‘There are things we can do to make this system a little more foolproof’
BY JASON STARR Observer staff
Vermont’s general election ballots were coming off the printer last month when it was discovered that one of the Republican candidates for state senate in Williston’s district was mistakenly
left off the ballot.
Rohan St. Marthe did not participate in the Republican party primary election in August but was nominated as a general election candidate by the party’s Chittenden County committee. When the Secretary of State realized the omission, she halted the printing process, updated the list of Chittenden Southeast Senate District candidates, and reprinted the ballots.
“It was a bit of a scramble for our team because we needed to reproof all of those ballots,” Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas said, “but in the end the candidate made it on the ballot. It amounted to a slight delay, but the ballots were printed and are probably already in people’s mailboxes.”
Indeed, all Williston voters should receive their general election ballots in the mail this week.
But the episode points to some imperfections in the universal mailin ballot process that was initiated in response to the pandemic in 2020.
Under that process, which the Legislature made permanent in 2021, each registered voter receives a ballot in the mail roughly a month before Election Day and is able to vote by either mailing their completed ballot back to
see ELECTIONS page 24
Sarah
Revived ABS garden program starts to bear fruit
BY JASON STARR Observer staff
School vegetable gardens are great, but Allen Brook parent Jackie Ward has come up with something better.
With a $15,000 Farm-toSchool grant from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, Ward has led a revival of the Allen Brook School garden program and transformed it with berry bushes.
The program had been largely dormant since the onset of the pandemic, when the school’s previous garden coordinator stepped away.
Last spring, Ward led the establishment of a 40-by-40-foot berry patch outside the school, adding fencing and planting strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and kiwis, among other things. The bushes are still young, but the students did enjoy a small strawberry
harvest this fall.
Berries are not only more universally palatable to the kindergarten-through-second-grade garden stewards than vegetables, they are also more sustainable, says Ward, an occasional substitute teacher who was recruited to take over the garden program last school year.
“These fruit are going to be there regardless of someone tending to them and planting seed every year,” she said. “They are going to be giving fruit to these kids from here on out … They will just get bigger and full of more fruit and will be snacks for the whole school for a long time.”
Ward envisions the school eventually bringing in a freeze-dryer or dehydrator to preserve the bounty.
“It’s the kids’ garden ultimately,” she said. “It’s their space and their food.”
see GARDEN page 5
Students work at the Allen Brook School berry patch as part of the school’s revived garden program.
OBSERVER COURTESY PHOTO
Copeland Hanzas
Around Town
Jay Craven’s ‘Lost Nation’ screening set for Saturday at WCS
The Williston Historical Society will host a screening of Jay Craven’s new film “Lost Nation” in the Williston Central School auditorium at 7 p.m. Saturday. The movie is a Revolutionary War-era drama set in the upstart Republic of Vermont and was filmed in dozens of Vermont and Massachusetts locations.
The screening will be followed by a question-and-answer session
led by Craven.
More information about the film and advance tickets sales can be found at www.catamountarts. org/show/details/lost-nation-williston.
Williston Fire Dept. to celebrate 75th anniversary with open house
The public is invited to a Fire Prevention Week Open House and 75th Anniversary Celebration hosted by the Williston Fire Department on Saturday, Oct. 12
from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the fire station, 645 Talcott Rd.
The festivities will include safety information, a kids’ drawing table, touch-a-truck, and CPR practice. There will also be food, treats, drinks and firefighters.
Eagle Scout bottle and can drive planned to fund community projects
Williston-Hinesburg Troop 692 Scouts Mike Denis, Cooper Freeman and Jackson Tellstone will conduct a bottle and can drive to support their respective Eagle projects.
On the morning of Saturday, Oct. 12 the scouts plan to visit: Eastview Circle, Coyote Run, Stirrup Circle, Bittersweet Circle, Hillside Drive, Sharon Drive, River Cove Road, Morgan Parkway, Meadowrun Road, Lamplite Lane, Finney Crossing, Seth Circle, Isham Circle, Brennan Woods, Ledgewood Drive, Southridge, Pleasant Acres, Turtle Pond Road, Wildflower Circle, Southfield Drive, Village Grove, Lefebvre Lane, Fairway Drive, Creeks Edge Drive, Hillcrest Lane, Michael Lane and Sunrise Drive.
Residents on these streets are asked to leave bottles and cans at
the end of their driveways by 8:30 a.m. so they can be picked up by 11 a.m.
If your home isn’t on the route, you can email 2024troopfundraiser@gmail.com, or text (802) 5578184 to discuss potential pick-up.
Volunteers needed to hand-pack meals
Hundreds of Champlain Valley residents will fight world hunger through a partnership between With Love From Vermont and Feed My Starving Children in an Oct 18-19 event.
The event, taking place at ADL school in Essex Junction, will add to the 1.4 million meals previously packed in Essex and shipped around the world to feed starving children.
Volunteers will also drop off non-perishable foods for area food shelves. Donations may be made, and volunteers may register online, at www.give.fmsc.org/Vermont.
Roadwork, paving planned around Williston
A culvert replacement project on Route 2A between the Interstate 89 Exit 12 interchange and the Marshall Avenue-Maple Tree
Place intersection will reduce traffic to one lane in each direction Sundays through Thursdays from 8 p.m.-6 a.m. The project should be completed by the end of October.
Elsewhere, a paving project on North Williston, Oak Hill and Shunpike roads as well as Depot Street and Morgan Parkway will reduce traffic to one lane through Oct. 4.
Residents welcome to tour of Jacob Kratz area
The Williston Conservation Commission and Winooski Valley Parks District are hosting a public walk of the Jacob Krantz Conservation Area, a town-owned parcel along the banks of the Winooski River.
The town acquired the parcel in 2019 and is considering transferring ownership to the Winooski Valley Parks District to manage it as a publicly accessible natural area.
Those interested should meet at 483 Mountain View Rd. at 4 p.m. Oct. 9 for a walk to the parcel.
For more information, call Williston Conservation Planner Andrew Plumb at (802) 878-6702 or email aplumb@willistonvt.org.
Memory Care at Allen Brook receives $1 million gift
The Holly and Bob Miller Charitable Fund has donated $1 million to Cathedral Square to support Memory Care at Allen Brook in Williston. The facility provides dementia care for low-income Vermonters — the only one of its kind in the state.
“It is critical that Memory Care at Allen Brook can remain open and serve those who otherwise would have no options,” said Miller family spokesperson and former Cathedral Square board member Stephanie Miller Taylor.
“My family feels passionate about the incredible work that Cathedral Square does, and we are honored to be able to support Memory Care at Allen Brook. We hope others will also step up to preserve and further this one-of-a-kind community.”
At the start of September, an urgent fundraising campaign was announced to sustain Memory Care at Allen Brook through the year after unforeseen staffing absences and challenges cost Cathedral Square three times what had been budgeted for agency staffing to keep the doors open.
“Words cannot express the depth of our gratitude for this extraordinary gift at a time when we needed it most,” said Cathedral Square CEO Kim Fitzgerald. “It is a testament to the compassion and generosity of the Miller family, who understand the profound impact of dementia on families and communities. This contribution will allow us to keep our doors open.”
Cathedral Square CEO Kim Fitzgerald and Miller family spokesperson Stephanie Miller Taylor in the garden at Memory Care at Allen Brook.
Stewart’s Shops to buy
Jolley convenience stores
Williston store among 38 in Vermont that are part of the purchase
BY CATHERINE HURLEY
VTDigger
Stewart’s Shops has reached an agreement to purchase the tristate Jolley convenience store chain, Stewart’s announced in a statement Monday.
The sale, which requires federal regulatory approval, includes the 45 Jolley stores in Vermont, New York and New Hampshire and the acquisition of petroleum products distributor S.B. Collins, including its heating oil business Clarence Brown in St. Albans.
“We are thrilled to have this opportunity to acquire a company with such an impressive reputation in a market that we’ve been watching for many years,” Stewart’s Shops president Gary Dake said in the statement. “One of the primary reasons we were drawn to this deal is because of the quality and the character of Jolley’s employees.”
The purchase represents a major expansion of the presence of Stewart’s in New England.
The announcement came a week after Times Union reported that the Dake family, who founded Stewart’s, plans to sell its majority share in the compa-
ny to its employees. The family’s shares, which make up 60 percent of the company’s ownership, will be sold under a 20-year divestiture plan.
The purchase also brings together two regional family businesses. Stewart’s, founded as a single ice cream shop in 1945, is a family and employee-owned convenience chain with 360 stores throughout upstate New York and southwestern Vermont. The Jolley company, called Jolley Associates and founded 50 years ago by
brothers Bruce and Robert Jolley, has 38 stores in Vermont and a handful of others in New York and New Hampshire.
The company’s statement did not disclose a purchase price.
“We are proud of what we have accomplished over the years and we are happy to know that Stewart’s is providing our employees an opportunity to have ownership in the business and will continue to treat them well,” Bruce Jolley, president and co-founder of Jolley Associates, said in the statement.
The Jolley convenience store and Mobil gas station in Williston is pictured Tuesday. It is one of dozens that will change hands to Stewart’s Shops.
PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER
Auditor raises alarm about Covid-era programs
Report: grant programs did not complete due diligence on recipients
BY PETER D’AURIA VTDigger
Vermont allocated more than $50 million in federal Covid-19 stimulus money without properly conducting due diligence on the businesses and nonprofits who received that funding, the state auditor said in a new report.
The 83-page report, dated Sept. 27, raised concerns about two federally funded grants administered by Vermont’s Department of Economic Development. The state’s process
for selecting projects to fund was poorly documented and opaque, the auditor found, and may have awarded money to entities that did not need it — or were ineligible.
“The Legislature intended that the program be created and provide assistance to businesses who met all the eligibility requirements. That’s fine,” state auditor Doug Hoffer said in an interview. “Just do it — but do it with some accountability, transparency and so forth. And that’s not what we found.”
The Vermont Department of Economic Development disputed much of the report, saying that the complexity of the projects funded by the programs made it difficult to
apply a single assessment formula across the board.
Thanks to the grant money, “150 capital projects were done throughout the state of Vermont, all 14 counties,” said Joan Goldstein, the commissioner of the Department of Economic Development. “More than half were not-for-profit entities — you know, child care, housing, mental health facilities, theaters, agricultural facilities, mixed use facilities. There’s an awful lot of work that went into it, and we’re proud of the work that we did.”
The report focuses on two Department of Economic Development state grant programs: the Capital Investment Program and the Com-
munity Recovery and Revitalization Program. Both initiatives were funded by a total of nearly $50.6 million in pandemic aid from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act.
The goal of the programs was to speed Vermont’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and to spur economic development across the state, especially in areas with declining tax bases. For-profit and nonprofit enterprises were eligible to apply for funding for specific projects.
All of that money has been allocated, according to Goldstein, but not all has been spent. The list of selected projects includes construction, renovation and building upgrades for entities across the state:
farms, housing developers, arts nonprofits, private schools and more.
But the auditor’s report said that state officials conducted minimal vetting to determine whether applicants actually needed the money — or how much they needed. Instead, the Department of Economic Development relied on the applicants themselves for that information.
Multiple grant recipients appeared to have plenty of money already, the report said. One unnamed nonprofit recipient had cash and investments worth 300 times the cost of the project, while another had money on hand that was 101 times the grant amount and 20 times the total cost of the project, according to the report.
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The auditor also found that the economic development department had few records showing how it actually decided which applicants would receive money, and in what amounts. Three grant recipients told state officials that their projects would have been completed even without the awards, Hoffer said.
“The only thing we’re questioning is, are you using taxpayer money effectively and efficiently?” Hoffer said. “And if you’re giving money to entities that would have done what they’re promising to do anyway, without your money — without our money — then you have not met your obligation.”
The auditor’s report made note of two other concerns about the grant process. When funding child care or affordable housing programs, the state did not require those programs to remain affordable beyond the expiration of the grants — mandates that could have helped future Vermonters access those scarce resources.
And the auditor questioned whether one specific grant recipient — the Northeast Kingdom Development Corporation, which received $1 million to build the soon-to-becompleted Yellow Barn in Hardwick — was in fact legally eligible for the money.
According to the report, a consultant for the state, Guidehouse, told officials the project did not clearly fit into an eligible industry, such as agriculture. Federal grant requirements say that “large capital projects intended for general economic development or to aid impacted industries” are ineligible, Guidehouse said.
In an interview and a Sept. 18 letter responding to the report, see AUDITOR page 5
Garden
continued from page 1
In the meantime, Ward and the students have also revived the raised garden beds in the courtyard for vegetable planting. This fall, they have pulled fresh carrots and served them in the cafeteria.
“There’s no feeling quite like it when you’re walking around the cafeteria with a basket of carrots and kids are clamoring to get the carrots from you,” Ward said. “It’s totally surreal — kids eating whole carrots that were in the ground ten minutes earlier. It’s great.
“It is absolutely shocking how many kids will eat a raw vegetable immediately when it comes off the plant who wouldn’t
Auditor
continued from page 4
Goldstein, of the Department of Economic Development, denied breaking any rules.
She said the question about affordable housing and child care was valid and that the department would seek to implement such restrictions past the expiration of the grant. However, she denied that the department’s vetting process was only superficial.
State officials looked at applicants’ fiscal
information, Goldstein said in an interview, but made their determinations based on their financial assessment of the specific project in question — not the organization as a whole.
“The (Vermont) Foodbank was expanding, and we helped the food bank,” she said. “Now, they may have gotten significant contributions from elsewhere, but we did not take that into consideration. We’re talking about a specific expansion project.”
She added: “This is not as if we’re giving money to people who don’t need it.”
Prospective Families are invited to come check out Rice!
• Learn about our academic programs
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touch it if it were on their plate,” she added. “It is really funny.”
Wednesday mornings at ABS are now set aside for garden time, with mixed ages of students harvesting and discussing food sourcing and sustainability. The grant program through the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets comes with access to a gardening coach and technical assistance.
“We have always taken great pride in our garden program and we are happy to have been given this grant to help revitalize and reimagine these opportunities for kids,” ABS Principal Angela Filion said. “We have incorporated some of our science and health standards into some of what the students will be doing in the garden and in our outdoor learning spaces.”
section in the Williston Observer features some of the best eateries and restaurants in the area! If you would like to have your establishment included please call Rick at 802-373-2136 or email rick@willistonobserver.com
Vermont Auditor of Accounts Doug Hoffer speaks at a press conference hosted by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman in South Burlington in 2020.
FILE PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER
Yum!
Tackling Vermont’s housing shortage
BY JOHN VOGEL
The shortage and cost of housing in Vermont is a problem we can solve. Other states are showing us how.
In Minneapolis, apartment rents have declined by 4 percent over the last five years, according to an NBC News report, while they have soared an average of 22 percent across the United States. In Texas, total development costs for new apartments are half of what they are in Vermont. That’s why developers can charge $800 a month in rent for new apartments and still make a profit.
How did these places do it?
In Minneapolis, they reduced rent and decreased homelessness by creating incentives for new construction. Between 20172022, Minneapolis expanded its housing stock by 12 percent. The key driver behind this growth spurt was apartments. A full 87 percent of these new homes were in buildings with 20-plus units. As economists will tell you, increasing supply general -
ly causes rent to stabilize — and sometimes even decline.
To spur this new construction, the Minneapolis City Council adopted three key policies:
— Minimum parking requirements for new developments were eliminated. By first reducing and then eliminating on-site parking requirements for new apartments, the Minneapolis City Council enabled developers to build more densely and save costs, especially if the site would otherwise require underground parking.
— Taller buildings in commercial corridors were encouraged. Minneapolis created zoning districts near transit and along commercial corridors where developers were allowed to build three- and six-story buildings. On lots adjacent to light rail stations, zoning permitted 10- to 30-story buildings.
— Minimum building heights were required in high density zones. Most zoning regulations focus on maximum building heights. First in Korea, where
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land is scarce, and currently in downtown Minneapolis, developers are required to build to a minimum height so that prime sites can house more people.
Minneapolis made it cheaper and easier to build apartments. Politicians withstood scathing criticism from loud NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) voices — and developers responded. Regulatory improvements are not enough. Minneapolis also backed up this program with financial resources, including a $1 billion Omnibus Housing Bill. This legislation, which passed in May 2023, provides funding for housing infrastructure as well as the development of workforce housing and other housing priorities.
What can we learn from Texas? Why does development cost twice as much in Vermont?
Texas has some natural advantages — land is plentiful, flat and generally less expensive. Also, the influx of new families means developers can build large complexes, and benefit from economies of scale.
There is also a less obvious but significant reason: the number of immigrants who work in construction. According to the American Immigration Council, only 17 percent of the Texas population are immigrants, but they make up 40 percent of the construction workforce. Also, according to the council, a whopping 39.7 percent of all entrepreneurs in the building industry in Texas are immigrants.
These newcomers bring skills or a willingness to learn, innovation and a strong work ethic.
Vermont is short on people with construction skills, which
is a key factor in the high price and slow pace of new developments in Vermont.
Is there a way to draw fresh faces to Vermont and welcome them with opportunity? Can we partner with organizations that help to settle new Americans? Reach across borders? Provide training or sponsor apprenticeship opportunities? Should we begin that conversation?
In June 2023, the Vermont Legislature and Gov. Phil Scott took a significant step toward increasing the supply of housing. The HOME Act (Act S.100) modified parking requirements for priority housing and offered a 40 percent density bonus for affordable housing in areas with public water and sewer.
In 2024, the Legislature took further action and passed H.687 — which modernized Act 250 see VOGEL page 7
from page 6
— smoothing the way for more housing projects and less duplicate regulation.
This bold legislation is clearly a step in the right direction. But, if Vermont really wants to increase its supply of housing, it needs additional legislative action. It also needs to press forward in creative and potentially controversial ways.
John Vogel is a retired clinical professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.
Food drive success
The board of the Williston Community Food Shelf wishes to thank all who donated to, and helped with, the Food Drive held Sept. 21. This event was organized by the Green Mountain Masons and the Williston Boy Scouts. We received donations of 550 pounds of food and just under $1,000. The 350 families we serve thank you.
Ginger Morton President
Williston Community Food Shelf
Send Roy to the capitol
Who is Bruce Roy? It’s a fair question as Bruce asks us to elect him to be our Senator from the Chittenden Southeast district.
Bruce graduated from UVM with a degree in mathematics, making him uniquely qualified for serving us in Montpelier. He understands the complexity of the numbers that are discussed and how they impact our property taxes, school budgets, the numerous
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
climate change scenarios and the potential devastating impact on many people as they heat their homes or drive their vehicles.
Fortunately, Bruce can explain those numbers to us in clear terms so we can understand the financial impact they have.
Bruce has had a distinguished 30-year career with both the Vermont Air National Guard and with IBM. In both careers, he rose through the ranks by leading others in a team effort to accomplish the mission they were given, realizing it takes a team effort to achieve change and accomplish goals.
Bruce is also the guy who you’ll see in his jeans and work shirt out mowing his lawn, visiting with neighbors and enjoying sunset views with his wife and family dog. Bruce is the dad taking his daughter off to college and getting her settled. You’ll see Bruce in local businesses and eating at local restaurants.
Yes, Bruce is one of us, and he had been enjoying his retirement, but his sense of duty to others has awoken again.
He sees a need to help his fellow Vermonters who are struggling financially due to Montpelier’s heavy-handed control over our lives with onerous taxes, fees and regulations placed upon us. Bruce believes that to have change, to make progress, we need to have two-way conversations in Montpelier, something not possible with the super majority governance we now have.
We need a seat at the table in Montpelier to exchange ideas and evaluate problems and solutions for the benefit of all Vermonters.
Vermont has become very unaffordable, and that can’t change if we only keep raising more “revenue,” meaning taxes and fees. Continuing to do the same things, electing the same people and expecting different results is not working, just ask your wallet.
We need new approaches, where can we save money. Are there old programs that need to be retired? Are there programs that we just can’t afford? We need someone to ask the questions, help craft alternatives, offer new ideas and keep us informed.
The answer is just down the road at your neighbor Bruce Roy’s place. Let’s give him a nice indoor job this winter in Montpelier and a return to serving his fellow Vermonters.
John Marcotte Williston
Lucky in Williston
I am fortunate to have enjoyed your trust for 20 years as your State Representative.
I have not lost my interest in the goings-on in Montpelier. In fact, I suspect I follow votes more closely than many.
Erin Brady and Angela Arsenault get much of my scrutiny. I grade them both with an A+ on a regular basis.
Please trust me a bit more. Williston is very lucky to have Angela and Erin serving our town as members of the House of Representatives.
Please vote for them. “They are doing a good job!”
Jim McCullough Williston
Stowe, Vermont is the place to experience a classic New England autumn and the Stowe Foliage Arts Festival is the perfect destination - where the beauty of the mountains is rivaled only by the handcrafted works of 150+ Artisans! Will there be food? Indeed! Plus: beer, live music, craft demos and more!
STOWE FOLIAGE FESTIVAL ARTS
Frontier to bring back Florida-Burlington flights
BY AUDITI GUHA VTDigger
Airport officials on Tuesday announced that Frontier Airlines will again offer direct flights between Florida and the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport.
Officials also said they plan to break ground within the next two weeks on a previously announced $50 million project to build a three-story terminal building.
At a press conference at the South Burlington airport, Direction of Aviation Nic Longo said Fron-
tier Airlines will return to provide non-stop service to Tampa and Orlando starting on Dec. 20. Although Breeze Airways already serves that area, Longo said Frontier’s flights will fulfill continuing demand as Florida is the airport’s “number one destination.”
Frontier left the Vermont airport before the pandemic hit for reasons related to finance and demand, Longo said. Earlier this year, JetBlue stopped serving Vermont, eliminating popular, twice-daily flights between Burlington and New York City.
Noting that traveler numbers are on the rise, Longo said more than 3,500 people passed through the security checkpoint at the airport this past Sunday, which is a record. Airlines serving Leahy BTV are averaging 87 percent occupancy — the second highest in New England, after Boston Logan International Airport, according to Longo. The national average is 79 percent, he said.
The airport has also recorded the highest number of outbound passengers this year since 2009, which marked an all-time high for the airport, said Longo.
“Our vision is not only to keep up with the growing aviation demand, but to get ahead of it,” said Longo.
The uptick in passengers highlights the need for the upcoming expansion, according to Longo.
Dubbed “Project NexT,” the construction of a new north terminal will be the second major infrastructure improvement since the expansion of the south terminal in 2022. The new building is expected to be about the same size as the current one, or about 30,000 square feet, Longo said.
Expected to be completed in two years, the project involves a mass timber building with geothermal and solar capacity, newer aircraft gates, offices on the third floor and an outdoor patio area for public use — a feature Longo is most pleased about because he said people often wish they could go into the observation tower which is only accessible to ticketed passengers.
The addition will enhance the airport’s ability to host more flights, larger aircrafts and foster greater competition, he said.
Disruptions are expected to be minimal, Longo said, explaining that passengers will see some temporary walls and some airline gates being switched around during the construction phase.
“This isn’t just another construction project,” he continued. “This is a pivotal step forward in accommodating … the increased demand in modern air travel to ensure that we are ready for the next generation of aviation needs.”
Whether it will attract greater usage or more airlines remains to be seen. Longo said officials are always in discussions with new and existing airline partners to expand travel to and from the Burlington airport.
“We are positioning Leahy BTV to be a hub for innovation, the opportunity for additional growth, and, of course, to welcome new airlines,” he said.
Travelers walk toward the terminal after disembarking at the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport in South Burlington.
FILE PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER
Vermont high schools hooked on a new sport: bass fishing
CVU places third in statewide tournament
BY CHARLOTTE OLIVER Community News Service
Ethan Wagner has been fishing as long as he can remember, mostly as a hobby. So when the Essex High School senior injured his knee playing football, he joined the school’s varsity bass fishing team. And among his teammates, who all call him Wags, he’s found a new bond.
“When you’re on the boat together all day, you find something in common,” he said.
Wagner competed on one of 19 varsity high school teams at the Vermont Principals Association’s seventh annual Open Classic tournament last Saturday, hosted at the John Guilmette Access Area in South Hero. The tournament was the most competitive yet, said Jeff Goodrich, chair of the association’s fishing committee — with more “‘full bags and competitive weights” than ever before.
It’s part of a trend in a new co-ed sport that’s only seen growth since it was trialed in Vermont in 2018, inspired by New Hampshire high schools, and made official in 2019.
Kids go out on the water in the early morning, then parade back mid-afternoon. Boats are pulled out of the water and teams go up to weigh in the six best bass, smallmouth or large, they caught that day.
On Sept. 21, 34 boats went out on Lake Champlain, with 19 varsity and 15 junior varsity teams making up two divisions. Each school can have one team in each division and four kids to a team. The teens took shifts, with two in the boat at a time, while a coach or volunteer captain maneuvered it.
Milton High School came out on top that day, weighing six bass at 24.33 total pounds. Burlington High came in second with a weight of 20.97 pounds, and Champlain Valley Union High came in third with 18.28 pounds.
The teams spent the day fishing on the Inland Sea of Lake Champlain, a stretch protected from wind and weather by the Champlain Islands and the causeway between Milton and South Hero.
In Vermont varsity fishing, anglers must weigh in live fish — so all boats are required to have live wells that maintain temperature and oxygen levels to sustain the bass while on board. Teams get point deductions for any dead fish.
At every tourney, employees from the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife collect the fish in larger live tanks to release them after they’re weighed. The state workers make sure the fish are healthy enough for release, said Paige Blaker, one of three state employees working the event. That afternoon, the crew released fish across four locations along the Inland Sea, Blaker said.
Part of the sport is “being a steward of the environment and taking care of the water,” Goodrich said, hence the partnership with the fish and wildlife department.
Anglers master a tactic called culling: They weigh their fish as they go, dumping the lightest overboard and constantly replacing the ones in their onboard well until they’re left with the biggest six they can find.
“You can control a lot of things — but the one thing you can’t control is if the fish is gonna bite,” said Scott Green, the coach at Harwood Union High School. The team at Harwood, last year’s state champs, has 18 anglers, the most of any Vermont school ever.
How do they prepare for tournaments?
“We make sure there’s no frays in our line,” said team captain Nathanael Conyers.
At the Duxbury school’s last practice before the Open Classic, Green set up cornhole boards and cut-up recycling bins on the lawn in front of the school — targets for the athletes to try to land their hooks on. The team was working on their line-casting skills in preparation for the tournament in
a few days.
The rod is an “extension of your hand,” and “your wrist dictates where it goes,” Green said.
The team gets in two practices on the lawn during the week — due to the long drive to the lake — and one on the water every weekend. Like all school teams in the state, Harwood Union relies on local anglers and coaches to volunteer personal boats, paying for insurance and fuel.
Other schools far from the
lake, like Middlebury Union High School, practice on the water only a couple times a year, said John Fitzgerald, that team’s coach. Other than with those sporadic sessions, he helps his anglers by directing them to YouTube and online resources to learn about “different setups,” he said.
Although the sport is co-ed in Vermont schools, girls are far outnumbered.
Hailey Isham, a sophomore at Mount Abraham Union High School in Bristol, said she’s the only girl on her school’s team. She’s been doing the sport since she was a freshman and plans to participate all four years.
The Harwood team has only had a few girls over the years, Green said. The Middlebury team had a girl on the team last year, though none this year, Fitzgerald said.
“It gets students an opportunity to be a part of their school community, wear the uniform and represent their school in a nontraditional fashion,” Goodrich said.
Wagner from Essex High said he’s excited for the VPA State Championship on Oct. 5 and hopes his team will do better there than at the South Hero tournament.
“I don’t do anything in my life to lose,” he said.
Community News Service is a University of Vermont journalism internship.
Paige Blaker of the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife pours a net of fish caught by school teams into a specialized truck to be released back into Lake Champlain on Sept. 21.
PHOTO BY CATHERINE MORRISSEY
‘Hawks’ best Wolves
CLOCKWISE (l to r): CVU’s Elsa Klein runs out ahead of two South Burlington defenders during the Redhawks’ 4-1 win over the Wolves on Sept. 21 in Hinesburg. CVUs goalie,Anya Johnson gets in front of the ball for a save. The team celebrates an Abby Bunting goal. Rieanna Murray dribbles past South Burlington’s Reese Gordon. Lauren Knudsen gets by South Burlington’s Lila Hamme.
OBSERVER PHOTOS BY AL FREY
Winning sets
CLOCKWISE (l to r): CVU’s Adam Cotton shows off his jump serve during the Redhawks’ 3-1 win over the Essex Hornets on Monday evening in Essex. Cotton keeps the ball in play. Johnathan Deyo sets the ball for a teammate’s spike. Justin Bokan gets a kill past a Hornet block.
OBSERVER PHOTOS BY AL FREY
SPORTS
Field guide
CLOCKWISE (t to b): CVU’s Emery Thompson stick handles past Burlington’s Gretchen Fitzgerald during the Redhawks’ 7-0 win over the Seahorses on Sept. 21 in Hinesburg. Mackenzie Love drives the ball up field. Zoe Norris works around Burlington’s Marzie Schulman. Elizabeth Nostrand and Burlington’s Gretchen Fitzgerald race for the loose ball.
Five ways to tune-up your workspace
Designing a home workspace takes creativity. Whether you’re into woodworking, metalworking, building models or repairing bikes or tools, having the right space allows you to focus on creating and enjoying each project.
Completing a job to your satisfaction requires the right tools, equipment and resources — and a workspace that lets you explore your passion. These tips from the DIY pros at Work IQ Tools can help you get the space you’re looking for.
IDENTIFY
YOUR NEEDS
Determine if a large, flat
workspace is required or floor space is better suited. Balance
Think about how you’ll protect a project that is in progress when you step away from your workspace.
comfort and craftsmanship by choosing a stable chair or rolling chair, or decide if working on your feet is more practical. Decide exactly how much space
you realistically need. Assess your access to adequate power sources. If you’re using paints and varnish or other odorous substances, ensure there is proper ventilation.
PLAN FOR STORAGE
Keeping all your parts and pieces neatly organized means they remain in good condition until you need them, and you can find what you’re looking for easily. When you’re planning your storage needs, think about the space you need at every stage, including how you’ll protect a
There’s never been a better time to weatherize your home.
• 75% off project costs, up to $9,500
• Free services for income-eligible Vermonters
• 0% financing options
From lighting to storage, creating a productive home workspace takes forethought and investment. PHOTO COURTESY OF FAMILY FEATURES
Workspace
project that is in progress when you step away from your workspace.
LIGHT IT UP
A well-lit workspace gives you the visibility you need to complete each project to your satisfaction. Overhead lights rarely do the trick for hands-on work, so plan to add task lamps to your work area. Look for models with features that match your hobby needs, such as dimming capabilities and goose necks that allow you to position the lights just right.
REMEMBER SAFETY
Different projects require distinct protective gear, but virtually all DIYers can benefit from some basic safety precautions. At the least, keep a first aid kit handy for nicks and cuts, but also consid -
er safety glasses, gloves, ear protection and other gear that can help protect you while you work.
INVEST IN THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT
Having the right tools allows you to work faster, easier and smarter. Incorporating a solution like the IQ Vise System (available at www.workiqtools.com) is like having a built-in problem-solver with smart features that improve functionality and capability. The vise features a ball-and-socket design that allows articulation and 360-degree rotation at any angle for optimal work positioning, while complementing task-specific jaws are crafted to create the perfect grip for an extensive range of shapes and materials.
Find more useful tools to create a functional project workspace at workiqtools.com.
— Family Features
accessories help get the job done
No matter your craft or hobby, you can find plenty of tools and accessories that make it easier to navigate the intricate details of each project you tackle. Consider these plug-andplay workshop accessories from IQ Connect that provide hands-free assistance where and when needed.
Work light: Task lighting helps illuminate dark or shadowed areas so you can see the tiniest details. A hands-free, 180-lumen work light that mounts in a magnetic holder, bench mount or clamp mount can add extra versatility. Rechargeable and featuring multiple light settings, it’s always ready and adaptable to your needs.
Magnifying glass: Many hobby projects require intricately detailed work that’s difficult to see with the naked eye, whether it’s a minute piece of your project or the fine print on a tool. Look for a magnifying glass that’s at least 5 inches in diameter with at least two levels of magnification and an adjustable frame so you can get the angle just right.
Cell phone holder: A smartphone is often a hobbyist’s most valuable tool since you can use it to look up information, scan for design inspiration, record your process or add entertainment to your work session. An adjustable hands-free holder lets you get the positioning just right while giving you the freedom to tackle the tasks at hand.
— Family Features
Uncovering the benefits of cover crops
BY BONNIE KIRN DONAHUE
Special to the Observer
Rather than leaving a field or patch of soil open over the winter, consider cover crops. A cover crop is basically a temporary seeding of an area that would otherwise have exposed soil. The crop is a placeholder for future crops that will be grown there.
There are lots of reasons to use cover crops. First, they stabilize soil during transition times, preventing erosion and soil movement that may occur when not vegetated.
Second, vegetating exposed areas prevents rain and stormwater runoff from carrying soil particles and nutrients into nearby rivers and streams. The cover crops help absorb and capture water, and help hold nutrients in the soil.
Third, cover crops are typical-
ly meant to be annual or one-season crops. Once the crop is no longer needed, it can be tilled back into the soil, which will provide organic matter and nutrients to the soil as it decays.
There are many species that can be used as cover crops. Keep in mind the purpose of the cover crop, the timing of planting and what your soil needs when deciding which to use.
Cover crops also can be used when planting seed mixes with slower-growing seed species. Native, pollinator seed mixes often need a cover crop, which will provide quick establishment and erosion control while the native species become established.
Red
clover is a good choice as a cover crop. It stabilizes open soil and is also a good source of food for bees and other pollinators.
PHOTO BY BONNIE KIRN DONAHUE
er grass seeds are getting established.
Be careful though, as planting too much annual rye or letting it grow too tall can smother the seed that you actually want to grow. Make sure to follow the manufacturer’s seed rate recommendations, and mow the grass when it grows taller than 8 inches.
For areas where you just need temporary cover, you could use one of the grass or grain species listed above, or you could plant other species that have other useful features.
suppress weeds.
If you have compacted soils, consider using a brassica cover crop such as tillage radish. Its hearty taproots will break up the soil and improve soil aeration.
To determine the quantity of seed needed, you will need to know the size of the area you want covered. Then, look for the seed rate on seed manufacturers’ bags or websites to calculate how much seed you need. You might need to do some conversions, so keep a calculator handy.
Cover crops are an excellent way to give back to the soil and environment around us. Give it a try this season and see how you feel about it!
If you are seeding an area in the spring, oats work well as they grows quickly in warm weather and are killed by frost in the fall. For planting in late summer or fall, winter or cereal rye is recommended because it grows well in cold conditions.
Hairy vetch, red clover and winter peas are species that fix nitrogen, boosting soil health. Both species flower profusely, so they offer food for pollinators while planted.
Annual rye is often already included in seed mixes for lawns. It establishes quickly and creates great temporary cover while oth-
Alfalfa and buckwheat are also great multipurpose cover crops that produce flowers that attract pollinators, establish quickly and
Bonnie Kirn Donahue is a UVM Extension Master Gardener and landscape architect from central Vermont.
Fall leaves — a gift from nature
BY MELINDA MYERS Special to the Observer
The leaves are coming down. Here’s how to put them to work in your landscape.
This valuable resource makes a great mulch in planting beds, adds organic matter and nutrients to the soil, provides habitat for many beneficial insects, and is insulation for ground-dwelling bumblebees, toads and more.
Leave any disease-free leaves in garden beds, but pull them away from the trunks of trees and stems of shrubs. Mulch piled against trunks or stems create a moist environment that is more subject to rot and disease. It also provides a hiding place next to these plants for voles that feed on bark over winter.
Avoid thick layers of leaves — 6 or more inches deep — in garden beds. They can block sunlight and smother the plants below. Pull leaves off the crowns of perennials, and move the excess leaves to gardens with little or no mulch.
As you mow your grass you will shred leaves into smaller pieces. If they are small — the size of a quarter or smaller — your lawn will be fine with them there. As these leaf pieces decompose, they add organic matter and nutrients to the soil.
When the lawn is overwhelmed with leaves, rake them into nearby planting beds. Whole leaves provide the best habitat for overwintering insects. Spread the leaves over the soil surface to help insulate the roots, conserve moisture, suppress weeds and improve the soil as it breaks down.
Dig extra shredded leaves into vacant annual flower and vegetable gardens, or incorporate them into the soil as you prepare new planting beds. They will break down over winter, improving the drainage in heavy clay soils and increasing the water-holding abili-
ty in fast-draining soils.
Bag shredded leaves you want to save for next season. Tuck them out of sight for winter under trees or around the foundation of your house for added insulation.
Create compost with fall leaves, plant-based kitchen scraps, and other landscape trimmings. Avoid diseased and insect-infest-
Spread the leaves over the soil surface to help insulate the roots, conserve moisture, suppress weeds and improve the soil as it breaks down.
ed plant debris, perennial weeds and weeds gone to seed. These can survive in compost piles that don’t produce sufficient heat to kill them and end up back in the garden in the compost.
Oak and large maple leaves make great mulches and additions to the compost pile, but they break down slowly. Shred them with your mower or leaf shredder first for quicker results.
You can compost black walnut, laurel and eucalyptus leaves that contain chemicals toxic to other plants. Shred them first to speed decomposition, and when they are fully decomposed the compost is safe to use in the garden.
As you begin putting fall leaves to work in your landscape, you will start considering them a gift from nature.
Melinda Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Visit her website at www. MelindaMyers.com.
Mowing fallen leaves on lawns to shred them into smaller pieces adds organic matter and nutrients to the soil as the leaf pieces decompose.
PHOTO BY MELINDA MYERS
Native Guide
More than 200 years ago, a young American Indian woman, Sacagawea (sah-KAHguh-WEE-uh), helped a team of explorers make their way across the American West.
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, with about 50 men, began their journey near St. Louis and passed through what is now Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. The 8,000-mile trip took more than 2 1/2 years. They returned to St. Louis on Sept. 23, 1806.
This week, The Mini Page learns more about this historic trip and the woman who helped make it a success.
A young guide
Sacagawea was a member of the Lemhi Shoshone (LEM-high show-SHOW-knee) tribe that lived in an area that is now western Montana. When she was about 11, Sacagawea was captured by another tribe, the Hidatsa (hi-DAHT-zah). She was carried more than 600 miles east to what is now North Dakota. She learned the Hidatsa language in addition to the Shoshone language she already spoke.
Mini Fact: Sacagawea’s son was born in February 1805. She carried him on her back most of the time.
When Lewis and Clark arrived at the Hidatsa villages, Sacagawea, age 16, was married to a French Canadian fur trader named Toussaint Charbonneau (shar-boneOWE). Lewis and Clark hired the couple as intrepreters. Sacagawea was pregnant and gave birth to her son, Jean Baptiste, soon after she joined the group.
The exploration
You might call Sacagawea our first woman ambassador. On the trail, she represented the Lewis and Clark group as a symbol of peace. Without her along, suspicious Indians might have attacked this band of unfamiliar white men. When they saw Sacagawea and her baby, they knew the group was peaceful.
She was a great help finding plants to eat or use as medicines, and she helped Lewis and Clark make trades for things they needed, such as horses. Her own coin
There are no pictures of Sacagawea drawn from life. In 2001, the United States issued a gold dollar coin with her image. The art was based on a modern Shoshone woman.
Historians believe Sacagawea died in 1812 at about 25 years old. Her son and a daughter, Lizette, were adopted by William Clark.
Words that remind us of Sacagawea are hidden in this puzzle. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find:
Next Week: Spooky spiders
A presidential project
At the time of the expedition, our country was made up of an area east of the Mississippi River. There were 17 states and several territories that would later become states.
In 1798, the port of New Orleans was closed to American shipping, but shipping goods down the Mississippi and through the port of New Orleans was important to Americans.
President Thomas Jefferson wanted to buy the port of New Orleans from the French. The French wanted to sell not only New Or1eans, but also all of the Louisiana Territory for $15 million, or about 3 cents an acre. The Louisiana Purchase almost doubled the size of our country. Jefferson wanted to find out more about the lands, plants and animals in the Louisiana Territory and beyond. He wanted to establish peaceful relations with the American Indian tribes, and he hoped to find a good way to reach the Pacific Ocean. He selected Lewis to lead the expedition, and Lewis asked Clark to join him.
the Web:
nps.gov/lecl/learn/ historyculture/sacagawea.htm At the library: • “Sacagawea for Kids: A Trailblazer’s Biography” by Sarah Michaels
Sara: Envelope! Try ’n’ Find
Sam: What word starts with an E, ends with an E, and has one letter?
Founded by Betty Debnam Issue 40, 2024
photo by Jasperdo
Part of a painting by Edgar Samuel Paxson, “Lewis and Clark at Three Forks.” The painting is on display at the Montana House of Representatives.
was captured by another tribe, the Hidatsa (hi-DAHT-zah). She was carried more than 600 miles east to what is now North Dakota. She learned the Hidatsa language in addition to the Shoshone language she already spoke. woman.
Historians believe Sacagawea died in 1812 at about 25 years old. Her son and a daughter, Lizette, were adopted by William Clark.
Try ’n’ Find
Words that remind us of Sacagawea are hidden in this puzzle. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find:
• “Sacagawea for Kids: A Trailblazer’s Biography” by Sarah Michaels
3,
Mini Spy and her friends are looking at a map of Lewis and Clark’s expedition. See if you can find the hidden pictures. Then color the picture.
Mini Jokes
Sam: What word starts with an E, ends with an E, and has one letter?
Sara: Envelope!
Eco Note
Some plants that are illuminated all night by streetlights can develop leaves so tough that they cannot be eaten by insects, according to a study by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Researcher Shuang Zhang found that the more illumination there was, the tougher the leaves. In the brightest areas, the leaves were extremely tough and showed no sign of insects munching on them. Zhang says that insects eating vegetation is a normal process that sustains other creatures in the ecosystem.
For later:
Look in your newspaper for articles about modern exploration.
Teachers: Follow and interact with The Mini Page on Facebook!
by Dan Thompson
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea and have been trying to use a CPAP device for the past six months but can’t tolerate it. Are there any alternative treatment options you can tell me about?
Sleepy Sam
Dear Sam,
I’m sorry to hear your CPAP mask is keeping you awake at night, but I’m happy to hear that you’re addressing your obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) problem. Left untreated, OSA is linked to daytime sleepiness and an increased risk of anxiety, diabetes, hypertension and stroke.
SAVVY SENIOR
The best CPAP alternatives for sleep apnea treatment
For those who aren’t familiar, OSA causes your breathing to pause during sleep because something blocks your airway, like your tongue or relaxed throat muscles. Losing weight, quitting smoking and limiting alcohol can all help ease obstructive sleep apnea symptoms such as snoring.
The primary treatment for people with moderate or severe OSA is a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, which keeps your airway open by pumping air through a mask you wear over your mouth and/or nose when you sleep.
But many people, like yourself, have difficulty tolerating CPAP and don’t stick with it. While CPAP machines have become smaller and quieter, with more comfortable options available, for some people with mild to moderate OSA, less invasive alternatives may be worth considering. Here are several to ask your doctor about.
Dental device: This is designed to move the jaw so that the tongue shifts toward the
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front of the mouth to help keep the airway open. It’s one of the primary alternatives to CPAP. It can also be used with CPAP to help make severe OSA milder.
A dentist who specializes in sleep medicine (find one at dentalsleep.org) will be able to customize the fit to help your breathing without causing harm to your bite or teeth. These custom-made oral appliances can cost between $2,000 and $4,000 but may be covered by insurance.
There are much cheaper options available online to treat snoring, but experts say these may not help with OSA, and could move teeth out of place or cause jaw issues if they’re not properly fitted.
Position therapy: For some, sleeping on the back can make obstructive sleep apnea dramatically worse. In these cases, switching to side sleeping – perhaps using pillows or a tennis ball attached to a shirt back – can sometimes help.
Tongue trainer: In 2021, the Food and Drug Administration approved a tongue-stimulating device for mild sleep apnea called eXciteOSA (exciteosa.com), which people wear for 20 minutes a day for six weeks and then 20 minutes a couple of times a week indefinitely. It costs $1,650 and is not covered by insurance.
Surgery: Those who can’t tolerate CPAP could have upper airway surgery to reduce the size of their soft palate or other tissue in their throat. But such options don’t always work, have serious potential complications, and cannot be reversed. So, in general, they should not be first-line treatments.
A newer option is a surgically implanted device called Inspire (inspiresleep.com). Approved in 2014, it stimulates a nerve that moves your tongue to keep your airway open. Inspire can be removed if it is not tolerated, but it should also be tried only if someone is unable to use CPAP. It is not an option for everyone.
Drug therapy: A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that tirzepatide — the main ingredient found in type 2 diabetes medication Mounjaro and weight loss treatment Zepbound — helps reduce symptom severity by almost two-thirds in adults with obesity and obstructive sleep apnea. Ask your doctor about this option.
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.
TODAY’S HISTORY:
• In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln designated the last Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving.
• In 1952, the United Kingdom conducted a successful test of an atomic bomb off the coast of Australia, becoming the world’s third nuclear power.
• In 1990, East and West Germany were reunified.
• In 1995, O.J. Simpson was acquitted of the murders of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.
• In 2008, President George W. Bush signed into law the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, a bailout of the U.S. financial system.
TODAY’S FACT:
• In 1789, President George Washington announced that Nov. 26 of that year would be “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer,” the first in U.S. history.
SOLUTION FOUND ON PAGE 22
Recreation & Parks WILLISTON
ADULT PROGRAMS
SENIOR STRENGTH AND FUNCTIONAL MOBILITY
Ages 50-plus. Join this fitness program just for seniors. The program will concentrate on developing upper and lower body strength, improving balance and strengthening your core. In this dementia-friendly class, participants are encouraged to work within their abilities. Wednesdays and Fridays, 9:45-10:45 a.m., $5 per visit. The R.E.C. Zone, 94 Harvest Lane.
JAZZERCISE CARDIO SCULPT PROGRAMS
Ages 50-plus. Programs are low impact with different levels of intensity. Instructors will show you how to take it high or low. Class passes of 1, 5 and 10 visits available to purchase. Cardio Sculpt Low is Tuesdays and Fridays, 8:30-9:30 a.m. and Mondays and Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-
12 p.m. Cardio Sculpt Low/High is Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 4:45-5:45 p.m. and Sundays, 8:30-9:30 a.m. The R.E.C. Zone, 94 Harvest Lane.
TAI CHI INTRODUCTION
Ages 50-plus. The ancient art of Tai Chi has become increasingly popular as people find that it improves balance, increases mindfulness and relaxes the mind and body. This class will present sequences of movements derived from the Sun style, which is slow, smooth and upright in posture. Wednesdays, 12:151:15 p.m. Free. The R.E.C. Zone, 94 Harvest Lane.
PICKUP TABLE TENNIS
Available by registration and online payment at willistonrec.org. The program is for ages 12-plus. Those between the ages of 12-16 must be accompanied by an adult. The program meets once a week from October-May.
PICKUP BASKETBALL
Pickup basketball is for men ages 20plus and 30-plus, as well as women ages 19-plus. The programs meet once a week October-May. Register at willistonrec.org.
PICKUP VOLLEYBALL
Pickup volleyball is for adults ages 18plus. The program meets once a week October-May. Register at willistonrec.org.
SELF DEFENSE INTRO
Ages 18-plus. This class mixes training techniques from multiple martial arts, including Filipino stick fighting, kickboxing and Jiu-Jitsu, to create a fun, non-competitive environment where students can learn practical self-defense skills. Perfect for both complete beginners and those with a prior martial arts background. Tuesdays, Sept. 17-Oct. 18, $95. Instructor: ONTA Studio staff
YOUTH/TEEN PROGRAMS
SPEECH & DEBATE
Grades 5-8. This program will introduce middle school students to speech and debate through public speaking activities.
Competitions are optional and take place during the winter. The program starts Oct. 23 and runs Wednesdays, 2-3 p.m. $30. Instructor: Kathryn Kernoff, CVU speech/ debate coach
NINJA KIDS INTRO
Ages 4-8 and 7-11. This play-based curriculum increases strength and self-confidence while moving meditation helps children manage their emotions and develop the connection between mental and physical well-being. Instructor: ONTA Studio Staff
NINJA TEENS INTRO
Ages 9-15. This play-based curriculum increases strength and self-confidence while moving meditation helps children manage their emotions and develop the connection between mental and physical well-being. Instructor: ONTA Studio Staff
DANGEROUS GIRLS
Ages 12-plus. A practical self-defense class designed for teens and young women, with a combination of kickboxing and grappling. It’s fun, it’s social, and before you know it, you’ll be able to kick butt. Wednesdays, Sept. 18- Oct. 9, 6:30-7:30 p.m. $95. Instructor: ONTA Studio Staff.
OBITUARIES
Gary Patrick Boutin
Gary Patrick Boutin, 53, died peacefully surrounded by his loved ones on Tuesday Sept. 24, 2024, at the McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester from a long and courageous battle with cancer.
He was born Oct. 1, 1970 to Leo J. Boutin Jr and Mary (Beaupre) Boutin of Williston. For many years Gary worked for J&A Enterprises in Charlotte and in later years at D. Richards Automotive where he found friends he considered family.
Gary lived his life on his own terms, always keeping it real, from riding his motorcycle mach 100 to slowing down and enjoying hunting and fishing with family and friends. Many of his most cherished memories were of hunting with his son Chris.
We will miss Gary dearly but take comfort he is with his family in heaven and no longer in pain.
Gary leaves behind his mother, Mary Boutin of Williston. His loving wife of many years, Julie (Bushway) Boutin of Hinesburg. His siblings and their spouses, Kevin & Alba Boutin of Fairfax, Mona Boutin of Fletcher, Tina & Dean Gallison of N. Middlesex, Loretta & Raymond Irvin of NC, his daughter Cierra Bennett of New York, and Grandson Daniel. Julie’s children Colby & Stephanie Wootton and their
children of Hastings, NY, Tyler Greene of Jericho, Adam & Samantha Greene and their children of St. Albans. Many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Special friends Tim Shepard and Kevin Poirier of D. Richards Automotive who not only laughed with him, cried with him.
He was predeceased by his father Leo J Boutin Jr, his son Christopher Boutin, his brother Steven Boutin and sisters, Monica Boutin & Kimberly Lewis, and stepdaughter Emily Wootton.
Visitation will be held Oct. 5 from 1-3 p.m. with a memorial service to follow at 3 p.m. at Gifford Funeral Home, 22 Depot Street, Richmond, VT.
Robert Scot Jameson
Robert Scot Jameson, 65, passed away on Saturday Aug. 3, 2024.
Scot was one of a kind. With his big smile and even bigger heart, he could charm a room of one or one hundred.
We warmly invite you to join us in celebrating Scot’s life on Sunday, Oct. 6, from 2:30 - 5 p.m. at The Mansfield Barn, 3 Irish Farm Road, Jericho.
Together, we’ll share cherished memories, stories, and the special moments that made Scot so dear to us all. Your presence would mean so much as we remember and honor his remarkable life.
LEGAL
TOWN OF WILLISTON DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD AGENDA
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 – 7:00 PM
Town Hall Beckett/Maguire Meeting Room (7900 Williston Road, use rear entrance) or Zoom Meeting ID 846 5863 3532 on zoom. us/join or call 1-646-558-8656
LEGAL NOTICE
On Oct. 16,
at 9:00 a.m. on
The contents of the following units consisting of furniture, household goods and miscellaneous personal property will be SOLD to satisfy the lien of U-HAUL as self-storage operators. This sale is held under the Uniform Commercial Code Section 16a, Paragraph 7-210 Enforcement of Vermont Self-Storage Lien.
Larissa Joppie 1357
Randal Mckenzie 1065
Alexis Hill 2327
Marissa Szymanski 2467
Vincent Gabe 2086
Travis Shepard 1525
Maurice Guariglia 1420
Joann Billings 1266
Jennifer Place 2449
Briana Deuyour 2551
Carlos Barrera 0132
Jaimee Charbonneau 0117
Christopher Guillotte 1397
Talaina Scott 2274
Teresa Murphy 1209
Tiffany Williams 1174
DP 25-02 Jacob & Caitlin Glaser and Mark & Hieu McElroy c/o Brian Currier requests discretionary permit review of a Boundary Line Adjustment to transfer 5.07 ac from a 99.73-ac parcel to a 3.99-ac parcel located at 195 Windridge Rd in the RZD.
DP 17-01.6 BlackRock Construction c/o Greenfield Growth LLC Ben Avery requests a discretionary permit amendment to remove from the NorthRidge Subdivision final plans the unbuilt gravel path proposed behind the homes at 182, 196, 214, 228, 346, 360, 376, 390 Chloe Drive in the RZD.
CLASSIFIEDS
Project details and site plans are available on www.town.williston.vt.us, under “Public Records and Documents”, “Agendas & Minutes”, “Development Review Board”. Contact Planning & Zoning Office at 802-878-6704 or planning@willistonvt.org
LEGAL
TOWN OF WILLISTON DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD AGENDA
Tuesday, October 22, 2024 – 7:00 PM
VT. Email helpdesk@thcauction.com.
Auction Closes: Monday, October 14 @ 10 AM
Preview: During Business Hours, Mon - Fri 9AM- 3PM Location: 298 James Brown Drive, Williston, VT, 05495
Featuring: No. 1, Select Structural Timbers, FOHC, Old Growth Douglas Fir Timbers
Town Hall Meeting Room (Town Hall, 7900 Williston Rd, use rear entrance) or Zoom Meeting ID 846 5863 3532 on zoom.us/join or call 1-646-558-8656
DP 22.06.1 Green State Realty, LLC c/o O’Leary-Burke Civil Associates, PLC Karl Marchessault requests discretionary permit review to amend final plans with expanded parking and outdoor storage, as well as a Master Sign Plan, for the MD Motors car dealership at 4626 Williston Rd in the Industrial West Zoning District (IZDW).
APP 25-01 Christian Chorba, Esq. on
EMAILED ADVERTISEMENT
ORDER Thomas Hirchak Company FROM: Maggie Egan Phone: 802-888-4662 Email: Maggie@THCAuction.com
behalf of appellant, Dawna Pederzani, files an appeal of Zoning Notice of Violation issued July 24, 2024, as related to AP 230121, an administrative permit issued to Pederzani for a dog rescue home business (Vermont English Bulldog Rescue) at 170 Lamplite Ln in the Residential Zoning District (RZD).
Project details and site plans are available on the website, town.williston.vt.us, under “Public Records and Documents”, then “Agendas & Minutes”, and “Development Review Board”. Contact Planning & Zoning Office for more information: 802878-6704 or email planning@willistonvt. org
LEGAL
TOWN OF ST. GEORGE, VERMONT Roadside Mowing RFP – 3-year Contract (2025 – 2027)
Email: Maggie@THCAuction.com
To: Rick & Susan Cote Paper: Williston Observer Max Length 12.5
To: Rick & Susan Cote Paper: Williston Observer Max Length 12.5
TODAY’S DATE: 9/27/2024
TODAY’S DATE: 9/27/2024
The Town of St. George, Vermont, will be accepting bids for a 3-year roadside mowing contract for 2025 - 2027 for all Class 2, Class 3, and Class 4 Roadsides. The Town of St. George has a total of 3.92 miles to be mowed (round trip). Two full mowings per year are requested. The first mowing to be completed between June 15 and June 30 of each year, and the second mowing to be completed between August 15 and August 31 of each year, unless otherwise mutually agreed upon by the Town of St. George and the selected contractor.
NAME OF FILE: 10032024_WO DATE(S) TO RUN: 10/03/2024
NAME OF FILE: 10032024_WO DATE(S) TO RUN: 10/03/2024
SIZE OF AD: 1/8 page (4” x 5”)
SIZE OF AD: 1/8 page (4” x 5”)
EMAILED TO: Rick@Willistonobserver.com
EMAILED
Publishes in Williston Observer
Over 175 lots of framed giclee prints, lamps, sofas, tables, dining room sets, candle holders and assorted candle sticks, china cabinets, wood cabinets, flatware, assorted glassware, folding tables, framed mirrors, framed artwork, ceramics, antique bedframe / mattress set, wooden fireplace mantle, wardrobes, gas stove/oven, wooden chest, rocking chair, bookshelves, marble topped furniture and more! BID NOW!
Bid Process and Deadline: Bids must be sealed and received at the Town Office by November 13, 2024, at 4:00pm. The bids can be mailed or delivered in person to 21 Barber Road, St. George, Vermont, 05495. Bids will be opened at the Select Board Meeting on November 21, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. Proof of insurance must accompany the bid. Please write “Attn: Roadside Mowing Bids” on the front of the envelope.
Contact Information:
PREVIEW: WED. OCT. 9 - 11AM-1PM
Email: helpdesk@thcauction.com
SECTION: Auctions PO# 1621/1623
ITEMS LOCATED IN ST. ALBANS, VT
For more information, please contact Justin Mason, Assistant to the Town Boards, at (802) 673 6669 or boards@ stgeorgevt.com. The full RFP can be found at www.stgeorgevt.com
Disclaimer:
The Town of St. George reserves the right to accept or reject all bids.
from page 2
The week-long bait drop is a cooperative effort between Vermont and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services to stop the spread of the potentially fatal disease.
saliva. If left untreated, rabies is almost always fatal in humans and animals. However, treatment with the rabies vaccine is nearly 100percent effectivewhengivensoonafter a person is bitten by a rabid animal.
SHELBURNE DAY
continued from page 4
So far this year, 23 animals in Vermont have tested positive for rabies, and 14 of those have been raccoons.
Rabies is a deadly viral disease of the brain that infects mammals. It is most often seen in raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats, but unvaccinated pets and livestock can also get rabies.The virus is spread through the bite of an infected animal or contact with its
According to wildlife officials, rabid animals often show a change in their normal behavior, but you cannot tell whether an animal has rabies simply by looking at it. People should not touch or pick up wild animals or strays – even baby animals.
Shelburne Historical Society will have a display and president Dorothea Penar will lead a cemetery tour at 1 p.m. Food ven dors round out the event with everything from coffee and lemonade to burgers and creemees. Kids will enjoy meeting animals from Shelburne Farms, craft projects, and
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Elections
their town clerk, dropping it in the town clerk’s outside drop box or handing it in to the town clerk’s office during business hours. Voters can also hand in their ballot at the polls on Election Day, Nov. 5, or request a new ballot to vote, signing an affidavit under penalty of perjury that they didn’t vote the ballot mailed to them.
The process helped increase statewide voter turnout, from 63 percent in 2016 to 73 percent in 2020. But it has tightened up the timeline to roughly two weeks at the end of August when the ballots need to be finalized and printed. During that time, which is after the party primaries when nominations for the general election are won — independent and minor party candidates can petition onto the ballot, and major party committees can nominate new candidates.
That’s what happened in the case of St. Marthe, a Jericho resident who is running alongside Williston’s Bruce Roy and independent Taylor Craven of Shelburne as challengers to incumbent Democrats Kesha Ram Hinsdale, Ginny Lyons and Thomas Chittenden for
the three open seats in the Chittenden Southeast Senate District.
“It’s a pretty tight turnaround, and we either need to think about having the primary earlier so there’s more time to fix all this stuff, review it and double check everything, or we need to put a pause on mailing out ballots for everyone,” said Vermont Republican Party Chairman Paul Dame.
Secretary of State Copeland Hanzas, who was elected in 2022 and is responsible for statewide elections, agrees that some changes would be beneficial, and she plans to propose some to the Legislature.
“All of these different ways of getting onto the general election ballot have different deadlines that all come in very rapid succession,” she said. “It’s hard for everyone to keep track of when all of those deadlines are … I think there are some things we can do to make this system a little more foolproof.”
BALLOTS TO ADDRESSES, NOT PEOPLE
More concerning to Dame, however, is ballots being mailed to people who no longer live at an address or who have passed away. He said the Republican party uncovered about 20 such instances state-
wide in the 2022 general election.
“There’s no evidence I have that those ballots have been used inappropriately,” Dame said, “but it’s unsettling to a voter when they get a ballot mailed to them for someone they don’t know.”
Purging the voter rolls of names that are no longer valid is an inexact exercise undertaken by municipal clerks with support from the Secretary of State’s office. Clerks use death notices and property transfer records to alert themselves to people who should no longer receive a ballot, and must file a challenge to their voter status before removing them from the list of registered voters. Williston Town Clerk Sarah Mason said people who are leaving town, or relatives of someone who has passed away, are increasingly alerting her to remove them. Town clerks also have access to a database of Department of Motor Vehicle and U.S. Postal Service information from about 30 participating states that can alert them to a resident who has moved away.
This year, Copeland Hanzas said, it was more difficult for town clerks to clean up their voter lists because of a federal requirement that people can’t be removed within 90 days of an election. With
multiple school budget votes in the spring, the August primary and the upcoming November election, there wasn’t enough time for clerks to do that work.
“It wouldn’t surprise me at all to find that our voter rolls maybe aren’t as up to date as they could be this year,” the secretary of state said.
Mason typically waits for non-election years to conduct a comprehensive purge of ineligible voters. She noted that postal workers are unlikely to deliver a ballot with a name of someone they know doesn’t live at an address. Those ballots will be returned to her as undeliverable. She plans to initiate the removal process for the names on those returned ballots.
“I’m looking forward to all of my undeliverables coming back because it’s something that I can go on,” Mason said. “It’s very helpful for cleaning up the voter checklist.”
Instead of universal mail-in elections, Dame prefers the process the state used in the 2020 primaries. During that election, the state sent a postcard to all voters inviting them to request a ballot by mail.
POSTAL SERVICE UNCERTAINTY
A key cog in universal mailin elections, of course, is the U.S. Postal Service — an organization that has been maligned in Vermont and other states for failure to execute timely mail delivery. Copeland Hanzas said she’s confident that ballots will be mailed to voters without delay, but she is less sure of the time frame for the ballots’ return trip to town clerks. In some areas of Vermont, she noted, even mail that is being sent within the same town is first sidetracked to out-of-state sorting centers.
“I think that is pretty ridiculous, and I think the postal service is perhaps not viewing itself as the public good that it should be and is doing cost-cutting activities that is sacrificing rural postal service,” she said. “If by Oct. 15 you haven’t put your ballot in the mail yet, you might want to drop it off at your clerk’s office, because there just isn’t a guarantee right now with the way the U.S. Postal Service is organizing itself that those ballots will get where they need to be.”
“That way the voter is taking a direct action to make sure the ballot is going to a person, rather than a ballot going to an address,” Dame said. “My concern is, we’re sending ballots to addresses hoping that there are people there, but not entirely sure if there are or not.”
