Williston Observer 07/18/2024

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Isham sells farm to stepson

107-acre landmark gets next-generation leadership

BY JASON STARR Observer staff

Mike Isham and Helen Weston have formed quite a partnership since their 2019 marriage.

Not only has Weston invigorated and diversified the Isham Family Farm, headquartering a nonprofit event organization and community theater group on the Oak Hill Road property, she’s also brought to the

5th-generation farming family a prized rarity in Vermont agriculture — a succession plan.

Weston’s son Dana Kamencik, 34, bought the 107-acre farm for $1.5 million from Isham last month, according to Town Clerk records. While the sale takes the farm out of the Isham name for the first time since the 1800s, Kamencik executed the sale under the business name Isham Farm LLC. Like Weston, he’s a native of Bristol and a 10th-generation Vermonter.

“I consider Dana family so he’s a wonderful fit for the 6th-gener-

Dana Kamencik

ation owner of the farm,” Isham said. “(He) knows how to run a successful business and he’s genuinely a nice guy.”

Kamencik is co-founder of Vermont Construction, a construction company based in Fort Ethan Allen in Colchester. Last year, after Isham’s planned sale to his nephew, Jordan Isham, fell through, Isham learned that Kamencik had an interest in owning a Vermont farm. “(He) asked me to visit another farm he was thinking of purchasing last fall, and that’s when I learned how much he’s always loved to get his hands in the dirt,” Isham said.

“So many farms today are unprofitable and owned by my generation and unable to continue. We are all lucky that someone young with ambition and hard work can add to what (me) and Helen have started.”

Kamencik could not be reached for comment.

Weston’s work on the First: Earth nonprofit, which hosts a first-ever film festival this week, and on the Williston Community Theatre, both based in the Farm’s event barn, will continue, as will her stewardship of the land.

“I’m still up and at ‘em at 6 in see ISHAM page 2

Catching ‘Rainbow Fish’ on the Town Green

BY INDIRA BUSH Special to the Observer For families looking for a way to spend a hot Vermont summer day, Williston’s Dorothy Alling Memorial Library has an answer.

In addition to regularly scheduled programming like summer reading, the Monthly Spice Club and outdoor music and playtime, the library recently hosted a few special events for theater-lovers.

On Saturday, it hosted the Lyric Theater to present their production of “The Rainbow Fish” on the Town Green. The show was Lyric’s fourth in a run of five productions hosted by local libraries. According to Williston Youth Librarian Bonnie Lord, the Alling Library has been part of Lyric’s regular rota-

tion for about four years.

Lyric Theater describes “The Rainbow Fish” as having “a bubbly energetic score and a script that invites wonderful creativity and flexibility.” The show was a spectacle of color and fun, and a way for audience members of all ages to enjoy a story while learning the play’s lesson that “It’s better to be admired for being kind than being beautiful.”

Lord said Saturday’s turnout was “probably the largest Lyric Theater turnout we’ve had.” She estimated that 160 people came out for the morning performance, and roughly 100 people for the afternoon showing.

Then, on Tuesday, The Very Merry Theater came to the Town Green for their production of “Finding Nemo Jr.,” which also traveled to varisee RAINBOW FISH page 4

The Lyric Theatre presents ‘The Rainbow Fish Musical’ outside Williston’s Dorothy Alling Memorial Library on Saturday. Starfish (Megan Rose) is in the foreground on the rock as the rest of the cast sings. OBSERVER PHOTO BY AL FREY

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Page 2 •

Williston Observer • July 18, 2024

PROPERTY TRANSFERS JUNE 2024 • AJG Trust bought a home on 2 acres on Desarno Drive from Michael Houghton for $1.05 million.

• The Walters Family Revocable Trust bought a home on 1.5 acres on Heather Lane from Frances Moya Muller for $1.08 million.

• Timothy Barrett bought a home on 1 acre on North Williston Road from Crawford Brook Properties LLC for $649,000.

• Perrielle Gordon bought a condominium on Madison Drive from Samuel Hesford for $391,000.

• Timothy Robinson bought a condominium on Kadence Circle from Northridge-Williston LLC for $700,000.

• The Jacob Dawson 2024 Living Trust bought a condominium on Zephyr Road from Mitchell Panton for $540,000.

• The Tina Wendon Living Trust bought a home on Dunmore Lane from Abigail Daley for $795,000.

• Eric Howe bought a home on 3.5

acres on Lavallee Lane from Carol Williams Howe for $185,000.

• Lee Pinnell bought a home on Bingham Lane from John Carpenter for $710,000.

• John Carpenter bought a home on Dunmore Lane from Nancy Harrington for $759,500.

• Dorothy Elliot bought a mobile home on Porterwood Drive from Patricia LaFrance for $147,000.

• Isham Farm LLC bought 107 acres on Oak Hill Road from Isham Family Farm LLC for $1.5 million.

• Danielle Li bought a condominium on Southview Lane from Thomas Lyga for $340,000.

• Romina Pambuku bought a condominium on Cedar Lane from Natasha Stevens for $353,000.

• Ruta Noncas bought a home on 10 acres on Rabbits Run from the Susan Averill Family Trust for $1.2 million.

• Joseph Weaver bought a home on 1 acre on Williston Road from Ronald Shepard for $149,099.

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Bus catches fire at Taft Corners

A Green Mountain Transit bus occupied only by the driver caught fire in Williston on Monday morning on Route 2A near the intersection of Marshall Avenue.

The driver attempted to suppress the fire with a portable fire extinguisher but was unsuccessful, according to the Williston Fire Department. No one was injured in the incident. The cause appears to be electrical, according to Green Mountain Transit’s Jamie Smith. The bus is at the agency’s headquarters undergoing further inspection, she said.

Firefighters arrived on scene about 10:15 a.m., finding smoke and flames emanating from the rear of the bus.

Williston Police worked to redirect traffic on Route 2A. The bus had just dropped off passengers at Walmart, its last stop on its route from Burlington, according to the fire department.

Also Monday, firefighters responded to an early morning electrical fire at The Overhead Door, a business on Route 2 (Williston Road). Firefighters believe the fire started with a power line in front of the business. They forced entry into the building and es-

Isham

continued from page 1

the morning in the dirt, and trying to scrub the dirt out of my fingernails at 9 p.m.,” the 60-year-old Weston said.

Isham, 63, who has diversified the once-dairy farm into an exemplar of Vermont agritourism, with pick-your-own berries, a Christmas tree farm, maple products and

A Green Mountain Transit bus, top, had an electrical fire Monday morning on Marshall Avenue in Williston.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WILLISTON FIRE DEPARTMENT

timate damage of about $15,000. The department encourages businesses to install exterior rapid access key boxes that allow firefighters to use a master key to access the interior of buildings without forced entry.

On Thursday, the department responded to a fire caused by ris-

ing floodwater in the basement of a home on Oak Hill Road. The fire was caused by an overheating sump pump, the department reported.

Firefighters extinguished the fire and ventilated smoke from the basement. No one was injured in the incident.

a weekly summer farmers’ market, also plans to continue working there.

“The farm has been my baby the past 20 years,” said Isham, who also serves on the Williston Selectboard. “I have given everything I have into the farm and am proud of what I have built and feel very lucky that the farm can continue in the family and be a successful icon to this community.

“Nothing is going to change,”

he added, “except a little boost of youthful energy.”

Isham and Weston will continue to live on the farm, as will Isham’s parents, David and Ginger. In a 2023 letter to the Observer, Isham and Weston wrote that the impending sale will “allow David and Ginger Isham to live out their lives here with dignity, in the place that they love and where they raised their family.”

Speak up!

Send your letters and story ideas to email editor@ willistonobserver.com Williston

July 18, 2024 •

Williston Observer •

Page 3

‘Police’ arrest attention of Williston concert-goers

‘New York’s Finest’ brought the sound of ‘The Police’ to concert-goers at Maple Tree Place on Thursday. ‘NYF’ features Mark Rinzel (left) who plays bass and sings like 70’s/80’s era Sting, Alan Camlet on drums (middle), and Oscar Bautista (right) guitarist.

This was the second of six Concerts on the Green happening at Maple Tree Place on Thursdays this summer. The next concert will be July 25, a Garth Brooks tribute.

OBSERVER PHOTOS BY AL FREY

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Williston Observer • July 18, 2024

Creatures of the ocean — include (top left, l to r) Jenna Raynoha as Octopus and Ms. Minnow, A.J. Banach in the part of Pufferfish, Alicia Banach as Clownfish, Brigid Clary in the role of Sardine and Harley Winzenried as Little Fish — help Rainbow Fish (top right) — acted by Eamon Lynch — the most beautiful fish of all, learn about humility and kindness. Williston Youth Librarian Bonnie Lord said Saturday’s turnout (left bottom) was “probably the largest Lyric Theater turnout we’ve had.”

OBSERVER PHOTOS BY AL FREY

Rainbow Fish continued from page 1

ous other venues in the area. The play wrapped up several weeks of hard work for the young actors at the Very Merry Theater summer camp. “Finding Nemo Jr.” invites audience members to “cheer favorite characters and young performers on during their harrowing adventure across the ocean.”

The library began hosting summer performances on the Town Green during the Covid-19 pandemic and has continued doing so ever since.

“Our patrons really love it,” said Lord, citing the mental health benefits of being outdoors.

Lord also stressed the importance

of the events being free. She calls them “low-risk” because parents can allow their children to try the events without making a monetary commitment.

“They’re introducing kids and families to experiences they might not already have,” Lord said.

Outdoor performances also increase the library’s profile in the community, enticing newcomers to try out the library.

After the show, they know where the library is so they can come back in the future.

Even though the live summer shows are over, there is still plenty of library programming for residents to enjoy for the rest of the summer. See Page 16 or visit www.damlvt.org for more information.

In print & online: We’re your neighbors, committed to keeping you informed on what’s going on in Williston.

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Casa Grande set for late summer opening

July 18, 2024 •

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Page 5

WILLISTON: BUSINESS HUB OF VERMONT

From Tap House to ‘Big House’

BY JASON STARR Observer staff A group of friends and family from central Mexico is making its mark on New England’s Mexican cuisine scene, and Williston has its latest location.

Eduardo Fuentes is part of a four-man ownership group that includes Francisco, Carlos and Ricardo Guzman. On Monday, Fuentes was working to transform the former Vermont Tap House space into a Mexican restaurant called Casa Grande (Big House

Eduardo Fuentes

translated). It’s the fourth restaurant that Fuentes and the Guzmans have been involved in, starting in Bangor, Maine, then opening in Berlin, N.H., and Colchester. The Colchester restaurant, Casa Real, opened in December in the former Jr’s Italian restaurant location near the Winooski town line.

“We are always busy,” Fuentes said of the Colchester restaurant.

“We don’t have enough space for all the people.”

The Vermont Tap House went out of business during the height of the pandemic, and the red stucco building at the corner of Route 2A and Marshall Avenue has been vacant since. A Casa Grande sign went up this week, and by the end of the summer, the doors are expected to open for business. Inside, a large bar specializing in margaritas, new flooring, tables,

walls and bathrooms will greet customers.

Fuentes lives in New Hampshire. The day-to-day operation will be under the leadership of Francisco Guzman, who lives in Colchester and also runs Casa Real. Guzman and Fuentes have been friends since their grade school days in the Mexican state of Jalisco, known as the birthplace of Tequila.

“This is a great spot,” Fuentes said. “Williston is a big town with all the main shopping centers.”

The menu will be similar to that of Casa Real, with authentic Mexican food as well as the Americanized “Tex-Mex” version.

Fuentes said he was helped in his journey from Mexico to New England by the Guzman family, who preceded him in immigrating.

“We came for better opportunities, a better life,” he said. “It’s harder there. Here, you can start from nothing and if you keep working, you can make a living. In Mexico, you can work all your life and may never make a life. It’s three times as hard in Mexico. Here you can come and in a couple years you can make whatever you want.”

He’s finding, as a restauranteur looking for good help, that not all young Americans share that work ethic.

“When I was an employee,” he said, “I tried to get to work on time, and do everything I could.

Now I see people, they don’t care.

You hire somebody, they don’t show up the next day. They don’t care if they get fired. It’s very hard to find good people. Right now people, they are not interested in work.”

Could social media be to blame? Fuentes points to the phenomenon of the online influencer economy.

“Some people record informative videos,” he said, “but some people record a video of just them laughing, and they’re making money. It’s really easy. They don’t need to work. This generation thinks differently.”

The Casa Grande sign went up this week, signaling the coming of a new Mexican restaurant at the former Vermont Tap House location on Route 2A. PHOTOS BY JASON STARR

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HUB Happenings

A taste of Smuggs at Taft Corners

From left to right, Christopher Laflam from the Vermont Department of Labor; Josh Reap of Associated Builders & Contractors; ReArch apprentice Trenten Mead; Bread Loaf apprentice Devin Burnell; Bread Loaf apprentice Caley Martin; and ReSOURCE Training Director Andrew Jope celebrate the first graduating class of the Associated Builders & Contractors carpentry apprentice program.

OBSERVER COURTESY PHOTO

Apprentice program graduates inaugural class The Williston-based nonprofit ReSOURCE and the Vermont-New Hampshire chapter of Associated Builders & Contractors graduated their inaugural carpentry apprentice program class in June. Three Vermont students received program certificates: Trenten Mead, Devin Burnell and Caley Martin. They apprenticed with Vermont construction companies ReArch and Bread Loaf.

“Each person that enters an apprenticeship program is on the path to earning a competitive salary, learning new skills and answering the call to help solve the construction industry’s workforce shortage,” said Tom Longstreth, executive director of ReSOURCE, which helped with student instruction.

“These individuals chose to be part of something bigger than

themselves and we are proud of them,” added Associated Builders & Contractors President Josh Reap.

The program required students to complete 310 hours of classroom instruction while working full time for 18 months.

Learn more about the program at www.abcnhvt.org or www.resourcevt.org.

Williston business owner buys Shelburne Meat Market Vermont Meat and Seafood owner Dana Pontbriand recently announced his acquisition of the Shelburne Meat Market in Shelburne, where he was once former owner Kim Ready’s first employee.

Pontbriand managed the store before opening Vermont Meat and Seafood 14 years ago in Williston, where he lives. Earlier this year, the Shelburne Meat Market closed its Williston location and now operates only at its original Shelburne spot.

Smugglers’ Notch Distillery hosted a grand opening ribbon-cutting on July 2 for its Taft Corners location. The Jeffersonville-based distillery will have a retail area and liquor tasting room there. Pictured at the ribbon-cutting are, from left to right, Heather Campbell of Union Bank, distillery owner and Williston resident Jeremy Elliott, Williston Police Chief Patrick Foley, Kevin Morehouse of the Small Business Administration, Vermont Secretary of Community Development Lindsay Kurrle and Andrew Collier of the Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery.

COURTESY PHOTO BY ANDREW CAUSEY

SilverLake hires financial advisor SilverLake Wealth Management, a Williston-based financial advising company, has hired Gregory Gregory Steele as a financial Steele advisor. Steele is a native Vermonter who graduated from Union College, where he captained the Division I hockey

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Community Bank promotes commercial banking officer

Erin Pond

Community Bank in Williston has promoted Erin Pond to commercial banking officer, where she will focus on the

bank’s commercial customers.

Pond joined Community Bank in 2017 through the acquisition of Merchants Bank, and has been overseeing the Cottonwood Drive office as branch manager.

“We look forward to (Pond’s) continued growth with this promotion and watching her nurture new and existing relationships with commercial banking customers across the region,” Commercial Banking Officer Group Manager David Schalk said. see HAPPENINGS page 7

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Vermont Supreme Court allows Higher Ground relocation to proceed The Vermont Supreme Court on Friday rejected an appeal from a group of neighbors challenging Higher Ground’s relocation, giving the concert and events company the go-ahead to build a new performing arts center on Burton’s Queen City Park campus.

The appellants, a group of 140 Burlington and South Burlington residents organized as Citizens for Responsible Zoning, had appealed an environ-

“We still have grave concerns about noise and traffic from a 1,500-seat venue serving alcohol whose patrons will pour out into our residential neighborhoods …”

Doug Goodman South Burlington resident

mental court’s July 2023 decision confirming conditional use and Act 250 permits. The City of South Burlington, which borders the proposed site to the south, had appealed the decision as well, signing on as an interested party.

The resident group claimed the court had erred in allowing

alcohol sale and consumption throughout the entire space, that Burlington’s noise ordinance had not been applied correctly, and that increased traffic would have an adverse impact on the area.

But the Supreme Court rejected their arguments in a decision issued Friday, finding there was not enough evidence showing a clear violation or an inconsistent application of local zoning law.

Chief Justice Paul Reiber, addressing the appellants’ arguments about noise, wrote in the decision that evidence showed “sound levels — from music alone and from the project as a whole” were projected to be lower than guidelines set by the World Health Organization and other groups.

“Given this evidence, we cannot conclude that the noise from musical instruments will unreasonably disturb the peace, quiet, or comfort of the public,” he wrote.

Alex Crothers, a co-owner of Higher Ground, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a written statement Monday, Citizens for Responsible Zoning called the decision “disappointing.”

“We still have grave concerns about noise and traffic from a 1,500-seat venue serving alcohol whose patrons will pour out into our residential neighborhoods and get into their cars, trucks and motorcycles after midnight and sometimes after 2 a.m.,” said Doug Goodman, a

South Burlington resident and spokesperson for the group.

“We plan to address these issues when Higher Ground applies for its entertainment permit and liquor license.”

The performing arts center project, a collaboration between Higher Ground and Burton, has been in the works for years.

Under the plan, Higher Ground would move from its current location on Williston Road into a new, 12,000-square-foot venue at Burton’s headquarters on Queen City Park Road.

The site would be transformed into an outdoor plaza, food court, indoor skate park and music facility, with a capacity of up to 1,500 people. The see HIGHER GROUND page 9

The two organizations become one in 2023. The new logo shows

the Vermont state bird, the hermit thrush, against a backdrop of a rising sun.

“We’re excited to bring our new name and brand identity to the market and our members,” said CEO John Dwyer. “EastRise is the perfect name as we look to a brighter future ahead and build on momentum to provide a sense of belonging to everyone.”

Happenings continued from page 6

NEFCU and VSECU combine to EastRise The merged New England Federal Credit Union and Vermont State Employees Credit Union have announced its new name and brand: EastRise Credit Union.

An architectural rendering of the site on Queen City Park Road where Burton hopes to build a new performing arts center.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF BURLINGTON

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Page 8 •

Williston Observer • July 18, 2024

GUEST COLUMN

Education funding: diagnosis before treatment

BY JACK HOFFMAN Whatever Montpelier did this year about education taxes was going to be a can-kicking exercise.

By overriding the governor’s veto of the so-called “yield bill,” which sets tax rates for the coming year, the Legislature avoided a protracted fight over how far to kick the can. That bought them some time — about six months. Now, let’s hope, we’ll get a serious effort to understand what’s going on with education funding before plunging ahead with solutions.

In response to the uncharacteristically large increase in school budgets for next year, the Legislature created the ambitiously named “Commission on the Future of Public Education in Vermont.” It is scheduled to start meeting in July.

The commission’s final report is not due until the end of 2025, which may or may not be enough time to complete the kind of topto-bottom review of public education in Vermont outlined in the legislation. But the commission also is supposed to produce a report “containing its preliminary findings and recommendations, including

short-term cost containment considerations” by Dec. 15 of this year.

That’s not a lot of time, especially when the legislation seems to assume the commission won’t really get down to business until the fall. (“The Commission shall prepare and submit to the General Assembly the following: (1) a formal, written work plan, which shall include a communication plan to maximize public engagement, on or before September 15, 2024; …”) But cost-containment plans, even short-term ones, can do real damage if the commission and the Legislature don’t take the time to understand first what drove the cost increases.

There are at least three areas the commission should explore before considering any new controls on school budgets.

— Cost drivers. Last winter, when people were still in shock over the early school budget projections, the Agency of Education finance director presented the Legislature with her analysis of major cost drivers. Inflation appeared to be an important factor in areas like health care, salaries, benefits and non-payroll costs. Also, schools

started picking up costs that had been covered with federal aid.

That analysis was based on preliminary and incomplete budget information, but it made a lot of sense. Updating that same report based on the budgets that ultimately passed would be a good starting point for the commission. Let the commissioners see how the money was spent and ask them where they would cut.

— School consolidation. Act 46, Vermont’s school consolidation law, promised greater efficiency and higher quality in education.

Despite calls for before and after assessments of school mergers, there has been no comprehensive analysis of the effects of Act 46.

There have been no evident savings. At least anecdotally, there are signs that people are less engaged with the new and larger consolidated school districts.

The commission needs to un-

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a surprise that spending went up in certain districts, but the pattern, at least from the preliminary data available last winter, was not at all clear. More data analysis is needed.

The commission also should take some time to talk to local school officials to find out how they responded to the new incentives and disincentives for spending.

There are other avenues for the commission to pursue, such as the recent change in special education funding, the bad habit of buying down tax rates, numerous tweaks to the funding system that have made it more confusing to voters, and more. But whatever information the commission gathers, it should serve its primary task: understanding the problem before reaching for solutions.

Jack Hoffman is a senior analyst at Public Assets Institute, online at www.publicassets.org.

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derstand the consequences of consolidation for two reasons: first, to understand the effect on current levels of spending. Second, to have a fact-based response when proponents argue that the solution to the recent budget increases is further consolidation.

— Student weighting. The fiscal 2025 school budgets are the first to be based on a new system for allocating funds that the Legislature approved two years ago. Act 127, which was the biggest change to Vermont school finance in nearly 20 years, instituted a weighting system to increase funding for certain categories of students. The weights were intended to allow some towns and school districts to spend more money without raising taxes.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Be a path protector Our beautiful Vermont summer has brought with it an explosion of greenery! Unfortunately, in some places, shrubs and trees are narrowing our beloved and well-trodden network of sidewalks and bike paths, making it difficult for kids, bicyclists, people with special needs, and cross-traffic to use them safely.

If your property borders a path and you are willing, would you trim back your trees and shrubs to allow for width and headroom (think of a tall person on a bike)?

If you need assistance, I’m happy to help. Thanks so much you for your consideration, and have a wonderful summer!

Kerry Castano Williston

A better understanding of electric buses Responding to the concern about taking federal money to electrify the school bus fleet because it will cost us, “a ton of money” (No spark for e-buses” July 11), I’d like to correct some things people get wrong about electric vehicles until they own them.

First and foremost, powering my EV on a daily basis costs onefourth of what it did with gasoline.

This will also be true of the buses. If the school is generating its

Higher Ground continued from page 7

ARPA funds for the dogs

own power with solar panels, then as soon as the panels are paid off, that cost goes to $0. The combustion buses will never go to $0.

Next, an EV is “filling up” when parked, so it’s full and ready to go when needed. Concerns about “having to be re-charged mid-day” is not a problem, it’s normal practice. A bus could be designed with a battery big enough to be driven all day, but a school bus only takes two trips of known length each day. The battery only needs to be big enough for one of those trips, on the coldest day, after say, 40 years of normal degradation.

A bus also is starting and stopping over and over, and with an EV, you can recapture most of the energy it takes to get you up to speed as you slow to the next stop. Gas is just burned. There is no recapture.

Finally, should we subject kids to the pollutants in tailpipe emissions if we have a choice?

And what about the noise? Do you understand the connection between burning fossil fuels and the flooding we’ve been getting more and more of lately? We’ve had several decades to change.

Now, it’s so late that if we let all the internal combustion engines live out their useful lives, we push the planet past the point that we can’t pull it back from.

It was noted in “Selectboard considers final ARPA grants” (July 4) that the selectboard has $1.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to spend locally.

I know there are a lot of projects to consider for those funds, so I want to once again mention the importance of establishing a dog park for the Town of Williston.

If ARPA was a 2021 pandemic recovery law, then we should consider how many Williston residents became dog owners during the pandemic. If ARPA funds are to socially benefit the community, then a dog park is a perfect way to continue to encourage people to get outside to socialize and get healthy exercise.

It’s frustrating and almost embarrassing to not have a dog park in my town of Williston. I meet many fellow Williston residents at the Essex and South Burlington dog parks. I have encouraged them to contact the town office to request funding a dog park.

As Williston continues to grow with businesses and new homes, shouldn’t we reserve some of the remaining “green spaces” for a dog park?

Ark Lemal Williston

Sue Roberts Williston

current venue space in South Burlington has a maximum capacity of 1,100 people.

The Burlington Development Review Board in 2015 amended its zoning to allow such projects with conditional use permits, and did so with ArtsRiot, the Pine Street food and events venue, in March 2016.

Burton was first approved for the permit in September 2020 and later received its Act 250 permit in March 2022.

Both the DRB and Act 250 commission found that mitigation efforts and other permit conditions were sufficient to avoid any undue adverse effects on the neighborhood.

Neighbors disagreed and challenged the permit conditions in environmental court — and later in the state Supreme Court — arguing that Burton had not met permit compliance related to health impacts of nighttime noise, traffic safety and aesthetic impacts on nearby Red Rocks Park.

Sarah Star, an attorney for the neighbors group, said during a Supreme Court hearing in May that Burton “simply did not meet its burden to show that there will not be this adverse impact on the residential area.”

“This project would represent a sea change for this dis-

Williston Observer •

Page 9

trict, which is a quiet residential area,” she said. “It would go from a district with no bars to having probably one of the largest functional bars in the city, maybe in the state.”

The issue turned tense last year, when nearly two dozen residents affiliated with the litigation were issued no-trespass notices by Burton. The company at the time said it had reason to believe neighbors were coming onto the property to place signs and f lyers on vehicles in the parking lot.

While the group was disappointed with the ruling, Goodman said it was thankful for the process and that stipulations tacked on during the environmental court process would ensure some level of protection for neighbors.

Those included ensuring that all ticketed events will end by midnight (with the exception of 12 events per year that must end by 2 a.m.), that Burton install a permanent noise monitoring station at its property line, and that Burlington and South Burlington police coordinate to ensure event parking was limited to the Burton campus and not to surrounding neighborhoods.

“We also are hoping that Burton, as a ‘Certified B Corporation,’ will ultimately be respectful of their neighbors’ right to peaceful enjoyment of their property and uninterrupted sleep,” Goodman said.

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Page 10

•

Williston Observer •

July 18, 2024

ACADEMIC HONORS The following Williston and St. George students, listed alphabetically, received academic honors in higher education during the Spring 2024 semester.

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Jacob Allaire was named to the President’s List at Bentley University.

Emma Allaire was named to the President’s List at Bentley University.

Elizabeth Altermatt graduated from St. Lawrence University.

Nick Andrade was named to the President’s List at Vermont State University.

Brianna Bachinski was named to the Dean’s List and graduated from St. Lawrence University.

Eric Richard Barnes graduated from the Community College of Vermont.

Alison Bates was named to the Dean’s List at St. Lawrence University.

Evan M. Bearor was named to the Dean’s List at Community College of Vermont.

Asmira Benoit was named to the Dean’s List at Community College of Vermont.

Gregory Bliss was named to the Dean’s List at the University of Connecticut.

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Emma Brebion was named to the President’s List at Vermont State University.

Maegan Bruneau was named to the Trustees’ List and President’s List at Champlain College.

Kyle Thomas Byrne graduated from the Community College of Vermont.

Devyn Cabral was named to the Dean’s List at Vermont State University.

Ally Clos was named to the Dean’s List at High Point University.

Riley Clos was named to the Dean’s List at High Point University.

Michael Conti was named to the Trustees’ List and President’s List at Champlain College.

Natalie Curtis was named to the President’s List at Vermont State University.

Liam Dillon graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

Kathleen Dolan was named to the Student Honors List at Community College of Vermont.

Brandon Duffy was named to the Dean’s List at Champlain College.

Reagan Dufresne was named to the Dean’s List at St. Michael’s College.

Connor East was named to the Dean’s List at Champlain College.

Connor Thomas East graduated from the Community College of Vermont.

Samantha Evans was named to the Dean’s List at Community College of Vermont.

Elizabeth Fisher was named to the Student Honors List at Community College of Vermont.

Olivia Francisco was named to the Dean’s List at St. Michael’s College.

Margaret Gannon was named to the Dean’s List and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Nazareth University.

Shane Geraldez was named to the Dean’s List at St. Michael’s College.

Kaydn Gerry graduated from the Community College of Vermont.

Nathan Godbout was named to the Dean’s List at Saint Francis University.

Madison Goddard was named to the Student Honors List at Community College of Vermont.

Jessenia Gonzalez was named to the President’s List at Vermont State University.

Aidan Greer was named to the Dean’s List at Champlain College.

McKenna Griswold was named to the President’s List at Vermont State University.

Caroline Hill was named to the Dean’s List at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Ada Jones was named to the Dean’s List at St. Michael’s College.

Braedon Jones was named to the Dean’s List at St. Michael’s College.

Lawton Jones was named to the Dean’s List at St. Michael’s College.

Leigh Kerbaugh was named to the Dean’s List at Holy Cross University.

Megan LaForce was named to the President’s List at Champlain College.

Benton Lane was named to the Dean’s List at Champlain College.

Carly Laudenslager was named to the Trustees’ List and President’s List at Champlain College.

Lily Michalak was named to the Dean’s List at Bradley University.

Patrick Miller was named to the Dean’s List at Springfield College.

Iris Miller-Bottoms was named to the Dean’s List at Hamilton College.

Betsy Mitchell graduated from the Community College of Vermont.

Alisia Pascoe graduated from the Community College of Vermont.

Katie Pecl graduated Summa Cum Laude from Providence College.

Phoebe Racicot was named to the Dean’s List at Lincoln Memorial University.

Shristi Rai was named to the Student Honors List and graduated from Community College of Vermont.

Jack Raymond was named to the Dean’s List at Vermont State University.

Madison Reagan was named to the Dean’s List at the University of Rhode Island.

Fiona Reiner graduated from St. Lawrence University.

Christopher Robinson was named to the Dean’s List at St. Michael’s College.

Reilly Roth was named to the Trustees’ List and President’s List at Champlain College.

Kyle Sargent was named to the Dean’s List for the Winter Term at Southern New Hampshire University.

Hugo Serinese was named to the Dean’s List and graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Hannah Snyder was named to the President’s List at Community College of Vermont.

Parker Soares was named to the Trustees’ List and President’s List at Champlain College.

Ruben Somda was named to the President’s List at Vermont State University.

Alexander Spitznagle was named to the Dean’s List at Bryant University.

Emma Strack was named to the Dean’s List at St. Lawrence University.

Sayehler Thamoo was named to the Dean’s List at Vermont State University.

Samuel Thurston was named to the Student Honors List at Community College of Vermont.

Olivia Varricchione was named to the Dean’s List and graduated from St. Lawrence University.

Melaina Young was named to the Student Honors List at Community College of Vermont.

Olivia Zubarik was named to the Dean’s List at Hamilton College.

July 18, 2024 •

Williston Observer •

Page 11

Burke Mountain has potential new buyer

BY ALAN J. KEAYS VTDigger The court-appointed receiver overseeing Burke Mountain ski resort for the past eight years reports once again that he has at least one potential buyer lined up for the ski area, and that others may soon be submitting bids.

Michael Goldberg included the latest update in plans to sell the Northeast Kingdom ski area in a 221-page court filing detailing his work over the past several months.

“The Receiver, through his efforts, has identified a party interested in serving as a stalking horse bidder for the Burke Mountain ski resort,” Goldberg wrote in the filing.

“As such,” he added, “the Receiver and his professionals have commenced the process of negotiating and drafting the corresponding Asset Purchase Agreement and attendant Bid Procedures for the sale, with the goal of completing such a sale later this year.”

A stalking horse bid is an initial bid that sets a minimum price for the resort.

The filing does not name the “stalking horse” bidder nor does it state when a possible auction would take place.

The approach to selling Burke Mountain appears similar to the one Goldberg took when selling the Jay Peak ski resort nearly two years ago. Both resorts were at the

center of a massive fraud scandal involving the federal EB-5 visa program that came to light in 2016. Pacific Group Resorts Inc. of Park City, Utah, made an initial offer on Jay Peak, which was followed by two other bids. PGRI ultimately won the auction with a $76 million bid.

The price for Burke Mountain, a much smaller ski resort, is expected to be much lower than that of Jay Peak. According to town records, the resort’s assessed value by the town of Burke is roughly $20,300,000.

Burke Mountain is the home resort to Burke Mountain Academy, an elite training school for top international skiers who have included Olympian Mikaela Shiffrin.

Goldberg last reported on the potential sale of the ski area a little more than a year ago, in a court filing. At that time, he also wrote that he had a bidder and hoped that a sale would take place by the end of 2023.

The latest filing does not provide any information about why the timeline had been pushed back, and Goldberg did not return messages seeking comment.

Goldberg was appointed the receiver in charge of overseeing Jay Peak and Burke Mountain in 2016 when the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission brought a civil fraud lawsuit against Ariel Quiros, Jay Peak and Burke Mountain’s former owner, and Quiros’ business partner at that

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Burke Mountain is the home resort to Burke Mountain Academy, an elite training school for top international skiers who have included Olympian Mikaela Shiffrin. time, Bill Stenger, Jay Peak’s former CEO and president.

The two men had funded massive upgrades at Jay Peak resort, including new hotels and a water park, paid for with money raised through the federal EB-5 visa program.

They were also working on

building a hotel and conference center at Burke, financed through the EB-5 program, when the civil enforcement actions were brought against them, alleging Quiros and Stenger misused $200 million of the more than $350 million they raised from EB-5 investors.

Regulators said Quiros “looted” more than $50 million for himself for personal expenses, including buying a luxury condo in New York City.

Foreign investors through the EB-5 program can gain permanent U.S. residency, or green cards for themselves and family members, if they invest at least $500,000 in job-creating programs or projects, and job targets are actually reached.

Goldberg has stated in past court filings that proceeds from the sale will be distributed to the

defrauded investors in the hotel and conference center at Burke.

Quiros and Stenger were also federally indicted on crimes in connection with another EB-5 financed project — to build a $110 million biomedical research center in Newport.

Quiros is still serving his five-year prison term while Stenger was released after serving roughly half of his 18-month sentence in prison.

The hotel and conference center at Burke Mountain has since been completed and has been in operation for several years.

Goldberg submitted his recent filing in the U.S. District Court in Miami, Florida. That’s where the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission brought its civil enforcement action since Quiros was residing in Florida at that time.

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•

Williston Observer •

July 18, 2024

After flooding, Bolton still in ‘triage stage’ Town administrator: “I think we have just one road that’s not damaged at this time”

BY PETER D’AURIA VTDigger

Flooding on River Road in New Haven on Thursday.

PHOTO BY CALEB KENNA/VTDIGGER

Vehicles drive through water across U.S. Route 2 in Bolton on Thursday PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER

Last Wednesday night, Carol Robert was awoken by a sound outside her Bolton home and noticed a strange smell.

“I could smell earth, that earthy smell,” she said. “So what I did is I looked out my bedroom window — and this area was all water.”

Her house was surrounded by water from the nearby Joiner Brook. That night, rescue personnel arrived to bring her to her son’s house on higher ground. Now, several days later, with floodwaters having receded across the state, Robert — and the rest of Bolton — is working to clean up.

In Bolton, which stretches from the banks of the Winooski River into the Green Mountains, floodwaters destroyed roads, soaked basements and damaged a nearby railroad line. It’s not clear exactly how much rain fell in the town, but nearby towns recorded between 4-6 inches.

“We’re still accounting for the total value of damages,” Brian Roberge, Bolton’s town administrator, said in an interview Tuesday. “I think we have just one road that’s not damaged at this time.”

No Bolton residents are cur-

Lindsay DesLauriers, the president and CEO of Bolton Valley Resort, on Monday.

PHOTO BY PETER D’AURIA/VTDIGGER

rently stranded, Roberge said, but many of the town’s roads are closed to non-resident traffic. Roberge said he has heard of “some pretty significant property damage” in some areas of the town, but did not yet have data for how many homes were damaged.

He encouraged residents to document and report property

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damage from the flooding to the state, which could help secure assistance from FEMA. “We’re still basically in what I would call the triage stage,” he said.

By Joiner Brook, Robert’s basement was drying out after filling with what she estimated to be 8 feet of water. Her hot water heater survived, but as of Monday, it wasn’t clear whether her furnace did. And water destroyed many of the items that she and her husband stored there.

“I stored Christmas decorations,” she said in an interview Monday, as workers hauled bags of belongings and trash. “There’s our winter stuff down there.

Gone. It’s gone.”

Her house, where she has lived for 38 years, has no flood insurance, she said, because she was told years ago that it was not located in a flood zone.

Just yards away, workers were busy repairing a lopsided railroad trestle over the brook. Tom Ciuba, a New England Central Railroad spokesperson, said in an email that the rainfall was “quite a storm” for the railway company.

“There are resulting washouts — the largest of which is see BOLTON page 13

July 18, 2024 •

Williston Observer •

Page 13

Bolton

continued from page 12

nearly 80 feet long — and other impacts along the line from roughly Montpelier to Bolton,” Ciuba said. “Our engineering team, along with experienced contractors, has been hard at work since the storm to assess and remediate the damage.”

Ciuba said that the railway is using thousands of cubic yards of fill to repair washouts along the line, which is traveled by both freight and passenger trains.

“At this point, our hope is to have the line reopened by the end of this week,” he said.

Some 1,500 feet uphill, near Bolton Valley Mountain Resort, rainwater overwhelmed culverts, destroyed a bridge and washed out roads. Bolton Valley Access

A car sits submerged in floodwater from the Winooski River at the Park & Ride lot in Richmond.

PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER

A road in Middlesex is washed out Thursday morning.

“We can’t operate like this.”

PHOTO BY SKY BARSCH/VTDIGGER

Lindsay DesLauriers Bolton Valley Mountain Resort

Road had only one lane open as construction workers repaired the broken roadway.

At the resort itself, which offers skiing in winter and mountain biking in summer, “our work roads, our ski trails, our bike trails — so much was blown out,” Bolton Valley president and CEO Lindsay DesLauriers said in an interview Monday.

The cost for repairs was not yet clear, DesLauriers said, but would likely be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. It was the third weather-related incident to strike the resort in three weeks, she said.

The resort had sustained damage from heavy rainfall in late June, and then a lightning storm knocked out a lift the week before the July flooding.

As the resort makes repairs, DesLauriers is working to upgrade the infrastructure to better handle severe rain events. But that is a hard and long process, she said.

“Over the last three weeks, we (were) two days a week shut down, due to rebuilding roads, fixing the lifts, you know, all that stuff,” DesLauriers said, “It’s crazy. I mean, we can’t operate like this.”

Motorists attempt to pass over high water along Wolcott Street in Hardwick.

PHOTO BY JOSH KUCKENS/VTDIGGER

John Harrison, left, and Hannah Billian clear debris from the flood-damaged home of Owen Bradley in Plainfield.

PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER

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Page 14

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Williston Observer •

July 18, 2024

Local producers step up to meet road repair demand

BY THEO WELLS-SPACKMAN VTDigger

Hinesburg was one of the hardest-hit Vermont towns in last week’s f loods. Now, as it tries to repair washed-out roads, the Chittenden County municipality needs a lot of gravel very quickly.

Todd Odit, the town manager, said he thought public infrastructure repairs could

amount to as much as $2 million in Hinesburg. “Some roads,” he said, still have “3-, 4-, or 5-foot deep washouts.”

Luckily, help isn’t far away.

“We have … a gravel business right here in town,” Odit noted.

Hinesburg Sand and Gravel has been providing a large volume of materials — mostly road gravel — for emergency repairs to roads in Hinesburg,

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and nearby Huntington and Richmond, as well.

“They’ve taken a lot of material so far,” owner Tim Casey said of the towns’ repair teams. “They’re still not done.”

Casey said last week’s storm hit the Hinesburg area much harder than last year’s disaster, and he’s had a lot more to do in its aftermath.

Nonetheless, he’s not particularly worried. “I have plenty of inventory to be working

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“It’s basically just production,” he added. “Making sure that we’re running long enough to keep all the products going.”

Across the state, there seems to be relatively little concern about finding material for road repairs, according to Ernie Patnoe, director of maintenance for the Vermont Agency of Transportation.

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spread concern after the initial damage assessments.

Although this storm was severe, he estimated that last July’s damage was roughly 3-5 times greater.

Also, according to Patnoe, he’s confident that local leaders will rise to the challenge.

“Throughout the state, people are very resourceful,” he said.

“They’re going to find the material that they need.”

He added that his department doesn’t outsource its repairs. The state buys from the same local gravel and concrete suppliers as its towns.

Gov. Phil Scott, in recognition of the increased need, announced Saturday the suspension of a number of restrictions on gravel, rock and asphalt production relating to land use rules and air pollution control permits. These include regulations pertaining to noise, production hours, transportation and emissions.

Patnoe said Scott’s f lexibility on these points would help Vermont in its time of need.

“The infrastructure’s there,” he said of local production facilities. “There may have just been some limitations that were holding them back.”

Casey said others may well benefit from the waived rules, but it won’t change his approach. His family has owned the company for three generations — he’s dealt with this kind of thing before.

Casey remembers the f loods in Huntington over a decade ago, when the town again leaned heavily on his store. “This happens once in a while,” he said calmly.

The access bridge to Casey’s gravel pit in Hinesburg was actually washed out by the storm, he said. “That made it hard,” he ref lected. His phones have kept going dead, too. But in each instance, he has found a way.

This kind of partnership between towns and local producers is a critical part of Vermont’s emergency repair system, said Patnoe.

“I just can’t stress enough how lucky Vermont is to have the men and women that keep our infrastructure going,” he said.

July 18, 2024 •

Williston Observer •

Page 15

Three times flooded, Barre family looks for an out

BY JUAN VEGA DE SOTO VTDigger

Kate O’Day uses her daughter’s age to measure the time between the floods.

She was seven months pregnant with Oona last summer when the Stevens Branch jumped its banks in Barre, swept across 100 feet to her house and poured 7 feet of water into the basement.

Convinced the house would flood again, and worried about the long-term health effects of living there, O’Day and her husband, Nick Roos, applied for a buyout last fall through a Federal Emergency Management Agency program that makes funds available for towns to purchase properties in flood-prone areas.

Oona was 2 months old in December when the basement took in 8 inches of water after unseasonably strong rains. In February, the couple learned their buyout application had been denied.

Last week, when the rain-swollen river visited another five and a half feet of water upon the basement, little Oona was 9 months old — a lively, laughing girl pulling herself up on armchairs to stand.

“I’m so worried about her being here,” said O’Day. “She’s crawling around. I’m constantly just cleaning the floors.”

Roos had spent that morning doing the same thing he’d done twice already: cleaning out muck from the basement. It is the composition of this leftover sludge — the potential toxic solvents, gasoline or paint — that worries O’Day the most. Roos became violently ill during the previous cleanup, with what he believed was norovirus from sewage dumped into the basement. To protect his then-newborn daughter, he went into quarantine.

“Everything in the city comes into your house. We are living on top of a vat of toxic waste,” said O’Day. Balancing her baby daughter on her hip in

Nick Roos and Katie O’Day, with their daughter Oona in their Barre home. O’Day said the house feels like ‘living on top of a vat of toxic waste.”

PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER

the kitchen, she pointed through the window to a metal tank of diesel the river had washed up.

“The fire department flipped it over because it was spilling fuel over our yard,” she said.

With redoubled frustration that the city rejected their buyout request, Roos and O’Day face their third flood recovery in a year, with no guarantee it will be their last.

Nick Storellicastro, Barre’s city manager, is in charge of approving buyouts. He said of the 62 applications the city has received, the city is moving forward with 20, the ones “right along the river.”

Since Roos and O’Day’s house is 100 feet back, the city denied their request.

Barre “can’t afford to buy houses for people not along the river,” according to Storellicastro, because properties bought-out with FEMA funds must become permanent green spaces. The city simply can’t lose more housing space, according to Storellicastro, nor can the city’s budget — already “in dire straits”

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from last summer’s flood — absorb any further loss of property tax revenue.

“If there was a way to buy these people out — to help them escape those traps — but be able to rebuild a safe house there… I would’ve approved every application,” said Storellicastro.

For Roos and O’Day, persisting in this seemingly endless cycle between disaster and recovery is an untenable status quo. After last summer, their insurance company covered

$32,000 to restore the structure of their house to its pre-flood condition — a house Roos bought in 2017 for $70,000 The couple had to pay a further $8,000 out of pocket to replace items like their washer and dryer. How much damage, in dollars, this latest flood has caused is still unclear, but the couple will have to replace their brand-new washer and dryer again.

“That’s $2,400 dollars, out of pocket, gone.

I put them on a platform, but nope,” said Roos.

To make matters worse, Roos said the family received two letters from the city around Christmas, telling them they had three years to bring the house up to code, which includes bringing their utilities out of the basement and elevating the house.

“Putting these houses on piers is solving nothing, that inherently implies that the river is only going to get stronger and bigger,” said Roos.

Sinking thousands of dollars more into this house — money that would not appreciate its value — sounds like an impossibility to the couple.

“What, now I have to bleed my retirement?” said Roos.

And the couple wonders: who’s going to want to rent or buy a house in a floodway, with see BARRE page 22

Page 16 •

Williston Observer •

July 18, 2024 Saturday, July 27. 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Suggested ages 6-8. Register your young dungeoneers to try out Dungeons & Dragons. Adults should stay to help their little campaigners. Registration required.

TEEN NIGHT: BOBA TEA ADVENTURE

Dorothy Alling Memorial Library hours: • Monday and Wednesday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

• Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

• Saturday: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Visit www.damlvt.org to apply for a library card and to register for programs that require registration. Need help? Call 878-4918 or email daml@damlvt.org.

vited to drop in for themed stories and activities to prepare for Kindergarten.

STORYTIME

Tuesdays, July 23 and 30, 10:30-11 a.m.

Drop in for stories and fun on the Town Green.

TEEN MOVIE NIGHT

Wednesday, July 24, 5-7:45 p.m. PG-13.

Ages 12-plus. Enjoy popcorn (and feel free to bring favorite snacks) and root for your favorite district in this dystopian prequel.

MUSIC AND PLAYTIME

YOUTH PROGRAMS Children in fourth grade and younger must be supervised by someone over 16 years of age.

SATURDAY MUSIC WITH THE BUSY MORNING BAND

Thursdays, July 25 and Aug. 1, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Sing with Linda then stay to play. On the Town Green.

LEGO TIME

Saturday, July 20, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Drop in to start your weekend with Linda Bassick and the Busy Morning Band for music and a read aloud of their new book. On the Town Green.

KINDERGARTEN STORYTIME

Mondays, July 22 and 29, 5-6 p.m. Incoming Kindergarteners and their families are in-

Thursday, July 25, 3-4 p.m. Create something fun with the Library’s LEGO collection.

MOVIE AFTERNOON

Friday, July 26, 2-4:05 p.m. PG-13. Escape summer heat with this chilly Spengler family adventure. When the paranormal abounds, who you gonna call?

LITTLES D&D

Wednesday, July 31, 5-6 p.m. Ages 12plus. Take your tastebuds on an adventure by mixing your own boba-inclusive drinks.

Juices, teas, fruit, boba balls and more will be available for your concoction.

MULTI-AGE PROGRAMS READ TO A DOG (LOLA)

Tuesday, July 30, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Call 8784918 to sign up for a 10-minute session to read to (or hang out with) Lola the therapy dog.

SUMMER READING: ADVENTURE BEGINS AT YOUR LIBRARY

Williston and St. George residents can participate in the Summer Reading Challenge. Youth and adults are invited to join the challenge to earn rewards and enter raffles for prizes. Tracking takes place June 15-Aug. 11.

Visit www.damlvt.org for registration details, important dates and more.

ADULT PROGRAMS For online programs or to join a book club, email daml@damlvt.org.

PUZZLE SWAP

All month long, bring in your gently used jigsaw puzzles of 300-plus pieces and take home something new to you.

SPICE CLUB: NIGELLA SEEDS (NEW)

While supplies last, stop in for a sample of the month’s highlighted spice along with information about the spice’s profile, uses and a few recipes to try. Email us a picture of your creation or a review of your recipe.

ADULT MEDITATION (ONLINE)

Anniversary Savings at Maple Ridge Memory Care Enjoy life at our community where the ease of maintenance-free living merges with endless opportunities for social engagement.

Celebrating 3 years serving area families!

Save $1,200 this Summer! *Move in by July 31st, 2024

New residents enjoy a $300 moving credit & $300 off the first 3 months.

Call today: Ask for Jane (802)347-6871

or email: JSamuelsen@mapleridgeessex.com

Fridays in July, 12-12:30 p.m. Get in touch with your peaceful breath.

MAH JONGG

Friday, July 19, 1-3 p.m. Drop in to play this fun tile game with community members.

All levels welcome.

BROWN BAG BOOK CLUB

Tuesday, July 23, 12:30-1:30 p.m. “Killers of a Certain Age” by Deanna Raybourn.

Available in print in the library or as an eBook in Libby(Overdrive).

CURRENT EVENTS

Wednesday, July 24, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Drop in and join community members to discuss timely topics.

ADULT CRAFTERNOON: MAKE YOUR OWN BEESWAX WRAP

Thursday, Aug. 1, 2-3 p.m. Reduce your use of plastic and foil by making a non-toxic food wrap. Preregister.

ADULT RPG: WHITE BOX

2 Freeman Woods, Essex Junction, VT 05452 MapleRidgeEssex.com

Thursday, Aug. 1, 5:30-8 p.m. Join our fantasy role playing game for adults. Register online for details.

WILLISTON

POLICE June 21 at 10:59 a.m. — Report of a stolen truck from Uhaul. Vehicle was located six days later and returned.

June 21 at 5:07 p.m. — Retail theft reported at Old Navy. Male and female suspects were cited to appear in court for retail theft.

June 21 at 11:42 p.m. — Following a traffic stop, the female operator was issued a citation to appear in court for suspicion of DUI. June 22 at 06:42 a.m. — Report of a male sleeping on property at Seymour Street. Male was issued a notice of trespass and moved along.

June 22 at 9:05 a.m. — Assisted Gardner Supply with trespassing a male on the property.

June 23 at 3:21 p.m. — Retail theft reported at Carter’s. Case is still under investigation.

June 23 at 8:58 p.m. — Following a traffic stop, the male operator was issued a citation to appear in court for suspicion of DUI. June 24 at 8:02 a.m. — Truck reported stolen on Avenue A. Truck was located the following day and returned to the owner.

June 24 at 11:26 p.m. — Reports of someone ringing doorbells on Chelsea Place. Officer checked area, nothing found.

June 25 at 7:30 p.m. — Report of wallets being stolen from Get Air. Case is still under investigation.

June 25 at 9:58 p.m. — Report of a suspicious female in her car on Knight Lane. Female was on her phone making a call.

June 26 at 2:25 p.m. — Assisted South Burlington Police Department with locating suspect involved in a motor vehicle crash. Suspect was located on Mountain View Drive.

June 27 at 8:09 a.m. — Report of a male sleeping in the lobby of La Quinta. Male was trespassed and removed from the property.

June 27 at 9:20 a.m. — Retail theft reported at Home Depot. Female suspect was located and issued a citation to appear in court for retail theft.

June 27 at 5:08 p.m. — Retail theft reported at Walmart. Male suspect was issued a citation to appear in court for retail theft.

June 27 at 10:17 p.m. — Retail theft reported at Walmart. Male suspect was located and issued a citation to appear in court for retail theft.

June 28 at 12:27 p.m. — Report of a male trespassing at Jolly. Male was located and issued a citation to appear in court for unlawful trespass.

June 28 at 2:03 p.m. — Retail theft reported at Home Depot. Male was located and issued a citation to appear in court for retail theft.

Officers also conducted 44 traffic stops and responded to 11 alarm activations and seven motor vehicle crashes during this time frame.

July 18, 2024 •

Williston Observer •

Page 17

OBITUARIES

Dr. John Christian “Chris” Abajian Dr. John Christian “Chris” Abajian MD passed away on June 24, 2024, just a few weeks before his 81st birthday.

He was born on July 5th, 1943, in Atlanta, Georgia, the first-born son of Dr. John Abajian Jr. and Melanoosh “Mel” (Kazanjian) Abajian. At the end of World War II, the family settled in Mayfair Park in South Burlington, where he was raised, along with his two brothers Michael and Gregory.

After attending high school at Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, NH, he enrolled at the University of Vermont where he studied computer science, in addition to being a member of the Vermont Air National Guard. He eventually went on to enroll in the University of Vermont College of Medicine, graduating in 1969.

Anesthesia was a natural choice for Chris. His father John, the founder of the University of Vermont Department of Anesthesia, was a major influence in his life, and upon his father’s urging, Chris found himself in London, England as a resident in Anesthesia. It was at the Royal Hammersmith Hospital in London that he met Margaret Jones, a young Australian nurse. They were then married in London on May 27th, 1972. Chris and Margaret moved on to Toronto, Ontario, Canada where he spent a year at the Toronto Sick Children’s Hospital completing his training. Then, along with a newborn baby, they came home to Vermont and settled in Williston where they would go on to raise two children, Michael John, and David.

Chris spent his entire professional career at the University of Vermont Medical Center as a pediatric anesthesiologist, from 1974 until his retirement in 2012.

He achieved national recognition in 1984 with the publication of the seminal paper “Spinal Anesthesia for Surgery in

the High-Risk Infant,” highlighting and re-popularizing a technique that had not been attempted since the early 20th century, helping to save countless young lives over the years. Chris traveled the nation and the world participating in conferences, and personally taught the technique to hundreds of residents, making him one of the most well-known and influential pediatric anesthesiologists of his generation. He was the 2013 recipient of the Robert M. Smith award, which recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions in the field of pediatric anesthesia. In 2019 the Chris Abajian, M.D. and Margaret Abajian Green and Gold Professorship in Pediatric Anesthesia was established to honor Chris’ and Margaret’s years of service to the department of anesthesia.

Known as “The Magic Man,” he could be frequently found doing magic tricks for hospitalized children, while adorned in colorful scrubs covered with cartoon characters and other playful patterns.

These “Huggable Scrubs” were the brainchild of he and his wife Margaret, and in 1986 the company became the first designer hospital scrub company to grace operating rooms all over the country.

Beyond his professional achievements, Chris was a devoted family man.

He cherished his role as a loving husband to Margaret, his partner in life for 47 years. Together, they built a foundation of love and support that extended to their children, Michael John and David, and grandchildren, Mason, Landon and Charlotte. Chris’ family was the center of his world, and he took immense pride in their accomplishments and happiness.

Chris was a man of many hobbies and talents. He was an accomplished woodworker, an avid outdoorsman who loved windsurfing and water-skiing in the summers, and skiing with his family in the winters. An angler of note, he traveled the world fishing from Manitoba to Costa Rica. In the summers he was often found at the family camp in South Hero, and in the fall and winter, the duck blind became a gathering place for family and friends to share sunrises and stories.

Following the death of his beloved wife Margaret, he eventually moved from Williston to Essex. In 2023, he married his high school sweetheart Bryce Thompson. He spent the later years of his life watching in awe, as his granddaughter Charlotte played hockey and his grandsons Mason and Landon moved on to college.

In Armenian, the word commonly used for goodbye literally translates to “good success” or “good luck” highlighting the culture’s emphasis on positivity even in tragic circumstances. “When your father dies, say the Armenians, your sun shifts forever and you walk in

his light.” (“Shifting the Sun” by Diana Der-Hovanessian). When a father dies, it is said that the sun shifts its position in the sky as if to mark the significant change brought about by the loss of this central figure in the family. There are no words adequate to describe how much this kind and gentle man will be missed.

His loved ones will be forever grateful for his energy and light.

He is survived by his two children Michael John Abajian MD, MPH and his partner Rebecca Lee of Burlington and David James Abajian and his wife Carrie (Scribner) Abajian RN and their three children Mason, Landon, and Charlotte, of Essex Junction. He is also survived by his brother Michael William Abajian MD, PhD and his wife Marion (Arbo) Abajian of Montpelier, and their children Michelle Abajian RN and Susan (Abajian) Apgar, as well as his current wife Bryce Thompson. He was predeceased by his wife Margaret, his brother Greg and his niece Kate.

The Abajian family would especially like to thank the nurses and staff on McClure 5 at UVM Medical Center for their exceptional end-of-life care and the many kindnesses from the UVM Anesthesia Department and UVM Alumni Association extended to the family during this difficult time.

A celebration of life will be held from 10am- 1pm on July 21, 2024 at Snow Farm Winery in South Hero, Vermont.

Please send memories, photos, and videos to chris.abajian.memories@gmail. com.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to The Crohns and Colitis Foundation and The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Please visit www.awrf h. com to share your memories and condolences.

Wallace Clapper Wallace Clapper, 63, passed away unexpectedly at home on Tuesday, July 9, 2024.

He was born in Bristol, CT on Dec. 20, 1960, the son of Donald E. and Alice L. (LaDeau) Clapper. He had worked as a pressman at the Burlington Free Press for 38 years, retiring as a press supervisor. He enjoyed time with his family, especially with his grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Sandra (Aikey) Clapper; his daughters and partners: Lindsey Aikey & Eric Wilson, Kaylee Clapper & Bart Tabbytosavit, Jr. & Alexandra Clapper; their furry friend, “Oliver”; his grandchildren: Mathew Aikey and Katana; his siblings: Paul Clapper, Donna and her husband, Peter Jewell and Bruce Clapper, along with extended family.

He was predeceased by his parents and a brother, Steve.

Services were Wednesday, July 17 at 3 p.m. in Elmwood-Meunier Funeral Chapel, 97 Elmwood Ave., Burlington.

In lieu of flowers, the family would enjoy a visit or companionship with Wally’s wife, Sandra. If time is unavailable, please consider a memorial donation to the VT Chapter of the American Red Cross, 32 No. Prospect St., Burlington, VT 05401.

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Page 18release • Williston dates: JulyObserver 20-26, 2024• July 18, 2024

29 (24)

Next Week: Our states: Indiana

Founded by Betty Debnam

Mini Fact:

The Paris Games

Rugby player Antoine Dupont lighted the cauldron in Toulouse, France, along the torch relay route. photos © Paris2024

Thousands of athletes are coming together in Paris, France, to compete in the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad. The opening ceremony will take place on July 26. Will you be watching the festivities?

Most of the events will take place in the city or nearby; there are 35 venues, or sites, for the games.

The medals

For the Olympic and Paralympic Games, designers included iron that had been removed and preserved from the Eiffel Tower over the years. The iron is marked with the emblem of the Games and set in the middle of gold, silver and bronze disks. On the reverse of the Olympic disks are images of Nike, the goddess of victory.

Pictogram puzzle

A pictogram (PIC-toe-gram) is a symbol that represents something. For example, in ancient times, people drew pictograms (or pictographs) on rock walls to tell stories about their lives.

With each Olympics, pictograms are used to identify the events. The 2024 pictograms identify each of the Olympic sports as a coat of arms that includes a tool used in the event and the field of play.

The Mini Page challenges you to a matching game! Try to match these pictograms to the following Olympic events: 3x3 basketball, beach volleyball, breaking, canoe slalom, cycling BMX freestyle, diving, equestrian jumping, hockey, skateboarding and surfing.

1.

The mascots

The Phryges (FREEZH) are the mascots of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

During the time of the French Revolution, the red Phrygian cap was a symbol of freedom. Olympic officials said the design was chosen because it is a “strong symbol for the French Republic.”

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Answers: 1. cycling BMX freestyle; 2. skateboarding; 3. 3x3 basketball; 4. canoe slalom; 5. equestrian jumping; 6. beach volleyball; 7. surfing; 8. hockey; 9. diving; 10. breaking.

Issue 29, 2024

Resources On the Web:

• bit.ly/MPmascot • olympics.com/en/paris-2024 • bit.ly/MPtorch

The Mini Page® © 2024 Andrews McMeel Syndication

Try ’n’ Find

Mini Jokes

Words that remind us of the Summer Olympics are hidden in this puzzle. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find: ATHLETES, BREAKING, CAP, CEREMONY, EIFFEL, EVENTS, GAMES, MASCOTS, MEDALS, OLYMPICS, PARALYMPIC, PARIS, PHRYGES, PICTOGRAM, RELAY,

M A R G O S E G Y R H C R O T O L Y M P E S I R A V T E U N E R W G O

T H H I P E E

C I P F A A S M G P I U I R L M A A P A P W A U Y S M C S T D D Z A C E P K E H I L L O S V M U Z L W E T Z I F F E L E R S P

Gina: Why is it so hot in an Olympic stadium after the games are over?

Gavin: Because all the fans have gone home!

Eco Note Residents of northern Nevada and parts of neighboring Idaho are being

the red Phrygian cap was a symbol of freedom. Olympic officials said the design was chosen because it is a “strong symbol for the French Republic.”

On the Web:

3.

• bit.ly/MPmascot • olympics.com/en/paris-2024 July 18, 2024 • Williston Observer • Page 19 • bit.ly/MPtorch

The Mini Page® © 2024 Andrews McMeel Syndication

Try ’n’ Find

Mini Jokes

Words that remind us of the Summer Olympics are hidden in this puzzle. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find: ATHLETES, BREAKING, CAP, CEREMONY, EIFFEL, EVENTS, GAMES, MASCOTS, MEDALS, OLYMPICS, PARALYMPIC, PARIS, PHRYGES, PICTOGRAM, RELAY, SPORTS, TORCH, VENUE.

Gina: Why is it so hot in an Olympic stadium after the games are over?

Gavin: Because all the fans have gone home!

M A R G O T C I P F A A S M G S E G Y R H P I U I R L M A A H C R O T H P A P W A U Y S M O L Y M P I C S T D D Z A C E E S I R A P P K E H I L L O S V T E U N E V M U Z L W E T Z E R W G O E I F F E L E R S P N O B R E A K I N G M G T A J T P P P A R A L Y M P I C E A S S Y N O M E R E C E T C X S

Eco Note Residents of northern Nevada and parts of neighboring Idaho are being plagued by millions of Mormon crickets, which blanketed at least one highway so heavily that a tractor was needed to clear them. Social media video showed countless crickets crawling over a house, a church and other properties in Spring Creek, Nevada.

The insects can inflict significant damage to crops and rangeland and are notorious for having destroyed the fields of early Mormon settlers.

Cook’s Corner Hot and Cold Potato Salad

What to do: 1. Combine potatoes, onion, eggs and carrots in a medium bowl.

2. In a small saucepan, heat the vinegar, mustard, mayonnaise and sour cream.

3. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture.

4. Add the dill, salt and pepper. Serve hot or cold. Serves 6 to 8.

7 Little Words for Kids Use the letters in the boxes to make a word with the same meaning as the clue. The numbers in parentheses represent the number of letters in the solution. Each letter combination can be used only once, but all letter combinations will be necessary to complete the puzzle.

1. hippo or mouse, for example (6) 2. learning about (8) 3. 12 months (4) 4. not valuable (7) 5. what a college graduate has (6) 6. necessary (9) 7. not dead (5)

AR

IMP

AL

IM

LESS

STUD

ANT

DEG

REE

AN

YE

ORT

AL

YING

IVE

USE

adapted with permission from Earthweek.com

The Mini Page® © 2024 Andrews McMeel Syndication

* You’ll need an adult’s help with this recipe.

• 2 tablespoons mustard • 1/2 cup mayonnaise • 1 cup sour cream • 1 teaspoon dried dill • salt and pepper to taste

©2024 Blue Ox Technologies Ltd. Download the app on Apple and Amazon devices.

You’ll need: • 4 cups cubed boiled potatoes • 1 small onion, chopped • 3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped • 1 cup chopped shredded carrots • 1/4 cup vinegar

For later:

Look in your newspaper for articles about Paris Olympics coverage.

Teachers: Follow and interact with The Mini Page on Facebook!

Answers: animal, studying, year, useless, degree, important, alive.

Page 20

• Williston Observer • July 18, 2024

SAVVY SENIOR How to prevent and treat age-related macular degeneration Dear Savvy Senior, Is macular degeneration hereditary? My mother lost much of her vision from it before she died, and now, at age 65, I’m concerned I may get it too. What can you tell me?

Brown Eyed Betty Dear Betty, Unfortunately, having a parent or sibling with macular degeneration does indeed increase your risk of getting it by three to four times. But the good news

is there are things you can do to protect your eyesight, and a number of treatments that are available if you do happen to get it. Here’s what you should know.

disease that damages the macu-

WHAT IS AMD?

Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of severe vision loss in people over age 60, affecting an estimated 20 million Americans.

AMD is a progressive eye

WHAT YOU CAN DO

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more aggressive and can cause severe vision loss in a matter of weeks or months.

Factors that can increase your risk of getting AMD include age (60 and older); smoking; excessive exposure to sunlight, especially if you have light-colored eyes; certain genetic components; a family history of AMD; high blood pressure; obesity; and being Caucasian.

la, the part of the eye that allows us to see objects clearly, causing vision loss in the center of your vision. This affects the ability to read, drive, watch television and do routine daily tasks, but it does not cause total blindness.

There are two types of AMD — dry and wet. Dry AMD, which affects about 85 to 90 percent of all people who have it, progresses slowly and painlessly over a period of years.

While wet AMD is much

For anyone over the age of 65, it’s a smart idea to get your eyes examined by an ophthalmologist every year. They can spot early signs of AMD before vision loss occurs. Early signs may include shadowy areas in your central vision or unusually fuzzy or distorted vision.

The Amsler grid is also an excellent tool to check your eyes for AMD at home. Visit www.

Macular.org and search “amsler chart” to test your sight.

While there’s currently no cure for AMD, there are things you can do if you’re high risk, including: eating antioxidant-rich foods such as dark green leafy

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vegetables, eating cold water fish for their omega-3 fatty acids; protecting your eyes from the sun by wearing UV protective sunglasses; controlling high blood pressure; exercising regularly; and if you smoke, quit.

DRY AMD TREATMENTS

If you do happen to get AMD, your doctor may recommend you start taking a daily dose of antioxidant vitamins and minerals known as AREDS or AREDS2.

Studies by the National Eye Institute have shown that, while taking these supplements cannot prevent you from getting AMD, they can reduce your risk of progression from intermediate to advanced AMD by about 25 percent.

You can purchase AREDS supplements — made by Bausch and Lomb and sold as PreserVision — over the counter in many drugstores and online for around $30 a bottle.

There are also two new medications (Syfovre and Izervay) that were approved by the FDA last year to treat a late-stage form of AMD called geographic atrophy (GA). These treatments, which are given either monthly or every other month in the form of an injection into the eye, can slow the progression of GA. WET AMD TREATMENTS

For wet AMD, there are several medications like Avastin, Lucentis and Eylea that can stop vision loss and may even restore it. These medications, which have been around for more than a decade, are also given by injection into the eye and repeated every month or two.

Newer drugs like Vabysmo and Eyla HD, are also highly effective but don’t require monthly treatments. Most patients on these medications can go three to four months between injections.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

July 18, 2024 •

Williston Observer •

Page 21

CROSSWORD • SOLUTION ON PAGE 22

TODAY’S HISTORY:

• In 1863, Union troops led by Col. Robert Gould Shaw and the African American soldiers in the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment attacked Fort Wagner in South Carolina.

• In 1936, Spanish army officials revolted, led by Gen. Francisco Franco, starting the Spanish Civil War. • In 1984, a gunman opened fire in a McDonald’s in San Ysidro, California, killing 21 people and wounding 19 more.

• In 2013, the city of Detroit, Michigan, filed for the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, estimated at $18 billion to $20 billion.

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• Williston Observer • July 18, 2024

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Barre

continued from page 15

an unusable basement that you still pay taxes on, and all the utilities taking up square footage in the living area upstairs?

Storellicastro said he understands the anger and frustration.

But, as city manager, he said he has to take into account Barre’s financial solvency.

“The FEMA process really pits homeowners against municipalities,” said Storellicastro.

He said the latest flood would not change the city’s buyout strategy. The only way Barre City could afford to buy properties beyond the riverfront, he said, is if it received state or federal grant money that had no perpetual green space requirements.

“This is the way out for some of these people, it’s with non-FEMA buyouts,” he said.

There are no “immediately active” plans for this to happen, though, according to Storellicastro, and it could take years for any such funds to be released.

For Roos and O’Day, the decision is clear. One way or another, for the good of their daughter, they’re leaving Barre, and Vermont, for good.

“I just don’t know why anybody would want to live here anymore,” said O’Day. Both Roos and O’Day work in the mental health field, an area of high staffing need in the region and statewide. Roos is an embedded crisis clinician with the Vermont State Police out of the Berlin barracks.

O’Day is the statewide program coordinator for the Vermont Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health.

The couple said they would try to sell the house to a private equity firm like Blackrock. Their loan principal right now is $58,000, according to Roos. If private equity offers $50,000, he said, it’s cheaper to come up with the $8,000 difference than it would be to bring the house up to code.

“And they would just sell it to another family that’s going to suffer the same thing in two years,” said Roos, shaking his head.

In the meantime, they hope the weather and the river spare them any more suffering.

“Everytime it rains we look at that goddamn river,” said Roos.

O’Day nodded, remembering how she’d walked over to the bridge just two nights before: “I went to look at the river and I saw that it was angry and I just started bawling,” she said.

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Williston Observer •

July 18, 2024

Left, author Debbie Ingram of Williston, Vt., with Williston, N.D., Mayor Howard Klug; center, Ingram and her sister at the Fargo welcome center; Right, Ingram’s sister Sherry, celebrates visiting her 50th state.

OBSERVER COURTESY PHOTOS

Another Williston, half a country away

What to do in North Dakota when you’re from our town

BY DEBBIE INGRAM Special to the Observer

We all know there’s a Paris, France, and a Paris, Illinois. You may have heard that there’s a Cairo, Egypt, and a Cairo, Georgia (pronounced differently, but still). And you might be aware that there’s a Cleveland, England as well as a Cleveland, Ohio. But perhaps you did not know that there’s not only a Williston, Vermont, but also a Williston, North Dakota.

When my oldest sister Sherry and I were planning our annual summer trip together, her request was that we go to the state of North Dakota. This rather unusual request — no one would call North Dakota a major tourist destination — was because Sherry had been to 49 of our 50 U.S. states, and the only one she lacked was North Dakota.

Since I usually plan our trips, I began to consider which specific places we might visit in this Great Plains state. This is when I stumbled upon the fact that there is a Williston, North Dakota. I couldn’t resist the idea that Sherry and I should visit my own town’s “sister city.”

We first flew into Fargo, stopping by the visitors center there. North Dakota, it turns out, is the last of the 50 states to be visited by many people, and this center actually has a program called “Best for Last.” You are given a free T-shirt and certificate celebrating your completion of visiting all 50 states and commended for saving North Dakota for last.

Besides taking a photo next to their big “Best for Last” sign, we also had our picture taken alongside the infamous wood chipper used in the movie “Fargo.”

It was westward ho the next day, when we boarded the Amtrak train at 4:15 a.m., watching the sun rise, spreading beautiful red, orange and purple hues across the flat landscape, and arriving in Williston at noon. I had planned ahead to make the most of our visit by emailing the mayor, the Honorable Howard Klug. Mentioning my own forays into public

service on the Selectboard and the State Senate, I asked if he could spare 20 minutes to allow me to bring greetings from the Vermont version of Williston.

Town Manager Erik Wells had helped me prepare a gift bag of items — badges and challenge coins from the police and fire departments, a T-shirt from a Fourth of July celebration, brochures about our hiking trails and the history of our founding, an issue of the Williston Observer, and the obligatory pint of maple syrup.

When my sister and I arrived at the two-story, newly renovated City Hall in downtown Williston, N.D., we were ushered into a posh conference room to wait for the arrival of Mayor Klug. He came in short order and was eager to hear about Sherry’s experience with the Best for Last program, apparently quite proud that she had made North Dakota her 50th state.

After giving us some ideas about what to visit in the Williston area — including the confluence of the Upper Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers, the Fort Union Trading Post from the 1860s, the Theodore Roosevelt National Forest and the frontier town of Medora — Mayor Klug and I exchanged gifts.

Williston, North Dakota is both considerably bigger in population and richer in resources than our Vermont town. Consequently, there is considerably more swag to be shared. The mayor gave me an embossed notebook, a glue stick, a small first aid kit, baseball caps and a tissue packet all imprinted with “Williston.”

He also provided us with a couple of North

Dakota notepads and some goodies made by local companies, including cinnamon-flavored almonds, caramel and peanut butter chocolate bars, and chocolate-, banana- and strawberry-flavored snacks. The piece de resistance was a small gold colored key to the city.

I felt that my own offerings paled in comparison, but Mayor Klug seemed so pleased with the maple syrup that I think that alone made up for any lack in quantity of items.

After the gift exchange, the mayor took us up to the meeting room of the City Commission (the counterpart to our Selectboard), a well-appointed small auditorium with a huge town logo behind the conference table. There, the city’s communications director took official photos of the mayor and me and interviewed both myself and my sister (that 50th state accomplishment is something North Dakotans are really proud of).

Then it was off in the mayor’s own SUV for a 90-minute tour of the town, of which he is rightfully proud. Benefited greatly by the drilling of oil and by the increase in their tax base through population enlargement after the 2020 census, Williston, North Dakota has been able to build some fine public facilities in recent years. We toured the humongous recreation building, complete with indoor track, soccer pitch, an Olympic-size pool (which Katie Ledecky, whose grandmother lives nearby, had inaugurated for them), a play pool for kids, tennis and pickleball courts, and a weight room. Then we drove through the grounds of the state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facil-

The sunrise over North Dakota’s flat landscape spreads red, orange and purple hues on the way from Fargo to Williston, North Dakota.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

ity (which, having been a municipal official, I geeked out on), and stopped to tour the pristine and tremendously large public works facility — snow plows and road repair vehicles parked and at the ready.

Every time we were introduced to another member of the city’s staff, they laughed and said that they had received phone calls from people who were looking for the staff of Williston, Vermont, instead of Williston, North Dakota. I had heard the same thing from our Vermont staff as well. It seems many folks seeking information about property taxes or some kind of regulation are led astray by a quick Google search of “Williston” without also including the state. Sometimes it can take several minutes of conversation before the staff figures out their mistake.

The drive around town also included views of the railroad network, used to transport oil to refineries, as well as numerous oil pumps, the recently renovated high school and several transportation improvements. Mayor Klug was personally most proud of an intersection that had been totally revamped under his leadership, which brings together two sections of town that were on different elevations and creates a safe pedestrian walkway, used primarily by kids walking to school.

Our tour ended back in the City Hall parking lot, but our memories of a special trip to this “sister city” will remain.

I shared some of the gifts with Town Manager Wells, and the police chief in North Dakota has already sent challenge coins and badges to our police department to reciprocate their gift to him. It was a real pleasure to foster and experience some good old-fashioned hospitality in this big, diverse country of ours. And I can truthfully say a visit to North Dakota is well worth being on your wish list, too.

Debbie Ingram is a former state senator, former selectboard member and ordained minister from Williston who recently retired as the executive director of Vermont Interfaith Action.