along that stretch. The bike lanes will be reduced to narrower bike shoulders on the approach to the village. The road will also be widened in spots, and new lines, crosswalks, markings and signs will be installed.
A Bigger Bee
The people spoke and Bliss Bee listened! Burgers and Chicken Sammies are now a bit bigger and the prices are a bit lower (yes, you read that right). Plus a reasonably priced kids menu and combo meals. All designed to make you a happy camper. LUNCH, DINNER & TAKE OUT BURGERS, BOWLS, SALADS, SHAKES
www.getblissbee.com ~ #getblissbee MAPLE TREE PLACE • WILLISTON